Nonstop

At least that is how I feel lately.  Go here, do this, do that, remember this appointment, call so and so...Nonstop.  Last week (and this week) I have had something or another going on every day of the week, on top of work.  I can barely keep things straight and have been putting everything into the calendar on my phone, including when I am supposed to call people.  On the bright side, it keeps me on my toes (ha!) and thankfully I have Spark and Oasis to get me going every day!

I figure once I get through June I will relax again.  Chris is in ALC, and has lots of studying and work that goes along with that.  This month we have registration for two vehicles due.. and it completely baffles me how expensive registering a new vehicle is.  I mean its more then your car payment...crazy.  Work was hectic preparing for Qualistar, luckily they came last week and we can breath a sigh of relief that it is done!

Last Friday at work we had a pretty neat Father's Day party planned.  We had the dad's work on a special project with their child where they came up with some kind of creation using cardboard boxes.  I was impressed to see what they came up with!  We had a putt putt hole complete with a windmill, a fishing came complete with jewel tokens that came out a slot when you caught a fish, raceways, and a TV that changed channels just to name a few.  It was a success and I loved it.  And on Father's Day I took my dad out to dinner and we got to spend some time together which was nice.

And I am surprised I even made time to squeeze in a blogging ha.   Now I have to get on brainstorming curriculum ideas for next month (how does every month fly by so fast?)...if only I could find time to fit in a mani pedi.

Staycation

This past week Chris was on leave before he starts ALC then deploys, so I took the week off from work as well and we had a "staycation" in Colorado Springs.  As all vacations go, the week went fast.  I had a good time and it was nice to spend time together, and I am bummed that it had to come to an end.  But here are some highlights from the week:

• We saw The Hangover 3, The Great Gatsby, and After Earth through out the week.  I of course thought The Hangover was funny (my favorite line from the movie came from Allen-"Just got done playing skee ball for the last 45 minutes....sick work out"), and I thought Gatsby was fabulously enthralling.  After Earth was a good one as well.
• We went to Territory Days.  It takes place annually in Old Colorado City, the streets are lined with a variety of vendors.  We had never been before, and it was a good time.  I even ran into one of my best friends while I was there!  And we got to eat at my beloved Jake and Telly's with some friends (absolutely delish Greek food!)

• We did some hiking and trails one day.  We hiked at Helen Hunt falls, followed by going over the Seven Falls.  Hiking at waterfalls is like one of my favorite things to do, and you can't beat some of the views over looking Colorado Springs.
  
  
  
  
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  We enjoyed a steam shower and a couples massage one morning, which was really nice.  Nothing like a good massage to relax you!
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  We went to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo...which I swear gets a little better every time I go.  This trip I pet/fed the giraffes, got to see an elephant demonstration where they gave an elephant a bath, pet a 7month old baby wallaby, pet a horse, and got to see lots of great interactions among the gorillas and orangutans.

• And today I was super excited, we went on a castle tour at the Glen Eyrie Castle.  It was built by the founder of Colorado Springs.  I loved hearing the history of the place, and it was absolutely beautiful.  The grounds were breath taking and so peaceful!

One of the rock formations right outside the carriage house.

Walking up to the castle.

In front of the castle...picture perfect!

The view from the front door/porch area.

The fireplace in the front room...an import from Britain.  The armor was a Spanish import.

The fireplace in the Queen's drawing room...made from Italian marble.

Queen's drawing room...my favorite room in the castle.  Just so pretty!

A close up of the plaster work in the room...so pretty and detailed!

The ENORMOUS fireplace in the great hall, where all the big parties were hosted.  The stone work was incredible.

Us on the grounds in front of castle.

The mountain side in the background has remnants from the big fires last summer...amazing how close it was.

The path from the castle to the carriage house.

 





Once Upon a Time....

....I was really good at blogging.  Ok maybe not great, but much better then I am now it seems.  I keep telling myself I am going to get better at it...to be more regular with my posts.  Yet that has yet to happen.  So I am no longer making that promise, and I am simply saying that when I get a chance to I will.  Life has continued moving quickly as it always seems to.

