Classic H & J

Another beautiful Colorado summer has come and gone and somehow we are well on our way through Fall already - Jeremiah’s favorite season! Per usual we have done our very best to take advantage of the beautiful weather and mountains this summer and beginning of fall. But first, rewinding a bit, we kicked off summer with a trip to AZ over memorial day weekend! It was a blast and as it always is on our trips to AZ, packed full. I helped put on my sister Emily’s bridal shower and bachelorette party, and managed to squeeze in some other family and friends time. The bridal shower was actually held in the same place mine was, but this time fit to Emily's style including all family china and glasses to be more eco-friendly, some simple games/activities, and delicious food! One fun/unique thing is that all of us had our mothers-in-law present at the shower and my sister-in-law had her mom, so it was one big family gathering! The bachelorette party was a blast and complete with a stay at an Airbnb in Scottsdale, a cocktail-making class, dinner at Culinary Dropout, and plenty of pool/hot tub time. I think Emily really enjoyed it as well, which is the main thing! She even used one of the cocktails from our class as a signature drink at their wedding. 

This summer’s adventures consisted of our first CO backpacking experience with Mount of the Holy Cross 14er. We hiked in 3 miles, camped, and hiked 3 miles more to the summit the next day and 6 miles all the way out also on the second day. We had a pretty sweet set-up complete with hammock and camping chairs despite backpacking in. Only downer was a ton of mosquitoes at the campsite, but other than that it was an awesome experience! We also hiked Gray’s and Torrey’s peaks to complete a nice sounding 14 14ers. We had previously done Gray’s peak but due to weather had to descend before being able to double summit. This time it was still pretty unpleasantly cold, windy weather, but not bad enough to keep us from double summiting! We also did another little camping weekend and hike down near Woodland Park in Colorado Springs, which was simple and fun. And another gorgeous alpine lake hike near Arapaho Pass that was shockingly quiet and the clouds were hanging really low so it felt like you were kind of hiking through them. So that was another really great hiking day. 

Also back in May and June two not so pleasant things happened… One, I had to have a small surgery - a gum graft. Does not sound pleasant but was actually way easier than I expected! Hopefully I don’t have to have any more, but it seems like there may be a small genetic tie and be somewhat a function of the orthodontics I’ve had. But glad it wasn’t bad, and at least now I know a good periodontist in Denver! The second was that my car was stolen. Yep, you heard that right! My whole car was stolen out of our apartment complex parking lot sometime between 8 pm on Sunday night and 7 am Monday morning. My parents were in town which was really helpful to navigate the situation with their guidance, but it was certainly not fun! The car did show up 3 days later abandoned after being in some sort of accident, and it was unfortunately counted as a total loss by insurance. So insurance gave us an estimate that we did not like as it was extremely low, so we had to go to battle with them, ended up getting a decent amount more money for a new car. And then shortly after that we went and bought a new car! We got the same type of car, a Kia Sorento, but got a little bit newer (2019) with fewer miles on it so it made it feel a little more worthwhile, if you can call it that. We also bought one of those bars that locks into the steering wheel when you are not using the car in the hopes that that would slow someone down enough to make them think twice about stealing this! Also I just have to say, the car was locked and nothing was visible inside of it, sooo it was just some very bad luck. 

The new car! 

So many memories with my old car... It was a sad (and abrupt) goodbye!

As I briefly mentioned there my parents came to town for a long weekend and it was so great to have them as always! They introduced us to pickle ball and we went to TopGolf! We also tried a great restaurant called Cart Driver while they were in town. We had been wanting to try it for awhile and I'm glad we did! 

In July we did another quick weekend road trip to Kansas to visit Jeremiah’s grandparents, and aunt and uncle, while his mom and cousin also were in town! The weather that weekend was awesome so we pretty much spent the whole weekend outside just catching up and then jet skiing on a nearby lake as well! 

