My Adventures and Travels

I had a plan for this blog. See, I have these gorgeous flowering trees right outside my classroom windows. So it was to be a "Hooray, Spring is finally here!" type of entry. Unfortunately, spring in Colorado means that it's snowing-really more like a blizzard-today. And so that has taken the wind out of my springy sails. I no longer want to tell about all of last weekend spent in shorts, reading out on the porch. Nope. I am just not in the mood.

I absolutely love this post from my Aunt Deb! Ah, childhood memories...yes, you can see what I looked like at about age 9, all decked out!

In what could only be considered a strange combination, last Sunday was both the actual funeral, and a send-off at no other than....Casa Bonita? Yes, it's true. Us grown-up grandkids all remember the excitement of going to Casa Bonita, which we only got to do when the cousins were in town. Oh, how we loved it all...the diving, the sopapillas, and especially the cave. (We never ate the food so that wasn't an issue) So we decided, once more, to go there. This time, as a bit of a tribute to Grandma, and also, a chance to hang out for just a little while longer before everyone started leaving town. Luckily, my 3 second cousins gave us all the excuse we needed to act like kids again. The weirdest thing of all is that Casa Bonita hasn't changed one bit in the nearly 20 years since some of us have been there. The unidentifiable food, good sopapillas, the cheesy acting with pretty cool diving...and dang if that cave wasn't still scary! (Brave Calvin wasn't afraid in the ca...

After this somber occasion, we headed to Maggiano's for an Italian feast, and a family reunion like none of us has seen in many years. It was possibly the first time that all 10 of us cousins have been together since 1991. I met a couple of my new second cousins, too. My grandma would have loved that we were all together. spouses, kids, and my boyfriend, myHere are the most traditional and expected photos: the 10 cousins (I was dismayed that I have become the shortest, being the 3rd, I used to be up there! Drat!). The whole family along with dad and his sister, and Andrew & Timi playing with the newest baby, Ingrid-practicing for their own little one due in only a month! Then the other pictures... Aunt Deb brought out Grandma's jewelery for the granddaughters to go through and pick out some pieces. Oh, and of course, there was the hokey pokey with Deb and her great niece and nephew, the adorable Calvin and Ava. (For the most part, Ava was a dedicated participant, while Ca...

This was for me, by far the most difficult and emotional part of the weekend. It also meant the most to me. For the burial, my grandmother was buried next to my grandfather in Crown Hill Cemetery. After Wes said a few words and a prayer, the family shared memories of Grandma. I don't want to forget what was said here. I started out by writing what I recall being said, until I realized how personal this process was, and that it might not be appropriate for sharing unless it's voluntary.Therefore, I invite family members (even those who don't often comment), to help me share and remember the words said about Grandma, if you are comfortable doing so. Here was my contribution. So many of my memories of both grandparents revolve around the big house they used to have in Arvada. It was such a welcoming place, and they so cherished having family around. I have so many family memories of playing with my brothers and cousins, celebrating holidays and birthdays, and just hanging ...

I'm not sure how to even begin cataloging this weekend. It has been really, really sad. But, in addition to all of the expected activities that go along with a funeral, it has also been an amazing reunion. I don't often blog about more personal stuff, but there are several family members that check in with the blog (and even have their own!) so I'd like to share some of the ways we honored and remembered Grandma this weekend. Some traditional, some not. Instead of an epic entry, I'll do several short ones, showing the many things we did. It's been emotional, so we'll see how far I can get!

On Monday, my grandma passed away. Her health had been failing recently, and at 86, her body gave out. She lived a long, good life, devoted to her family and church. We'll miss her. Deb, I "borrowed" some recent pictures from your blog-none of my pictures of Grandma are digital...I hope you don't mind.

Tomorrow I will go to my first ever opening day game! I am taking a personal day, which means that even if my principal reads this, I will not be in trouble for ditching school. I'm meeting my mom downtown for lunch before the game. Although it was a drizzly rain/snow mix all day today, the weatherman assures me that it will clear up and be close to 60 degrees tomorrow. Let's hope! Pictures to follow sometime...but it is Toni's birthday weekend so it'll be a busy one!

Under tragic circumstances, I had to go buy new shoes yesterday. Unfortunately, it seems that in the excitement of wearing my flip-flops for the first time in many months, I left my trusty tennies in Williams, Arizona. I clearly remember looking at them when I was getting ready to bring all my things out to my car, but I'm not sure what happened next. Did they stay in the hotel room? Perhaps get put on the roof of my car? Either way, they did not come home with me. Now, I may not be your typical "girl" shoe shopper. 1. I buy most of my shoes at REI. Actually I can't remember the last pair of shoes I bought from somewhere else. 2. Although I spend a lot of money on my shoes, it is because I'm on my feet all day and it's worth it, not because they're designer duds. Fortunately, I had not only a 20% off coupon, but also my rebate check from last year. So, here they are! Not much is more fun than sporting a new pair of shoes...and I LOVE the red!

