A Little Getaway

One of the things Dan and I wanted to do this year was to have a little getaway, just the two of us. We didn't have a big honeymoon, and the only other time we've gotten away was the cruise in 2009 (which I MUST cruise again!!!).

We had heard that Mt. Princeton Hot Springs was really awesome, and since we enjoyed Glenwood Hot Springs so much, we planned a weekend getaway. But between our work schedules and school and life, it was hard to find a time. We left right after the pinewood derby and got back in time for Spring Break. Dan's parents came and watched the kids! Thank you!!

Saturday we drove up to Buena Vista, the most gorgeous mountain town, and had dinner at the Asian Palate. Why can't we have good asian food in Colorado Springs? That place was SOOOO good! That evening we enjoyed the hot springs almost until they closed. It's so fun relaxing in giant hot tubs and chatting with all the people who are vacationing too.

Sunday we had a yummy breakfast in Salida and then went skiing at Dan's favorite spot at Monarch Ski Resort. I had NEVER been skiing before and man was I scared. I'm not much for going down hill, out of control, especially with something foreign stuck to my feet that I could get to do what I wanted. I ended up going down hill pretty fast and could stop without crashing. This got my heart pumping pretty good and scared me a lot. By the time we got to the bottom of the bunny hill I was ready to quit. (Go easy on me) I went to the lodge and told Dan to go do a few runs so I didn't ruin his whole day of skiing. He came back about 30 minutes later with a Ski instructor from Taos, NM who was visiting Monarch for the weekend. He offered to give me a free lesson so I could get my confidence back. I had to give it another go. He spent an HOUR and a HALF with me and I could finally ski down the bunny hill without stopping, but I knew how to stop! I was still pretty shaken by the whole thing that I don't know if I'll ever do it again, but Dan and I got to ski a little bit together and I got to watch him ski and visit his favorite place. :)

After skiing most the day, we took advantage of a complimentary yoga class, which turned out to be just the two of us. What a neat thing to do together! Then we ordered some sandwiches and took them out the hot springs to relax for the rest of the night.

Monday we took our time going back to Colorado Springs. First we stopped in St. Elmo, a ghost town. I guess it's a touristy spot in the summer, but in March there was no one there, and it was really cold and windy so it felt very much like a true ghost town. Pics below! The drive to St. Elmo would be simply breathtaking in the fall when the aspen trees are turning, we may just have to make that happen. Dan stopped in the creek and took a few pictures. I was too cold and wimpy to climb down in to the creek too.   After that we stopped in downtown salida for some shopping and then had lunch in Canon City.

The mountains are just breathtaking

Can you see the face in the window? Creepy!

Dan loved how the metal roof was sagging underneath the weight of the snow, and also how the ice had begun to slip of the roof and frozen like that

You could see into some of the buildings. Count the stars on this old American flag!

After a busy year we really loved getting away. Unfortunately we had no idea what we were headed home to. See, Alex threw up in the car on the way home from the Pinewood Derby, so we left a sick Alex with Dan's parents. Then monday night Cade threw up 8-9 times and spend the entire Tuesday as sick as a dog. Thursday I got it, even though I'd already had a nasty bout of the flu two weeks before, and then Dan got it really bad on Friday and the following Wednesday. Not the funnest Spring Break for our family, especially since his parents and his sister were visiting! We did manage to have one night with all of us well enough to take some family pictures. Here's a sneak peak! (Thanks Kristina!)

Here's my sick kiddos

And a family pic with our favorite Colorado scenery in the background :)

I love my job!

I haven't posted much about my job! I started working full time at the beginning of this school year, and it's been one wild ride. My priorities have shifted because there were times when there was just so much going on that I couldn't keep all the balls from dropping. I still wouldn't trade this experience for anything.

My day (and the kids) starts at 5:30, showering and getting myself ready, and then downstairs to eat, pack our lunches and get out the door. Some mornings this goes perfectly smoothly, other days there's a whole lot of arguing and prodding of children going on.

I drop them off at a friend's house who then takes them the rest of the way to school. She has been a lifesaver, let me tell you! See, I have to be there about 7, and their school doesn't start until 8, but is on the other side of town.

Then I head into work! I work in the same office as the choir director, Scott, and he is a blast to work with. These high school kids sure say and do some crazy stuff, so sometimes we just look at each other and laugh. My school has a block schedule so we have one set of classes one day, and then a different set of classes the next. This makes the classes about 90 minutes long. That's super long! It's great for music because you can really get a good rehearsal in, but for the majority of high school students it's just a tad too long for them to focus the whole class period.

There are 5 choirs, about 140 kids total. 3 of the choirs are girls only, and then 2 mixed choirs.

My daily tasks consist of dealing with uniforms, fundraisers, deposits for the department, accompanying the choirs, working with kids during their advisory period to prep them for things like all-state auditions and solos, and other office work like copying music, permission slips, day trips and things like that.

I have loved working with the kids! There's a gang of kids that are always hanging around and they work hard and have a lot of fun together.

I finish at 3:10 and head home just in time for my friend to bring the kids home from school. I taught piano lessons the first semester and quickly realized I just could not do it all, so I am no longer teaching piano lessons except for Cade and Alex. This has allowed me a little more family time, a little more meal prep time, and a little more me time.

So despite the crazy schedules, messy house, and simple dinners, it has been such a great experience to work in the schools. I hope I can use this experience again in the near future, but who knows what the next duty stations bring for me in that way!

Here's a few pics and videos :)

Sometimes the kids just start singing in the office! Lucky me!

Pinewood Derby Winner!

Cade and Dan had a lot of fun putting together this year's pinewood derby car. Honestly we didn't have much time, so when we were looking for designs, we picked this one because of the shape of the car.

Cade got second place last year, so we were nervous about getting his hopes up for another great finish, but he "e-raced" the competition! :)

Good work you two! Next year we'll have two cub scouts, so two pinewood derby cars, and no Dan to make them....