Archive for Colorado
Minnesota Christmas
I’m in Minnesota right now at Travis’ parents’ house in Grand Rapids. We got here last night after driving up from Pine City, where we were at my parents’ lake cabin for Christmas with my family.
Christmas was nice and relaxing. We ate and opened presents late on Christmas Eve, then went to church and ate some more on Christmas Day. The church service on Christmas made me cry. It was a small-town Lutheran church and the pastor (a female) gave a confusing, vague and heretical sermon about the inner holiness that we need to see in every human by having our eyes healed by the baby in the manger. I know that there are members of my family who aren’t trusting Christ for salvation and it broke my heart to realize that hearing messages like that might make them think that they’re ok and don’t need Christ. I was actually so frustrated with the sermon that I went up to the pastor afterward and told her my concerns. She looked at me with pity and compassion, agreeing with everything I said and contesting nothing. I walked away even more frustrated. I wanted to tell her that she was leading people to hell with her heresies but I didn’t. I don’t think it would’ve done any good anyway.
We visited our good friends Mark and Sarah last night at Mark’s parents’ house. They live in NC so we don’t get to see them very often. Mark was the best man in our wedding and they got married about a month after we did. They just had a baby girl in August. So weird! It is very hard for me to grasp the fact that Travis and I are old enough to be parents and it could be just a matter of a few years before we actually are. So weird.
But I am think I am ready to have kids for the most part. We are going to wait until Travis is done with grad school (God willing) and we have more of our debt paid off. But I’m thinking we should wait only another 2-3 years at the most. I’ll be 28-29 then. Our relaxed, spontaneous family vacations are limited. Kids will change the dynamic even more than spouses did. But as with them, it will be for the better. Good additions to the family. Plus, I love having “sisters.”
I don’t know what we’ll do with Travis’ family while we’re here. Usually we go to a movie, sledding, snowmobiling, read, ice fish and talk. This year, Drew (our nephew) got Big Buck Hunter for the TV so Travis will of course be playing that a lot. It’s great being on vacation and just chilling with family. It makes Travis and I wonder what life would have been like had we stayed in MN instead of moving to CO. It would have been WAY different. And I think, easier. But we are glad that we moved. We believe that God led us out to CO and that He has us there for a reason. We still talk seriously about moving back in 5-10 years but Colorado is where we’ll stay for now.
Nevertheless, Minnesota will always feel like home.
Our 2nd Wedding Anniversary
Travis and I have been married for 2 years, as of May 19th. So crazy to think it’s already been 2 years! When asked if it feels like it’s been 2 years, I have to answer “Yes and no. It doesn’t feel like 2 years because it has gone so fast. But it does seem like 2 years when I think about everything that has happened since we got married.”
I have to praise the Lord by saying that our marriage is wonderful. I couldn’t always say that honestly… The first year and a half were really hard. I knew that I was still committed to Travis and our marriage but I really couldn’t say that I was joyful. I was frustrated, annoyed, and confused. The things that were hard about our marriage were definitely not the things that I expected to be hard.
But praise God for His faithfulness. I don’t know how non-Christians make marriage work. If I hadn’t had God to rely on, trust in, and live through me, I’m scared to think what would have happened to us. Not I think we would’ve thought about divorce but I definitely think we would’ve been more distant and drifted toward more independent lives (like what happens to a lot of married couples over the years).
The thing that I have appreciated about Travis the most over the past 2 years is his genuine love for me. While like any sinful human being, he can say insensitive, rude things in the heat of the moment and isn’t always as considerate as I think he should be, he is incredibly sweet and thoughtful. Often, I’ll notice he did something and remark about it to him. His response: “I know my Bubs likes it that way.”
I think the biggest thing that has changed to make our marriage better is that we can laugh about our differences and annoying quirks instead of getting angry and resentful (which was what was happening before).
Anyway, since our anniversary was on a Tuesday and the 2 weekends after it we were re-roofing our house, we just celebrated our anniversary this weekend. (We did go out to eat on our anniversary to an upscale Mexican restaurant downtown Denver called Tamayo.)
Friday night, we went to an O.A.R. concert at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. It rained a little when we got there but luckily it held off for the whole concert. There was a lot of lightning in the sky over Denver throughout the night.
