Colorado Trip

Our Colorado trip left us wanting more! We had a great time with my parents. To my knowledge, no one got on anyone’s nerves. That’s success in an of itself! Not many people can be together for 12 days & be sad to split back up. Colorado was beautiful. We started with a few rainy days, but by the middle of the week, it was all sun & warm days. It was perfect!

We arrived to Avon on Saturday. That night we went to the grocery to get some things to eat in the rooms so we didn’t have to eat out each meal. I had been up since 2:30 AM, so I was exhausted for that grocery trip. By the time I went to bed that night, I had been up 22 hours! I was almost to the point of not making sense with my speech. Since we were so tired, our only outing of the day was grocery shopping.

Sunday we went to Vail, which was about 5 miles away. We got a great surprise & found out that they were having a huge farmer’s market. It was all really cool. Ryan and I had been to Vail 4 years prior, but they had changed so much it was like seeing a brand new place. For lunch, we ate at a favorite restaurant of ours from the time before. It was a really fun pizza place. After playing in Vail for the day, we headed back to the resort & let Sydney swim. She loved being in the pool!!! Everyday, she would say “water, water!” It was cute…& annoying! ;o)

Monday, we headed to Breckenridge. It is a very neat town. Along the main strip are little houses that have been turned into restaurants or shops. We shopped for a little while before it started raining. After it started raining, we decided to drive to a cookie shop that we had walked passed. It had delicious smelling cookies. Later in the day, the cookies proved to be as delicious as they smelled! After the guys picked up enough for all of us, we drove around for a little while enjoying the beautiful scenery that God has created there. Once the sun came back out, we stopped at a little park to enjoy our cookies. It was a nice place to stretch our legs & enjoy the beautiful weather.

Tuesday, we went on a really cool train ride in Leadville. It took us 11 miles up in the mountains. While we were on our way back, it started sleeting!! It was amazing how quickly the temperature changes when going up in the mountains. As soon as the sun hides behind the clouds, it can drop 20 degrees or more! Nothing like at home. The train ride was one of the highlights of the trip for both Ryan and me. Sydney slept through part of it, but the part she was awake for, she loved, too. After the train ride, we drove around to see the beautiful scenery. Later on in the day, we let Sydney swim again.

Wednesday we took the gondola ride up Vail Mountain. From there, we hiked to the top. It was a H-I-K-E! No, not because it was steep or strenuous. It was because of the high altitude. Our minds were telling our bodies that the climb we were doing was an EASY climb. However, our bodies were disagreeing. We were all out of breath at times. If we had been hiking the same thing but been in LBL, it would not have been a problem at all. It was a very weird feeling because our eyes were not seeing what our bodies were feeling. The view from the top was worth every step! It was absolutely beautiful! Since we had to get back to the gondola to get down, we didn’t get to spend as much time up there as we would have liked. It was gorgeous, though!

Thursday we decided to be kind to our bodies. So, we headed back to Breckenridge to see more of the shops. It was a beautiful day & was perfect for what we had decided to do. We walked around the town until we had seen everything we wanted. After that, we drove up one mountain so that we could look down on the city. We got a really cool view!

Friday was by far one of my favorite days. We made a loop that went from Avon down to Aspen & back up. It took all day, but was worth every minute. The views were breathtaking. We stopped at the Continental Divide at Independence Pass. It was a little windy for Sydney, but the rest of us were in awe of what we saw. Aspen was a little disappointing. It was very commercialized in our opinion. It was a bigger city than we expected, too. We were very thankful that we had spent most of our time in the areas we did, because they proved to be the prettiest. On the way to and from Aspen, though, was proof that our God exists. It was the most gorgeous place in the world. I think Ryan and I could have moved into any of the remote areas & have been happy.

Saturday we headed back to Denver. We spent the evening downtown. Denver has a really neat downtown. I had heard about it from several different people. So, I was glad to be able to see it for myself. I believe every big city needs a downtown like that!

Sunday morning, we headed back to the airport. It took us 3 planes, 4 airports, and one car ride to get us home. Ryan and I were thankful to be back in our own bed, but were missing CO already that night.

Yesterday, while grocery shopping, Ryan told me that he was sad we weren’t in CO and wished we could turn around and go back. How many husbands can spend over a week with their in-laws and call it a happy vacation? I am one blessed woman!!!

Also, since I posted a book, I decided not to post any pictures. To view pictures of our trip, go to gallery.mac.com/ryanandlesli. :o)

What fun am I anticipating?

