Rob and Emily Raleigh

Rob and I enjoyed dinner with Matt at the Happy Gnome tonight. Our visit there was made even better by our favorite server who shall only be referred to as "C" to protect her identity in case she does not want to be associated with weirdos such as oursevles. I miss the Gnome. We haven't been there much since our move to Eagan. We told all of this to "C" who informed us that there are houses in St. Paul, implying we didn't have to go to Eagan to find them. If only we had known!

So, "C" if you do happen to stop by, thanks for visiting! You do make our evenings at the Happy Gnome a little sweeter.

Here's the run-down of our vacation to Colorado for Matt and Amber's wedding. We had a very full week, so I'll summarize the best I can.

Saturday: Mike and Sarah picked us up drove to Exira, IA to spend the night at a campground Mike went to a lot during his growing up years. It was a cute little place with a little lake and pretty trees. His Aunt and Uncle live in the area met us at the campsite, and after finding out we were unprepared for a campfire dinner, they offered to feed us at their house. We determined they are good people, and had a blast hanging out with them. Back at the campsite, the cicadas tried to be as annoying as they could be while we slept, but all in all: good camping. AND there was a cute little kitty who followed us around. She probably had worms and other disgusting diseases, and there was an owl that I'm pretty sure was stalking her. But, still cute. See Pictures Here!

Sunday: We drove from Exira to Colorado, and after a long car ride and limited convenient camping options, we opted for a hotel in Woodland Park, CO. We had a disappointing meal at the local pizza hut ("uhm, sorry we don't have breadsticks, deep dish pizza or cheese...") Mike and Sarah retired to the hotel while Rob and I went to see what the Woodland Park nightlife had to offer. I think the bar we went to was Buck's, and although the bartender was friendly, a shady group of men sitting at the bar moved to a table near us once we sat down, eyeing us suspiciously. It was our cue to leave quickly.

Monday: We checked out of the hotel and drove to Colorado Springs to see the Garden of the Gods. The last time I was here was with a couple of girlfriends of mine back in 2001, so it was fun seeing the park again. The Kissing Camels, Balanced Rock, Three Graces, Cathedral Spires, etc. It's just as impressive to me the second time around. We took the long way out of the park on a windy dirt road, which took us up and back down a small mountain, with plenty of places to snap pictures of the views.
Our next stop was the Cog Rail, which took us to the top of Pike's Peak and back down again. I had a little anxiety about going up all the way to 14,000+ feet. I've been at high elevations before with limited negative effects, but I don't know... the cogs, the rail, the windy road... the falling down the mountain... The ride up was gorgeous! The change in scenery along the way was interesting. It started with forest with a few dribbling streams, and along the way the tour guide pointed out old homestead foundations and other points of interest. Then as we ascended the trees became more spread out, and more pink-tinted rocks were visible. (Pike's Peak has a lot of feldspar which gives the granite a pink color.) The tour guide also pointed out a few trees that were hundreds, if not thousands, of years old. Some ponderosa pines with reddish bark had been described as smelling of butterscotch. (I later had the opportunity to smell the bark of one and it's true!). Past the tree line, dispersed along jagged rocks and spilling over boulders, were pretty flowers bunches that couldn't have been arranged better by even the most talented of florists.
The top of Pike's Peak was amazing. The lack of oxygen really affected us. I was out of breath by merely walking, and I remember feeling a little dizzy and sort of giddy. It was also very cold. We boarded the cog rail again after only 40 minutes at the top, and arrived back at the station to find some very scary weather had moved in. Thunder, lightning, near flash floods. However, back at the South Meadows campsite in Pike National Forest, our tents were mostly dry. We loved our campfire, and went to bed happy.

Tuesday: We did a little sight seeing on the road to Estes Park and ended up at the Red Rocks Ampitheater. They were setting up for a Daft Punk show, but we were able to walk around a bit and get a feel for the place. Afterwards, down the road a ways we had a picnic lunch. I met a smelly man who walking to the Daft Punk show and had run out of water. I filled his water bottle up from our gallon and made small talk. He was very polite and seemed relieved someone had watered him.
It was almost an after thought, but we decided to see the Coors Brewing Factory in Golden, CO that day as well. Rob and Mike were in heaven when they got out of the car in the shuttle bus parking lot. The whole town smells like beer! Although the tour didn't teach them anything about brewing beer since they make their own at home, it was still cool to see the facility. Plus we got free samples. One can't refuse free beer, even if it's Coors. Rob says it's not so bad, now that he's tried the real stuff as opposed to Coors Light which is marketed so much. He enjoyed his free sample so much that he decided to buy a whole pack of it at the liquor store down the street from the brewery.
We found a campsite for the night and settled in. Sarah and I turned in early, while the guys stayed up to enjoy their beer. See Pictures Here!

