Tastes Like Wallaby

Mom, Octoberfest, and Rockies

posted by Andy: Here's some pics from the last couple weeks. My mom visited from Michigan for 4 days, and we had a great time - hitting some local restaurants, touring Castle Rock, and a great day at Octoberfest with the Rues and Nicole. Keri has a great post of Octoberfest here.

Kristy and I also went to the Rockies/Phillies playoff games last week. This was my first time at an MLB playoff game and, well, I can only hope the next time will be better. The first game started at 8:00 PM on a Sunday night, and tied a record for coldest playoff game EVER - below 30 for most of the game. It finished after midnight (got home around 2 am), with the Rockies closer blowing the game. The next day the Rockies blew a 2 run lead in the 9th. It felt like a bad dream - everyone was tired and cranky and it all ended so fast after a great season. I have a new approach to supporting sports teams. After being a Cubs fan for over 30 years, I have finally been enlightened. As with financial portfolio management, it pays to diversify. I have thus decided to cheer for every team except the Oakland Raiders, White Sox, Ohio State, and any competitive organization from New York. I'm practically guaranteed to have one of "my teams" win something at some point. Oh well there's always next year.

Pics of Chicago and Fun Puppies

Posted by Andy: Good grief…it’s been weeks since our Chicago vacation and it’s 10:30 pm and it feels like this is the first chance I’ve had to post pics from our fun long weekend in Chicago over the 4th of July. We had a blast! I did more downtown over that long weekend than I did when I lived there for 4 years: Cubs game, top of Hancock Tower, Lincoln Park Zoo, Taste of Chicago, fireworks from Navy Pier, Blue Man Group, Gino’s East Pizza (with the Beauchamps!!!), Jogging on the Lakefront, Architecture Boat Tour, great restaurants, whew… here’s some pics

      

       

     

Bonus!!! Micah stayed overnight with us last Saturday while Ker-bear and Skylar were in South Carolina. We played Army of Two and played Chuck-It with the dogs! Some pics…

     

Go Kristy Go!

 

Posted by Andy: Kristy raced in her first mountain bike competition on Saturday in Colorado Springs – the Sand Creek International Classic (part of the US Cup Series). Johnny H., Micah, and I joined to watch her completely dismantle her age group. That’s right – Aunt Pretty got 1st Place in her division, and I’m pretty sure in the top several women overall (beat lots of guys, too!) This is no surprise to me and Johnny and Micah who over the years have all tried to keep up with Kristy on various mountain trails. I’m proud of you sweetie! Click on the photos below to go to Flickr and see the comments. Keri there is spandex in almost every picture!

 

 

        

Return to racing

Posted by Andy: Yesterday I competed in my first triathlon in several years. My good friend Norman encouraged me years ago to give it a try, and I loved how a race focused me on training, and eating and living more healthy – as well as the competition. At Spring Canyon I didn’t have access to a pool (only 34 degree pond water), and stayed active with the Outdoor Program, so racing kind of faded away. A couple years ago after my back injury my ortho doc told me I’d probably never be able to run consistently for exercise again, and that I’d just have to ‘take it easy.’ In the dark days of my back injury – as recently as November when I ate Thanksgiving dinner laying on the floor – I wondered if I’d ever be active again and be able to enjoy the good things in life again: running and playing outdoors with my family and friends and dogs. Fortunately my friend Tom encouraged me to try chiropractic, and that combined with massage has returned me to full activity. I mentioned one time to my chiropractor that I used to do triathlons, and then he started pestering me to sign up for a race (every time I saw him!). So I signed up for a sprint triathlon (800 yd swim, 14 mi bike, 3.1 mi run) in March for a race May 2nd, and once again felt that same focus on training and living well. The race was yesterday at the Air Force Academy in Co Springs, and the weather was lousy – about 35-40 degrees and light rain. All week Micah peppered me with encouraging phone calls, and Kristy made t-shirts with ‘Team A-Train’ on them for anyone brave enough to wear them. As I was about to finish the swim in the cadet pool, I saw out of my goggles Micah, Keri, Thomas (Keri’s brother), and Margaret (Thomas’ wife) – cheering for me at poolside! I ran out to the transition area where athletes change gear for the bike, and Kristy and my friends Tom and Danielle chased me down and shouted more encouragement. Out on the bike, it was totally miserable – my legs were freezing and an unnatural red and purple. Most of the bike route was a nasty uphill. About halfway through, Tom – an Air Force officer and very familiar with the Air Force Academy – pulled up with Micah hanging out the passenger side window – cheering for me like I was returning from 20 years in a prisoner of war camp. Tom gave me great intel about the hills, and I felt much better. All along the bike route, the whole cheering section would stop at regular intervals and cheer me on – my favorite was Micah running along side me like I was leading a mountain phase of the Tour de France. Even little Skylar was there in her down onesy!! At the finish line there was a whole gang to take my picture and present me with my finisher’s medal. What a way to get back into racing :) It should be said that as far as I know, no other racer had their own personal cheering section with customized shirts. This is usually reserved for big races, professional athletes, and/or warm weather!! I am truly blessed with the most amazing wife, family, and friends a man could ever hope for. The icing on the cake was that I finished better than I thought: 20th place of 70 men, and 2nd place out of 7 in my age group. Can’t wait for the next race…

       

More adventures in Acadia

Posted by Kristy: Getting back to Colorado from the East
was more than exhausting (four airports and it has taken us a couple days to get back into a regular rhythm here. I am going back to school this afternoon for meetings (classes start Monday) and realized that I HAD to get these last photos
up before the real rush begins!

