Merry Christmas!

Another year has passed and I had a different set of adventures this past year. Rather than being a world traveler, I became somewhat of a “weekend warrior”. I sold my Denver home for an upgrade in Longmont, CO. I am now a proud owner of a “real house” with three bedrooms, a huge yard and in a great new town. I have learned that I will never hang doors by myself again and have turned three feet tall weeds into mud with some great trees, bushes and mulch. My yard, by itself, is quite the project. Fortunately, it keeps me outside and I love gardening (when it IS gardening and not shoveling tons of rocks). My Dad helped me kick off the fix-it projects by coming out for an entire week to help me out. He’s scheduled for another fix-it week to help me reface my kitchen cabinets and counter tops. My Mom helped me plant the trees and bushes at the end of the summer. This year, she may help me paint my house.

Our family had a wonderful addition on May 23rd. My brother & Theresa welcomed their new baby boy, Conner Gregory Nelson, into the world. He is so adorable and such a joy to Robin & Theresa. At the beginning of December, I was honored to become his Godmother which gives me even more rights to spoil him rotten. My Grandma was so fortunate to have met Conner before she passed this fall. I will miss Grandma so much but feel that she is so blessed to be with Grandpa and, at 90 years, to have a very full life dedicated to her family.

I have been working at Loris and Associates for the past 1 ½ years designing bicycle trails. I finally got to see one of my constructed trails this past fall. I have to say, taking a day touring the bicycle trails of Aspen, For Work, is my idea of a good work day. I have a great boss that has some of the same ideals as I do when it comes to thinking green and it’s great to move forward as a team.

My biggest outdoor adventure was over the July 4^th weekend. Katie & I traveled down to the West Elk Wilderness near Crested Butte, Co to see some spectacular views of the Castles. We backpacked for a four day, three night adventure. The only time we saw people were on our hike out. We got to see some beautiful wild flowers, several elk, and some great Aspen groves. Aspen had a grand time running all over the place and she managed to get a coyote to yip & bark at her.

Saving the best for last, I finally decided to delve into the online dating scene. I was fortunate enough to go on a date with a pretty fun guy that lasted for 5 ½ hours. I’ve been enjoying Kevin’s company ever since and he does a wonderful job of making me laugh and smile. He’s got a miniature dachshund named Zula and a cat named Oso. Aspen & Oso really know how to cozy up to each other. I look forward to seeing how things unfold for us in the future.

With that, I wish you a very blessed Christmas and a wonderful year in 2008.

Love, Kristine