Camping in CO Springs...

I'm still plugging away on my masters (taking four classes this summer!), and a big trip is just not going to happen this year. So get ready for lots of posts about camping!!! Camping is the best because you can escape from your busy life, it's a cheap vacation, and it's easy. Two weeks ago we went to Colorado Springs to camp, and it was so fun to go on a little trip with my family. The highlights were...

1. Setting up the tent.
2. Throwing the frisbee around.
3. Hiking Seven Falls.
4. Having swim races at the pool.
5. Running the Garden of the Gods 10 mile race with Macy.
6. Eating smores with Reeces Peanut Butter Cups!!!
7. Sitting around the "campfire" visiting with my family.
8. Going on walks.

I can't say enough good things about camping. Some of my favorite childhood memories are camping with my family, and I'm excited to go camping a lot this summer!

Here are some of the pictures from this trip...

Power Vacation...

There are vacations, and then there are power vacations. Nate and I just took a power vacation to Seattle to visit his friends, Calli and Zac. Nate already blogged about what we did on this trip, so you can read it here, but I wanted to share my Top 10 favorite things about this power vacation.

1. Flying with Nate! Instead of awkwardly sleeping on the stranger next to me, Nate let me lay in his lap. Even though Southwest lost my bags, we still arrived in Seattle HAPPY!!!

2. Market Bagels: cute little cafe where we had bagel sandwiches! This was only the beginning of the holes in the wall that we discovered and loved.

3. Eating at Waterfront Pizza! Nate and I shared the boring half because we are super picky... and Calli and Zac's side was far more adventurous!!! Telling of the different couples? :)

4. Getting destroyed at Nertz at the hotel. I'm smiling here because I don't want to appear a bad sport... inside I was welling up with tears!

5. The famous gum wall. Nate and I have "secret spots", but Calli and Zac's "secret spot" tromps ours. It was one of the coolest things I have ever seen.

6. Exploring downtown Seattle. There were beautiful flowers, fresh fruits and vegetables, homemade crafts, and stinky fish!

7. Driving around and looking at all the different shades of green was a highlight. Beyond beautiful.

8. Wandering through small towns was so much fun. Calli and I found some cute items for our kitchens in one of the local shops!

9. Going to the beach. The water was cold, but we loved it anyway!

10. Eating at every hole in the wall we could find! Seriously, I don't think we could have eaten any more than we did. I was in "hole in the wall heaven" and I'm still paying the price!

We had so much fun; it truly was a power vacation because we did it all! I loved Seattle, and if it wasn't for the rainy nature of the state, I could live there! Thanks for showing us around Calli and Zac, we'll see you in December :)