A Quick Getaway

This past weekend Matt and I headed up to Denver. I think Matt was feeling sorry for me being at the house all the time, so we went up to Denver for something different. Saturday morning we drove up, checked into our hotel (found a great deal at a Grand Hyatt downtown on Hotwire!) and then grabbed some lunch at Rubio's. There are 4 Rubio's in the Denver area and we really miss it! So if we are near, we try to stop by. Matt even asked the manager about the possibility of stores opening in Colorado Springs, and he did actually say they are planning on 2 stores, but who knows when that will happen. Still we were excited about the possibility!!!

Then we headed to the Denver Zoo. It turned out to be a very hot day, so walking around the zoo was a bit exhausting. But they had some cool exhibits, including hyenas which I have never seen in person... and they were every bit as creep and nasty as I thought they would be. Otherwise, they had all the standard animals... actually comparing it to the Cheyenne Zoo here near us, it wasn't that great. The Cheyenne has some more interesting animals like moose and grizzly bears. Although the Denver Zoo had sea lions, seals and even a couple of polar bears that were fun to see. And thankfully we narrowly missed a major thunderstorm and just moved past the zoo.

After heading back to the hotel for a rest, we checked with the concierge to get some ideas for dinner. We were told about a tapas place down the road, but reservations were already booked, so we decided just to wing it and hope we could get in. But once we got down there, it was a 45 minute wait, and it was already nearly 7pm so we were hungry! We ended up just going to the Cheesecake Factory we saw on the way to the tapas restaurant. A good stand-by that always satisfies! After dinner we walked up the 16th Street Mall downtown and enjoyed the people watching. We ended up at our hotel and got some drinks at the bar. We had thoughts of going out and doing something fun, but decided we were old and exhausted from the walking and hot sun all day!

Sunday started with trying to find a place for breakfast. We heard of this place called Snooze, but also heard it can have quite a wait. We arrived at 11am and there was an hour wait! Of course, we couldn't wait this long and ended up at a place Matt saw on our drive called Pete's Kitchen. It was a small diner with good food and good service. Then we headed to the Denver Nature & Science Museum to see the Body Works show. Matt had seen it before, but I hadn't... really amazing!!! Although the bodies didn't look real to me... it seemed like something that someone had constructed, but it was very impressive. I was particularly impressed with the arteries and blood vessels... sooo many! Then we strolled around the museum seeing some of the nature exhibits... animals from around the world. Interesting... I've never seen some of those animals so large. There were sea lions that were easily 2-3 times bigger than I've ever seen! Amazing!

Afterwards, we headed back home. It was great to get away and see more of Denver. Matt hasn't really been up there much since we've moved here. I look forward to seeing more of the state as we start to explore more!

What a Mess!!!

This week we had a huge sewage mess!!! It started on Sunday when Matt ran a load of laundry. When I went downstairs to change it over to the dryer, there was water all over the floor. So we notified our landlord, Corey, who was coming over the next day anyway. He checked it out Monday morning and said they had this problem once before several years ago. So he had me call Roto Rooter who came out and started checking out the main drain. I mentioned to him that there was a water main break in the street about 1 1/2 weeks ago and asked if that could be the issue... he didn't think so, and kept checking around.

Later Monday morning, he had to bring in another set of guys who have a camera that can see what is blocking a drain. They had trouble figuring it out, but thought the issue was in the area of where that water main had broken. Eventually another set of guys show up and start marking the street to show where they are finding issues... of course it's all in the area of where the water main had been "fixed". But they also thought the issue could be with the drain coming from the house that runs under the front yard. A few hours later a bulldozer and some heavy equipment starts showing up and suddenly they are start digging up a small part of the front yard! Quite a scene considering our landlord just thought it was a simple issue.

Day #1

In the meantime, we could use our water if it went down a drain... so that meant no dishwasher, washing machine, water running down the sink, and no flushing of toilets. We were told Monday late afternoon that the problem should be solved by end of day Tuesday. But by the end of Monday, they discovered that there were some major issues in the street, which meant having to bring in the City Inspector to check it out and arrange to have it fixed. Once the City Inspector came, they discovered it was a huge issue, so we were told it should be fixed by end of day Wednesday... in the meantime, no water!

Tuesday morning started with Matt and I heading to his work to take a shower. Luckily his office has a "doctor's" bathroom that includes a shower, so I could feel human again! Tuesday our street became a major construction site! Multiple bulldozers, many trucks, a City crew and a Roto Rooter crew. This day was focused on reparing the street leaks and finally fixing the "fixed" water main. It turned out that when they fixed it, they had broken the drain coming from our house. They dug a hole across the entire street that was about 2 feet wide by 10 feet deep. It took all day, but they got it fixed and even got the street patched up. Thankfully they were able to provide a temporary drainage patch for the evening so we could use water and flush our toilets... we were so appreciative! And Matt got to shower at home on Wednesday morning.