The storm clouds
Red Rocks
A crazy cloud
Trav and me
O.A.R. put on a great concert. We weren’t crazy about the opener (Brett Dennen) but O.A.R. was great. They had a really good sound, great stories, and awesome lights.
Yesterday, we drove up to Leadville, CO, to go hiking. We had heard that the little town was pretty cool and it was very quaint and cute.
Some beautiful scenery
A cool bridge built back in the 30s (so I hear)
This house has a fence made out of old skis!
We saw a lot of quirky houses like this in Leadville...a lot of them have different shaped shingles (ala the Victorian Age) painted in bright colors.
We did a 5 mile hike up to Timberline Lake. The hike started at about 10,000 feet and got up to 10,866, where the lake is.
On the trail
About 1.5 miles into our hike, we came to a flooded area where our only choices were to either turn around or walk through the water. I wasn’t a fan of the idea at first but eventually we took off our boots and socks and walked through the water barefoot. Since it’s mountain runoff, the water was absolutely FREEZING! It wasn’t that bad while we were still in it but immediately after we stepped out of the water, our feet and ankles just stung.
The freezing mountain water we had to walk in
After we walked through that water, we had to cross a stream that was ripping pretty good. The bottom was all river rock so while it wasn’t sharp or pokey, it was a little slippery. Luckily, neither of us fell in.
The mountain stream
Travis with his boots, ready to cross the stream
Farther up, we had to cross the stream again but this time, there was a makeshift bridge.
Me crossing the bridge
Most of the climb happened after those two stream crossings. It just seemed to keep going up and up. Finally, we got to the lake.
Timberline Lake
It was very pretty but unfortunately, as is the case with all lakes at that high of an altitude, the wind whips across the lake and makes it absolutely freezing. Makes it hard to sit there and enjoy the views.
Another view of the lake
Do I look cold?
Crossing the stream again on the way back
Beautiful view of the snow-capped mountains
For some reason, I find these weird plants really cool.
Some old mining buildings and equipment
Leadville, CO
We ate dinner at Tennesse Pass Cafe in Leadville (great little restaurant) and then drove back to Denver. When we got back, we went to see Land of the Lost with Will Ferrell. It was very entertaining–not Will Ferrell’s funniest but still pretty cute.
Today we went to church, then looked at puppies (so cute!!) and tools at the mall. We want to get a golden retriever but haven’t been able to find an affordable puppy (cheapest we’ve found is $800).
It was a great anniversary weekend. Looking forward to #3!
V-day Update
Look at me, being so on the ball! I got up this morning at 6:50 AM without an alarm clock!
Anyway, so our day yesterday was sooo fun! We left the house around 6:45 AM (a little later than we wanted to leave) and since we had to stop at Travis’ boss’ house in Evergreen to borrow a pair of snowshoes, we hit the ski traffic going up I-70. Boo.
All least the drive into Evergreen was beautiful.
All in all, it took us an hour longer to get to Glenwood Springs than it should have. But I really enjoyed the drive (despite the wet roads and aggressive drivers that almost made me crap my pants). Travis and I talked about Romans 5-6, about sin, death, justification, and Christ. Travis is such an intelligent, educated man and one of the many things that made me fall in love with him is his ability to have deep conversations about lots of different things. We definitely need to have talks like that more often.
Right before you hit Glenwood Springs on westbound I-70, you pass through Glenwood Canyon, a narrow canyon with steep walls on both sides and a river running through the middle. Due to the lack of space, the westbound lanes were built off the ground and the eastbound lanes were built next to the river.
(picture from Wikipedia)
Travis said it’s an engineering marvel. Whether it’s an engineering one or not, it definitely is a marvel of beauty.
Here are the pictures I took of it:
We made it to Sunlight Mountain Resort around 11:00 and after several trips back and forth from the car to the rental shop and bathroom, we got on the trail. Still with a Minnesota it’s-freezing-outside mindset, we had dressed in layers. We quickly realized that we were going to be way too freakin’ hot because it was about 30 degrees out and we were workin’ up a sweat. Even before we had set out, my legs were sweating underneath my Smartwool longjohns, Smartwool socks, and winter boots.