In September was Emily and Bobby’s wedding! They got engaged back in the beginning of 2021 and decided to get married in Upstate NY near where I am originally from and where most of our extended family still live. The venue itself was in Skaneateles, NY surrounded by big green trees and fields, perfectly quiet and beautiful weather. It was just a gorgeous, happy weekend! We kicked it off with a cousins’ dinner in Rochester, stopped by my grandma’s apartment to see her finally after a year and a half, followed by a trip to the zoo for me and golfing with the boys for Jeremiah… We also mini golfed, ate hot dogs, pizza, and ice cream, among other treats! The rehearsal was smooth followed by a delicious and beautiful rehearsal brunch at an old inn in Skaneateles. My whole family stayed in a big Airbnb and despite the chaos it was so much fun to have us all under one roof and really special the night before the wedding to stay up late all catching up and talking after the kids went to bed. I cherish those moments so much, and to have a few opportunities like that in one weekend was just the best. Though since I am one of the ones without kids yet perhaps my brother or sister with kids has a different perspective on being in one house all weekend… So on the wedding day we got ready right in the Airbnb which just felt really casual and relaxed which was awesome! We did nails, hair, and makeup and suddenly it was time to get in the car and go to the venue! My brother-in-law George officiated and did an awesome job of making it both funny and heartfelt and Emily and Bobby shared personalized vows which were really beautiful. Emily of course looked absolutely beautiful too! We haven’t seen the professional photos yet, but I can’t wait! All 6 nieces and nephews were in the wedding and all did great! Mae, the littlest, was a little restless and took some bribing, but overall she did awesome. The reception was a ton of fun, dancing, speeches, catching up with family and friends, and some delicious apple desserts deserve a shout out as well! Jeremiah’s family was even able to make it out to NY for the wedding so that was nice to have them there. We got brunch with them the next day so we were able to catch up with them too! The days after the wedding we went to my Aunt and Uncle’s lake house, which just always makes the summer feel complete. We also went to a celebration of life for my Great Uncle Jack, and enjoyed apple cider and apple cider donuts at Kelly’s Apple Farm. YUM! It was definitely a highlight of the year, and I highly recommend if you have never been to the Finger Lakes Region of NY to make a point to visit some day! 

Family Run!

No official wedding photos yet!

Can he get any cuter??

To kick off fall we did a quick road trip into Aspen where we hiked for our second time to the Maroon Bells. The drive in to Aspen is gorgeous on Independence Pass where you really feel immersed in the fall colors. And then of course the Maroon Bells are a gorgeous backdrop to the fall colors as well. On the car ride we even got pumpkin chai teas from Starbucks to really complete the fall feel! After wandering through the town of Aspen just a bit we headed out to find a campsite just off of the Colorado River near Gypsum, CO. It was a great impromptu campsite and the stars that night were probably the best either of us had ever seen! The following Sunday morning we drove in to Beaver Creek Resort and hiked to Beaver Lake which we had also previously done, but this time, with (what else?) fall colors! 

The Dwights visited for a quick weekend in the beginning of October. We drove down to Manitou Springs with them and explored the town, wandering in and out of shops, went to a delicious brewery for dinner, and watched the Muppets Haunted Mansion! Since they/we are a Disney-loving family and know that particular ride so well it was fun to see what the Muppets did with it. Also of note, I somehow convinced them to try my favorite Vegan dessert place? And they actually liked it?? It’s hard not to like a blizzard-type dessert though… Jeremiah and Nathan of course snuck in some time for video games as well and we all had plenty of great conversation together, even if it was a quick weekend!

Just last weekend we worked out the time to do a 4-day trip to Ouray and Telluride in Southwest Colorado. The San Juan mountain range is absolutely gorgeous and was made even more so by the fact that it was snow-dusted just in time for us to visit! We stayed in Ouray and visited Telluride. Though they are physically close it does take an hour to get between the two because of how the towns are situated among the mountains. So we did two hikes in Telluride one day, both to waterfalls, and one hike between the two towns the following day to a beautiful alpine lake. The hikes were a little slow going because of the recent snow, but well worth it, and because it was kind of off-season, the trails were very quiet as well which is always nice! The rest of that weekend we enjoyed just wandering the towns, went to natural hot springs, and had a nice time just relaxing off of work!

