Enjoying Colorado

Its been a long time since i blogged. This work thing has really cramped my style. j/k. :)

Anyway, just writing up a few thoughts about Colorado since moving here.

1. Having a job is really nice. It has helped us get connected with people a lot faster then up in Montana. I've learned a ton about the area from my coworkers. They have been really cool and has made the transition here very comfortable. Next time we move I'll make sure to have a job first. :)

2. The weather here has been amazing. Hotter then I expected but really nice. We've seen 90+ temps several days. The sun feels hotter then Texas believe it or not. Just easier to deal with due to the low humidity. The mornings and nights have been so amazing. I can't wait for the winter when we get to see the snow. Etta is going to experience some cool things!!!

3. There are a lot more things to do here then Montana. I mean a ton. Its like you have the best of a small town and the big city. I enjoy downtown Denver, lots of activity and energy. Its nice that all the professional sports are located there. Its a really neat place. Plus the mountains are really cool. Love Golden, and Morrison. Boulder is fun. Lots of places to go camping, exploring and spend the day outdoors. Tons of hiking/biking trails, lakes, parks...yada yada yada.

4. Katie and I have been getting more attached to each other every day. It seems being away from family has brought us closer together. That's pretty cool if you ask me. We're really blessed to have the opportunity to be here and explore while we still have no kids. Spend the early part of our marriage focused on each other. Funny how that worked out.

Thank you

It has been a great pleasure for both Katie and I to have so many friends and family visiting us here in Denver. And more are coming to see us in a few days!!! We feel loved and have enjoyed catching up, exploring the area, and spending time with everyone. Thank you so much!!!

Getting Ready For Move

We are days away from our move to Colorado. June 21st is when we will get our new keys to an apartment in Englewood near my new job. Today we updated all our addresses, contacted our auto insurance and bank accounts, scheduled a turn off of all utilities, sold 3 items on craigslist, packed the entire 2nd bedroom, visited Bozeman Encounters and saw four Grizzly Bears, very cool and relaxing :), reserved our U-haul and movers, scheduled carpet cleaning (per our contract), and ate snow cones all before 515pm.

Now we're going to eat some Turkey burgers, home cooked fries and salad and enjoy a movie or tv.

Ahhh, the excitement and joys of moving!!!!

Baby Knickerbocker's Aventures

So Katie and I have been keeping track of all the adventures Baby Knickerbocker has experienced so far. Here's what made the list:

1. Snowboarding black diamonds
2. Mountain uni-cycling
3. Camping and hiking at Yellowstone
4. Cross country driving From Montana to Texas then back to Montana
5. Visiting/hiking Buffalo Jump State Park
6. Colorado Rockies vs Houston Astros baseball game

Dad's Pregnant too :)

I really enjoy reading this book. It's informative, educational, and the best thing about it, it's FUNNY! I've read some of it to Katie and we can't help but crack up. It has helped ease of lot of tension about the "unknowns", putting things in perspective. Here are a few words of advice it gives the "expectant father". :)

< NEVER ask her, "Are you sure you're hungry? You just ate."
< Gain 30 pounds (just to show her you're totally committed)
< Massage a body part of hers you don't usually touch.
< Do the dishes (but load the dishwasher properly - See tip #46)
< Allow her to win every argument. (I do this already) :)

Ya'll Ready For This!!!!

Yellowstone 2010

Katie enjoying the sun on a cold rock in Gardiner River at Yellowstone. We ended up taking a short hike from our camp ground in Mammoth. We had to cross a narrow metal suspension bridge over the river. We didn't know at the time, but just further downstream this river meets up with a natural hot spring. They call it "Boiling River." You can bath in it just as long as you don't put your head under. (per Yellowstone)









Wraith Falls. It was nice easy hike near our campsite. Trying not to overdue ourselves. As we were hiking we were approached by hundreds of prairie dogs. They were everywhere!! And not afraid of us. We saw lots of evidence of a recent fire and animal poo or what Katie called as "tree stumps".











This picture was disappointing to say the least. Two bison decided to graze in a grass field just in front of our tent. One even rolled over to scratch his back. You can see him laying down on the right. These guys decided again to visit that evening. This time they were in middle of the campground just grazing on whatever they can find. We got them on video as well as an curious elk. Wildlife is abundant here! Which is why this is one of my favorite national parks!







