The Latest

Hi Friends and Fam. Meg here. I just got home from touring my new school tonight. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Every single detail that could have been thought of for this building was - and then some! I feel so lucky. When I got to see my room I started to cry. I suddenly felt incredibly overwhelmed by it all - the building, the job, the idea that I will be IN CHARGE OF several eager-minded children, and that it was all going to happen VERY SOON. The tour of the building and picnic to follow was meant to be a family evening for the staff to have a chance to mingle with the significant others of those we will be working with, but Chris couldn't come. Unfortunately, he was unable to leave work at his normal time due to extenuating circumstances on the site today. I was sad. He would have loved going on the tour - especially because there was still a lot of stuff unfinished and he could have really taken a look at things from the construction engineering point of view! Luckily, one of my team teachers, Lee-Ann, was there by herself as well because her fiance was also working late. It was nice to have a buddy to chat with and talk about the upcoming year.

Since my test has been finished (it went very well, by the way), I have been able to let my mind wonder a bit and it has felt great. Things I have been thinking about...

1) I want a dog! Really bad! We dogsat this past weekend for friends of ours and it made me realize just how much I miss having a dog around. I love their energy, devotion, and curiosity. They are such amazing creatures. Keep your fingers crossed that I can talk Chris into this one! ;)

2) I recently found out that my cousin, Stacy and her husband, are going to have their first baby! What an exciting time!! As Chris and I get older, it is weird to think that this is the next stage that we, our friends, and our family will be entering! At the same time, it is such a wonderful and natural part of our growth as couples. Congrats to Stacy and Alex!

3) I love Denver. I miss my parents and their hugs. Can you send me some in the mail? My mom and I used to always celebrate special occasions with a glass of Vouvray. I bought a bottle tonight at the special wine shop across the street to celebrate seeing Sky Vista. I'll save a glass for you when you come to visit in September, Mom.

4) Chris and I ate our wedding cake-topper this weekend. How on Earth did it manage to taste just as good as it did on our wedding day? It simply amazed me! :)

5) I need some good books to read. Any suggestions?

Alright, time is ticking away and I have very little of it left before I need to head off to bed. Tomorrow will be a big day - I am submitting my application downtown to become a certified Colorado teacher! Woo hoo!

Until next time...

P.S. Don't you wish YOU could do this too? I do! Looks like waaaay too much fun!!

G & G Weltsch

Hello again friends and family,
I just wanted to ask all of you for a little help. My grandpa, Clint, is getting a new pace-maker this Thursday, in hopes to correct his irregular heart beat and strengthen his arteries. This "new equipment" will have a built-in defibulator and wires that wrap around his arteries that will electrically stimulate them to aid in pumping blood when needed. He has had issues for many years and this will definately aid in increasing his quality and comfort of life. My grandma, Katie, is also dealing with an irregular heart beat and is on medication and goes for regular checkups. I just ask that you keep them both in your thoughts and prayers as they work diligently towards improving their health. I hope with your thoughts and prayers, his stength, and God's will, my grandpa remains calm during his surgery and positive during his recovery. I know the same will help my grandma with her heart and give her strength to aid grandpa in his recovery. Thank you all for keeping them in your mind and heart and thinking of your loved ones in times of need and the power of prayer.

One year already? Feels like a few months!

Hey there friends and family! It's Chris here actually dropping a message to you all. Meg and I had a great weekend dogsitting with Jake the 13 month, 90lb Chocolate lab (he is very fit and just big). He hops around all the time like a little guy. Playing with Jake is really giving Meg the itch for a dog. I guess it is better than a baby itch and it will put the new couch itch on the back burner.
We woke early on Saturday (6:30am!) so Meg could finish studying for her Colorado Certification Exam. When she was off to ace the test, I took Jake for a walk, got flowers for my better half, and washed Donna Dakota squeaky clean. When Meg got back from taking the test, she was really confident because she randomly received the same version as last time. With all that work, we were both glad to take a nap. The dinner on Saturday was great! We went to a fondu reasturant called The Melting Pot. It was a slow-paced, flavorful, romantic dinner with great company (my beautiful wife of one year). I'll spare you the dinner details as Meg is much better with words on this blog thing.
On Sunday we took Jake on a long walk towards Blockbuster so we could finally watch the last episode of "24" -2nd Season. We can thank Kamran and Nicole for getting hooked onto "What will Jack Bower do next?" As we got closer to Colfax, a few blocks south, we saw a large gathering and remembered it was the Denver Gay Pride Parade was taking place. It was quite the site and we were glad to celebrate diversity. We saw lots of shirtless, cross-dressing men dancing to lively music. One of the most outragous outfits was a man dressed in only leather chaps and a pink banana hammock with black lether biker hat. The really funny thing was that he was about 5'9" and 125 lbs - and that was soaking wet. We also saw a man dressed in a pink dress on the back of a convertible, with a pink boa. While this was not an unusual site, the boa continue behind him for another 50' off each sholder and was carried by about 15 helpers. Definitely larger than the pink boa I had to wear at the bar for my bachelor party, thanks Shane (a whole other story no one will ever hear).
Well it was fun sharing and I hope everyone is doing well. I look forward to reading your comments.

