Where Are We??

Well, Bob and I headed to Colorado for Christmas this year. We packed our Nissan Xterra and started the 870 mile trek. Because of the weather we headed up the backside of the Rocky Mountains. The "back way" is a bit more confusing and challenging with numerous turns and roads that you can miss. Well, Bob and I were having such a good time that we took a wrong turn and ended up driving 20 miles in the wrong direction. I don't know why it took us so long to figure it out, but we started to notice that our 4 lane highway skinnied down to a two lane highway and all of a sudden we were in this little mountain town called Velarde. Definitely not in Kansas anymore! So once Bob and I giggled about our lack of navigating we got turned around and headed in the right direction. We had to go through a small little podunk town in order to get to the right highway and we couldn't help but take pictures.





As you can see, Rocky didn't mind too much. He got more room than we did and spent all of the time hovered over the console. He just slept and slept. He is such a good traveller! He just loves being with Bob and I even if it means 16 hours in the car.


We made it to Colorado after driving in the snow for 6 hours. That was a treat. Our little Xterra did really well without snow tires or 4 wheel drive, but it is definitely an Arizona highway mobile!! The day after we arrived it snowed all day! Talk about a white Christmas. Bob and I braved the cold and the snow to go running up at altitude.






Bob is working towards a marathon and what better training than 12 degrees, 8000 foot elevation and uphill running. Yeah, everyone thought we were a little crazy, but we made it 3 miles together. Talk about training. Rocky and Oreo came with us and they had a blast. They both jumped through the 2 feet of snow on the side of the road and ran circles around us. Such a good time. We decided to stay in all day and eat Christmas goodies and play games. Thank you Traci for teaching us Five Crowns. That was a hit!! We played and ate and played and ate. AHHHHHH CHRISTMAS!!!

On Christmas Eve, Mom and I went out for a long Snow Shoe in the fresh snow. What a blast. We trekked through boatloads of snow behind our house and had Oreo, Skittles and Rocky with us. Rocky looked like the abominable snowman and had a blast leaping through the snow.








Mom always carries treats with her and Rocky learned really quickly that she was the best one to hang around. Such fun and what a workout!!! I was even able to find a perfect tree to put the camera on a timer so that I could get mom and I together. Love you Mom!

Once we got home my cousins Derek and Chase and their wives Stacie and Beth all came up.



Once everyone got up to Mom and Dad's we all headed over to a party in the neighborhood. We went over to this beautiful log cabin that overlooked the City of Denver. Absolutely breathtaking. O to live in the Mountains. Mom and I took our guitars and played Christmas carols for everyone. I haven't played guitar in a while and my fingers were so sore. So to soothe the pain I drank more wine! It was wonderful! We had such a great time and the food at the party was awesome! Bob and I were giggling because the owners had an outside bonfire going and Bob and I could not imagine sitting outside for any period of time even if there was a fire available.
It was so cold!!!!!





After the party we all headed home and watched" White Christmas"! Such a perfect Christmas Eve movie. All of my cousins stayed up with us so that we could have Christmas together. More about that later.

We've crossed over!

Yes we have officially become a MAC family. This year I told Bob that I wanted to get a family computer that we could keep all of our photos on. See, Bob has a work laptop right now and of course we have our big PC. Since Bob is home a lot he is usually the one who downloads all of our photos. Well, he puts some of them on his laptop and some of them on the PC. Needless to say when I need pictures they are usually never in the same place. Like this year, I went to create our Christmas Card and one picture was on the PC and one was on the laptop. I know, I know, it is not that big of a deal, but when you are in a time crunch it is super frustrating. So Bob and I bought each other a MAC Book this year. We love it! It is different than a PC and has a completely different operating system. As you can see, I am not a MAC yet!


Traci's friends, Tara and Josh, were visiting all the way from Australia this past week. We spent quite a bit of time with them and did our best to give them a taste of Western Culture. While Josh was here he really wanted to do something western, so Traci, Caleb, Joan, Loren, Parker and I took them to "The Hitching Post" out in Apache Junction. Now, let me set the scene, Apache Junction is like walking back into the old west, plenty of cowboy boots, hats and holsters. There are loads of old buildings and cowboy hideaways. The Hitching Post is like the local cowboy bar. From the moment you walk in you feel a bit like you are walking into an old saloon, minus the big screen! They have a live band, bar and plenty of Yeehaw! Bob and I do not own one piece of Western wear, so we came in our leather jackets and Valley fashion. We were the first ones at the bar and boy did we get a once over as we walked through the place. Once everyone got there we just sat around, got some drinks, ate some food and just had a grand ole time!


Here is a cute picture of me, Traci, Gwen (Traci's other visiting friend) and Tara. Such great women, we had a lot of laughs!


The bar had barrels with old metal seats as chairs. I think Josh was a little nervous to sit on one himself so Bob offered to check it out first. Josh saw a photo opportunity and here it is!


The Cowboy Bar was an awesome experience.




The next morning we all decided to go hiking in the Superstition Mountains. The goal was to do a 3-4 hour hike, you know, get some exercise and see the scenery.





The hike was absolutely beautiful! Sometimes when you live in the desert, you forget how beautiful the mountains and formations can be. We also saw a baby tarantula. Yeah! I couldn't believe it. Who would have known that there were tarantulas in AZ.






