Seattle Wedding Trip, Morgan's 11th Birthday

Overcast and cool. Light rain and green landscapes. Moist, earthy-fresh air. Lakes, bays, and waterfalls surrounded by snow-capped mountains. Skyscrapers and fish markets. Welcome to Seattle and the Pacific Northwest.

Our trip to Seattle was primarily for the wedding of our good friends David and Cheryl (Stockton) Thayer, but we squeezed in an extra day to sightsee. After arriving at SeaTac last Friday, we picked out the rental car. We had fun zipping around town in a Chevy HHR.

Please note, we have more pictures in the "Seattle Trip 2010 Album" on the right side of this blog page. We rehearsed the wedding on Friday night, and all went well on Saturday. Neither David nor Cheryl ran out of the church.  :)

 

  

  

Morgan celebrated her 11th birthday on Sunday. At the hotel, she got breakfast in bed with number "11" waffles. Happy Birthday Morgan!

After Sunday breakfast, our first sightseeing stop was at the 270 foot Snoqualmie Falls in none other than Snoqualmie, Washington. Along for the tour were Paul & Cathy (Sarah's brother and sister-in-law from Cincinnati) and their kids, and our new friends Al and Donna (friend's of Paul & Cathy and David, also from Cincinnati).

 

  

 

Next, we hit the road for a 45 minute drive to downtown Seattle. Stops included the famous Pike Place Fish Market....(mmmm, look at all that fresh fish and crab)

 

....Morgan's birthday lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe....

....a monorail ride and the Space Needle....

 

 

....and sunset at the Elliott Bay waterfront.

Our last bit of excitement was running into the 2010 top U.S. Winter Olympics finisher of the women's Skeleton event (4th place overall), Noelle Pikus-Pace. We talked with her briefly in the airport before leaving Seattle. As it turned out, she was on our first-hop flight to Salt Lake City. I didn't want to draw attention by asking for her picture, so the best shot I could get was of her in the U.S.A. jacket from the back.

Definitely a great time, and as always, the trip was too short! Again, to view the full photo album, click on the "Seattle Trip 2010 Album" picture link on the right side of the blog.

Recapping 2009 Holiday Surprises

We spent Christmas and New Years with family in Indiana, and boy were we wiped out from all of the action. The blizzard through Kansas kicked off the excitement--or more like frustration. The storm delayed the road trip, but we made it in one piece. I don't recommend driving through Kansas during a blizzard.

Christmas gatherings brought the usual good food, gifts, and hangin' out with family we haven't seen in a while. Sarah's dad was in for a shock at his surprise retirement celebration. The turnout of family and friends was overwhelming.

My maternal grandmother, G.G., dodged flaming arrows and retaliated with quick wit during a hilarious roast at her 90th birthday party.  New Years Eve brought more belly-stuffing and counting down the final seconds of 2009 along with the Times Square television bash.

And Sarah's dad made family news again with knee replacement surgery and is doing quite well.

Four-wheelers, horses, tractors, table tennis in the basement, strombolis from a local favorite, and a couple of pipe smoking nights for the guys...we needed another vacation just to recuperate from the fun, but it was good.

Spending a morning with my dad and his new horse was another special treat. Dad showed Morgan how to brush and feed "Jack", then she rode him after Dad worked off Jack's excess energy. Braden and Jared helped my uncle clean up a fallen tree, dragging limbs with the four-wheeler and building a nice bonfire...how could a child not enjoy a day like that? The child in all of us loved it.

 

 

 

 

Another highlight was being at the opening praise and worship night with two of our dear friends Mike and Christa Shore and their band, Beyond the Veil. Mike is a survivor of a rare lung disease which resulted in a transplant that nearly took his life several times. Mike beat every odd the doctors threw at him. Christa--a wonderful artist, singer, and songwriter--was named Evansville, Indiana's 2009 Woman of the Year.

 

Mike and Christa's story is nothing short of amazing. They recently started a Saturday night praise and worship service at New Horizon Christian Fellowship in Evansville.

The last surprise was a stork that parachuted a baby into my lap. Sarah's brother Paul snapped a shot of the proud moment.  :-)

Happy New Year everyone!

A (Holi)day in the Springs

We spent today in Colorado Springs with our friends David and Cheryl, who are set to marry in February. This was our first time meeting Cheryl, and she is a great gal. They make an awesome couple. Don't they look great together?

Our first stop was at David's place where we caught up with his parents, Bill and Mary, who flew out from Mt. Vernon, IN, for Thanksgiving. Our next stop was lunch at Front Range BBQ in Old Colorado City (now our regular spot when in the Springs).

Following lunch we went ice skating. Here are some action shots.

 

 

A little sore but ready for more, we swung by to see the holiday get-up at The Broadmoor--a one-of-a-kind hotel.

 (Amy, you'll love this) Check out the huge candy mountain and gingerbread house village.

Sarah and I hadn't visited The Broadmoor since living in Colorado Springs in the mid-nineties, so it was neat to be back and take the kids for their first visit. Only a few bucks for parking and you can wander all over the hotel and enjoy the festivities. A live band played Christmas music, and we enjoyed hot chocolate while walking the decorated loop.

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving weekend!

...and still falling.

Yesterday's blog photo measured 6" of snow; today we reached the 18" mark at our place.  The news folk reported this is the heaviest October snowfall in over ten years for the Denver area.  The snow is expected to stop around midnight tonight.

We've been enjoying it though, especially the kids getting out of school for two snow days in a row.  There has to be a lot of snow or ice on the roads for Colorado schools to shut down.  So it's definitely a treat.

It's hard to believe that it may completely melt away in a few more days when temps rise into the 50's.  That's Colorado weather for ya.  Never a dull forecast!

Here's a nice picture of a neighboring townhome with a decent slab of snow hanging from the roof.  Check out how deep the snow is against the patio fence.

And finally, here's the snow cave the kids worked hard on today.  So far it's large enough to fit one person...well, one very small person.


We're staying warm inside now with plenty of hot chocolate going around.  Anyone interested in coming out to ski or snowboard, I think it's gonna be a great year on the slopes!

-brock

Snow is falling...

If there was any doubt against the weather forecasters, the snow has arrived...and keeps arriving.  That ruler on the right is at 6" deep.  We're expected to get another 5-7" today, and up to a foot by morning.

We received the wake-up call at 5:45am from Jefferson County's resident automated robot voice, telling us that all county school's are closed.  I'd imagine tomorrow will be the same story.

Fortunately for me, it's a work day from home, hangin' with the family, and from the comfort of my laptop and dining room table, looking out the window at the following view:

We'll keep you posted on what the winter storm dumps over the next 24 hours.

-brock