All Things Adams

Halloween!

2011-11-27T14:40:00.001-07:00

This could be my favorite time of year! I love the pumpkin patch, selecting and putting together costumes, carving pumpkins, and "borrowing" some Reese's Peanut Butter cups from the boys. We also made some caramel apples this year with about a pond of caramel on each one. Owen went for mini M&M's, Garret and Brendan did plain, and Meg added some crushed pretzels for that salty-sweet yumminess!

Soccer All Around

2011-11-27T14:12:00.001-07:00

We had a fall full of soccer this year. Brendan took over as the coach for Garret's team, FC Gators, and Owen continued on his Little Lightning team with his kindy buddies ~ we are thrilled that our love of soccer is enjoyed by both Garret and Owen.

Next spring, Owen's team is dropping the "Little" from their name, so watch out... Lightning is going to strike!

Owen Turns Six

2011-11-26T13:10:00.001-07:00

I'm more than a little behind on this lil' blog... so hang in there as I catch us up to the present.

Owen turned the big S-I-X on October 3rd. He was so excited for the celebrations and was eager to share his big day with the family.

We took a trip to the bowling alley with Umpa, Nana, Steph, Matt, and Kenna. While bumper bowling can be a challenge, capturing a shot in mid air always makes for more fun!

We followed up bowling with a little treat at CO-YO...

Then a pizza dinner and birthday ice cream...

and some presents...

It was an Angry Birds sort of Birthday ~

Happy Birthday, Owen. We love you big guy!

It's not a Goodbye..

2011-08-27T08:38:00.001-06:00

Our good friends are moving today... It's not a small moveeither. They are packing up their 5 kids, dog, and frog, and heading to MAINE! I've given up my last glimmer of hope that they will change their minds...(it's happened before, you should know).

I've never had my best friend move away and I am grievingthis loss. Garret's best friend just happens to be one of the 5 kids. He andMatty started preschool together when they were three and have been tight ever since. Garret is sad and questions this loss. He finds comfort in the fact that he can "Facetime" or "Skype"with his pal, but the daily smile, shared jokes, and sense of comfort that onlyyour best friend can offer will no longer be there. I know his pain!

We've decided that we aren't saying goodbye. Instead, we say"see you soon." Life won't be the same here without the Taggarts. Wewill all miss them terribly. There are families in Kennebunkport who are soon to meet a magical family. Hopefully one of them is welcoming, fun-loving, and liberal (the Taggart's need a left sided view of the world now and then!) There's talk of a Maine vacation, Colorado visits,a Girls trip to Vegas (if our friends can stop having babies!), and lots andlots of texting, emails, and phone calls.

See you soon, Taggarts! We love you.

"If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together, there is something you always must remember. you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. but the most important thing is even if we're apart, i'll always be w/ you."

- Winnie the Pooh

We've got a Kindergartner in the house!

2011-08-24T11:16:00.000-06:00

Owen had his big day this morning. He got up, got dressed, brushed his teeth, made his bed, packed his lunch box into his new backpack and was ready for school about 90 minutes early. He had happy, dancing feet, and the biggest smile knowing that he was finally going to Cottonwood. With all the parents crowded around the drop off area and lots of kids crying, Owen squeezed my hand and told me that he's not shy and he's totally ready for school. Yep... you totally are!

Owen is in Kindergarten!

Garret and Owen are ready to walk to school

Collin and Owen ~ headed up the hill.

Brendan, Owen, and Meg ~ so proud of our little man!

Planting Progress!

2011-08-11T17:24:00.004-06:00

We added 10 new plants to our front yard yesterday! Thanks to John, Barbara, and Trudy for our early anniversary gifts, we started to fill in the bleak (...I mean eagerly awaiting to be landscaped) area next to our garage. We planted three Cistena Plums in the back row. These can grow to about 8' x 8'. We also added 7 Wintercreepers in the front. These will spread to about 4'x4'. So, while they might look small now, we are all about patience as long as we can keep those pesky bunnies away from them! Grow babies, grow!

Owen's Newest Accomplishment!

2011-08-11T17:03:00.004-06:00

We ditched the last set of training wheels at our house!

We are proud of you, Owen! You worked hard, and when you were ready, you took off down the street. It's a good thing we had lots of little treats ~ you deserved them as you figured out this life long skill. You also lost your 3rd tooth in the same time period. Do you think the tooth fairy knew about you riding your bike?

Happy Birthday, Brendan!

2011-08-11T16:48:00.004-06:00

Brendan turned 36 on August 1. His traditional birthday dinner is grilled pork tenderloin, roasted baby red potatoes, garlic bread, and a Caesar salad. He also really likes grilled salmon, asparagus, and garlic bread. Instead of picking just one, we said what the heck - let's have both. Sunday night was the pork (see picture below) and Monday was the salmon. While Brendan was at work on Monday, the boys painted a sign with Nana and we decorated the dining room for the festivities. We also made him a new favorite cake (thanks http://sharedthreads.wordpress.com/)- a lime yogurt cake with fresh strawberries and homemade whipped cream... YUM! Happy Birthday, B!

Owen's dessert plate...gone!

Breckenridge Fun!

2011-07-15T19:27:00.004-06:00

What's more fun on a Sunday morning than packing up the cars and tromping up to the mountains for a day of hiking, picnics, and some time in town? With the Kramers visit coming to a close, we figured it was a perfect activity. First stop ~ Spruce Creek Trail, just south of town. We read the following about this trail before the hike ~ "Kids will enjoy exploring a private cabin located near the settlement ruins that is available for use as a storm shelter." Little did we know that after we saw Mayflower Lake and Continental Falls, we would indeed need this shelter... QUICKLY! A typical mountain thunderstorm announced its arrival with claps of thunder and rain that went from a light drizzle to a heavy downpour is just seconds. Garret said it was like God was turning a switch from low, to medium, to high. We trudged back down to the mining cabin and shared the small space with about 20 other hikers. The storm only lasted about 10 minutes and then we were on our way back down.

All 11 of us at the waterfall

L to R ~ Anneke, Jakob, Owen, Garret, and Drew

Ryan and Drew

Stacy

Stephanie, Drew, Stacy, and Meg

Garret and Drew

What a view!

The lower part of the falls

Garret, Jake, and Owen in the cabin during the storm

Anneke Jewel

The boys...

Matt and Steph

Owen, Garret, and Jake at the waterfall

Following our hike, we drove south to Hoosier Pass for a picnic lunch. The sun came out, the kids all ran around a huge grassy hill, and we enjoyed the views and peaceful lunch!

Off to town ~ Since we didn't really have enough action yet, we headed for Breckenridge and took the Gondola up to Peak 8 for the alpine slide.

We managed to all ride the slide before the skies opened up for the second time and closed everything down, even the gondola back down! Once back in town via the local bus, we headed for the Breck Brewery where we found the Taggart family of 7 plus a friend peacefully (ha) dining. Thanks, Taggarts for the happy hour beer and grabbing a table for our crew. We crashed their dinner, enjoyed sharing stories of our adventures, waited out the I-70 traffic, and had some good food. With tired kids, full tummies, and fun memories racing through our minds, we headed home to dream up the next adventure.

