Couch to Fourteener

*They say if you tell someone your goals, you're more likely to complete them. (I'm sure there's a statistic out there, and you know I love nothing more to be a statistic!) So here you go - I'm telling a whole bunch of someone's my goal! I copied this from my other blog, where I try to avoid sharing our families names - because it's public, unlike this where only a few people have the link!*

Ok beloved readers, please stick with me through this one! It will get cheesy in places, I promise you that! But hear me out!

In July I had the chance of a lifetime, my father in law took us (The Trucker, Scribber and Myself) to Alaska for a weeklong adventure! For one leg of our trip, we stayed at a lodge deep in the heart of Denali National Park. It was this absolutely amazing, breathtaking place. No matter where you looked, you felt just in awe of the beauty.

One of the activities that the lodge offered was guided hikes, and since we'd heard there was a good view of Denali that day (which apparently is incredibly rare) The Trucker had his parents watch Scribber and he and I headed out to join the afternoon hike.

Now - let me set the scene for you. The Trucker and I wait at the main lodge for our guide, where we are joined by our group. There is a family, 4 kids and the parents. They all look to be in incredible shape, all athletic. There's also a couple from India - while they aren't as physically fit as the other family? They still appear in FAR better shape than the Trucker and I are.

Then our guide shows up - he asks if everyone has water (check) and no one is wearing flip-flops (again, check) then he takes one look at my shoes - worn out New Balance Running Shoes, that probably should have been thrown out AGES ago. He grabs a hiking pole and tosses it at me, tells me I'll need it.

We load up the Lodge Van, an old 15-passenger beast, which is taking us to the trailhead. Once we load up our guide announces that he'll give us the option of taking the simple hike we were going to take, or the more advanced one, Wickersham Dome, which has an INCREDIBLE view of the mountain. The Fit Family Robinson squeals at the idea of this more advanced hike. While the Trucker is sitting shotgun, rambling away, I am sitting in the middle row realizing that this out of shape, pudgy housewife from the middle of nowhere isn't about to embarrass herself by holding up this families dream vacation. No way. So what am I going to do? Make a fool of myself, and hike this near vertical climb!

Yep. Of course. It's the only logical option right?

Now, I've got to hand it to our guide, Michael, who if for some odd reason you stumble upon my blog? Well, you are an angel, and deserve some fantastic prize, perhaps a lottery win! He could tell when I'd nearly reached my limit and would pop in with some nature spiel, telling us about this fantastic flower we were passing. He would ramble on long enough for me to sort of catch my breath, and off we'd go.

Long story short? We made it (almost) to the top. The Fit Family Robinson was fantastic too, seriously, it's like I brought my own personal cheerleaders all the way to Alaska with me! But more than that, this hike was possibly the pinnacle of my trip. It made me realize that I actually like hiking! Who'd thunk it? (I mean, seriously - I live in Colorado. I can see Pikes Peak from my house. Yet, I had no idea how much I liked hiking!)

Fast forward nearly a month, I'm sitting in church. (Hey, I told you it'd get cheesy!) And it hits me - at least I think it was the idea, I'm pretty sure it wasn't the lightning yet, although thunder did strike soon after. Anyway, I realized, sitting there in my chair, trying to blend in with the background and praying that the people around me couldn't hear my horrendous singing, that I love hiking. I've been trying to think of a way to get in shape, running isn't my thing. I don't really want to pay a gym membership fee. And I don't own a bike (again, I'm cheap!) But, I could hike! I mean, again, I live in Colorado!

So of course, I'm not going to be happy just hiking around the nature center here in town. Nope. No way. I am going to summit a fourteener. And on my way, just because I've proven that I am insane? Why don't I tackle the Manitou Incline too?

So welcome to my journey! I'll be updating here, as I attempt to get in shape, roll down trails and eventually summit a fourteener!

The Summer Vacation That Wouldn't End!!!

Stick with me - this could get long!! (And Photo heavy!)

WAY BACK on June 6, Skyler and I packed up our car and left for Nebraska. We drove to Grandma and Grandpa's house, then loaded up their car and drove with them to Chicago the next day!

