Merry Christmas (and Happy New Year too)

Wholly Cow, another year zipped by, and what a year it was! I had a great year and still enjoy living in Longmont, which has a similar feel to Chippewa Falls & Eau Claire. Kevin & I are doing great and I am so blessed to have such a great guy in my life.

This past year, I spent even more time on my house, in particular, my yard. Kevin & I installed sod in the backyard and, with Kevin’s oversight, Dad & I put irrigation in my front yard in order to seed it. Even though Aspen loves the yard, I think she misses the hiking that was taken over by gardening. I have planted an insane amount of trees, shrubs, and perennials and even have a small garden of herbs, strawberries and raspberries. This coming spring should be exciting for my garden. A few of the shrubs I put in last year bloom in the early spring and therefore I haven’t seen their full color yet.

Kevin & I went camping, mountain biking, and hiking in the Snowy Range of Wyoming for a Fourth of July getaway. Kevin and I enjoyed looking at all the wildflowers. Over Labor Day weekend, we traveled to Washington D.C. to spend some time with Kevin’s family. I had a wonderful and relaxing weekend with them and got to see some parts of D.C. I never saw before.

My family joined Kevin & I for Thanksgiving this year. It was great to have them all out and even better to have Conner running around my house. The last time I saw him, he was barely scooting backwards and now he’s walking and talking!! His word for everything he can’t say wais Dooahh, therefore that is my name. We all went up to Estes Park for the holiday parade which was so pretty with all the lit floats.

In June, I jumped to the other side and now work for the government. I am the Boulder County Regional Trails Planner in the Transportation Department. I really enjoy my new job and like to think it’s more suited for my personality. I am talking so much more with the public, other agencies, etc. than ever before. I think I also have a knack for planning and coordinating things (whatever it is) and enjoy doing that rather than always being behind my desk.

Have a wonderful New Year and God Bless!

~Kristine

Fourth of July in the Snowy Range

Kevin & I had a really nice camping weekend. We headed up to Medicine Bow National Forest just outside of Centennial, WY.

We weren't too quick about getting out of town on Wednesday morning. We drove through Cheyenne on our way up thinking it'd be cool to stop at the Sierra Trading Post. We were both pretty disappointed and figured we should have just stopped at REI in Fort Collins. Oh well, now we know. We found a dispersed camping spot that was pretty close to some of the National Forest campgrounds. So, we got to camp for free and were close enough to some water and vault toilets. We found a site that was next to Libby Creek and it was very nice.

Thursday morning, we got our mountain bikes out and rode all over the area. We had a few hills we couldn't go up, or down, due to the rocks, but it was fun otherwise. The mosquitoes weren't too bad and we REALLY enjoyed trying to figure out all the flowers and shrubs we saw. Kevin bought a rocky mountain plant life book. So, we were pulling that out quite frequently. We probably logged about 15 miles throughout the day. We had a nice evening by the fire and he taught me how to play backgammon.

Friday, we head up to the pass and the views were absolutely wonderful! WE wanted to do some hiking, but a lot of it was cut short because there was still quite a bit of snow everywhere. They didn't even open up a lot of the roads or campgrounds because there was so much snow and they don't have enough funds to plow everything. They just have to wait for it to melt. We ended up going on a few short hikes and to some of the observation points. We then drove down to Saratoga Springs. We were going to go to the free Hobo Hot Springs but decided it was too darn'd hot. So, we paid $2/each to use the municipal pool and showers. It was so nice to cool off after such a hot day. We ate some food in town and had a margarita before heading back up over the pass. Oh, on the way down to Saratoga, we did see a moose! :) We got back to the site and enjoyed the campfire for quite a while. We had one neighbor that just got a new chain saw. He decided to use it Thursday night, all day Friday. He was a little weird. He also decided to thump his music the entire time. Dah.

Saturday morning, I was pretty lazy while Kevin read his book. We finally decided we'd had enough of thumping base from our neighbor and packed up camp about 2:00 or so. We headed up to a trail where we tried to do some more mountain biking. I think we ended up walking more than riding on the way up. There were about a half dozen trees or so that covered the trail. I was pretty tired of lifting my bike over them. It was pretty rocky too. Since we're not very experienced mtn. bikers, it was a bit tougher. Coming down was pretty fun though. Probably more so for Kevin since he loves downhillls. We ended up going about five of the nine miles of the trail. We then decided to just head back to Loveland. We drove back via 287 from Laramie to Fort Collins. That road is so beautiful and the scenery was amazing. We headed to Adalitas for some margaritas. It was a nice evening.