Nels and Faith's Wedding - June 25, 2011

2011-07-02T15:15:00.000-06:00

If you know the Olson family, you know that we are always ready for a celebration! We don't take birthdays lightly, we treasure Christmas and Thanksgiving get togethers, and we cherish the opportunity to witness two people say their vows and declare their love for one another. Last year, many of us were together celebrating Sig's 60th in Cape Cod when Uncle Tom and Aunt Bonnie got a surprise phone call from Nels telling them he had just proposed to Faith. Fast Forward one year and we were all gathered in Santa Fe for the beautiful ceremony and reception. Set at Hyde Memorial State Park Lodge in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the location was perfect for this calm, nature loving, couple.

Wedding Venue

Wedding flowers

Quick Adams Picture before the ceremony

Umpa Tom and Nana Kris

Bonnie and Kari preparing to walk down the aisle

Uncle Tom aka 'Zebelzouber' to Garret and Owen

Tommy - what can you say... we love this picture!

Proud parents!

Kari and Nels

Faith - looking elegant and beautiful!

Faith and Nels wrote their own vows and made us all a little teary

Meg wore Gramma Rosemary's turquoise cross and cuff bracelet - we missed you dearly, Gramma, and thought about you on this perfect day!

Toast time - Nels and Faith thanking everyone while using Tom and Bonnie's wedding glasses

Raising a glass to Grampa Tom - WE LOVE YOU!!!

Mischievous Owen

Kris, Megan, and Sig

Owen and Faith's niece, Rhiannon - double trouble

Garret wondering why those "young kids" would run around like that!

Meg watched a YouTube video on long hair updos and gave it a go...

What a perfect day! Thank you Nels and Faith.

Sláinte

Adventures in Albuquerque

2011-07-02T14:08:00.000-06:00

Garret, Owen and Meg drove down to Albuquerque on June 20th. With the car packed to the brim with snacks, movies, DS games, chargers, pillows, blankets, etc. we pulled out of the driveway and let the voice of "Amy," our GPS navigator, guide us south. We stayed with Umpa Tom for the first part of the week. He has a fabulous pool at his place that the boys love. Nana was staying there too and Uncle Buddy was over for visits, so the boys were thrilled to see some favorite faces! I think they were in the pool two different times in the first 3 hours we were there. We managed to cram a lot into our week long visit. While I'm getting better about taking the camera with me on our adventures, I have some work to do on actually taking the pictures!

Grampa's pool - his apartment deck is the one on the right at the top of the picture. (I borrowed this picture from the apartment website - so I can't change the size)

On Tuesday we went to the Isotopes baseball game. Meg, Garret, Brendan (Buddy), Umpa Tom, Kari, and John braved the heat and the late night. Nana Kris and Owen had a date night with a Scooby Doo Movie and some Mac and Cheese. We joined Autumn and her two oldest, Thomas and Lauren. While the kids don't get to see each other too often, they jumped right back in to things to talk about and had a blast sitting right next to the 'Topes dugout.

On Thursday, we picked Brendan up at the airport and headed over to the Albuquerque Aquarium. The McCarthy's met us there are we began our exciting adventure of feeding the various fish thanks to Kari and John. We just missed "Mermaid Kari" diving in the tank, but we enjoyed our VIP tour!

We headed over to our old neighborhood on Thursday afternoon to swim and spend some time with the Rainwaters. Oh how we miss our spontaneous gatherings with these great friends! The boys jumped right in the pool and along with Claire stayed in the water the rest of the day while we enjoyed some fresh Sangria and our treasured chats. We ordered Gardunos for dinner and ate, drank, and visited until the kids turned to prunes at about 9:00!

Friday it was time to pack up, say goodbye to friends and head up to Santa Fe for the wedding. Nels and Faith planned and organized an amazing weekend and we were looking forward to sharing their day with them. A wedding blog post will follow...

Summer Planting

2011-06-29T09:40:00.000-06:00

For Father's Day, Brendan chose to add some splash to our dull front circle. We are both anxious to see our landscape plans move from the page they are printed on to our yard, but we are also realistic and know that it will happen little bits at a time. Here was our challenge for today:

We walked through Tagawa Gardens collecting various plants on our list. Garret and Owen each had a cart that they attempted to navigate through the crowded rows. We have a "splurge" on either side of the circle - a surprisingly spendy little green plant that we hope will bring us many years of smiles. This mini pine is for the east side.

We made a mad dash for the hardware store to collect some garden soil while we commented that the compost bin will be on our list for next summer!

After 3+ hours of digging, watering, and modifying the drip line, here is the final result. We have a few more plants to shop for as well as an accent rock for either side.

Happy Father's Day, Brendan!

Junior Kindergarten Graduation

2011-05-26T20:44:00.000-06:00

After 4 years in preschool (is that for real?), Owen graduated today! His class held an Olympic Games and Graduation Ceremony. Owen was the American Flag holder and competed in multiple events including climbing "Mt. Everest", attempting a "Jungle Obstacle Coarse", and crossing the "Royal Gorge Bridge!" Can you believe all of that was on just one of the playgrounds? The other playground had all of the sports events and the official opening and closing ceremonies. We are proud of our Olympian and excited for him as he leaves his preschool days behind and eagerly awaits the start of KINDERGARTEN!

1st 26.2 in 2011

2011-04-21T14:14:00.000-06:00

Brendan ran his first marathon of 2011 in Salk Lake City last weekend! He and I flew out there on Thursday morning. We were lucky enough to stay with our friends, Scott and Claire in Park City, and enjoy the sights in the mountains until race time on Saturday. Brendan's parents drove down for the race and some genealogy research in Salt Lake City

Pre race stretch. The day started out cold and rainy, but cleared just before the start of the race.

Mile 12 - Looking good!

Coming around the curve to the finish line.

Finish Line! Just over 3:22.

Post race with Ma and Pa

Brendan and Meg

A well deserved massage after a great race

Brendan was happy with his time and felt great at the finish line... well as good as you can feel after running that distance. Next up, San Francisco on July 31st - anyone want to come cheer him on with me?

Garret is 8!

2011-04-10T19:44:00.001-06:00

Happy Birthday Garret! What a weekend...you had your party on Friday night at Extreme Challenge, a baseball game on Saturday and Sunday, and birthday celebrations today complete with presents, dinner of steak and artichokes, and ice cream sundaes! Eight years ago you came into this world and life has never been better for mom and dad!

Garret Adams - Two weeks old

Climbing the rope at your party.

Your Buddies

Just played Sunday's game

New basketball hoop - awesome!

Your birthday list this year included new bedding (sports) and a suitcase! We always love what you come up with!!!

Some pillows to go with the new bedding.

You still love to draw, so a new book for you!

We hope you had a great weekend, Garret. We love you and are so proud of the little man that you are!

Let's Play Ball!!!

2011-04-03T14:45:00.003-06:00

Yep... It's that time of year. Cherry Creek Blue, Garret's baseball team had their first game yesterday. It was action filled and had me nervous on the sidelines. Yeah, I know he's only 8 (actually two weeks shy of that) but it is so exciting to watch them complete a play or get a base hit. They won 17-16, or it might have been 18-17. Either way, it was a nail biter, right up to the last base hit. Garret plays first for the most part but also spent some time in left center field. Brendan is the assistant coach and Garret is thrilled to have him out there with him. Brendan Falde (aka Buddy) was here to share in the exciting weekend. With two of Garret's games and one Rockies game, we've had our share of baseball in 36 hours! While it was almost 80 degrees for the opening game, it dropped 40 degrees for today's game. We had rain, sleet, snow, and wind this afternoon! So no pictures today. It was too cold!

