...and then there were five.

Bill and I welcomed the fifth, and long-awaited, member of our family this month!  We are pleased to introduce to you...

Dora the Explorer

Dora is very excited to meet you!!  She is running over at full speed to give you kisses and jump in your lap!

And now, Dora is insisting that she get to tell you all about herself - she's very independent at times...

Yay, it's my turn!  Mommy and Daddy don't usually let me near the computers, but I promised I would be really careful and not slobber on the buttons.  

I live in the bestest dog house ever!  I have a big fluffy pillow to sleep on, and squeaky toys and balls and bones to chew on, and fuzzy big brothers to chase around and try to sniff, and lots of love all the time!  I am part yellow lab (that's what mommy says), so I get really excited about my favorite things.  

Daddy gave me a birthday (August 22), so that means I am almost 3 months old!  I am learning so much, and I love to show mom and dad how smart I am. I already know how to sit, come, eat, go outside, and "stop it".  That last one is hard.

I don't remember very much before I lived here, but mom says I came from a sad place in New Mexico where I wasn't safe.  Some really nice people came and saved me, and now I get to grow up with mom and dad and Beaner and Goose.  Hooray!

Yesterday white fluffy stuff was falling from the sky.  When we went outside to play, it was on the ground and it was cold!  I stuck my nose in it, and it made me sneeze!  But then I started running and jumping and sticking my face in the white stuff - it is so much fun!  Dad says it's called snow.  Mom threw snow balls for me to fetch, but I had a hard time finding them.  I just ate a lot of snow.  But I think snow is my favorite thing.  Mom and Dad took some pictures; I hope they aren't too embarrassing!

 

...Darn it.  I'm gonna go sleep now.

A Morning Experiment

I've decided to experiment with the idea that one can be trained to be an early-morning riser.  Over the past nine months, I have gradually become more of a night owl, which, of course, has led to the loss of many morning hours on the following day.  Last week, when I was forced to lay on my couch doctoring a sprained ankle, I saw no reason to get up early and slept until 10 or 11 o'clock every day.  What a waste of precious time!  But it felt so good...

O bed! O bed! delicious bed!
That heaven upon earth to the weary head.
~Thomas Hood, Miss Kilmansegg - Her Dream

On Monday (my ninth day of lethargy), I googled "how to become a morning person".  And this is what I found - a series of very helpful articles from a motivational speaker who specializes in self-discipline.  (and we all know that I need more self-discipline...[eh hem - that was sarcasm]).

Mr. Pavlina theorizes that getting up early in the morning is simply a matter of training your subconscious to make the decision to rise for you.  There is no way that your conscious mind will listen when you try to reason yourself into getting your crack outta the rack.   I've tried that.  It doesn't work.

So, as I lay in bed at night, I visualize myself going through my desired morning routine:

1. Alarm chimes obnoxiously at 5:00 a.m., immediately roll over and turn horrible noise off.
2. Young, hefty cat jumps onto tummy, nearly expressing full bladder.
3. Stretch sleepy muscles and fill lungs with fresh morning air.
4. Push both feet outside warm cocoon of blankets and toward floor (holy crap it's cold!).
5. Feet touch floor, eyes barely open, shuffle to bathroom.
6. Subconsciously feed yowling hungry cat under feet.
7. Make morning deposit in ceramic bowl.

And then I repeat the visualization several times until I fall asleep.  When the alarm sounds the next morning, my subconscious is prepared, and my body does what it is told.  The cats act in full support of this experiment.

There is no snooze button on a cat who wants breakfast.  

~Author Unknown

At least, that's the theory...

I am currently on Day 2 of a 30-day experiment to change my late-sleeping ways.  Now I just have to figure out a way to keep myself from falling back asleep while drinking coffee on the couch at 5:45 a.m.
   

The amount of sleep required by the average person 

is five minutes more.  ~Wilson Mizener

  

The things we do for love...

It is a well-known fact that when you're married, you happily (not begrudgingly) participate in activities that your loved one enjoys, which you couldn't care less about. At the end of August, I (Liz) collected some "credits" by attending a Colorado Rockies baseball game with Bill.


I hate baseball. It was stifling hot and sunny that day in the stadium. We spent the majority of the game standing in the concourse to get out of the heat, while observing play between the shoulders and heads of the other fans standing in front of us.


