Pink Sunday

This past Sunday, October 2, the 19th annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure was held in Denver.  It is one of the nation's largest 5K walks, and one of the largest Susan G. Komen events in the world.  Yea Denver!

It is a big day in our house.  A big day for me.  We celebrate this day!

I am just one woman. 
One in a sea of 50,000. 

One of 3,000 survivors.

Beautiful Niagara

Our trip to Niagara Falls for our 20th anniversary celebration was just fabulous!  I really didn't know what to expect from the falls, as I didn't do a whole lot of research before the trip and I've never even seen more than a photo or two.  No one has ever told me about a trip to Niagara Falls.  However, I had heard some of the rhetoric about the American side vs. the Canadian side.

You be the judge...

American Bridal Veil Falls

Canadian Horseshoe Falls

Well, let me just say that it is absolutely a remarkable place to visit.  How this amazing flow of water was formed is beyond my comprehension.  The amount of water that goes over those falls every minute of every day is mind boggling (why doesn't it stop?).  The energy the falls produce is astounding.  Stand above, beside, or at the foot of the falls (in a little boat) and the roar of the falls is deafening.

Bill and I really do love to travel.  Doesn't matter where.  We could very easily be considered your "typical tourist" or "crazy Americans".  We like to experience all the destination has to offer, partake of all the local flavor, hot spots, things to do, things to see, and take WAY TOO MANY pictures.  We would/could not travel to such a destination and not see it from every angle, both countries, top & bottom, and wear the mist in our hair, our clothes, and on our camera lenses.

The weather was iffy to say the least.  Very cool September week.  We had grey overcast skies most of the time (until the last two days) and a bit of rain.

The whole Niagara area is clean, clean!  Beautifully landscaped parks, walkways & flowers!

The Secret Garden

The falls are even more spectacular at night (although very hard to photograph) and one of the most romantic strolls for a couple.  A couple celebrating 20 years together.

Fireworks every Friday and Sunday nights!

The countryside is beautiful.  Green, heavily forrested, and lush.  Very clean.  The Niagara penninsula is also a wine making, grape growing paradise.  Wineries for miles and miles.  We spent a day wine tasting and just fell in love with Canada's Icewine.  Yumm!  So sweet.  So expensive!  In fact, one of the best meals we had the entire trip was at a small winery.  Fresh baked bread from the outside brick oven, a french menu, a beautiful view over the grapes, and I was in heaven!  Our cute little waiter with his thick French accent...just perfect.  

Ravine Winery (a historic 1812 civil war site)

Because we flew to Toronto, we also spent some time enjoying this beautiful city.  It's really very metropolitan, reminded me a lot of New York City, but has the enormous Lake Ontario recreational offerings. The City is booming & bustling with at least a dozen high rize-high-end luxury condo projects under construction and boasts a low 7% unemployment rate (hmm...maybe we'll move to Canada). 

We were able to reconnect and lower the stress load we've been carrying for some time.  I'm grateful for a big life event to celebrate to get us out of the routine, even if it just for a short week.  We feel refreshed and happy. 

Ready for the next 20...

Twenty Years Together

Happy Labor Day!  A day with many different meanings to different people.  A day off work.  A day to officially mark the end of summer.  A day to BBQ.  No more wearing white!  The beginning of fall.  etc.

To me, it is monumental.  It marks the 20th year with the love of my life.  My soul mate.  My best friend.  My man.

Yep.  20 years.

We are away for a little trip to celebrate our anniversary life together in Niagara Falls today.  A romantic destination we could reach in a few hours, use our miles to get there, and not have to go in debt to enjoy.  Really, I have secretly wanted to see the Falls for a long time...this just seemed like the time.

As we are enjoying some well-needed time away, I've taken some time (pre-trip) to reflect on this big accomplishment.  Twenty years is a long time.  Our lives our full. 

It's been quite a ride:

• Successfully blended two families (can you say stepchildren?)
• 120 birthday celebrations
• Thousands of miles traveled.  Vacations both big and small.  
• 16 Employers (most of them mine and a couple of them more than once)
• Raised 4 kids into adulthood (whew!)
• Worked together (in the same office) for 4 years
• Loved 4 dogs. 
• A bird, some fish, and a couple of hamsters were also part of the family.
• Lost two parents
• Battled 1 major illness
• Sold a house...built a house 
• Experienced 7,300 days of Bill's unique and entertaining sense of humor
• Enjoyed 10,512,000 minutes of happiness

In retrospect, twenty years is nothing.  It has flown by in a wink of an eye.  I feel very fortunate to have found a man that loves me unconditionally.  A relationship I would not trade for another.  A gem of  a man unlike any I've met or known.  A love that lasts.