Yesterday, we just took it easy and got things cleaned up and regained our bearings before heading back to work today. We got some breakfast before picking up the dogs. I ran into Travis from college! Couldn't believe it. He had his little girl with him and their expecting a second pretty soon. They now live in Loveland. I told him we should get together soon. What are the chances of seeing him at that coffee shop? Aspen & Zula were pretty happy to be with us yesterday. Aspen's still wigging out from the fireworks, but she'll be back to normal once the banging & popping stops. Kevin & I also managed to go to the nursery for some new plants and then we grilled out hamburgers and enjoyed the evening. I headed home and unpacked all of my junk.

It was a great weekend even though the pollen was out of control. I felt pretty claustrophobic because I was so clogged up in my nose and throat. EVERYTHING had a nice yellow hue. It was crazy!

My favorite animal..um... NOT REALLY!

I'm not sure why this occurred this past summer, but it did. I have NEVER seen so many snakes in the "wild" until this summer. They were all in my yard. I had one afternoon when I saw three of them within a 10-20 minute period. I am very lucky that I made it through the summer without a heart attack. I'm also wondering if my neighbors will just simply ignore my terrifying screams if it really counts in the future. On more than one occasion, my neighbors have saved me by removing the pesky little things from my yard. I've had some doozy greetings. Here's a few stories..

I, often times, leave my back door open to let the breeze through and to allow easy access to my deck and yard. One evening I was a little freaked out but figured I had nothing to worry about since Snakes can't climb up onto a deck, right? WRONG! One morning I saw something coming up between the cracks in my deck. No way, I thought. Sure enough, it was a tinty gardner snake trying to come up through the snakes. LIttle did he know that he was too big and got stuck. Therefore, ended up dying via squished body and sizzling between the heat soaked boards of my deck. It took me three, yes three, days before I even went outside. I wasn't about to go anywhere outside until I new it was dead. What a joy it was trying to put it into the trash.

Another incident occured while I had a few of my close friends over for a barbeque. I was showing them my great and finished backyard from my upstairs windows. About the same time I looked out the window was about the same time that Aspen grabbed a hold of a snake from the fence, pulled it out to the yard, and proceeded to slam her body into it as she rolled in it. I think she wanted to play with it. Fortunately, my boyfriend saved the day be removing it from my backyard.

I believe I had a whole snake family in my yard and hopefully they won't come back next year. I don't think I can handle another year of snakes, ugh. My local nursery swears by the "Snake Repellent" that I purchased from them. I would love to put a huge border of spray around my entire yard..problem is.. if they're in your yard and you spray it, they're then stuck in your yard. Sounds like a party... wait, I don't think so!!

To make things even more interesting, my neighbor put in a water feature. Gardner snakes love water... guess it will be a while before I'm rid of them!

Am I in Seattle again?

I was all set to welcome the sun back into my life this morning when I awoke. What did I see? A bunch of puddles! How am I supposed to enjoy my week off by working in my yard when it continues to rain? Maybe this is mother nature's way of saying, Kristine, you have too many indoor projects to work on before you continue outside. I would love to be digging in the dirt, but I'm sequestered to cleaning my house, hanging up towel racks that have been sitting on the ground for over six months, painting, filling in holes (why didn't Dad get all those?) Oh yes, it's because I created four more holes yesterday when I thought I had an 18-inch rack, not a 24-inch rack. What's the saying, measure twice, cut once? Something my brother lives by, I should probably take a lesson from him. So, this morning I'll be painting, hum.. Hopefully I'll be digging by the end of the day!

Kick off to summer

Ahhh... summer is finally on the horizon, Memorial Day has passed... where did the 80 degree temps go? It's been rainy and in the 50s the last couple days, bummer.

Last Friday was my last day working for Loris & Associates. Next Monday, I start my new position as Boulder County's Regional Trails Planner II. I'm going to be a planner! Can you believe it? I can't. It's a new position and a new opportunity to experience the planning side rather than the detail side of creating bicycle trails. Yeah for me.

I'm taking the week off in between jobs to work on my place and debrief. I have been prepping my yard for the sod and top soil treatment to be placed later in the week. Yesterday afternoon I was able to lay my flagstone along my backyard/side of the house in between the rain. It rained a bit too much yesterday afternoon and evening that I won't be able to work outside until at least tomorrow. No sense making everything a muddy mess. I guess I'll have to work on my indoor projects. I seem to be doing a pretty good job of procrastinating those projects. One of them is cleaning, go figure!

I am also enjoying watching the robin family grow in back yard. A pair of robin's nested in my backyard. I noticed the baby birds a couple weeks ago. Yesterday & today is their day to learn to fly. Unfortunately, one of the four died in my hands yesterday morning. It was quite traumatic for me. I was trying to figure out why the pair of robins were dive bombing Zula, my boyfriend's dog, when it finally dawned on me, too late, that the baby was out of the nest. Zula found out and just went haywire. She got a hold of it and I was screaming at both her & Aspen to get out of the backyard. Nature is nature, but it sucks that it was our domesticated animals as part of that. :( Aspen has been sequestered inside all day today so the birds have a bit more room. I hope they'll be doing awesome in the next couple days!