We are getting excited for the spring weather to get here. It has been bouncing around between cold & warm lately. I'm hoping that the latest cold spell is the last one. Why are we so excited about the weather getting warmer you ask? Camping!! We've been wanting to go for years. Texas was way too hot & ugly to want to go. Last year we wanted to go, but didn't figure it would be too much fun with a baby. This year...we expect it to be a lot of fun! We've been researching places around here to camp & believe we have found the perfect place. We'll have to drive out there sometime soon to see if it really is what we think it is. Of course, we love LBL. We're hoping to get there sometime this year, too. We also want to find other places to explore. 

Ryan and I are so different in many ways. It is nice that this is one way that we see eye-to-eye! We both love spending a day/weekend outdoors. It is so freeing to get away from the computer, tv, & everyday routine. Plus, we get exercise. 

I'm almost to the point that I'm antsy about it. I wish I could look up on weather.com to find out when the perfect weekend would be. BUT I guess I'll have to wait. Patience has never been one of my strongest attributes! 

Well, that's what's on my mind! Camping, camping, camping!! :o)

Little trip

Sydney and I have been lucky this week to be able to take a mini-vacation. We've been in IL & IN. Ryan, well, he's still working. :o( BUT he did get some GREAT company on his off time! In other words, we got to tag along on Ryan's business trip. Sydney and I have had a great time. We've shopped in 2 different malls, slept in, played in 2 different pools, and just spent time together. It has been so great for me because I have been able to play with my little girl 24/7. I haven't had to worry about laundry or cooking. I've just been able to be Mom. It's been nice.

Today we head back. It has been a very good trip & I have no complaints! Thanks, Ryan, for letting us tag along as much as you do!!

Ski Trip

We're back home. We had such a great time!! Saturday night I was spoiled with dinner at Olive Garden & a movie. Mad Money was cute. It wasn't as funny as we thought it was going to be, but it was still a good movie.

Sunday we got up & drove to Paoli. We took a ski lesson & then were off. Although I didn't do as good as I had hoped, I didn't give up. I kept trying. The day ended for me after falling...HARD after getting off a chair lift. I fell so hard that I gave myself whiplash!! But, I kept pushing on.

After skiing we went to the place we were staying. It was cool! It was an old inn built in the 30s. We ate at the restaurant there & then watched TV to unwind. As the night progressed, my muscles began to ache more & more. I realized when getting out of bed the next morning that I am not a youngling anymore. I'm getting old! I had trouble even getting out of bed!! Ah...

Although I was achy, I pushed on. I was determined to ski & do better than the day before. I didn't really do any better, but that's ok...maybe next time.

After much TLC on my neck, it is feeling much better today. The rest of my body is back to normal. We had such a great time! It was one of my favorite trips we've ever taken. Thanks, Baby, for such a good time & for being so supportive. Although he wasn't much more experienced in skiing than me, he took to it easier than I did. He never got frusterated or annoyed with me. It was nice! So, thanks Ryan!!! I love you.

Tonight we're back with the kiddo. We both missed her so much & are happy to all be home again.

Cool way to get sleep

I found a fun way to get sleep! Have your in-laws keep the kid & go for a fun weekend with the hubby! Thanks, Gran & Pops!!

Ryan and I are getting Saturday-Tuesday! Saturday we're taking Sydney to Beaver Dam to meet Gran & Pops. Then we're heading to Louisville in hopes to find an Olive Garden. Yum! That use to be one of our favs, but since it is a quiet restaurant & our child isn't the quietest we can't always go. We're going to take this opportunity and seize it! After our delicious dinner, we're going to go see Mad Money. I think this looks like a very cute movie & am excited to get to GO to the movies! I haven't been to a movie in a long time.

Sunday morning we're heading to Paoli! We're skiing Sunday and Monday. I do feel a little guilty about not going on different days so we don't miss church, but this is about the only way we can afford it. We're saving big $$ on the ski days and the hotel because it is not the "weekend". Plus, we're staying in one of the places that Paoli Peaks deems "local" (although it's somewhere around 10 miles away...I guess that's local). That is suppose to save us even more $$. Whoohoo!! I haven't been skiing since I was a teenager (and wasn't very good at it then). Ryan has only been once, too. So, hopefully our abilities will match. :-) I'm sure after each day we will be desperately needing our sleep!! I for sure am not in shape and will be W-O-R-N out!

I am very excited about this weekend. A weekend with my hubby, a fun few days of skiing, a very cool inn to stay at, and did I mention a weekend with my hubby?! Thanks Ryan, for letting us go. Thanks, Mom & Dad for the coat for Christmas that sparked our interest. AND thanks Gran & Pops for keeping the kiddo...again.

