Rocky Mountain High

Well, there's been quite the stir of activity in Denver! Our major league baseball team, The Rockies, have won one championship game, they won three games against the Arizona Diamondbacks and if they clinch tonight's game; they're going to the World Series. What a year!

Yesterday was a perfectly drab, wet, fall day, except that the Rockies played last night in 39 degree weather with drizzle. I don't know how the players survived, but it was an amazing game to watch. I spent most of the day baking, making apple cider, and working on our holiday cards. It was the perfect day for it!

Speika enjoyed snuggling in my lap to keep warm and was quite the talkative cat over the weekend. We think she has a boyfriend. There is an neighborhood outdoor cat (orange and white with a big fluffy tail) that lingers near our front door. I know that Speika has seen him and would love nothing more than to hop in the window sill and admire him from behind the glass. He has greeted Larry at the front door and has meowed at him, and again this morning he was hiding around the patio and then showed his face. It's really cute.

So if you get TBS, watch the Rockies sweep the NCLS championship game tonight!

Fall -Winter has arrived in Colorado

This past week, when I've been out running errands and the Rocky Mountains have a dusting of snow on them.
This morning on my drive into work, the Front Range mountains are blanketed with white snow. Longs Peak is completely covered and the mountain range heading south had clouds covering those peaks.
Due to the weather yesterday, Breckenridge got 12 inches of fresh snow and Arapahoe Basin already has a slope open! Winter is on it's way. Yeah!

Life Lesson - It Takes Faith

I found this poem in an old anniversary card that my grandmother kept over the years. I like what it says, and thought my friends would love what it says too!

It takes faith to look for rainbows
It takes faith to find the sun
It takes faith to move a mountain
But we know it can be done
It takes faith to make your marriage
A success in every way
And may that be your "gift of gifts"
On this very special day

Larry's 50th Birthday!

Larry turns 50 on Monday! We celebrated by having a party at the Wyncoop Brewery last Friday and we had friends come and play pool and offer a birthday toast for his new lease on life.
We had the 50 birthday balloons and great conversation. Thank you to everyone who showed up and made his birthday such a fun milestone!

Rebecca gave him a heart rate watch for his birthday. He had wanted this ever since he left the hospital after his heart surgery. Here's to his continual good health!

So if you haven't done so, drop a line and wish Larry Happy 50th! You can respond to this blog or email him at ldzent@gmail.com.

Larry's Defibrillator Check-up Results

Larry had his last defibrillator check-up this morning. All went well! They informed him that his heart rate will need to reach 188 before the defibrillator will go off. This higher than most. Older adults, usually have it set around 160. So, he shouldn't having any trouble hiking next summer!
Cardio therapy will help him push his heart rate in a healthy manner. He looks forward to getting started with that in the next week or so. He longs for a heart monitor watch to guage his heart rate when exercising.

Rebecca's 34th Birthday

My birthday yesterday was relaxing and beautiful. The weather was 80 degrees with a great breeze, and sunshine. We had breakfast out and then went up Flagstaff Mountain. We hiked a bit around, and Larry did superbly! Then we went to our favorite spot, overlooking the Indian Peaks and took photos. It was a spur of the moment idea to go, so we didn't bring a picnic lunch or any real water bottles. We hope in the upcoming weekends to go back and take a drive on the Peak to Peak highway in hopes to see the Aspen change. We'll definitely bring a picnic then.

I actually was dedicated enough to make it to the gym and get in a 5 minute workout. That makes five times to the gym in one week. I'm making progress.

Our friends Deb and Grant had us over for burritos and card games. Grant's recipe for the burritos was delicious! They were made with ground turkey, hominy, spinach, cerano chiles, and cheese. They were dynamite! As usual, the girls won at canasta again and Deb won at piles. She's really lucky at cards.

Overall, it was a great day. We all need days like that!