Something very exciting that is coming up next year is a trip to Italy in March/April 2022! We booked flights for that trip (and travel insurance), a couple of months ago and we are sooo excited. We are going with our best friends Tommy and Emily so planning is well underway and we are just really hoping that it can happen smoothly despite never quite knowing what might happen with Covid. So, perhaps, cautiously optimistic I will say. It has already been 6 years since we went to Europe last so we cannot wait to get back there for 2 weeks in Italy! Maybe we will try to write a post for each town we visit kind of like we did on our last trip, but we will see… 

Other events of note include Avery brewery for our anniversary dinner, a day of golfing for my anniversary gift to Jeremiah, a Rockies game, face timing and virtual chocolate tasting with Scott and Liz who moved to Grand Rapids, MI back in February, picnic and games in the park with our friends Lexy and Jared and Mel and Mason, and a fun night of food and drinks with Jeremiah’s coworkers at a food hall near his work. 

Other things we have been up to include lots and lots of football watching (Go Cardinals! Go Devils!), regular Facetiming with Tommy and Emily, many a small group meeting, volunteering at church in the preschool for me and as a buddy for a boy with Autism for Jeremiah, puzzles, tv shows, and working through the Marvel movies in chronological order (though we are only 4 in, soo…). 

In between our fun and adventures of course there is work, but really no big updates on that front! Jeremiah loves his job and coworkers at Stryker, and having recently met many of his coworkers I understand why! And I am working at University of Colorado which has been going well for me. In fact, I am at a training currently in Richmond, VA as part of my job which is kind of exciting traveling for work! Never thought I would be doing that! 

Jeremiah and I are so thankful for so many opportunities to travel, enjoy fun activities right near our home, spend time with friends and family, and just really try to treasure the present. We have so many fun things on the horizon, which you can always read about on here... approximately 6 months after they actually take place! 

Probably the hardest puzzle I've ever done right here...

I decided to switch things up and got bangs at my last haircut!

Random, but tried this beer slushy at a local brewery! It was definitely more of a fruit smoothie than beer, which is the way I would prefer it! 

My sister found this old photo of my Grandma Warren and we all thought it was so crazy how much it looks like me!! I had no idea I looked so much like her. I wonder if non-family members see the similarities...

K-Love Live on the Rocks at Red Rocks Amphitheater! 

We have had fun periodically making these fancy charcuterie boards and Jeremiah topped this one of by putting our Kombuchas on ice to feel even fancier!

We both got new skis!! I haven't had new skis since... Junior high maybe? Early high school? I can't remember but I'm excited. 

A random selfie with Parker and Luke!

Trending Toward Normal

Surprise! It's Jeremiah instead of Hannah. Yes, it's time I start pulling my own weight with this blog. The last time I wrote an entry was October of 2019. Needless to say things have changed a lot since those "before times"!

As I write this, I'm watching the Masters tournament. Compared to a typical year, there are far fewer patrons in the crowd, but it's still a reminder of how far we've come in the last 12 months. Players aren't wearing masks, there's plenty of close-up interaction, and the event's actually taking place in April like it's supposed to!

I'd say that semblance of normality is more or less mirrored in our lives, too. We're certainly not there yet, nor may we ever be quite back to our original sense of normal, but we're definitely trending in the right direction. As of Thursday, I'm half-vaccinated, and by the end of April, Hannah and I will both be fully vaccinated! We're starting to see friends more often - still mostly outside - and we're back to in-person church, though with limited numbers. I'm not back in the office full-time yet, but my days at home have been fewer and further between, and my manager held a meeting with our team this week to discuss expectations "after COVID". I know this is just my own little "bubble", and compared to many we haven't been significantly affected by the pandemic, but still: these are encouraging signs!

BBQ at our friends' house to take advantage of a surprisingly nice Spring day!

Meanwhile, since Hannah's last post, she's started her new job at University of Colorado as a "Physical Therapist / Research Coordinator" in the School of Medicine’s Department of Neurology! It's been a slow start given the amount of training she had to get through, but things are picking up and she's really enjoying the role. It's a unique position: she balances her time between neuromuscular research (applying her PT skills to measure outcomes of treatments) and more typical, clinical practice. Neuro was always Hannah's favorite realm of PT, so she's excited to be contributing to research in that area - making a further-reaching impact than just the patients she works directly with - while continuing to provide immediate care for patients that need it. I'm excited to watch her grow in this role!

