I didn't know I could

Mary and I got up this morning and after a little relaxation (okay - so we didn't jump right out of bed is what I mean), we hopped on the bikes and headed out. Turns out that Denver has some VERY nice bike trails around here! Not too hilly (although there were a couple I thought were going to wear me out...) and very nice views. We took the Cherry Creek Trail from her house all the way to downtown. We enjoyed a cup of Starbucks at Confluence Park and then rode downtown to the Art Fair. When we made it back home, we had traveled almost 18 miles with 2 1/2 hours of total riding time. It was awesome! I'm probably going to take the bike out again next weekend to see what else I can find - that was too much fun!

Well, I'm beat. I think I am going to go outside and sit in one very large tub filled with hot water and turn on the bubbly!

C'ya!

A Relaxing Afternoon

Sedona and I spent the afternoon wandering around the streets of Denver. Okay - so I would say wandering; we knew where we were going! I needed to go pick up some laundry soap so I decided to walk (since my car won't be done until Tuesday) to Walgreens a couple of miles away. On our way back, we stopped at a nice little street event. We had fun even though Sedona was a little jumpy with all of the people...We stopped and checked out a band on stage and I shot a video with my phone. I don't know for sure how well you will be able to hear it...

I'm pretty sunburnt but we had a great time!

C'ya!

It gets better and better every day...

I believe the picture says it all...that is my car being loaded onto a tow truck...It's in the shop now waiting to be fixed...starter. All I know is that it is going to cost the pocket book...

Fun times...

C'ya!

Are you kidding?

I moved to Colorado because I figured those big rocks that jut up into the horizon would keep tornados from being an issue. It seems that I am incorrect in my thinking. A very unusual tornado hit to the North of me. Unusual in that it was a super-cell tornado rather than a normal Colorado spout tornado. It also headed Northwest rather than Northeast. It also happened right around noon which is rare for the area. Just so you know, the tornados were about 50 miles to the North of Downtown Denver so quite a distance from where I am living. I don't know how long this link will be good but you can see some of the destruction from today as well as the path. I was trying to find a link to the video I saw earlier but I haven't been able to track it down...if I find it I will try and post it.

Also, just so you know, I was never any where near the silly thing. In fact, I was in probably one of THE safest places on the Plains; in Colorado Springs. The office sits right off of 25 between Pikes Peak and Pulpit rock; pretty tough for a tornado to get in there! I did go to Fort Collins last night - and I'm glad I did. Another witness right here for you Lord - Thank You!

I am going to head off to bed. I'm fairly certain I am going to dream about tornados now...I hate those kind of dreams...

C'ya!

Weekend Adventure

Thursday, 8:05 AM: Drop Sedona at the PetSmart Hotel in The Springs for the day.
Thursday, 9:00 AM - 5:25 PM: Worked. Not sure on what because I was pretty excited all day but I busied myself with something!
Thursday, 5:35 PM: Mike calls to tell me something about taxes and the house. Began driving back to PetSmart while on the phone with him but he didn't seem to catch on...the surprise early arrival is sort of going as planned.
Thursday, 6:10 PM: Picked up Sedona at the PetSmart Hotel. She had a great day according to her report card.
Thursday, 8:10 PM: Mike calls to chat. I told him I had just left the office in The Springs and was headed home. All the while, praying Sedona didn't get up and make noise as that would give me away.
Thursday 9:45 PM: Mike calls to chat again. I told him I was on a Wal-mart run. Short conversation as I told him I was almost home and needed to finish packing and go to bed. He thinks I have to work until noon tomorrow...
Thursday, 11:30 PM: Check into the Super 8 Motel in Hays, Kansas...oh joy.
Friday, 8:45 AM: Wake up and realize my alarm did not go off. Throw everything in the suitcase, load up the car and head East.
Friday, 11:45 AM: Stopped at QT to get a Freezoni.
Friday, 12:00 PM: Called Mike and asked what he was doing. He said he had a hard time sleeping and was just sitting in his chair.
Friday, 12:02 PM: Asked Mike if he would like to join me outside for a smoke. Boy was he surprised!

The rest is a blur. We got haircuts, we went to a graduation, we went fishing, we spent time together. Quality as quantity is short!

Sunday AM to PM: drove back to Denver. Boring...



I miss you Mikey!

C'ya!

Weekend Volunteer

This past weekend, I volunteered at the Lutheran Valley Retreat in the mountains outside of Woodland Park, CO. This was certainly something I had never done before but I must say that I had a great time. When I got there, everyone was well into their duties so I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to be doing. The first thing I was assigned to do was to clean out the equipment shed (put away the winter equipment and organize the building). I spent a couple of hours making sure everything was just right. In fact, it might not have been a good job for a perfectionist (LOL). When I was all done I was assigned to clean and organize the country store. Not as much fun as the equipment shed but it was one of those things...After a nice lunch of baked potatoes, salad, and chili, I was assigned to clean the Outpost kitchen. The Outpost kitchen is the primitave kitchen up on top of one of peaks of the mountains. When I walked in and saw all of the mouse droppings, I thought I would never get it clean. However, after some serious elbow grease, two trips up and down the mountain, and some blood sweat and tears, I got it all done. This took me the longest!! It was spaghetti dinner time by the time I completed it. I enjoyed the time there and the fellowship of others. I left a little before it got dark so that I wasn't trying to find my way out of the mountains in the dark. I took the scenic route and discovered that when there is a sign in Colorado that says "High Profile & 4X4 vehicles only" they really mean it!

I took a few photos with the camera phone as Mike has the regular camera:


The fire pit: some landscaping going on in front of the lodge.


The view from the Outpost toward the west.


The view from the Outpost to the East. You can see they had a little damage from the recent fires. But God protected the buildings!


One of the cabins at the youth camp.


Sedona and I out front of the lodge at the end of the day.


Our dinner prayer. For lunch, we prayed the Superman prayer.


One of the 75 elk I saw on the way home!

I would love to be able to just move out there and volunteer my time but I'm afraid that the creditors might get just a little angry with me for not paying my bills. So for now, clean-up weekend will have to do.

I am ready to call it a night.

C'ya!

I understand...

The longer this takes to get the house sold, the more things happen; and with good reason. I got this email from Mike today:

I was sitting here listening to 710 am talk show about using water to increase gas mileage when I heard a loud popping and crackling sound outside. I immediately thought that the 15 year old boys were back for payback. I thought they had set off a couple gross of black cats (firecrackers) to wake everyone up after getting busted breaking into cars. Boy was I wrong!!!
I threw on some clothes, grabbed my phone and flashlight and headed outside, then I heard it again and saw the whole interior of our block light up behind the houses with a green light. I headed into the backyard and waited and sure enough it happened again. I thought it was the transformer on the electric pole behind the neighboors house. I went there to investigate and as I was looking at the transformer it happened again, but behind me and still up in the air. I turned around to see the flashing happen. It was the wires going into the house on Mississippi with the white picket fence around it. (The one where the 2 wandering dogs keep coming from) It was starting on fire!!!
I called 911 and ran around to the front of the house and knocked on the door, yelling your house is on fire. The people came out and I helped them get there dogs out to thier vehicle. The male owner came out, I didn't get his name, and we went around to the back of the house and I showed him where it was.
The police showed up first and then the fire department. The fire went out by itself and the power in the house went out. Who knows what could have happened. I guess my inability to go to sleep is happening for a reason.

Plesae take a moment to say a prayer of THANKS that the Lord would have Mike still in our house to save lives. Amazing isn't it???

C'ya!