SUMMER '09

I know you're all excited about my quarterly posting. We have had a very busy summer. With Taytum here we have been going lots of places, visiting lots of friends and family, and having lots of fun.

We started our summer, laying sod in our front yard. It only took one day, but it was a lot of work. We pulled out all the weeds, laid some new dirt, and then laid the sod. Our back yard is still a mess but at least the portion of our yard most people see looks pretty good.

After getting our yard done, we celebrated Darrin's 30th birthday. I attempted to have a surprise party for him. However, I just can't keep a secret from my husband:) Actually, its not that sweet. Darrin wanted to know who I was talking to on the phone and I told him it was my sister, but then Darrin said no it sounded like a guy. I didn't know what to say to get me out of the lie, so I told him the truth. After telling him that we were having a party for him, he was disappointed it wasn't going to be a surprise. I blame him for pushing the issue.
The next big event for us this summer was me running a half-marathon. I have been wanting to run a half for a while, and finally I committed to training for it and actually doing it this summer. I was good for most of the half, until about mile 12. My legs seemed to be on fire the last mile. I took me about 2 hours and 14 minutes. Although it was painful, I am really proud of myself for completing it. Here's a picture at the end of the race. Oh course Darrin didn't run it but he was there for me at the end of the race, cheering me on. Thanks babe!

At the height of white-water rafting season, Hans and Jessica came to visit. We had planned on rafting the Royal Gorge but the day we were scheduled to go the river was too high. We were disappointed but we ended up doing another run and having tons of fun.

At the first part of July, my family had a quasi-family reunion. Darrin and I had to work during the week, so we flew to Salt Lake for the weekend. It was a crazy trip. On the way there our flight was grounded due to thunderstorms for about 3 hours. We were suppose to arrive at 8PM but we didn't end up getting in until 12:30AM. On our way home we got caught in traffic for about 2 hours.

However, spending time with my family was awesome. It was fun for Taytum to see her cousins and play with them for a couple days. Taytum especially loved playing with Baby Billy and Baby Eric. It was the first time she had seen her new cousins and she was so good with them. I wish I had taken more pictures but at the time our trip was so short that I wasn't really worried about taking pictures.

Taytum and Baby Billy

For most of the summer, Darrin had night classes on Tuesday and Thursdays. While Darrin was at school Taytum and I would have "girls nights." We would do all the girly things we love to do, while Darrin was gone. One night we decided to get all dressed up and go out for dinner. Taytum wanted to go to the restaurant where the server wears lipstick (Carino's). We had a great time and enjoyed wonderful food.

The last week of July, Darrin's family came to visit. It was awesome to be able to show them all of the Denver/Colorado Springs tourist sites. We went to a Rockies game, the Air Force Academy, Elitch Gardens, Pikes Peak, Buckskin Joes Western Town, the Royal Gorge, and the Olympic Training Center. At night we loved playing Wii, mostly bowling and tennis, as a family. Here are the pictures of their trip:

View from Pikes Peak

Its cold this high in elevation

Mom, Dad, Pam, and Taytum

In August, Taytum and I made a trip to Omaha to see Uncle Brian, Aunt Jen and the boys. It was fun for Taytum to see Ben, Jake and Josh. The four of them seem to have a very special relationship. Once again it was a very busy weekend. You would think that after the last trip to see the family, I would have learned my lesson that a weekend is really short. Overall it was a great trip and I'm really glad we took the time to see the Cochran family.

As the summer comes to a close, Darrin and I are looking forward to the autumn season. We hope everone knows there is always an open invitation for visitors. Also remember, if you want an update and the blog is old you can always call. Hopefully we will hear from all of you soon.