Day #2

I was praying that Wednesday would finally be the day to get this all solved... I woke up to find a second hole being dug in the front yard. Unfortuantely this hole took out a section of the bushes near the front door. But they were going to replace the drain from the house to the street. By the middle of the day, we had to huge piles of dirt in the front yard, and the City was digging up the street again, but this time to repave the sections they had worked on. Seeing all this mess, I really didn't think they would finish by the end of the day. But these guys really worked hard all day... I didn't really see anything taking any breaks and there were probably 15 guys working on the street and our yard all day long. Our landlord stopped by and was really shocked to see all that was going on. By about 4pm I got word that the drain was in place and we could finally start using our water. I was so thrilled and immediately ran the diswasher and flushed the toilets... sad that was the highlight of my day, but it's the simple things!

Day #3

Surpringly by the end of Wednesday (about 6:30pm) they got the holes filled back up and cleaned up the yard. They did a great job cleaning it up and making it look as it did originally.

All Cleaned Up!!!

In speaking to Corey, our landlord, he was told by the City Inspector that there was a lot of evidence to point to the fact that the City had broken the pipe in the street. Unfortunately he had to pay for all of this up front, and will have to submit for reimbursement... I can't imagine how much this cost. So glad we are renters and not the owners!!! And so glad we are back to normal now!!!

One Year!

One year ago today I arrived with Nate in Colorado!!! I can't believe it's been a year already... so much has happened in the last year... we've moved twice, Matt started a great job that he loves, I got and got laid off from a job, we got married, welcomed a niece and are starting to settle into life in Colorado Springs. We are enjoying being much closer to California and it's easy to make the less than 2 hour flight back home (we still call CA home!) We've had family members visit and are looking forward to more friends and family coming this year. As I've said before, we would love to be back in California near our families, but if we can't be there, Colorado Springs is a great place to settle down. We are looking forward to the future all it has in store for us!

My Parents Visit

My parents came out for a visit for 10 days and just left yesterday! This was actually the first time I wasn't working when they visited, so it was great to spend so much time with them. They arrived on their 38th wedding anniversary so we took them out to Marigold's for a great dinner. Their first weekend here was a cool and rainy one, which was a welcome relief for me since we had recording breaking high temps right before they arrived. On that first Saturday we drove down to La Junta (where Matt attends clinic about once a month) and checked out Bent's Fort which was a post along the Santa Fe Trail. It was impressive and the re-creations were cool to see. On that Sunday we checked out some open houses, and found a house that was absolutely perfect! Unfortunately it was out of our budget at $1.3M, but in comparison to what that same house whould have cost if it were located in California, it was a steal! It was amazing, and the backyard was incredible too! I think my Mom could have moved in immediately!

Last week we went to the Zoo where we got quite a show from the animals. Many animals that are often sleeping were up and about. We got to the the tiger walking around and making noises, saw both grizzly bears up close and personal when one went swimming and the other decided to sit and pose for pictures at the window. Incredibly impressive and I hope that's the closest I ever get to one!!! Of course the moose was still sitting down... I've yet to see him stand and it's annoying! But then... we walk into Primate World where we come upon two orangutangs having sex!!! I'm not sure if they only have sex for mating purposes or if they actually do it for pleasure, but she didn't seem that thrilled. It was funny because we felt like we shouldn't be watching, but couldn't look away either! My Mom and I got hysterical when she just started throwing things back at him as if to say, "Whenever you're done..." It was a crack up!

The rest of the week we checked out Old Colorado City, ran some errands and just hung out and relaxed. Of course we caught the last 2 games of the Laker/Celtic championship. This past Saturday we took a scenic drive to Canon City and areas southwest of Colorado Springs. We checked out this pizza place that the Canon City website was the best around, and really it was the best pizza I've had in Colorado... too bad it's 45 minutes away!!! But then driving around and through the mountains, we saw some of the most beautiful and scenic landscapes we've seen since living here. Huges ranches on lush greens with spectacular mountain ranges in the background... so amazing and beautiful. We ended the day with drinks and food at the Broadmoor Bar. It's beautiful facing the mountains and we enjoyed a relaxing time. Such a perfect way to end their visit to us.

Our New Friend, The Fox

Shortly after we moved in Matt told me about the fox he saw in our backyard, but I had yet to see it... until today. This morning the fox came in the backyard, took a bath, did some stretches and then curled up and had a nice nap. He is really beautiful. Nate saw him from our upstairs bedroom window and surprisingly didn't get all worked up about him... but he did watch him very intently. Maggie and I left to run some errands and unfortunately he was gone by the time we returned. I'm really enjoying getting to see wildlife (fox, deer and occassionally bear!) wander around... especially being from Southern California where that is very rare. I'm sure he'll be back and I'm looking forward to seeing him.