Happy Birthday, Papa!

2011-03-06T12:48:00.000-07:00

With John's birthday falling just after Barbara's we were lucky enough to celebrate with him too! After a chilly baseball practice for Garret, we headed out to dinner followed by cake and presents at home. We gave Papa a 'Cherry Creek Sports' hoody and baseball cap so he can be a part of "the team!" This is the league that Garret plays baseball for and also our local high school.

After making Grammy her certificate book, we hunted for a clever homemade gift for papa. We found a tutorial for a Golf Ball Dog and thought it would be perfect... meet Diablo below.

Broncos Stadium Tour - Saturday, February 19th

2011-02-20T11:31:00.002-07:00

In looking for something different to do with 5 sports minded boys and 8 adults, we decided to venture up to Invesco Field for a tour of the stadium.

While waiting for the start of the tour, the boys found the room full of uniforms that they could wear.

Garret is ready to play!

Konnor is ready for some action!

Cute Quinn will stand in front of the Broncos jersey, but he still loves the Saints!

Owen and Hunter - quite the gear!

Anyone want to go up against this guy? Go Hunter!

Who wants to take on Owen?

The tour was quite interesting and we were able to see lots of different parts of the stadium. We learned that it costs $12,500 to rent a party suite for one game for 30 people. That's before the food and drinks. We were thinking about getting one for Owen's 6th birthday in the fall, but unfortunately there is a multi year waiting list. Sorry Owen!

Visitor's Locker Room - This crew will scare them all away!

On the field - Daale's and Gopal's.

Ready to play - unfortunately the memo didn't make it to Tebow and Bailey!

The Adams' attempt at a family picture - maybe next time?

Happy Birthday, Grammy!

2011-02-20T10:03:00.001-07:00

It was Barbara's birthday last weekend and the boys wanted to make it extra special. When she and John left for a breakfast outing, we got to work decorating their place with balloons and her special birthday banner. The boys then got to work on wrapping her present and creating a special book of certificates. We all enjoyed having Barbara and John here for her birthday and we look forward to continuing the festivities with John's birthday this week!

Grammy's Homemade Birthday Sign

Yoga Time

Garret and Owen created a book of gift certificates - it was a little bit of a challenge to come up with ideas that they could "give" Grammy without costing anything. We discovered that was kind of a tough concept. They wanted to write "Play a game with you" - except, that's what Grammy does all day long! They decided on things like bake cookies for you, out on a puppet show, do a dance for you, make your bed... all things that will make Grammy happy!

Ommmm....

Warriors in action

Who knew a yoga mat would keep two boys occupied for quite some time?

Happy Birthday, Grammy! We hope you had a great day!

Peter Pan - The Costume that Can Not Be OUTGROWN!

2011-02-08T16:57:00.000-07:00

Garret and Owen love Peter Pan! It's been that way since before Garret was 2. We have books, movies, puppets, play figures, the new'ish novels by Dave Barry, and best of all, this well worn green costume. On Garret's first trip to Disneyland, when he was just over two and I was pregnant with Owen, my mom found this costume and insisted that our little "Peter Pan" have it. I balked at the price (err - it's Disneyland), questioned its quality, and wondered if Garret would ever put it on? We then walked the park for an appropriate sword (is there such a thing for a two year old?) and found the Mad Hatter where they would stitch his name next to the big red feather. While it took Garret a while to want to wear it, he finally decided it was worthy to be his Peter Pan costume. Boy was it worthy! After serving as Garret's costume for three Halloween, not to mention the thousands of battles with Captain Hook, Garret out grew the trusty green outfit and it was handed down to Owen. He received a hat and sword on his first Disneyland adventure and took off for Neverland just like a pro.

We never fail to laugh when Peter Pan is around. When Owen pulled out the costume last week, dusted off his sword, and smoothed out his red feather, I just had to take a picture. I love this costume and all of the memories that come with it. Here are just a few...

2005 - Garret, 2 1/2, the day before Owen was born. I think he heard who was coming and was headed to Neverland!

Peter welcomes "Nana the Dog"

Peter is off to Trick or Treat

2006 - Garret - 3 1/2, yep, he's Peter again!

2007 - Garret 4 1/2 - Once again he's Peter Pan. But this time he's with a Peacock!

2008 - That's Owen in the Peter Pan costume this time. They are reverse Trick or Treating with Great Grandma Mary in Phoenix. They knocked on doors and handed out candy!

2009 and 2010 - Peter Pan took a break from Halloween. But he was well used for dressing up all year.

2011 - Owen digs Peter Pan out of the costume bin. It's a tad small and looking a little worse for wear, but he didn't care. With his hat and sword he was off to find Captain Hook!

Garret's Book Report

2011-02-08T16:16:00.000-07:00

Garret's second book report was on a non fiction book. He chose "The Denver Broncos Football Team" - surprise! He wrote about several interesting facts and then made an awesome football field in a t-shirt box. He and Grammy dyed some shredded coconut green for the field and cut out lots of comics and pictures from the paper for the "fans." He included a groundhog and Abe Lincoln among the Broncos' loyal in the crowd. He then made two goalposts out of pipe cleaners and glued down some plastic football figures. For the outside, he printed out several pictures of Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego - the site for the Broncos Super Bowl victory in 1998! Way to go Garret!

Bowling on Snow Day #2 - February 2, 2011

2011-02-02T13:15:00.001-07:00

On Day #2 of "It's too cold for school" we headed to the bowling alley. The boys were excited to get out of the house without having to go to the gym and Grammy and I were ready for some fun! I think I could get used to the "bumper bowling" - I was so good that I didn't even get one gutter ball! We had fun watching the two boys and their totally opposite personalities. Garret was a little grumpy at the start because he couldn't get a strike and Owen was grumpy because I wouldn't give him money for the vending machine. They both got over it and had a good time. We have big plans to continue our bowling games on the Wii later this afternoon - do they have bumpers?

Let's Bowl!

Owen is a very patient bowler...

He got a strike!

This is for Umpa Tom - O stands just like him!

Garret loves to bowl, but hates to lose.

The leg should help get that last pin...

Wow! That's a lot of food...

2011-02-02T12:56:00.000-07:00

11 chicken nuggets! We are used to Garret's large consumption of food, but we thought we were safe with Owen. Not so much when it comes to some yummy, somewhat good for you, nuggets. He was pretty proud of himself.

Washington Fun

2010-08-16T21:33:00.001-06:00

We flew into Portland on August 5th for a week in the Northwest. We stayed at Grammy and Papa's new house and celebrated their retirement and anniversary with a house warming party. We celebrated with lots of family and friends. Eleven kid cousins were together for the first time and they were able to break in the new house fairly quickly.

Brian, John and Brendan

George, Trudy, and John

Brendan, Bill, and Matt

Almost all the cousins at the Falls

Grammy, Papa and the Grands

G, O, E and E

Buddies!

From Vancouver, we drove up to Seattle to enjoy one of our favorite cities and show the boys where we went to school. We stayed with our good friends, the Kochels, and packed some fun into almost every minute! First stop... U Dub. We drove through campus, detoured around the Viaduct, made our way to the stadium, and rented a row boat at the WAC.