Wednesday: We finally arrived in Estes Park! Mike and Sarah went off to do some shopping downtown while Rob and I had dinner at a place near the hotel. A whole family of mule deer lunched on the grassy "courtyard" of our hotel as we settled in. Later that evening Jon and Kim arrived in town and the six of us went out to dinner, which was followed by a little informal party at our hotel room.

Thursday: Though we knew we'd all be in the mountains for this trip, we were strangely unprepared to spend any time in them. Mike forgot hiking boots and Rob didn't have enough advil to soothe his knee pain. Plus having Kim along, who is six months pregnant, we didn't want to push ourselves too hard. However, the six of us did a little hike around Bear Lake, and up to Alberta Falls. I enjoyed seeing these places that, on our honeymoon last May, were frozen over or had three feet of snow on the trails.
The real reason we went to Colorado was for our friends' Matt and Amber's wedding. Thursday evening we all had plans to go to the rehearsal dinner. After a little run through of the ceremony at the lodge, Matt and David finally got to town, so the now eight of us, plus bride, groom and family headed up to the lodge where dinner was to be held.

Friday: Day of Wedding. While Sarah and I had spa and hair appointments, Mike, Rob, Matt, David, Jon and Kim drove up Trail Ridge Road to see the sights. I'm not sure what all they saw, but we've got pictures somewhere in this mix here!
The wedding itself was beautiful. It was an outdoor wedding on Lake Estes. Mike ushered, while Sarah played maid of honor, and Rob was best man. MacKenzie played her flower girl part very well, complete with white dress and white gloves. Amber herself was radiant. She looked beautiful, calm and happy. In place of a unity candle, Matt and Amber along with Kenzie and little Serenity, together layered colored sand in a jar as a family. It was a very creative way to show their bond. See Wedding Photos Here!

Saturday: The group was up early despite having a late night celebrating. We headed off to Fort Collins to have breakfast, and all went our separate ways after that. Rob and I decided to ride home with Matt since he drove solo on the way out. We arrived back in Eagan about 2am Sunday morning, exhausted.

I realize it's been a while since I've updated, but I didn't want this event to slip through the cracks!

On July 14, 2007 Naomi and Ryan got married. The ceremony was perfect, the weather was lovely, and everything worked out almost exactly as planned.

I was in Duluth a few days before the wedding to help Naomi with some last minute details like running the vases to the florist, and decorating the reception hall. They hosted the rehearsal dinner at Blackwoods. Rob and I had the opportunity to sit with Tamrah and her new baby Parker, and catch up with the goings-on in each other's lives. Everyone was in good spirits and we had fun mingling with people we hadn't met before and getting to know them.

After the rehearsal dinner Rob and I met up with his former neighbor Molly, and friend Corey for a few beers. They were hilarious and loveable as usual.

I met the girls at the salon on Saturday morning. I had my hair up in huge rollers so I had to laugh as I was driving around town like that. Once our hairdos were complete, we trickled off to the church where we had a dressing room set up for us. Of course the bride was the last to arrive since she was "trying to get everything done that she needed". We participated in female bonding over shared makeup and hairspray, and made sure that Naomi was happy, calm and ready.

Naomi beamed as she walked down the aisle. I could tell that all the stress of planning the details for this day had melted away. She looked calm. Less nervous than most of the bridal party, for sure. I had a hard time standing in those shoes trying not to fall while not locking my knees. Aside from that, it was PERFECT!

Ryan and Naomi chose to have their reception at a place out of town a bit. They loved the idea of having a big yard so their friends could enjoy the weather and a game or two of bocce ball. The food was prepared by a friend of Naomi's. He worked so hard back in the kitchen, and it all was delicious. After dinner Rob and Naomi's housemate Nick worked their geek magic to get the music going for the dance.

I am so happy to see my little Naomi married, and to such a wonderful guy.

It's a dangerous thing to go places like Target and Home Depot so soon after moving into a house. Little by little, our list of things we'd like for the house is growing. Last night we went to Target to pick up a few things and I found myself with a desire to buy all sorts of unnecessary items that would make our home prettier. At Home Depot we bought a little white shelf for the kitchen to display some nicer tea sets and dishes.