In other news, I turned 26 in January. To celebrate my birthday, along with our good friend Emily's birthday (the day after mine!), we met Tommy and Emily at Hannah's parents' "mountain home" in Pinetop, AZ. (Apparently "cabin" was the term for their previous Pinetop residence, so we have to call this new one the mountain home!) It was a fantastic weekend, full of games, cooking, baking, and laughter. We narrowly avoided over 2 feet of snow that started to fall right as we left... though secretly some of us were hoping we'd get stuck so we could extend the weekend together!

Blowing out candles with your hands is surprisingly challenging... but all the more entertaining for it!

We certainly got our fair share of snow this season, though! In mid-March, Denver received its 4th-most snowfall from a single storm in recorded history! It ended up totaling 26 inches in Westminster, where we live. We holed up inside all weekend and watched it fall, grateful we had nowhere to be. We both worked from home on Monday, and decided to take a break in the afternoon to build an igloo.

Yes, it's an igloo. We're not snow architects, okay?

Our ambitious start... before we realized how long it would take.

See? Walls and a roof. Clearly an igloo.

Somewhere under all that was my Camry... took a solid 30 minutes to dig out.

We've taken advantage of the snow in the mountains, too: a total of 9 skiing days this season, a new record for us! My skiing has improved a lot as a result - I did my first double-black diamond this season - but I've still got a ways to go before I can tear up moguls. Next season!

I'm also continuing to hone my bread-making skills... still mostly sourdough, but starting to experiment with adding flavors, like garlic & rosemary, truffle & parmesan, and the one you see here: blueberry & dark chocolate!

We hosted my family last weekend for a short but fun couple of days together. We went bowling, had a great dinner at one of our favorite Denver restaurants (D Bar), and went on a nice walk to enjoy the nice weather they brought with them!

And last weekend for Easter, we had a great brunch with our friends Chris and Emily. It reminded me how grateful we are for the friends we have here in Denver, and I hope we can spend even more time with everyone in the coming months!

Wishing the same for all of you, too - once it's safe, of course!

Virtual Christmas Card 2020

We are back with our annual, virtual Christmas Card! Maybe some day we will actually send regular Christmas cards, but for now this is a way for us to share our year in a lot of detail. 

First, I will fill in the second half of our year and then I will do a 2020 wrap-up. We finished the summer out with five more 14ers/camping trips, including Mt Bierstadt, Mt Elbert, Mt Oxford/Mt Belford, and Mt Sherman! Of those, my favorite was definitely Mt Oxford/Mt Belford. It was a double summit, meaning both peaks are above 14,000 ft and we did them in one day. We were both dragging our feet by the end of this hike, but the views and feelings of accomplishment were definitely worth it! We also made a trip to the Great Sand Dunes National Park in July! We camped right inside the park and did a couple of different hikes. Even though the hiking on the dunes was a lot shorter distance than we normally do, hiking in sand is no joke! 

Starting out on Bierstadt

Partway up Bierstadt

And we made it!

The Great Sand Dunes

The Great Sand Dunes from a distance!

Do I look so Colorado yet??

A little intimidated by how far away the peak looked!

In August my parents drove up to Frisco, CO where we were able to meet them to do a little bit of biking, shopping, and just spending time together. A quick trip, but it was great! 

Also in August we made a very quick trip to AZ to celebrate my parents' 40th wedding anniversary! We had a nice adults-only dinner which was a highlight of the trip. No pictures, whoops! I'm realizing we are pretty bad at taking photos of a lot of these fun memories. 

In September we went to our friends Emily and Chris' wedding and it was beautiful and so fun! She and Chris are amazing friends to us!

Mason, Mel, Emily, Chris, and us! 

We took a little hike to see Fall colors somewhere in there. Jeremiah loves fall colors! I mean I do too, but he like them with just a little bit extra awe. 

