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Back from Mexico
We got back from our vacation to Mexico on Sunday night around 10:45 (our plane got delayed an extra hour in Phoenix). Let me tell you, it has been THE HARDEST transition back from a vacation that I have EVER had, not only weather-wise, but energy-wise and mood-wise.
But more on that later (like tomorrow or the next day). First, the pictures and recap!! I’m going to give the highlights day by day but let it be known that every single day involved stuffing ourselves to the gills with every kind of food and drink you can possibly think of.
Day 1: Sunday, March 15th
Travis and I got to Puerto Vallarta around 12:30 PM. We had about 2 hours to kill before the rest of our family showed up so we went up to our room and watched TV while waiting for our suitcases.
Travis with my "welcome flower"
Our hotel
The view from our hotel room (in the morning)
After we unpacked, we went for a walk on the beach. I didn’t have any sunscreen on and even though we were only out there for 30 minutes, I had a tanline by the time we went back in. Darn Norwegian skin!
Travis and I found a little coffee bar and chilled there until my family came. They were famished when they arrived so we went and ate at one of the restaurants (the first of many meals that involved primarily dessert for me!) Around 5:30, Jeremy (my oldest bro) and Jen (my SIL) arrived. We ate with them (again!) and by then, we were all pretty much beat so we went to bed.
Day 2: Monday, March 16th
Travis got up at what we like to call the asscrack of dawn–also known as 6:45 AM–(pardon the French) to go running on the beach. It didn’t even look like it was light outside yet so I opted to go later (at 7:15ish). We ended up running (literally) into each other on the beach so we went back up to the hotel room, got showered, and got in the Word before breakfast (sadly, the only day that would happen).
Breakfast was delicious. These were my favorite breakfast things: chocolate milk, pineapple, cheesy potato oles, sugary French toast with real maple syrup, and scrambled eggs.
After breakfast, we adjourned to the beach, all of us sitting in a big long line of beach loungers.
Chillin' with the gang
Travis and me on the beach
There were many “tourist activities” on the beach you could do: buy jewelry and clothes, parasail, go jetskiing, go on a banana boat, etc. I was intrigued by the parasailing. Every once in a while, someone would joke, “So who’s going to be the first to go parasailing?” And I said, “ME!”
And that’s just what I did. I was excited but also a little nervous, standing there wearing a harness, waiting for the boat and the rope to straighten out. Before I knew it, I was being pulled forward, off the ground, and then I was 200 feet in the air. It was great being up so high, seeing so far. It may not be worth the exorbitant amount of money to do it again but it was definitely worth it for one time.
After I went, Jeremy, Brian, Lauren, Chris, Travis, and even my dad and uncle Roger went parasailing. Those guys got their money out of us!
For dinner we went to the beachfront restaurant called Mar Íntimo:
From the left, my uncle Roger, cousin Ben, cousin Josh, aunt Sharyn, brother Jeremy, SIL Jen, SIL Meg, and brother Chris
From the left, me, my mom Sheri, cousin Tim, his gf Lauren, brother Brian, his gf Lindsay, my dad David, and my husband Travis
After dinner, we watched a rendition of Mamma Mia! (dancers played each of the major roles and lipsynched to the soundtrack…they were good dancers, it was just a little cheesy.)
Day 3: Tuesday, March 17th
Travis and I got up and worked out, ate breakfast at 9:30 with the group, then we sat by the pool, ate some more, hung out on the beach. In the afternoon, we rode dune buggys. Jeremy had talked to a guy on the beach named Orlando who would let us ride dune buggys for 4 hours at $75 a couple. Orlando said we would get to cross streams and see great scenery, more of Mexico, and all the pictures looked pretty cool. In addition, my brothers are all kind of in to that sort of thing so the whole clan ended up going.
Let's do this! (For some reason, I ended up with goggles that had one dark lens and one light one...it didn't look weird from the inside, just the outside!)
My parents in their buggy
My cousins Josh and BenMy cousin Tim and his girlfriend Lauren
Jeremy and Jen driving through the streets of Puerto Vallarta
Not 20 minutes into our drive, the buggy that Brian and Lindsay were driving (they were right in front of me and Trav) fell apart. The wheel axel just snapped in half as they went over a speedbump. You can kind of see it in this picture:
I don't think it's supposed to look like that...
One of the guides who had been following in the back of the pack pulled forward and Brian and Lindsay jumped into his dune buggy so they could continue on. Unfortunately, that buggy was extremely loud and Lindsay had a headache after 5 minutes. Poor girl.