There we had a mini family reunion of sorts! In Skyler's words: "We had a party for Cousin Nick, I played with my Chicago Cousin Jacob. Then we went to a baseball game and waved at Cousin Nick. Lots of people cried."

(Cousin Nick graduated from high school and joined the Navy - so it was a party for both of those accomplishments and then he was sworn in at a White Sox game!) We also hung around the Chicago area for a few days, celebrating Skylers birthday with our family from Illinois, as well as my Aunt and Uncle who live in California!

That was a great mini-vacation, full of yummy food (Chicago Pizza, anyone??) and lots of great time with family that we don't see often enough.

On June 12, we headed back to Lincoln. The plan was to spend a few days with Ryan's parents, and celebrate Skyler's birthday with all of our family in Nebraska. Which went as planned, lots of good food (geez - is that what vacation is all about?) and lots of fun again!

On June 18, we headed for Colorado. We made it almost halfway, to North Platte Nebraska. Then, at 80 miles per hour, my car lost all power. By some miracle, I made it the side of the road! I called my husband, in tears. My car was dead. I was in the middle of nowhere. It wouldn't start, it wouldn't crank. (And if you know any of the backstory with my Jetta - you know that I was certain it was the end of the car. )

He calmed me down and told me not to do anything. HA HA! What was I going to do? Hitch Hike? He hung up, with promises to call me back. Within 5 minutes I got a phone call from a 308 area code (Western Nebraska) - it was Ryan's Aunt! By no small miracle, she LIVED at the very exit where my car died! And? Her husband is a mechanic. They were coming to get me!!!

We spent the night in North Platte, with much thanks to my husbands family. (They are life savers!!) But they dealt us some bad news - it was the timing belt, and the engine had no compression. My beloved Jetta had met her end.

My parents arranged to come pick me up, Ryans Aunt was kind enough to let us stay the night until my parents could get there. She also made arrangements for my little white car to be towed to a salvage yard. I just cannot thank her enough for all that she did for us!

So June 19 found us back in Lincoln. Only this time, I felt like I was 16 again. I was completely reliant on borrowing my parents car, and I was freaking out about how I would afford a car payment for the first time in NINE YEARS!!!

Throw in the fact that June 20 was Skyler's 5th Birthday - and I'd planned to be AT HOME for it. We were going to go to the Drive In. Have a birthday party with her friends. And then get ready for our next vacation at the start of July. All of that? Out the window!!

My dad suggested I invite her Nebraska Friends (Madi and Taylor) as well as my husbands family to an impromptu party at Chuck E Cheese - which turned out to be FABULOUS!!

Skyler got to celebrate turning 5 with both sets of Grandparents, Her Aunt Katie, Uncle Kevin and Her Nebraska Cousin Jacob (yes, she does ALWAYS call them Nebraska Jacob and Chicago Jacob!)

But, we were still car-less. I had 2 weeks to find a car (and a car loan) and get myself to Colorado to prepare for our Alaskan Adventure! After her birthday was out of the way? I was paranoid. I didn't know how it would all come together. I hate car shopping.

Luckily for Skyler? She got the chance to spend lots of time playing with her friends Madi and Taylor! (Their mom, Krystal, grew up across the street from me and was best friends with my little sister growing up - so it's fun that our families can still have such an awesome connection!)

So while Skyler was having fun with friends and grandparents? I was borrowing cars and driving from car lot to car lot, test driving. I had no idea what kind of car I wanted. (Ok - I did. I wanted a Ford Escape. With a Manual Transmission. Not white.)

June 27 I celebrated my 9th wedding anniversary by going out to dinner with my parents. (My husband was on the road - since he was headed home in a few days for vacation. No big deal - I had an extra margarita!)

FINALLY on July 1? I bought a car!!! A 2006 Hyundai Tucson! It's red, and I love it. LOVE IT. It's perfect. It's wonderful. Even though it's not a manual transmission, I love it. (And it even has the Ryan Seal of Approval!)

