givincare

Ann, I am sorry to hear about your SIL. Please know that you and your family are in the thoughts and prayers of ours. Kristen

Sue, Glad you are back home safely, sounds like it went pretty well for you all! coming home and unpacking and doing the laundry is always my least favorite part of the vacation. There is something very nice though about coming home to a place where you know where everything is and what the routine will be. Glad you are home, Take Care! Kristen

Glad to hear Trev got it working. Give him a big hug from all of us! That instant messaging is pretty cool, huh? I've used it a few times here and I look forward to using it more. Talk to you soon, Kristen

I wish I had your ability in the garden. It always sounds good on paper but when I go out there ti putz around it always ends up feeling like work. I will miss you in the Chat Room, I hope you are able to upgrade soon! Have a great time during your upcoming breaks, you deserve them. Kristen

Thanks for the comments! I have not taken any photography classes, I can barely operate our camera to be honest (hence the "no chip" incident). But it's hard to screw up when there is so much to take pictures of! It was a nice way to spend the day. (Our 9th wedding anniversary was the next day!) Kristen

On Thursday, Patrick and I decided it was now or never to take a drive into the mountains and get some pictures of the Aspen trees in all their fall glory. I am so glad we did! The day was sunny and gorgeous and we were able to get some great pics. We started up the mountain around 11am with our delicious lattes (sugar free, skinny vanilla, 1/2 the syrup...I am SO that person) and Peter Gabriel playing on the CD player. We drove the same basic route that we took last year. It starts in a quaint little mountain town that I swear I will stop in one day just to mill around. We then continue up the mountain where it seems you just round a curve and the aspens are suddenly enveloping you. We would pull off the road here and there and take a couple of pictures. That's when I decided to look at what I had snapped so far and realized there was no chip in the camera. DUH! Luckily, we had not yet reached the pinnacle of our journey so I was able to get plenty of pictures before we headed back down. BTW, funny how it looks so different coming back the other direction. There were several places we had intended to visit on the way back but could not find them because the views seemed so different. I guess it was not meant to be. We then continued on past the road we came up and went to the next mountain town, Estes Park. While we were in Estes, we came across four deer on a bike path. We pulled over and got some pictures of them. Then we pressed on, and about a mile down the road we came across a small herd of elk. They were to our left, to our right, and right in front of us. They had us surrounded! Luckily I still had the camera in my lap from the deer so I was able to get some really great pictures of them. The baby was my favorite. Patrick then drove us down the mountain back home. This was exciting because it was the first time since his stroke that he has driven in the mountains. He did a great job and I was able to take in the scenery which is something I haven't been able to do for a long time. A good time was had by all that day! Kristen

And why wait till you list gets longer? Kristen

After jumping through many hoops, dropping off forms, having evaluations, paying over $1000 out of pocket for driving instruction, modifying our vehicle, PATRICK TOOK THE WRITTEN AND DRIVING TEST TODAY AND PASSED! We have been working towards this goal since the first of the year. He passed both on his first try! It is such a relief to have this off our to-do list! He is now liscenced in THE STATE OF COLORADO! WAY TO GO, SWEETIE! Should continue to be a good day, we see Les Miserables in a few short hours! I am so excited!!! Take Care all, and thanks to everyone who has sent their good luck vibes to Patrick on his persuit of a new liscence! Kristen PS I am glad my 100th blog is all about us being happy

Janice, 10 to 1 odds that if you called back and said you had the flu etc. they would see you tomorrow. Not a suggestion, just saying!!! Doctors... Kristen

Ever wondered what life is like through a dog's perspective? I just read the book, The Art of Racing in the Rain, and this book was written through the eyes of a dog. I bought it yesterday and finished it this morning- it was so enganging! (I won't spoil the story, the plot I will tell you about can be found on the book jacket- I hate when people tell you too much-lol) The book begins with the end of the dog's life. On the eve of his death the story unfolds as Enzo (the dog) tells of his life and the lives of his "pack" (his owners). Enzo has come to terms with his death and is ready to die due to a documentary he saw on the discovery channel when he was young. The documentary (in short) told of an ancient belief that when dogs die, they will come back as a man. Because of this, he has spent much of his life preparing to be a man someday, trying to ingrain onto his soul all the life lessons he has learned so that as a man, he will always remember what is important. Enzo's story telling mostly focus's on his master, "Denny" a semi-professional race car driver, and the ordeal he goes through when Denny's wife becomes terminally ill and eventually dies. The story continues when Denny's in-laws sue him for custody of his daughter. You get to feel how an animal knows what is going on in his master's life and is able to "be there" as only man's best friend could be. It was fascinating to read a book told in the first person by not a person at all, but a dog. It was very moving and insightful, I highly recommend it! Kristen

Awesome Sue! I absolutely love the music in this show. They are able to tell a story during the French Revolution and yet let the audience of today identify with their plights through the common emotions and challenges of life. I can identify with so much of it as I am sure others do too- which is what makes it so moving. Kristen

I am SO EXCITED! Patrick and I are going to go see Les Miserables next Thursday, (Sept 18th) for my birthday! Patrick had told me a few days ago that the show was in Denver so I decided that seeing it again would make the perfect birthday gift. I went to the website and tried to purchase the tickets online but was unable to get any seats except in the "value" section. I called the box office to see if they had any better tickets and it just so happened that they has just had four tickets returned in the prime seating area. I told her we would take two. As it turns out, we are in the second row, center. I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! Here I just wanted to be able to see the actors as the first time we saw the show (13+ years ago) I couldn't see their faces- we were too far back. Of course we didn't care at the time, the music tells the story, but this time...WOW... we should be able to see every nuance! This time I will wear my waterproof mascara! And I'll have to buy new shoes, and Patrick will need a new pair of pants... :bouncing_off_wall: :bouncing_off_wall: :bouncing_off_wall: Kristen

Hey Sue, I am so happy to hear you were able to get out for a bit with Ray. Keep up the fight to get out of the house as much as feasible. It is so easy to get into a major depression when you are stuck looking at the same four walls. I agree that just taking a walk down the street (or a drive up the mountains in my case) can be so therapeutic. And when those situations arise when you are invited somewhere but unable to go, tell yourself, "we are unable to go THIS TIME, it doesn't mean we will never be able to again". Hope is what keeps us all going. Love Ya, Kristen

I am happy to hear Ray is home! At least you won't have to spend so much time driving to and being at the hospital now! I hope spring flowers start blooming for you soon! Kristen

Asha, We did it at the Royal Gorge in Canon City Colorado. The gorge has the world's highest suspension bridge you can walk over or drive over as well. You can see the bridge in the background of the video. I am not sure, but I suspect it is considered the highest due to altitude rather than how high it is off the ground. The sky coaster (the ride we did in the video) pulls you about 200 feet up before you free fall. Then you swing out over the gorge which is another 1200 feet below. It's a beautiful place to visit! Sue, I like the laughing too (Patrick), and I think you can hear me moan in fear shortly after I pull the release cord. I'm glad I have video proof I did it, because it's never happening again. Patrick WAS having the time of his life. Brandon has been very "cool" about it and I wish his hair wasn't covering his face the whole time so I could see his expression! Kristen