Life Lesson

Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn whatever state I am in, therin to be content.
~ Helen Keller

Sorry for all the life lessons. But I learn from others and their profound outlook on life. -Rebecca

Life Lesson

I care not so much what I am to others as what I m to myself.
~ Michel de Montaigne

I still believe that to serve is the biggest reward anyone will receive in this world. However, there is a certain strength in knowing who you are. Both for yourself and with God. -Rebecca

Jane Lessons

This is a "twist' on Life Lessons. I'm a big fan of Jane Austen nd I've decided to entitled these blurbs, Jane Lessons. - Rebecca

If any one faculty of our nature may be called more wonderful than the rest, I do think it is memory. There seems something more speakingly incomprehensible in the powers, the failures, the inequalities of memory, than in any other of our intelligences. The memory is sometimes so retentive, so serviceable, so obedient; at others, so bewildered and so weak; and at others again, so tyrannic, so beyond control! We are, to be sure, a miracle every way; but our powers of recollecting and of forgetting do seem peculiarly past finding out.
~ Jane Austen, Mansfield Park

Life Lesson

We have all a better guide in ourselves, if we would attend to it, than any other person can be.
~ Jane Austen, Mansfield Park

More Photos From The Wedding

Catherine dancing with her Uncle, Tom Branch. He really knows how to cut up the dance floor. And he was honored to read a limerick he created just for her and Robert.

Sarah exhausted after the wedding, taking cat nap with her father, Craig. How precious is this!

All family got to hang out at Katie's house after the ceremony. What a great way to end a perfect day...

Larry and Rebecca got to take a peak at the Japanese Gardens. (not nearly as nice as the one in Portland, OR)

Larry before the wedding, asking why Rebecca is taking his photo.

Rebecca holding Edwick before the ceremony. He's just too cute!

Cousin Catherine's Wedding

Rebecca's cousin, Catherine Cleary, married Robert Maunton on Saturday, September 1 at 11:30am at the Denver Botanical Gardens. The weather was beautiful for the ceremony with sunshine and a few clouds. The Romantic Gardens was the venue for their vows, and how romantic it was! What's great about going to Rebecca's family weddings, is that it's a great opportunity for a family reunion. All her father's cousin show up and it's a blast to reacquaint yourself with the family. Another great bonus, is that they know how to throw a great party and are extremely hospitable.

The ceremony was led by Cousin Sarah, Raleigh's daughter. We all missed Raleigh tremendously on this day and will always remember the rainy "rehearsal dinners" she always hosted. Perhaps it's a good luck charm. Needless to say, Raleigh was not forgotten on Saturday, as Sarah brought her legacy into the ceremony. Sarah is a new mom, and Edrick, her four month old son, was the life of the celebration as well. A true depiction of how life comes full circle.

Edrick immediately took to his younger cousins, as they cooed and fussed over him right before the ceremony. He's such a joyous little one!

Even Robert was tickled by Edrick sleeping so peacefully in his arms, while mom was having a photo shoot.

The ceremony began with Catherine's brother, Bill Hewlitt, playing acoustic guitar and her cousin Betsy playing the violin. This is traditional for our family. It's a great touch and fabulous rhythm!

Sarah presented Catherine to Robert in such a way that was honorable, romantic, and spiritual all at once. The vows were similar to ours, as the foundation was borrowed from Sarah's wedding over 4 years ago.

Lauren, Catherine's daughter, looked beautiful in her tailored-made, sage green dress. And Catherine was radiant in her wedding gown, her design. It's hard to imagine Lauren grown up into a mature woman, after seeing her skiing competitions at 13 and having her give her first toast at her graduation party. She is a delight to behold!

The wedding party consisted of mostly family members:

Cousins Bill and Betsy ~Music

Cousin Lauren ~ Maid of Honor

Robert's Best Friend, Larry ~Best Man

Cousin Katie ~ Scripture Reading

and Cousin Sarah ~ Minister

Weekend in Evergreen

We spent most of Saturday getting our master bedroom unpacked, organized, and decorated. It actually looks like we live there now. I'm not sure why it's taken us longer to unpack from this move than normal. Perhaps we're overwhelmed with life at the moment and just didn't need the added stress of unpacking. We're still tackling the guest bedroom and trying to get that situated. I'm amazed that we remain purging after purging before our move to Bend and back to Denver. I guess it goes to show you that you really don't use your belongings as much as you think you do. We'll have a box and a half going to the Humane Society Thrift Store in Boulder later this week.

We decided to venture to the mountains last weekend for a change of pace. So after church, we drove to our friends store Tesoros. It was great to catch up with Jenni and Steve, and we bought a wedding present for my cousin's wedding. Their store was pretty busy that day.
We then drove to Evergreen on Parmalee Gulch Rd, which cuts from Rte 285 to Rte 74, which takes you into the heart of Evergreen. We decide to walk around the entire lake in town, even though the weather look threatening. I was proud of Larry, who made it around the whole distance at 9,000 feet in elevation with only two breaks! We saw plenty of dogs and took photos. We'll post those soon.