We loaded up on the 2nd to head home! We would be home for the 4th of July, join our friends on the River Walk and have a few days to relax before our Alaskan Vacation! It would be perfect. Right?

Of course, it's not that easy.

We made it to Kearney. (About 180 miles.) And we stopped to get some lunch, loaded up the car after lunch and I turned on the engine. There was this loud, grinding, vibrating, horrible noise. (And when I say loud? You could hear it across the street!!)

I shut the car off, called my Dad and cried. He thought I was joking at first - before he realized I was crying.

About a dozen calls later (between my dad, my husband and the dealership where I had just purchased the car.) I headed back to Lincoln - we'd discovered it was the Air Conditioner Compressor and they were going to fix it for me for free. Ryan, my mechanically inclined husband, assured me it was a quick fix and I'd be back home the next day.

WRONG AGAIN!!! They didn't have the part.

I was set to leave for vacation in a few days. I had a flight to catch. In Denver. I had no cool weather clothes, and it's not as hot in Alaska as it is in Nebraska. SERIOUSLY!!! Why can't things go my way??

It turns out, my car wouldn't actually be ready until July 9!! (When I was in Alaska...) So, we spent the 4th of July in Lincoln - where Skyler actually got to play with fireworks! And then rode with my in-laws to Denver to catch our flight.

(The Alaska trip will be another entry - once I edit my photos!!)

Long story short? Left home for a week long vacation on June 6. Finally FINALLY made it home on July 18th!

December/January Recap!

It's been ages since I updated - I don't really have an excuse. I suppose for the most part, our lives are pretty routine and there's not a ton to share!  But, the more I think about it? December was a bit crazy! So, here's a photo recap of our last two months!!

DECEMBER 2012

My sister was the Queen of her Madrigal Dinners at Wayne State! I got to ride up with my parents to watch the dinner, and it was a lot of fun! (I even got in a few of the photos!!)

Three days later? I drove up with my parents again to see her Senior Honors Colloquium. (See, I know big words!! More importantly? People in Wayne Nebraska know big words!)

 

Then? A few more days later? My dad, Skyler and I drove up to help her move out of her dorm. (Yep - are you keeping track of our time on the road? There will be a tally! I promise.) 

Then we drove back to Wayne (2 days later) for her Graduation! (CONGRATS KID SISTER!!)

 

Total driving time (from Lincoln to Wayne in December) approx 30 hours! 

Total driving time total in December (up until now?) 35 hours! 

But, we're not done! See, Skyler and I drove back to Colorado! Where we got home just in time for a big snow storm, where a tree fell on our house! 

And then, Ryan got home and we turned around to head BACK to Nebraska for Christmas!

Total Drive time now? (December 21?) 55 hours! BUT WAIT!! We have a trip to Iowa, a trip back to Lincoln and a trip back to Colorado still to come!! (Are you tired of my car yet? I am!!)

So, I mentioned Iowa? We spent 2 days with Ryan's sister and her kids! (Which was an absolute blast, and now I understand how horrible it was for my parents to drag Kate and I away from our family on trips to Chicago!)

Then back to Lincoln where we did the whole Christmas thing - which included this awesome cake ball tree!! (Drive time now? 62 hours.)

Then, we had Katie's birthday! (Geez, she's 23... that's like... old!)

Then back to Colorado - Drive time total? 73 hours. Yep - more than 3 full days in the car. THREE FULL DAYS!! (Ok, that's not a huge deal - I did drive a truck. So, it was actually enjoyable. But wow... just now totalling that up? EEEK!)

JANUARY 2013

After a quiet NYE at home (where I was asleep before Midnight - thank you very much!) Ryan hit the road and life returned to normal in Colorado!!

There were trips to the Children's Museum

And the Nature Center

And the Children's Museum Again

And some bike riding and picnics at the park

And of course we stayed busy at home...
We baked

And made silly Finger Puppets

We crocheted - Ok, I crocheted... while Skyler slept.

We played Dress Up

A lot of dress up...

