Settling In

Well we have been in Denver for about a month now and are LOVING IT!! There is so much to do, and we don't even have enough time to enjoy it all. Glad this will be our permanent home so we have plenty of time to get out and enjoy all CO has to offer.

Reid is spending most of his summer studying for the bar exam :( I thought law school was rough, but this bar studying is even worse. We can't wait until July 25th to be here. On a more positive note, he has interviewed for a job and we are crossing our fingers and toes and waiting for a response!

I finally got a new (more reliable) computer!! That means I can post more blogs and not wait a month or more in between. Can't wait to share our decorating thoughts, my new adventure with photography and everything else in between.

Moving On...

I can't believe how fast the past three years has flown by! This time last year we were making a trip to Spokane to find a place to live and now we are packing up our boxes and moving again; this time to Denver!!

For this particular moment in time I am a bit sad to leave Spokane. While Spokane is not an ideal place I'd like to raise a family, it was the first place where Reid and I lived together and began our lives as our own family. We also made a great group of friends here and I found a great gymnastics gym where I worked with some awesome people. They will all be missed, but I am ready to move on and begin the next chapter in our lives.

It has been hard, and at times frustrating watching your friends buy houses, start families, and be back at home where you are the most comfortable, but on the flip side I wouldn't change the experience we have had for anything. Moving 24hrs away from family and friends and living on a student budget has helped me grow as an individual and that is what I will take away from this chapter in my life. I'm excited for what is to come :)

This weekend we will be celebrating Reid graduating law school and next Monday it's packing up the truck and hitting the road. Congratulations Reid on making it through school and can't wait to put this moving process behind me.

Mountaineering

Reid is trying to get me into mountaineering because he wants it to be an experience we can enjoy together. Last  year we went to Mt Adams for my first summit attempt but were pushed off the mountain by bad weather. Last weekend we set out for attempt number two and ultimately in the end still came up short, but at least not becasue of weather this time.

We actually could not have asked for more perfect weather! The temperature was more than pleasant, the winds were calm, but there was still plenty of snow around. So much in fact that the trail was snowed in 7 miles out from the trailhead. Thankfully, we had a GPS with us and did some backcountry hiking to take a more direct route to the trailhead.

We had a friend along with us for the trip who wanted the experience of shooting pictures on a mountaineering trip. It was great to have him (and I'm sure he captured some amazing photos) but his heavy pack did slow us down a bit. We had to camp earlier than planned so we could still have some sunlight for dinner. We found the pefect camp spot and had a pretty spectacular sunset.

I have a major fear of heights, but did okay up until our camp spot. There was only one part of the hike up where I knew if I looked back behind me my legs would be jello! Knowing this about me, I did not sleep at all the night before the summit attempt just thinking in my mind what I was going to have to hike the next day, and on top of that hiking it in the dark. I tried to rest up as much as I could, but the 1:30am alarm went off and it was time to get up and hike some more. But things did not go to plan after I stepped outside the tent. I went back in forth in my mind, do I or don't I but in the end I let my fears get the best of me. It was not only my fear of heights that made my decision, but also the fact that we would be hiking in the dark, with gear I had never used and I also did not trust myself or the gear for what was to come. So we climbed back in, snuggled back in our sleeping bags and with my mind at ease, I finally was able to get some sleep.

The next day we woke up, made our breakfast, packed up camp and headed back down the mountain. Suprisingly, going down was a lot less scary that I had imagined it to be (another thought going through my mind on summit morning). On I strapped on my crampons because the snow had not softenend up yet and found a new best friend! This was one piece of gear I had never used before but they are awesome. My second best friend I made on the hike out was my ice axe. We stopped at a small slope and Reid taught me how to rescue myself should I slip and slide down the mountain. Not only was the training fun, but I now feel much more confident in my mountaineering skills.

All in all I felt comfortable with my decision and am ready to go back some day and try again. I really do hope to conquer my fear and summit a mountain!

Scotch Open Golf Tournament

Last weekend I was told I received the "best wife of the year award" for "allowing" my husband to play in a golf tournament in Coeur d'Alene, ID. He and his friends had a great time!!

The trip came about when I was helping Reid plan for his buddy's 30th birthday. Coeur d'Alene is a lakeside resort town about 30 min east of Spokane and a destination that is easy to get to but we don't go out there enough. So we thought it would be fun to plan something there for this birthday bash.

I signed up to receive E-mails from the local resort about events to see if anything interesting might come about and give us an idea for something unique to do. Then I received this Email for a scotch open golf tournament and had to share with Reid.

The deal included a nights stay at the resort, pre-round massages, warm-up balls for practice, a breakfast, various scotch tastings on the course, a caddy, and afterwards drink ticket. Reid and his friends have been saying they wanted to play this course for a graduation present (it's a pricey course) but problem solved with this great deal!!

So what I learned in the end; it may be annoying to get all those "junk" Emails for signing up for things, but you never know when something good can come about.

Reid with law school friends

Reid and his friend Chris

A floating green which can only be accessed by a boat ride

Travels To The West Side

Last weekend Reid and I decided to venture over to Seattle for a little get-away. This was probably the last chance we will have to be out there for a fun (non-work related in Tara's case) trip. We were able to do some shopping at the outlets, try a new brewery (Pikes Brewery), hike in Discovery Park, and catch up over lunch with a highschool friend. Even though the weather was a bit scary driving out there, we had a great trip and a much needed get-away.



At South Beach in Discovery Park

Walking the beach of the Puget Sound

Not So Sunny, But Still Beautiful California



Reid recently went to San Francisco, CA to participate in the Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court compeition. His team spent a lot of time preparing a written brief to submit as well as prepping for oral arguments. They are happy to report that their brief won first place in their division! Congratulations guys!!

After the competition, Reid drove down to Monterey to stay with Tara's cousin Erinn. Erinn was running a 5K the following morning and Reid decided to join, and do the 10K. Good work Reido!!



"No wonder California has such happy cows."

 Now that Reid is finally done with all the preparation for moot court competition he finally has a bit more free time...I saw a bit more because now the time will be spent preparing for the Patent Bar Exam and prepariang his application for the Colorado State Bar. So close but it still feels so far away.

Full of Surprises!

Last weekend I was able to go back home and surprise my friend Stephanie for her baby shower! She had NO idea and it was wonderful to see her. I was also able to catch up with a few other friends and have dinner with my grandma and aunt and uncle. It was a short, fun-filled weekend! While Tara was away, Reid judged a debate tournament at a local high school. Even though it was an all-day event, he was thoroughly entertained by some of the topics during the improv section. His favorite: Who is the original gangster...Teddy Roosevelt!

In other news Reid and I have a fun announcement to make...we have thought and thought and decided to follow our hearts. After graduation in May, we will be moving to Colorado!! While we both love the Northwest, Colorado is much closer to family and friends and it has always been one of Reid's dreams to go back there. Come on May :)