Larry repainted my toe nails in time for my cousin's wedding this weekend and they look beautiful! He always does a great job and always wants to do this for me. What a great husband!

Life Lesson from Jane Austen

Nothing amuses me more than the easy manner with which everybody settles the abundance of those who have a great deal less than themselves.
~ Jane Austen, Mansfield Park

Perfect Colorado Morning

On the drive into Boulder this morning, the Colorado mountains were in perfect splendor. The sky was a perfect cornflower blue, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The Flatirons were basking in the sun and there were five hot air balloons north of the city enjoying the summer sky.

All Moved In

Our move went well last weekend! Our friends showed up at 8:15am and we had the storage unit emptied and packed onto our moving van in an hour and a half. And then, on the backside, our moving van was unloaded in 45 minutes. I think was our fastest move ever! Thank you to all who helped last Saturday!!! (Brian, Grant, Ron, DJ & Sammy, John, The Sonnens, Tony, and Steve)

We picked up our cat, Speika, at our friends on Sunday. Thank you Mel and Dan! Poor Speika was traumatized. However, she had her first "good" encounter with a dog. Our friend's Yorkie, Otis, went into Speika's room and played and kissed Speika. Her eyes remained green and she played with hi. That was a first! We've come to a conclusion that if the dog is smaller than our cat, she is fine. Our cat is growing leaps and bounds this year!

Found Our Own Home - Moving Again! (yes, again...)

Good news, our move is only to Arvada, CO just 20 minutes away. And just to clarify, we will be renting a small Town home for the next year, perfect for just the two of us as we get back on our feet.
Here is our new address, so please update your address books with the following:

8781 Pierce Way #101
Arvada, CO 80003

We will be at this address as of next Saturday, July 28. we haven't gotten our new home phone number yet, so that will follow.

Larry has done a fabulous job recruiting his previous co-workers and friends to help us move next week as he will NOT be able to lift anything over 10 pounds. His job will be to assemble the grill we purchased today.

Rebecca employed at RegOnline

Well, my first week of work at RegOnline went smoothly and I actually had fun. My drive to Boulder from Golden is beautiful and not that bad, 45 minutes. I doubt the Customer Service position (inside sales) will be too stressful and my team seems friendly and supportive. They welcomed me Monday with a plant on my desk and great welcoming email. Note, I may have to steal my boss' biography she wrote on me. It was well written and touted my many years of experience.

The great benefits of working for RegOnline are as follows:

• Casual dress at work (Capri's, shorts, no suits)
• Breakfast catered every morning
• Lunch brought in every Friday
• Company wide social events monthly
• Department social activities monthly

Besides my position, I've already requested to join an internal committee to help develop the company's benefits, wellness, and community involvement programs. I think my experience from open enrollment last year would be a great benefit to RegOnline.

So, if you're curious as to what the company does, please check out their website at http://www.regonline.com/. We provide an online software tool that allows event managers to create an online registration form for their event. And that's not all... Our software can processes payments, create reports for lodging & travel, finance dept., and create name badges all from one location. It's economical and easy to use! So, whether you're department is hosting a Christmas Party, you're planning a family reunion or golf tournament, or managing a large convention; RegOnline will work for you.

First Year Anniversary Celebrated

Larry and I celebrated our first year anniversary in great tradition. We had dinner at my cousin's home where we were married. It was a great summer evening, with a sunset that was full of peach and pink hues over the lake. We had our cousins Tom, Katie, and Craig there to commemorate the occasion which was grand.
We are blessed to be home where we can celebrate life with family and friends. It's good to be home!

We've learned lots about married life and one another in our year in Bend. We've learned to rely on one another and confide in each other, better than we did before we left CO. We lean on our Lord every day to help us through each challenge life brings our way and we take solice in our prayer time at the beginning and end of each day.
May the Lord bless you and keep you all close to us!

Life Lesson on Time

Take time to work - it is the price of success
Take time to think - it is the source of power
Take time to play - it is the secret to perpetual youth
Take time to read - it is the fountain of wisdom
Take time to be friendly - it is the road to happiness
Take time to dream - it is hitching your wagon to a star
Take time to love and be loved - it is the privilege of redeemed people
Take time to care for others - it is too short a day to be selfish
Take time to laugh - it is the music of the soul
Take time for God - it is life's only lasting investment.

This poem means so much more to me since Larry experienced his heart attacks. Take the time in life to accomplish all of these virtues in your life.