Colorado part II

Boy did that trip go fast. Lets see where did I stop? Tuesday we went into Vail to listen to music at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater. But first we went for dinner at Lark Burger. They have great burgers and fries. If I lived in CO it would likely be my Yesterdog, um! Eli loves to people watch. So this was great for him. We sat on the top of the hill so we could see all of the people. And we saw people of all kinds, hippies (one with us) moms, dads, baby's, teens and everything in between.

During the day on Tuesday we went to Sylvan Lake for a picnic. We canoed and kayaked. Eli went for his first float. He had his hand in the water the entire time. It took us a bit to get the hang of it but once we got going......piece of cake. He almost fell asleep, if we would have had bunny with us he would have been out like a light.

For dinner one night we made ELK steak. Yes I said ELK. Mark shot this animal, with a bow I might add, and I had yet to try it. Surprisingly it was really good. He did a great job preparing it.

Thursday Mark had his friend Mike who is a fly fishing guide take us out on the Yampa River. It is a catch and release river that holds MONSTER trout. On the second cast I "hooked" a fish. The "fight" went on for what felt like forever. But in the end this fish won and so did the next 5 that I "hooked". I guess that is why they call it fishing and not catching. Mark has these pics on his camera, so those I'll post later.

Friday, our last day of vacation. We took the boat to Riffle, to a lake there to boat and fish. I am so happy that Eli likes the water. We took a trip around the lake and found the spot that had the least amount of people. Mark jumped in while I put Eli's life jacket on and then put Eli in the water. At first he didn't like it but soon he warmed up to it and was having fun. It didn't last very long but it was fun anyway!

Saturday, we packed the car and headed for Michigan. Nic stayed and is heading to Yosemite National Park for a few months to work and then hopefully back to CO for the ski season.

23.5 hours there and 21 hours back. My mom is superwoman and drove the majority of the way (thanks mom)!!!!! It was a great trip. The mountains with my family. I wish Justin could have been there. Maybe next year.

Peace and love for now...........

Choose your own adventure

So my mom, Nic, Eli and I packed the car last Wednesday morning and took off for Colorado to see Mark. It took us 23.5 hours, about 5 hours more then it should have. When traveling with a toddler it makes for a longer ride. But we made it.

We have been pretty busy so far. Thursday night a trip to Eagle for music.

Friday a gondola trip to the top of Vail where we had burgers and more live music. It seems that every night you can find live music around here. Eli really liked the ride up and down the mountain.





Saturday was Gypsum Days. We went to a co-worker of Marks for a parade and BBQ. Eli had fun collecting all of the candy to share with his uncles.



This looks like a hill because we are on top of the mountain

Sunday Nic went rafting with his new friends. Mark, mom, Eli and I went for a drive up the mountain for a picnic and some fishing. Of course Mark caught the most fish, I guess he has more experience then I do. Someday I'll get him





Monday Mark, Nic and I went to Fulford Caves to do a little exploring. I usually don't like to do this but I am trying to expand my horizons. So we hiked 1875 feet to the caves, put on our head lamps and went in. It was in the 80's on the outside the cave and when we got into the cave it was 49 degrees. I was so cool in there. Nic was the "guinea pig" as he puts it. We let him go ahead and let us know if it was "safe". Of course it was safe, or we wouldn't have let him do it. What kind of roll models would we be?

Well we are half way through our trip. There is plenty more on the itinerary and there will be more pictures to come. Thanks for checking in and following our adventures in Colorado! See you soon.

music at the zoo

Part the great thing about our city is that as my aunt says, “you can listen to live, local, free music all summer Monday through Thursday”. So Monday Eli and I met Tia, a.k.a Aunt Theresa, and Uncle Bob at the zoo for music at the zoo. The Evan Hyde band played. It was a ton of fun. Evan is a former student from our youth group who played the drums for our youth worship band for a few years. It was really cool to see him at that venue playing and leading the band. He is super talented. Eli Enjoyed chocolate covered strawberries, 3 to be exact, pasta salad and guacamole. I just love to watch Eli dance and people watch. All of the people around enjoyed watching him too. He is truly a crowd lover.

summer time

We have had a busy summer so far. Justin just got back from a 10 day mission trip Panama City, Panama with the high school youth group

The girls found this in the toilet at the host home they stayed in.

Justin, Even H. and Kyle

We went to a Tigers game, Eli loved the fireworks, celebrating the 4^th of July and catching up with friends and family from near and far this week. I just love living in Michigan. There is always something to do, and let me tell you we stay plenty busy.