Had to be the most spectacular and beautiful sites we have ever seen! It's called Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. We wanted to hike down to the river, but the trail was closed due to ice. We ended up taking this picture from a bench where we had lunch. The colors, the shear size, the sounds of the waterfall it was truly amazing.

Wavin' Flag

I first heard this song on Austin City Lights a few months ago. Its the official 2010 FIFA Worldcup Anthem. Its a great song, check out the video someone made below! The games begin in a month in South Africa. I can't wait!!

Finally A Souvenir

Have you ever felt the need to purchase a souvenir? I have and I finally found the perfect one for Montana. Its a bear fly fishing. You couldn't ask for anything more Montana that that.

He will be sitting on my desk at my next new job!! Wherever that will be. To remind me where we were and be an inspiration for our next adventure.

Its nice to have a souvenir that I will actually hold on to and use. Really, how often do we take home a must own awesome souvenir to only box it up and never use it or see it? You know that Hawaiian grass skirt dancer, the shot glass, the collectible spoon, the state shaped key chain, the oversize t-shirt, the mug, or ugly ball cap.

David Hanson's Character Robot - Jules

Garage the Soup Shack

Today was amazing. :) 74 degrees, sunny with a nice breeze. Katie and I ended up having lunch outside at this place called Garage the Soup Shack & Mesquite Grill. The food was good, service was slow (typically around here) and it was packed! It's located downtown near the library.

It kinda reminds me of an old diner you would find in the 50s. The menus are made out of old license plates. They served mostly burgers with fries but they also had barbecue chicken and soups and stuff. On the tables they had old Pepsi six pack bottle holders, containing the condiments and on some tables had trivia pursuit game cards. I guess to keep you entertained while you wait for your food.

We probably stayed there 2 hours, enjoying the sun and atmosphere. Lots of motorcycles zoomed by. People were riding their bicycles and walking their dogs. You could also find water bowls under some of the tables for customers who brought their dogs with them.

It was nice to see the city out and about and enjoying the weather. And it was nice to be a part of it too. We really like this place.
Ps. Yes my eyes were closed. It was really sunny today. :)

Montana Weather

So we moved here Oct 1st. That was the day Bozeman saw its first snow of the season. We were pretty worried back then but it didn't last long, as the temps went back up and the snow melted. It turns out, this Winter has been very mild. Local news as well as my fly fishing instructor said we have seen 30% less participation this winter. I guess that's not good for fishing or skiing but kinda good for us and our sense of safety.

We did experience -24 temps with -40 wind chill. But even that wasn't that bad. We stayed in mostly and wore many layers. We didn't loose our toes or eyeballs. We didn't have to use our block heater or the emergency kit everyone here told us to have in our car. We did use our 4x4 often. I think it helped up get used to driving on the snow. But after awhile we stopped using it because it sucked up a lot of gas and we really didn't need it.

Most of the winter was in the 20's and 30's. And honestly, Winter here is pretty lame. I think the locals make it sound bad so you won't move up here, take over their homes and cause traffic. Which by the way is really nice. No lines at the ski resort, no traffic ever and its quiet and peaceful. People actually drive below the speed limit and they don't lock their doors at night. I mean why would you lock your door when every single home owner owns a gun and hearing gun shots are common within the town.

But what IS the worst weather in Montana is the end of Winter beginning of Spring. Just when you think you can put on your shorts and go hiking you get 2 feet of snow dumped on you. This goes on for a long time. But it doesn't stop people from taking advantage of the non snow days. When the temps are perfect, its sunny, dry, and on top of every Suburu, mountain bikes in its Yakima racks instead of ski's and boards. No wonder everyone here is skinny.

Right now, its raining outside! I actually heard thunder too. I've been waiting for this day for a long time! It hasn't rained in Bozeman since we moved here. Looking out the window, hearing and smelling the rain, with the mountains in the background, the spring colors trying to come out, it's amazing. And the best thing is, it's not muggy!!!!

All in all, the weather has been great. I can't imagine what the summer will be like!

