The FIRST Snow...

Here is a picture of our first real snow of the season! However we are about a month overdue. I always especially love the first snow of the season. It's the start of a new season and at this time of the year it definitly boosts your Christmas Spirit!

It wasn't really a snow that you could play in; it was a really wet snow and when you walked on it or anything it melted pretty quickly. However when I took Winston out to use the bathroom once he was done with his "business" he started pouncing on snow balls and rolling around in the snow. So I asked him if he wanted to go play; yes I talk to my dog. And he immediately ran over to the side yard and ran around and around in circles, up and down the hill, then he would come and make sure I was still there. Then he went back to his playing. Once he was done running around he proceeded to roll around in the snow some more. He looked like a giant snowball! Once I got him back inside I had to put him in the shower to melt all of the snowballs attached to his fur. But he was one happy dog!

It reminded me of how when I was a kid I loved to play in the snow. I would go out for a few hours and then come in to warm up, then go back out until I was totally frozen. You had to make the most of it because it could literally be years before you got another snow like it! So I encourage everyone to get outside and play in it! And if you don't have any of your own...come play in mine!!! :o)

A Thankful Thanksgiving Week

This coming Thursday is Thanksgiving and this is going to be a crazy week for me. My parents and aunt are coming into town tomorrow. So we will have 6 people (plus a Winston Doggy) staying in our condo. I usually get so excited about Christmas that I just want to skip right over Thanksgiving. But this year as so many people in our country are struggling; I feel that I have a lot to be thankful for. I am thankful for the best husband a girl could ask for. I am very thankful for the overall health of our families. I am thankful for our jobs and the roof over our heads that God has blessed us with. I am thankful for our friends and the blessings that they have been given. I am thankful for Winston and the joy he has brought into our lives. I am thankful that Justin and I are able to go and visit our families, since they do not live nearby. I am thankful for our church and the Newlywed Group that we meet with every week. I am thankful that we are able to pursue interests that we enjoy. I am thankful for the opportunities that I have been given and for the blessings that are still to come.

I hope everyone has a very Happy Thanksgiving!

My First Ballet Class

Yes, you read that correctly. I promised Amy I would write about my ballet class once I started, so here it goes.

On Wednesday nights for the next few weeks if you can't get ahold of me that's because I am at ballet. :o) Originally it was supposed to be a beginner ballet class; because the last time I had ballet shoes on I was 6 and wearing a yellow tutu. But surprisingly when I got to class last week, there weren't a lot of people signed up for the beginner class...so they combined it with the Continuing Ballet class. To be more specific these are girls already dancing in pointe.

Class started by doing lots of stretching. There was one stretch that kept giving me cramps in my feet, I was starting to wonder how in the world I was going to be able to dance on them. But that would prove to be the least of my worries. Our teacher taught us a series of steps and in my head I was thinking,"If I could do that I would be dancing in The Nutcracker." :o) But in the end everything went pretty well and I learned that I am better at jumping or leaping than twirling. But I hope to learn a little more each week.

Rock Band 2

I probably should have blogged about the "Engaged & Newlywed Group" that we belong to before now; but what better time than the present???

We meet every Wednesday night and have dinner at someone's house and then we discuss things going on in our lives as well as other marrital topics. In addition to that the boys talk about their Fantasy Football league. The girls have a running joke to see how long it takes for Fantasy Football to come up when we all get together. And it's usually Justin that starts it. :o) Right now we are also going through the book Love & Respect: The Love She Most Desires The Respect He desperately Needs.

But this week we played Rock Band 2! Here are some pictures of us "rocking out"!

13.1 Miles!

Well I did it! This past Sunday I ran the Denver Half-Marathon with my friend Megan. We trained together and separate for about 3 1/2 months. During that time I went through almost an entire jar of Tiger Balm, many Function Shock Sport drinks, and a pair of tennis shoes. (Never underestimate the importance of good running shoes when you run 5 times a week!)

