Thoughts in a garage.

The other day I found myself in my new garage for an extended period of time. Not by choice, of course. The door turned phantom on me and locked me out—for real. Instead of doing practical stuff like organizing the garage (which is obviously a man’s job) I hopped in the Honda and felt terribly sorry for myself.

I did all the logical things to try and get myself back in, obviously. I strolled up the street and borrowed some complete strangers phone to call Brandon. I tried hoisting myself up onto our patio on the second floor, I even brought a ladder around and tried it. To no avail, I was locked out.

This same sort of thing happened right when we moved to Boise. I had gone on a run, locked the door on the inside, and took a new key copy with me that I had just made at Home Depot. When I got back I realized my new key didn’t work. That time I was at least stranded with my phone and shoes, and Brandon rescued me quickly after. This time I had my garage, all of its contents, and a car. No keys but a car. I am thinking it must be some sort of new house initiation process you must go through. Anyhow, I found some paper and a pen in the car and recorded my thoughts, because I am an English teacher by trade, and you can’t help but record these types of experiences. And also because when you have over two hours in a garage you have a lot of thoughts. Here you go:

1. The lady up the street must think that a total hippie has moved in. Lady I promise I do typically wear shoes, and I don’t always wear tie-dye. And there is usually not this much dirt under my nails I’ve just been busy planting a garden on my patio. (Maybe that doesn’t help my hippie case.) But, can I use your phone? My carrier pigeon is out delivering a message and hasn’t returned…

2.  Maybe I should pull down my clarinet and play a sprightly tune for our new neighbors. What better way to announce to the neighborhood that we’re new and that the fun has truly arrived? Besides, I’ve heard that clarinet jigs are all the rage these days.

3. Good thing my yarn tote has made it to Denver. Maybe I should crochet the nice lady up the street a beanie for her baby. I am sure that would solidify any previous impression she’s had of me thus far.

4. Is there actually someone in my house that turned the lock? I’ve never encountered a phantom door handle before. If so, I hope he/she unpacks the office. It’s an utter disaster.

5. Bladder control yourself.

6. Why did I leave my Harry Potter book playing? Faintly hearing Jim Dale's voice could possibly be the worst bit of this all. Jim, can’t you just speak up?

7. How long has this Twix bar been in here? It doesn’t taste right...

8. I hope Brandon enjoys the message I left on his voicemail, “Hello. Well, I am locked out. Don’t worry about calling back. But maybe it would be nice if you got off a touch early today. Okay, well I’ll be in the garage.”

And you can tell that I obviously got back in. Along with it I got this great story. But, now I feel like this really is home since I was able to survive the locked out initiation process. At least it’s not like find a big rat in your house initiation process. I consider myself pretty darn lucky :)

Have a fantastic Friday!

A Colorado Wrap-Up

I have a confession or two. When we first moved to Denver we didn’t like it. We didn’t like the traffic, we didn’t like how big it was, we didn’t like how it was never sunny, and that it never got over 80 degrees. We didn’t like other things, those things being ages 6, 8, and 10 (but that’s a whole other story). We instantly missed Boise. But, Denver has treated us so well. Despite our efforts to be angry at it, we ended up liking it, and now I think we might even miss it when we leave this week. 

Another confession, I am not exactly sure why I have a blog. I am pretty sure that I am the only person that cares about my fun weekend, my husbands rockin’ birthday, and my almost garden. But, I have also never been this good at blogging, so I deserve a big pat on the back (I’m all about extrinsic motivation here). So to those who do peruse the pages of my mindless wanderings and hopefully glean some sort of something, here you go, the end of our Denver adventure written just for you (cough Tenille cough).

Firstly, for those of you who do know me well you know that I love a good birthday. I am 100% convinced that birthday’s are to be celebrated and are to be recognized. Birthdays are that one day a year that is your day. Seriously your day. So it should go your way, and just be out of this world. As I have grown older I have realized that very few people over the age of 10 feel this way. Which deeply saddens me. But don’t think I let that get in the way when I come across a good birthday. Especially when it’s my cute husbands. Even though it was just me, I celebrated the heck out of his day. And he deserved it. And he loved it. And all in all, I am so excited that this boy was born because if not my life would be bleak and just not as great as it is. So, even though this monumental event occurred on the 26^th it needs to be recognized, like all good birthdays do.

