Christmas in the Mountains

We finally made it to my parents' cabin in Colorado! We were unable to go up in 2006. On this day we ventured out to see the property. I love the mountains and have always been struck by their wonder and majestic stance on the world. I get this feeling every time I see them. Today was different though-the mountains felt so close!

The town in it's "good ole days" was a ski resort-so the mountains are the backdrop for this small village.

We walked up to the peak of my parent's "hill." The view was breathtaking, you can see the town below the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

The rest of the day we just enjoyed being together and having some fun.

Happy 80th Birthday Grandpa!

Dec 26th the whole Skillen Clan got together for a  "surprise" party for Gp Bob Skillen. Matt's immediate family also found time for a quick family pic, considering we live in three different places now:Wichita, KS; Manhattan, KS; and Miami, FL. I was a little sleep deprived since I had worked the night before. I got home around 4AM took a quick nap and slept in the car. The great thing about family: the same stories are told each year and at least I find comfort in hearing them. This year a few new ones were added from Gp's time prior to grandkids. It was rumored that Grandma is continuing to hope for Great-grandkids. No luck yet.....

What heaven might taste like....

I was given this cute plate from my grandma Jo for Christmas. I opened it early and brought it to work on Christmas Eve. The gloves and boots are the spreaders. This dish was a hit at work.

Jen said, "If heaven had a taste, I think it would be this."

The recipe is:
5 cups powder sugar
1 brick cream cheese (8oz)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 bag coconut flakes

Mix first 3 ingredients with 1/2 cup coconut flakes, roll into a ball in remaining coconut flakes in a mixing bowl. cover and chill. Serve with graham crackers and pineapple. It is amazingly fantastic!

The Plaza

Our second evening in KC we went to the Plaza and looked at the lights! We went to the Apple store to get some accessories for my New ipod :) Then we had dinner at the Classic Cup while the sun set and the lights came on. It was so pretty.

Willie the Wildcat!

We finally got power back in Manhattan on 12/17 mid-day. We decided to celebrate our anniversary in KC like we had planned. Matt had been given tickets for the K-State game at the Sprint Center. The Wildcats won and I finally got my photo with Willie! This began our mini-vacation in KC before I went to work on the 22nd.

NO power, drive to Wichita for a little warmth...

Well, we still do not have power. We made a last minute decision to pack up the animals, board them at Chisholm Creek Pet Resort, and booked a room at the Hawthorn Suites. We had a wonderful evening and I would recommend Hawthorn Suites to everyone. We spent Saturday and Sunday afternoon with family and friends. Then we headed back to Manhattan Sunday evening.

Ice/snow storm=no power

I made an album on facebook.com explaining why I have not been on face book much this last month. I think we were in our apt in Manhattan with power for approx 15 days that month. Then our anniversary came (6yrs! YEAH) and then the holidays came. We were out of power for 6 days starting on 12/11/07. It was a complete learning experience and I was able to get some awesome photos.
Ice is so pretty, but it can really wreck havoc on our daily lives when it causes our power to be lost.

I think I am finally getting back to the sanity of life. Also-Matt and I are preparing for a 5K soon. Don't know were we are going to run-but we are in training. I don't think I have actually ran significantly since high school! I will keep you updated!

Our favorite hang out in the Little Apple...

Matt and I have discovered a piece of the "Big Apple" in the "Little Apple." The Kathouse Lounge is tucked down Moro street out of the main drags of bars in Aggieville. It is also smoke free! We enjoy going out before 2200 (we are old now) when no one is really out. We usually take our visit during the mid-week so the lounge is practically our own! We have watched many music videos and some sporting events when we have visited the Kathouse. Everyone who we have met there is very pleasant.

Where I work

I work with an awesome group of people in the ER at Mercy Regional Health Center.

Remembering London

Early Spring 2007 we jumped the pond to go to London, England. I have only been in the month of March and love it. My favorite part is that all the daffodils are in bloom! We went to the usual sights that people go to, but we also went to Greenwich, the Docklands, and a handful of London Walks including the Jack the Ripper walk! 

Why are these picture just now getting posted? Well, because the new iLife upload messed with how I can move pictures around. When I let Matt know I was having trouble we added Leopard (another upload) and whalah! I am now able to upload pictures with very little stress. YEAH!