Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Colorado Adventures Part Two- The Unexpected Adventure


Free babysitters are not something that Jason and I get to take advantage of that often, so when we are visiting family we are sure to take advantage when we can. We are in search of a modestly priced digital SLR camera. While we were with Jason's mom, Jason and I gave Ben and hug and a kiss, left him with the grandparents and drove to Pueblo -the nearest city to Walsenburg- to check out the pawn shops hoping to find one. However, instead of finding a camera, we found that even though Pueblo is an urban area, there are many parts of the city that time has forgotten. It was fun to finally explore the city a bit instead of driving through it as we normally do.


An unknown building's water tower visible while driving I-25


Outside of Pueblo's train station is a railroad museum. A C&S caboose is one of the many cars on display.


We also managed to find "The Cowboy Supply" store in downtown Pueblo. If you ever find yourself in downtown Pueblo, make sure to stop in this store to check it out, you won't be disappointed. We were amazed at how much stuff they carry.


A whole wall of children's cowboy boots in a sizes starting with a toddler's 4. How does a little one who just barely learned how to walk wear these while showing off their newly acquired skill?


Of course, no cowboy store would be complete without the Stetson branding gracing it somewhere. Can you see the detail on the vest below? Is this or the jacket to the left of it to wear in a business casual outfit, or are they for dressier occasions?

I think it is great when a mission for one thing, i.e. the camera, turns into an unexpected adventure, don't you? What kind of unexpected adventures have you been on lately?

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Colorado Adventures Part One

This past week we packed our suitcases and headed to Colorado to visit our families. Ben and I hadn't been since last September and Jason hadn't been back since Christmas 2010 (yikes!), so it was definitely time for a visit. The first part of our trip we spent at Jason's mom's place in Walsenburg, a small town in southern Colorado.




Beside the beautiful scenery and family time, we also got to get in some key Harry time. For those of you who don't know, Harry is our dog that lives with Jason's mom. We are not able to have him in our house in family housing because emotional support animals have to be under 20 pounds to live here. It's a really crappy rule and I'd like to know what they would do if a blind person with a seeing eye dog tried to move in here. Oh well, as soon as I can find a job, we'll move out of the academic ghetto and get our dog back. We were excited to spend a bit of time with him even if it was a short visit. Harry was as sweet as ever, even managing to break our hearts as he tried to get in the car with us as we were leaving. Don't worry Harry-dog, we'll be back for you soon.

Next post will be about Jason and I taking advantage of some free babysitting and saw the "sights" in Pueblo, Colorado, the closest city to Walsenburg.



Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Happy Spring!

So, I have not been the greatest about staying active with the blog. I always feel like I should be writing something wonderfully profound, forgetting that I created the blog to keep people up to date with our happenings. So, with that in mind I'll try to be better.

This past weekend we had an egg hunt and picnic with all our neighbors. 80% of the families with kids from Grape street were there. We, as parents, had a lot of fun and the kids had a blast. But, the fun did not stop at a mere egg hunt. We did crafts (many of the kids made sheep from construction paper and cotton balls) and games. Who knew that "Duck, Duck, Goose" could be so fun. Ben was soo exhausted but enjoyed every minute of it.

We are prepping for a trip home to Colorado this week. We are super-excited! We'll have a few days in Southern Colorado with Jason's mom and step-dad and a few days in Denver with the rest of our family. I'll make sure to share some pictures and details of our trip home when we get back next week.







Photo credits go to my neighbor, the lovely and talented Paula Nuguid-Garcia


Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Up to the highest heights!

Ben and I took advice from Mary Poppins and went kite flying yesterday. Ben had a ball and was successful in flying his first kite. It only went about five feet or so off the ground, but it was flying! Between the rockets with Jason and kite flying with me, Ben is developing a passion for aeronautics.

Monday, January 2, 2012

Blast Off

Jason has been procrastinating revising yet another draft of his e-paper (the equivalent of his masters' thesis) teaching Ben about improvising and being spontaneous. They both have also been learning about air pressure and ballistics while they are doing it. Good times.


Friday, December 30, 2011

Happy New Year

As 2011 draws to a close and we get ready welcome the 2012, I'm inspired by Thoreau and am using this quote of his as my resolution for the new year. Hope your celebrations this weekend are fun and safe.

Happy New Year!