Secondly, we knew that if we moved to Denver we had to go to Rocky Mountain National Park. So we did. And I would have kicked myself forever if we had forgone that opportunity because it was B-E-A-utiful! If you haven’t gone there, go. Simple as that. Just take my advice, but be warned because you are a good two miles over sea level, which does take your breath away in more way than one.

Lastly, I know that everyone is dying to see the results of my feeble garden, the one that I’ve been plotting since last summer. The one that I knew would be great and produce, and solve my bland tomato problems. Well, it didn’t. In fact, I gave my tomato plant away yesterday because it seemed too impractical to bring it back to Boise. And it had 8 little tomatoes that were just taking form. Tomatoes  I’ll never get to see, or eat. Out of everything that makes me sad about leaving this place, this is number one. Second it to see Rubio’s go (we are a food centered people). I cared for those plants everyday and spent countless hours watching them grow. It breaks my heart to leave them in untrusted hands, but I couldn’t just let them die, you know? Again, these are just plants, not kids, as Brandon has had to remind me several times. And I do realize that not everyone made it. Thanks to my over pruning and care one little plant couldn't take the pressure and simply gave up. Again, as Brandon has said, they're plants, not children. 

And that’s how it ends. That’s the big wrap up. And off to bigger and better things we go. Wish us luck!

A grand time in Winter Park.

When we moved to Colorado we became instantly more popular. All of the sudden a lot of people wanted to come visit us, I guess Boise, Idaho never really sounded all that cool. Of course we are never ones to turn away a good visitor. So we were very pleased when my dear sister, Tenille, and her husband, Ben decided to come be apart of our Colorado journey. I think they were pretty excited to come north a little bit, considering that that particular weekend was supposed to reach 118 in Arizona, which should be illegal.

Before they had journeyed our way they did some serious research as to what activities to participate in in this part of the country, and I think right when Ben stumbled along Trestle Bike Park in Winter Park, Colorado he was entirely sold. This place is a mountain biker's heaven. Seriously. You take a lift up the mountain and then you ride down. And repeat. And yes, that kind of takes the workout of the mountain biking experience, but since Tenille and I took the lift up, then hiked down, I can't really say much, since that is just about the same thing :)

While the boys frolicked around the mountain Tenille and I signed up for the "Adventure Pass" that included all sorts of adventurous things such as: a rock wall, a trampoline thing, a bounce house (shaped as a snow cat), a maze (that I could almost see over), an alpine slide, and lots of other things that the kids 8 and under were super excited about. And we used that adventure pass to the fullest, well almost. Since Tenille is expecting a little one in August she watched me and all of the other little adventurers have a grand time. But, she told me not to worry, because I fit in just fine.

You can obviously see that the boys tore it up. They looked so intense in all of their gear and when Brandon did that stare off into the distance face I felt like I was witnessing a real life professional. Which he pretty much is :) 

We loved having our family up here and loved that we could explore with them and hope that more people follow in their footsteps, hint hint :)

You know you're a novice camper when...

1. You decide to go camping that very same day and set out driving with the idea that yes, you will find a spot, and it will be B-E-A-U-TIFUL, and cheap, and wonderful, and everything a camping sport should be, on the very first weekend of the summer. (The expectations of camping gives me a good chuckle every now and then.)

2. You bring two full size twin air mattresses and fill them up using the inverter in your car.

3. The only entertainment you can find is gathering up pine needles for a fire and then taking pictures of the said person gathering pine needles.

4. You buy a tarp for your tent that is positively too small.

5. You forget that you're in the mountains, and it's May, and that is it still FREEZING at night.
6. You also forget gloves, a warm hat, and a personal size heater that can keep you warm at night. And realize that once away from the fire, you are screwed.

7. You forget that animals, such as coyotes, do live in the wild. And yes, they do howl, and it starts at 2 in the AM and ends at sunrise.
8. You forget that tents don't have blinds, so when it becomes light at 5 in the AM, you wake up. And you realize you are still freezing.
9. At the 5 AM wake up call, you throw everything back in your car. EVERYTHING. You skip the sleeping bag roll-up, the air mattress roll-up, and they go in as is.
10. You make breakfast because you feel like you should, using the pans from your fully furnished apartment, that are not yours, because hey, you don't really care what happens to them. But, in the end the eggs and bacon are pretty inedible.

