Oh, A Campering We Will Go!

Published on February 18, 2016 by Casey Category: Household, Photos, Travel

A couple years ago, we purchased a hard-sided pop-up camper. It made camping so much more comfortable: no sleeping on an air mattress, no cooking in the rain…you get the idea. Some of us are getting old and like creature comforts, like heat and not having to trudge through the darkness to use the bathroom, hoping not to run into a bear on the way! It was super nice to have last year when it either rained or snowed, at least part of the time, for every single camping trip we took. We even towed it up to Canada on our tour of Alberta!

In fact, it was that Canadian excursion that really got us thinking about how nice it would be to have a camper that does not require folding and unfolding. Well, that was Noah’s main complaint since he was the on that had to do the set-up/take-down daily. I on the other hand wondered over the marvels of having a bathroom on wheels when driving through the middle of Alberta farm country. It was that or packing some she-wees.

That said, I keep a wondering eye, looking for a nice and affordable travel trailer. After months of quasi-searching we found one! Meet our new camper! It doesn’t have a name, which could have made that introduction more exciting. Should it have a name? If you have any suggestions, leave them in the comments.

The inside of the camper is very spacious with the slide out extended. No more cramped quarters trying not to trip over dogs (or small children). The galley area is much larger than in the TrailManor, which is cozy. A person could easily live in this camper, what with its large shower, and queen-sized bed. We’ve made a few modifications since we acquired the trailer. First off, the previous owner’s wife didn’t like the 90s furniture so they threw it out instead of refinishing/reupholstering. So, in the meantime, we have a futon and a card table set. Works fine for us, it is a camper after all, not a 5-star hotel! We also purchased a new mattress. Guaranteed clean. We also updated the microwave (now that’s roughing it!) and stereo system. Did I mention this camper came with a built in stereo and ceiling speakers? No? Well, I probably didn’t mention that the kicking stereo system also featured a cassette deck! Since we long since donated all our random cassettes, we modernized the stereo to one that uses Bluetooth and can play DVDs. Now, for the record, we don’t go camping to watch movies, but we do use our campers to stay on our mountain property. Which, if we had a cabin, movies would be involved there, so it’s justifiable. Yet, there are those occasions where it’s snowing and cold and no one wants to actually be outside, and you can only play so many games of Go Fish… 🙂

The other modifications we made were the addition of the stickers on the back. “Happy Camper” and “The Mountains Are Calling And I Must Go” bumper stickers were added, as well as the US and CA sticker map. Don’t you love how not to scale Alaska is? The states and provinces marked are ones we have been to since we started campering. I (Casey) have been to a lot more states, but it doesn’t seem right to count those.

Now, we just need a reliable buyer for the TrailManor…and warmer weather. I’m anxious for summer camping!

Pop, goes the toe!

Published on February 16, 2016 by Casey Category: Family

If you’re at all squeamish, you may want to skip this post.

Throughout my life, I’ve had my fair share of injuries (perhaps more than my share). Everything from concussions to sprains to broken bones to pinches nerves. You name it, I’ve probably experienced it. The one exception was a dislocation…until Friday past.

Somehow, whilst following Logan into the bathroom, I managed to catch the little toe on my left foot on the door jam and dislocate it. Not just a dislocation but also tear the ligament that supports the toe, since it got hyper-extended so much. Not only was I wearing socks throughout this ordeal, but I didn’t even realize I was walking that close to the wall! Perhaps I wasn’t fully awake, or maybe it was because I wasn’t yet wearing my glasses. Needless to say, pain was instant and when I was trying to figure out if it was broken, stubbed or dislocated, I managed to knock it off to the side again and really freak out Logan. Whoops! Magically, I remained calm and didn’t swear at all! I won’t post any pictures of my dislocated toe, it wasn’t that exciting to look at anyway. It didn’t stick straight out to the side, just looked twisted.

Did I mention this happened bright and early on the first day of my four-day-weekend? I really need to learn how to better enjoy a long weekend!

Back to the toe, Kaiser, couldn’t get me in until late Friday afternoon, so I got to hobble around to the vet, and the DMV before getting medical attention beyond my own first aid treatment. Thankfully, the toe popped back in on its own (“beautifully” according to my doctor), about an hour after the incident. I’m glad I didn’t have to sit through someone else wrangling it back into place. I have a high pain tolerance but I’m not a masochist!

The lovely people at Kaiser also fitted me with what I called the “fashionable flipper”. It’s a post-op shoe I get to wear for two weeks to ensure the ligament heals and my toe doesn’t get banged around.