Brian and Lindsay right before the accident happened
Day 4: Wednesday, March 18th
By 9:00, we had set out on a day excursion into downtown Puerto Vallarta on a tour with our resort. When we arrived downtown, we watched four men twirl in a circle upside down while hanging from a 100-ft tall flag pole and playing what looked like wooden recorders but sounded like bagpipes. Little by little, they got closer to the ground and at the end, they grabbed their ropes and righted themselves. Ta-da!
Our guide told us history about Puerto Vallarta as we looked at sculptures along the sidewalk and made our way to the Catholic cathedral. It was very pretty inside but I’ve always been kind of creeped out the way Catholics have so many figurines of the crucified Jesus–lifesize ones! When we left there, I bought some of this amazingly delicious coconut dessert from a street vendor. I wish I would have bought more…mmmm…
We were then given 30 minutes to shop in the market. My mom bought me a “real” (who knows if it’s the truth?) turquoise necklace (which I love!) and Travis a t-shirt with fish and fishing rod on it that says Puerto Vallarta. She also bought my dad a couple of t-shirts. Then it was time to leave. 
We drove along the ocean coast in the coach bus, admiring the million dollar homes and the beautiful beaches (the water gets bluer toward the south end of Puerto Vallarta…it was pretty murky where we were). We stopped at the Parque de Las Rocas (I have pictures of them later).
On the way back, we stopped at a real tequila factory (they make the tequila there and you can definitely smell it!) I decided to drink the tequila there and the guy who was giving out the shots decided to pick on me by not just giving me a little taste, but by filling up my shot glass completely. We tried tequila blanca (for mixed drinks), reposada (for shots), and anejo (for sipping). Then we tried Almond Tequila and Chocolate Tequila. That chocolate tequila was absolutely delicious (coming from a non-tequila drinker!) and if it hadn’t been $80 a bottle, I would’ve bought some to bring home.
Instead of going to a restaurant for dinner that night, Travis, Chris, Meg and I just hung out in their room and ordered room service. It was a lot of fun, just chilling. I felt like we got to actually talk to Chris and Meg. When you’re in such a big group, the conversations are usually just light banter and random discussions, nothing deeper. So it was good to spend some time with them. Plus, Travis got to watch baseball so he was happy. (He liked spending time with Chris and Meg too though!)
Day 5: Thursday, March 19th
After breakfast and a little pool time, all “the kids” (me, my bros, and all our significant others) went kayaking and bodyboarding out in the ocean. Tons of fun. My parents didn’t go kayaking, though I wish they had… I hope they had fun anyway.
We played a little more volleyball in between bouts of beach lounging and then at sunset, we went on a cruise aboard a catamaran. The ship was a lot bigger than I had expected and they served margaritas and some nasty snack food (including what looked like cut-up cold hotdogs). There were several members of our group that felt sick after that night.
I took some pretty pictures (which is a feat with my ancient camera!):
Rock Formations in the middle of the ocean that the natives call Las Rocas
Another angleFor some reason, I think these are really cool and really creepy all at the same time (creepy because of all the birds flying around them).
A cave in one of the Rocas
Me and my schweetie--I'm wearing my new turquoise necklace!
Brian and Lindsay
Chris and Meg
Jeremy and Jen
My parents
Sun over the water
The beautiful shoreline
Roger and Sharyn
Tim and LaurenMe and my MomOur tour guidesBeautiful Sunset
When we returned from our sunset cruise, we went to eat dinner (though I had snacked on the boat and wasn’t hungry). I am not proud to say that I ate a full meal anyway (I blame it on the margaritas). I felt so sick that night. Yuck. I hate doing that.
Our totally cool life jackets
A crocodile--they blend in so well!! This one is only 1-2 years old, just a baby.
A Crane with skinny little legs
After the tour, we shopped at a local supermarket for more sunscreen and I bought Mexican candy for some of my co-workers.
We ate lunch and went bodyboarding some more, interspersed with laying on the beach and playing volleyball. We had signed up for Sunset Pictures, where a professional photographer takes your picture at sunset. With our whole group, you can imagine what an ordeal it was. And it was so windy on the beach!! I hate wind so I was not a happy camper.
After the pictures, though, we had dinner on the beach…literally. The resort had set up tables and food right on the beach. It was pretty cool.