Our rowboat from the WAC
A little scary with the big boats

My turn to row... it was not pretty

Future Huskies

After a fun evening at a concert in the park and very late bedtimes, we were ecstatic when the boys slept past 9 the next morning! So with a little bit later start, we headed into Madison Park for some breakfast and time at the playground, then into the city for a tour of Pike Place Market and its surroundings.

Wow - nice smiles!

Gotta love the flying fish!

Owen is making sure not
to touch these things!

The boys loved seeing the
parrot do tricks

We ventured up to Greenlake and enjoyed a favorite meal at Duke's Chowder House with our friend, Lee, walked around the lake a bit, and then headed west to Golden Gardens to explore the Puget Sound on the beach. We enjoyed another evening with the Kochels, including some delicious wine and fun conversation. For the next day, Gasworks, Ballard Locks, a great lunch at Cactus, and a drive back down south to Vancouver, WA.

Meg and Lee - loved seeing my
great friend!

Ballard Locks - where the
boats move from the
salty Sound to the fresh
water of Salmon Bay

The boys loved watching
the boats being raised and
lowered

We finished our adventure in the Northwest with one last day in Vancouver with family. What a trip! Family, friends, food, and fun! With a new list of what we want to do on the next trip to Seattle, I'm thinking we won't wait 7 years next time. See you soon Washington!

Multnomah Falls - Portland, Oregon

2010-08-16T16:18:00.000-06:00

Our first full day in the Northwest and we gathered at the Falls for a fun hike up to the top with all of the cousins. The kids were awesome as we made it around 11 switchbacks. For a hike that is just over a mile and takes most people about 30-40 minutes, I think we got to the top in about 80 minutes. It took ring pops, gum, water, band aids, mole skin, bug spray, sunscreen, and lots of encouragement to keep trudging up the hill, but it was so worth it when we got there!

The Colorado Adams at Multnomah Falls

Our first look at Multnomah Falls

The Falls from the bridge

The view from the top

Happy Birthday, Brendan!

2010-08-16T16:02:00.000-06:00

A Little August Catching Up...
August 1 - We celebrated the big day with a few hours at Broncos Training Camp - our first peek at Denver's 3 quarterbacks. It was crazy hot, but still a great experience. Brendan grilled his famous pork tenderloin for dinner, we opened presents and enjoyed the "cake" the boys created. It was more a crumble that was perfect with strawberries and homemade whipped cream.

Broncos Training Camp

Happy Birthday!

Dessert!

Make a Wish!

Need a Builder For Your Home Project?

2009-12-10T16:02:00.001-07:00

Well folks, you've all been on the edges of your seats watching us complete our home remodel project. After all that has been said and done, I can recommend to you the following: if you are in the Denver area and in need of a contractor for your home improvement project, I WOULD NOT USE AR BUILDERS. My opinion is that they are terrible communicators who show far too little concern for the needs or the safety of their clients and consistently shift the responsibilities of their job to either A.) their client or B.) their subcontractors. In my opinion, they have done far too much to avoid actually managing the work. Additionally, they seem to create opportunities to produce unnecessary time constraints in order to pressure their clients into commitments and decisions. Lastly, to me, they are unacceptably unresponsive. We ended up reporting them to the Better Business Bureau. There's my consumer opinion!

The Floors are Finished!

2009-08-31T08:10:00.001-06:00

We are just about ready for our final inspection! John finished the large task of installing the wood floors for the addition and Brendan installed the wood on the stairs. The banister is up on the stairs. It just needs some stain at some point. The kitchen is complete and all of the appliances are hooked up. They are both working on trim throughout the house - a large task that takes time and patience!

Counters and fences...it's looking good!

2009-08-12T16:00:00.001-06:00

The long awaited granite tops were delivered and installed today. The first two pictures are the bar area in the dining room followed by John and Barbara's kitchen counters and then their bathroom "grotto." Now we just have to get the faucets in and hooked up and we are good to go. After 4 months of a relatively open back yard, Jameson is nice and secure with the new section of fence up. Of course now that he can relax outside in the sun without running away, he would rather nap on the couch. Go figure!

Goodbye Fred...

2009-08-03T14:24:00.001-06:00

We said goodbye to Fred the shed today. It served us well and let us put a ton of things in him. We are very excited to see the backyard again. Got grass anyone?

Bet You Thought We Were Done...

2009-07-12T18:57:00.001-06:00

Well, the answer is no. However, we are really on our way. The tile is done on the main floor as well as all the areas in the bathrooms. John has worked a tremendous amount on his kitchen cabinets and will have them up and ready for appliances by early this week. We also painted and painted and painted. John did most of the ceilings while Barbara and Meg worked on the walls. The great room is just about finished. It is "Svelte Sage" and ready for trim and crown molding. All the furniture is in and Brendan has the speakers throughout the house dialed in with a remote that he can use anywhere (we call it 'Tim Rainwater' style ; )). While we are tired and achy, we are loving the progress and excited for the next week. We expect the plumber and HVAC guys to finish complete their jobs as well as completing a dry wall punch list. We also plan to empty "Fred" our nice trailer that has held everything in our backyard since April. Once Fred is empty we will move dirt and get him hauled away. After that, you all have to come and help us landscape and move in. Sounds like fun, right???

Looking at the pictures, there are two views of the house, one of the shower tile in the boys bathroom upstairs, John and Barbara's bath tile, the main floor bathroom tile, John and Barbara's kitchen cabinets (some of the uppers are not hung yet), and then 3 pictures of the great room as you pan to the left from the fireplace.

More Sea World

2009-06-20T11:27:00.005-06:00

Our meet n greet with Sandy. Shannon made our day so memorable. It made the boys' list of "Best Of" for them!

Meg and the Boys in CA

2009-06-20T10:53:00.006-06:00

The boys and I came to Nana's house last Saturday for an extended visit and to get away from the the major messes on the addition and remodel. We ate at Gladstones on the way home which proceeded to make Owen throw up all night and Garret feel sick. At least they both got really cool foil sea creatures to take their left overs home in. Welcome to vacation!
In the first week we went to a birthday party, spent 3 days in San Diego, visited Sea World and got up close and personal with the dolphins, spent a day at the beach and an afternoon with Kari and John in Long Beach. We are now enjoying a quiet day back at Nana's.

The trim goes on.

2009-06-10T18:59:00.001-06:00

The painters moved right along today - until the massive thunder storm drove them to the new garage. We also passed the HVAC inspection, had more electrical completed, the insulation guys foamed up all the holes, and we tried to pass the electrical inspection. We corrected all of his from yesterday and got his new list of things to fix.

We've got the big doors and color!

2009-06-09T12:26:00.001-06:00

The garage doors came yesterday. We can't use the openers yet. We need to get the outlets connected, but we can park in there and get away from hail and tornadoes!

They are also painting the house, adding the trim detail to the pillars on the front porch (brick will go on the bottom), and putting in smoke detectors throughout the existing house. We had the electrical and plumbing inspections yesterday. We didn't fare as well as Garret did in Kindergarten, but the changes aren't too big of a deal and should be taken care of in the next few days.

