Fall time fun!

There's no better way to ring in fall time than to launch a pumpkin 300 yards. Brent and I went to the Harvest Farm in Wellington on Sunday. We got lost in the corn maze, watched some pig races, launched some pumpkins and corn, ate some kettle corn, and took a hayride. I've always loved fall time but in the last few years it has slipped by too fast to enjoy. It was nice to slow down and smell the hay. Maybe if I can enjoy fall some than I won't be so bitter about winter this year!

I'm still alive.

Where does the time go? Seriously? September already! How did that happen? I'm not complaining or anything, I'm just saying - it all went by so fast. School is once again in full swing and I'm just now adjusting to my school/work/sleep schedule. My schedule is lighter than usual right now and I've been able to work more hours during than week than usual. Yah for money!

School seems less daunting this year knowing that the end really is near. I've managed the chaos in the past so I know I can manage it for another 8.5 months. I have tons of things keeping me occupied and haven't had much time to watch tv or movies. Brent and I went to see Get Smart a few weeks ago. While things were very predictable - the super cheesy spy comedy made for a good laugh.

Brinkley dog is doing good. He's still a pup at heart and really likes harassing the cat. He really likes having Brent around too. Like he didn't get enough attention already, now he has his buddy around to play with. Brink's been within inches of catching squirrels so I figure it's just a matter of time before he finally snags one. They are starting to play chicken with him and skirt down the tree trunk just close enough that they are out of reach. I'm hoping to get out in the field sometime this fall and let him run around and see if he can't actually find a bird.

In other news, I think I've lost my marbles today. I had to turn around twice and return back home after forgetting things. It just feels like one of those space-cadet kind of days. Blah.

I always knew I'd live in a castle!

What Kind of Guy Will You Fall For?
	You will fall for the gentleman. Keep an eye out for your love at your next formal or field trip to the opera. Watch out for bad boys who walk on the inside of the curb and don't hold the door for you, and you'll end up with the guy who's suave, sophisticated, and classy through-and-through.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

The wipers on the bus go splash, splash, splash!

Baby's float! Well, with a little help they do. I started swimming lessons with my nephew last night. We're "Advanced Guppies!" His little budda belly helped him float a little better than some of the other toddlers. We got to sing some of those cheesy childhood songs that I had long forgotten about. The wheels on the bus still go round and round and the hokey pokey is still what it's all about! It was a pretty good time - a very fast thirty minutes. I've got "motorboat, motorboat" duty every Monday evening so that should be a good dose of weekly Auntie time!

A well needed rest.

A break at last! Taking a few days off to enjoy the mountains, my dog, and my man has rejuvenated me. I was ready for it and enjoyed every minute of it. I wish I could start from the beginning again but I know that I've got to get back to the grindstone. Camping with Brinkley for the first time was fun. It was nice to watch him just run around like a chicken with his head cutoff. I wish I knew what he was thinking but in my mind he was probably screamin' "FREEDOM!" He'd follow Brent off into the woods in search of firewood and come running back ahead of him as if to proudly holler, "He's got a big one, mom. He's coming!" While I took a lot of photos, there are many more photographic moments in my head. It was a nice little trip to remember. Some playground playing, swimming, and firework watching also made the week just inch slowly by. Words could probably never explain just how much the mini-vacation was needed. I'll have lots of nice memories to keep my mind occupied while I get back into the swing of things this week.

Mmmm, Irish ale and chicken liver patté!!

Don't knock it 'til you try it! This week's adventure in Lone Tree/Castle Rock was dinner at a local Irish Pub. The atmosphere is really great and the place has a unique little history about some Irishman cousins that bought the place and then returned to Ireland to purchase all the stuff to go in it - from ancient Catholic monasteries that were closing. The artwork was great and the wooden pulpits on the walls and the giant light fixtures made it really unique. Since I was there, I figured that I'd step out of the comfort zone and try something new and appropriate so I chose the Cottage Pie, which was like steamed/stewed meet and mash potatoes and cheese. It seems simple but it did have a very unique flavor and with the beef broth and vegetables, it was almost a soup or light stew consistency. It was very filling and delicious. Prior to the Cottage Pie, however, I also tried the Chicken Liver Patté appetizer. It was surprisingly good! Take the yummy toasted bread with a dot of goat cheese, a dab of liver stuff and top it with the apricot marinated onion and it makes for a very yummy treat! Sticking with the newness theme, I also tried the Smithwick's Irish Ale! Sooo good. It definitely gives the Total Disorder Porter a run for its title of my restaurant favorite.

Anywho, another day of interesting finds ahead of me tomorrow. Blog topics gallore in these neck of the woods.

Cheers!

Hot sub sandwiches, neo-nazis, and a cemetery stroll at dusk!

About a month ago I started my summer internship for the Women Marines Association in Lone Tree, Colorado. I've been marching along to the beat of my own drummer in creating donor forms, accession forms, databases, speadsheets, shelf layouts, box labels, etc.. Considering it's only been a month and I only work a few days a week, the project is starting to take shape and a real process is starting to develop. I find myself adding massive amounts of things to the "must read" list and thinking research topics that I would like to pursue in my own time (hmm, what is that again??). While I've been incredibly busy, the summer has still been very enjoyable. Catching up with old friends and making new ones have made all the tasks that come with 3 jobs a lot less daunting.

Last night, my supervisor Nancy Wilt and I went to a gas station in Larksburg, Colorado for dinner. Don't knock it until you try it! Best hot sub sandwich I've had since... well, ever maybe! We dined out on the mini front porch and watched the waves of Renaissance Fair die-hards stock up on middle-evil Marlboros, hotdogs, potato chips, and twinkies!! After eating, we took a short drive past the historic house owned by neo-Nazis and disguised as a Co-Masonic Lodge! No lie.

From there we went down a county road out into old horse ranch and homestead country that was so beautiful and green because of Plum Creek that runs through the area. Not too far along, we took another mini detour into the Bear Something cemetery! Through the narrow gated entrance and down a pebble road set the quaintest little church in a courtyard. With lined paths just wide enough to fit a car down (they were probably meant for a horse drawn coffin) and heavy tree coverage, the graves looked very peaceful. Supposedly there are some old Texas Rangers buried there but we didn't get out to peruse the stones in this cemetery. We did get out a few miles down the road the original Castle Rock cemetery though! People that had arrived in the early 1880s were pretty common. There were lots of Civil War Union soldiers and World War I veterans buried there. Also, there were two men that had died in combat in Vietnam. I took a picture of the cemetery's mini veteran's park. It was very beautiful to see at dusk. If you look closely you can see the mountain sunset reflected on the granite.