Me and the hubs
Leis complete their beachy looks
The Krsnaks at their beach table
That's a lot of snow!
Me Voy a Mexico!
Tomorrow, we leave for Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I am SO incredibly pumped. But I know that the time will go by fast and before I know it, I’ll be back in Colorado with no vacation on the horizon keeping me sane.
But for now, I’m jumping for joy. Our plane leaves at 8:55 AM tomorrow morning and we get to Mexico at 12:11 PM. Whoop whoop! So pumped to lay out in the 85 degree sunshine next to a pool that looks like this:
Boo-tiful
Or on a beach that looks like this:
Aerial view of our resort
With a drink that looks like this:
A frozen Mudslide...delicious
We are staying at the Vallarta Palace. It’s an all-inclusive 5-star resort. They make animals out of the towels and have amazing smelling lotions. The times we’ve gone before (twice), we’ve gotten free massages, manicures and pedicures (I’m in desperate need of a mani/pedi!) They have free day trips to different tourist spots around the area and all the food and drinks you can handle.
I am the most excited for going to a new part of Mexico. I’ve been to Cancun twice but I’ve never been to the western side. Travis wants to go to a bull fight on Wednesday night. I’m intrigued but have also been warned that it can get pretty gruesome. So we’ll see what I think when we get down there.
It’s going to be a big group of us: me and Travis, my parents, my 3 brothers, my 2 sisters-in-law, my brother’s girlfriend (and probably future sister-in-law), my aunt and uncle, and my 3 cousins. Total number of people: 15.
We’re going to have a good time.
I packed last night since we’re going to go help some friends today work on the house they just bought. All I need to do is load up my toiletries, pack my carry-on with books and my iPod, and I’ll be ready to set sail.
So if you haven’t guessed, I’ll be MIA on my blog for the next week or so. But when I get back, I’ll have tons of fun pictures to post!!
Woohoo!!
Thawing out
Travis and I have been in Minnesota for Christmas since last Saturday (a week, tomorrow). I am sitting in my childhood home right now, filling with the scents and sights of everything I love about growing up. *Sigh* it doesn’t get much better than this.
After working Friday, Travis and I pulled an all-nighter to Minnesota from Colorado. It wasn’t as hairy as it could have been, although we did get into a bad enough fight about my inability to sleep while Travis is driving that I thought to myself “This is the road trip from hell.”
I jumped in the backseat though and that helped me sleep better. So after I had a little sleep (the equivalent of an hour over the course of 3 or 4) and had gotten over the fact that I would be tired all day Saturday, the road trip really wasn’t that bad.
At 8:30 AM, we rolled into Minneapolis. I met my 2 good friends, Brittany and Holly, for breakfast at Bruegger’s (oh, how I love their hazelnut coffee!!) while Travis went to have breakfast with 2 of his friends, Nick and Ben. As we first stepped out of the car and felt the brisk air whipping around, we both said “Ah, Minnesota.”
Even though I have been waxing poetic about cold temperatures and snow for many weeks now, it took me only 2 days to realize that I don’t miss those things as much as I think I do. As we walked to church at Bethlehem Baptist’s downtown campus Saturday evening, the wind was bone-chilling, whipping my hair around my face, making it stick to my lips. I could barely breath due to the cold and I instantly felt annoyed that Travis didn’t walk faster to catch up with me. I was definitely NOT waiting around for him in that cold. (Just for a point of reference, I’m pretty sure the temp was near zero without the wind…with the wind, probably somewhere around 20 below zero. Brrrrr…)
The weather didn’t get any warmer on Sunday–walking to the Vikings game (against the Atlanta Falcons, which we got to go to for FREE thanks to a salesman that Travis’ dad works with), the wind was gusting even harder…so hard that it literally takes the air out of you. I can’t even find words to describe it. Frigid comes the closest. As we got in line to get into the Metrodome, I told myself “THIS is why I love Colorado.” It makes me realize how much I love–but don’t nearly appreciate enough–how the weather in Colorado allows you to enjoy being outside during the winter, instead of cursing under your breath at everything and everyone who walks across your path.
Atrocious weather aside, I love Minnesota. I love the snow. I love seeing my old college campus, my old friends, my family. I love seeing roads that I know and passing landmarks that hold memories. And as much as I hate the way the freezing wind can chill you so thoroughly that you can’t seem to get warm no matter what, I do love the way Minnesota makes me feel tough. Not everyone can endure weather like this.