Big Weekend

Hey Everyone!

Well, we have a huge weekend coming up...anniversary dinner, certification exam AND we are going to dogsit! Yay! Our new friends, Matt and Stacey are going to be out of town for the weekend and so we offered to take care of Jake, their 13-month-old brown lab. He is adorable and really friendly. Anyway, we are really excited about all that is going to go on over the next few days and we will surely let you know how it all turns out.

Happy Friday and enjoy the two-day vacation we call a weekend!

P.S. Happy 11th Anniversary to Mom and Brian tomorrow! We love you!

The Dreaded Ma'am

Ever have just "one of those days"? Well, today was a definite banner day for me! It started by hitting the snooze button SIX too many times so that I had just enough time to throw on a hat, some jeans and a t-shirt and run across the street to Fluid. And so, the morning routine began with the brewing of coffee, the distribution of papers, and setting up of the pastery case. It looked like things were going to be okay despite the rough start. That is, until...

(1) Three customers showed up before we were actually ready to be open throwing off the rest of our opening procedure
(2) I managed to explode an entire canister of milk as I was frothing it for a latte
(3) I slipped behind the counter and almost landed flat on my derriere
(4) In a rush to complete a series of orders, I knocked over a blender filled with mocha chiller smoothie and it spilled all over the counter, refrigerator door, and floor. Cool.

and a whopping finish to my time at Fluid...

(5) I got addressed as ma'am!! Not once, but 3 TIMES!!!!! I was seriously in shock. Ma'am?????? I'm 24!!!!!!!


Argh. Good thing each day is a new day. Don't forget to root for the Pistons tonight!

New Faces

One thing that I have found through the last few years is that teachers tend to be able to psychicly find one another. How this happens, I have no idea. In our few weeks here in Denver for instance, I have already met over 15 different teachers! There are two new faces in our neighborhood that are special though...

Just last week, Chris and I became friends with a great new couple from Ohio. Stacey is a high school Social Studies teacher and her husband Matt is an accountant. It has been great getting to know them, as they moved out here under very similar circumstances. What I truly appreciate is having someone to discuss "teacher stuff" with! Extremely passionate teachers are rare. When we find one another, we stick to each other like glue! Upon getting to know Stacey, we have had several amazing discussions about kids, classrooms, planning, strengths, weaknesses, and of course the teacher attire. (Let's be honest, the real challenge of a teacher these days is what to wear without sacrificing one's sense of style!) :) Anyway, it is nice to have someone out here to bounce ideas off of (as I haven't started working with my own staff yet) and get excited about the upcoming school year.

In other news...

Chris continues to rock the world of construction as he puts in long hours and dedication into his new job. He is now working on-site in a city about an hour away from Denver. He seems to not mind the drive and loves being on a "site schedule" of 7 a.m. - 3 p.m. I am so proud of how hard he is working and getting to know all his new coworkers. He rocks!

I recently found out that I missed passing my Colorado certification exam by 6 QUESTIONS!!!!! I was pretty upset, but realized that I only needed to get two more questions correct in 3 of the 4 sections to get a passing score. Chris has been the hugest supporter and has been so great with helping me study and remain calm. He best put it into perspective when he said, "Meg, you had like 1 week to prepare last time and you only missed by 6 questions. This time you have so much more time, practice with the test, and materials to prepare with. It's in the bag." He is so sweet and I'm incredibly lucky to have such a supporter. So the big test is this Saturday at 1 p.m. I could really use your thoughts and prayers (again) and I will surely keep you updated on how it all goes.

