#14: Go hiking

It's Father's Day. After lunch, my dad proposed a hike. It was crystal clear blues skies, about 85 degrees, and it was a perfect day for hiking. We all jumped at the opportunity of heading outside to get some good exercise and have some great fun as a family! It was wonderful. Here are some pics of our adventures...

Brandon and I...He looks like a flamingo. I think I said something along the lines of, "Welcome to the gun show!" Ha...funny. We have so much fun together.

The gang....minus Bryan. We missed you!

Mamacita and I...we are women, hear us ROAR!

The crew reading something interesting about beetles or trees...not really sure.

So I am making slow progress on my list. I am down 3, only 27 more to go. It has been fun so far!

Item #10: Paddle Boating at City Park

Here goes nothing. My friend, Jason has had paddle boating on the mind for a while, and we finally decided to brave it yesterday in honor of my birthday celebration. We met at City Park at 2:30 to some cloudy skies. I surely thought we were going to get rained out. We ended up having an hour of pure fun, with only one person walking away soaking wet...ME! Interestingly enough, Jason was attempting to bother the other boat (which included Allie, Nic, and Brandon). However, in an effort to soak Jason, they ended up getting my entire right side wet along with flooding my seat, which I then sat down in. My butt was soaking wet by the time we were done. I have to admit that I have never laughed so hard in my life. It was quite entertaining...most definitely worth the $8.46 each person spent.

Jason and I...before getting wet! Brandon, Nic, and Allie...the culprits!

Item #1: Mini golf with the familia

So, I replaced my #1 on my things to do list (Frontier Days) because I am going to be out of town. I have replaced it with mini golf. I admit, I lost, but it was still fun! Here are some pictures of our family adventures on the mini golf course. We are a bit ridiculous :)

I am trying to ride the one-eared donkey. It was slightly awkward.













Brandon and I calculating totals at hole 9. Mom and Brandon were tied at 27. Dad was at 29. And sadly, I was at 30...about 7 over par :(



Brandon and I were imitating the scary ET creature at the end of the golf course. It was part of the "Around the World" themed course. Not sure how it relates, but entertaining enough!












Overall, an exciting game of mini golf. I have come to the conclusion that I am not very good at it! Mom was the winner surprisingly, and Brandon came in second. However, second in his opinion is "not good enough." Better than last, which is what I came in. That's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes! :)

Hit the Jackpot!

Today I hit the jackpot. One of my co-teachers called me and told me that Denver Public Library was having their big used book sale. So, we ventured over there about noon today. It was amazing. I have never seen so many books to wade through, but I managed to walk away with 65 content related books for $40.00. The best part was that they are almost all hard-cover, which hold up so much better in the classroom. It was a great use of time and energy!

Summers off...what shall I do?

I have come to the conclusion lately that one of the best things about being a teacher is having summers off. I have to admit that all my life I have had summers off and never really taken advantage of it. This summer, I have decided that I am going to be productive in the midst of my time off. I've got 7 weeks of summer, so here is my list of 30 things to do:

1. Visit Frontier Days in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
2. Attend a Rockies Game.
3. See a movie at Red Rocks...maybe Ghostbusters or Princess Bride?
4. Get a nice tan and spend lots of time at the pool.
5. Do a puzzle...a hard one.
6. Go to the Museum of Nature and Science.
7. Go the Art Museum.
8. Go to the zoo.
9. Have a picnic in the park.
10. Go paddle-boating at City Park.
11. Have margaritas at the pool.
12. Fly a kite.
13. Enjoy a day in the mountains.
14. Go hiking.
15. Go camping...(yes, Sarah...I will go camping).
16. Climb a tree.
17. Play sand volleyball.
18. See fireworks.
19. Go white water rafting.
20. Play glow in the dark bocce-ball.
21. Make a root-beer float.
22. Play a board game.
23. Cook-out/Barbeque.
24. Play football in the park.
25. Clean out my closets and donate my clothes I don't wear anymore.
26. Go bowling.
27. Go to an amusement park (Elitches or Water World).
28. Go ice-skating.
29. Try a new food...maybe rattlesnake?
30. Run through the sprinklers like I just don't care.

(As I hold my glass up to toast)...Here's to a summer of 4 weddings, 2 roadtrips, sunshine, and hopefully a lot of fun! :) Happy Summer Everyone.

Random thoughts....

It rained for five days straight, and today I saw the sun for the first time. Pure bliss...the thunderstorms were cool...but five days, seriously?

I really like the word, seriously? I use it a lot....and I use the word scandalous.

I spent 4 hours at the pool, and burned the back of my legs...ouch. Maybe I should put some sunscreen on tomorrow before I brave the sun again.

I almost got rid of my tan lines today.

I had a wonderful coffee date with Suse this morning. Yeah for friends and free time!

I had an enjoyable "wedding" planning afternoon with Allie. We cooked dinner together, drank wine, and chatted about the upcoming marriage.

I think I might go to Beloit for 5 days next week.

I am blessed by friends who truly care about me.

I may have found a tutoring job that pays $50.00/hr. The students is from Norway, how cool is that?

I had 6 friends call on Monday to check in about how my date went. I am encouraged by those who invest in me.

I love sleeping in and staying up late, both of which I have done a lot of lately.

I had a glass of wine tonight, and am feeling a bit sleepy.

I went to a dips and dorks party last weekend, and dressed up like a dork. It was fun.

I got to play old school Nintendo, and dance around like a crazy person on Saturday night.

I have the itch to travel to a foreign country, but have nowhere to go, no one to go with, and no money to spend.

I bought some kids books today at Barnes and Noble...can't seem to go in there without purchasing something. I love kids books!

I am excited about teaching second grade next year.

I am reading a book about poverty...it is very interesting and enlightening. Tells me a lot about my past students and the places they are at.

I found out I DON'T have to take any summer classes to get my Linguistically Diverse Endorsement in Colorado. I do have to take a stupid test though, and pay another $60 bucks to the department of education....ay-ai-ay.

Why can't they call it one thing? TESOL? ESL? ELD? LD? Caramba...

I really like the word, Caramba, Que pasa?

My apartment people painted our speed bumps today, and I saw 6 car get towed. Bummer for them.

I tried on my bridesmaid dress for Brittany's wedding, and its a little low and a bit short. Yikes! Allie told me I don't look like a hootchie...whew, good thing.

I ate blueberries and raspberries for breakfast today. It made me happy.

I cleaned the kitchen, but have yet to attack the bedroom. The mess is just glaring at me everyday and I keep avoiding it.

I think I should stop, before this list gets ridiculously long!

I am done typing, and need to go make some phone calls. Sionara, Adios, TTFN:)