A Much Overdo Red Hill Hike

at the bottom

hauling the babe

Mt Sopris Mushroom Rock view

timer picture, love this!

So I made a new friend Brooke, she has the cutest blog over here, she moved here from Illinois but is originally from Alaska super cool right?  I adore her but we have a dilema we are both carless most days.  Her husband is moving out in February with their car and my husband is working from sunup to sundown so he has our car most days, but when he doesn't I take the car and we do fun things like this. Or there was one time Brooke rode her bike to Grand Ave and I rode the bus and we went through all the little shops only managing a thrift store purchase and a gift for a baby.  So glad she is here and I need to hang out with her more before her job starts with the Aspen Ski Co

In other news I got braces, yikes, don't go back and overanalyze my teeth now!  They hurt, Huds just cut his 7th tooth and I just got my braces yesterday oww.  We have been eating smoothies, soup, and quesadillas, I'M HUNGRY!!!!  A good friends husband offered us a deal we couldn't resist.  I just keep wanting to rip these things out of my mouth, which my oldest brother did when he got his (well his expanders anyways) he said they hurt really bad and I have to get those in a month and I'm old and my mouth isn't like a 10 year olds lets hope I can make it, straight teeth are worth it right???  No gummy bears or popcorn :-(

Many of these picture are taken by Brooke, thank you!!

Autumn in Aspen

Huds is warming up to the nail bear

I think we all would approve of a guitar purchase

any child of mine would be a Bears fan

A couple-few weeks ago we spent the day up in Aspen. I LOVE Aspen! Anyway, we got to know town, checked out a rocking thrift store and ate at the Hickory House. Oh and TJ tried out some guitars, I wish he would let me buy him one and Hudson ran around town with leaves in his hands. Our thrift store finds included a sweater for Hudson that looks like TJ's student council sweater from high school, some brand new plaid shorts for me, and a camp chair for Hudson as he is always climbing into ours out on the porch. The Hickory House is AMAZING!!!! We had been wanting to eat there for a few months so when a groupon deal came we couldn't resist! We're cheap

We also got a milk choclate covered caramel apple

thrifty like that. They are known for their ribs and wow, I could have eaten at least a whole rack to myself although we decided to share so we could get a tasting for everything.  I almost forgot we stopped by the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and split a Milk Chocolate covered apple, mmm I think that is my favorite kind.  Huds kept walking back into the store and the ladies kept giving him samples of chocolate, that kids smile can get him whatever he wants:-)

Liz's Aims

I've been feeling a lot like a teenager lately . . .  strange I know, working with the young women at church I'm constantly surrounded in their lives and such, not to mention being mistaken for one of them (not sure that's a good thing).  Plus I'm reading Catching Fire, have had an acne breakout on my neck(gross), and I'm back to my freshman ok maybe sophomore weight from high school (not complaining or trying on that one).  Did I also mention that my vision keeps improving, I think I'm aging backward or something.

Anyway today we wrote down My List, a list of things also known as goals we want to accomplish.

Mine include:
oh wait Hudson decided it was nap time and tried to get comfortable on me while whimpering and laying a big smacker on my lips and I didn't write anything down but here's what I would have written

• having at least one more baby
• running a marathon in 3:30
• use my free time to serve others
• get my masters still in nutrition I think
• hike the Maroon Bells area
• run the Pikes Peak Assent or the Mt Evans Assent maybe both
• buy a home with hubs
• travel the world with hubs
• 5 year anniversary with hubs in Hawaii
• pay for someones groceries
• learn how to play the guitar
• get a nice camera
• sew the ideas in my head
• do a triathlon maybe an Ironman

I told myself I'd go to bed at 10:30 so that's all I'll add for now but I also pulled out my goals from 2007 to compare, here they are:

• bring out the best in everyone, focus on the good for life
• maintain a positive, optomistic, & hope filled attitude and life
• study my scriptures and pray daily for the rest of my life
• learn Greek
• share Christ's gospel always

2007

•  be a steady stable 125
• run a 10K
• act like a daughter of God a Queen in attitude and deed
• offer service daily
• conduct a personal study on covenants in The Book of Mormon
• read Jesus the Christ
• have a schedule

2008

• graduate with my BS
• run a marathon
• straight A's (oops)
• run Pikes Peak Assent
• move far away, do internship for government or UN
• travel to Italy, Sweden, and England
• get married in the temple for eternity

2009

• masters program in Salt Lake (nutrition) which thanks to our now friend I could never get my last pre req but hey it worked for the best see this post
• buy chocolate lab
• buy home
• go snowboarding weekly in winter

Anyway for the most part I feel like I'm doing pretty great, a lot of my goals aren't ones I can ever really cross off because they are life time objectives but it is fun to have ones to cross off, now I need to find my goals from high school, I know I have them somewhere, that should provide some entertainment, I know even though I was super boy crazy it included getting married at 25 which I could have if I wanted to but it was finals so I got married 3 days after my 26th birthday, not bad right?