I found happiness and consolation in flavored ice and roasted nuts. The Rockies won over the Giants that day, and despite the overall environment, I enjoyed spending that time with Bill doing something he enjoys.

I decided to cash in my "credits" by dragging Bill to Colorado Springs for the 2009 Balloon Classic. It is the largest hot air balloon festival in Colorado, held every Labor Day weekend.

We had to rise, shine, and get on the road by 4a.m. to arrive in Colorado Springs in time for the launch, just after sunrise. This is Bill's "grin and bear it" face.




It was a beautiful morning - perfect sky, clear and cool. There were 73 balloons launched that morning, all different colors and designs. The excitement mounted as the field of color began to rise - rolling hills of rainbows.


As the balloons filled with air, there was a slow building of anticipation. Then finally, in a sudden energetic lift, the fabric of the balloon would pop up off the ground and stretch toward the sky. Only the strength of the ground crew was keeping the balloon from going airborne at that moment.

At the right time, the balloon was freed to silently and gracefully ascend into the clear blue morning. I coveted the few people who were allowed to be carried along under the balloons - their view of the mountains and Colorado landscape must have been glorious.

I think Bill enjoyed the balloon classic, but the early rise was a bit much for both of us. We drove home and immediately hit the sack again.

More pictures of the balloons are here. Maybe next time we'll be lucky enough to be carried along in a balloon basket!

At Summer's End

First things first - I passed my final licensing exam! After weeks of painful waiting, nightly nightmares, withheld scores due to the "cheating fiasco", and many prayers for peace and a passing score - it has finally come to an end. I can officially practice medicine for the rest of my life without ever taking another licensing examination. [deep breath of relief] HOORAY!!

Summer is drawing to a close and we are back to a quiet home empty of visitors. It's a little sad, in a way, when your visitors leave; however, we are keeping busy and looking forward to the new changes facing us in the fall.

My mom was here for a few days in August, and we had a great time hiking and exploring. I'm pretty sure she fell in love with Colorado all over again (it's not hard to do!).


I took her hiking in Garden Of The Gods, which is always a treat. Mom is afraid of heights, so getting this picture took some convincing!


We had fun being silly together. Mom made my hat fold that way because she's short and the brim was hitting her in the head. :)


Then I took her Rocky Mountain National Park (a must-see for any visitor!) and we hiked Deer Mountain. It looks a bit like a hill compared to the surrounding peaks, but the summit is just over 10,000 feet. It turned out to be the perfect challenge for a sea-level dweller like my mom! After several stops for altitude adjustment, mom made it all the way to the summit - at 10,000 feet for the first time in her life!


I introduced mom to one of our natural wonders - the butterscotch tree. Really! It smells like butterscotch when you stick your nose deep into the cracks of the bark. I wouldn't lie to you.


Our last hike was in Eldorado Canyon State Park, up the Rattlesnake Gulch trail. We finally got Bill to take some time off work to join us!

All good things must come to an end, as is life, but we had a great time with mom. I know she'll be back again soon. If you'd like to see more pictures of our adventures, click here!

As we make our way into our first fall in Colorado, Bill and I are preparing for a great football season (both NFL and college), a REAL job for me, the annual Hot Air Balloon Festival in Colorado Springs, and the Great American Beer Festival! You gotta love Colorado!

Edit: I am an idiot. I forgot to mention one of our most-important visitors this summer! Unca Dave and Chris - I beg for your forgiveness. Just as I begged for forgiveness after spilling good beer all over Bill's lap while exuberantly recounting a veterinary tale. I grovel. I weep. I am scum.

Okay, enough of that.


We ate, we drank, we laughed until we couldn't breathe or walk. It was the most wonderful time to have after the most stressful test of my entire life. I am so grateful to you guys.

Please come back!!

Fun in the sun...and rain?

Goose and Beaner would like to let you know that summer has officially arrived here in Colorado! The kitties spend most of their afternoons sitting in front of the sliding glass doors entranced by the song birds that are resting in the shade of our deck. We've had plenty of sunshine and heat (which Bill just LOVES while he's outside in a suit knocking on people's doors...). And just like my Florida summers, we have afternoon rain showers. The only thing that is missing (but certainly not missed) is the awful humidity!