Work has been hectic as we have been preparing for our upcoming rating.  Many preschools have a sort of "quality assurance" program that comes and grades them on a million things.  You can't even begin to imagine all the little details they look at!  And I am also mentally preparing for the coming months in which several of my older kids will be moving on to public schools.  The one thing I can never get used to as a preschool teacher is when I have to say "good-bye" to my kids and families.  Spending so much time with them, and having them in my lives for one or more years I became attached.  I can say I am known to cry on their last days.  So I am sure I will have some teary eyed days coming my way.

Speaking of teary eyed and good-byes...Chris finally got his orders.  I say finally because this deployment has been changed so many times I can hardly keep track.  So it is just nice to finally have orders in hand, and hopefully they won't get changed yet again.  Thus the countdown to deployment #3 begins.

Nothing too exciting has been going on, just the typical day to day for the most part.  Last weekend we went to a wedding for some close friend's of Chris from his childhood.  It was a nice ceremony and reception.  It's funny because as I (in my typical Angela manner) was freaking out and thinking of what to wear, I realized I haven't really been to many weddings.  I was in a few as a child, and went to one a few years ago.  But beyond that, my own was really the only wedding I have been to since I was younger.  Chris wore a suit so I searched my closet for something that would pair well with it.  Lucky for me, I had a few never worn before dresses in my closet, and one fit the bill!  And thanks to my recent challenge the dress fit like a glove!

My New Car

So Saturday afternoon Chris and I got ready to head to what was supposed to be the mall and then dinner at Buca di Beppo.  I have been wanting dreaming of having a Volvo S60.  I love my little Scion tc but reality is that I am going to need to get a four door.  Something that will be practical and safe for when we have children.  And Chris wants the tc to have as a daily driver because the gas cost of driving his truck has been adding up.  So I have been looking (online) at the Volvo for awhile.  I found some at a dealership near where we were going for dinner so before hand we decided to drop by so I could have a chance to drive one (because up until this point as much as I loved the car I hadn't driven one).  Well needless to say after driving it I loved it even more (if that was possible).  And I was excited for the day when I would eventually get one.  I thought we were going to head to the mall at that point, when to my surprise Chris was like "Well why don't we just get it today?"  Suddenly "Worry Wart Angela" set in...I was suddenly so apprehensive about getting my dream car.  The finances began swirling around in my head and the "omg there is no way we can afford this definitely not right now" thoughts started flying.  After much chat, and a lot of breaking down of our income and expenses, Chris reassured me can afford it and that it was too good of a deal to pass up.  Which was true.  It is a 2012 with only about 5000 miles on it...it was one of the dealerships loaner cars that they gave to customers who brought their cars in for service.  So essentially brand new, and for a lot less then a new one.  A few hours later, lots of nerves and a tension headache (ha)  I drove away with my car.  Thanks to my love.  Then off we went and enjoyed a delicious dinner at Buca di Beppo.

Just us

 

 

Officially mine

 

The car

Winter in Spring

Ok so growing up in Colorado I am used to this...and Spring time snow storms aren't unheard of.  That is just Spring time in the Rockies for ya.  But I feel like this Spring has been worse then usual.  Not that it has necessarily snowed massive amounts...but it has defiitely snowed frequently.  In the last 2 weeks there have been 3 separate snow storms come through, and yet another one is supposed to be here Monday!  Like seriously can we just get to the real Spring already?  This past Monday, this was what I had to look at...

 

By the time I got off work a few more inches had fallen and it was coming down thick, heavy, and wer.  I had several inches to get off my car and literally could not keep my windows clean for a minute, it was falling so fast.  By the time I got in my car I was soaked!  So it was no surprise when I woke up Tuesday, feeling like I was coming down with a cold.  And sure enough by Thursday I was sick.  Super congested in my chest, tons of coughing, and by Thursday night my voice was gone :/  I hate losing my voice.  Needless to say a voiceless, and feeling yucky preschool teacher is not a good combo.  So I ended up going home from work in the morning Friday to rest.  With all my congestion I began craving pork green chile.  So I got out the crock pot and put it on.  So glad I did too!