Prairie Dogs

Next to our apartment is a field that looks like a war zone. You will find these kinds of holes everywhere. It turns out they were dug recently by Prairie Dogs. Tons of them. I haven't been a lucky as Katie to see any. She went jogging one day and saw several poking their heads out and hissing this high pitched sound at her.

I just find it so surreal to be so close to wildlife. Its literally right in our backyard.

Dad

About you: Broken, guilty, bitter, ugly, fat, liar, wasteful, mean, hurtful, disgusting, selfish

About me: Shamed, embarrassed, disgraced, scared, hurt, abandoned, confused, angry, empty, sad, lost

About you and me: Never

About Him and me:
Forever
Hopeful
Peace
Love
Forgiven
Grace
New
Healing
Father
Family

Ephesians 3:18 - And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is.

Working Out

So, I decided to change from the Biggest Loser, Yoga, Pilates workout I've been doing for awhile now to a more concentrated muscle building workout. I got this book called "Men's Health Hard Body Workout Plan" and in it several weeks of specific exercises and meal plans. The idea is to focus on 3 things. Muscle building, cardio, and flexibility.

My goal is to look like this:



Just KIDDING!!!!

Actually I just want to build some definition, loose some fat, and get a little stronger. I'm pretty optimistic about this plan because it tells me exactly what I need to do. No guess work. I'm on week 2. So far I've gained 5 pounds. I'm not sure if that's good or bad? And I don't feel much stronger but it's still early.

Here's what I learned so far:
1. Buying rusty metal plates from thrift stores can help save you money
2. Its best to clean the rust off, otherwise you might get it in your eyes or sandwich you are eating
3. Using a metal chair as a bench can work, just be prepared to put a cushion under it so you don't pinch your skin

I'm also running, doing biggest loser yoga, biggest loser sculpting and pilates occasionally. I'm documenting all my workouts and nutrition on my iphone. I'm making sure I rest, drink enough water, and eat enough good foods.

Keep you posted on the results...

'Pixels' short film imagines an apocalypse

Saw this from one of my friends the other day and thought it was a neat video.   


PIXELS by PATRICK JEAN.
Uploaded by onemoreprod. - Arts and animation videos.

Snowboarding Season Is Now Over

It was a sad day, but a good day.

Last Tuesday Bridger Bowl's closed out its season. And man, it was a great season!!!! One we will never forget. I learned how to snowboard "for real" and I even tried a few jumps here and there. And Katie is now a switch rider, doing 360's. We got plenty of uses out of our season passes, going about 2-3 times a week. It was beautiful, the powder was great most of the time and we had a lot of fun with those who came to visit us.

The locals love this mountain. I can understand. There we're no lines all year and the trails were great. The last day Katie and I pushed ourselves more then any other day. It snowed hard and there was powder everywhere. We even went on a double black diamond!!! Watch out!!!

And we got to see so many people dressed up in costume on the last day, doing all kinds of tricks. One guy did a back flip. I was shocked!!!! And at the very end of the day, everyone started screaming at the top of their lungs!!! We joined in too!!

From the first lift to the last lift of the day, thanks Bridger for all the great memories!!!!

See video of Katie and Thomas on the last day.

Jobs, Jobs, and more Jobs

Another long day of looking and applying for jobs. Its been exhausting. Some days I feel hopeful, some days I feel like banging my head against the wall. I have applied to 20+ jobs in the last 3 days. None of them in Montana because I have already applied to every job in town. I knew it would be hard but I didn't expect it to be this hard.

Last time I was unemployed, I found a job in a month. But that was 3 almost 4 years ago when the economy was somewhat okay. Some of my coworkers who have been laid off longer then me are still looking.

Things against me:
I have no degree
I have mostly telecommunication experience, which is a dying industry
I live in a small town, surrounded by small towns

I'm not complaining at all. I'm just frustrated with the results and wish this would end soon. On the positive side, Katie and I are growing together in our relationship more then I can imagine! Just the other day Katie said to me, I don't like change but I do like going through change with you by my side!

I don't know what to expect for us in the next few months. Maybe we will find a job here, maybe we will find a job in Colorado or Arizona or Atlanta or back home in Texas. I do know this.

Tomorrow I will be looking and applying for more jobs. I just pray I feel hopeful because my head hurts from all the banging against the wall.