Getting Back in the Swing of Things.

We've been living here in our new place for about a week and a half now and it's finally starting to come together.  In fact, we actually had a few friends come in town and stay with us this weekend.  Our friend Andrew came down from Ft. Collins and Johnny and Gina are in town from Hawaii for their wedding this week!  It was wonderful to see them all again and it gave Matt a good chance to pick Andrew's brain about grad school since Andrew is about to start his second year of his MBA program.

We all went to see the band Blind Pilot at this really interesting venue Friday night--it was almost like a barn in a park in Boulder.  After the concert we hit up Pearl St Mall which is where a lot of shops, restaurants, and bars are in Boulder.  We haven't really gone out much here so we're still learning the best places to go, but we had a great time!

Waiting for the concert to start.

Blind Pilot.

Me and Gina.

It was nice to have a fun weekend with friends as this week is a big and busy one!  Today is Matt's first day of orientation and my first night at work.  I had my two days of orientation last week but tonight is my first shift on my floor.  I'm excited to get started in my new job and even more excited for Matt!  He has two weeks of orientation and his classes officially start on the 27th.  It seems as though we've been talking about him starting his MBA program for ages now so it's pretty exciting that it's finally here.  In fact, here's a picture of my handsome grad student husband on his way to his first day of school this morning!!

So handsome in his suit!! :)

We'll be heading back down to Colorado Springs later this week for Johnny and Gina's wedding this Friday.  We can't wait to stand beside two of our dear friends on their wedding day.  I'll try to get some pictures of the apartment taken next weekend now that we're all unpacked.

Xoxo!

And We're Back!!

Apologies for the absence of posting in the last month or so...we were busy packing up our life in Colorado Springs while avoiding the wildfire, took a much needed trip to St. Louis for the month of July, and have spent the last four days unpacking here at our new apartment.  I can't believe that we're already almost a week into August and that we're living in our new apartment!  It's going to be a bit of an adjustment and while we miss our old place, friends, and neighbors in the Springs, I think this place will work just fine for the next two years.  So, here's a quick rundown of what we've been up to this summer:

First, as I mentioned, we spent the end of June getting ready to move and taking in the whole wildfire situation.  It was a brand new experience for both of us and I started to write a post dedicated to it at that time, but I was interrupted mid-post and never really found the time to finish and post it.  Needless to say, it was horribly sad to watch on the news as the city that had become our home seemed to be hopelessly burning.  We've all seen the images on the news: the trees engulfed in flames, the C-130s making drops on the fire, the exhausted firefighters.  They're moving images for sure, but it's a whole different experience when the images are coming from your town.  The term "wildfire" seems to be misleading in itself--it makes you think of a fire out in the woods, in the wild.  However, that's not really the case.  These fires were in our cities, our home, and they burned people's home and lives to the ground.  It was hard to look at the images on the news and see these burning structures knowing that was once someone's home.  Some of the physicians and nurses from my old hospital lost their homes and I just cannot imagine how daunting a task it would be to have to essentially start over and rebuild one's life.  We are just so grateful that we never had to evacuate and that more lives weren't lost.

The Army packed our home up and we headed to St. Louis July 1st.  It was SO nice to be in town for more than just a weekend.  It seems like so many of our trips have been just a whirlwind of trying to squeeze so much into a short time.  We had a mental list of everything we wanted to do while we were in town this summer and I believe we checked all but two things off the list.  We weren't able to make it to a Cardinals game or down to my family's farm but we still had a wonderful trip.  While we absolutely love the state of Colorado, the people in St. Louis are pretty awesome and we miss all of you already!!  We were lucky enough to be able to make it up to Michigan for a week as well and it was such a relaxing week.  Matt even found time to compete in the Tour de Kirkwood triathlon before we drove back to CO and I was able to attend my friend Megan's bridal shower.  It was great to see all our family and friends and we can't wait for our next trip back.

We arrived back in CO late Wednesday night and have been settling into our new apartment since then.  As I mentioned, it's going to take a bit of adjusting as we're used to living in a larger space but it's starting to feel more like a home.  We've meet our neighbors and it just so happens that they're a young couple like us with a dog whose energy rivals Cooper's so he's already made a best friend. :)  I started orientation at work this week and it's so nice to only have a 10 minute commute.  This hospital is smaller than the one I was at previously, but I think it'll be a good fit.  Matt starts orientation for school in a week and then classes begin on the 27th.  We've got a wedding on the 17th as well--our good friends Johnny and Gina are getting married and both Matt and I are in the wedding party--so it's certainly going to be a busy month.

Here are a few pictures from our trip to Michigan (if you've looked at the pictures on Facebook then these are nothing new) as that's really the only time we took any photos.

Quite possibly the best place to watch the sunset.

Typical beach day.

The hammock debacle 2012.

An evening stroll on the beach.

Enjoying a good book and the water on our toes.

Goofing off.

Big Red though it looks more like Big Pink.

A sunkissed couple. :)

Me and my dad.

How every evening was spent.

It's not a proper trip to Michigan without numerous sunset pictures.