Nick stopped by yesterday afternoon. He decided to try riding his bike here from Northeast Minneapolis in order to overcome a few uncertainties he had about area bike paths. I think it ended up a greater feat than he had expected, and after visiting with us for a while, Rob drove him to the Mall of America where he caught the Light Rail to more familiar areas.

Since realizing there is more to life than inside, Tokyo insists on being let out into the yard. If either of us are out on the deck, she and Penny will sit in the windows and cry at us. Once we're back inside, Tokyo repeatedly vocalizes her disdain for being kept inside. We tried letting her under our supervision, but she still escaped into the neighbor's front yard. Today we tried a leash but she managed to wriggle out of her harness. She does not yet understand the benefits of boundaries, but hopefully she will learn soon enough.

Before I forget, thanks for everyone who helped us move and unpack, and those who stopped by the house to say hello. We really appreciate it!

Today was Tokyo and Penny's big day out. Rob wanted them to get used to their new house for a while before letting them outside. They've done great so far acclimating to their new surroundings, so today we coaxed them out onto the deck to see what they would do.

Tokyo wandered right down to the yard, while Penny carefully sniffed and explored every little part of the deck before she ventured further. Even then she stayed close to the house. Meanwhile, I followed Tokyo all over the yard. She had to see the whole perimeter before she was satisfied. In the garden I found a little toy ball which Rob threw across the yard, and surprisingly, Tokyo chased after it several times. She wore herself out and began to pant.

The only bad things about letting them out is that Tokyo is curious about what's on the other side of the fence. I wouldn't put it past her to plan an escape. Also, I noticed several angry birds scolding us repeatedly for getting too close. Hopefully the cats won't threaten the neighborhood bird population.

We are now home owners! It's official! We have the papers to prove it!

It's been a long day. I've been up since 7am and have been going all day. As I write this, I have my feet up in our glider chair and I'm realizing this is only the third time I've sat all day. My heels really hurt and my eyes are heavy. But I'm in my PJs now, freshly showered with a glass of wine so everything is going to be ok!

The closing went really well. It only took 45 minutes and the signing and initialing wasn't as bad as I had expected. We met our sellers and I know that they took great pride in their home and they're having a hard time letting it go, and leaving the neighbors they've become good friends with.

After the closing we went to Stillwater to get the truck, and then finished up some packing. Cheryl did some major kitchen and bathroom cleaning, for which we are very grateful. Our movers showed up on time and went to work right away. I was amazed at how quickly they worked and how well they communicated with each other. The move itself took a little longer than we had expected, but they went the extra mile and finished the job. Our friend Joe helped us too, and in return we offloaded a lot of our boxes for his move next weekend.

Wally and Cheryl came to the house later to help us unpack and set up furniture. Cheryl and I tried to get the kitchen in some sort of working order while Wally worked on getting the pool table set up.

Although everything went smoothly, and I slept the WHOLE NIGHT THROUGH last night (all 8 hours YAY!), I got a little edgy today. There were a few things I said this afternoon that had that "tone of voice" my mother chided me about when I was a child. I guess I just needed some food because after ordering some Carbones I felt a whole lot better.

As for the cats, they are slowly getting used to their new home. After spending some time locked in the bathroom, we let them out to explore their new home. Tokyo bravely explored while Penny promptly got herself stuck behind the washing machine. Eventually she got out and has started to acclimate herself to the new surroundings, but I hear her crying from somewhere downstairs obviously unable to figure out where to go to find one of us.

Tomorrow my mom and dad will be our first house guests and stay over night in our guest bedroom. Stop on by if you'd like to see the place!

Work was busy today and I worried I wouldn't get out of there at 4pm like I had planned. But when Rob called at 3pm saying he needed me to run to the bank to get the cashiers check, my guys told me to go on home, "oh but hey could you do this for me really quick? It'll take five minutes!" When I finally did leave, anxiety manifested itself as tension in my neck, which spread to my back.

We picked up our rental truck on time, and drove it to Stillwater to get the piano from Wally and Cheryl's. Thankfully, no one got hurt and the piano was unharmed as well.

Our bed has been taken apart, boxes are stacked in the living room, and the cats are bewildered. I feel like I should be ready to fall asleep but I'm wired. Tomorrow's a big day, and I keep thinking about all the stuff I need to do. I just hope that I can sleep through the night without interruption.