Almost Gypsy Soul

When a 6 year old wants "Aunt Jen" to have her Halloween party because it was fun, who is Aunt Jen to say NO? That's right, not allowed. So thanks to Little Boy, we had a 2nd Annual Boos & Brews Costume party. I changed the name a little, but it was essentially the looked like the same party. All those decorations that I bought last year, well they needed dusted off and re-used. I wanted to be Ursula from The Little Mermaid this year so I hopped on my faithful Amazon account to score a sweet deal, only there weren't any. The going price for Ursula costumes....about $120+. um.no. So I thought I'd settle for Ariel. Amazon didn't disappoint there, except my mermaid skirt didn't make it from China before the party so I had to do a little improvising, as in I changed the sheets on my guest bed. And I give you, The Little Mermaid 2016. While she doesn't sing to well, she sure likes those Dirty Hippies, complements of a mountain bike trip to Fruita. ...

As 2016 comes closer and closer, I am reminded that I've got to get all my posts done that have happened throughout the year that I never actually gotten posted....because I'm a slacker.   If you remember back when we decided that our evenings at training shouldn't just be sitting around talking about work and knocking a few back with our coworkers and we decided to spice it up a little bit....by hosting Minute 2 Win It ! Well it was a hit! And we hosted a second Minute 2 Win It (which I realized I never blogged about....I'll get on that). Minute 2 Win It games are fairly simple, but we've found out they do take a surprising  bit of planning. Especially when you have somewhere between 20 and 30 people to play. Since this training happened to fall the week before Halloween and I was unmotivated to organize another game night, one of the girls suggested a corn maze and Halloween costume contest. While the corn maze didn't work out, the costume contest did. We ...

The angel tree is absolutely my favorite thing about Christmas. I love imagining the faces of little kids opening presents on Christmas morning when they may not have had a single present if not for the thousands that play "angel" at Christmas. I love imagining the relief and smiles on the faces of their parents, who probably worried and lost sleep over not being able to afford presents for their children. While I love the angel tree, I have repeatedly been disappointed by the number of requests for xbox, iphone and the like. Pretty much if you ask for one of those things, you will still be hanging on the tree when I walk away. After spending some time at the nursing home with one of our ranchers and with Bonnie's mom, I've added senior citizens to the angel tree as well. Those living in nursing homes are often forgotten or no longer have family nearby. I can't imagine how difficult the holidays must be when they are so lonely. While the season has become mor...

The mother of all Thankful Thursdays has arrived! Thanksgiving. Today we (hopefully) are celebrating all that we have to be thankful for. Its easy to forget how much we have to be thankful for, but hopefully by taking a day to reflect on just that.....and writing it down....will help me remember far past this one day. So what am I thankful for this year? health and fitness - The past couple of years has shown me I'm stronger and capable of far more than I ever thought possible. I am thankful for the health that I've been blessed with and the hardwork I've put into gaining back my health and fitness. Its easy to be thankful when I'm out enjoying God's creation. the dog - My little old dog is my immediate family. She has so much personality and unconditional love its hard to be grumpy when she is around. Seeing how happy little things make her, little things like going for a walk, getting a chewy or a belly rub in the morning....that's what l...

For some reason this year I really had the urge to get some Halloween decorations and dress up. Since I don't really have any friends to go out to the bar with and I wasn't sure what other opportunities I would have to dress up , I decided to take matters into my own hands. I bought a really giant spider, a spider web tablecloth, a flickering orange porch light and invited some people over for a Booze and Boos Bash. Since most of my friends ride bikes and the fall weather has been incredible....it was amended to "Bikes, Booze and Boos", luckily one of the trails at the Wilkins Peak Trail System is called "Better Than Dead"....could it fit any better? Unfortunately the weather did not fit. The wind was blowing about 40 mph and the ride was cancelled. Pinterest helped me nail some party food and decorations.....although most would probably sufficiently serve as the "NAILED IT" variety. My costume was a big fat question mark for a whil...

Christmas is the second most wonderful time of the year....sorry, July 4th is my absolute favorite holiday. What does Christmas look like around here this year? 1. I like to buy Christmas stuff right after Christmas because its so cheap....and this year when I opened my decorations box, I had some surprises that I had forgotten about. BAM, brand new tree decorations this year! 2. If you are on the angel tree and you ask for cowboy boots, you pretty much get everything that is on your wish list. I'm a sucker for kids that don't want video games or iphones. 3. I finally have outdoor Christmas lights....complements of the after Christmas sales! 4. My nativity set.....only took me two years and bribing my friends and family to help me finish it, but I have a nativity set....that I painted and its awesome! 5. Don't forget the seniors. I love the Angel Tree and picking out gifts for the younger generation that needs a little extra boost around the holidays, th...