I'll be sure to post some pictures of our apartment once it's a bit more put together.  Hope all is well with everyone back home, we miss you all!! Xoxo!

Run, run, run!

Matt and I did our first half marathon in Estes Park this morning, the Estes Park Marathon!  I'd been wanting to do one for quite a while and finally just bit the bullet and signed up for one.  Matt was kind enough to join me and I am very grateful to him for that.  Estes Park is an absolutely gorgeous town so we couldn't have chosen a better race as far as scenery goes.  We were unfamiliar with the race route but had read that it wasn't too bad so we figured why not, and registered.  There were a few hills that were killer, specifically one about three and half miles in that lasted through mile six.  Oy!  That hill really drained my energy and my legs and put my time way off.  Overall, I felt pretty good, my knees are pretty painful right now but other than that not too much to complain about.  Poor Matt has blisters all over his feet--he wore his barefoot running shoes which were not the greatest for running 13.1 miles.  My goal was to finish in roughly 2 hours and 15 minutes, unfortunately my actual finish time was a bit longer than that.  It just means I've got a goal to work towards for the next one.

And yes, we've already signed up for the next one...we'll be running the Rock n' Roll half marathon in Denver on September 22.  I think I'll change up my training for that one and Matt will probably train more than he did for this one and wear different shoes.  The course for the next one runs through downtown Denver and has bands performing at each check point so it should be pretty fun!  I've heard good things about the Rock n' Roll marathon series (there's one in St. Louis this October for all you back home!) so I'm excited to see what it's all about.

Bright eyed and bushy tailed before the race!

I did it!!

Matt sad foot...heck of a blister!

We both were pretty exhausted.

So proud that we did it!

Hope all is well with everyone, can't wait to see some of you in roughly two weeks!!

Old Friends, Good Times

Last weekend we had some good friends from home, Tim and Megan, in town for a whirlwind weekend visit.  They landed on Thursday night and were off again Sunday morning so it was a quick trip but we managed to make the most of it.  We started the weekend off in Denver--it had been awhile since we've gone out in Denver--and then drove up to Ft. Collins Friday for an afternoon of beer tasting at the breweries. Matt has been to Ft. Collins before but this was my first time so I was pretty excited.  I'm not the most adventurous when it comes to beer, in fact I generally stick to Bud Light, but I've branched out some since moving out here and I'm willing to at least try all kinds.

Tasting at Odell Brewery, one of Matt's favorites.

Quite the spread at New Belgium Brewery.

We only visited three breweries and there were plenty more to try, but we had to cut the afternoon short in order to make it to Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison for the Michael Franti concert that night.  If you recall, Matt and I saw a concert there in May in less than desirable conditions.  This time thankfully the weather was much better and I was able to really enjoy the experience.

Even up at the top, it's still a great experience.

Took a few tries but we got a decent group picture.

Saturday we drove up Pikes Peak and spent some time at Garden of the Gods.  I can honestly say I don't think I will ever get sick of the mountains or the gorgeous views we have out here.  It's so nice to have visitors come out and be able to share all of it with them...I loved Megan's excitement about the mountains because it reminded me of my first couple trips out here. :)

My favorite spot on the way up Pikes Peak.

The sky is so blue!

Just climbing around on top of a mountain.

Garden of the Gods--one of my favorite places out here.

Joseph family photo!

Best dog ever. :)

It was a fast weekend, but a great one.  We loved getting to spend time out here with some good friends and showing them what Colorado is all about: gorgeous views, mountains, and good beer. :)  Can't wait to see you guys again in just a couple weeks!!

One Year.

Yesterday marked our one year anniversary, and what a year it has been!  It's hard to believe that our first year of marriage has come and gone as it seems like just yesterday we were celebrating with our family and friends at our reception.  And yet, here we are one year later getting ready to embark on the next chapter of our life together.  I know that this next year will be one full of adventure and growth with some challenges but we'll tackle it all together, and for that I am incredibly grateful to have such a wonderful partner by my side. :)

So, in honor of our first year of marriage, I've included some of our favorite pictures from our wedding day.  All photos are copyrighted by Jodi Schlosser, our amazing photographer.

An emotional moment while getting ready.

Matt waiting for his bride...and shedding a tear.

Mr. and Mrs. at last!

One of my favorites.

Our awesome wedding party, we love you all!!

Taking pictures is hard, the boys needed a break.

Sharing some laughs during the speeches.

We were given a large knife to cut the cake with.

First dance, so much love. :)

We truly enjoyed our wedding and had a blast celebrating!

Us in a nutshell.

Heading back to enjoy the party...what a wonderful, wonderful day!