But to avoid yet another trip back to the car, I just took my jacket, mittens, and hat off and carried them for most of our hike. (And who was to say I wouldn’t want them later on? My body temperature can honestly go from being so hot there’s sweat beading off my forehead to being so cold that my lips are blue 10 minutes later. What gives?)
About halfway through our hike (and I say hike because there were several decent hills…we were breathing heavy for a while!), it started to snow. It was so beautiful. Perfect day.
Looking over at the ski slopes
On the trail--it looped around to the other side of those trees
The happy couple
Why not steal a kiss in the snow?
This is a hole in the snow over a little creek--see how much snow they have!?!?
It really started snowing on our way back.
Just a pretty picture.
- The trail ahead of us. The way back was completely downhill–so glad we went around the loop the way we did!!
We got done snowshoeing around 12:30, ate our lunch of PB & J’s, then went and got ice cream at a shop called KaleidoScoops. We attempted a crossword for about 15 minutes, and then it was time to head to the Yampah Spa for our mineral bath and sauna time.
My Valentine
I’m really excited for tomorrow. Travis usually takes the reins on organizing celebrations like our anniversary and Valentine’s Day (although last year, we didn’t really do anything. Travis did buy me red tulips though!)
Me and my favorite flowers (I love any color tulips)
Travis and his V-day present from me--a giant chocolate chip cookie with red hots for the letters
But this year, I did the planning (though I have told Travis what we’re doing so it’s not a surprise.) Since V-day falls on a Saturday this year, I wanted to make it a day long affair. So we’re doing a daytrip to Glenwood Springs. We’re going to leave here around 6:30 AM (to beat all the people going skiing) and go snowshoeing at Sunlight Mountain Resort. Then we’re going to warm up and wind down at the Yampah Spa with the Hot Springs Vapor Caves. We’re treating ourselves to a 45-minute mineral bath (in a japanese-style soaking tub with real water from the hot springs) and then drying off in the Vapor Caves (it’s an underground natural sauna).
After all of that fun, we’re going to head home for a special dinner. Here is the menu:
- Baby spinach with dried cranberries, chopped walnuts, feta cheese, and raspberry vinegarette
- Linguine with goat cheese, bacon, and butternut squash
- Baked chicken breast
- Raspberry-chocolate angel food cake
- Champagne
I can’t wait to eat it!
After dinner, we are going to probably watch a movie. I’m thinking we’ll be pretty tired after such a full day so our evening will be pretty chill.
I’ll post pictures of the event (if I remember my camera!!)
Happy Valentine’s Day to you!!
Frigorific
So yeah, that’s an actual word. Don’t believe me? Check it out.
It was actually the word of the day today from Merriam-Webster. It means “causing cold; chilling.”
This may just be my new favorite word.
Speaking of cold, where did it go? It’s back up into the 60s here in Denver. Oh but don’t worry because this weekend “we will return to winter” according to the weatherman. Tomorrow will be in the 30s and Sunday will be in the 20s. After being in Minnesota for just a week and surviving major sub-zero temperatures, this seems like child’s play.
Winter in Colorado. Grrr…
Today, when we left for work, the temperature was actually 0 degrees. It has gotten cold here over the weekend. But I LOVE it!! Finally, it feels like winter. And the snow that fell over the weekend is actually sticking to the ground.
Speaking of that darned snow, you’d think that the snowplows would be out scraping the white stuff off the roads and highways since the sun is not really doing its usual job of melting it all before noon. But oh no. They are not. They are still on vacation. We have seen a grand total of TWO snowplows out since Saturday. The roads are like one big skating rink and the city of Denver and its suburbs are doing NOTHING.
Nothing.
That’s why I am typing this at 5:19 PM, sitting at work, waiting for my dear, sweet husband to come pick me up. He was supposed to be 40 minutes ago. He was supposed to be at a doctor’s appointment (for his cat allergy) 10 minutes ago.
Doesn’t look good.
Living in Minnesota for 24 years of my life, I grew accustomed to the wonderful service of snowplowing. Sure, sometimes it was frustrating to have to move your car to a different side of the street so it didn’t get towed. Or to have to shovel the giant pile of snow at the end of your driveway that the snowplow oh-so-conveniently created. Or to get plowed in to your garage if it happened to be on an alleyway.