Chris and I are also getting ready to celebrate our 1st anniversary on Sunday! It is hard to believe that one year has already gone by in wedded bliss!! We are going to go out to this cool restaurant called The Melting Pot, which serves all fondu food. I am really excited!

Well, it's dinnertime and the tummy is grumbling. Off to dine with the hubby...

Our First Hiking Trip!

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Originally uploaded by mege18.

This is a shot of the Flatirons. There are three - we hiked the one in the middle. Check our our pictures and then the post about our visit with Marissa and Brian!

The Hikers

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Originally uploaded by mege18.

Chris, Brian, Marissa and I just after we started up the mountain. It was a beautiful day and even better company! :)

Being Me

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Originally uploaded by mege18.

A Rocky Start

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Originally uploaded by mege18.

Just when we thought it was going to be an easy trail, we hit this section - all rocks.

Hard Core

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Originally uploaded by mege18.

"I...don't....know....if....I ...can....make...it!"
haha - we had lots of fun with the rocks!

Flatiron 1

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Originally uploaded by mege18.

There are three Flatirons - 1, 2, and 3. We hiked up number 2. This is a shot of the Flatiron 1.

Taking A Break

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Originally uploaded by mege18.

The hike was tiring. Time for a break!

Looking off into the distance

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Originally uploaded by mege18.

About 2/3s of the way up, we stopped for a break. Marissa and Brian climbed out along an edge to look off into the distance.

View From the Top

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Originally uploaded by mege18.

How breathtaking is this?

A Visit To Remember

It is hard to believe that it has been almost a week since our last post! Don't worry - we have been filling our time with lots of activities to fill you all in on! :) Last Wednesday night, our friends, Marissa and Brian arrived for a visit from Michigan. We love having visitors and it is so much fun being able to share our new life with them. Here's a quick recap of their awesome visit:

On Thursday, Marissa, Brian and I ventured out to the pool to catch some rays. After about an hour, the sky started to cloud over and so we decided to go grab some lunch. We had lunch at this great place in our neighborhood called Chedd's. It is owned by a guy from Wisconsin and they make the BEST grilled cheese sandwiches! With 30 different cheeses to choose from and about 15 different breads, any person would be in cheese heaven after lunch there. Marissa and I went down to the 16th street mall to explore this great store called ROSS (think TJ Maxx but a wider selection). With so many items under $10, Marissa and I entered the fitting room with about 15 items each to which the attendent muttered, "Mammamia!" Way too much fun.

Brian hit a double whammy coming to visit. His cousin Kurt, wife Amy, and their daughter Avery live about 10 minutes from our place. Kurt is extremely involved in athletics and invited Brian to play a game with his softball team that night. We went and the team got two innings in before the game was called off due to lightening. No problem! The Pistons were on and there was a local sports bar just a block away. :)

Friday, Chris and I both had to work, so Marissa and Brian ran their way around the city - literally. As one who still gets winded from a few flights of stairs, I was totally impressed that they were able to run for over 3 miles after just one day in the mile high city! We all hung out and took it easy for the afternoon because we had a huge evening planned of baseball, Mexican food, and Uptown Tavern! It was definitely one of the best and most memorable nights that we have had with friends in a long time. We even got to play mini-bowling! ;)

Saturday was our super-big day and our first Colorado hike. Just outside of Boulder is a state park called Chetaquewa where the Flatirons are located. The Flatirons turned out to be more than breathtaking and an amazing experience. We took our time getting up to the top, stopping to rest in unique places where the views were stunning. It took us about 3 hours to reach the top and when we finally did, we were all taken aback by the view. The trip back down the mountainside only took about an hour, but proved to be much more physically challenging. Weird. Worn out and sore, we stopped for lunch in Boulder and made our way back to the city.