We are Plugged In... Almost

2009-06-04T17:22:00.001-06:00

The electricians and plumbers have worked hard this week and we almost have power to the new spaces. They just need to finish tying in the new board to the old one and then we will have our electrical inspection on Monday. That means Brendan needs to pull or replace the speaker wire this weekend that he and John put in because it is not the right kind for the inspection. The garage doors should go in tomorrow and the painting crew starts early next week. Speaking of paint - (that's all we've been speaking about), we have a new color - High Tea from Sherwin Williams. It is a little green and a little brown. It really makes the Peppercorn look blue green which we didn't like. We are excited by it and look forward to seeing it on the house.

The Siding is finished!

2009-05-31T18:59:00.001-06:00

Here is the front of the house with the siding finished. Does this help visualize one of the colors more than the other?

Paint - We are working on options!

2009-05-31T18:01:00.001-06:00

OK - so the greenish color is Peppercorn and the lighter brown is Thatch. We had Peppercorn yesterday along with a grey blue that got nixed. We drove around town today looking at a bunch of houses and found an almost exact match for the green with a tan/khaki trim. It looked really good. Not too dark, but enough color for us. The lighter brown is new but we think we like it as well. It would have a sort of similar trim. We also like this darker brown for the bit of shingle detail we have around the house. I am not a good paint picker - my brain can't see the entire house from a few feet of paint. I'm nervous! Regardless you have to at least promise to love it (even if you don't) once it is done! HA!

We've got a driveway!

2009-05-31T17:53:00.001-06:00

We got our new driveway on Friday and the siding was completed on Saturday. Big progress We also had DirecTV come out and relocate the dish and wire for the addition and new great room. Surprisingly enough, getting them here and to do their job might turn out to be the hardest part of the project. I was relentless on the phone Saturday morning and eventually two very nice guys came and spent the better part of the day with Brendan. We are excited for the progress!

Friday Frenzy

2009-05-23T09:30:00.001-06:00

We had quite a bit of action up on the house Friday. The roofing crew replaced our old shingles and shingled the new space all in one day. The siding crew was here at the same time so they danced around each other and managed to get quite a bit completed. The framing is finished, so now the electrician and plumber go to town as well as the HVAC guys, exterior painters, and brick layers. The siding crew is working today and then everyone is off until Tuesday. It's going to seem quiet around here.

One More Thing...

2009-05-21T19:41:00.001-06:00

Brendan didn't have enough on his plate this week, so I suggested just a small project. HA! The boys' tub has been leaking for months. We knew this and pretty much have them take a shower or now bath in our room. We ordered a new shawer pan for their bathroom with our entire plumbing order and it came in yesterday. So, I thought he and John could just remove the tub and get ready for the shower, or better yet, get it ready for removal and let some of the crew get the cast iron tub out. The "small" project" began after dinner last night. Brendan hacked away at the existing tile and managed to get the tub loose. But instead of leaving it for the crew today, he and John got it outside and into the dumpster. Way to go! Yes, that hole goes right outside... we like to feel nature!

Out half bathroom went away yesterday as well. Good riddance!

The new roofing materials took a ride up this afternoon...

The windows are going in as they get to that area with the siding. John and Barbara have a really large unique window in their great room that mimics the shape of their ceiling.

Making Progress

2009-05-20T11:03:00.001-06:00

The progress continues. The siding is wrapping its way around the house, the interior framing is going up, the opening from the existing to the new was revealed. Today the windows get here and go in as well as some HVAC things. Garret is excited that he will have cool air in his room once again. Tom is tearing out the main floor bathroom as we speak while Jameson cowers under my feet and Owen nibbles on some apples dipped in peanut butter. He doesn't find it necessary to watch these exciting things anymore.

Pictures: 1. front of the house 2. new garage is framed 3. opening from existing to new 4. pantry is getting framed 5. upstairs closet

WOW!

2009-05-17T18:51:00.001-06:00

It's framed, we have stairs and the siding is started. Take a look... Maybe we need to go away for a few days more often.

From the picture of the stairs going into the house from the garage, you see the mud room into the craft room - it will be two separate rooms soon, then the boys in John and Barbara's great room window and finally their kitchen and great room.

Thursday Monrning - Moving right along...

2009-05-15T11:39:00.001-06:00

As we loaded the car to drive down to Albuquerque, Tom was checking with Brendan on some siding decisions that to me seemed far off. Apperently they are happening today and tomorrow. He thinks the stairs to the upstairs addition with be in on Saturday as well as enclosing the second story and starting on the siding on the front of the house. We are excited to see the changes. Here are some pictures from Thursday morning. My Dad has been the trusty photographer as well as the electrician, clean up crew, and gerenral manager for us. We will miss him tremendously but he promises to get back up soon. John will take over next week. We will have to let him know that Tom likes chocolate - lots of it, and that the framing crew enjoys some Coronnas on Friday afternoon.

Late Nights - Lots of Progress

2009-05-14T07:45:00.001-06:00

So I went down to the basement for a few hours yesterday afternoon and when I came up we had a second story! It is quickly coming together and we are excited to see all the progress. Today should bring some more warm weather, but it is really windy. I think I will pretend not to see all the dust - at least for today...

Tuesday - what will get done today?

2009-05-13T20:41:00.001-06:00

So, we thought we found the perfect brick only to be told that it cost twice as much and won't be available when we need it. Plan B - call in the professionals. Brendan's friend and former coworker, Elizabeth, who just happens to be a designer made an appearance today and gave us some great advice on brick selection. She is also working on some exterior paint choices and promises to make us happy. Thank you, Elizabeth.

As for the framing and siding, WOW! They really cranked it out today. Our second story is enclosed on one side, the siding is off on part of the existing house and they started putting up the plastic housewrap on the front. It is going to be surreal to not see the progress for a few days. We will return to game of "what's different in this picture?"

Monday evening framing

2009-05-12T20:34:00.001-06:00

The framers continue to amaze us at their hard work and the amount they accomplish each day!

More Big Beams Today - And A Crane

2009-05-12T12:42:00.001-06:00

Capitol Crane made an appreance today and placed several beams in the new garage space. The crane operator was dead on in his placement.

More crane work. They were able to move the mess of lumber from yesterday, so Tom is happy.

Monday May 11th

2009-05-11T19:34:00.001-06:00

Our big window from the dining room went away today. It actually went all the way around the corner to a wall in the old garage space. We also had a huge load of lumber delivered...sort of. The tilt of the flat bed onto an angle in the yard didn't pan out so well. We ended up with a hugepile of mess. Needless to say, Tom the foreman was not pleased!

After last Friday's delivery of moldy wood, we thought we better let the resident expert check this load. He approved.

The new garage saw some huge progress. Garret and Owen know where the doors will go now and can't wait to see more!

We've Got a Garage Slab!

2009-05-08T19:39:00.001-06:00

We left to run some errands and when we returned we had a slab poured. Brendan made it official with our initials. We also put Jameson's initials along with a paw print. J seems to be happy with the progress.

They were able to get a few posts up for the first floor framing on the addition by the end of today. They also tore the ceiling out of the old dining room and living room. Tom thinks that by Tuesday it will be framed, the roof cut away and the floor laid so that we won't see the sky from the old dining room. All in all, it was a good week with an exciting amount of progress. Now if we could just find some matching brick and the perfect exterior paint color...

Beam Us Up!