What I wouldn’t do for those snowplows now. Or at least some salt! They use this environmentally friendly liquid stuff. News flash gooper scoopers: It doesn’t hurt the environment AND it doesn’t hurt the snow! It doesn’t have ANY effect on the snow.
Ok, rant over.
Missing Minne-SNOW-ta
Is it really winter? ‘Cause it’s still 70 degrees in Denver. Well, ok, it isn’t 70 today. But on Tuesday, it was 78 degrees here. That’s right–7-8. We actually broke the record by 3 degrees for the highest temperature that was set in 1995.
Until recently, it hasn’t seemed weird that it’s so warm. It’s like an endless August. But then I started thinking about how Christmas is only about a month away.
A month!?!?!?!
Ah, so it IS winter. Well, at least it is somewhere. Definitely not here.
Today it did cool down into the 30s–which, if you ask me, still isn’t winter. A little nippy? Yes. Winter? No.
Last Friday was a glorious day. It snowed. I got so excited that morning that I actually filmed the snow coming down. I wanted to run and play in the sloppy slush. I wanted the snow to coat everything in white until April, when it would make everything muddy and brown. I wanted to be able to wear a wool sweater and a winter coat and STILL be cold.
In short, I wanted Minnesota.
And I still do. Living in Minnesota, I didn’t think I liked it that much. Every Minnesotan likes to think they’re just a little crazy for braving the elements living in the state they do. 60 degrees below zero? You can’t be a pansy to live in a place like that.
It’s no wonder why people stay at home a lot during winter in Minnesota–it’s downright freezing outside most of the time. My hands got frozen so deeply a few years ago that I actually cried when they started to thaw out. (I may have muttered a few choice words as well…)
As a MN resident, I liked to entertain the idea that I really didn’t like the cold weather. Heads down. Scarves covering mouths. Hat covering ears. Mitten-clad hands stuffed into winter coat pockets. Jeans slicked on over long underwear. Boots and wool socks. Boots over nylons with heels to change in to. This is how you go outside in Minnesota. It’s kind of annoying, to be honest. Like when you go to a restaurant, you have to peel 8 layers off just to sit down.
You want to know what Colorado people wear during the winter? Pretty much that exact same thing as Minnesotans do. Only it’s about 40 degrees warmer.
Most people in Denver only like the snow insomuchas they use it to ski and snowboard. To them, snow is a nuisance otherwise. I was talking to one of my co-workers last Friday when it had snowed and felt myself feeling defensive for snow.
“It’s really not that bad, you know! Once it snows and it’s cleared off the roads and cars, it’s actually quite nice. It makes everything white and pretty and quiet.” There’s a stillness to snow, even when it’s not falling. I loving standing outside in cold weather, listening to the silence…even with the ”crunch, crunch” of boots and shoes over the snow, the silence is riveting.
I thought of the song “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas” today on the way to work. It’s true for me this year. What I wouldn’t give for a great snowstorm. For a white landscape. For a brisk Minnesotan air.
We’re going back to Minnesota for Christmas. I can honestly say I’ve never been more excited for snow in my life.
Weekend recap
It was a lot of fun having my parents out here. Friday night, we gave them “the tour” of our new house–which takes about a grand total of 2 minutes. Then we made dinner (penne with tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, and carrots; salad; and garlic bread) and went to see Burn After Reading (which is a horribly depressing, disturbing movie full of nothing but adultery and cursing…I don’t recommend seeing it). Then we ate some ice cream and watched House, at which point everyone except Travis fell asleep (my parents are the king and queen of falling asleep on the couch).
Saturday morning, I got up at 7:30 and made banana bread (my first time ever). After eating breakfast, we drove up to Fort Collins and then west on Highway 14 through the mountains to Steamboat Springs. It was a LONG drive (we covered over 300 miles that day) but it was SO beautiful–the fall colors were at or near their peak. The aspens have such a vibrant yellow and when they are next to the dark green of the evergreens, they stand out so much that it looks like they’re on fire. I took a lot of pictures–but my camera isn’t the greatest so it definitely does not do the beauty of the trees justice.