11. You drive away at 8 in the AM, when at the same time the lady in the trailer next to you ambles out looking all warm and cozy with a cup of something hot and calls out, "stay longer next time!" And you say yes, but there is NO way there is going to be a next time.

And that's what a novice camper does. And although at the time it seemed pretty wretched, looking back, it brings a nice laugh. Have a fun weekend! 

When you start to explore Colorado.

I think the teacher in me has rubbed off into various areas of my life. For example, we wanted to go on a fun weekend trip and I created a totally awesome PowerPoint to show all of the different places we could go. A real PowerPoint guys, with handcrafted designs and links and pictures and videos and everything that makes a really great PowerPoint.
Anyways, the PowerPoint did its job and we chose to trek our way up to the Vail area.

It is so pretty there.
So pretty.
The way the aspens litter the mountains and work their way through the pines like they have a place to be and they are going to get there if it is the last thing they do. It kind of takes your breath away.

We hiked and biked and walked through the little towns and just had such a nice time. We also stayed in a 4 star hotel that did not have air conditioning. I repeat, did not. I think Brandon was in total shock when we entered the room and it was a good 80 degrees. Actually, he probably is still in shock. He made sure to clarify with the man at the desk that this hotel really did not have AC, the attendant informed Brandon that that was obviously what windows were for. Well, duh.

Also, have you ever hiked in the mountains of Colorado? It is not that easy. I mean it's super pretty, but just not that easy. Especially when the hikes you choose literally go straight up. Like so straight that when we came to rocks in the trail I had to use my hands because my short little legs couldn't make it over the rocks in one step. (That seriously made me sound like a midget and even though I had to clarify to some of my students that although I am on the shorter side I am not a midget, 5 feet over here folks). And then imagine doing that for like oh, 2 miles. And gaining serious elevation. Seriously, is 1,500 feet in 2 miles even legal? I don't think so.

Hopefully I am not painting a bleak picture in your mind, because it was very fun. I just love these weekend trips with my hubby. Here are some pictures to prove its beauty and its wonderfulness :)

Now, stay tuned for our next weekend adventure. Because oh my goodness, it was a serious adventure. Like the use of tents and everything :)

Becoming a gardener.

Well, as much as a gardener you can become when you live in an apartment and all you have is a patio half the size of a normal persons couch.

When we found out we were moving to Colorado my only request was that I could plant a tomato plant. Seriously, that was it. And when we found out that our apartment had a patio I felt like all my wishes were coming true. (Besides the wish that I could have a real house with a real backyard, and the wish to be skinny, that's always a good wish).

Then when we got there Brandon asked what I wanted to do first and obviously I said that I just wanted to plant a tomato. I think he thought I was kidding the entire time, which I am not sure why, because when you make it to a new and exciting city isn't the first thing you want to do is also plant a tomato plant? Sheesh.

So off to Home Depot we went. And oh my goodness I had no idea how difficult it was to choose a tomato plant! Have you ever been there to choose a single tomato plant? There's like at least 22 different variation with the most awesome names ever. Seriously, just for a good laugh head over to your local Home Depot and check out those tomato plants. You'll have a grand time. Now, I decided to be practical since we are only going to be in this mile-high city for about two months so I chose a patio tomato plant (which might have been a mistake) and the early girl, which promises fruit within 50 days. Oh and a sweet basil plant, just because it seemed like a really good idea.

I pretty much love my plants. I check on them all of the time and just think it's amazing how much they are growing. (I feel a little silly because I'm pretty sure I've read that same line in a blog that is describing children and I'm using it to refer to my plants..hmm).

Right after I planted these little gems..

And seriously only 10 days later. TEN DAYS!

I do realize that there is a possibility that they might not produce any tomatoes, which makes me almost tear up, almost. But I think they'll pull through. If not, they just may be taking the journey back to Idaho with us until they live up to my expectations. I am sure I can pack two 2-foot high plants in my car without Brandon even noticing, don't you think? I mean, the succulents make the journey over, so it just seems practical.

See, the succulents made it and they're absolutely flourishing. Besides several dead leaves..

Anyhow, hopefully this gives you some hope if you are in the business of growing a pot of tomato on your patio (or if you live in Colorado, I suppose you could grow marijuana since it is legal..just kidding don't do that). Ha, have a lovely weekend :)