So, my house projects continue!

I've Been Tagged

I have been been tagged in a game of Blogger tag by my new friend and old college acquaintance, Jen, who just moved to Longmont! Here's a link to her blog in case you'd like to check it out: http://www.stampwithjen.com.

Part of Blogger tag is to list 7 random facts about yourself so here goes:

1. I have discovered in the past year, how much I love gardening, and boy do I have the yard to go bonkers on.
   
2. I will never hang seven doors by myself again. Ugh. What a nightmare and I'm lucky most of them are hung straight.
   
3. My dog Aspen is a sweet heart and I love that she is a part of my life.
   
4. I am head over heals for a great guy in Loveland. :)
   
5. After six years of my Mom begging to do Long's Peak with me, we're finally going for it in August. This shall be interesting, fear of heights galore.
6. I just got to watch an 80,000 lb bicycle bridge that is 180' long be set for one of the projects I helped design.
7. My Dad is a saint for helping me with my Dad To Do list. It's a biggee!!

• Katie, friend: http://katjablog.blogspot.com
• Jen, new friend and old college acquaintance: http://stampwithjen.com
• Robin, brother: http://blogs.emptybottleworks.com
  

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

Aspen Trail

I finally got to see one of my first trails in it's constructed splendor this past week. I designed the engineering for the Old Stage Trail near the Monarch Golf Course in Aspen. The city had the ribbon cutting ceremony for the trail and my boss & I attended it. It's the first time I got to attend one of those as well. It hit me as I was standing there.. holy cow.. I have a designed and constructed path in Aspen, who would have ever guessed? I just wish I could be responsible for the landscape design too becasue that rocked, or will rock come this spring. I don't think I could have ever dreamt when I was a child that this is what I would have under my belt.

The day started at four in the morning and we finally hit Aspen at about 10:30 a.m. We also checked out two of our other projects in Basalt and Glenwood Springs. It's so exciting to be a part of a city's plans to build a new bicycle path or path(s). I am starting a new trail design for the County of Boulder and should be finishing up a design for the City of Peoria in Arizona. That project has had it's own challenges because there is a whole new set of State guidelines that need to be followed that aren't even close to the State of Colorado.

This past Saturday, I participated in the Boulder Underground tour. The tour involved an eight mile bike ride to three underpasses that were just opening up. So, I got to see three more ribbon cutting ceremonies this week. Two of the underpasses were designed by my office. There are now 74 underpasses in Boulder just for bicycles! That's impressive!

On to the next design. Check out more pictures of the Old Stage Trail in Aspen at: http://picasaweb.google.com/KKNelson75/OldStageTrail

Why I hate flats

It all started over a year ago. I walked out of my townhouse and was on my way to somethin' or rather and BAM... the front driver side tire was blown out. I had never changed a tired by myself and that was quite somethin' to see (that would be me standing on the "wrench" while hopping up and down trying to loosen the lug nuts). The last time I changed a tire was probably 15 years prior when my Dad helped me rotate the tires. I was in charge of taking off the rear tire and he got phone call. So, I was left to my own devices.... which meant.. Dad why can't I get the tire off? I have all the lug nuts off? I keep pulling and it's not budging (hint... you may want to jack up the tire).

My second flat occurred a couple months later on the rear passenger side wheel. One would think that in an office full of men, one of them would have helped. Instead, they were all inside, laughing at me. Blasted people! Eventually, I did have a few folks out helping because it was quite obvious this tire wasn't about to budge for me. It was almost as if it were welded on.

Not only did I have problems with my car, but my bicycle too. Both times the tire went flat as I was cruising down a hill at 30 mph. Now that is just downright disappointing. Who wants to stop going downhill.. the easiest part of a ride? So, I whipped out my pump, took the tire off and tried to find the hole. Turns out I thought I had ruined the presta valve and out of the six patches I was supposed to have, I had none. How could that not be in there when I hadn't ever had a flat before? Needless to say, I looked like a damsel in distress as one gal told me when she stopped to see if I needed help.

A week later, I got another flat. I was about two miles from the office and going downhill, bummer. So, I thought, yes, I have all the stuff I need, it's the front tire, and I was quickly on my way to fix the tire. Before I left my house I did think to myself, I should have a spare CO2 cartridge and should have figured out how to use the blasted thing. I then thought, oh, I'll be fine... wasn't fine. I couldn't get the CO2 cartridge to work. A nice young man stopped to make sure I was o.k. I asked if he could help. He couldn't get the thing to work either. So, he lent me his CO2. I told him I felt like such a fool for not knowing how to use it. He happened to work at bike shop and he couldn't' figure out the cartridge either. He gave me some pointers about what I should do before I leave my house (like figure out how to use the CO2 cartridge, hmm good point). I thanked him for stopping to help. He said he thought maybe I was hurt since I was so far off the road. I told him it was a ploy to get him to stop. Hmm... this could be a way to pick up cute men!