2100 miles, 3 baseball games, 2 national parks, and 1 broken windshield later, I am back home in Colorado today! I went from the mid-80's in Tucson yesterday to rain and snow in Denver today-YUCK! Maybe I should have stayed! Other than that, it'll be nice to sleep in my own bed, and in the same place for more than one night! Now, just the dreaded tasks of cleaning out my car and unpacking all those warm weather clothes remain. Back into the closet they will go, for this is Colorado!

So, Monday morning, drove from Williams, AZ, directly to below baseball game in Phoenix. Then, to Grandma's house for lots of food, and sleep in a bed with no one clomping around above! Fortunately, she did not see my busted windshield and insist on my repairing it in Phoenix. Tuesday morning, down to Tucson, directly to the next Rockies game (they lost) where I met up with Amy and her family. After the game, the pool. Here are a few pics of Todd Helton from the game yesterday.

Upon returning to my car after the Maryvale game, this is what I found: I made it down to Tucson, where I had a bit more time. This morning a glass person came right to the hotel parking lot and I have a brand, spanking new windshield...and a bit less money i n my checking account! Unfortunately,

I always wanted to go to one of those games where you can sit in the grass and watch. Monday, that's what I did at Phoenix's Maryvale Park. The Rockies beat the Brewers 6-5!

I spent the day at the Grand Canyon today! It was pretty amazing. Just like the pictures you see...only bigger. Now in Williams, Arizona. I took 67 pictures today. Here are a few of the better ones. The watchtower. You can climb up and take pictures. Afternoon shadows start to creep in. Bonus: can you find the condor (AKA "the ugliest bird alive") above? Below, I've zoomed in on it-it's perched on the whitish rock near the middle of the picture.

I mentioned last night that there is some confusion regarding the time. I just realized.. My hotel alarm clock says 7:13. My cell phone says 8:13. My laptop says 9:13. Meet the Press is on (9:00 at home). I have not yet been to my car. YIKES! This would all be irrelevant if 1. I didn't care about making it to the "trading post" during breakfast hours and 2. There wasn't a full moon talk at the Grand Canyon that I am going to tonight. *sigh* Better start asking around!

My first *real* day of travel has gone very well. I woke up before my 5:30 alarm in Grand Junction and hit the road around 6:30. It was still dark when I left, so it took awhile to fully wake up (you all know what a morning person I am!). I felt VERY glad that I checked before continuing on after Grand Junction, because there is NOWHERE to stay between there and Moab. (Good advice, Toni) And, turns out, it is "Jeep Safari" in Moab this weekend, whatever that means. From what I could tell, it means everyone in the U.S. with a jeep was driving through Moab at the same time as me, and probably filling up all the hotels. Anyway, got to Arches around 8:30. What a place! It is stunning, and hard to describe, so the pictures below will have to suffice. Light crowds, warm weather, some short hikes, all was well. I just read an article in National Geographic (Adventure or Traveler??) about "arch hunters" which are just what they sound like, people obsessed with finding new a...

North Window and South Window Landscape Arch-over 300 feet wide!!

I am FINALLY on spring break-hooray! Tonight I'm staying in Grand Junction, CO. I was hoping to make it closer to Moab, UT before calling it a night...but characteristic of Utah, there are no towns between here and there, and it's about 2 more hours. Still, made it a good distance considering I worked all day, and now I can get a good night's sleep before I move on in the morning. Going to Arches National Monument tomorrow, so hopefully there will be fun pictures to share soon!

The Good: I leave for Arizona on Friday! I am driving down through Utah, stopping at Arches & maybe other places, and staying for a day at the Grand Canyon. Next, I head down to Phoenix to see my Grandma, and then continue to Tucson. It is supposed to be in the 80s when I'm down there! A couple of my coworkers/friends might even join me for some or part of the trip. I am so ready to get out of town! The Bad: Five to ten inches of snow overnight? Seriously? I'm over it. Also, the first televised Rockies game since October was today, and it was rained out. At least it will be nicer when I'm there. The Ugly: I am seriously sick. Overnight got hit by some nasty stomach bug, haven't eaten since yesterday, and can barely keep water down. YUCK. I am picturing in my head my little guy on Thursday who came up to me crying because his tummy hurt. Hoping this thing runs it's course quickly! I have dragged myself to a sitting position to get online though, so maybe I'm ...