After the Vikings game on Sunday (which the Vikings lost ), we drove up to Grand Rapids, MN, where Travis’ parents now live. Travis’ dad, Al, got a new job and so he, Beth (Travis’ mom), and Matthew (Travis’ bro) moved to Grand Rapids from a tiny town called Nevis (about 2.5 hours apart). They still own their house in Nevis and are renting it out to the Nevis superintendent and his wife, who still own a house down in Minneota, MN. They go to their old house for holidays so Al, Beth, and Matthew can go back to Nevis for holidays too.
We spent a day and a half in Grand Rapids. Whether it’s the aftermath of our all-nighter or just the subconscious knowledge that we’re on vacation, it has been a struggle for Travis and me to peel ourselves off the mattress each morning. Today was the first day all week that we’ve gotten up earlier than 9:00. Travis and Matthew shoveled the foot of snow off the driveway and deck while I read the Bible and Beth watched a made-for-TV movie. We took a tour of Grand Rapids and bought Travis’ dad an ice fishing rod at a store called something like Dave’s Army and Navy. Then we ate dinner with Al (who had been at work) and went to see Yes Man. I thought it was a pretty good movie…not a classic slapstick comedy, but humorous and light-hearted nonetheless.
Tuesday, we headed over to Nevis. The men chopped a Christmas tree down on their property, while Beth and I went to Park Rapids to get groceries. When we got home, she cooked, I read Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella (which I finished in 2 days–it was a good book), and the menfolk rode snowmobiles and worked on the 4-wheeler. That night, we decorated the Christmas tree and then Travis and I went to Park Rapids (again) to visit one of Travis’ good friends from high school, Jesse, and his wife, Emily. We looked at pictures from their trip out to Estes Park, Colorado, in August (we had tried to meet up with them then but it just didn’t work out)–they attempted to hike Longs Peak again (their 2nd time) and made it to the last 800 ft ascent but decided to turn back due to the altitude. Jesse told us that that was the last time he’ll ever attempt that mountain…Emily, however, is keeping the dream alive.
Wednesday, we just bummed around the house…I finished my book while Travis and Matthew went snowmobiling and played Madden 06 on the Playstation.
Thursday (yesterday) was Christmas Day! We went to mass at the Nevis Catholic Church and then Travis’ aunt, Cheryl, came up. We opened presents, played some Apples to Apples, Travis and I went snowshoeing, and then we had our Christmas dinner, complete with apple AND pumpkin pie.
Today, we got up early (6 AM!) and left Nevis around 7:45. We stopped by Travis’ aunt’s and uncle’s house in Blaine and then continued down to Rochester, where my parents live. We go to my parents’ house around 2:45 and have been just hanging out and talking (and I’ve been blogging), waiting for my brothers, Chris and Brian, and Meg (Chris’ wife) and Lindsay (Brian’s girlfriend) to show up.
I have been excited to blog this whole week and only now have I had access to the computer!! But now I am going to stop being antisocial and hang out with my wonderful family.
Feeling somewhat like The Grinch…
I am a member of The Nest and on days like today when there’s not much happening at work, I hang out on the boards when I am *ahem* on my 15 minute break. Today, I posted a poll about Christmas presents, asking the ladies on the board 4 questions:
1. Who do you buy presents for?
2. Who buys you presents?
3. Do you buy presents because you want to or because you feel it’s expected of you?
4. If you could only have one Christmas present, what would it be?
Most of the ladies who responded had long lists of people they buy presents for…but they said that they like buying all those presents and that they would buy more if they could.
Am I the only one who doesn’t like buying Christmas presents, who finds it more of a chore and annoyance than an actual joy? It’s not that I don’t like getting people presents. I just don’t like that presents at Christmas are expected. I don’t like getting lists from people of the things they want for Christmas. I don’t like wandering the mall for hours searching for something to get [insert name here] when nothing seems to fit their personality or needs.
I LOVE giving gifts when I am walking around and randomly see something that makes me think of that person, something I know they’ll love and use. I LOVE giving gifts when they aren’t expected, when they have more thought in them than just “I thought you might like this…(and it was the only thing I could think of to get you).”
Travis and I don’t even really buy Christmas presents for each other. Last year, we had planned on our “Christmas present to each other” being a romantic weekend at a B&B in the mountains. Due to financial constraint, it didn’t happen…and it was never rescheduled. This year, Travis wanted to buy new $180 hunting boots, but he didn’t want to spend all of his Blow (personal spending $) on them. So the deal was I got $180 to spend on myself. So we kind of did Christmas presents but not really, because we both picked out and bought what we wanted without the other person (although I was with Travis when he bought his boots).
