Big Yards are fun

Over the holidays, the boy and I went to Tennessee with the pups to visit my family. It rained and was colder than ususal the majority of the time we were there. However, our Colorado pups loved the rain and the giant yard at the house. They also loved the big dogs that live there. The one day it didn't rain I managed to get a couple of shots of them playing in the sun.

It was here they discovered down pours and rain spouts. Oh what fun the rain spouts are! They came in dripping wet several times. They also discovered they like horse poop and mud. They also love Uncle Ken and his beer mug!

We are now back in Colorado, packing up the fifth wheel and will be leaving for our new destination in a few days. Texas here we come!

SPS: The Grottos

The return of SPS. Puppies and house (5th wheel) buying took over my life for a while. So I am getting back to posting about those public lands that are so great. The weekend before we got the puppies, Alan and I went on a jeep trip over some Colorado mountain passes hoping to find some Aspens that had turned golden. We were there a tad too early, but did manage to see some that had turned. We stopped at a little forest service area called the grottos near Independence Pass that had a neat little trail that led to an ice cave and a waterfall. There was a slight drizzle that day. Walking the trail, I found the leaves with water on them. I have always tried to get some good leaf photos, usually without much luck. I think I got lucky for once! These turned out pretty awesome with the water on them. We went to the ice caves that are carved by water and make some neat patterns in the rock. I have to credit the boy with the second to last shot, as he was crazy enough to climb down into the caves on the slick terrian. I was too chicken, especially considered I still had a bruise from the last cave I had been in.
It was a good weekend, and our last before we got saddled with the kids (puppies)!
Oh, and also that weekend, I discovered that ginger pills while smelling and tasting bad worked for me with the altitude sickness I tend to get.

Interior of 5th wheel

While looking at pattern choices for the 5th wheel, we both decided that the midnight was by far the best choice that suited us and our lifestyles. We chose the bigger fridge, and that is a king size bed! There are two leather recliners, two HD tv's. I am still learning it's secrets, kinks, and it's personality. We have yet to actually try out any part of the kitchen, or bed. We watched a movie on the larger tv, I fell asleep half way through it. :)

Our new home

In October, we put down the initial payment on a brand new 2009 Landmark Augusta 5th wheel. When Alan and his dad went to get the 5th wheel, they learned that we were actually getting a 2010 Landmark Augusta. Apparently between the time we put down the down payment and the time they went to get it, there had been enough changes for them to label it a 2010. They had been making them about 2 weeks before we picked up ours. Our new home is here and it is beautiful. Inside pictures to come soon!

Nap time

The are super sweet when asleep!

Election Day!

Election day caused quite a stir in our house. The pups fought over who got to wear the "I voted" sticker. As you can see, they had to share, which is such a hard concept for siblings.

Puppy Love

What can I say, other than, look how big they are? Look how cute they are!

Big news on "The Plan" front. Our 2010 Landmark Augusta is sitting next to our house...pictures soon, I promise!

The Plan

It has been a while since a post. We have brought two puppies who are quite demanding into our lives. We bought this truck to pull a 5th wheel trailer we also recently purchased. It will be coming to us within the month. "THE PLAN" has come together surprisingly well.
The plan is to pack up what we need in the RV and take off with my job to travel the USA and see things we haven't seen, and go places we haven't been.
Yes, we plan to live full time in an RV!
The plan was to start this adventure in May, however due to various circumstances we are moving up the time frame a bit. We now plan to start traveling in December.
I am buying my first home, granted it is a bit unconventional in nature. It will take me where I want to go.
The wedding plans are still in place and also going well. We are so close to having invitations done!

The puppies are growing so fast and demanding more and more time and attention. They have come into their own and we were so wrong about them. We initially thought Molly would be the lover and friendly one, she turned out to be more aloof and wanting attention on her terms. Baxter has to be the center of attention...literally. He gets mad if you pay attention to things other than him. We are working on getting him out of that habit.

BathTime

The other day, the pups were filthy, so we had bath time. The first photo is of Baxter and Molly in a place they cannot get out of, the dreaded tub. The second is of Molly getting shampooed. The last of Baxter back in the tub drying off. They are now 10 pounds each, when we got them they were just over 6 pounds. Growing and eating like crazy. Cute, even when wet!

They are so much fun

So our little cute fuzzbutts have turned into cute little monsters! Just kidding, they are so much fun, but they love to dig. In the dirt, in the water dish, and add water to the dirt and watch out!
The first photo is of Baxter, post digging a hole. They second is Molly digging in the water dish.

