Mountains in the Fall Are my New Favorite Thing

This was a very full weekend. So full in fact I am going to split it up into multiple posts, starting with the end and working forward.

Sunday afternoon, Sean and I took a 3 hour drive south into the mountains to see the autumn landscape (side note: you always say "up" when headed into the mountains, even if you're traveling south...still throws me off). For those somewhat familiar with CO, we were west of La Veta, somewhat near the sand dunes. Practically New Mexico.

It was incredible.

And I had a very handsome driver for the day.

Sean's dream mountain cabin.

Near the mountain church.

Deserted mountain town.

I fell in love with the mountain horses.

The best part about having a boyfriend with an eye for beauty:
significantly less photo editing.

What surprised (even overwhelmed) me the most was the smell. Mountain air truly is the most amazing scent I have ever experienced.

My Jeep felt right at home. Look, daddy, it's dirty.

I fell in love with the landscape. (Mt. Blanco is the one with snow)

And maybe a bit more with this guy too. (I forced him to take cheesy photos with me)

But I really love the horses.

Just you wait till you hear about the rest of the weekend...

An Apple A Day

Thursday marked the first day of fall—my favorite season—but really it began last weekend for the Mueller’s and me. Having spent 5 years together in New England, a big part of what we consider “autumn tradition” is apple picking. Gearing up in your light overcoat, paying 25 cents for a pouch of feed for the farm animals, plucking a ten pound bag’s worth of beautiful red, yellow and green apples, figuring out the best route up and down a tree, then finishing off the excursion with homemade apple cider and a cider donut from the country store. Thus, I was very excited when Liz proposed that we make the 2 hour drive down to Happy Apple Farms.

Well, it wasn’t quite the New England experience but we had fun nonetheless.

Who knew that apples could grow in such an arid climate? Although small and somewhat sparse I was very impressed with their resilience.

Obviously, Ipswish found the one mud puddle in the whole place to play with her apple in.

Then I made apple crisp and it was delicious!

One Quarter of a Century Down

Today is a big day.

This is the day that the Lord has made. That the Lord has made.

And that Sherri Lane was made!

HaPpY BiRtHdAy to my very good friend.

A few things everyone should know about Sherri:

She is beautiful inside and out.

I truly love her as a sister.

She is not the cleanest person in the world.

These two are also very good friends. I love them both more than they may ever know.

Typical Sherri face.

Typical Sherri laugh. Which happens frequently. Often accompanied by tears.

She can literally sleep ANYWHERE.

She's not a hug fan of going to the movies. (Lack of attention span, possibly?) This picture was taken in the parking lot of the theater, mid movie. I was still inside. I love movies.

She has lived in Nicaragua and Spain. She is fluent in Spanish (and uses it daily). She loves Latin dance, food and boys.

She may be one of the most fun friends I will ever have in this lifetime.

She enjoys {good} beer.

She can be slightly mischievous.

One time she dyed her hair brown and hated it.

We like to cuddle.

Sherri is the most loyal, caring, communicative, intellectually stimulating, hilarious, awesome friend a girl could ever ask for.

You should all get one.

And just because it's her birthday:

What's In a Name?

I’ve been working on this major (tedious) project on the job front for the past few days. It involves going through every access card in our system. Which means I must read every name of every tenant on the property.

I have come across some p r e t t y awesome ones. Here’s a little taste:

Jim Reszetucha – I enjoy when first names don’t quite seem to match the last

Carter Boardman – This guy should definitely run for president

Wink Schram – I know this man and not only does he have a jolly name, he actually looks like Santa Claus

Aaron Yacko – I have a feeling this guy is painfully shy

Barney Fix – I envision a purple dinosaur with a Tim the Toolman Taylor tool belt


Kyla Gottgetreu – This one crunches in your mouth on its way out

Wade Wheatlake – Fun to say, even more fun to visualize

Gary Outlaw – Accountant by day; cowboy when the sun goes down

James Bonds – His first name is actually Tony, but he goes by his middle. I would too.

And my personal favorite: Reliford Raven – Clad in a black trench coat, solemnly whispering “Nevermore, nevermore.”

I wonder if my blog will come up when these people Google themselves now...

A Family Wedding for the Weekend

Sean and I flew to Boston this past weekend to celebrate the marriage of my mom's half-brother, Jahn to the lovely Liz Parker in beautiful New Hampshire. We had a wonderful time! The pictures will explain it all. (enlarge for the full affect)

The incredible lake house that the my whole family stayed at. It was very old with worn, blue hardwood floors, lovely views, the coolest dining room ever and a hot tub that we definitely overflowed.

This is the kids cabin. Game and TV room downstairs...5 girls, 2 guys and their mess upstairs.

The rehearsal dinner at the Parkers' house.

Dinner was lobster and filet mignon. Yes, please.

The night ended with fireworks, high-fives with the FOB and, of course, the hot tub.

Wedding day!

The beautiful bride and her happy groom.

Sean and I took a lot of pictures together. We like each other.

Plus family photos.

Model poses as well.

Happy people on a gorgeous day.

Great reception...just as awesome transportation.

The dancing was out of control.

The sepia makes it classier.

maybe...

*all pictures are courtesy of Corinn