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 :)

One Sentence for my Mama...

The coolest thing about my mom? She is my best friend...

I'm not sure how many people can say that, but I sure am grateful that I can.

Happy Mother's Day, Mama! I love you :)

My favorite field trip...

Spring is in the air here in Denver, so it was time for an outdoor adventure! My favorite place to go is the Denver Zoo (or any zoo for that matter!). I love walking around and looking at all the animals; each one is so unique and fascinating. I wonder why a buffalo’s head is so big, a giraffe’s neck is so long, and how an elephant can be so big when it only eats hay and fruit?

We packed a picnic, picked up Maxwell and Zailah, and off we went!

We really lucked out with the weather, and it turned out to be such a great day. We were having so much fun, but my favorite part had to be this super cute interactive "jump station" where you could jump and see what animal you are equivalent to...

I was a penguin, jumping 5 ft.

(not bad for being in a skirt and flip flops...)

Maxwell was a flea, jumping 4 ft...

And Nate destroyed us all; he was a grasshopper, jumping 9 ft.

We had so much fun at the zoo that day. Maxwell had fun learning cool facts about the different animals, and Zailah just enjoyed the ride! I love being an auntie, and more importantly, I love living close enough to enjoy adventures like these with my nieces and nephew.

A Proud Teacher...

April is annual Quarters for Kids Month, so it's really got me thinking about things. Quarters for Kids is a program raising money for the homeless children in Denver; it's the difference between starting the day with a good breakfast or going to school hungry. Here are the facts that really made me passionate about this program...

1. $0.25 is the cost to provide breakfast for a youth staying a local homeless shelter.
2. The average age of a homeless person in Colorado is nine.
3. Colorado has the highest rate of childhood homelessness in the country.

I'm a teacher, so naturally I shared this passion with my fifth grade students, and they were equally excited to help. They went into their piggy banks, scrounged around the house, and donated the money they earned from doing chores! My class raised $154.25. The best thing about this program is that 100% of all the money raised goes directly to help feed these children.

I'm proud of my kids, and they are proud of themselves. They learned that doing a small act (donating quarters) can collectively make a huge difference. I'm so grateful that I got to be apart of that lesson...

Below are pictures of homeless children, and the bug is in me again. I need to do something... whether that is locally or over seas. I need to find time in my life for the little ones who need to be taught, played with, or simply held.

Uhhh, don't go here...

Colfax is a gold mine for holes in the wall, so Nate and I decided to venture up north. We were both feeling like Mexican food, so we decided on La Cueva (Spanish for 'the cave')...

I pretty much base the value of a Mexican restaurant off of their chips and salsa. So right away, I knew this wasn't gonna be the best experience. I got the chicken enchiladas, and Nate got the chicken tacos. Both dishes were good, but not the type of good where you let out an "Mmmmmm" unconsciously.

The atmosphere was cute, and definitely a good hole in the wall experience. We love experiencing these tiny, no-name restaurants, and we definitely appreciate them for what they are! There's just some we won't be recommending to our friends :)

Big Plans...

I have completed two classes for my masters, and my next class doesn't start until May 16th!!! That gives me six entire weeks to do whatever I want. I'm not sure you entirely understand what this means for me. I don't have to read textbooks, write any papers, or create another curriculum. I don't know what I'm going to do with myself. Ha! Okay, you caught me, you caught me. I know exactly what I'm going to do with myself.

I've got big plans for the next six weeks...

Read the rest of this...

Make this (or at least attempt)...

Run in this...

Bake and eat this...

Sew this (in different fabrics)...

Play with my favorite people...

And I will blog about all of it because I'll have so much time to spare :)