After a much needed nap, we dressed and headed back downtown to the Coors Field for the Rockies vs. Tigers game. Kurt and Amy were so gracious and got us phenomenal seats - always a boost to a game. :) The Tigers ended up winning that night, but we left a few minutes early because it started to rain...AGAIN. Dinner followed at My Brothers, a unique burger joint where the food is so good you dream about it that night. mmmm As if we hadn't done enough already that day, it was time to Karaoke! After two stops, we finally found a place that we could get in. It was fun hanging out and doing so much stuff, but we were all definitely ready for a good night's sleep after that big day!

Sunday, was spent relaxing, chatting, drinking coffee and then hanging out with Kurt and Amy at their house to watch the Pistons Game 2. Kurt made homemade lasagna, which was soooooo good. It was such a great way to end our time together.
Marissa and Brian were such awesome guests and we will always remember their time here visiting. Thanks for coming guys!

Off to watch the rest of the Game 3...

Snack Picnic Anyone?

Our neighbor, Nicole, is an absolute trip. We have so much in common that it makes hanging out so easy and fun. The other day, while taking my afternoon nap (an absolute must, of course!) there was a knock at the door. I opened it to see two small children. Completely confused and delerious I said hello slowly. Just then, Nicole's head peeked around the corner and she introduced me to her two kids that she nanny's for. They had stopped by to ask me if I wanted to come with them to have a "snack picnic" - a midafternoon snack, picnic-style. So fun. Joe and Emma proved to be much wiser beyond their years (3 and 5) as they told me about school and their latest trip to the Children's Museum of Denver. Their most important question: "Miss Meghan, can you come to the pool and play with us? Twist me arm: "Sure."

Our friends, Marissa and Brian, arrived late last night from Michigan! We are so excited to have them here!!!! They are staying through Monday and we have tons of exciting things planned - including our first hike in Colorado! I will definitely have tons to talk about and lots of pictures to post from their time here.

No Discovery Channel Tonight

Uptown Tavern. Close, cheap, good food, and the only place around that we can watch the Pistons. Chris and I decided that to save a little money this summer, we would only purchase the cheapest cable package ($13). As a result, any sort of evening entertainment that generates from the television usually has to come by way of DVD or watching animals chase after one another on the Discovery Channel. Don't get me wrong - we love the Discovery Channel, but we all need some guilty pleasures every once in a while. So, in order to support our beloved red and blue, we trek our way the three blocks to the Tavern. This series has been particularly exciting as the Pistons were seeminly neck and neck with the Miami Heat. Tons of fun to watch and totally weird being a couple of the only people in the place who care when the team from Michigan did something good. Hey, at least we're loyal. Congrats to the Pistons as they moved onto the National Finals tonight!

Bobs, BBQ's and Broncos

What an eventful few days!

On Thursday night, Chris informed me that we had been invited to a barbeque at the house of the superintendent he works with the next night. Sounded fun - lots of food, beer, more food, and kids. Friday afternoon rolled around and Denver was experiencing one of it's worst storms in years complete with tornado sirens! What to do?!?! Do we brave the flash floods and torrential rain? Never fear, Suzy Saturn is here! So, with Chris's famous asparagus recipe in hand, we headed north to John Sullivan's house. It turned out to be a great evening with lots of laughs and new friendships. Hopefully we will be able to make weekend barbeques a ritual throughout the summer.

On Friday, I also went through with what most girls and women dread - my first trip to a new hair salon! I know, you can hear the horror music and the screams in the background! It turned out to be fine, but we had to cut a lot of my hair off so that I can grow it out evenly. It turns out I have this random patch of hair that grows at hyper speed and it gave me an oh-so-attractive mullet! Yikes! So, Andee, my new hairdresser, gave me a cute, summertime bob. No more ponytails for a while!

On Saturday, Chris and I went to Invesco Field for THE ENTIRE DAY to take part in Bronco Fan Fair! We had a great time! While there were large portions of the day where we waited in line, it turned out to be a lot of fun. We played Bronco BINGO with two linemen reading off the numbers, attended a question and answer session with the 2005 draft class (Maurice Claurett from Ohio State is the big name this year), went shopping (my favorite!) in the official team store and even got quite a few autographs from players. The big event was getting my Ashleigh Lilee jersy signed (That triumph goes to Chris)! So now, not only will I be an official Broncos fan with a jersey, but a SIGNED jersy at that! And who said I couldn't pull the ultimate wife duty? We finished our day hanging out with our neighbors playing racko (super fun!) and drinking cheap wine.