2009-05-07T19:34:00.001-06:00

The large beam that goes between the old garage and the family room went up without too much trouble. This was a big question mark early in the design but Tom, our foreman made it look easy, thanks to his knowledge and great crew.

Wednesday is Full of Action

2009-05-06T09:47:00.001-06:00

Today we are tearing out the wall between the old garage and the family room, back filling into the new garage space and old driveway, compacting all the backfill dirt, and building temporary walls in the family room and old living and dining area ... Our huge dirt mountains are quickly becoming small hills. We even talked the driver into taking a "bucket" full of dirt up to our friend's house to fill in an old sink hole. Jameson can't figure out where to go so he's hiding under the computer desk nervously tooting (I know too much info) and Owen staked his spot in the basement and is watching Dora the Explorer to work on his spanish.

Tuesday = Go Time!

2009-05-05T09:39:00.001-06:00

Goodbye Garage - Hello Subfloor for the greatroom!

Installing the insulation for the new space.

Who said Saturday was for resting?

2009-04-25T08:56:00.001-06:00

Saturday, 6:53 AM - The crew was here, bundled up and ready to work. It's cold and damp today but they are cranking it out and making a bunch of noise. The neighbors gotta love us!

Full Speed Ahead

2009-04-23T15:27:00.001-06:00

We are back in business. They are forming like mad to make up for lost time and have the foundation wall pour scheduled for Monday. We'll provide some pictures then...

Ug. Mama Said There Would Be Days Like This...

2009-04-22T07:40:00.001-06:00

The first snag. It had to happen sometime. Its too bad that we ran into it before we even got the foundations complete!

The drilled pier layout was a few inches off. It seems the layout guy miscalculated a wall thickness, which resulted in the misplacement of a line of drilled piers. The good news is that they are only 4 inches off, the bad news is that we've been staring at an empty hole for two days now as the engineer develops a proper fix. Its mid 70's all this week - great weather for making progress. Unfortunately progress will also have to wait for the engineer. Next week is calling for rain so its got to happen quickly!

April showers bring.... MUD!

2009-04-18T15:09:00.001-06:00

We think the snow might be done, but now it's raining. We got about 12 inches of snow over the last day and a half. It will make for an interesting Monday for the workers.

It's quiet and snowing...

2009-04-17T10:38:00.001-06:00

Since it rained all afternoon and early evening yesterdayand then started so snow, there is nothing going on at our house today. Hopefully the workers are resting up for a busy week next week!

Today's Excitement (so far)

2009-04-15T10:02:00.001-06:00

I am quickly learning that there is always something with a construction project. Yesterday we had a gas leak underground which prompted a quick call to the Excel Big Wigs. It was a relatively easy fix and it solved the question of the mysterious gas smell that we've had for a while. When we went downstairs to re-light the pilot light on the water heater we found water in the pan. I thought that was OK, maybe just the overflow??? Good thing I'm not in charge, because apparently it isn't. Our "Cadillac" of water heaters has a flat tire! It's only three years old, so it's under warranty and Total Plumbing is out here for the day replacing it.
We are also drilling for the piers (foundation) today, so once again we have a big drill rig machine in our backyard and lots of noise. When they connected their hose to our house for some special concrete saw, they chose to use the hose bib that is broken (oops we forgot to mention that to our superintendent, Paul) and water quickly started pouring into the basement pantry room through the wall. It was a race to round up enough towels and I broke my cardinal rule of only using 'garage' towels for spills. We didn't have enough so I started using the guest towels - sorry guests!
More pictures to come...

We are Ready to Rumble!!!

2009-04-14T14:11:00.001-06:00

We had our "Official" groundbreaking on Sunday, April 12th where Brendan and I shoveled the ceremonial dirt at the job site. How quickly things changed. On Monday, the excavation began, our east trees came down, the driveway and garage slab disappeared and a dirt hole appeared on the side of our house.

The dirt pile keeps growing and Owen claims he is King of the Hill!

We had our 4 west side Cottonwoods removed last week before there wasn't any room to get them down. Brendan spent the entire day working with our tree guys as they chainsawed, mulched, and craned the large trunks into the truck! Goodbye Cottonwoods and Tirehorse Swing!

A Decade of "The Adams PI"

2008-12-23T21:17:00.001-07:00

2007

A Decade of "The Adams PI"

2008-12-23T21:14:00.001-07:00

2006

A Decade of "The Adams PI"

2008-12-23T21:12:00.001-07:00

2005

A Decade of "The Adams PI"

2008-12-23T21:07:00.001-07:00

2004

A Decade of "The Adams PI"

2008-12-23T21:05:00.001-07:00

2003

A Decade of "The Adams PI"

2008-12-23T21:03:00.001-07:00

2002

A Decade of "The Adams PI"

2008-12-23T21:00:00.001-07:00

2001

A Decade of "The Adams PI"

2008-12-23T20:54:00.001-07:00

2000

A Decade of "The Adams PI"

2008-12-23T20:50:00.001-07:00

1999

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-27T11:51:00.004-06:00

We recently travelled to our local pumpkin patch to pick up a handful of the orange monstrosities for Halloween. J got to romp and unbelievably did not pee on a single pumpkin.

Kris' Birthday at Yosemite

2008-10-20T08:46:00.007-06:00

For Nana's 60th birthday celebration, we all traveled to Yosemite. The valley is incredible! Half Dome and El Capitan are truly amazing to see in person. Even more amazing are the people who climb them. Kari, John, and I took the easy way up instead and hiked Half Dome. It was a 9 hour, 18 mile hike that took us to the very edge of the sheer cliff face of Half Dome (more pictures of that later). Meanwhile, the rest of the gang did a tour from the valley floor where they observed El Capitan climbers, saw bears, and learned about the history of the valley. The evening of Nana's birthday dinner, we managed to see Half Dome at sunset. Quite the sight.

Between adventures, we enjoyed "walks" (Garret is still protesting hiking) in the meadow. We skipped rocks in the river, played UNO in the sand, balanced on fences and trees, generally enjoyed the wildlife.

Of course, there were many opportunities for group photos. Here are some of them.

Owen's Birthday

2008-10-03T08:41:00.002-06:00

Owen celebrated his 3rd birthday with Grammy and Papa in town. At Owen's last minute request, Garret painted him a shark. It was a simple b-day with friends at the house - Owen likes things that way.

Autumn Aspen Adventure

2008-09-29T08:01:00.007-06:00

Friday night, we skipped town and headed up the pass to Copper Mountain to say farewell to the summer and greet the inevitable winter. Experiencing the transition between the two in the Colorado Rockies can be spectacular. We've done some good hikes this summer, so Garret decided that this would be a "no hiking" weekend. Well, when one heads to the mountains to view Autumn splendor, "no hiking" can be quite a challenge. Nonetheless, we made it happen. We awoke Saturday to a crisp 40 degree morning and headed up to Leadville to visit the National Fish Hatchery. The boys loved it - although Garret wanted to grab his pole and catch them. As you might imagine, we had to explain several times that catching fish for sport is somewhat counterproductive to the mission of the Hatchery. I'm pretty sure Garret didn't care.

We then headed toward the divide via Independence Pass. The road takes you through Twin Lakes, two fantastic bodies of water that rest in the shadow of Mt. Elbert, Colorado's highest peak. We enjoyed tossing rocks and sticks into the lake and letting Jameson romp.