I would rather donate all the money we would spend on Christmas presents for other people to a non-profit organization that could really use it–and use it for people who really NEED it. But I don’t want to disappoint anyone and I also stop myself because I wonder if my desire for doing so is more a selfish desire to not have to go shopping for Christmas presents, rather than a desire to be generous. I think about all the things I put on my (obligatory) Christmas list and would really be ok with not getting any presents if it meant I didn’t have to give any.
Look at me, being such a Scrooge. But I’m being honest! The best part about Christmas for me is being with family, eating great food, going to church, listening to Christmas songs, drinking hot chocolate and eating Christmas cookies. Presents are really the lowest thing on the list for me. I really don’t think I would miss them at all.
But maybe I’m just being selfish. Maybe I’m forgetting the joy of thinking for other people and supplying them with things they (I hope) enjoy and (I pray) they use.
Or maybe, buying presents for the affluent is like buying cookies for an obese man. He may eat them and he may enjoy them…but does he NEED them?
Next year, I’m going to make my Christmas presents. At least then they’ll have the thought and effort behind them…even if they don’t have beauty or practicality.
The Writing of the Christmas Letter
When I was in high school, my parents wrote a Christmas letter every year.
But they never mailed it.
They always started arguing over what it should say and how they should jump the hurdle of the “I” and “We” pronouns when just my dad was writing it.
So the letter never left our house.
I love receiving Christmas cards so I was excited last year when I was finally married (finally an adult!) and could write a Christmas letter. We are doing the same thing this year. I am designing it at work (“on my break”) so that I can use Adobe InDesign. I heart that program.
Tonight, Travis and I were going to edit the letter that I had written. He didn’t like the way I had described our skiing adventures (couldn’t stand having me make mention of using my parents’ old ski equipment) so I changed it. But I added the detail that we had gone skiing 3 times in April (which is very strange to me coming from MN) and Travis promptly said “No, that’s too much detail.”
I immediately took offense because Travis is always making fun of the way I tell stories–I give names of all the people I mention as well as the lifelong history I have with them; I set the scene; I narrate. I tell stories in about 10 times the amount of time it takes Travis. (But do I get on him for leaving those details out?)
I know Travis pokes fun at me out of love (I like to think it’s one of my cute little quirks) but tonight, it just made me mad. I just about broke our keyboard. Travis left the room and only came back after much persuading by me.
We continued on, me still very angry, and Travis replying with those sarcastic comments that push my buttons in all the wrong places. I called him a mean name under my breath and that just took the wind out of his sails.
He went and watched TV. I felt bad so I went to apologize. I turned the TV off. He turned it back on. I turned it off. He turned it on. I turned it off and threatened to unplug it, which would make him have to reprogram it after we plugged it back in. He agreed to leave the TV off.
I apologized for the namecalling. He told me that the Christmas letter was fine as it was (though a few days ago, he said that he wanted to reword the part about him). I asked him if he was sure. He said yes. I repeated the question a few more times and he answered the same.
“It’s fine. You did a good job.”
A comment that appears to be a compliment but is really just a cop-out so that he doesn’t have to deal with me anymore.
I retreated into the office and shut the door. I could hear that he had turned the TV back on. “Ouch. He didn’t even feel the need to apologize? He could just get on with his night like nothing happened? WHY are guys like that? WHY doesn’t my husband understand that I need to be loved right now? I know God is the only One who loves me perfectly…so I should just be content. But it hurts when he does that!”
After about 20 minutes, Travis came in to the office and apologized. He said that when I call him names, he feels completely defeated. I told him that I understood. After all, isn’t that what I’ve learned through reading all those marriage books–that men need respect above all?
I’ve often wondered how married couples make it through all of this “Ness” without the hope and forgiveness found in Christ. If I didn’t have the Holy Spirit and didn’t have the example of Christ to follow, I would…well, I don’t even want to know what I would do. It’s hard to be a sinful person married to another sinful person. But it’s worth it. And it’s possible. God’s grace is amazing.
So the Christmas letter will be edited, printed, and mailed after all. Hooray!
