Maxwell Falls Day Hike

 Just to get out of town, we went up near Evergreen on a day hike to Maxwell Falls. Koya was glad to get out a play in the water. We spent a little time in Evergreen after the hike window shopping and had some ice cream. There was an art shop we found with some great tiles that had photograph prints on them that Scott really liked. One day we'll have a wall just perfect to put one on. Maybe in a house near Evergreen. :)

Kemp Takes Hong Kong

We went to the Kemp Center annual Gala to raise money for children who are victims of abuse and neglect. Our ticket for dinner and the evening entertainment by The Silhouettes included a donation to the Kemp Center. It was at the Marriott down town. We also got to see performers dancing as Chinese dragons.

We Ran a 1/2 Marathon!!!

 

We had this crazy idea, well it was Scott's idea to run a half marathon. 13.1 miles is a long way to run. After weeks of training, muscle pain, and learning how to refuel during such a long run - we did it! We ran all the way! A couple of Scott's work friends and Amanda's work friends ran it too. Everyone finished and were glad that they made it. It was a pretty cold day. After the race we went to the gym to sit in the hot tub for a while and relax.

Gavin Turns 3

We went to celebrate Gavin's birthday this year at his big birthday party. He had a big jumpy castle and his friends over. Cathy asked Amanda, his honorary auntie to make the birthday cake to look like a monkey! It was so cute! Happy Birthday Gavin!

Snow Shoe Hut Trip

A couple of our friends planned a snowshoe hut trip north of Fort Collins over St. Patrick's Day weekend. We were excited to go along. After a short walk to a yurt we settled into our overnight camp.

In the afternoon we took a short walk to see what was around the area. Snowshoeing was a little hard because we were having to break trail the entire way. We didn't see any wildlife but enjoyed the quiet of the forest, the sunshine and being outdoors.   

We tried to use the snow shovel at the yurt to sled down a nearby hill without much success. We had fun trying and our friends got a kick out of it too.

Ski Day with Dad

 While Scott was in Chicago, Amanda went skiing with her dad. The snow wasn't the greatest, much of it had melted away already. We managed to find runs with enough snow to make a day of it. We were able to find pretty cheap tickets since the snow had been so iffy. Either was it was  great day with dad!

Scotty Sees Chicago

 Scott had been traveling to Chicago for work and decided to go a day early one trip so that he could see some of the city. He went to Millennium Park and saw the giant bean. He also spent some time on the ice skating rink.

He visited the tallest building in Chicago as well and looked down through the glass floor at the city below. It was a typical overcast day so seeing out from the Willis Tower wasn't too spectacular.

Colorado School of Mines Basketball

Mines had made it in to the NCAA Division 2 Men's Basketball Championship, so we went to see them play. They won! We are sure that it was all due to the support of their fellow students especially those who are on the Mines swim team.

Dirty Jew Turns 32!

Every year our friend Matt invites his friends on a ski trip to celebrate his birthday. This year we traveled down to Taos, NM! Matt lives in Albuquerque so it was closer for most of his friends. We had a great time seeing a new place and skiing new terrain.

 We went to a cute German place for lunch. The food was great and the patio DJ was awesome! After a long day of skiing we met up at the base lodge and had a few drinks. Later that night we went to a bar and pool hall where a local band was playing. It was fun to get out on the town and dance. Matt had a great time celebrating with all of us.

We all stayed together at the Taos Inn which was pretty cramped. We had like 10 people in a two room suite with one king sized bed and two twins. The most entertaining part was that one of the guys had a terrible habit of sleep talking. I happened to record one of the funniest things he said. It was classic! You have to listen closely - turn it up on your speakers pretty loud.

Yeee Ha!

Every year we make our way to the National Western Stock Show! This year we went with Amanda's family and saw the horse reining show as well as walked around to see all the animals. One of Scott's favorites was the alpacas and lamas.

A week or so later Scott and Amanda went back to the stock show to see the rodeo. The best event, as always, was the mutton bustin' but a close second was the bull riding and seeing the rodeo clowns keep the bull away from the cowboys.

New Years in Crested Butte

To celebrate our birthdays we generally take a ski trip. This year we added in New Years too. We rang in 2012 in Crested Butte, Colorado. There wasn't much snow, so we didn't end up skiing at all. On New Years Eve we went to dinner and a party in a yurt. We snowshoed there and back by the light of headlamps. Dinner was fantastic and the live music made for a fun evening.

 

The next day we took a wintery walk with Koya on one of the local trails and had a fancy dinner out at a small plates restaurant in the ski village. We had planned to go tubing, but the mountain had closed it saying it was too icey. That evening we spent some time in the hot tub and enjoyed our fancy hotel accomodations. In the morning for Scott's birthday we had a couples' massage and were soon back on the road to Denver.