Osage Gardens

Crossing the Irrigation Ditch to get to the Colorado River

trying yummy flowers that only grow under stress cool right

our pumpkin

Huds really likes eating pumpkin, did you read my last post?

Huds first walking stick

the owner (holding Hudson) of Osage Gardens gave us a tour, turns out Huds also loves raw basil and her daughter helped me find the race course when I got lost a couple weeks ago

Huds likes chickens too

The Patch

Candid Shot

Huds loved the wagon too

I think these dead sunflowers look cool, TJ thinks I'm weird

We decided to try out a pumpkin patch in New Castle on Saturday at Osage Gardens, it's an organic farm in the area that mainly specializes in herbs.  I had met the daughter, Molly of the owner a couple weeks ago at my race she is a fine citizen who just returned from the peace corps and headed to work in DC for the agriculture department, kind of my dream job, well telling people what to eat is.  Anyway I was way ahead of her in the race till I got lost and looped around twice and then she was the guiding light to get me back on course, we ran together for a while till I was motivated to retake my lead.  Anyway we had talked before the race and just so happens they have a pumpkin patch and we just so happened to decide to go pick a pumpkin this weekend, it was a great experience and we learned about plants that only flower under less than ideal circumstances (kind of like people right?) and than ate them, we also learned about organic farming and that Hudson loves fresh basil.  We might have to keep more of that around for him so he gets his greens!

15 going on 16 months

This little dude is GROWING! He's still rocking the 98% for everything but weight, where he is in the 80th. He's getting streaks of independence and loves to open the fridge and choose what he wants to eat. His latest fave is plain pumpkin, no sugar or seasoning just plain-o pumpkin puree, kind of like his dad. He loves cars and balls. We were at a friends home on a golf course and he kept gathering and gathering golf balls even though he kept dropping them, if there is a ball in a 100 yard radius Huds will find it! He loves hugging, one of my favorite things to do is leave so that when I get home I get a big hug. He really isn't much for talking yet but understands a lot and and knows who Jesus is so we're ok with that.  I think he's up to hi, Jesus, ohh (dog), dada, momma, all (ball), and a few others, he imitates us well but I'm not always the best at picking up what he's saying.

He's still a favorite among the kiddos especially the little ladies and if I'm anywhere without Hudson, the ladies ask all about him.  Case in point Huds napped through church today.  I had a 3 year old ask me for a full hour where Hudson was followed by about 5 others where's Hudson all from ages 11 and under.  He was also napping when we arrived at a bonfire today and I turned around and there were 6 little girls all looking in the windows and opening the doors waiting for Hudson to wake up.  It's hard to have a bad day with this guy around and to me 17 years left with this kid seems like far too short of a time, but ask me that again when he's 16 years old and I'll let you know how I feel.

Glorious Autumn Monday

Monday morning was going to be a lazy day at home when my friend Natalie invited me to a Corn Maze. We couldn't say no to such Autumn revelry, so here you have it. It was absolutely beautiful and educational and no chainsaw kids (those kids freak me out!) We made it through, we may have made our own path a couple times but it was totally worth it! Each turn had a question about health/food/agriculture etc depending on the answer you chose which way to go.   It was nestled next to the mountains kind of like everything here is.  Unfortuantely my camera died so this is all I got pic wise.

 Did I ever tell you about the time I talked TJ into going to the Haunted Village at This is the Place Monument? Well one time when I was just barely pregnant a friend of mine who was a hostess up there gave me free tickets. I thought how scary can it be? Before we walk into the first building a sign says no hurting the staff members. We walk in and scary man is corning me into a wall, I want to deck him or kick him where it counts but I can't. So I run out the door where I hyperventilate and start running around the building where I'm not supposed to be, a creepy dressed woman/girl breaks character and says it isn't so bad, whatever, I think let me out of here before I claw your eyes out, and that was it, I'm done with scary haunted anything.

Up to Date!

Sunday my little man

My men!

Huds saw the kids shoveling leaves into piles so he dragged a shovel out of the foyer

Anyone else love when little kids comment on their outfit/grooming.  For example today we were sitting by one of Hudson's friends at church, she is 3 and quite perceptive.  She pointed at my red lips puzzled and said to her dad "what happened to Hudson's mom's lips" I quickly offered her some lipstick to which she declined.  It reminded me of a few years ago when I wore glasses to church and a fiery red head who was also about 3 was like to sum it up, why, why would you wear those, terrible idea.  Then there is the opposite of the spectrum when you wear big pearls and ruffles and all of a sudden you must be a glamorous princess.  Can't please everyone all the time I guess especially in the 2-5 year old age range.