The race went really well and I had a really good time...although it is weird to say you had fun running 13 miles, probably sounds more like torture to most people. I got to see parts of Denver I hadn't seen before and there was some really great people watching as well! Afterwards I was really sore, even walking was quite the task. But after some more Tiger Balm an another Shock Sport drink by Monday I was almost back to normal. Only my knees are still a little tender.

Now I am trying to decide what my next challenge will be???

Go Buffaloooooooes!

Last weekend Justin and I met our friends Kourtney and Thad up in Boulder and we went with them to the CU vs. Texas football game. The game started at 5:00, but we got to the field early for some pre-game tailgating! Kourtney made BBQ, potato salad, and baked beans for everyone and of course there was plenty of beer to go around!

We made it into the game in time to see Ralphie the Buffalo make his entrance. Ralphie is CU's mascot and is a real live buffalo that leads the team out and charges around the field. He has about 6 handlers that make sure he doesn't get a wild hair up his butt and decide to charge peple on the sidelines.

Unfortunately CU lost the game, but we still had a great day hanging out with our friends!

If Only It Were Just A Parasite...

My friend Kourtney found out that she was lactose intolerant about a year and a half ago and about 8 months after that my doctor and I put two and two together and I realized that I was also lactose intolerant. I never realized how much I was going to miss cheese, ice cream, and a yummy gooey hot pizza! I know you are all thinking...can't you just take a pill? That's what everyone says. Unfortunately for me it doesn't work that way. It will work for dairy in small doses, but for anything good it doesn't. Being a "lactard" pretty much sucks, but all along at least I had Kourtney to share it with. Right? Wrong!
I had breakfast with Kourtney about a week ago and I found out that all along she had had a parasite. and really it was the parasite that was lactose intolerant. :o) So she has been on medicine and now she gets to start slowly introducing dairy back into her diet. LUCKY! Sometimes its hard and I get frustrated; I can't imagine never being able to have fondue, homemade ice cream, or delivery pizza ever again! But all I can do is just take it one day at a time.

It's Fall in Colorado!

This past Sunday Justin, Ashley and I went up Kenosha Pass to see the leaves changing colors in the mountains. The Aspen trees turn bright yellow and then just before the leaves fall off they turn a beautiful red. We walked a little along the Colorado Trail and Winston ran around like a chicken with his head cut off. :o) There was a storm in the distance and just before we were getting ready to leave the rain arrived where we were and we could look back over the Aspen trees and see a full rainbow! God is amazing!

My August

August has come and gone very quickly. Looking back I am trying to figure out what in the world has kept me so busy??? I am training for a half marathon that I am running with my friend Megan in October. So that keeps me busy 6 days a week. Pretty much when I get home from work I hit the pavement.

I also spent one week in Rapid City, South Dakota for work. This was my first work trip and I guess it counts as a mini promotion. We were opening a new store, so I went as part of a team to help set things up. I am going to start traveling more; the next opening is in Draper, Utah in October.

When I got back to town from that trip Justin's parents were here for a short visit. We really enjoyed spending time with them and as always love it when we have family in town. We went to the Parade of Homes together and even spent a little time golfing.

Ashley came back from Africa later that week, so we spent the weekend listening to her amazing stories.

This week the Democratic National Convention is here in Denver...I am hoping to head downtown and be part of all of the excitement/craziness tomorrow night.

I have attached a few photos from my visit to Mt. Rushmore when I was in Rapid City. I have a funny story to go a long with them. It might not be as funny telling it like this...but I promise you it was HILARIOUS! I was in a car with my boss, Barb, and my co-worker Elena. We were leaving Mt. Rushmore and Barb pulled over at a scenic area where you could still see the mountain. There were two older ladies and a gentleman taking pictures. Barb gets out of the car and starts talking to them in a french accent. She says, "Who are those people up on the mountain." (Remember in a french accent.) One lady says, "those are the Presidents." (She had a strong southern accent...so you have to imagine that too.) Barb says, "Which ones?" The lady responds, "Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt." She couldn't remember the fourth, so she yells over at her husband, "who is the fourth one?" And he yells, "Franklin, Ben Franklin." At this point I am practically dying laughing and Elena has her head buried in the back seat from listening to Barb talk with a french accent. Barb gets back in the car and I ask her, "Did he just say Ben Franklin?" Then we giggled even harder because it is John Adams on the mountain and Benjamin Franklin was never President.