 

 

By this morning my lack of speaking on yesterday proved helpful, as I had a little bit of a voice today.  Which is a good thing because I had an event to go to which I had purchased a ticket for awhile ago, and did not want to miss.  It was the Denver AdvoCare Spring Breakthrough training event.  And boy was it worth while.  I got to connect with some of my team members and hear from some amazing leaders within our organization.  Also, VP of research and development Dr. Mark Miller did some great training on products and the research and information behind them.  I loved it and am feeling motivated.  Not only do I have hope to reach my goals, but I have a purpose to push me there.  I absolutely can not wait for what is to come in 2013, and the opportunities and freedoms that are at my fingertips! 

 

My mom, me, and Melissa :)





Feeling Renewed

So I completed my 24 day challenge and am thrilled with my results!  I am looking and feeling better then I have in years, and it was the best decision to do the challenge. The challenge got me in the habit of making healthier choices, which has made such a big difference.  As of day 24 I was down 5 lbs. and a pant size.  I also have so much more energy!  It is amazing to not feel sluggish or half awake day in and  day out.  I am literally getting more out of my days because I have the energy to do so, and not just want to go home and lay down after work.

 

 

When I moved to Texas when Chris was injured, I admit I kind of let go of my health and fitness.  I gained more weight in those months then I have before...and I am sure all the food and sitting in a hospital was a big contributor along with stress.  Then after moving back to CO I just got into the routine of working and never really got to getting the body I wanted back.  Finally it just hit me.  I was tired of the little love handles, tired of not liking what I saw in the mirror, and tired of being...tired!  I hoped the challenge would fix these things...and I am beyond thrilled to say they did and much more.  I not only look better and feel better, but I know I am healthier and that is worth so much!  And it feels so good to have regained some of the confidence I had lost :)

 

Over the last few weeks I have truly enjoyed watching others around me experiencing similar results and feeling renewed.  It is such a great feeling!  So if you are in a spot where you are ready to look and feel better, to drop those annoying punds, or to just have energy to live life...please don't hesitate to email me or leave a comment with any questions or for more info! amwest89@hotmail.com

 

 

 

Watch and Learn

Goodness I feel like my blogging has (once again) taken such a back seat lately. It makes me sad for some reason when I fall behind on blogging. Sometimes I wonder why it even matters since I feel like more times then not, my blog is hardy read by others. When Chris was injured I felt like there was constant traffic on the page and thus I kept constant updates....but now that life is not such a complete roller coaster I feel as though less follow my blog. But then I remember the main reason I blog is for me.  The get my thoughts out, to share my ideas and opinions, and to have something to be able to one day look back on.  So as much as I love sharing these things with others, even if I feel like not many people are reading I still need to write.  For myself.  So that is what I plan to do...now here's to hoping I make sure I set aside time for it :)

In my quest to get better and more in touch with my blogging world, I have also attempted to do a much better job at reading the blogs I follow.  Sometimes I would sign on browse through my feed, but not really invest the time to read them through..well no more!  I want to read them, that is why I began following them in the first place right?  And just like I hope others gain from my blog, I hope to gain something from theirs.  And I am happy to say that is just what I did today!

While getting caught up on my sister in law's blog (which is naturally one of my faves to follow, because it keeps me up to date on my nieces and nephews) a certain link caught my eye.  It was an article entitled Marriage: Watch and Learn. I am glad I took the time to read it (and definitely recommend you do as well)...regardless of what your personal beliefs may be in regard to religion the values and ideals laid out in this article I agree are important to a happy successful marriage.

1. Regard your marriage as a treasure, of infinite worth
2. Faith
3. Repentance and Humility
4. Respect,Transparency, and Loyalty
5. Love

So here's to getting more involved in my blog world and all the knowledge and experiences that I can come to gain from it :)