Today, Chris and I just relaxed. (Seems like a really long time since we have been able to do that!) We decided to go down to our pool and enjoy the much-missed daily sunshine and the 80 degree weather. The pool was packed with all sorts of Post residents with the same idea in mind as us. We laid on our chairs and listened to a variety of summertime tunes being pumped out of one of the residents windows who overlooked the pool courtyard. Totally what the doctor ordered for a Sunday. I am definitely not going to have a difficult time getting used to that! :) I officially have weekend plans the rest of the summer!!

One last thing...I have gotten word of late that several of my teacher-friends from Aquinas are making successful strides toward their careers! Two are going to Nigeria to teach, two to Florida, and one beat all odds and landed a job in her hometown in Michigan! Congrats to you all!!

Time to go...the sun has won this round.

Tool Time

In an effort to expand the storage in our kitchen, we decided to convert the front closet into a pantry. This meant tools, Home Depot, and very serious stares at a tape measure. After spending quite a bit of time comparing types of shelves to be sure that we would have just the right kind for our needs, we headed home to take on our mini-construction project. Chris immediately set to work measuring, nailing and leveling the shelves. My job was equally important: sit, look cute, and say, "Looks great, honey!" We sure do make a great team!

Sky Vista

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Originally uploaded by mege18.

Sky Vista Middle School!

Denver

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Originally uploaded by mege18.

A rare cloudy day in Denver - definintely worth showing! This is on the corner of our street.

Fun Before the Flight

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Originally uploaded by mege18.

Mom and Brian goofing off on our street before they left on Monday morning.

We're Back

Hhhhhheeeeeellllllllllllllllloooo!

We'll we're back in cyberspace after a a fun-filled weekend with my parents. It was so much fun having them here! We did a bunch of great stuff. We picked Mom and Brian up on Friday night at the beautiful Denver International Airport whose architectural design was modeled after the mountain peaks of the Rockies. Chris and I decided that we wanted to go inside the airport to welcome my parents but because I had only ever dropped or picked people up from the passenger area, it was like the blind leading the blind to find out where we could park and then find the place inside that we could stand to meet my parents. To twist matters even more, my parents airline was changed and we were in the wrong terminal! It all ended up working out, but it was definintely something to laugh at looking back.

The weekend was filled with AMAZING food that was cooked by a group effort at our apartment and also some incredible restaurants downtown. Thanks to a major grocery shopping trip to Safeway from Mom, we were able to do some killer shish-ka-bobs! (P.S. Make sure that you read the sign on the check-out isle to find out whether it is an express lane. We forgot and had already unloaded almost 2/3s of our overflowing cart! Totally embarassing!) The definite favorite was The Broker, an 1800's bank vault turned restaurant. The atmosphere was so cool and you actually had to walk through the 23,000 pound door to get to the dining area! It was fun. :)

Saturday, we took a trip up to Boulder to do some wine tasting at the Boulder Creek Winery. BCW was great and the wine was delicious! It is owned by a family and their little store was constantly busy the entire time we were there. A woman came in who used to work with my mom years ago back in Michigan! What a small world! After we had all purchased our favorite bottle, we headed to downtown Boulder to check out the festival that was going on the Pearl Street Mall, their famous pedestrian mall right downtown with street performers and all kinds of unique shops and restaurants. The place was packed! We had a lot of fun going in and out of the stores and listening to all the music that was playing. It will definitely be a place that we frequent - think Saugatuck but mountains instead of water. :) Very cool.

Sunday was super-relaxed as we drove down to see the construction on my new school, stopped by Chris's office, and then went to the Cherry Creek Mall. Chris and I had yet to go in there and couldn't believe our eyes as we walked past Sak's Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Tiffany's and Co., Cartier, Coach, Louis Vitton, and Movado stores. While the mall did have some "regular priced" stores, we'll just say that I won't be shopping there very often. We ended our evening with a trip to the movie theater to see a sneak preview of "Cinderella Man." AMAZING! SEE IT! SEE IT! SEE IT! It is the most incredibly done story that I have seen in a long time. Definitely worth the money!

Alright, I'm sure that all your eyes are blurred and tired from this massive post. Have a great day and go put some eye drops in.