Have you seen this?

I don't know if I can get this to work, but it's incredibly entertaining.....

WonderfulWorld-HandPuppet.wmv2319K Download

Milan's First Post

For some odd reason, my Auntie T stranded me for over a week (and that's a lot in the life of a 2 month old!). We went from full adoration on an almost daily basis, to no one sitting and staring at me (except the folks and they don't count). I want non-familial adoration, by golly! (I guess Aunt T is family, but you know what I mean!). Here's how I feel about that......

I'm thinking about forgiving her. She says she was out of state!

And she says it was my mom and dad that moved away from her while she was in Colorado! Hmmmph! I'll save some of these glares for them!

Well I was thinking about forgiving her, but then she decided to post this!

Just wait until I have the power to veto her photo selections!

Report from the Doggy Day Spa

While I was off gallivanting in CO, Sasha had her own doggy vacation at Kim and Kris' Doggy Day Spa (my sis-in-law and her sister). She got pampered with a bath, a walk almost every day, time with doting children, and a shave (a first for her). I was expecting to see her looking like a lion. Looks more like a French Poodle in my estimation. Or maybe a hot dog with fur on both ends. Here are her before and after pics:

After:

Part of me looks at her and feels sorry, but the other part of me is grateful for all the work they did to keep her cool. She's an indoor dog at my house but was outside in the 90 degree weather there. So I'm glad she didn't have to suffer in the heat. I was a little worried she'd be like the dogs that act all embarrassed when they get shaved, but she seems fine with it.

Call me a shallow dog owner, but I'm a little embarrassed to take her out for a walk.

Friday....Last Day in Colorado

Friday came all too soon. Vacation time was nearly over. I packed up and we took the kids to Colorado Springs that afternoon. We visited the Current Outlet and Focus on the Family. That was a neat place. They had a 3 story tornado slide called "A-bend-ago". Downstairs in the kids' area, they had the town of Odyssey laid out (from the radio show "Adventures in Odyssey"). There was plenty for the kids to do.

Outside of "Whit's End" Ice Cream Shoppe.

The wardrobe from Narnia:

Before we knew it, it was time to take me to the airport. I had a 7:00 flight. We left Colorado Springs in plenty of time. However, the traffic was horrible, and what should have been about an hour drive turned into 2 and a half hours. At 6:30, I was still not at the airport. I prayed for a delay, and definitely got my wish. The flight was delayed until 8:20. Good thing because by the time I got through security and to my terminal, it was 7:20. We had more delays, so I didn't get into KCI until after midnight. Tracy picked me up and took me over to their new house (a lot happened while I was gone). I spent the night there and got up in the morning, picked up Sasha and went home.

I definitely have to thank Niki and her family for putting their normal routine on hold to host me for a great week. Thanks for the hospitality! And thanks to Benny for watching the kids so Niki and I could go do touristy stuff.


Here are some last pics from the car on the way to the airport....

Thursday In Colorado

Thursday I made arrangements to meet up with my aunt, uncle and cousins in Idaho Springs. We had some great pizza at Beau Jo's. My Uncle Ken suggested a pretty drive we could take from there. At his suggestions we stopped at Echo Lake at the base of Mt. Evans.

We then began our ascent of Mt. Evans, stopping at this pretty little roadside waterfall where I took pictures of the Nowell kids.

We continued our ascent. The kids were actually scared Niki would run the van off the road. She was an excellent driver, but these roads did look a bit treacherous. So glad she was driving.

Near the top of the mountain, we encountered some wild mountain goats. They actually didn't seem that wild, as they were grazing without a care just beside the road.

Niki claims she isn't a good photographer, but I spotted this critter and handed her the camera and she took this great shot out her car window. Extra credit if you know what this critter is (don't tell them Niki).

That evening, I had the opportunity to go see the pre-Broadway production of Disney's "The Little Mermaid" on stage. I didn't even know it was out yet until I got to Denver and saw signs everywhere. I couldn't believe they had balcony seats for $20. I tried and tried all week to get seats, hoping that Niki, Rebecca, and I could go together. Finally, I was able to get the very last ticket for Thursday night. I had to pay $70, but it was well worth it to get better seats anyway. Niki was kind enough to drop me off and pick me up. Hopefully in the future, I will write a review of the show for you musical fans. For now, suffice it to say that it ranks right up there with "Wicked" in my book. In fact, the costumes and special effects were probably much better, though I liked "Wicked's" storyline and music better. When you think about the complexities of turning the stage into an underwater world, it is just amazing what they were able to do.

Wednesday in Colorado

Wednesday was a leisurely day at the Nowell household. While I got to sleep in most mornings, the Nowell children are early birds and got Niki up around 7:30 every morning. We enjoyed some of the fine teas we purchased at Celestial Seasonings, had lunch, and then headed to their Chiropractic appointment. We had planned to go to their neighborhood pool, but since it was closed, we had the chance to take Petey to play in the fountains at the Promenade. I've always wanted to play in the fountains. It's nice having a 3 year old around as an "excuse".

That evening, we went over to Rebecca's house. Rebecca is another friend of ours who was in the York College Choir with us. She sang 1st Soprano, Niki sang 2nd Soprano, and I sang 2nd Alto. She has quite the impressive Karaoke set up in the basement. So I got to enjoy one of my favorite pasttimes...singing.