A picture update
It’s time for a picture update. I still haven’t posted any from when the Kluthes (Travis’ mom, dad, and little bro) were out here visiting. So here’s the scoop:
Travis and his dad got up for hunting at 4:30 every morning. They left the condo we were staying at by 5:30, to get out to their spot by sunrise, which was around 7:00. They stayed out all day until sunset, which was also around 7:00. So for Saturday and Sunday, I hung out with Beth and Matthew.
On Saturday, we drove to Estes Park via Trail Ridge Road through Rocky Mountain National Park. If you don’t know anything about Trail Ridge Road, let me tell you: the road is intense. There are long stretches of road where there is literally only about a foot separating your car from a sheer dropoff. And there is no guardrail. The road’s highest point is 12,183 feet above sea level. So you are up there.
The beauty of nature, though, is undeniable. Here are some pics from our drive:
The mountains--the red trees are ones that have been eaten (and killed) by the Pine Beetle.
If you can't tell, we are absolutely FREEZING in this pic--it was only about 35 degrees out there and WINDY.
These clouds were so cool--we actually went under them on the way down the mountain.
Due to that, the road is usually only open from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Weather changes fast at such a high elevation and there can be snow as early as September. I was actually surprised the day we drove on it (October 11th) that it was still open.
My surprise was understandable, since they ended up closing the road due to a snowstorm before we had driven back. So instead of a 61-mile drive back to Granby, we had a 125-mile drive around the mountains, up through Winter Park. We did a lot of driving that day!!
Sunday morning, we woke up to this:
A light dusting of snow across the hills
It got into the 50s that day so the snow started to melt pretty quickly.
The red circle shows where our condo was
We decided to go horseback riding. Matthew thought maybe he wanted to go for 2 hours but we opted for 1. We chose wisely–we were still really sore afterward.
Matthew, me and Beth on our faithful steeds
Matthew's horse was named Footloose and he pooped a LOT!
Beth's horse was named either Mare or Mayor (I couldn't tell which). Mayor tripped once and Beth almost fell over--almost.
My lovely horse was named Cupcake and she always wanted to go faster than the horse in front of her.
Monday morning, I had to go back to work so I got myself a triple-shot grande pumpkin spice latte from Starbuck’s and hit the road. Travis and his family stayed up in Granby until Wednesday afternoon. After 4 1/2 full days of hunting, the guys still hadn’t seen one elk. Poor guys… We toured the Coors brewery on Thursday after work and then Travis’ family headed home on Friday.
That’s all I have to say about that.
Lately, Travis has been obsessed with birdfeeders. I bought him a little birdbook while we were in Rocky Mountain National Park, since he had been talking about wanting one for months. This is the birdfeeder we first got:
Our little birdfeeder
Then Travis decided that he wanted to build another one for bigger birds. Only problem is, squirrels can easily get into it. Like this:
Big, fat squirrel eating our birdseed!
Travis took action and put flashing on the bottom of the feeder’s post but the squirrels could still climb on it…so thus far, Travis has been losing the battle against the squirrels. But not for long…Travis has a few more tricks up his sleeve. He will have to be very clever, though, since the squirrels can perform acrobatic feats:
Like hanging upside down on a birdfeeder and eating seed through a tiny hole.
They are very persistent!!
Last night, Travis and I had dinner with our friends, Carrie and Paul. I made lasagna and we also had salad and garlic bread–and strawberries + whipped cream for dessert. Delicious… We also had a friendly pumpkin-carving contest. Both couples ended up carving bats…which was not planned.
Travis and my pumpkin (we used a stencil)
Paul and Carrie's pumpkin (they did theirs freehand and look how well it turned out!)
Travis and me with our pumpkin--can you tell I dyed my hair? Just a little darker...
That’s all folks!!
Ode to CAK
Travis’ parents are in Colorado right now so that explains why I haven’t posted in a while. We were up near Granby for the weekend–they’re actually still up there but I had to come back to work (POO!)–and I did not have access to a computer. I have some awesome pics to post but I left my camera with Beth and Matthew (Trav’s mom and bro) so that they could take pictures of stuff if they wanted to (Lord knows I’m not taking any down here!) Once I get those pics, I’ll tell about what we did.
But right now, I am going to mourn. My boss Carol Ann Kelly (aka CAK) had her last day at our ministry on Friday. Her office is empty and it’s weird that she’s not here. To celebrate her memory (and explain why I’m so sad that she’s gone…because I realize that not everyone loves their boss like I do/did), here are some funny things about her:
I could hear her every once in a while in her office laughing at a funny email.