Our adventure continued as we made our way upstream to the pass, stopping several times along the way to take in the scenery, snap some pictures, and get dirty.

At the top, we looked back at the Atlantic watershed and forward to the Pacific. The view of Mt. Elbert was magnificent. Owen stopped to strike a pose before sauntering down "Umpa Tom" style (hands folded behind his back) to grab some lunch with the fam.

Eventually, we braked and swerved down into the town of Aspen, checking out rock climbers and getting passed by road bikers along the way. We enjoyed the rest of the day in Aspen, exploring the town, playgrounds, and dinner. After dinner, we made our way up to see the Maroon Bells - two fantastic peaks that rise above a small mountain lake just southwest of Aspen.

Jameson liked it so much he proclaimed the Bells "his" with a little squirt.

Even though the entire weekend was filled with childish objection, we all agreed that we'd do it again. Somewhere in the back of thier little minds Garret and Owen know that they went on a pretty cool trip (even though they say they would rather watch a movie). So bring on the snow, we've said our goodbye to Summer 2008.

The First Day of School!

2008-08-27T12:11:00.004-06:00

Garret and Owen had their first day of school this week. Owen loves his preschool teacher and Garret is really excited about Kindergarten. So is Megan! It should be pretty interesting to see how this changes the dynamics at home with Garret gone everyday. We'll keep you posted.

Late August Camping Trip

2008-08-27T11:49:00.005-06:00

Last weekend, we took another camping trip - this time to the Arapahoe National Forest at Lake Granby. We set up camp, explored, fished, hiked, swam, and saw the sights of the area including Adams Falls, Crater Lake, Grand Lake, and Monarch Lake. It is certainly another magnificent part of the state. There was much bark beetle devastation and we learned that as a result the majority of the forest in this area is scheduled to be destroyed to avoid massive wildfires. So a return visit next year is unlikely.

I took a 15 mile solo trail run from Monarch Lake (the pic w/ G & O) to Crater Lake (the last two pics) and returned just before a big thunderstorm rocked the campground. Luckily, we had a planned visit to the town of Grand Lake and spent the storm at a BBQ restaurant instead of in our tent.

Summer Sports

2008-08-03T10:47:00.001-06:00

Megan cranked it out this year and competed in her first sprint triathlon, The Tri for the Cure, at Cherry Creek State Park in August. She had a great time and is looking forward to her improving her times in another one...

The same weekend, I competed in my 2nd 195 mile Wild West Relay running race from Fort Collins to Steamboat Springs. This time we decided to change to an Ultra Team of 6, rather then the 12 person team we had last year. This meant that my mileage changed to 34.3 miles and my net elevation gain increased to 4,786 feet. It was a much more difficult race this way, but we all agreed that the added challenge and smaller group made it a lot more fun...

As the summer winds down, we have another camping trip planned and are looking forward to cooler days, football games, and moving down the road to our home remodel project.

California Vacation

2008-07-25T08:17:00.000-06:00

Later in July, we took a week and visited Nana in Thousand Oaks. I spent my time doing some running in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains, enjoying some time with family and friends at the beach and by the pool, and changing out all of the receptacles and switches in Nana's house.

Later, we took a short trip to LegoLand for some classic Southern California theme park fun...

Lastly, on the way back to Thousand Oaks, we stopped in Long Beach to visit cousin Kari and her beau, John. They both work at the Long Beach Aquarium and gave us all wonderful "backstage passes" by allowing the kids to feed various sea creatures and meet some of the birds up close. We were also able to see all of the innerworkings of the aquarium that usually only employees are exposed to. Thanks Kari and John!

4th of July Fun

2008-07-11T07:39:00.002-06:00

This year, like last year, we celebrated the 4th with Mom and Dad. They came to visit for the week and we spent time working on the house and playing in the neighborhood. For the 4th, we get tickets to the Rockies baseball game. The game was amazing. The first pitch was a home run and it didn't stop after that. The home run count was in the teens - including a Rockies Grand Slam. The Rockies came from 9 runs back to win in the bottom of the 11th inning with a score of 18 to 17... 35 total runs!

We also had a chance to get away for a day and explore Mt Evans. Mt Evans is the most accessible 14k+ peak from Denver. It also is the only 14k+ peak that has a paved road to the top (almost). So we drove to the top and hiked the short trail to the summit. We ran into some wild mountain goats along the way and were able to mingle amongst them - pretty awesome.

Quick Winter Update

2008-03-27T15:37:00.005-06:00

I thought I'd give a short update on the winter, now that it is gone. We had quite a bit fewer trips to ski this winter, although we did manage to get up a handfull of times. We also had a couple of great days snowshoeing in the backcountry behind Copper Mountain. Here are some photos of a trip Garret and I took on a beautiful day following a 8" evening snow dump.

More Merry Christmas Pictures!

2007-12-28T14:55:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas 2007

2007-12-28T14:46:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas! It's quiet time at the Adams' house after an exciting and busy morning full of presents and fun. We had a wonderful Christmas morning with Nana, Aunt Sig, and Grampa Tom. Garret and Owen were so pleased that Santa remembered to stop at our house. Garret was into playing with all of his new toys, and Owen wanted to try on each new outfit and pair of pajamas. We've had lots of smiles and good times and we wish you the same!

Christmas Newsletter 2007

2007-12-14T11:12:00.000-07:00

8 years running. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving in Colorado

2007-11-26T12:44:00.000-07:00

Grammy and Papa arrived in Colorado on the Sunday afternoon before Thanksgiving. We had a weeks worth of activities planned. All of us were so excited to have them here for a visit. John and Brendan were going to lay tile in our remodeled master bathroom and Grammy and the boys were going to play, play, play.

Me - my goal was to not move. I came down with a nasty stomach bug on Wednesday and didn't really want anything to do with food until Sunday. I was so disappointed - we had planned a delicious Thanksgiving meal and I wanted desperately to enjoy it.

It started snowing on Tuesday night and we ended up with several inches much to the delight of Garret and Owen. They talked Grammy into going outside to play early on Wednesday, even though it was around 30 degrees. Owen lasted for about 15 minutes, and Garret and Grammy had to be dragged inside much later, just in time to go jump around at Monkey Bizness - our favorite bouncy place.

Me - I laid on the couch and slept!

Thursday morning came and it was time to get cooking. Barbara, John and Brendan went to work in the kitchen and had everything ready to go in the morning. They took the boys and Jameson on a long walk in Cherry Creek State Park. Jameson got to say hello to his prairie dog friends and the boys threw rocks into the stream.

We were ready to eat at about 5pm. Brendan and John were carving the turkey, we had the table set, and when I went to find Garret he was sound asleep on the couch! Happy Thanksgiving!

So these are the only pictures I got over the enitre week. I think Papa got some others. We ended up having a nice meal and a fabulous week. It seems like it went really fast and the kids are already asking when we will see Grammy and Papa again.

Papa and Brendan came down with the same stomach bug, and it slowed them down on Friday and Saturday. But they both managed to keep working on the tile. (pictures of the finshed project to come soon - maybe next weekend?)

We are so thankful for our family and we missed those who were not able to share the holiday with us.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Denver Marathon

2007-10-17T07:59:00.000-06:00

So… it was hard. Not so much the 1st 20 miles, just the last 6. In fact, I cruised the first 20 under 8 minutes each – just as planned. I didn’t go out too fast. I felt great! Like a champ!