Well, this last week, my front passenger side tire went flat on my car. This time, one of the guys in the office offered to help change it, just as I put everything back in my car and was done. Nice timing. Turns out, it wasn't just flat, it was embarrassingly raw... down to the wires. So, those tires were replaced (even though all four were replaced a year earlier). Went back to the shop... only to find out the rear wheels were badly bent. So, I not only left with two new tires, but now have some pretty snazzy looking wheels to.

The moral of the story is that about four years ago, when I ran over a really bad pothole and the guy tells me that the wheels are little bent, but drivable, maybe I should have listened to him then..... I probably would have saved enough money to buy a ticket to Thailand again with all the savings in tires.

Banana Pancakes

Ah, the memories of Banana Pancakes.

A few years back I traveled to Thailand and spent an entire week in Ao Nang. Every day, I hunted down my Banana Pancake lady. She made the best pancakes I've ever had. Well.. I never had them before that and haven't had them since. Not only did I enjoy eating the pancakes, but the gal that made them for me was so sweet and always had a smile.

My next memory is that of singing to Jack Johnson's song Banana Pancakes. Not only did I sing my heart out to the song, but I would dance and twirl too. I loved the song because it is the epitome of what carefree looks like.... "It's meant to keep you from doin' what you're supposed to, like wakin' up too early, maybe we could sleep in, I'll make you banana pancakes, pretend like it's the weekend now" ~ Jack Johnson.

I haven't sung or danced to the Banana Pancake song in a very long time. I think it's about time I get back into that swirling and dancing while singing my heart out. It'll do the soul some good! Now.. if only I could figure out how to MAKE Banana Pancakes, I'd feel like I were in heaven. :)

Why I like my new hometown, Longmont

1. Longs Peak: Longmont has a street named "Longs Peak Avenue" and rightfully so. This town has some great views of Longs Peak from just about anywhere in the city. I have found some great running trails that direct me towards the peak, with nothing but fields and ponds to distract the view.

2. McIntosh Lake: This lake is about 1 1/2 miles from my home. I can get to via a bicycle trail practically the whole way that follows a creek too. It has spectacular views of the fields, Longs Peak, and the country side.

3. St. Vrain Greenway: Now, this is an awesome bicycle trail. Fortunately, I'll have the opportunity to design one or two of the extensions that will take it from Golden Ponds to Sandstone Ranch. It follows the St. Vrain River the whole way and even has a crushed gravel for me to run on. I ran it this morning and it was so great to see all sorts of folks, including entire families, getting out to enjoy it.

4. Hot Air Balloons: On any given morning, I get to see one to six hot air balloons. It is so neat to drive into work and see all the balloons with the rocky mountains in the back ground. I love it.

5. Small Town Feel: I like being in a small town again. It just feels so much more personal that living in Denver. Denver can make you feel like you're lost in the crowd. I like being someplace where people are starting to recognize me.

6. Horse Ranches and Farms: Longmont is in Boulder County, which is home to several farmers and ranchers. When I drive to work, I drive through the country side. Two weeks ago, I opened my windows to the great smell of fresh cut hay. It made me feel like I was back in Wisconsin again. I feel so much more "at home" up here than I could have ever imagined.

7. Bicycling Community: There is a very strong presence of bicyclists in Boulder County. This is a good thing because motorists are more considerate when you're biking on the road. I never felt comfortable biking in Denver because of the horrible drivers. I like that I can actually bike eight blocks and be in the country... no city!! Wow!! I have been trying to bike in twice a week, but it's only been about once a week.

8. Running: Since I live so closely to Boulder, there are also several opportunities for running trails and probably more diverse running groups. I hope to find some new pals soon to help me train for the Fort Collins Half Marathon.

9. Longs Peak United Methodist Church: I found a new church home that is filled with some very wonderful people. This church makes me feel like I'm really part of a community. It also feels like my home churches I grew up with. I can't wait to do more with them.

10. Great Neighbors: I have some really friendly and exceptionally nice neighbors. They are all excited to have someone cleaning up the house and yard. I've been asked go fishing, play pool, spend a day at the lake on the 4th, etc. It's crazy!!

Backpacking Again

This past weekend, Katie, my best friend, and I headed out for my first backpacking trip since I returned from S.A. We had THE BEST time!! We headed out on July 5th for the West Elk Wilderness within the Gunnison National Forest. The views were stunning, the wildlife rampant, and the flora & fauna absolutely amazing. WE both felt as if we were in our home states of Wisconsin & Pennsylvania (except even better b/c of the mountains).

