Wah? Kate in Estes?!?

Yes, the adventures of Jesse, Teresa, and Kate continue...but this time in America!

Kate came for a visit at the beginning of November and oh boy did we all have fun.  The extended weekend included lots of hiking, playing in the freshly fallen snow, eating out (thanks to the generosity of Kate's wonderful mom) and drinking our fair share of tea.

I stole the collage of pictures from Kate because she did such a good job capturing our mega hike of 8.5 miles to sand beach.  We bush-wacked a mile straight up the side of the mountain for a "short-cut" to get to the trail and finished the rest of the hike through the snow.  If Kate lived in Estes full-time (which she should) she would be hiking circles around us...this Nebraskan who lived at sea level for the last 2 1/2 years in Tokyo dominated the trail.  Very impressive, Kate.  We are happy to have you back in the states and look forward to more visits to the mountains! 
 

Offically Moved

So I wish we had pictures, but everyone will just have to believe me when I say we did an awesome job packing.  My mom and dad helped pack things into our trailer instead of a moving truck (last minute decision to save some $).  I think everyone present did not believe that it would be possible to squeeze all of our possessions into our 5x8 space, but we did!  ...for the most part. 

Upon arriving in Estes after a VERY LONG day, Jesse's mom and Grandma were waiting to help unload.  The house is going to continually turn into a mess over the next year as we keep up the renos and continue to unpack, but it is our mess and we are happy, happy, happy.

 Once we got settled into the house, we welcomed our newest addition to our happy little home.  Introducing "Bella Marie-Sugar-Pudding Tater-Novak-Williams." (names given to her by her previous owners) We call her Bella for short; or Tubby cat, little land whale, or Bella-potamos works too.  Our whole married life we have had a tendency of picking up free things along the way, so it was of no surprise when my boss asked if Jesse and I would take in her cat.

 

 

 

Bella hanging with the fawn on fawn lane

She is a sweet cat and loves to be around people.  No one is sure of her whole story but before my boss took her she had spent time at a warehouse and the humane society.  She has a bit of weight problem, but that just means more of her to love.  Her whole life she has just wanted to be indoors and now she can spend the rest of her days chilling with Jesse and I in Estes...not a bad life.  We are happy to have her.

 

 

 

 

Where did the summer Go!?

It is crazy how fast this summer went by... A lot has happened and a lot has changed suddenly and I think it has thrown me off a bit.  I can't keep time straight. 


Since May we have been hiking, camping, enjoyed the town's many festivals, attended ranger programs and movie nights. We have been exploring and learning about RMNP as much as we can and still haven't made a dent on the many areas we have yet to explore.  Good thing we are going to be staying for awhile!

Since June we have gotten more visitors than any other place we have ventured off to.  Both parents came for a visit, my cousins from Oregon made a stop, (our wedding was the last time we saw them!) and we got to see the Scholl's for a quick hello.

Since July we realized we were prequalified for a loan and thought "why rent if we don't have to?" and so the house hunting began! 

August marked the date where we found a house we fell in love with and the sellers accepted our very first offer!  I also got to visit my sweet sweet niece and got to go home to Nebraska for a few days and celebrate Dad's retirement.

September is upon us and we just got done celebrating 5 wonderful, crazy, adventurous, (and sometimes stressful) years of being married.  Our big gift to mark the date was the little white house on Fawn Lane :)  We are officially moved in, have internet for the first time in years (expect more blogs), and are already tackling on house projects and renovations...let the adventures of home ownership begin!

 

Check out our new blog "Home-Sweet-Renos" where you can check out all the happenings of our first home!  http://home-sweet-renos.blogspot.com/

 

Estes Park Visitors

Picnic Lunch in Beaver Meadows

 

Jesse's parents came up for a visit at the beginning of August.  We ate nearly every meal outside (Bratwurst at Sprague, donuts at Bear Lake, Picnic at Beaver Meadows, Enchiladas outside on the picnic table, another picnic at Hidden Valley and Hamburgers by the river in downtown Estes) watched the elk, saw an abert's squirrel, shopped around downtown, and enjoyed each other's company.  We are excited for the next time they can come and visit!  Thanks for the good memories!!

We were all up early enough to watch the sunrise over Bear Lake

Look who came for a visit!

I have been a bit behind in blogging lately...time to play some catch up!  

A few week ago mom and dad Barry came to  beautiful Colorado for a vacation and to visit Jesse and I.  We had a great time and it went by far too quickly!  We wish they could still be here enjoying the nice weather and mountain scenery.

The time spent was full of eating good food, fishing, and some hiking.  Of course mom had to get in her share of shopping in downtown Estes.  For me, one of my favorite parts was going to the other side of the park and seeing a mama moose with two babies right next to the road and eating a picnic lunch at Holzwarth historic ranch in the middle of a brief hail storm. 



Picnic Dinner where Dad "made fire!"

Fishing for trout at Dream Lake

Cat nap

A walk around Sprague Lake before bratwurst, beans, chips and Capri suns

Picnic during/after the hail storm.  What a great spot!

Mom roping cattle "I am a cowgirl...yee-haw!"
The video is pretty great too :)  You are
pretty entertaining mom!  Thanks for visiting us!!

 



 

Retired Ranger

Can you tell we both worked for the park service?

My time as a park ranger has been short lived...(never even got a chance to post pictures of me in my awesome uniform!)  It didn't take long for Jesse and I to realize that 1.  We really like Estes Park   and 2.  We are finally ready to settle down!    ...For a little while at least :)

We came across a job opening for a full-time and permanent activities assistant at Prospect Living Center in Estes park and lo and behold they offered it to me!  Now I get to spend my days hanging out with the elderly playing games, watching the mountains, singing songs, taking them on tours of the park (along with a wide variety of other things) and working with what seems to me to be a really incredible and dedicated staff. 

Jesse is still Ranger Williams and we are excited to see where that path continues to take him.  It is a good fit for him and boy does he look handsome in his uniform...AND now I have a job that is a good fit for me as well.  Yay!  Life is good!  Thanks God!

Welcome to the Rockies

Bandelier National Monument

So long New Mexico…HELLO Rocky Mountains!

Surfing the Dunes

We are finally done with our time in New Mexico.  Not that there was anything wrong with 1,000 year old inscriptions and petroglyphs on a really cool questa out in the middle of the dessert,  but we had hiked the 2 mile trail more times than we could count and were ready for a place with a little more going on.    

We said farewell to New Mexico by visiting Bandelier National Monument.  If you are ever in the Santa Fe area this little monument is a must.  It was like a giant playground filled with cliff dwellings, wooden ladders, and lots of rocks …a kid’s paradise.

Had to leave Teresa behind...

With a continuing passion to visit more of our country’s national wonders, our first stop in Colorado was Great Sand Dune National Park.    No longer do we have a need to visit the Sahara Desert…who knew we could pretend to get lost and caught in a sand storm in the middle of Colorado?  The only thing that was missing was a camel ride.  We climbed to the top of a 700 foot sand dune and rolled down the other side…it was marvelous. 

After our venture in the dessert, we drove right into a snow storm and 18 inches of snow welcomed us to Rocky Mountain National Park.  Just like The Grand Tetons we are falling in love with this park’s wonderful mountains, winding trails, aspens, and elk around every corner :)

“The mountains are calling, and I must go.”  -John Muir