Catch up

Okay...I have been MIA. But with good reason! There has been so much going on these past few weeks, it is close to a blur. Strap on your seatbelts because this could be a long one.

Erica and Nathan arrived on the 30th of April. It was so great to see them! Unfortunately, the weather was ick but we made the best of it. I can't remember the last time Erica and I were just able to hang out and relax on the couch. I couldn't have asked for a better weekend. We headed to Estes Park on Friday with plans of continuing on to Rocky Mountain National Park, but juggling 2 little boys and their schedules is no easy feat. We were impressed when we just made it out of the house before Noon, let alone to a destination! Ian needed a nap and the skies were gray (I kept promising her that we really do have mountains because you wouldn't have known by the thick skies), so we headed back home. Ian and Nathan interacted a bit, but mostly it was Ian poking Nathan while Nathan tried to play with his toys. Ian also had a cold so I was worried he would share. Word on the street is Nathan never caught, thank goodness.

The weather let up a little bit by Saturday and we were able to head into Boulder. We took Erica and Nathan for a stroll on Pearl St. We attempted a visit to Boulder Falls, but it was closed. It would not have been easy to navigate with small children either. It was closed due to falling rock. I am sure you could take your chance, but we decided to pass. Plus, it was too chilly. Where is the sunshine? Finally it came out on Sunday. Isn't that always the case when you are traveling - the nicest day is the day you leave. I headed to a baby shower for my friend, Erin, on Sunday while Casey drove our friends to the airport. Thank you for coming to visit us!


Little did I know that my quality girls' weekend was exactly what I needed! I received some bad news at work on Monday. It was a "thanks, but no thanks" sorta day. I learned that my position is being eliminated. Well, not really eliminated just given to someone else. It was quite a shock. You never really know how you will react in certain situations, until they hit you like a brick wall and then you just have to figure it out from there. I am trying to remain optimistic, but it is difficult. They did ask me to stay 30 days in order to transfer my knowledge and I agreed. A decision born out of necessity. My last day is June 10th and from there who knows what the future holds for me. I do know that Ian and I are flying to Baltimore the next day for my rescheduled girls' weekend that I had to cancel in March. Lucky me! I get to chill with one of my best girls the day before getting the bad news and chill with my other 2 best girls the day after. At least time is on my side.


On the 6th, Casey and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary! The day itself came and went. We were both still grappling with the recent blow. But we needed to get out and celebrate, so we made dinner plans for Friday. Maggie and John offered to stay at home with Ian and we hit a local restaurant, terroir. It was good. We stopped by the local bowling lanes on the way home for some pool and Budweiser. Great way to end the night:) We took Ian to the Aquarium on Mother's Day. I was a little disappointed, but I guess when the Shedd Aquarium is your comparison anything could be a disappointment.




We headed to Houston on the 16th to visit my Dad and Gina. We had a great trip! Ian struck his left eye on the corner of the dining room chair right before we were walking out the door. Yikes! It was a stressful couple of minutes, but then he was back to normal. His first shiner:) I was worried that was a predictor of the day, but it was not. It was smooth sailing all the way. The weather was nice, but cooler than we expected. We headed to Galveston on Sunday. Gina packed a great lunch and we hung out on the Gulf of Mexico. Ian loved it! He could not get enough of it. It was great to watch his excitement toward all the new things. It cooled off quickly with no sun beaming down on us. We enjoyed a sack lunch on the back of the truck and then drove through town. This was the first time they had been to Galveston since Hurricane Ike. It was sad to see. All the shops, restaurants, etc. along the sea wall are gone. Some are starting to rebuild, but for most it probably just won't happen. There were a lot of people there though and that was a good sign. It will just take time. Liz & Michelle - this one is for you...

Gina headed to Africa on Monday so she stayed at home while the rest of us took a journey to IKEA. I was in heaven. Ian held up well. I wasn't so sure how he would do because I know how bad I want to touch everything:) We did spend a lot of time in the children's area since he could mostly run free. We got a lot of great furnishings for our home and didn't make too big of a dent in the budget. I could have spent so much more if I knew I had an easy way to get it home. There were a few things we had to leave in Houston that my Dad will just need to bring us at a later date, but most of it we crammed into a second suitcase. $15 shipping not to bad. We took Ian to Tranquility Park in downtown later that evening. I thought he would love it, but he was a bit freaked out by it. Understood. It is pretty massive. I had to try and get a family photo though.

Well, that is our update. This weekend is Memorial Day, but we don't have much in store. We are going to a 1st birthday party for Emily DeBord on Saturday. I think the main goal is to rest and relax! We only have a couple of weeks before our next big adventure, so we must pay attention to the downtime while we have it.

Don't Mess with Texas