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Hard to tell, but the “flipper” sticks out about three inches past the end of my toes. It provides quite the calf workout as my leg has to compensate for the lack of foot flex. Thankfully, my job is allowing me to continue to work with this apparatus, even though my injury is not work-related.

And in case you were wondering, I would chose the pain from a dislocated joint over a migraine.

2015 in Review

Published on December 28, 2015 by Casey Category: Blogroll, Colorado, Family, Photos, Travel, Weather

Why I suck at maintaining this blog. But honestly, it’s been a low priority behind work, raising a child, graduate school, volunteer work, etc. I love the idea of always being on top of this site, and in fact probably could squeeze it in as a brain break, if nothing else. So, instead of doing a bunch of posts about what happened in 2015, here’s an annual review. You can view pictures from 2105 at our share site here. If you need access, let me know.

January –

We rang in the new year whilst visiting family in California. I was sick and went to be around 10:00 p.m. Sleep trumped watching a ball drop three hours delayed. A few days later, we watched one of my high school friends get married. Yay, Becca!

February –

In February, my friend Jennie came to visit. We all enjoyed visiting a couple local ice festivals, eating fresh snow cones and watching Logan fit into a contortionist’s box.

March –

The big event this month was Logan turned five years old! The past years have just flown by! But five is such a fun age! Logan loves all things Marvel so we had a few friends over for an Avenger’s themed birthday party. The weather was great, always tricky for March in Colorado. Last year it snowed 9″ the day of his party. This year, is was sunny and in the 80s. Perfect pinata weather!

April –

For Easter we invited some friends over and continued our annual backyard egg hunt tradition. Thankfully the weather cooperated! I think it was around 70*.

May –

This month we went to a hot air balloon festival, celebrated Noah’s birthday and took Logan to his first cinema showing! Because Colorado, it snowed on Mother’s Day, which killed my plans for hiking or fishing. So, plan C was to take Logan to see Age of Ultron. He even dressed up as Thor for the event! Memorial Day weekend also officially kicks off camping season, so we headed up to Steamboat Lake for a much desired mountain getaway. The weather was not warm (30-50s), and it rained, sleeted or snowed each day. My are we thankful for our camper and the heater inside! Despite the weather we had a lot of fun!

June –

In June Logan started t-ball, we vacationed in Utah and I started horseback riding again. Logan really loves t-ball, even if he was the slowest runner and enjoyed playing in the dirt more than watching where the ball went. 🙂 We spent a few days in the beginning of June helping our friends settle into their new house, in Utah. Noah used his handyman skills to fix faucets, stoves, walls, etc. I used my painting skills to help transform their kitchen into a welcoming and cozy environment. We also happened to be in town during Pony Express Days, so the kids were able to have a lot of fun watching the parade and riding carnival rides at the fair.

July –

More camping! For the fourth of July weekend we camped at Rifle Gap. The best weather day was on the fourth. Logan enjoyed splashing in the lake, Hurricane enjoyed sniffing every bush and Noah and I enjoyed sitting in chairs, soaking up the sun, cool drink in hand, watching it all. We also finally did some camping at our mountain property (summer is a short month at 9300-ft). Always a nice getaway with beautiful views of the Mosquito Range. Noah and I celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary and as a gift to him, I gave him a new truck. Ha! Not really a gift, but it was purchased the day before our anniversary. The F350 Diesel is a big improvement over the Ram 1500 and needed to accommodate Noah’s large work trailer. I also moved into a new position at work, as a Behavior Technician. A nice step in the right direction toward my ultimate goal of becoming a BCBA.

August –

Our big event this month was our trip to Canada! We loaded up the camper and headed to Alberta. We spent a week traveling around the southern half of the province (and ventured into British Colombia one day). We stayed in Writing-on-Stone, Dinosaur, Calgary, Edmonton and Banff. Such a beautiful province and very friendly people, especially those from Manitoba. Logan has decided we should go to Manitoba for our next Canadian excursion. Also in August, Logan started kindergarten and we celebrated my birthday.

September –

Our final camping hurrah for the year. We went to Ridgeway with some friends and camped over the Labor Day weekend. Another trip we were glad for the camper. No one wants to cook outside in the rain. We did have some nice weather, about half of the trip, but not enough to get in any fishing. We just could not avoid rain this year camping. Even in Canada, it rained one day/night whilst we stayed in Banff. Also in September, Noah’s grandparents celebrated their 65th (!!) wedding anniversary! So we celebrated with them in a mini-family reunion.

