What A Week Can Do!

Well, I'm finally able to stay awake for more than about 3 hours at a time after my whirlwind vacation to Michigan. I had a GREAT time visiting and catching up with so many friends and family. It seems like just yesterday that Chris picked me up from school and we raced to the airport so I could make it through security and catch my flight. It took nearly 30 minutes for me to get through all the metal detectors due to my cool leg accessory and accoutrements to help me get around. :) It is hard to believe that fall break is just a few short hours away from being done. I didn't get home until late, Thursday afternoon due to several flight delays that lead to a 5 1/2 hour layover in Minneapolis. Had I known I was going to be in the land of 10,000 lakes for so long, I could have met Clint and Katie (Chris's grandparents) for lunch down in Redwood Falls and still made it back in time to fly out! Needless to say, I was pretty much left with just Friday to do some of the things I needed to get done around Denver.

One of the to-do items was to FINALLY register my car. So, yes, I am truly a Coloradan fully equipped with a Colorado driver's license AND license plate. A difference between MI and CO when it comes to car registration is that when you register your car here, you get your license plates immediately (yes, plateS - they go on the front and back of car here). Thus, it's a nice little deal - go to DMV, pay a ridiculous amount of money, and get plates to put on the car right away! Unfortunately, aside from paying extra to request a vanity plate, one doesn't have much choice in the numbers and letters that get put on the plate. I am, thus, an unfortunate victim of this system. Let's just put it this way...a picture is DEFINITELY worth a 1000 words in this case... See below for my new CO plate and a few pics from my MI vacation.

More soon...



I'm definitely going to get a few honks with this on my back end!


The fall colors were so beautiful!


Walker, Quinten, Kristen and I after a family dinner before I came back to CO.


Kate, Marissa and I on Friday night at the Monkey Bar. Lots of friends met there! It was soooo much fun!

The Golden Tree

This tree is on 19th & Pennsylvania St. I see it every night when I take Layla out at night. It always bring me a smile and reminds me of the beauty nature holds.

Mom, where the hell are you? Get this guy out of my face...

What a character. Just when I thought we were going to have a bonding week while Meg is in Grand Rapids visiting on Fall Break, he shoots me this look.

Oh how they grow...

Layla just gets bigger and bigger. Ain't she a cutie?

Trick or Treat

Happy Halloween! I was going to carve the Denver Broncos logo, but it really doesn't fit the holiday theme. Hope everyone is doing well and have a great and safe Halloween.

And The Prize Goes To....

Gimpy McGimperton!

Yes, it's true. Meghan-the-Klutz has returned in high form. Yesterday, while bringing in a load of binders up the stairwell of our building, I took a fall. But here is the interesting part...I couldn't do it like most people and fall DOWN the stairs. NO! I had to fall UP the stairs! As I fell, I managed to whack my knee in just the right spot so that it could swell up immediately and give me a nice, colorful bruise the size of an apple.

I decided to put my health insurance to use and go see a doc. It was confirmed: severe sprain and bruise of the knee. Treatment: ace wrap and leg immobilizer for two weeks, reevaluation to follow.
Boo.

I started laughing hysterically when the doctor told me what he was going to put on my leg. The worlst part is that I am supposed to wear this contraption on the OUTSIDE of my pants! My kids are going to make so much fun of me at school...not to mention the fact that I have to ride on an airplane on Friday, go to a wedding on Saturday, and see a bunch of people I haven't seen in 6 months. I am such a dork.

Raise your glasses and have a toast: To the return of Meghan-the-Klutz!

SNOW!

Yes, you read correctly...

IT SNOWED 8 INCHES IN DENVER!!!!!

Because of the snow, we had an hour and a half delay, so I picked up my friend Dawn on the way to work and we began our slow drive out of the city and to the plains. I was so glad that we rode together because I got to witness someone seeing a heavy snowfall for the FIRST TIME EVER! It was hilarious to watch Dawn as she noticed every little thing about how the snow changed the landscape, the way people drove, and many other sights that are often overlooked. What was most fun was talking with her about the all things that one must do now that the snow is here - everything from buying a scraper for her car to getting a winter coat. This Vegas native definitely has fun winter ahead of her!

I took out my camera phone and put it to use. The quality isn't the best, but nonetheless enjoy the pics from our first snowfall of the year!



Look! All the new little trees lost their leaves! Sad!


Dawn, this morning before school smiling as she stood in her first snowfall EVER!


Outside my building after school today. We all got to leave when the bell rang today!

The Latest

Life in Denver continues to provide one crazy moment after another. I am very quickly realizing that my blog-posting has dwindled to a very disappointing frequency. For that, I am sorry. And so, here it is: the latest.

After Dad and Walker paid a visit, Chris and I CRASHED! It is amazing how much a 3-year-old can take out of you. We spent that weekend pretty much camped out on the living room couch with movies, popcorn and pizza. Ideal! Hiding under my favorite blanket (thanks Mary!) didn't last for long though...my mom arrived 4 days later!

When Mom arrived, we hardly slowed down from the speed her jet flew in on. Our time together was jam-packed with dinners, a girl's night, the MSU vs. U of M game (B00), shopping (of course!) and even a visit to Sky Vista for a day. We had so much fun and it was GREAT to see her!

This past week proved to continue at the whirlwind pace of weeks previous...

Chris's job has shifted more to the estimating end of things. He is working his regular long hours, but he gets to work out of the Denver office instead of up in Longmont an hour away. He likes the change and so do our wallets since they get to take a break from all the crazy gas prices.

My 8th grade students had a week of presentations, which translates to A TON of grading. The enrichment class that I teach called Stories to Plague You (a class on investigating infectious diseases) had been researching the SARS virus and held their first Emergency Health Summit. It was hilarious! The class was divided up into delegations from around the world. Picture this: 6th, 7th and 8th graders dressed up in Kimonos, maple leaves and suit coats. It was too precious for words...I think they may have even learned a thing or too! On top of just work stuff, we also hosted a friend of ours who needed a warm heart and a shoulder to cry on.

Today, Chris and I met with a real estate broker to begin the process of entering the market to buy a house. It was super-informative and super-exciting. It was wonderful to hear the the idea of buying a house doesn't just have to be an IDEA anymore and it is something feasible for us in the very near future. Thus, for the next few months the name of the game is SAVE, SAVE, SAVE! So, please send your tax deductable donations to...hahaha. But really, if you want to...just kidding. Seriously though...wink, wink. :)

So there it is, I do hope those of you who are disappointed in not-so-frequent posts can understand why sometimes Chris and I are even too tired to make dinner. We love you all and truly do think of you often. Just think of it this way...time between posts means lots of stuff for us to fill you in on when we do!

Much love and many blessings.

P.S. Please enjoy our version of David Letterman's Top 10 List below.

Move Over Letterman: Chris and Meg's Top 10 List

You know you live in a big city when...



10. the Starbucks in Barnes and Noble mirrors the Starbucks across the street.

9. every person standing on a street corner is a "Veteran in need of a little help".

8. you can eat somewhere new each night for a year and never have a repeat dine.

7. you go to Hard Rock Cafe for the Twisted Mac and Chicken and not for the t-shirt.

6. there are doggy-doo baggy dispensers every 20 feet.

5. ATM's are even more frequent than baggy dispensers.

4. one can get lost for a year on one-way streets.

3. the length of your work day is determined by the best time to beat the traffic.

2. walking and biking replaces all forms of motorized transport on the weekends.

And finally, you know you live in the city when...

1. a house going for $275,000 is considered "a steal".