Even though her office was only 10 feet from my cube, she paged me on our phone intercoms–the funny thing was, when she didn’t get me, she’d just yell “Hey Kathy?”
She had her own language and “isms”–a few of which are (with sample sentences):
Ish: “That postcard drops October 24th-ish.”
Except not: “The Atlanta previews are this week…Except not–they’re really next week.”
Ness: “So the deal with the budget-ness is that we’re 59% over our allotted amount.”
So that’s fun: “Debb just told me that they want it done by Friday. So that’s fun.”
Whoopsy daisy: “We forgot to put in a PO for the Youth Leader Notebook. Whoopsy daisy.”
Brain dump: “I’m thinking we should just go to Starbuck’s for a brain dump fest.”
So here’s the deal: “So here’s the deal…we’re going to make these changes to the GOSPEL Journey Maui postcard…last ones I promise!”
She also got word and letter orders mixed up a lot. She’d say “Oback Barama” instead of “Barack Obama” and “Choy Sai Latte” instead of “Soy Chai Latte.” Instead of “a whole boatload,” she’d say “a whole buttload.” Instead of “put the pedal to the metal,” she’d say “put your foot to the pedal” or “put your metal to the pedal” or “put your foot to the metal.” The funniest parts came when she realized that she had messed up and said it again slowly so that she’d get it right…only to say it wrong again.
I realize it may sound like my boss is a woman who’s been sniffing the Ultra Fine Point Sharpies (her writing utensils of choice) one too many years… but CAK is a very intelligent, savvy, and strategic thinker. She sees the big picture and is not afraid to voice her opinions (and dissensions)
In addition to her wonderfully unique personality, CAK was a great boss. A lot of frustrating, unplanned, spur-of-the-moment stuff happens in our Marketing Dept but CAK kept us laughing and hopeful through it all, when it would have been really easy to get discouraged and crabby. She believed in her staff. She didn’t try to do our jobs for us or always need to have a say in everything. She trusted us and our judgment, which allowed us to grow and expand our horizons.
It’s the end of an era. I honestly don’t think our ministry will ever be the same without her. It’s not a bad thing–I know that we’ll survive without her but it’ll be different. Change is always hard–because the things you knew and loved get replaced with different things. The challenge is in accepting how the change is different and not trying to make it be exactly what the former was.
I love you CAK!
My parents are coming!
This weekend, my parents are going to be out here to visit me and Travis–for the first time at our new house! I am sooooo excited to see them. I’m not sure yet what we’re going to do but it doesn’t really matter–I know we’ll have fun regardless.
A few ideas I have though are:
1. Make dinner at our house tonight
2. Watch Season 1, Disc 4 of House
3. Go shopping for patio furniture (my parents want to buy us a housewarming present)
4. Take a drive into the mountains tomorrow to see the fall colors
5. Eat at Beau Jo’s in Idaho Springs
6. See Greg Stier preach at Northern Hills Christian Church
7. Go to the GOSPEL Journey Maui Sneak Peek at NHCC on Sunday at 6 PM
That’s all I have for right now cuz they’re finally here!!
Vacation in Minnesota
*Sigh.* I love summer in Minnesota. Being back here makes both Travis and me wish somewhat that we didn’t live in Colorado. But I keep reminding myself that 7 months out of the year, I am VERY glad that I live in Colorado because of the weather and all the stuff to do. But you can’t beat Minnesota lakes in the summer. Even though there are lots of mosquitoes and humidity, I still love this state in the summer. It just smells a certain way and it reminds of me of growing up.
I did have a great birthday. Very lowkey but it was a lot of fun. We went tubing and skiing on the lake again and went fishing in the evening. We caught about 15 sunfish total and kept about 8. We fried the fish the next morning for breakfast (they were actually really good, even though I’m not a huge fan of fish for breakfast). After eating our burgers, salad, and corn, we started a bonfire right next to the lake. Around 10:30, we went back inside and had cake and ice cream. It was a very good birthday!
On Wednesday morning, Travis and I woke up to a good ole Minnesota thunderstorm. I LOVE thunder and lightning when it’s lightly raining outside. We left for Nevis, MN, around 10 AM after eating breakfast and cleaning the kitchen up from the night before and got up to Nevis, where his parents live, around 1:30. We played baseball in Nevis with his younger brother, nephew, and Mom and then went to see Wall-e, which was really cute. I also opened my presents from Travis and his family–Travis gave me a pair of sandals from Victoria’s Secret that I really wanted
My birthday sandals--I got the gold ones.
and his family gave me a gift certificate to Target (which I’m going to use for house stuff!!) My parents’ present to me came about 3 months ago in the form of a Coach purse which I am loving.