Rest of trip

On my last blog I left off on Tuesday. Wednesday & Thursday were sightseeing days mostly. I walked the base in the afternoon to get some fresh air & exercise. Wednesday night we went down to the USS Pittsburgh. There I was able to meet Joe, one of Ryan's friends. Joe & Ryan were on the USS Philadelphia together when Ryan was on active duty. It was neat to put a face to the name that I've heard all of these years. Joe is a super nice guy & it was great to meet him. Hopefully one of these days I'll get to meet his wife & daughter, too. It just didn't work out this time. Friday Ryan got out early & we headed back to Providence for one last look before we left. I had such a good time on this trip. I can't even put it in to words how much I loved seeing that area & Ryan's old stomping grounds! It was very special.

Now, I'm happy to be back home. I got to Paducah on Saturday to see my girl! My mom kind of laughed, but I really think she's grown!! She's now shaking her head no & crawling correctly. She wasn't doing either of those when we left. It's great to be back with her & now to be home. Hopefully we'll get back in the swing of things quickly.

I'm thankful for these beautiful cool days!! I can't wait to get out to the parks with Sydney. Keep watching my blog for those types of pictures!! I'm sure we'll be taking tons!

New England

We are having a GREAT time & from what I hear, Sydney is too. I knew she would. There was no doubt about that!! We've done so much stuff since coming on Saturday!! We were in Providence, RI on Saturday & Sunday. We also went to Newport, RI. GORGEOUS!! We rented a Mustang Convertible for Saturday. It was so much fun!! I told Ryan that we definitely NEEDED one of those! Haha! It's not very practical for a family of 3, but oh what fun it was!! We had a great time & I long to go back one day when we can spend more time. Saturday night we went back to downtown Providence. There we were able to experience Waterfire. It was awesome!!! We had a very romantic evening. We walked & sat--just taking in the beautiful sight & sounds.

Sunday afternoon we headed to Groton to the base to get Ryan checked-in & us settled in our hotel room. We lucked out & got a room at the hotel on base. Since I can't drive the rental car, it allows me to get out & do a few things & not be stuck in the room. After we got settled we walked around base. We went down to the pier & were able to tour the USS Providence which just came back in from sea a few days ago. There were several men on board performing their duties. It was really, really cool!!!! Just knowing that type of boat is what Ryan was attached to for 4 years is crazy!! I can't imagine being underway for 6 months & having that little bunk be my bed & that shower be my shower! Ah...what our sailors do for us. It was pretty awesome seeing these heroes in action...and being with my hero at the same time! After getting the tour, we headed to Mystic, CT. There we ate at Mystic Pizza. Some of you will remember the movie Mystic Pizza. It was one of Julia Roberts first movies. Anyway, I thought it was cool to eat there. After our meal, we walked around Mystic. It was really cool. We saw one of the biggest sailboats I've ever seen. We also got to see a drawbridge in action. It was one neat day!

Monday I hung out at the room most of the day. Then we went to the Submarine Museum & went on board the USS Nautilus. They have it set up as a museum now. It was neat. It wasn't as cool as seeing the one still in use, but it was still fun. After that, we got cleaned up & went to Foxwoods Casino. There we gambled a little--no more than we would spend on going to a movie. We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe there. It was one of the coolest Hard Rock restaurants I've ever been to.

Today I was lazy & stayed in the room most of the day. I read my book & waited for Ryan to get out of his school. We went to the local mall since it was pouring down outside. Then we came back so Ryan could do some work. Now, I'm off to bed.
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Today being September 11. I just want to say a special thanks to the men & women who still work to protect us. Being on this base, it has raised my awareness of how much these individuals give up just to be in the military. It is not just when they are away from family that they are sacrificing. So, thank you. Thank you for protecting me & my family. Thank you for loving our country more than you love yourself...and probably more than we do. (All of this goes for you, too, Ryan & Jon. Love you both!)

Headed out...again

This should be the last "trip" for a while. We'll still have the Paducah visits, but this should be the last vacation until next year. Today I'm headed to pass Sydney off to some AMAZING grandparents! Both sets are splitting the week next week so that Ryan and I can go to Groton, CT--just the two of us. Ryan has a Navy school that he's going to & I'm going for the vacation. We found a cheap flight for me & since his hotel is paid for we'll only have to pay for my food. I'm excited to get a chance to see his old stomping ground. I've wanted to go for so long, but it has been too expensive of a trip so we've gone & done other things. I'm excited that this has all worked out!!

Thank you grandparents for taking care of the kiddo so that we can have a trip just the two of us. It means a lot to both of us!!