Day 1:
We had a pretty late start, due to packing in the morning and Katie having to clean up her roommate's dog's mess. Poor puppy. :( We headed up to the mountains via I-70 and through Glenwood Springs. I haven't been past Glenwood via Hwy 82, so this was a real treat. I still, to this day, cannot get over how gorgeous the red rocks of the mountains are in that region. Glenwood Canyon always amazes me with it's steep cliffs and gorgeous canyon. We hit the trailhead at about 6:30 p.m. We started near the Lost Lake Campground at the beginning of the Beckwith Trail. We hiked in about 2 1/2 miles before setting up camp. Just as we hit the trail, it started to sprinkle and it didn't stop until we found our camping spot. We quickly put up the tent and made our first gourmet meal of the trip, salmon patties with really really really good instant mashed potatoes. I don't know how something instant can taste so good.... must be all that salt they put in it. After dinner, we attempted to put our food up via the "bear bag". Now, I have never used one before and I don't aim very well. This effort probably took us about a half hour to finally get it all hung up. I didn't think we would have too many problems with bears, but it doesn't hurt to be cautious. We then hit the hay and got set for our next big day.

Day 2:
As usual, my Alarm clock, otherwise known as Aspen, woke us up pretty early. I just let her out of hte tent and went back to sleep. NO sense getting up before you have to. Both Katie & I were suddenly sitting straight up as I thought I heard Aspen bark and it scared the both of us out of our witts. I instantly knew it wasn't her barking, and that thought was reinforced even more when she came from teh opposite direction from the barking. Turns out, a coyote was on the opposite ridge, about 200 feet away. Neither of us had ever heard a coyote bark before so it really through us for a loop. It eventually started to howl (a pathetic one at that) and then moved along its way. About five minutes later, it was back, barking and howling away. Aspen really wanted to play and the coyote might wanted to as well. I didn't think it such a good idea. I got out of the tent and tied up the dog. The coyote finally left us alone.

We headed out of camp and had a nice cloud cover for a bit before the hot summer sun beat down on us. That is when we really got to see how beautiful the West Elks are. The mountains were all different colors, including my favorite red. The prairies were full of columbines, yellow daisies, several different purple flowers, white flowers, fuschia flowers, etc. The areas along the mountain sides were filled with aspen groves, huge pines and a grass that looked like a golf green. If I could have made money off of how many times we said that is so cool, I would be rich and could retire. God's splendor was in full force. About 1/2 mile from Swampy Pass we found this wonderful opening that just screamed moose. Katie & I decided we'd be staying there at least one night.

When we arrived at Swampy Pass and saw the great view of hte Castles, we decided taht would be our turn around point. No sense killing ourselves for our first backpack of the year. We just sat in the sun looking over the mountains and trees. It was so relaxing. I don't remember the last time I just sat and enjoyed my surroundings. I'm usually hiking quickly to get to camp. After a few hours, the T-storms were heading in. We hiked back down to the meadow and made camp, took a nap and then ate our gourmet meal of fettuccine with chicken. It is amazing how great food tastes while in the back country.

Day 3:
We decided to hike up to Swampy Pass to watch the sunrise, and it was worth it. It was fun to get the heart pumping before we even ate breakfast. The morning was beautiful and was just a hint of the beautiful day ahead of us. I enjoyed going downhill for once and I think Katie did too. We did have to hoof back over Beckwith Pass, but I felt much better today than I did yesterday. My blisters didn't even bother me that much. This was the only day that we saw people and horses and all within a span of about two hours. I love it when you can hike for four days and only see people once during the entire trip.

We hit camp about two miles from the trailhead. It was so hot by the time we found a spot and the flies, once again, were nasty. I didn't even know Colorado could harbor so many flies. Aspen couldn't wait for the tent to go up. She wanted in, no matter how hot it was inside, just to get away from all the mosquitoes and flies. She was pretty tuckered.

That evening, we weathered a pretty big thunderstorm that passed right over us. It probably hailed for a good ten minutes. Fortunately, the rain stopped just in time to get the chili cooked up before it was too dark. All the time we cooked supper, Aspen wanted to crawl right back in tot he tent and didn't understand why we wouldn't let her in. Doesn't she know that dirty paws are not allowed in the tent by themselves!

Day 4:
This was our last morning and then an easy hike out. I woke up a bit early to watch the alpine glow of the sunrise on the mountains. I can't wait to get the pictures back from this trip. The scenery was breathtaking. All morning, Aspen wanted to go back in the tent to continue her night's slumber. I think she was severely disappointed when we took it down. The hike back was nice and cool. We managed to scare up a deer and it's fawn. That was the first time Aspen actually saw the deer. The rest of the trip, she was too busy scaring up ground squirrels to pay attention to the deer.