Looking forward to the next 20 and what is to come.  New experiences.  Hand in hand.

#12 - Take Gracie Swimming

Crossing #12 off The List! Turns out that there are a lot of places to take your dog swimming if you know where to look or are connected to the all-that-is-required-to-raise-an-active-dog circle (which I am not, but have a very good friend who wrote the handbook!).

In our case - lots of bark.  Little splash.  Loads of fun!

Yes.  It's a real event.  Requires pre-registration and a fee!  Turns out that the city of Lakewood lets the canine population swim in the local community pools just prior to the draining and winterization (August 22 in Denver seems a wee bit early to me).  Oh, and the pooch gets a goody bag!

Turns out that my water loving little girl only likes water that comes out of a hose, a faucet, a sprinkler, a stream, or in her water dish.  She's not a swimmer nor does she like swimming pools (be it the large kind or the baby kind).  She's more of a spectator really.

She did have a tremendously good time seeing all the other dogs and their water antics.  She did chase a ball into the (baby) pool, but if it went further than she could reach, she quickly lost interest.  On a few occasions, her mom helped her into the pool to get that ball (for a very quick exit and a shower shake to let me know that is a no-no). 

Another thing, the baby pool isn't really for babies either.  Isn't there some kind of height restriction or age limit for swimming in a baby pool?  Those giant dogs tromping around in the baby pool scared the bejesus out of Gracie.  Definitely a deterrent to getting in!

All in all a good event (great photo opp).  She was tuckered out.  Slept the whole way home. Oh, and the mom came home wetter than she.

We may try again.  Next year.

Happy Belated 1st Birthday (to me)

A friend helped me realize just yesterday that my blog is officially one-year old!  How did that happen?  How did I forget?  Blogging still seems so new to me.

I really do love the outlet to record my musings.  Looking back, even though I'm not that exciting or entertaining, it sure is a great on-line, pictorial journal of my every day life. 

For that...I am grateful.

#41. Go on a hike

From my earlier "summer photo prompts" list was #41 - go on a hike.  For lots of reasons:

1. Exercise Gracie (a tired puppy makes for a pleasant evening)
2. Enjoy beautiful Colorado
3. See something new
4. Get fresh air
5. Exercise Judy (and Bill)

Truth is, this is our 3rd day-hike this summer - all of which have been fabulous.  We are really enjoying this activity and find ourselves getting into it more and more.  We've got backpacks, new hiking boots, rain gear (due to not being prepared on an earlier hike), trekking poles, and a portable jet boil (for a hot meal when we come off the mountain).

Just yesterday, we conquered Blue Lake (in the Brainard Lakes area north of Nederland) a 5.1 mile roundtrip trek.  Probably the most beautiful of the three hikes so far. The wildflowers are beautifully abundant this late in the summer because of the record snowpack.

Enjoy the scenery!

Looking back down the valley.

Almost there.



The payoff.



August snow melt.

Just included this one for grins!

Deck Love (part 1)

Thanks to blogland, I stumbled upon a post written about reclaiming & redesigning your deck space...so, I wondered...could that work for us?  Yes it can!  We've been working hard on getting our deck all gussied up and beautified (is that a word?) and taking it back (literally) from the birds.  The history is that when we built the house, we had the option (added expense of course) to extend our deck...and because there were not many additional options that we didn't take, we had it enlarged.  I did not know at the time, how the neighborhood would lay out and how the slope of the lot would come into play.  (Hard to envision, when you're looking at dirt.)  Although I don't regret the larger deck or the corner lot, I have always felt like we are on display for the whole neighborhood to see every time we go outside to the deck.  Also, because of our south-facing home, we get the hot, blaring sun as it sets every single day which makes for very uncomfortably bright and hot patio time. I have always wanted to add a roof, but would've settled for a motorized awning.  Could never get Bill to come over to the dark side and spend a few dolores.

But, this year, while I was out shopping for my annual flowering plants, I stumbled across this pergola.  I loved it.  Wondered...could it fit?  I hurried home to measure and happened to see it on sale in the Sunday paper.  Karma?