I ran a half marathon!! It has been a goal of mine for SO long. I have had injury stop me before, but I had no problems this time. I was just consistent all summer and it paid off! 

We were also able to host the Dwights in early October so of course we had to do a hike and still managed to get some fall colors even though it was nearing the end of the season. It was a quick visit, but always nice to have them in town.

Jeremiah is a big fan of pumpkin-carving around Halloween so we always make the time to pick out pumpkins and carve them up! I, on the other hand, did not grow up carving pumpkins and quite frankly it is hard work! So Jeremiah's designs always are much more thought out and detailed than mine, but hey it's a fun tradition either way. We also watched a semi-scary movie (more of a thriller, "Get Out" it was called and it was really good. Highly recommend it!) and ordered food in. Also on the actual night of Halloween we went to our friends' Mel and Mason's house and had a delicious fall-themed meal complete with soup served in acorn squashes and pumpkin cheesecake. Too bad I don't have a picture of the meal because it was beautiful too! 

In November we made the drive to Gunnison, CO (about 4 hrs away) to where my friend Stacey lives! She got a job there after we graduated so she made the move and we had been trying to make a trip out to see her for awhile. Luckily we made it before the Winter got too underway. We hiked, ate lots of good food, explored Crested Butte, and played games! Once again, it was a really quick trip, but it was so great to see her! I'm trying to get her back out here to Denver for the Super Bowl next, so we will see if the weather holds up for that! 

One of the most anticipated trips of the year going in to 2020 was our trip to Disney World with Jeremiah's family! It was our one trip that did not get cancelled when Covid hit, but we were still holding our breath until we were practically on the plane, knowing it could get cancelled at any time. But thankfully it did not and we travelled to Orlando and had an absolute blast!! This trip was in part a celebration of my graduation and it was fun, at every dinner we would cheers and Jeremiah's dad would say, "congratulations on graduating!" So it was a fun little reminder for 5 days straight of the celebration of my graduation! We arrived there before his family because coincidentally one of Jeremiah's friends from college was getting married in Orlando that week! And what do you know my sister Emily was also there that week to visit a friend! All perfect timing for us, so we met my sister for brunch, we went to our friend Ryan and Emily's wedding, and spent a couple of days in the park before his family arrived. The wedding was gorgeous and had really fun, Disney-theming to it. For example, our table was the "Toy Story" table and the background music during the ceremony was instrumental Disney music. We also were lucky enough to catch back up with the newlyweds in the Magic Kingdom park the following day to spend a little bit of time extra together! (And yes, I have mentioned three people named Emily just this post. We have sooo many people names Emily in our life). 

With Jeremiah's family we went to each park, one per day, ate soo much good food, rode everything we wanted to, explored Disney Springs a bit, and had great conversation! We were so glad this trip came together and actually happened! And we all stayed safe and healthy before, during and after so that is even better! 

Thanksgiving was very low-key for us this year. Having just gotten back from Disneyworld we were particularly cautious of being around others so we just had dinner the two of us. I worked a half day Thanksgiving morning while Jeremiah was busy baking bread for us. We decided that since it was just us two it would be a great opportunity to eat whatever we wanted, traditional or not! We went completely untraditional and did mac and cheese filled Sourdough bread bowls! Can you say carbs on carbs?? It was delicious and just really fun! We also FaceTimed both of our families, and watched a movie that night. 

I mean, does this not look better than turkey??

Then it was suddenly December! And the beginning of December is probably my favorite week of the year. It is my birthday and Beaver Creek trip! This was another trip we were holding our breath over waiting to see if it actually happened and were so thankful when it did! My family came in to town for the annual trip and we skied three days in a row, we played games, we talked, and all around just loved the family time together! Once again we were also grateful to have all remained healthy before and after! 

This was the easiest goodbye I have had in awhile too because just a couple of weeks later we flew home for Christmas. Last year we didn't get to go home for Christmas so we were both very excited to have a more traditional Christmas this year. Our trips to AZ always fly by because they are packed full of the best memories! Christmas Eve with Jeremiah's family, Christmas Day with mine, roller hockey, games, lunch with Tommy and Emily and seeing their new house in Scottsdale, and celebrating our nephew Preston's 4th birthday! We were very thankful it looked more or less normal for us. 