On Thursday, we went fishing at the crack of down. I caught a 3-4 lb. smallmouth bass, along with a bunch of small panfish. Travis and Matthew (his bro) caught some Northern pike. We didn’t keep anything. After eating breakfast, Travis, Matthew, Drew (his nephew who lives with Trav’s sis in NC but is up here for a month), Beth (his mom), and I all went to the World of Christmas, which is an amusement park. We rode the bumper boats (where I got soaked!) and the go-karts; walked through a maze; had water wars (I got soaked then too!); jumped on a bungee cord thingy; and played mini-golf. It was a lot of fun. Then Travis and I drove an hour and a half to Grand Rapids, where his dad, Al, has taken a new job. Beth and Matthew will move there as well but they’re still working on buying a house. Al gave us a tour around his workplace (a redi-mix plant where he’s a manager) and around the town of Grand Rapids.
Yesterday, Travis and I slept in to about 8:45 and then ate the continental breakfast at the posh hotel that his dad is staying at. Al’s hotel suite is bigger than our apartment in Boulder! The hotel is brand new too so everything is really nice. We took showers and hung around the hotel for a while and then drove back to Nevis. We went fishing again, Travis, Matthew, and Drew in the fishing boat, and me and Beth in the canoe. We caught a bunch of small sunfish and kept 3 but ended up throwing them back because 3 isn’t enough to fillet and fry. After dinner, Travis and I drove to Park Rapids (about 20 min away) to visit one of his friends from HS, Jesse, and his wife, Emily. We toured their business and new house and caught up. It was fun.
Today, we have been kind of lazy. It was raining all morning so we just hung out inside, took a tour of the state land around their property that is being logged, played Bocce ball, read, took a nap, etc. It’s good to have a lazy day or two on vacation.
But I can’t believe that it’s already Saturday and tomorrow we fly home. It’s bittersweet–bitter because the end of vacation is always sad and we won’t see Trav’s family again maybe until October (if they come to my bro’s wedding in August, we’ll see them then too). Sweet because we’ll see my family again in August but also because in the meantime, we get to move into our new house!! Now that our vacation is almost over and I have the house to look forward to (and we saw Jesse and Emily’s new house last night), I am getting really excited about moving in and decorating. There’s a lot we want to do and our only limitation is money. (Ah…money.) But my mom’s gift and Beth’s gift have definitely helped!!
Ok, I’m done now.
It’s my birthday!
I am officially 25 today so that means I can finally rent a car without any additional fees…I’m really pumped about that. Travis and I are on our vacation in Minnesota right now, which makes this birthday extra special because I get to spend it with my family. I haven’t spent my actual birthday with my family in about 4 years. When I turned 21, I was with friends. When I turned 22 and 23, I was at Summer Beach Project in Myrtle Beach, SC. When I turned 24 last year, I was with Travis’ family. So finally I get to spend it with MY parents (and my husband)!
To celebrate, Travis and I went on a run this morning (exercise is good!) For breakfast, we had smoothies and banana/blueberry pancakes. We are going to go boating and tubing around Pine City (where my parents’ lake cabin is) and then jetskiing later. For dinner, we’re going to have burgers, strawberry salad, corn on the cob, and pineapple cake (all by my request). I thought about going out to dinner but then, we can go out to dinner in Colorado anytime–how often do we get to grill out at the cabin by a lake? Never!
So I think it will be a great birthday. I’m okay with it being chill and relaxed. I’m 25 now–an adult. I have to act my age, right?. Not!!!
Just a side note: yesterday we took the boat out and Travis and I went waterskiing (at different times of course). He’s pretty good at slaloming. I, on the other hand, am not. I can get up on two skis pretty quickly and can even cross the wake without falling down (except right when I got up yesterday for the first time, my dad went around a turn and I went outside the wake against my will and ended up falling on my butt and getting a water enema. OUCH!!! It hurt so badly that I could barely move. But it didn’t stop me from trying to slalom!) I tried to slalom by dropping a ski and then by just starting with one. Neither worked. I did a couple faceplants and my arms got a workout but I didn’t get up. Oh well, tubing is more my thing anyway.