We headed back to Denver at about ten in the morning and stopped in Glenwood Springs on our way so we could grab a bite to eat. We then hoped for smooth sailing home. Boy, were we wrong. The one thing I hate about I-70 on a Sunday afternoon/evening. All the ridiculous traffic. We did take a break in Idaho Springs. I was on the hunt for pie, we didn't find anything but ice cream. I don't understand why it is so hard to find pie in Colorado. Someone's going to have to write a book about that!

2nd door down, five to go. Ugh

So, I thought that after all the rigormorel that I went through trying to hang my first door, that the second door would be pie in the sky. Well, the sky is playing games with me. Last night, I started on the door and routered out all of the hinges. I had some hiccups with the router, but was well on my way once I got that figured out. I quickly brought the door upstairs and thought I had routered the wrong side of the door. I was in so much disbelief because I was so careful about it. I was so annoyed that I just left the door and hit the hay. I was so thrilled when I realized this morning that the door was upside down and I hadn't routered it incorrectly. Yeah for me!!

So, on to this evening's events. I finally got the hinges screwed into the door and frame. After much finagling, I finally got the hinges put together. I really could have used another hand to help me hold the door up and put the hinge together. What a pain. I went to close it, and it didn't shut. Ugh!!! So, I routered the hinges on the door some more, pulled out the hinges on the door frame and sanded the top of the door and frame. THEN, it finally fit. I really hope the remaining doors go better. This door hanging bit is just not working so well for me!!

Ignore your rights and they’ll go away, or, in my case, Ignore your being and you’ll go away.

Earlier this week, I saw a bumper sticker that read, “Ignore your rights and they’ll go away”. It reminded me of what I have recently gone through with my now ex-boyfriend. I engulfed myself in the relationship, in the idea of forever, in the idea that we can work anything out as long as there is love. I didn’t want to give up my love for him, the excitement of a dog, cat, two kids and a white picket fence. I didn’t’ want to give up on him and certainly didn’t want him to give up on himself. I wanted to make sure he knew how much I cared for him, so I read books for him, cooked for him… and even did his laundry for him (even though I told him when we first started dating that he shouldn’t count on me doing that). So maybe that’s when I lost myself, the first time I did his laundry. I lost my silly carefree self, always concerned if he was happy or not. I lost my sense of adventure and went to Wal-Mart with his family Saturday morning (which was fun and an adventure but not the same) rather than heading to the hills to enjoy God’s Glory. I lost my confidence in doing things well including my work, my cooking, my baking and even my running! Believe me, I’ve never won any running races, but I enjoyed doing it and could, with practice, run a really long time.

Despite all of this, he is not all at fault. There were two of us in this relationship. I let him stifle my being and in the end, he saw that before I did. I still struggle with why he left and am sometimes grateful that he had the strength to walk away when he saw that not only did I lose my being, but maybe he did too. I mourn the loss of our relationship and the loss of a good friendship gone badly. I am also grateful, albeit begrudgingly, that his actions taught me something…Not to ignore my being, and I won’t go away. Now I’m on the road to recovery and am really learning how to be myself and claim it for my own, not only in a committed relationship, but in all of my relationships with friends and family.

How NOT to hang a door.

Well... it's official, I'm in my new home and it's been a "workout"! I've been working on fix-it projects since I moved in. While my Dad was here, I decided to go ahead and start replacing the doors in my house (seven total). Dad & I diligently measured all of the doors and then sawed just a bit of the edge off so they would all fit in the door. In the process of this ordeal, I bought not only a skilsaw, but also a Router. What is a woman going to do with a router?

Dad went on his merry way home this past Sunday with instructions on how to finish the door. This meant, making sure I got the hinges routered out in the exact location. So, that was my mission this evening. Get the powder room functioning for my guests tomorrow evening.

In the process of setting the router, test driving on a 2x4, etc., I met my new neighbor. I had a feeling something was up with this fellow as he seemed to be lingering in his front yard smoking an awful lot in the past two days. I could sense he was just waiting to talk to me. Well, this evening, he broke the silence. I'm working away on my door in the garage, Aspen's going bonkers trying to get closer to my neighbor. At some point, he ended up yelling across the street hello. It was a nice neighborly hello. Next thing I knew he came over about 15 minutes later to ask me to play pool. Now this was not expected at all. He kind of creeped me out, but my brother informed me, he's a neighbor that may have other single friends. Hmm.. true.. I'll have to play that one by ear. I respectfully declined the "date" as did the "date" for tomorrow evening.

