And..we made it!

Eli and I made it to Aurora, Colorado to Aunt Cyndi's house last Monday evening!  The past week has been very busy unpacking, moving things around the house, cooking a big Thanksgiving meal, and now decorating for Christmas!!  Cyndi told us that we were doing a "low-key" Thanksgiving meal.  We should have known that low key for us and Cyndi are not the same thing.  We made a turkey, a salmon roll, corn casserole, sweet potato casserole, cranberry chutney, bread, stuffing, and gravy.  Then we had Cyndi's neighbors, Lynn and George, over for dinner and they brought mashed potatoes, a delicious appetizer, and a pumpkin cake dessert!  It was a delicious meal with a great company.  We were able to watch football and take advantage of the beautiful 70 degree day for a bit with a run.  During this week, I have also been on the job hunt.  My traveling companies are able to find a lot of options about 2 hours away (or more) but ideally we would like to live with Aunt Cyndi, so I have been doing a lot of searching.  We are keeping our fingers crossed we can find something within commuting distance so we don't have to move again in the next few weeks!!  Eli is also looking for jobs in the area, so keep your fingers crossed for us!!

 

Garden of the Gods

Yesterday, Eli and I drove about an hour and a half to Colorado Springs in the morning.  We got lucky with another beautiful day and did about a 4 mile hike through the Garden of the Gods which is a park with phenomenal rock structures all throughout the area.  After hiking, we drove through a natural canyon to the Seven Falls Waterfall.  Both Eli and I still have sore quads after hiking up and down the very steep 224 stairs to reach the top.  On our way back home we went to the Helen Hunt Falls.  Both falls were pretty and covered with ice and snow but pale in comparison to the height of the waterfalls we saw in Oregon.  Once we got home and worked on decorating, Cyndi gave us her groupon to eat at the Washington Park Grille in downtown Denver.  It was a delicious 3-course meal.  I had an ahi tuna taco for an appetizer and salmon with grilled veggies in a coliflower sauce for the main course while Eli had a romaine lettuce salad with a gorgonzola and basil vinaigrette and beef tenderloin.  We both got the strawberry creme burlee for dessert which was wonderful!  This morning I took Eli to the airport as he is flying home then to drive across the country (AGAIN) with Seth and our pups :)!!!

Pike's Peak in the background at the Garden of the Gods

7 Falls...look at the ice!!

Lots of stairs!

Heading West...Crappie Capital and the Ozarks

We left Georgia this morning around 9am and have made good time driving through Alabama, including the town of Centre which had a big sign announcing itself as the Crappie Capital of the world. We also passed through Mississippi, a sliver of Tennessee, including Memphis and the Mississippi River, and then passed through Arkansas. In Arkansas we stopped at a scenic overlook to admire a view of the Ozark Mountains and the Arkansas River. While stopped we ran into a traveling occupational therapist from North Carolina...small world!

Georgia, Alabama, and a southern wedding!

On Friday morning we hit the road around 8:30am. It was a pretty day and easy traveling as we made the nine hour trip down to Rome, Georgia. Rome is not really on the way to our next destination, Denver, but our close friends, Liam and Skye, were getting married and we did not want to miss it. We checked into our hotel, showered, and then headed into the cute downtown of Rome to the History Museum for the rehearsal dinner. It was a fun evening with excellent food and wine (our favorite thing was the Gorgonzola Bacon dip with sweet potato chips). 

Saturday we were at the church by 10am as I was one of the groomsmen and needed to be there early for the service, which began at 11am. It was a nice service and the bride and groom made a good looking couple. After taking pictures with the wedding party we headed from Rome, Georgia to Cedar Bluff, Alabama for the reception. Not only did we change states, we also changed time zones! That's the first wedding I have ever attended where the ceremony and reception were in different states and time zones!

The reception was at a place called Bogan Mountain on family land of Skye's. It was a great setting for a celebration with a nice pavilion on the property and a gorgeous view. We had a crawfish bake with grits, rolls, and broccoli salad for food, and homemade beer that Liam made and hot cider from Albemarle Cider Works in Virginia to drink. We spent several hours at the reception before heading back to our hotel to spend the evening watching some football and relaxing before starting our trek back out west. It was a wonderful weekend as we felt honored to be able to join Liam and Skye in celebrating their marriage. 

It's not goodbye....it's so long!!