me and Trav
My cute parents
The Poudre River
Sun reflecting off the water
Sleeping Elephant Mountain
The contrast between the green and the yellow
So picturesque, it doesn't seem real
These trees were especially vibrant
Looking out over North Park
A Mountain Road lined with trees
We ate lunch at the Moose Creek Cafe in Walden–a cute little mountain town. Then, after bumming around Steamboat looking in all the overpriced shops for about an hour, we got back in the car and drove down past Vail, to Idaho Springs. We ate a late dinner (9 PM!) at Beau Jo’s–a GREAT pizza place. They have mountain pies, which are deep dish pizzas, and you have about 5 different sauces to choose from, 15 different meats, and about 20 different toppings. SO delicious. They’re “Colorado-Style Pizzas” so whenever someone comes out to visit, Travis and I take them there. Idaho Springs is the original Beau Jo’s so it’s huge and it has a lot of character.
Sunday, we went to church at Northern Hills Christian Church, which is about 25 minutes from our house. Greg Stier, the president of the ministry I work for, was preaching there and my parents (my mom especially) wanted to hear him preach and meet him. I prepped them before the service–Greg is a very enthusiastic, ADD speaker who talks really fast and is always walking around. They were really impressed with him though–he is a dynamic, captivating speaker. They also got to meet my boss (who is leaving our ministry after Oct 10th–sad day) and some of the other people I work with.
After church, we ate lunch at our house and then went shopping for patio furniture (what Travis and I decided we wanted as our housewarming present from them). After many unsuccesful attempts (we were about a month too late for patio furniture), we found some great stuff at American Furniture Warehouse, which we bought later that night and then picked up tonight. I’ll post pictures but I have to wait until it’s light outside and we have it all set up.
We also went to Sears Grand and I bought 4 new articles of clothing for $40. I got a REALLY cute skirt for $4! Travis was very gracious because he let me buy the clothes, even though I didn’t have any blow money left (that’s how we keep track of our spending–we each get $100 a month to spend on whatever we want. I have a bad habit of blowing mine in the first few days…whoops.)
Sunday night was the GOSPEL Journey Maui sneak peek at Northern Hills. We had a good turnout and it was really cool to see some of the episodes of this ginormous project we’ve been working on intensely for the past 3-4 months. My parents thought it was really interesting too and they enjoyed seeing more of what I’m involved with at work. Best part about that: the presentation that I created worked!!! (Long story…)
When we got back from the Sneak Peek and from buying our patio furniture, we watched another episode of House (everyone fell asleep even faster during this one) and went to bed. The weekend went so FAST!!
This morning, we saw my parents off. It felt like they had just gotten here. They left at 8:00 this morning and they are probably just getting home right now (it’s a 13 hour drive). I really appreciate their love and willingness to drive so far to see us for just a weekend. My parents are absolutely wonderful people and I feel so blessed by them.
The surreality of my life
As I was driving home tonight from my women’s group (with some friends from church), I was thinking about the fact that Travis and I have now lived in Colorado for a whole year. One year. It’s almost unbelievable. It’s kind of like being married for a year and a half–I can remember all the different events and days that comprised that year and a half but it still doesn’t seem possible that it has actually been a year and a half.
But alas, it has. In a way, I feel proud that we’ve made it through a year of being in Colorado. There are still times that I miss Minnesota, miss being in my home state. There’s something about growing up in a place that makes it just feel good. When we go back for vacations, weddings, and funerals, it just feels to be there, in Minnesota–even when the temperature is sometimes in the single digits. I miss Minnesota summers. The crickets, the warm nights, the lakes, the beaches. The Rocky Mountains are great (and we have definitely enjoyed them!) but Travis and I are both lake-lovers.
The Minnesota season I miss the most, though, is fall. Fall is my favorite season and I think maybe only the east coast has better fall colors than Minnesota. The North Shore–man, it’s gorgeous in the fall. I love those days that are crisp–not Colorado crisp, as in 75, but Minnesota crisp, as in 55–cold enough to wear a wool sweater without being hot but warm enough to not need a jacket. Those are the perfect days to go to a pumpkin farm or apple orchard. Ahhhh…Minnesota.