Then the wall happened. My last 6 miles were filled with tunnel vision, walking, random cramping, and a general light-headedness. I averaged 10:15 / mile and made it home in 3:43:14. Wow!

Not exactly what I wanted, but I suppose I am happy with it – especially given the relentless 40 degree rain that didn’t stop the entire day. My hands and wrists have officially thawed and I can say I’m better for having accomplished the race that has eluded me for so many years. Thanks to all for your encouragement and tips along the way!

Owen's 2nd Birthday Party

2007-10-01T07:57:00.002-06:00

We celebrated Owen's 2nd Birthday on Sunday with a Construction themed party. Brendan organized a creative obstacle course that was done on the John Deere Gators. Owen loved his "Dirt Dessert" and opening presents. He took his time unwrapping, showing all of his new things to everyone. It was a fun afternoon with the Churchich's and the Taggart's. With the Rockies and Broncos on TV, everyone made quick departures by 2:00, and Owen was fast asleep by 2:15!

The Wild West Relay

2007-08-07T15:30:00.000-06:00

So if you recall from my April 2nd post, I was going to complete a 195 mile relay race from Fort Collins to Steamboat Springs. Mission accomplished! This past weekend, team "Twelve for the Road" conquered the Wild West Relay in 29 hours 57 minutes. Not lightning speed, but not too shabby either. Check out the pictures!

In order from left to right:

1. Running the first leg @ 6:38 min/mile. 2. Loungin' prior to my second leg. 3. 1:00 am after 8.8 miles up 7% grade (1920' gain) on Medicine Bow Pass summit - elevation 9126'. 4. Part of the gang before my final leg. 5. My final ascent. 6. After the 5.5 mile summit up Rabbit Ears pass - elevation 9426'. 7. Continental Divide 8. Several teammates goofing off on the top of Rabbit Ears Pass.

Good Times!

"Twelve for the Road"

My First Fourteener

2007-07-23T13:12:00.000-06:00

So I finally got around to hiking to the summit of one of Colorado's 58 peaks above 14,000 feet. Here I am between a couple of buddies (Juston and Nick) on the peak of Mt. Yale, Colorado's 21st highest peak at 14,196 ft. The highest peak is Mt. Elbert, at 14,433 feet. The climb had an elevation change of 4,200 feet over the course of 4 miles - 1050 vertical feet per mile - that's an average of just under 20% grade! No wonder my legs were tired.

The Mantle Is Complete

2007-05-15T07:31:00.000-06:00

From the dirt in Sig's back yard in Pecos, New Mexico, to superstardom above my fireplace - this hunk of wood has made the journey. It truly is a cinderella story.

What a Weekend!

2007-05-08T07:41:00.000-06:00

So last weekend I was gifted the opportunity (by Megan) to have the kids all to myself for the weekend. Meg ran away from home on Friday afternoon to Winter Park for a girl’s scrap booking extravaganza. Little did she know, she was heading toward a April blizzard and spent the entire time inside while the snow kept falling. Meanwhile, back at the homestead, I employed a "cooperation through exhaustion" philosophy. We hit everything hard. The rest of Friday was spent playing in the yard. Saturday, we woke up to mild drizzle and decided it would be a great day for the zoo. We were right. All of the animals were enjoying the cool weather (aka not lying in the dirt). Lions were roaring while their teenage cubs sprinted across the landscape and tackled one another, peacocks pranced freely around the grounds with full feathers on display, the cats paced in their cages hungry for lunch, and all other animals one finds at the zoo seemed to be out to show off (except the penguins and the polar bears - they were boring - too hot, I suppose). So, after 3 hours of zoo time, we headed to Heidi's Deli for lunch. On the way, Garret spotted the Museum of Nature and Science and thought it would be a good idea to go see the Dinosaurs. So we grabbed our sandwiches, ate at City Park (after I shook Owen awake from the car ride) and headed in to the Museum. We pushed our way through so that we could get out in time for naps, jumped in the car, and headed home. I drove around so that naps would last longer, then we spent the afternoon in the backyard again. Funny, the boys didn't make a peep at bedtime. Neither did I. Sunday was spent at Garret's swim lessons and doing things around the house. While the boys played, I somehow managed to paint a few walls, install outdoor speakers, cut some crown molding for the family room, clean, wash windows, mow the lawn, and have a few beers. Meg came home on Sunday night and we are back to normal. What a weekend!

Happy 4th Birthday Garret Quinn

2007-04-10T15:14:00.000-06:00

We are celebrating Garret's birthday in Albuquerque this year. He had a birthday party with friends at Monkey Bizness before we left Colorado, then we had a little celebration on Easter with the Olson's, Falde's and Adams'. Today we took birthday pictures at Portrait Innovations, played at Umpa's house, and then we are off to Itz - an amped up Chucky Cheese. I'd say G's had a pretty good chance to celebrate his big day!

1 Year Anniversary

2007-04-02T07:51:00.000-06:00

This weekend marked the one year anniversary of our move to Colorado. What a year it has been! There were houses bought and sold. We took many small adventures to Beaver Creek, Steamboat Springs, Copper Mountain, Keystone, and Breckenridge. We attended family and friend weddings (and a funeral - we love you Pops) & associated trips to Seattle, Sacramento, Baltimore/DC. There was white water rafting, skiing, alpine slides, fishing, hiking, snowshoeing, sledding, pro baseball, hockey, basketball, soccer, and football games... 4 more birthdays... We taught Garret to ride a bike, play soccer, and ski. We taught Owen how to walk. We were blessed with many visits from both family and friends (hope the arm is healing well, Tim) and have thousands of pictures to prove it. We are beginning the first of many home improvements. I ran the Denver 1/2 Marathon. I helped manage the construction of a 29 story condominium tower (we topped out the structure on Saturday - see picture below) and took multiple work trips to Oklahoma City, Minneapolis, and Phoenix. And there were a million other great things that happened throughout the year. Next year will prove to be even better - with more skiing, more home improvements, more athleticism (full marathon, 195 mile relay race, and hopefully a gym membership), and more wonderful adventures and experiences with the boys. As always, everyone is welcome to join us. Let us know!

Grammy and Papa visit us!!!!

2007-03-05T18:53:00.000-07:00

We had some special visitors last weekend. Grammy and Papa blew through here for a 38 hour visit. Of course we managed to maximize every minute. Here are a few highlights.

Garret and Papa testing the cake batter

Grammy and Owen testing the frosting to make sure that it is yummy!

The boys blowing out the candles.

Our Trip to T.O.

2007-03-05T18:46:00.000-07:00

Garret, Owen and I made our annual trip to California to visit Nana Kris over President's weekend. We went to the Santa Barbara Zoo, saw lots of friends and cousins, and played and played and played.

Phoenix Phun

2007-03-05T18:27:00.000-07:00

Meg, Garret, and Owen went to Pheonix over the Martin Luther King long weekend in January. We visited Grandpa Randy, Great Grandma Mary, and Bugs. We also saw Shannon, Steph, Sanjog, Konnor and Hunter. We loved seeing the sun and we enjoyed the warm weather. It was a fun filled weekend.

Happy Birthday Mom!!!

2007-02-12T17:04:00.000-07:00

May your motherliness be next to Godliness...