Morg's First Hike

Morgan is getting so big so fast!!

So big in fact that we had to switch out his little crate for his new big crate. And by big I mean friggin' gigantic. It was the largest crate they had but with a projected weight of 90 pounds and after seeing his parents we're gonna need it. Morgan was scared of it at first so I had to help him out.

And that is with the divider in the crate too! We moved it so it was even smaller after I got out. He likes it now!

One of my favorite pics

Today Collin, Ben, Adam (two of our friends), and I went to Cheesman Canyon. They went to fish and I went to hike with Morgie since it was such a beautiful day. He had to get some lunch in before we started...

We all ended up hiking because the fishing just wasn't great...as in they couldn't catch anything! Morgan did so well for his first hike! He was a happy little camper!

While the guys tried to fish Morgan bounced around like a crazy man finding sticks and everything else he could get his mouth on.

          

 

And then on the walk home I spotted this foot print. I THINK it may be a mountain lion but we're not too sure...could be a huge dog.

Little Morg was great! I love having a walking/running/hiking partner (besides Collin!)...he's so much fun!

Here's a quick video of the fur babes doing their thing...pretty boring really but just a few clips I took on my phone...

My Birthday

My birthday fell on a Wednesday this year. I had off that day but Collin worked until 4. I had a lovely day relaxing at home with my furry friends while I waited for Collin to get home. We went to a bar that I've been dying to go to for a little while. It's called Williams & Graham. When you get there the door says William's & Graham Booksellers, the windows have books sitting on shelves, and it just looks like a little store. Inside the tiny little place, it looks like a small bookstore with a cashier and everything. They ask you how many people you're with, check your IDs, and then open part of the bookshelf to expose a prohibition style bar...so up my alley. It was so cozy, old style cocktails, ice chopped off of a huge block, and a great atmosphere. I loved it! After drinks we headed to Larimer Square for dinner at Osteria Marco. We got their amazing calamari and the carbonera pizza that has Romano cheese and a dippy egg in the middle....sooo yummy!

It was a nice little birthday! I dressed up and it felt great...I get so sick of my scrubs day in and day out! A doctor at work asked if I was turning 21...HAHA! Yep for the 6th time!

Grand Lake Weekend

Collin's birthday was on Friday and for his birthday weekend we headed up to Grand Lake CO...with little Morgan too! He was a really good boy on the 2 hour car ride, not a peep the whole way!

We were there last year to snowmobile as well and had an awesome time. You can snowmobile in the streets and our cabin is connected to the trails...well last year that was the case, for some reason that connecting trail wasn't open yet (even though they had tons of snow?) This year ended up being a little colder too...like -17 colder. So cold that it was almost unbearable to take Morgan out to potty. I was not going to go out in that weather for any longer than I had to so Collin and his friend Jake went snowmobiling both days while Morgan and I stayed in by the fire and played, crocheted, read, and braved the cold for the shortest amount of time possible! It was actually a nice relaxing couple of days.

For Collin's birthday we went to a steakhouse (basically the only real restaurant in town!). The guys got the all-you-can-eat crab legs special...bad choice... they were too frustrated with how little meat they were getting to keep eating and were still hungry by the time we left. ha! We went bowling after dinner which was fun...those guys sure keep me laughing. At one point, Collin wasn't paying attention and rolled the ball into the machine that sweeps the pins away. I was laughing so hard already and then the ball rolled almost all the way back up the lane and he had to walk down the side to get it. He was embarrassed but I was in hysterics.

I like all the junk they left out for us...

The next day was about the same but the boys came back early because their fingers were so frozen that they hurt. We went to dinner at the same place (again, only place in town!) to watch the Broncos game...real bummer that game was! The next morning Jake's truck wouldn't start! So, we had to stick around for about 3 extra hours so that he could work on it. It finally started and as he was letting it warm up, a mama moose and her TWO babies came by...really close!

The owner of the cabins was trying to scare them away and the momma did NOT like that...she almost charged Collin's truck! I ran back to the porch and the guys jumped into Jake's truck. The guy got the hint and stopped being an idiot. The moose family eventually walked away.

Morgan was once again great on the car ride home, he even slept through us stopping to grab a bite to eat.

When we got home the house was freeeeeezing cold!! The thermostat wasn't working so we changed the batteries (it was 40 degrees!) and it started right up...who was the genius that invented a heater that stops if two little AAA batteries die??!!? Stupid! After that we put a load of laundry in the washer...normal, until I heard a gush of water and looked through the window into the laundry room only to see soapy water gushing out of the back of the washing machine! We both ran out and scooped up all of Morgan's stuff and tried to stop it without much luck. We looked like a bunch of clowns trying to stop the water, get all of the stuff out of the room, keep Suki and Morgan apart, and soak up the water all at the same time! haha!! Oh boy. I finally got Suki in the bedroom, Morgan in his crate, and the water stopped coming out but the floor was already flooded with soapy water and it started going down the basement stairs too. We used towels and mops to soak up the water and then turned some fans on. After some jugs of warm water the frozen pipe that caused all of this finally thawed and we were able to finish our load of laundry. Pain in the buns!

Of course, my bad luck continued into today. I got a parking ticked while running Collin's check into the bank for 5 seconds (the jerk on a segway actually handed it to me as I was walking towards my car...I said some choice words as I was climbing into my jeep and he said sorry, haha!), went to the grocery store, came home and was locked out of the house because I forgot to reattach my house key, THEN after Collin came home and let me in we realized that the gas on the stove was running (we opened the windows and got the terrors some fresh air too). Hoping that's the end of this BS for a little while!!