I mentioned in one of my last posts that I would tell you later why I was wearing my glasses during Steven and Chrissy's visit. Thanks to my amazing family, The Boulder Eye Center, and Uncle Sam, I was able to have a surgery that I have wanted for many years - Laser Eye surgery to repair my vision. It was a graduation gift to myself, and well worth the wait! I had to wear my glasses for two weeks to prepare my corneas for the surgery.

I once was blind...


But now I see!!


What a difference it has made in my life to be able to roll over in the morning and see my husband's scruffy face clearly! To be able to fully appreciate the beauty of my surroundings without having to struggle with dry contact lenses! I will never have to say the words "Nobody move! I lost a contact lens!" I am so grateful.

I recently purchased another trail book titled "A Hiking Guide To Rocky Mountain National Park: 109 Classic Lunch Spots". The guide chronicles several hikes in the park that culminate in a breathtaking spot to have lunch, and is written with a great sense of humor. Bill and I decided to embark on a 7 mile out-and-back trail that links several mountain lakes together and promised to be spectacular.


Unfortunately, as soon as we arrived at the park the rain started dumping on us. For the next 2 hours we hiked and scrambled in pouring rain through the alpine woods to reach the first lake. We were soaked through and pretty miserable! I was determined to see at least one of these "beautiful lunch spots" since we had driven all that way, and Bill was a good sport (maybe he's starting to realize just how determined I can be...).


Just as we were about to give up and go back to the car, the rain subsided (praise God!) and we were able to hike on. We were rewarded with some amazing views along the way, and finally made it to Mill's Lake, the first body of water on our route.


Although it was still a little gray, the lake, surrounded by great mountain peaks, was pristine and lovely. We hiked on a little further looking for a few more "lunch spots", but eventually pooped out and turned around. Overall, our day of hiking wasn't one of the best we have experienced, but it was certainly an adventure!

Last weekend I convinced Bill to take Saturday AND Sunday off, and we got to go camping! We headed southwest by about three hours to the Arkansas River Headwaters State Park and found ourselves in another gorgeous spot.


Our campsite at Hecla Junction Campground was up on a small hill overlooking a bend in the river where white water rafters enter and exit.


Check out the view of our campsite home!


Bill wanted to make sure that everyone knows we fully enjoyed our camping snacks and "beverages"...


We attempted some river and fly fishing throughout the weekend, but unfortunately didn't catch anything. Our campground did not have running water, so we tried to rinse off in the river but it was freezing! I couldn't go in above my calves! We were pretty odorific by the end of the weekend, but "roughing it" is half the fun!





On our way back north on Sunday, we stopped at Spinney Reservoir State Park to try our hands at fishing again. This spot is rumored to be one of the best fishing spots in Colorado. Unfortunately again, we did not catch a thing! But it was a very peaceful spot with lovely scenery.



On our way into the park, we made some very special friends...



Those girls were extremely friendly and curious. We hung out with them for a good 5 minutes, scratching their noses and shooting pictures. The experience took me back to my island time and reminded me of my dear Donkeyshein (my surgery donkey in 7th semester). Now I want a donkey! (and my husband rolls his eyes...)

We thoroughly enjoyed our weekend away from the busy-ness of our lives; spending a few days away from the comforts of home in the serenity of God's creation was so refreshing.


In just a few days I am flying to Las Vegas to take my third and final licensing examination, and when I return we will have more visitors in our home! We love visitors!

Stay tuned for more Bliz adventures!

The Month Of June: Part Deux

In this installment, we lived through, I mean, thoroughly enjoyed 10 days with my brother, sister-in-law, nephew, and niece. We squashed 6 bodies (plus 2 cats) into our 1-bedroom apartment and had a blast!

We went to the zoo...


While we were at the zoo the tornado sirens went off and we had to hunker down in the basement of one of the buildings for about 15 minutes. That was certainly an interesting experience! The tornado was actually a few miles from the zoo and never got very close, but it got our blood pressure to rise!

Augustine and I loved the elephants the most...


We had fun relaxing at home...




Chrissy and I went on an awesome 7.2-mile loop hike together - girls' day out!


...And then we rewarded ourselves with some of the best fries in town.


We visited Hammond's Candy Factory in Denver...


...And bit off more than we could chew.


Next stop, a day trip to Rocky Mountain National Park!



The kids decided to brave the freezing mountain water...

...And try their hands (and feet) at bouldering!


We were all exhausted by the end of 10 days...


...but it was worth every second. We miss them so much! Come back soon you guys!

Look here for a more in depth picture tour of our adventures!