It made me think of when Jay Leno does his "Jaywalking" questions on his show where he asks people random American history questions and he gets a million different answers to the same question. I can only imagine how many different answers one would get if they stood there and asked people all day long.

Dirrrrty Dog

Last night Justin took Winston for a walk and when they got back I went to say Hi as they were coming in the door and gasped because Winston was wearing socks...only they were made of mud! But he was a very happy dog! I imagined he was saying, " What mud Mom, I don't know what you are talking about." We took him outside to get a picture before he got a bath, so here are the before and afters.

Twilight Golf

Last night Justin and I went to play twilight golf at Foothills. We started around 6:30 and finished about 2 hours later. Basically you get there and get as many holes in as you can until you can't see your ball anymore plus its cheaper than a regular round of golf. Justin wasn't quite on his game last night and I don't have much of a game at all, but we had a great time anyway! There was even a beautiful sunset!

Myrtle Beach Here We Come!

This past week Justin and I were in Myrtle Beach vacationing with my family. A lot of my extended family was there; aunts, uncles, mom, dad, cousins, grandma...ect. We took a red eye flight in from Denver and my parents picked us up in Raleigh and we headed down to the coast. For lunch when we got there we ate at the BEST sandwich place around Georgio's (which we ate at another two times that week). That day we just hungout and cat napped because the weather was cloudy and rainy doe to the tropical storm out in the water.

The rest of the week we spent our mornings at the beach and our aftenoons either reading and lounging or shopping. At night we usually ate dinner at the house and then we would go do something. Sometimes all together and sometimes separate.

Tuesday Justin, Mom, Dad, and I went to Charleston SC. I hadn't ever really been there durning the summer. I always went in the spring and fall in college. So the heat and humidity really caught me off guard. It was really hot and humid in Myrtle too, but it was totally different when there was no escape. We walked around for a little while and just when we thought we were going to totally melt we stopped at this restaurant called Magnolia's. It was the cutest local spot and the food was delicious! I was even able to have some fried green tomatos. After eating we went to the slave market and walked around there a little. Then we decided to take a historical tour via horse and buggy. It was very interesting and it was nice to not have to walk anymore. But I still thought I was dying! (I am not used to the humidity anymore...I am totally spoiled here in CO) We headed back to Myrtle shortly after that.

On Friday I headed back to Burlington with my family. Saturday morning some of my NC friends came over for brunch, it was nice to see everyone and to be able to just hangout. After everyone left I went with my Dad and Justin to a gun range by our house. Most of the time we were there I sat in the car reading. But I did shoot a little and I even had a bullseye right in the center! But I've had lots of practice from shooting cans sitting on a tree from across the street up at the mountain house. That night we had a wedding reception party to go to for a family friend. I got to see more people I hadn't seen in several years and catch up some. Sunday morning we woke up got ready packed and went to eat breakfast with my whole extended family. That seems to be the tradition now. Then we headed back to the airport.

We had a great trip and I wouldn't change a thing...except maybe the humidity. (Sorry to keep going on and on and on about the humidity, but it was stinkin HOT!) I didn't do very well taking pictures. I didn't want to get my camera all sandy by taking it down to the beach and then I just didn't think about taking pictures the rest of the time. I'll do better next time.

Weekend in Breckenridge

This Saturday morning I woke up in beautiful Breckenridge, CO! Justin and I came up Friday night and we were supposed to stay at the Breck Inn, but they overbooked so they upgraded us and put us at Beaver Run. Beaver Run is a ski lodge at the base of Peak 9. What an upgrade! We had a kitchen, living room, bedroom and our own jacuzzi tub in our room.