Black Friday shopping sounds horrible, even in my medium sized town.....avoid at all costs. Plus it like starts at ungodly hours....count me out, I'm still in a turkey coma. Its as bad as I imagine.....right?

 Fourth of July is my favorite holiday in the whole wide world. I just love, love it! Its all good things, all in one weekend! Good friends, good reason for celebrating, good booze, good food, good activities.   The trip started off a bit shaky after a storm rolled in, bringing with it the infamous Wyoming wind which of course ripped my tent right off the stakes, leaving behind shreds of tent staked to the ground while the rest of it took flight. My trashcan is now overflowing with tent remains....but the weekend wasn't ruined. Thanks to Mike and his over zealous packing, we had a roof over everyone's head. We have made an annual trip to the Flaming Gorge Reservoir our July 4th plans. Music Man brings his boat, my family comes from Colorado, Utah and Texas. And we camp on the lake, we fish, we boat, we build campfires, we play cornhole. Its exhausting having that much fun! I have decided that I can maybe get this wakeboarding thing down, but slalom skiin...

Camping, boating, hamburgers, hot dogs, sunshine and beers....that is how most of us celebrate Memorial Day, but let us not forget the true reason for the day off work. Thank you to our military! And because I can't get enough of this picture, here it is again

As I look around the world today, I realize that not everyone can say THANK YOU to their Mom for doing their job and doing it well. I am a productive member of society that knows right from wrong, knows how to work and knows how to play. I can recall my younger days and not understanding why I had chores, bought my own clothes, worked during the summer, had a less than ideal car, had my own checking account, was expected to do well in anything that I chose to do, expected to do well in school.....when it seemed that few other kids my age was saddled with this type of responsibility. But I see it so clear now, its because my parents loved me and wanted me to be able to function on my own after I left Limon. Thank you Mom and Happy Mother's Day!

I really struggled when I turned 30, 31...well I'm not sure I actually feel any older, but either way it wasn't as hard as 30 was. My birthday was pretty low key. My roommates (ColoradoTransplantFriend, her hubby, Little Boy and Miller Baby) made me a birthday cake, but since the weather folks were calling for a polar vortex and an awful storm they left for UT early, leaving me with the whole cake. For the record, its delicious AND there is still some left so I think I deserve a piece of cake a pat on the back. I went to UT on my birthday for a day of shopping and a stop by the Leonardo where the traveling exhibit The Dead Sea Scrolls is. I decided I'd better take Tylie with me just in case this polar vortex thing actually materialized and I got stuck in Salt Lake. Tylie was nice enough to buy me some new bike shoes, which 'The Mountain Bikers' have convinced me that I need....for spin.....and for when I start real mountain biking. Which I plan to give a try ...

This year Military Friend and I had BIG plans for NYE....we just couldn't stand staying home and doing nothing. But our big plans kept falling through, so we decided to hit up Monarch with our season passes and celebrate with big time in a small town. Verdict? Small ski towns really are the best ever!   We rang in the New Year with the Boys from Kansas, who we kept running into all weekend trip long. They were a riot and impressed that I requested Randy Rogers Band. After ringing in the New Year and staying up way past our bedtime....and by way past I mean until 3 AM. Ouch. We hit the slopes on 4" of new snow by 930AM on New Years Day. Military Friend and I are usually a chatty pair, but we mostly just sat in silence on the lift that day.  After playing in the snow, we decided that a trip to Mt. Princeton Hot Springs was exactly what was needed to prepare us for the nap that was to be taken before dinner on New Years Day. We had some VIP passes and the hot springs...

It's here!  Merry Christmas! I'll be spending the day getting packed up to go home for a week of snowboarding, Little Sister's bridal shower and bachelorette party, family time and my house going on the market, plus Tylie and I will be sneaking in a steak dinner to celebrate! The car is packed, the house is clean....one more day of work and I'm outta here! I didn't get around to getting a real Christmas card in the mail today, but I did get this fancy one done that I shared on Facebook. Let's be honest, more people will get to enjoy it on Facebook! And as my Aunt said "This is the best card because it doesn't clutter up my table". I love that lady! Since it's a little tough to read on my card, I'll translate. 2013 kept me busy and the 2014 outlook is busier. What did 2013 hold for me? I made it through my very first government shutdown, where I caught my supper. I golfed 4 new courses and had my best round ever! Tylie and I hiked ...