Christmas Vacation

Now that i'm finally back in Denver, here are some pictures from my vacation. We had a lot of parties and lots of fun in the snowy U.P. It never stopped snowing and it was great to see my nieces and nephews and family. Traveling to and fro was quite an experience, including one night on a chair in the Colorado Springs airport. Back to reality...50 degrees and no snow in Littleton.

"Blast from the Past"

So I must be missing my sisters because I saw this picture and had to post it. I think this picture is about 13-14 years old..i shouldn't even put an age on it because we don't look that young in it. Well young enough, but it still feels like yesterday. I'm very lucky to have 7 sisters that I get along with...can't wait to see you guys!!

Cartoon Below

Sorry the picture didn't show up so well....it says "If we can't find the car by noon, I'm going back to bed."

Safe Travels

Well it looks like the snow and cold is coming just in time for the holidays!! I looked at the weather last night and there are winter storm warnings for Calumet, Detroit and Minneapolis. Just want to pray that my friends and family make it home safe over the holidays. I'm preparing for a "Winter Wonderland" when I fly in tomorrow:) Merry Christmas Everyone!!

Wings vs. Avs

Looks like the Avs beat the Wings last night. Final Score: 3-2 I'm getting a lot of crap from my Avs friends out here...let's look at the overall season record though...Was a good game, nice to see the Avs win for a change, or maybe not:)

Christmas Memories

Parade Of Lights

Every December Denver has a Christmas parade called "Parade of Lights". It's like a mini Macy's Day parade and has marching bands and the big inflatable cartoon characters. I went last night with Sheena and her husband and their little boston terrier puppy. The weather was perfect, almost 60 degrees and it was a lot of fun.

2 More Weeks!!

The countdown has begun! I have never missed a Christmas yet at home...and this year once again I get to go home. The weather in Denver has been so crazy that i'm worried we may not have a white Christmas here...but i'm sure I won't be dissapointed when I step off the plane in Hancock. Hope everyone is ready to do some sledding and skiing!!

Our first snowfall

It's the holidays! It's beginning to feel a lot like....Christmas:) I was just out christmas shopping this evening, trying to get into the Christmas spirit. Without any snow, it just didn't feel right. I went into T.J. Maxx for 15 minutes and came out to a blizzard. I was so excited I got Heather on the phone and she was just as excited! (You've got to like snow if you live in Colorado, so why not embrace it.) I can't wait to wake up tomorrow to see the mountains covered...one of my favorite things.

Happy Thanksgiving

So I was reading the news on TV6's website this morning at work...and what a pleasure to see an article about my Mom and my nieces:) Here is an incerpt from the article....


"So why did people wait until the day before? Well, some were busy. But others, like Barb Helminen waited to get fresh sides , like dinner rolls.
"I guess the last minute salads", said Helminen, a resident of Laurium. "I got my meats and all my staples ready. But, I'm here for the last minute fixings."
Helminen's granddaughter's, Grace and Clare say they're looking forward to more than just dinner.
"I get to see all my cousin's, aunties, uncles and grandma", said Grace.
And they're not the only ones thinking about more than food. Campioni says he sells double the number of newspapers on Wednesday, because people want the sale inserts for Black Friday."

I hope you all had a great "Turkey Day"! See you in 3 weeks

Here is a view from my apartment. When it snows i'll take another shot...the mountains don't look half as pretty without snow. Let it snow!

Nesting

It's that time of year when those of us living in cold climates start "nesting". Basically meaning we are stuck inside a lot more and have a desire to do projects. I've been making Christmas gifts as you can see in the picture of the photo frame. So don't be surprised if one shows up as your gift:) I stole the idea from my crafty sister Mel who always has fun ideas for projects. The other project is my new kitchen table. I got it free from craigslist.com and just had to buy new screws for it and connect the legs. So I was pretty pumped on it and now Sally and I no longer have to eat dinner on the coffee table in front of the t.v. I'm now looking for another project...any ideas??

Jack & Charlie--This post is for you!

I went for a nice walk this beautiful saturday morning and was surprised with what I saw. The place was called Waterton Canyon and it is only about 5 miles south of my apartment. The first wildlife I saw was a group of deer. They were right in the middle of the trail! (Maybe they were some of Santa's reindeers visiting Colorado...I didn't see Rudolph though:) I kept walking another mile or two into the canyon and saw the biggest bighorn sheep I have ever seen. They were perched atop the mountain rubbing their horns against each other. They live right along mountainsides and have very strong, sharp feet to climb up the mountains. Their horns are curled and they are like monster deers, not quite as big as elk. I think they are also called Rams sometimes, depending on the person you talk to. So I hope you like the pictures of the animals I saw today, Charlie and Jack. If you come to visit me I can take you for a walk to see the bighorn sheep!

Why I love Colorado

As I was driving home from work tonight I started thinking about the reasons why I love living in Colorado. Every since I was a young child, I've always loved the outdoors. I think it all started with my Dad. He was the one who gave me an appreciation for most of what I enjoy doing outside. Whether it was camping, fishing or talking a walk in the woods, he really seemed to find peace in these things. Of course as a kid, I didn't quite understand why he liked being outside and more often than not, even wondered why he planned these outings. But as I grew older I found that same peace. A peace where all is natural and the explorations are endless. Living in the U.P. I was fortunate to experience this as I grew up near the water. As all of us Yoopers know, something about the sight of the "big lake" makes us feel contentment. I feel this similiar contentment near the mountains. Watching the sunset over the majestic purple (yes, they actually look purple) mountains as I drive home from work every night, never gets old. Hiking the peaks and skiing down the slopes on a powder day, are enough to make it worth getting through the week until the weekend. I feel very lucky to have the opportunity to spend my single years out here. As much as I miss home and no matter where I end up, Colorado will always be my second home:)

Childhood Friends

My new hairdo from Christi:)

Millenium Park

Everyone needs a gals' trip...last weekend I had the opportunity to spend the weekend in Chicago with my childhood friends, Emily and Christi. I hadn't seen Christi in almost 3 years...i finally got to see her wedding ring! She did mine and Emily's hair which was a lot of fun. We shopped till we dropped, ate some great Chicago-style Pizza and caught up on each others' lives. The weekend ended with me missing my flight back home, but needless to say we had a great time.

Race Pictures

Denver Marathon Relay

What a fun day! I started the day waking up @ 4:52 a.m. without an alarm (I must've been pretty excited). Sheena and I arrived downtown around 6:00 for a group picture with the rest of the team. It was crazy how excited everyone even though it was still dark outside and a little chilly. It was very pretty...you could see the sun rise over the capitol building while we were waiting for the race to start. The race started @ 7:00 and we finished around 11:00. It sure was an amazing experience and what a great atmosphere. Fun was had by all and I think we are all going to be a little sore at work tomorrow:)

Golden, Colorado

One of my favorite places out West, only about 10 miles from my apartment is the town of Golden. It's about the size of Hancok, Michigan and has a lot of history. When I first moved here I spent a lot of time in Golden for my job as a nanny and really enjoyed it's small-town feel. It is most famous for being the site of Coor's Brewery. It's filled with little museums and restaurants and has a creek flowing through it called "Clear Creek". This creek goes through the town and Sally and I have spent many summer days riding black inner tubes down it. It's one of the first established towns in the Wild West and I recommend visiting the town someday!

Fun times in Colorado

These are just some random shots from Colorado. Some old, some newer.

Some of my favorites

Just wanted to post some of my favorite pictures from this past summer.