We went for walks (when it snowed again!)

And we colored. A lot. (Because it's our favorite thing to do!)

I think you're caught up on our life now!! (Hopefully my next few entries aren't as photo heavy!!)

August Recap

We had a really great (BUSY) month of August!

It started out with Ryan being home, and included a Campaign Rally with President Obama, A trip to Nebraska, Lots of time at the Splash Park, Football Practice  and the State Fair!

I've put together a quick collage of some of our favorite photos from the month to share with you guys! (Grandparents - if you want the full size image of any of them - or more - just let me know! I've got them all on my computer!)

 

Click the collage to see it bigger!

A Trip to the Family Farm

I'm very late in posting this, about six months to be exact... But I'm finally getting there; that's what counts. Right?

In March of 2010 we went to Crawford Nebraska (where my Grandpa John was from) to celebrate the 100th Birthday of my Great Grandma Alice. It was a great trip, and as you can tell from the picture on the left? She was in excellent health for being 100! (Photos from the whole trip are in this album.)

Unfortunately, on October 27, 2011 Grandma Alice passed away. So the whole family made the trip back to Crawford for her Funeral. It was a nice service and a nice chance to see many people from my mom's family (particularly those who live in California.)

We also took the chance to make a trip out to the old family farm - Homesteaded in Belmont Nebraska (just outside of Crawford) where my Grandfather had grown up. We also drove through Fort Robinson, and Smiley Canyon! So I thought I'd share some of our photos from the trip. You can view the full album, if you'd like.

A day on the Lake

Last Saturday we got the chance to join Uncle Kevin, Cousin Jacob and Grandpa at the lake!

After our Vegas trip, Skyler has fallen in love with water - so this was a fun experience for her. She loved EVERY minute of it, but wore herself out so much so that she fell asleep within a few minutes of being buckled into the car!

We all got a ride in Kevin's boat! (He built it himself a few years ago, and it's pretty darn cool!) Which Skyler just loved. She kept asking to go faster. **Giggle**

Vegas - Day 4

We were all so exhausted that we decided to stay at the hotel all day. (There was plenty to do there anyway!!)

After breakfast (cereal) Skyler and I went to play in the arcade! Then, we headed to the Kids Tyme again, at her insistence. They even let me go in with her for a bit so she could show me all the fun stuff!! She loved that place, so I didn't mind leaving her too much. (She got lunch of hot dogs and mac n cheese there...)

Ryan and I went to a Cajun Restaurant in our hotel, which the gumbo was delicious!! Then I went and played two slots, which I fell in love with! The Price is Right Punch-a-bunch! (I won $60!!!) and The Wizard of Oz (I lost the previously mentioned $60...)

We picked Skyler up about 2, and headed to the pool for more swimming!! Despite that it was 110*, we were actually freezing when we got out of the pool. (A nice breeze, I guess!)

After a bit, we picked up Skyler and had Mexican from the same restaurant as the first night, and watched "Little Fockers" in our room. (Skyler was too busy playing with her new toys to care what we did... LOL!)

We went to bed early, since we had to catch a 3:30am shuttle to the airport.

After all was said and done, we had a FABULOUS trip to Vegas!! We did a lot of walking, saw most everything we wanted and had a great time!! I was nervous about the trip with Skyler, but I think it was a great choice in the end. 

Vegas - Day 2 & 3

Day two in Vegas, we started out the morning early with some swim time! We hit the pool right as it opened at 9am; and we practically had the place to ourselves! Skyler hadn't been in an actual swimming pool that she could remember, so she started out a little scared. But she quickly warmed up and had a ton of fun! She especially loved jumping from the edge of the pool as I would catch her.

After our time at the pool, we had lunch at T.G.I.Friday's (in our hotel) and then took Skyler to the Kids Tyme center (she called it the playground) where she spent a few hours playing while we went and took our chances on the casino floor! We started out with video poker and blackjack. Then we both hit the blackjack tables, which wasn't very profitable for us... So back to the machines we went.