Memorial Day

Happy belated Memorial Day everyone, hope you all had a great long weekend!  While I realize that the actual holiday was Monday and today is Wednesday, we felt like we had an extra long weekend since I don't start work for the week until tonight.  We celebrated the holiday like most Americans do: beer, bbq, and friends.  Here in Old Colorado City there's an event called Territory Days that takes place every Memorial Day weekend.  For those of you in the Kirkwood area, it's basically like the Greentree Festival, but instead of being spread throughout a park it's crammed into three blocks of the main road which just happens to be a block from our house.  It's essentially a festival with live music and lots of vendors in tents selling food, jewelry, clothing, etc.  While it sounds all fine and dandy, it means that our neighborhood is overrun with people parking and walking to the festival.  Plenty of those people don't know how to park but they do make for good people watching.  Most people either hunker down for the weekend or get out of town.  We stuck it out. :)

Since we didn't plan to leave our house, we had a couple friends over some bbq at our place on Sunday.  Matt is quite the grill-master and made delicious burgers.  It was a great little get together with the couple of friends we have left in town.  Monday we joined our neighbors for the annual Memorial Day bbq/countdown to the end of Territory Days.  There was an abundance of great food and it was a nice chance to meet some more of the neighbors.  Matt was living here this time last year, but it was a first for me.  We really have been incredibly lucky to have spent our first year of marriage in such an awesome place.  This lovely home basically fell into our laps and it's just been wonderful.  I have to say, I'm going to be sad to move away from here and the great community we've become a part of.  I've lived in a number of different places and never had friendly neighbors but that certainly wasn't the case here.  Hopefully we'll have just as great an experience at the next place.  Speaking of which...

We have a new home to move into!  We spent the day yesterday apartment hunting in the area between Northern Denver and Boulder and after looking at a number of different complexes, we found one that we think will be great for us and we've got ourselves an apartment.  Moving to another house would have been ideal for us and the dog, but the cost of living up there is so much greater than it is here that a house really wasn't feasible.  Luckily, this complex is very dog friendly and near both a dog park and open spaces so Cooper will still get plenty of exercise.  It's great to have that big thing checked off the list.  Now, I just need to find a job! :)

Me and my girl Mallory.

Funnel Cake...the only reason I wanted to
venture into the crowd.

Matt manning the grill.

Hope all is well with everyone, we'll be seeing those of you in St. Louis in just under five weeks!! Xoxo! 

Long Time, No Talk...

Apologies for the lack of posting in the last month--our normally slow schedule seemed to be jam packed these last few weeks and we've been unusually busy.  So, get comfy because this is going to be a rather long post. :)

First off, I cannot believe we are approaching the end of May!!  In roughly five weeks we'll be packed up and moved out of our home here and heading back to St. Louis for some much needed time with family and friends before moving up to the Boulder area.  It truly seems like just yesterday we were moving Cooper and I into this house and now the time has come to pack up and move on to the next chapter.  That means apartment hunting up north in the Denver/Boulder area and the fun process of applying for a new job for me.  I've currently applied for four different jobs at three different hospitals so cross your fingers and send some good mojo my way!!

Now, on to what we've been up to for the last month.  My mom came out to visit the first weekend of May and we had a blast.  It was great to have her out here for a few days and catch up.  We did a lot of hiking and walking around, drove up Pikes Peak, did some shopping in Old Colorado City, and spent our nights enjoying the great weather on our front porch.  Here's a few pictures from her trip:

A gorgeous reservoir on the drive up Pikes Peak.

People actually ski down those chutes in the mountain!!

At the Summit...where it was rather cold!

We found Big Foot.

Hiking Garden of the Gods...Cooper still thinks
he's too good for the camera.

The following weekend, I had my first concert experience at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison.  Sadly, it was a cold and rainy night which didn't make for the most pleasant evening but we sucked it up, got a bit wet, and enjoyed some good music.  We're attending another concert there next month when some friends come in town and I am certain Mother Nature will be more cooperative then.  I didn't take any pictures because 1) it was raining and I didn't want to get my camera wet and 2) my hands were too cold to remove from my pockets.

Last week, our dear friend Gina came for a whirlwind visit.  Matt met Gina shortly after moving out here years ago and she and I instantly hit it off when we met.  Gina started dating Matt's roommate Johnny about the same time that Matt and I started dating.  She was one of my bridesmaids and Matt and I are both part of the bridal party for her wedding to Johnny this August.  So, Gina was in town for three days with lots of wedding planning to do (they're getting married here in the Springs but both are active duty and stationed in Hawaii).  It was wonderful to be able to help Gina with her wedding plans as it brought back great memories of planning our wedding last year but without any stress. :)  Our days were full of wedding planning but we did manage to squeeze in a round of golf before Gina left...neither Matt nor myself are golfers so we were the chauffeurs. :)

It was an unusually cold day...we had to bundle up on the golf cart.

We were hoping not to get hit by this lovely weather...thankfully
it passed over us.

I attempted to play a hole while Matt purchased beer.

Typical.

Matt getting in on the action.

This past weekend, Matt and our friend Andrew took another crack at Pikes Peak...and this time they were successful!!  Thankfully the weather was much  better and so they were able to hike up to the top and caught the Cog Railway back down.  Pretty awesome that Matt can now say he's climbed a 14'er.

Hot chocolate and delicious donuts that they have in the shop
at the Summit...sounds like a great way to cap off a hike up a mountain. :)

So, if you've made it this far, that's a rough recap of our last month.  Hope all is well with everyone back home and we're looking forward to seeing y'all soon!! Xoxo!