Thursday was my last day at Spectrum Physical Therapy in Palmyra, Va.  I absolutely loved my experience in the outpatient clinic as I had great co-workers and truly learned so much during this rotation.  That evening Ed and Jan were nice enough to have a big get together with both of our families.  Unfortunately, my Dad couldn't make it as he was taking my grandmother back home to Kentucky but the rest of the crew was able to come. They provided delicious, homemade broccoli and cheese soup with various sandwiches to pair.  The house was rocking as we had a blast eating, chatting, and playing with the kids.  At the end of the night it was definitely difficult to give our final hugs and kisses as we have thoroughly loved the chance to be so close to our amazing families   We are so thankful to Seth and Brittany for opening their house to us and allowing us to be a big part in the first 3 and half months of Kylie's life.  We are excited to continue to be a big part and to watch her grow.  We are sad to leave but excited about our rotations as well as the future with our friends and family.  We love each one of you!!

Winding Down

It was January 17th when Katy and I started driving out to Oregon to begin this adventure. We left from Virginia after spending the weekend saying goodbye to family. Now,  fast forward 10 months and we are getting ready to leave Virginia again, this time to head to Denver, Colorado. The past three months have been a wonderful experience and we will certainly miss being close to so many of our friends and family, but we are excited about the next chapter in this adventure.

Over the Halloween weekend our good friends from North Carolina, Ashley and Chris Sellers, drove up to spend a few days with us. On Friday night we hung out with a group of people and as crazy as it sounds we enjoyed visiting with everyone while watching the snow fall! Between Friday night and Saturday morning we had close to four inches of snow! In October! So that messed with our plans for the weekend as they evolved around hiking and visiting some wineries. However, we did not let the bad weather deter us as we still visited King Family Vineyards, drove to the parkway (didn't make it because it was closed, but found a somewhat scenic pull off none the less) to drink some champagne, visited Blue Mountain Brewery, and ate dinner in Charlottesville with some more friends.

On Sunday we had Kylie's baptism. My grandparents from Pennsylvania drove down for the special occasion.

That night we participated in Trunk or Treat at the church. It was a full weekend, but filled with lots of good times.

On Monday Seth and I spent the day with Grandma and Grandpa and then went to Josh's apartment for dinner that evening.

Tuesday we were back down in Staunton as we went out to breakfast with our Grandparents, and then Thursday the whole family gathered together for dinner before Grandma and Grandpa headed back home.

That Friday Seth and I spent the day cutting and splitting wood, raking leaves, and clipping the chicken's wings. After a full day of work Katy and I hit the road to drive to North Carolina to visit with Ashley and Chris (two weekends in a row!) in Raleigh. We went to the UNC vs. NC State football game on Saturday and then spent that evening hanging out with friends. It was nice to see our North Carolina crew one last time before driving back across the country.

The next weekend Katy's grandmother, Billy Dell, came in from Kentucky for a visit. Katy spent Friday night with her parents and Billy while Seth and I had some guys over to the house to watch basketball, eat pizza, and hang out. David Heinrich, a friend of our's since kindergarten was over, and he was finally able to meet Kylie.

Saturday we did an early "Thanksgiving" with Katy's whole family, since we will be eating turkey out in Denver this year. 

On Sunday we went to the opening UVA Men's Basketball game (a blowout win against South Carolina State).

That night we went into Charlottesville to grab dinner with Katy's parents, her grandmother, and her brother, Ron. It was a nice evening, but sad as we were seeing Katy's dad and grandmother for the last time before heading to Colorado. We will see the rest of her family again, but her Dad will be in Kentucky driving Billy Dell home. 

On Monday I spent the day working with Seth and Britanny at their rental house in Staunton, and then Tuesday I went to the UVA basketball game with my close friend Scott. It was nice to be able to hang out with him one last time. While I was at the game Katy was out with her co-workers, enjoying some drinks with them before her last day on Thursday. 

And so it begins...another round of goodbyes. The hardest might be saying goodbye to Kylie, whom we have become so accustomed to seeing every day, and whom it seems changes right before our eyes. It will be hard to leave her knowing that when we see her again in six weeks she will have grown so much. Despite the sadness surrounding leaving, we feel extremely blessed to have spent these three months being able to be a part of Kylie's life on a daily basis and are excited to watch her grow and to continue to be a big part of this beautiful girl's life.