Crystal Mill

Before the fuzzbutts came, Alan and I went on a trip around Colorado to find some aspens that had changed colors. While we did eventually find some good color, it seemed we were a bit early. However, we did go to the Crystal Mill. I have seen it on postcards, and heard about it from locals. Apparently, it is one of the more famous places to photograph here in Colorado. While the aspens behind the mill were not changed, it still proved a pretty photo. Getting to the mill is not exactly easy, it is a bumpy narrow 4 wheel drive only road. Scary when trying to pass another vehicle. Worth the trip though. This photo is a panoramic of three. I have some wide angle photos I will post at a later time.

FUZZBUTTS HAVE ARRIVED!!!!

The fuzzbutts have come home. We got our Corgis. Molly is mostly black, and Baxter is mostly brown. They were 8 weeks old on Friday. They have been here 8 hours, and we are totally in love and have learned some of the different personalities already. Molly loves toys and to sleep, Baxter loves to bark and chase the cat.

Got Corgis?

We will.

Next week, we are bringing home two puppies, brother and sister, eight weeks old.

This week is puppy proofing the house week.

This week is also readying Alan to be a puppy owner, the boy has never had a puppy before. Only grown dogs.

This week is getting puppy supplies.

I cannot wait for those fuzzbutts to arrive.

As the saying goes, "CORGI BUTTS DRIVE ME NUTS"

SPS Castlewood Canyon State Park

Yes, I have been a slacker on SPS lately. I have miss two weeks. I do not have an excuse. What can I say, I should be disowned by SPS. Last Sunday, the boy and I took out his jeep and drove to Castlewood Canyon State Park. It is a pretty little canyon with lots of green, a color seen very little lately. It has be a relatively dry summer with little rain, and little green. See, we do go places that aren't national parks :)

A special day

Today, marks six months for Alan and I. Shortly after we started being serious, I had a total freak out moment and started searching the internet asking the question, "How do you know if you are in love?" You should have seen some of the results, however I did come across an article that stated you can only be in love after six months of being together, because anything before six months is just lust. I, of course, thought that it was funny, because even though I did not want to admit to this crazy thing called love, I knew I was in love. It was hard for me to admit, and Alan was soon told about the article. We have both been joking for months that we can't be in love yet...because it hasn't been six months. Today, however marks that lust to love transition and we can finally lay that joke to rest. I am sick with a serious head cold today and am in my apartment. Alan is at his home, after being sick yesterday. When we talked earlier, he told me that we were finally officially in love. It was cute. It's just too bad, we couldn't spend the day together. But it is okay, because in six months we will be married and will get to spend the rest of our lives together.

Six months ago, I had just moved to Colorado. I had been here about a week, and lonely. I got an email from a man that sounded too good to be true. Soon, much to my surprise we started emailing on a regular basis, which turned into almost nightly phone calls, which turned into our first date. We met at Garden of the Gods, had some food at the cafe, and then took a walk in the park. At the end of the date, I thought for sure it was a bust, but he called the next day to set up another date. I was pretty surprised, because those that know me, know that I do not do well with men, relationships, and especially dating. The second date was a nice dinner, which led to the third date, when he cooked for me. I have been telling people that he knew on the first date, and I knew on the second, but the third was just plain magical. We both knew we were in for a long time.....now we are engaged, planning a wedding and sharing more love and laughs everyday. I tell him almost constantly that I do not know what I did to deserve him, but I am glad I did it. Everyday, we talk, we laugh, we share in each others lives. I cannot imagine life without him in it. Amazing how six months can completely turn your world upside down in a good way.

The video was taken at Crater Lake NP when we were on our 12 day adventure in June.....before we could possibly be in love.....

Surprise on a back road

This past weekend, the boy and I went to Castlewood Canyon State Park near Castle Rock Colorado. It's is not a far drive, but we took back roads to make it more scenic and more fun. We were on a a dirt road for miles, and ended up coming across a field of sunflowers. It was amazing, because we had no clue we would run into it. There are also a ton of wild sunfowers in the area, and they seem to take over fields and road sides. It was pretty neat to see the wild ones pale in comparsion to the domestic ones. It was a pleasant surprise.

North Cascades

Driving through North Cascades National Park, we experienced a foggy morning which gave way to some blue skies. The mountains are simply amazing. The snow of course added to the beautiful landscape. This was one park I thought I would never get to, so I was excited to see it. I can't help but think I am such a lucky person to get the chance to see all these great places. I am thrilled when I think about my future and seeing our national parks with my soon to be husband.