Mae enjoying some whipped cream!

New Years Eve was another quieter holiday than normal for us. You know, since we're usually such big partiers... We made steaks on a new grill I got Jeremiah for Christmas, we watched the new Disney movie "Soul," and talked all about the past year and the coming year. I love to ask those classic questions of favorite memory, biggest thing you learned, thing you're most looking forward to in the new year, etc. 

In between all of the fun we have managed to have in 2020 we have both been continuing on at our same jobs, Jeremiah at Stryker and me at the Center at Northridge. I have been learning a lot each day and getting better slowly but surely. I get to interact with a lot of really great people and help them get better, so that is pretty special! It is a challenging environment to start out in because of all of the Covid precautions. No family members allowed, no patients allowed outside of their rooms, etc. I have had dozens of Covid tests at this point and have been learning to get creative in the challenging environment. Jeremiah has continued the part time in the office and part time at home set-up which he enjoys the flexibility of but of course still misses some of the camaraderie of the normal office environment. Stryker does a good job of trying to do Zoom social hours, holiday parties, etc. so that is nice of them to make that effort! And really big news for Jeremiah's work. Drum roll please... He got rookie of the year!! And let me tell you, he earned that! He is an incredibly dedicated, hard worker. But I may be a little bit biased. He got 12 separate nominations and there were 46 eligible rookies for the award! Go Jeremiah!!

Other little things we have been able to do include a few dinners with our friends Scott and Liz, celebrating their daughter Claire's first birthday, and weekly Wednesday morning runs with Liz. We did a staycation for our 10th dating anniversary at The Crawford Hotel in Union Station. It was beautifully decorated for Christmas, we had a tapas-style dinner, got breakfast in bed delivered to our room. It was extravagant for us so it was a fun way to celebrate! We were also able to see Jeremiah's cousin Carly and her boyfriend, Josh for dinner. They were in town for a trip up to Breckenridge but made a little time to see us! It had been since our wedding since we had seen Carly so we were so glad to finally see her again even if it was just a short time. We have made pizzas and had ramen with our friends Lexy and Jared, and Lexy and I have gone on hikes, walks, and bike rides. And besides that, we've done puzzles, read books, played games, watched football, watched the bachelorette, had more FaceTime dates with Tommy and Emily, Jeremiah has gone to a couple football watch parties at his boss’ house, we’ve gone on a winter hike, switched back to Zoom small group,  watched virtual church, tried cooking new meals, baked more bread, and much more! 

Little Man Ice Cream. What else??

Wandering around our beautiful city! 

My sweet friend Lexy brought Acai bowls after I had a very hard day at work.

Look at that beautiful sourdough! Jeremiah is mastering his techniques!

Jeremiah was in San Diego for Ryan's Bachelor party in September

A spontaneous Oktoberfest date in Boulder. I drank maybe 1/4 of that!

Inside Union Station for our staycation

We kicked off the year with a ski day in Copper Mtn. The first of 6 ski days we have planned this Winter. It was a beautiful, blue sky day and not too crowded! 

2020 was a much-anticipated year for us, with graduation, lots of trips, start of my career... Many of our plans were changed and cancelled, as everyone's were. But we both feel like we did a good job adapting.  We were able to still do many of the things we wanted to, we tried new things, we got creative. Obviously we can't deny it was a really hard year too. It was pretty hard entering into the workforce period, but in healthcare during a pandemic it added another layer of overwhelming! Especially when I have been used to the normalcy of school for my whole life! Then of course all of the chaos of the world that our eyes were opened to this year. We learned a lot. And are definitely still learning every day and wrestling with our own biases and opinions and questions! 

Entering into 2021 we have a lot fewer concrete plans then we did in 2020. Not many plans at this point at all really. We are just open and ready for whatever comes our way with work, family, friends, vacations... Sure we have hopes/tentative plans for what's to come, but if we learned anything in 2020 it's that you can never plan too much! 

We hope you all have a wonderful 2021 - whatever comes your way!