Kilt, anyone?

Yesterday we went to the Highland Festival in Estes Park, which turned out to be a fun but cold day. We thought we were dressing warmly, but apparently we needed our full winter gear for this occassion, as it decided to rain the entire time we were there in the freezing mountain valley. We had never been to anything like this before (except the Renaissance Festival, like I said), and it was a truly unique event. From the moment we stepped out of our car and walked behind a family of 5 all dressed in matching kilts and plaid accessories to the bowling balls shot from 7 cannons before we left, it was a sight to behold.
My two favorite things we saw were the Scottish and Irish dancers and the sheep-herding dog demonstration (you're asking, what??). Charlie really liked the sporting events, including throwing a small boulder as far as you can, throwing a big stick with a bowling-ball sized weight at the end after spinning 3 times, and hurling a 56-pound weight over a 17-foot bar. Here are some pictures from the day.




Decked out Scottish man. Note the row of porta potties in the background



The dog obeyed so many different commands and it would lie in the grass like it was invisible.


And that's why the sheep followed orders.


They had a parade of Highland dogs and these were the biggest, the Irish wolfhound.

I thought these were cute, they look like mini-airdales.

These dancers reminded me of dolls, and their hair reminded me of beauty pageants.



We found the "Stewart clan" to which I am distantly related on my Grandpa Stewart's side.


And Charlie found this kilt. Actually, I made him pose with that, and no, he did not buy it or wear it.

Ooh, and I forgot one part of the day. We saw this band called "Brother" that was kind of a rock band, featuring a guy who played the bagpipes with such fervor it was like the electric guitar.

The Lately

So, nothing much is new lately - just more of the same for both of us. Charlie is working harder than ever at vet school. He is doing so much at the hospital, for so long, and he definitely deserves several gold stars. It seems like Charlie is doing work for the hospital at least 15 hours every day, and one day it was a whopping 26 straight! Yet he always has a smile on his face and time to talk with me about my day. I admire him so much for that ability. Charlie has patience for people like no one else. This is just one example of why he is so awesome and fun (this is at Disneyworld):


In my realm, I am home alot more than Charlie, and I really have nothing to complain about, but school is making me verrry tired. And it's only the 3rd week. I hate to start counting down to the end of the semester already, but I am so ancy for one class especially to be finished: physiology. I never took biology, not even in high school, and my last chemistry class was in 10th grade, so needless to say I have had a very steep learning curve in physiology. Thankfully we are kind of done talking about chemical structures and cells for the moment and we are learning about systems of the body (who would have thought?).

If we get very lucky and Charlie is free one day, we may be able to go to the Highland festival in Estes Park this weekend. It would be so much fun to go! We've never been, and people say that it's an amazing thing to see. In my mind I'm kind of imagining the Renaissance Festival, which I think is so fun, but I know it's not that at all. I guess I just haven't been to enough "Festivals" to know. Here's hoping!

Love You, Daddy!

"My daddy has to go away, but he'll return most any day. Any moment I may see my daddy coming back to me." That's the line from that Shirley Temple movie called The Little Princess, and for some reason, that's what I thought of today when my dad left for his deployment overseas with the Army Reserve. It makes me so sad that he has to leave and be away from my mom for a whole year, especially because it's not like he gets to go anywhere pleasant. But I hope this year will go by fast and we'll hear lots of good stories about the places he's been to. Love you, Daddy!

Back to School

Well, last Monday I started back to school for the Fall semester and the work is already so overwhelming. I remember when the first week of school meant reading the syllabus 900 times in class and writing test dates so neatly on my brand new planner. Now I'm lucky if I ever get to read the syllabus or enter any dates before the due date comes! What happened? It's not as if the semester is any shorter - though I wish it were. I miss the good old days.

Thankfully, my sanity remains somewhat intact with the help of my amazing husband who cooks dinner when I just want to cry and goes over every physiology lecture with me again at home. I am sooo lucky to have Charlie. And also, my 2 choirs are starting up already, which gives me an outlet and helps me remember that I love music and singing with wonderful people.

We had my parents come visit this past weekend, which was so great! It was fun to show them around town and hang out. Especially since my papa is going to the land of super-fun times in the Middle East with the Army Reserve very soon and we won't see him until graduation in May... but more about that later.

Lets just say that I'm thankful for my family and friends during this "special" time of the year. Love you all!!

Water Adventures

Last Saturday we went rafting down the Poudre River and had more than our share of adventure and thrills with our friends. The water in the river was low and that meant getting stuck on countless rocks, between rocks, between other rafts, and between other rafts on top of rocks. Whenever this happened, we would usually have to get up and move to a different spot on the raft, which sounds easy except the freezing water is usually rushing in at some point and it is much too easy to fall off the side of the raft when everyone is sitting on the same side! At one point we were stuck between two other rafts on rocks, and it looked like the other rafts would slide over the top of ours and cover us. Water was rushing in all around us and numbing our entire bodies. At another point, a different raft got stuck and turned over completely, dumping all the people inside. One swam to our raft and we pulled her in and another had to be pulled in by our rope. It was pretty dramatic - at least way more dramatic than every other time we've been rafting in Colorado.

This is not our picture (it cost like $30 to buy one picture) but it pretty much shows what happened to us.






This weekend we are looking forward to a different, more man-made but probably just as much fun type of water ride - Waterworld Colorado! I had no idea until I looked it up online how big it is (over 40 rides) and then we started getting really excited! It is like the Six Flags of waterparks. Here are two videos of rides that look particularly fun.





We are planning to spend the whole day there and also hoping to remain sunburn-free. Knowing how pale we are, I'm not sure these two things are possible at the same time, but we will try our best!

Lila Claire

We are so excited about the birth of my cousin Lora's baby girl Lila! She was born on July 23 and weighted 7 lbs. This past weekend I got the chance to fly to Amarillo and visit with my Texas family some more. Lila was 2 weeks old when I got to see her and her big sister Ava is 22 months old now! It's hard to live so far away from my extended family and not get to see them more often. My cousins Lora, Hannah, and Emily, my uncle and aunt, and my grandma all got to spend some time together over little Lila's arrival.
Isn't she so beautiful?

Lora, the mommy, and Great-Grandma sit with Lila


I loved getting to hold her - she is such a good, sweet baby.


Of course, Ava is still as much fun as ever! I loved hearing her talk so much and repeat everything. She is so smart, and she loves her baby sister. She calls her "Baby Lila" all the time.


Some of the family there. 4 are not pictured.


I love my Texas family!!

Heidi's Wedding

Wedding season has drawn to a close. It looks like almost every one of our friends who we thought would get married, has gotten married now. We have been to 12 weddings in the past 2 1/2 years. That might not sound like alot, but most of the weddings have been back in Arizona or Texas so we've been on alot of trips. But don't get me wrong: I love weddings! And it has been really nice to be there for the special day of our various friends and family members.

This past weekend we were in Arizona for the wedding of our high school friends Heidi and Eric. Actually, I've known Heidi ever since junior high school, so we go back a long way. We shared alot of musical interests and I've never known someone except Heidi who was musically "just like me." It was so much fun to grow up with a friend who could play the piano and flute and sing and lots of other stuff. Our last time of singing together, in fact, was at our high school graduation when we sang a duet of the Alma Mater. Sounds like a corny time, but it makes me smile. Hopefully when Charlie and I move back, we will see alot more of Heidi and Eric. In the meantime, they went on an amazing honeymoon to Europe! Here are some pictures of their wedding.






Tomorrow I am going on another trip to see my cousin Lora, her new baby Lila, and my other cousins and family members. I guess that is what the future holds next: baby trips!!