Family pics after the snow fall

A White Thanksgiving

Dan and I cozying up for the camera

All of this snow is from one night!

Doesn't this tree look a little asymmetrical?



Let it snow!

Mom, Dad and Grandma York ventured out to Denver to spend Thanksgiving with us. We had such a great time while they were here. One of my favorite moments was watching the snow fall from the giant window at the restaurant the day after Thanksgiving. Mom wanted to see it snow so bad, and she got her wish. Light flurries fluttered down from the sky about an hour into dinner, then it began to really snow. It was quite an adventure to wheel poor Grandma to the car with snow everywhere! I loved when my Mom gathered up a big snowball and launched it at Dan's windshield...classic. It really felt like a family holiday this year at our house. Dan made the turkey (Mom and Grandma weren't too sure about his methods...but how amazing was the turkey?) and Mom and I prepared the rest. Our little kitchen was full of food, people and Jack :). So I have one question for my parents: when are you guys moving out here?

Fresh new paint!

The finished product!

The fabulous prep work...and Dan waving at the camera.

The test patch on the garage and more prep work.

My handsome husband holding our new favorite smoothie!

Glowing eyes in the window!

Better shot of the new garage lights. Not the best angle of the house. Although it's small (about 1200 sq ft), it's not that small :)

Here are the before and after pics of the house. We love having a nice neutral palate as opposed to the blue house with maroon doors...yuck. We (ahem...Dan) installed garage accent lights and a new porch light as well. Small details make a big impact! Dan has done an amazing job being a "handyman". He has installed lights inside and outside the garage, built shelves in the garage, built a stand for our front loading washer and dryer (they wanted an extra $100+ dollars for a stupid pedestal), and bought and installed new doors in the house (thank you craigslist!) just to name a few. This house has come along way since we moved in 11 months ago. A big thank you to my wonderful husband for making this OUR home.

Jack Hofer

For those of you who haven't met Jack yet, here he is! Jack isn't your ordinary, run-of-the-mill cat. As you will hear in the video below, he demands attention and verbalizes his thoughts :) Dan and I have had so much fun with this crazy cat. He is truly a part of our family. He greets us when we get home, he cuddles with us when we watch TV and he can provide endless entertainment with his acrobatic jumps trying to get his toy. Below are some of our favorite shots of Jack.

Jack's "post". He looks out the door every single time we open it. He usually meows for his buddy PJ (our neighbor's orange tabby) who will come to the door and taunt him because Jack is "allergic" to the outdoors. He has to stay inside.

This is one of our favorite shots of Jack staring out into the snow-filled backyard last winter.

What?

"I'm watching you"

This video is more of an audio piece. When we lived in the apartment, Jack would greet Michelle every evening with this "song". You will see Michelle open the bedroom door, open the "Jack Barrier"; aka a large cardborad box (we had to put something in front of our bedroom door because Jack would scratch and meow when we went to bed) and hear Jack's greeting. This is hilarious!

More RMNP pics...sorry I'm still learning how to do this :)

Glacier Gorge trail bridge

This is the same bridge that is overlooking the view from above...beautiful

This is one of RMNP's year round residents, the Elk.

Rocky Mountain National Park

Michelle standing on a rock on Bear Lake

Dan and Michelle at Alberta Falls

View on the Glacier Gorge trail

Black/White shot before crossing the bridge on Glacier Gorge trail

Where's Dan???

Beautiful Bear Lake

Dan and Michelle cozying up for a photo op on Bear Lake

Fall colors are starting to show

Golden Aspen trees

Fall colors from Bear Lake

Dan and I went to one of our favorite places here in Colorado this past weekend. Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) is a special place for us because this is where we took our first vacation together. Michelle also experienced snow fall for the first time...ever, at Bear Lake. We have been in awe of gorgeous snowy mountain tops, rode horseback through the park, viewed the most serene sights at Mills Lake and experienced peace and calm at Dream Lake (the name barely does this place justice...you feel as if you are experiencing a dream in real time when you're there). We wanted to share some of the amazing sights we came across on our latest venture up to the mountains. It's so nice to experience seasons for once. California doesn't boast fall colors like Colorado.

It's official...we're on the net!

Hello family and friends!

Dan and I have decided to start this blog to keep in better touch with everyone. This is the first post so it's gonna be brief. A few updates on us...Dan is now working for the USDA (no, he is not working with meat...lol) and Michelle graduated with her Master of Science in Nursing Leadership and Management and is currently working as a postpartum/well baby nursery nurse. We are thoroughly enjoying our life here in Parker, CO. Presently we are painting our first little humble abode. This picture is a shot of the house before we bought it. We'll post before and after photos once the house is finished being painted.