Saturday morning we biked from Breckenridge to Frisco, which is an 8.8 mile ride. In Frisco Justin got some coffee at a local coffee shop and I got some lemonade. Then we had to ride the 8.8 miles back. On the way down I didn't really realize that we were gradually going down hill the whole time, but on the way home I really felt it! Once we got back to our room we ate and went to the pool. Then that night we went to eat at Eric's; which is a local burger/pizza place.

Sunday I ran in the gym at Beaver Run and then we got ready and ate lunch in Breckenridge again before heading back to Denver. We had a great weekend!

Chalk Art on Larimer

A few weekends ago we went to a chalk art show downtown. Different companies sponsored an area of Larimer Street and had someone drawing on their area. Then they were judged afterwards. The "chalkers" worked all day on Saturday and then finished up Sunday evening. I was amazed at their dedication and their attention to detail. At one point Sunday I thought it was going to storm, but luckily it held off and they were able to finish their drawings! Here are a few pictures.

Procrastination Queen

Random Thought from Kristina: Sometimes I ask myself why do I procrastinate? Is it something that I inherited from my Dad? Probably. Am I scared of failing? Yes. Am I scared of the unknown? Yes. So how do you get over this?

I can think of many things in my life that caused me to procrastinate. I always waited to the last possible minute to do my homework and write papers in high school and college. But they always got done. I don't like to go places where I don't know anyone and I wait until the last possible minute to leave the house. But I met nice people and I always survive. (Looking back, I have no idea how I came out to Colorado by myself...it was totally GOD!) In grad school I had to write a thesis paper and somehow I managed to not procrastinate on this...too much anyway. :o) I survived and I graduated! So good things do come out of change and new things.

Now I am procrastinating for a different reason. I just can't decide, so I do nothing. I really love my job, but it has very little to do with what I went to school for. So part of me wants to get into the public or non-profit sector, but at the same time is it worth it in the end? I work for a great national company with great morals and people. I enjoy my job and the people I work closely with. I have a great boss and a lot of flexibility, which I really like. I get to spend lots of company money and assist with fun projects like furnishing/decorating the new Ronald McDonald House and the Parade of Homes. So I am hesitant to leave this job for the unknown. What if I hate the new job or if I dislike the people I work with. But I was nervous when I started this job too and it worked out really well in the end. I like that I get to do something different day to day and that I can be creative. But at the same time I don't feel totally challenged. There is the possibility of moving up in the company, but that could take awhile. And I don't know if I am willing to wait it out. Plus it is expensive to live in Denver and the possibility of extra money might be nice too.

So what's a girl to do????

A Future Iron Man is Born...

On Saturday morning I woke up (the first time) to a 4:30 alarm clock because Justin had to get up to leave for his Triathlon. We stayed in Loveland Friday night, so that we would not be too far from the race. I met him at the event a few hours later...no reason for me to be there so early! He started training in January and trained 6 days a week. His goal for his first triathlon was to finish in under 3 hours. The triathlon included a mile swim, a 30 mile bike ride, and a 10K. I was able to see him after he finished his bike ride and he looked really good. He seemed relaxed and confident. We were yelling over everyone because he was in the transition area and I was not allowed there. He said he had to do a 55 minute 10K in order to finish in under 3 hours...but he really needed to pee! He said he might have to pee in his pants and I'm sure he will appreciate me telling everyone that. :o) But don't worry it didn't come to that. He said once he got going the feeling went away. Whew! I was going to have to ride home with him! In the end he finished the run in 44 minutes and "spanked" his goal (that's what he said) and finished the race in 2 hours, 49 minutes, and 43 seconds! Almost immediately he said, "I think I might try a Half Iron Man next year." I could tell he had so much fun doing this triathlon and he felt really relieved to have his first under his belt. So we'll see what happens next summer!

The First Entry

Hi! I just thought this would be a great way for my friends (in Colorado and North Carolina) and I to stay in touch. We are always playing telephone tag, so this way everyone see what I have been up to with a click of the mouse. I am hoping that they will all jump on the bandwagon and succumb to peer pressure by starting their own. To be continued...