But Colorado is a great state as well. It has the perfect climate to be outdoors all year round–which is definitely more than I can say for Minnesota!! But the most amazing thing about living out here is that we actually are living out here. It seems surreal to me, really. For a person who has moved around their whole lives, living in a new place with new people is probably just routine. But I lived my entire life, minus one year that I was in New York, in Minnesota and to be in a different place, with different people, and 1,000 miles away from all of my family, seems surreal. And what seems even more surreal is that it has been a whole year that we’ve lived out here. Man, times flies.
I was also pondering tonight in the car how blessed Travis and I are. We don’t deserve all this and yet we pretty much have the life of our dreams–all because of our heavenly Father who loves to give His children gifts. I know not every Christian feels like they have their dream life and I know that I won’t always feel this way–over time, things change, bad things happen, life happens. But right now, I am very grateful to God that Travis and I both have very good jobs (actual careers!! something I was scared I would never have), we have our own house, two cars, healthy food on the table, caring friends, a great church, wonderful families, and time to do things that we really enjoy. I just turned 25 and Travis is still 23. It is surreal that we are where we are in our lives right now.
And I know that God has us here for a purpose, that none of this would have been possible without His providence and grace to us. We both found our current jobs within weeks of moving out here. I actually started my job 3 days after we moved. We found our current church 3 months before we moved, when we came out to Colorado to look for apartments. We have met many great friends through church and work. And we have a wonderful marriage–that alone is a supernatural gift from God.
I pray that I would be like Job–that if everything was taken away tomorrow, I would still praise God. “The LORD has given and the LORD has taken away.” But either way, I will praise Him.
Here are some pictures to commemorate our good times in Colorado:
Travis and me on our first trip to Colorado to find an apartment
Travis and I playing Scrabble--which we did almost everyday when we first moved to Colorado
Our first backpacking trip
Climbing Bear Peak near Boulder--it was so steep!
Driving on Trail Ridge Road in RMNP
Travis sitting on top of Bear Peak--we could see for miles.
A Colorado sunset
Loneliness and Isolation
So Travis and I had a couple of long, good talks yesterday about how sad, lonely, and isolated we’re feeling out here in Colorado. We haven’t talked to our friends from back home since we saw them in MN at the beginning of March. No, we haven’t called them but phones work 2 ways–and they haven’t called us either. Add to that, the last couple of times we’ve talked to them, it has been us calling them. I can’t remember the last time they called me to talk.
We didn’t spend any time with people from church or work this weekend since we were up in Fort Collins for the race. Travis was feeling bummed because there are times when it feels like we don’t hang out with anyone outside of work. He’s discouraged with his mens’ group because he really wants to get to know them and share his life with them but he’s limited by where we live (20 miles away from all of them) and by how it seems that they all know each other already and Travis is an outsider.
I really enjoy my womens’ group and we have some good discussions and the vulnerability is growing. But outside of that group, I feel like those women don’t have a very big interest in hanging out with me. Some of them are 10-15 years older than I am so it’s hard to get together for coffee or even to relate to each other.
But alas, all these are excuses and rationalizations for the hard, cold truth: it’s hard being out here. It’s hard to be in between friend circles–we don’t feel like we have close friends back home anymore (hard to be close when you no longer share anything in common) and we don’t feel like we have close friends out here.
There are times when I get jealous of the married couples who I know are still living in Minneapolis around all their friends, who can go over to their houses and enjoy deep, meaningful friendship. Compared to our life out in Colorado, I can’t imagine that their lives are anything but easy (even though I know that’s not true). Friends do so much for your spirits and joy. And it seems like life would be so much easier with friends.
There are times when I think about moving back to Minnesota. But I believe that God has led us out here for a purpose and that my going back would be my fleshly response to this trial and not my following the Lord in faith.
I have been kind of half-hoping for a struggle like this that will push me to the Lord and cause me to need to seek Him and His comfort daily. So I am taking this struggle and running to the Lord with it. Praying for deep friendships out here in Colorado. Praying that God would reveal how He is my ultimate friend and fulfills every longing I have–even this desire to be known and cared for. God knows me and cares for me. Travis and I must cling to that hope and reassurance in this time of loneliness.
But some good news: Travis and I have been so in love lately. The Lord has been so faithful and good to us in our marriage for the past 2-3 weeks. My enjoyment of Travis and desire to be close to him–both emotionally and physically–has skyrocketed. I love my husband. I love my Lord.