Planting the Garden - Day 1

Matt finally got a chance to start planing the garden today! Even though it was still VERY windy, and pretty warm outside today, Matt really had to get the garden going. So he and Maggie headed down to the garden (I stayed at home) and got started planting.

He put in a trellis (on the left side of the picture) that he built for sugar snap peas. He put in the teepee poles (above the trellis to the right) for the cucumbers. Mini-greenhouses (the small green round plastic containers in the middle of the picture) are put over the peppers (green and red) to protect them from the wind while they are still small. And finally the "Walls of Water" (the larger green tube-like containers on the right side of the picture) look kinda like "otter pops" put together and act as protection for the baby tomato plants. I came down to bring Matt some water hose attachments and ended up being put to work helping him to fill each individual tube of the 12 walls of water we put in!

So today he planted: peas, eggplant, tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, and pumpkin. Still to come are: corn, more tomatoes, more peppers, pole beans, summer squash, zucchini, tomatillos, carrots, onions (yellow, red, and white), garlic, leeks, broccoli and brussel sprouts.... he's got a lot left, but he got most of the time consuming structures and plants completed today so hopefully the rest will go more quickly!

Here's how the garden is progressing:

I Hope I Have a Green Thumb!

Matt's Mom, Maggie, is visiting us this week. I had decided that I wanted some sort of potted plant on our front porch at the front door, so today Maggie and I headed to Home Depot. She used to own a flower shop, so her knowledge of flowers is so useful to me... especially since I don't know anything about plants or flowers. We worked together and put this together, picking out the pot, the flowers (Calmis that will climb up the railing) and trailing plants around the edge. It turned out great and looks beautiful at the door. I'll try not to kill it...

Herb Garden is Planted

Matt is in charge of his huge plot at the community garden, so this year I chose several herbs to plant and am going to take care of the herb garden at the house. I do not have a green thumb at all, so I hope I don't kill them!!!

Some we bought as plants already started and others we bought as seeds. We got 3 pots and got them planted today! We have rosemary, basil, cilantro, thyme, garlic, chives and oregano. The cilantro was a bit limp when we planted it (as you can see in the picture below), but since watering and letting it soak up the sun, it's perked up! I can't wait for them to grow and to cook with them!

Large Pot - Rosemary (plants) and Basil (seeds)

Medium Pot - Tyme (plant), Oregano (seeds), Cilantro (plant & seeds)

Small Pot - Chives (seeds) and Garlic (actual garlic from the market broken up & put in soil)

Crazy Quilt is Up

Two Christmas' ago Matt Mom has his great-great-grandmother's Crazy Quilt framed for him. A Crazy Quilt is a collection of items and fabrics that women would put together to practice their stiching. He absolutely loved it, but since we lived in CT at the time, we couldn't get it back to the apartment. And at the time, we were still hoping that Matt could find a job in California. But we ended up in Colorado Springs instead and my parents were nice enough to bring it with them when they drove out in March. We were just getting ready to move in April, so we didn't do anything with it then. Finally we got the Crazy Quilt up today in the family room and it looks beautiful!!! I'm sure it'll be a conversation starter when people come in and see it!!!

Garden Update

Matt spent the morning over at the community garden getting his plot reading for planting. He prepared the soil and set up the borders according to his diagram. Memorial weekend is typically the time to plant here (May can sometime still be cold... we got a bit of snow just a couple of weeks ago!). He's also gotten some "walls of water" and "mini greenhouses" to help protect the baby plants from the windy conditions at the garden. These sit over or around the plants. Apparently wind is quite a concern at this garden, as we learned today. Gusts were up to 40mph all day, and if Matt had already planted the baby plants without any protection, many of them would probably have died.

Plot Before

Plot After

This afternoon we went to three different nurseries to find all the plants he needs. We bought corn, many types of tomatoes (romas, heirlooms, beefstakes, early girls, pineapple, brandy wines, yellow pears and a few more), red peppers, green peppers, brussel sprouts (I'm not too thrilled about these, although I've never tried them!), broccoli, zucchini, yellow squash, pumpkin, beets, leeks, carrots, peas, pole beans, onions (white, yellow and red), cucumber, eggplant, and tomatillos. We also got a couple of herb plants that I needed for my herb garden: tyme, rosemary and garlic. We even picked up some cat grass for Nate so he doesn't feel left out!

Here are the plants we bought... Matt also has MANY packets of seeds to plant. He still has some of the structures to build for the pole beans and cucmbers, and then we are ready to go!!!

I'll update the blog as the garden is planted and as the veggies come in!!!