So, I was back to the door. I thought, yes, I think this will work. But, man, what is that smell? Aspen must have really let one fly. Wait, the smell is still lingering, badly!! Go figure, as I was unwrapping her tangled mess in the yard, I stepped in her mess. Wonderful. Just as I figured this out and through my flip flops in the garage and started to clean up the step marks, my doorbell rang. A family from the church stopped by. Man, I hoped I didn't smell, because that would not be a great first impression. They didn't step away from me, so either they were really being nice and trying to hold their breath, or I was in the clear. So, once again, back to banging that door back into place. I was all excited because I got the hinges correct. The door hung nicely, swung nicely, and DIDN'T CLOSE! Go figure, my Dad's diligence of measuring was a bit off. I was beside myself and wasn't about to go to the hardware store to buy the necessary items to remove the small bit from the door frame. I called my brother to discuss options and what he & I originally thought was the problem, really wasn't. Therefore, I had to do the harder job of getting that door to close. I started with the sander, that would have taken a lifetime. This, my friends, is when the dreaded router came into play. I realize, this tool is not meant to be used vertically, nor, for "filing" down the door frame/stop. But it worked and all I have to do is buy a new bit so I can complete the remaining hinges on the door. I then sanded it down so you couldn't tell how crappy a routing job I did, nor see my first experience using a chisel. Need I say, dang, that's rough!

Morel of the story... when we're measuring doors and I'm thinking to myself, measure twice, cut once. Say something to Dad. The rest of the doors will, in my opinion, be perfect now that I had to go through 2-3 hours of making that door fit!

Man... being a true home owner has got it's work cut out for me. :)

Longmont Resident!

Well... today started off with a bang, or maybe a whine, that would be Aspen telling me to get out of bed a good 20 minutes before I'm supposed to. Silly dog. I somehow managed to cram one our of work in before I closed on my Denver home at 9:00 a.m. I'm crazy, but when a job has a deadline and I'm taking off most of next week, I guess I have to be a bit crazy!

The first closing went on without a hitch. Other than me eating four of the very warm sugar and chocolate chip cookies. My Realtor, Lidoro, said he "didn't see them." Man, I wish my willpower over baked goods was that strong. That would save me a lifetime worth of unnecessary calories! After the closing, we walked through the house I was purchasing before closing on it. I let Aspen roam around in the weed infested back yard. Who knew that weeds could grow to be three feet tall. In a matter of about five minutes, I had already pulled about a 5'x5' square. At least now I'm weeding my own yard rather than some random neighbor's weeds as I'm going for a walk. This is what one succumbs to when she really wants a yard and has nothing but mulch to deal with... pulling other people's weeds. This is not pathetic, I swear!! :)

The second closing went fantastically too. Both my Lender and Realtor showed up with me. It was nice to have their support. My Realtors (Lidoro & Flora) gave me my first house warming present.... a garage door opener!! How fantastic is that?

On to the good stuff..... working on my very own home. I ended up taking over an hour to clean the refrigerator, just the fridge. I didn't make it to the freezer. I was trying to figure out how ANYONE can get a freezer that dirty. It was just gross. Fortunately, the fridge side is looking 400% better than when I started. I unplugged the fridge so I can continue cleaning the freezer tomorrow night. Man, I still don't know how a freezer can get so dirty.

The one thing I really wanted to complete, first thing, was mowing the lawn. Unfortunately, the lawnmower wouldn't start and the old fashioned push mower didn't have sharp enough blades to cut the weeds. So, my attempts were futile, at best. Good thing my Dad is coming out next week to help me fix up those things.

Conner Gregory Nelson

On May 23rd, at 11:38 a.m., C.T., Conner Gregory Nelson was born into the Nelson Family! He weighed 8 lb 13 oz and was 20 inches. According to Grandma Kuhn (aka my Mom), Robin weighed more when he was born and was longer.



I'm still in shock that I am truly an aunt and that my family is expanding. It is such a wonderful feeling! I know that Robin & Theresa have been very excited to have Conner as part of their family. Robin has just been gitty with excitement anytime Mom or I ask him about their new addition. They are going to be such wonderful parents!

Welcome home Conner! :)

Summer Begins!

Finally, Memorial Day Weekend, and I joined the hordes that hit the mountains for the weekend. The weekend started out with a great lunch at work. We (I) grilled up some hamburgers and cheddar brats. I have to say, this is the best way I've ever kicked off a long weekend. You should have seen the eight of crammed into the tiny little picnic table we have. Good thing we all get along.

After lunch, I headed up to Buffalo Creek, which is southeast of Conifer. I met up with my best friend, Katie, and some of her friends. Katie is finally back from her two month South African trip, can you say, ecstatic? We had a great evening watching the sunset, even if it wasn't as impressive. Just sitting on the rocks looking at the peaks was fascinating enough. We then sat by the campfire and like good Americans, we cooked our s'mores over the fire. Oh, that stuff is good!!