The hike turned out to be a trek and a half. There is a 3500 foot elevation change in the 6 mile one way hike. Needless to say, Bob and I didn't finish the trek. After two and a half hours, we headed down the mountain. Rocky came with us and he was such a trooper. He lead all of us up the mountain and practically raced down. Of course, when he got home, he crashed! Tara and Josh got a great taste of AZ culture and plenty of exercise!

Best Friends Forever

Boy, it feels like we just had thanksgiving and already it is December 12th. It seems like the time just flies. I have been overly busy with work these days and sometimes it seems as though I spend all of my time at my desk or thinking of it. I am still working on finding the balance and figuring out how to let work stuff go. It is a learning process to say the least. Maddie and Bryce miss me tremendously as you can see.



Whenever I get home in the evenings, both of them meow and rub up against me until I sit down and hold them. Bryce has taken to cuddling with Bob during the days and hiding in his drawers. Sometimes he is more of a nuisance because he will walk all over the keyboard and sit and purr right in your workspace. I guess we would rather have a cuddly guy like him then a cranky cat. Our animals are just soooooo cute.

I wanted to share some photos of our friends. I am so blessed by all of these girls. Every day I am amazed at how blessed I am to have such awesome sisters. When Annas mother in law took these pictures I thought of how much all of us will treasure them throughout the years. Traci is one of the strongest women that I have ever met. More than being strong she is the epitome of grace and peace. She helps me stay sane when life feels crazy and provides balance in a life of ups and downs. Tara is my life friend. She provides perspective on everything from marriage to cocktails. She is my Vegas buddy and my Piano Bar partner. Her passion for her family and her zest for life is something I cannot imagine not having. Anna is my spiritual friend and tender soul sister. Her passion for the Lord encourages me when life seems overwhelming. She is my fasting, prayer and accountability partner and an unbelievable listener to boot. All of these women are the Lord's gift to me and they remind me constantly of what an awesome God we serve.





Here are all of the guys too. Maybe Bob will write something about all of his guy friends sometime, but I won't put words in his mouth. Mason is the little guy and he just loves Bob. He calls him Bob the Giant and always tells his mom and dad that he wants to be as big as Bob is someday. All of us refer to Bob as BTG to shorten what Mason calls him. It is so cute to see that little boy just light up when Bob comes in the room. I pray someday we can have a little one too.

I almost beat the Turkey...

Well I finished my Turkey Trot with time to spare. My goal this year was to run the 6 miles in under 60 minutes. As I crossed the 6 mile marker the time was 58.39! I didn't beat the Turkey, but I sure tried!


This year Bob and Rocky came with me to the race and were my biggest fans. Once I got all checked in, I had to wait an hour for the race to start so the three of us found a warm spot in the park and just relaxed. You can see Rocky enjoyed it immensley!


I was surprised how difficult the 6 miles was this year. All of my training runs had been in the mornings when it was 50-55 degrees or so. Let me tell you, I can run forever when it is cold out. Well, the race started at 9am and it was 70-80 degrees when I crossed the starting line. A bit warmer than I had planned for. On top of the heat, the race ran uphill for about 4 miles of the 6. I was not expecting that. Talk about demoralizing! Just when you think you are in shape, the hills put you right back in your place. What even makes it worse is when the 75 year old grandma comes running by you looking like it is no big deal. Anyways, I finished strong and trotted my way across the finish line!


After the race we headed over to the Gjersvigs for Turkey time! This year our Pastor at Central Christian challenged all of the congregation to do something a little different for the 3 days leading up to Thanksgiving. We are in a series called "Subconscience," I know it isn't a word. The point of the series is that we have an inner "sub" conscience that understands right and wrong, justice and injustice. He has really brought to light that we as Christians should be aware of the poverty, hunger, death and devastation that exists in and around the world. He has been challenging us to get involved. Anyways, the Sunday before Thanksgiving he asked if we would be willing to live on rice, beans and water until Thanksgiving. So much of the world lives on that everyday. So Bob and I took up the challenge. We didn't make it the full three days, but we both experienced what it would be like and were really amazed. It was much more difficult than we thought. I have never been so thankful for my Thanksgiving Turkey!

And Turkey there was! We had 9 side dishes, a ham, 2 turkeys, 4 pies, tiramisu, and gingerbread. It was amazing! I will tell you, it really made me realize how unbelievably blessed I am. All of Bob and my best friends got together and shared the holiday. It was wonderful! Right before we ate, we all went around and said what we were thankful for. I thought I would share what I am thankful for with you. This year I am thankful for trials. I know it sounds a bit strange, but 2009 has been a challenging year. Infertility and losing our dear friend Armando have been the greatest challenges this year. The sense of loss and uncertainty has been overwhelming.


Through it all, the Lord has brought so much healing, peace, hope and promise. Bob and my relationship has never been stronger, and I have never felt such power in my friendships. Trials show us God's grace and give us an opportunity to be more thankful and love in bigger ways. Thank you Lord for trials because they give me a chance to put my trust in You!

On Saturday we went and picked up our new bedframe which was my birthday present this year. Isn't it cute? You can see that Maddie and Rocky wanted to be a part of the process!