Our second day in Acadia National Park featured classic coastal weather patterns: Lots of fog and rain! We met Heidi after breakfast for a hike up the Beehive in the main part of the park. The Beehive is a little mountain with a ladder trail built into it for ascending. The trail itself was really neat- none of the Colorado mountains I have climbed have trails with permanent rungs drilled into the rocks. On our descent, we happened upon a huge wild blueberry patch and spent a good 30 minutes collecting wild berries for Andy's birthday!

We also drove the Park Loop Road and explored Northeast Harbor and rode the first half of the loop on Heidi's bikes. We were hoping that the fog would clear during our ride but were treated to a good old fashioned rainstorm instead! The rain was fortuitous in that it reduced the crowds, enabling us to see some of the most popular attractions of the park in peace.

 

 

 

 

 

Technorati Tags: Vacation,Maine,Acadia,Travel

The first day in Acadia

Technorati Tags: Vacation,Maine,Acadia,Travel

Posted by Kristy:  Our first twenty four hours in Bar Harbor were not without adventure!  Andy and I arrived in town just in time to grab some dinner at a Lobster Pound.  Lobster Pounds allow you to choose your own lobster which was caught the day before and then they cook it.  We had actually told ourselves that we would only have lobster one more time before giving it up - we just hadn't been impressed by the meat thus far.  This was our thinking UNTIL we experienced the fresh tasting lobsters at the lobster pounds; we were hooked!

After cleaning up, we drove out to our friend's house, looking forward to some rest after the long day.  We were not to be rewarded with sleep soon, as there was some miscommunication involving one of Heidi's other (unexpected) guests.  Heidi was out of town at a trade show and we were in an unfamiliar place.  We were locked out with no way to reach our host!  Thankfully, Heidi's mom is a miracle worker (and a friend of mine from work).  After a call, she had contacted Heidi's work and lined up a place for us to stay!  We still couldn't get into Heidi's cabin but we didn't have to sleep in the car!

The next day we got up early for a whale watching tour.  We were treated to views of lighthouses, puffins, birds, whales, porpoises and seals!  Best of all, Heidi called while we were out to let us know that she fixed the problem!  We spent the rest of the day exploring tide pools and a light house before catching dinner at another lobster pound. 

Hahvahd and Fenway Park

Technorati Tags: Vacation,Travel,Boston

Posted by Kristy: Every sports fan has a list of "must dos".  They usually include championship games, seeing rivalries in person and going to the three historic MLB parks.  This week, we accomplished the historic ballpark trifecta!  We have now attended a ballgame at Wrigley Field, Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park.  Each of these venues are unique in their own respect - and we loved them all for different reasons!

Bostonians celebrate their team and history with a carnival atmosphere on Yawkey Way, which is decked out with commemorative League and World Series championship banners and closed to allow a pedestrian mall to develop.  It was really fun!  We also witnessed newer traditions including singing Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline", a mix of cheers and boos for Manny Ramirez, and said player pouting and disappearing into the Green Monster (what a brat!).  Unfortunately, the beloved Sox were defeated by the Angels... I was secretly cheering for the Angels! 

We also started out our day on the Red Line with the intent of visiting Harvard, our nation's first public college and arguably the most prestigious.  To enter Harvard Yard (the campus proper), we passed through gates - all of which stressed the importance of knowledge.  We strolled from one corner to the next, aware of locations such as the first building (1720), the dorm where Washington boarded his troops, and the hall built to honor those graduates who gave their lives to preserve the Union. 

5th of July

posted by Andy: Since we were at the Rockies so late on the 4th, we did fireworks last night. I don't think I've ever seen Micah so happy.


 

Jordan's Graduation

posted by Andy: I recently hit a random stretch of 3 straight weeks on the road for work, and am just now getting caught up on blogging/picture stuff. About a month ago I went to Iowa for my sister Jordan's graduation from the University of Iowa. Jordan and I are 13 years apart and about as different as a brother and sister can be. Example: here is the view out of Jordan's college apartment: Yes that's a deer head with a garter around it's nose. The view out of my college "barracks": a military parade field. You get the point - she actually got to have fun in college. Jordan got a psychology degree and will spend some time working and volunteering at a rape crisis center in Iowa City. She's got a wonderful heart toward people (and is always the life of a party) - and has her eye on grad school in Denver - Kristy and I can't wait to take Jordan skiing (or at least shopping in the mountain towns). Jordan - I love being your brother and couldn't be prouder! Check out some other pictures from my trip to Iowa:

Weekend in Michigan

posted by Andy: I visited my mom this weekend in Grand Rapids, MI. With my back problems I had to cancel a trip last fall, so this was a "make-up." Mom and I watched 2 Cubs games and I caught her up on the players...we are convinced this will be the Year of the Cub. We also got some nice meals and visited my Aunt Judy, who has cerebral palsy. Judy is a wonderful Aunt and also a huge Tigers fan. I always love getting back to the midwest, especially in spring - everything is so green and lush (and humid, which is not so great...) Thanks for the great hospitality, Mom! I love you!