October –

Noah missed Halloween this year due to elk hunting season. But before he left we made a trip to the pumpkin patch. Grandpa Mike came to Colorado to continue the tradition of hiking around the divide with Noah in search of the ever elusive elk, and he was able to help Logan carve a pumpkin before they had to leave. This year, Logan was going to dress up as Iron Man for Halloween, but he ended up with a stomach bug and missed trick-or-treating. Our wonderful neighbors, however, took up a collection of candy for him, as they went door-to-door.

November –

Grandma Diane came out to spend some time with Logan whilst the menfolk were hunting. They had a great time. We joined some friends for the Thanksgiving feast. This year we even had a white Thanksgiving! First time in the nine years I’ve lived in Colorado that it wasn’t in the 50s on Thanksgiving. Good thing Noah put the Christmas lights up on the house before the storm. We also chose that weekend to get our Christmas tree and Logan got to visit Santa. This month, Logan also had his first experience riding a horse, not tethered to a bar (i.e. pony ride).

December –

This month brought joys and heartaches. Noah’s grandpa passed away on the 10th, we attended his funeral the following week. On the 11th, Logan had his first surgery. Nothing major, he had to be put under general anesthesia to remove wax buildup inside his ears. We also had our first (and probably only) snow day of the year, where 10″ fell on the 15th (as I write this post nearly two weeks later, my yards are still covered in snow from that storm). We decided to stay home for the holidays. We enjoyed spending time with the extended family that visiting during the funeral events, friends at a Christmas party and we continued our traditions of riding the Georgetown Loop Christmas train and visiting the Denver Zoo for Zoo Lights. Christmas was a relaxed affair spent at home, enjoying watching Logan open gifts and awe over the fact Santa brought him exactly what he wanted. New Year’s will be much of the same, staying home and relaxing. No promises on whether or not Noah and I will stay awake until midnight.

Hope you all had a wonderful and enjoyable 2015 full of memories to last a lifetime. We look forward to all of the fun 2016 will bring!

Summer in Colorado

Published on September 13, 2014 by Casey Category: Colorado, Photos, Weather

Summer in Colorado is just as schizophrenic or bipolar as any other season in Colorado. Funny thing about these mountains is that they decide what the weather will be, whether it’s been forecast or makes sense.

Case in point: September 12, 2014. Season: still summer. However, it snowed. That’s right folks, it snowed in the summer. At my house, it was only a trace amount and thus cannot count as the “official” first snowfall of the season. For that, 0.10″ of snow needed to fall and be measured. It’s quite possible that much, or more, fell, but this early in the game accumulation is sparse. The ground is still too warm.

However, if you don’t believe me that it snowed, here’s a picture of my car. See that white stuff? That’s snow.

Polishing those Pearly Whites

Published on March 28, 2014 by Casey Category: Family, Photos

Logan had his first trip to the dentist this week. They call it a “happy visit” – a time to get used to all of the instruments, chair and get his teeth polished. They didn’t take xrays or add floride on this trip, we’ll do those on the next visit.

Logan was a little unsure at first, but the staff at the dental office is great with kids, made sure he was involved the entire step of the way and even allowed him to watch a show of his choice on Netflix!

Sniffing the bubblegum flavored toothpaste:

Getting his teeth cleaned:

Letting the dentist count his teeth:

The Big 0-4

Published on March 26, 2014March 28, 2014 by Casey Category: Family, Photos

We officially have a four year old!

The birthday morning began by surprising Logan with streamers hanging from his bedroom doorway. He was a bit confused at first but quickly decided he LOVES them and thinks all of the doorways in the house should have streamers.

That was then followed by breakfast at a local airport, where patrons are able to watch flights land and take-off. And then another trip, on request, a visit to the Colorado Railroad Museum.

For a party, Logan only wanted to have the Fieglands over for pizza. I was not going to talk him into something more elaborate. I had it set up so the kids were able to decorate their own pizzas, which sadly no one photographed. I can tell you that Logan’s pizza was pretty much all cheese and bacon.

After dinner Joci was sure to help Logan open his gifts.

The party theme was monster trucks, and exemplified by his cake.

For days leading up to his birthday, Logan would give a count: four days until I’m four, three days until I’m four, etc. It was fun for him to actually be at an age where he was genuinely excited about his upcoming birthday. We’re excited to watch his personality continue to develop in this upcoming year.

Happy birthday, Logan!

Santa Train

Published on December 22, 2013March 28, 2014 by Casey Category: Colorado, Family, Photos

Last year we rode the Santa Train up in Georgetown after Christmas, this year we decided to go before. There was less snow on the ground this year, but that also meant it wasn’t as cold, either. Still, we were able to enjoy the lights, cookies & hot chocolate. Logan even got a bell, a la The Polar Express.

Believe it or not, this kid is excited to ride the train…just not excited to be the subject of a photograph.