And here's hoping for some warmer weather too...I'm over highs of 15 degrees!!!!

Morgan's New Bed

Of course, I know that anything you don't want your 80 lb dog to do you shouldn't let your 8 week old do. But how can you not cuddle the crap out of this little bundle????

Yes yes he's on the couch.

In defense, he was just taken from his momma and siblings and was scared so we were doing anything to make him happy. But now that work for both of us is looming, we are having to teach him how to stay on the floor, be in his crate, and just be alone and content for a little while.

Monday will be the first day that we are both at work. Luckily, I only work three days a week but for those days that Collin and I both work I'm really worried about leaving him. Collin can come home for lunch and we're having a friend of ours stop by mid-morning and after lunch for a potty break but he is still a baby and cries when we leave him alone so I'm sort of nervous! (Although, as I type this he is soundly sleeping on his new bed in the laundry room by himself....hope that lasts!)

Here is the new bed Collin picked up...a little big but not for long I'm sure! It's big enough for me to lay on with him and super cozy fabric.

He likes to prop his head up when he sleeps so this bed is perfect!

All the animals sound asleep (minus Suki)....I didn't even arrange this picture I swear!

First vet visit went well too! I thought the vaccines might knock him out for a few hours...maybe 15 minutes is all I got. He was ready to play a few minutes after we got home. 12.7 pound baby right now!

New Years 2013

This year for New Years (pre-Morgan!) Collin's dad and Ruthie came out to visit us. It was more like a combined Christmas/New Years visit really. I worked for the first couple of days but after having their flight delayed all through Christmas day (how horrible!) they finally made it in on the 26th and I only missed them for a day or so. That Friday was my first day off for my self-made holiday break so we all headed up to Steamboat Springs.

We were prepared!

Tons of snow on the way in

The first night, since we drove all day, we brought our stuff inside and then went to dinner at The Tap House.

The next day we all went skiing/snowboarding at the mountain. The snow was amazing and I was excited since it was my first day out this season! I wasn't aware but apparently Steamboat is known for their "Champagne Powder." And they had just been dumped with a bunch of it! It was so good, in fact, that I was exhausted by lunch time. My legs were burning and my boots were hurting. We all met up for our packed lunches and bloody marys and because I am out of shape I decided to ski the green runs with Ruth for the next two hours until we were ready to head home.

Me! This run was soo steep but the snow was so soft!

I really didn't get too many good pictures. Go figure!

That night we ate at Carl's Tavern. We went the night before and walked in and asked how long the wait for 4 would be...the girl responded 8pm...I asked what time it was right now...5:00. Oook..so we made reservations for the next night.

source

It was delicious! We started with oysters...really great for Colorado...and we each had an awesome meal as well.

The next morning Collin and I headed out to snowmobile bright and early. Ruth and Heister took a day off and went to lunch and a movie. Snowmobiling was awesome as well! My first time on my sled!

That's Collin (aka Evel Kinevel) on his sled

Fields of snow!

Beautiful view

So much snow!!

This huge snow cat hold skis/snowboards on each side and skiers inside in a heated little area. It takes them up to backcountry skiing and then they provide a meal in a nearby cabin. We really want to try it if we ever come back to Steamboat!

Catching a nap

My favorite picture!!!

Our whole group!

Collin

Our friend Mari

ME on my little sled!

Blurry me bedded in the powder

A little "crash" video of a guy we met out on the trail...

It was fun! And the snow was deeeeeeep! Only my right hand was sore after that long day. The space between my throttle and my handle is too wide for my hand so after 6+ hours of squeezing and steering at the same time my hand was so dead!

We packed up our sleds and gear and headed back to meet Heister and Ruth. We also planned to meet up for a drink with our friends Jake and Mari later that night. My stomach hadn't been feeling well for the past day or so but that was it so I was just trying to ignore it but by the time we got to the restaurant I was feeling too sick to stay out. Collin took me home and I slept until morning. I felt muuuuch better by then, thank goodness.

On our third day, which was New Years Eve, Ruth and I relaxed all day and made a few errands while the guys took the snowmobiles out for another spin. That night we had reservations for dinner at Cottonwood Grill. As we were all getting ready to go out Ruth started getting the stomach bug and decided she should stay in for the night. The rest of us met a small group of our friends at the restaurant and had another fantastic meal!! I had the Cambodian Hot Pot...sort of comparable to a French bouillabaisse...a coconut milk based broth full of delicious seafood!

After dinner we headed down the street to another restaurant/bar for a drink. It ended up being more like a club and Heister was way over it! Everyone was tired anyway so we parted ways and went home to ring in the new year!

WOOO! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! .....it's not even 10pm yet....

As predicted, none of us made it to midnight! Well, I woke up just before it happened and woke Collin up. He wasn't thrilled because "it already happened, this is a re-run from the East coast." Uhhh yup. Party pooperrrrrr!

The next morning Ruthie still wasn't feeling 100% so she left early in the morning with me (I was on my way to get Morgan!!). The guys packed up the sleds and the rest of our stuff and headed out just behind us.

A great New Years get away for sure! And always great to have visitors!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!! Here's to a healthy, happy, and prosperous 2013!!