Aspen enjoyed climbing up the rocks and some of the rocks she leaped up onto was simply amazing that she could even do it. She got to play with another dog all night. Unfortunately, Sadie seemed to think that she needed to wake Aspen & I up every two hours, hoping to play. At six in the morning, Aspen decided it was time to play too. Imagine trying to keep two wrestling dogs quiet as everyone tried to sleep off the beer they drank the night before. I decided to remove Aspen from the situation. We went for a great four mile walk/run on the Colorado Trail. It was so AWESOME! The trail was great, the aspens and pines were so pretty and the brisk morning air was so refreshing. We enjoyed having the trail to ourselves and listening to all the birds happy as can be.

Once everyone else was up and about, a few of us decided to go mountain biking, Aspen included. I tell you, she did a great job keeping up. I had to wait for her on the downhills, but she looked at me like I was the slowest person on the planet when it came to the uphills. Each time we were near the creek, she v-lined it and practically laid down in the water. After running with me for four miles and then running while we were mountain biking for 10 miles, she's out. Still is. I think she goes bonkers if she has to move at all tonight! Check out some information on the Colorado Trail near our campsite.

Tomorrow is the big packing day. Well, not too big. Most everything has been packed for over a year now and the biggest task left is the kitchen. It's hard to believe I'll be moving into my second home this coming weekend.

So, needless to say.. my summer is going to be grand, especially since it started out so grand. I love the Rocky Mountains. In the spring time they are so lush and green. Come July, the wildflowers will be in true form and in the fall, the yellow aspens shine like gold against the blue sky.

Movin' on up!

It's been a while since I've posted anything. Can't imagine why. Being back is something else and then it's been rough dealing with Kevin's & my separation. He's going on and I've had to make peace with that. What a drag.

Anyway! I'm moving! Yippee! I am under contract to move into my new home at the end of May. It's hard to believe that I may have my very own house with a yard. It will definitely beat the row house I'm living in now. I'm ready for my own space. My neighbors are probably tired of hassling with Aspen, my dog, when she's roaming around.

It's a great house, two stories, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, weeds in the backyard and a huge deck! :) I'm pretty excited about the opportunity to garden and hang my clothes out to dry rather than wasting energy on the clothes dryer!

Hopefully, I'll write more as the weeks go by.

-K

MY BIRTHDAY!!

What a wonderful way to celebrate my birthday.. in the mountain valleys of Peru, and not just any valley, the Sacred Valley of the Incas. The only downside of the whole day is that we had to get up at 4:30 a.m. in order to be to the train station by 5:25 a.m. Ugh. Oh well, we're getting used to early mornings.

Once we were back in Ollantaytambo, we hit the KB Restaurant for the largest breakfast either of had seen in ages. We had french toast and pancakes with honey. We also got a large mug of Chocolate con Leche (Hot chocolate with Milk) and some juice. It was awesome. We then hunted down a guide to go for a horseback ride of the valley. We were quickly on our way with Mario to see the Puramaca ruins. The ruins were a combination of the Incas and the people conquered by the Incas.

The horse ride was absolutely wonderful. It was Kevin's first time on horse back and I told him he would never get a ride like that in the States. YOu'd have to sign your life away for such an incredible ride. We rode up the mountain sides, sometimes in some pretty sketchy areas. I tried not to look down. Kevin's horse was always testing him as he tried to eat grass most of the way up. I had to constantly heel my horse and smack him on his rump to get him to keep up. Once we reached the ruins, Mario gave us the low down on the rooms uses (or what their speculated use is!).

Mario's dog, Negra, was not the dog you want to have in a huge stone ruin from the Incas. She LOVES to play with rocks, large rocks. SHe kept trying to pull the rocks out of the stone walls. Negra was a sweet dog and would have loved to play with ASpen. She was so comical, playing with the rocks and barking at them if they didn't move the way she wanted to. She also ran all over the mountain side chasing the birds and calves.

Before heading back to town. Mario told us to tell the caretaker that we didn't have any money. Apparently, he has a bad habit of asking for money as a "fee" to see the ruins. There really isn't a fee, he just tries to sucker tourists into paying him. Sillly man. The ride down was pretty nice. ONce we got back to the road, we trotted-galloped most of the way down. I have NEVER been on a ride in the States where they actually let you run your horse. WE had so much fun. The horse I was on often times had to lead in order to get the other horses to run. It was grand!

We ended the day by having a wonderful meal at the same restaurant we had breakfast. Two glasses of wine, two meals, two great brownies, and great garlic bread for a whopping $15!

I had a wonderful birthday, thanks to Kevin! :)