We picked up Skyler about 3, and headed out to the strip! We checked out the Luxor, NYNY and Excalibur (Skyler wanted to see the Castle!) Before we headed over to Treasure Island to have dinner (A pizza by the slice place, that was just so-so) and then we took our seats for Mystere!!

The show was FABULOUS!! Skyler was mesmerized the entire time, which I was glad about! (I had been nervous it might be too much for her!) She loved the Ballerina's and giggled at the baby.

After Mystere we got some ice cream at Ben & Jerry's and then headed outside to wait for the Pirate show to start. Skyler got a kick out of the explosions and fireworks with the pirate show.

Then it was time to head back to the hotel for bed. (Another midnight bedtime for all three of us... )


Day Three, We took it easy all morning and then had lunch at the hotel food court. (Fuddruckers!) Then up to the bowling alley in the Orleans for 3 games of bowling.

After that, it was back to our room to take a quick nap.  Then Skyler wanted to go back to the playground, so we took her and Ryan and I went to relax between the room and playing slots again.

Then we had dinner at the hotel buffet, and headed downtown to see the Fremont Street Experience! We saw a quick show of "Queen" and then spent a few hours just roaming around watching all the buskers and live music. (Skyler was particularly fascinated by a Saxophone Player at the Golden Nugget.

On our way back we stopped in an attempt to see the Caesars Fountains again, and after waiting 30 minutes, they finally said the show was out of order again *sigh* (The one thing I didn't get to see while we were there that I wanted too! But not for lack of trying!)

After all was said and done, it was nearly 1am when we got back to the hotel - and Skyler was the only one not cranky!!

Dolphins and Clowns and Birthdays! Oh My!

This is the first of what will probably be several posts! I mentioned a few days ago that we were in Vegas! So I thought I'd do a proper trip report :)

We flew in on the 19th, ended up back at our hotel (The Orleans, which was amazing!) by about 8pm and went out in search of supper. We decided on the Mexican restaurant in the hotel. (Ryan and I both had enchiladas, while Skyler had Rice and Beans *lol* ) After dinner? We went straight up to bed.

The next day, the 20th was Skyler's 3rd birthday! So we decided to do a day based on things she would LOVE.

We hopped on the shuttle to the strip, and started out at Caesars Palace. (I thought she would LOVE their anamatronic fountain.) Of course, theh fountain was out of order. (*Instert Sad Face*) We did try for a family photo (having someone else take it) and it was blurry. Sadly? I forgot all about a family photo and we didn't get another. I'm so bummed at this.

So we hiked on over to the Mirage where they have this amazing Tiger and Dolphin Habitat. We spent a good chunk of time watching the big cats, and then watching the dolphins with their trainers.

Finally, we were starving, so we left and headed to Treasure Island for lunch! (We ate at Kahunaville, which was really yummy. But before we got there, we got sidetracked into looking at the really cool mammoth tusk they have near the front entrance.)

Next up? A nice LONG hike from Treasure Island to Circus Circus... (I wouldn't recommend this hike, not on the hottest day so far in 2011, but that could just be me ;) )

Skyler LOVED Circus Circus. We watched several circus acts (A clown, some acrobats, some dancers) and played a few carnival games - which Skyler won 3 stuffed animals - one good sized "Vegas" Bear.



We headed back to our hotel, where Skyler played in the Kids Tyme playground (she'd been begging ever since we saw it when we first toured the hotel the night before!) We had dinner at a small Irish Pub across the street from our hotel. (If you're ever in Vegas and at the Orleans -- I highly recommend McMullins Irish Pub - it's across the road. The Shepherds Pie is the best I've ever had!)

After dinner we headed out to the strip to see all the pretty sights. Skyler was IN LOVE with the fountains at Bellagio! We watched them at least 3 times. (And there will be photos of Vegas at night later -- but I'm caught up to what I've edited so far! *lol*

We finally got back to our room about 11pm (*eek* Skyler was surprisingly well that late at night!) and we gave her her birthday present (a stuffed Tiger from the Tiger Exhibit) and then we all crashed!

(More updates tomorrow!)