My Tuesday in Colorado

After a fun-filled day in Colorado Springs on Monday, Tuesday was a little more mellow (but just as fun). Benny's been awesome about watching the kids and letting me and Niki go do girlfriend stuff. Tuesday after lunch, we headed up to Boulder. I really didn't know much about Boulder except that it's very artsy and "Mork and Mindy" took place there. Who knew that it was home to Celestial Seasonings, makers of fine "herbal infusions" and a few teas too? At Benny's suggestion we headed up there to tour the factory. I love those kinds of tours, and it did not disappoint. There's nothing like standing in a "mint room" where all the mint leaves are stored to keep them from permeating the tea and other herbs. We didn't stand in there for long, as it was like standing in a pool of Vicks Vapo-Rub. Then we moved on to the packaging area. It was amazing to see what those machines can do with little help from humans. Then it was on to my favorite part....the sampling room, where you could try as many of their 70 varieties as your little heart desired. Niki and I are tea lovers, so this part was fun. I highly recommend the white plum tea, the black cherry pomegranate and my favorite: the Marrakes Express Vanilla Spice Black Tea (A good tea needs at least 5 or 6 words to describe it).

I did learn something about tea. I like milk in my tea (as well as a sweetener). As I poured the last of the soy milk they had out (believe me I prefer cow), I noticed that it was curdled. I took it to the counter to say something and she told me that teas with hibiscus will make milk curdle because of the acidity (or something like that). So I happily downed that cup of delicious brew. To my disappointment, when I went to doctor up my next sample cup, I looked into the soy milk pitcher and found lots of curdles...Ewwww!

After the sampling, we checked out the artwork in the tea gallery. They had lots of artsy teapots as well as the original art for the boxes. That would be a fun job. Here's some of the art:

Dress made out of teabags....plus accessories.

Who wouldn't want the White Pear Tea after seeing this Siamese kitty drinking it?

God's Little Gifts

Isn't it fun to get the nice little surprises God has in store for us. Here are just a couple of examples. Niki collects heart-shaped rocks. Sometimes when she is out in nature, she asks God specifically to show her some. Last week she found seven when she asked. Seven is a significant number for them, because "Sevens" is the name of their ministry. Yesterday, when we went to Garden of the Gods, she didn't tell me this in advance, but she asked God for a heart-shaped rock. As it turned out, it was late and we were tired, so we mostly toured the park from the car, only stopping to get out and snap pictures. So really, there was not much chance of finding heart-shaped rocks. As it was getting really dark, we stopped at the gift shop to browse and use the restroom. In my bathroom stall, sitting on the toilet paper holder I found a perfect heart shaped rock. I picked it up and gave it to Niki, knowing that she collects them. It was then that she laughed and told me she had asked for one today. Hmmmmm.

Sunday, I told the Nowell's about my idea for an art series and we talked and brainstormed quite a bit about it. I don't want to give it away yet, but it's about hands. I am planning to use Benny as a hand model for reference photos (I told him to get those hands manicured and insured). That night as I checked my email, I got this as my daily devotional from Max Lucado. Coincidence? Personally, I don't believe in coincidence (or luck for that matter).

July 29

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

Revelation 21:4

Someday God will wipe away your tears.

The same hands that stretched the heavens will touch your cheeks. The same hands

that formed the mountains will caress your face. The same hands that curled in agony as the Roman spike cut through will someday cup your face and brush away your tears.

Forever.

Report from Colorado

I'm in Colorado now, and have been since Friday morning. I came out to spend some quality time with my best friend from college. I love having a job with so much vacation time. It's good to come out and soak up some mountain air, see the beauty and grandeur of God's handiwork and sleep in a lot. Here's what I've been up to so far....

Friday: Niki and daughter Zoe picked me up at the airport. We relaxed around the house Friday, as Niki was babysitting all day. I had a very early flight, so I got to rest during the day in Niki's newly reorganized office. My bed, which Benny refers to as a "Redneck Murphy bed" was a mattress set oh so cleverly tucked away behind a curtain in what used to be the closet. Pretty nice set up actually. And Niki loves books, so there's lots of browsing to be done before bed each night. That night we participated in a Nowell ritual: ate popcorn while we watched "Who Wants to be a Superhero". All 3 of the kids were in their superhero costumes. Should have taken a picture. The Nowell kids are very imaginative and artistic. Here's the sign on the front door of their house....With 3 resident superheroes and a sign like this, who wouldn't feel safe here.

Saturday: After sleeping in, I got to engage in one of Niki's favorite pastimes with her. We went to several ARC thrift stores and I got to see what all the fuss was about. I got several pair of shoes, books, and a big bag to haul it all back in. That night we celebrated Niki's birthday with some of her girlfriends. It was great to meet people I've heard so much about. We ate at Carabba's and then headed downtown to the 12th Street Mall for the Cheesecake Factory. It was so crowded we took our desserts to go and ate out in the open air. It was a beautiful night.

Niki and some of her girlfriends.

Paula and Heather

This is Rebecca, who is actually one of my friends too. We all went to York College together and sang in Choir.

Downtown Denver...12th Street Mall.

Sunday: This was actually Niki's birthday. We went to church and then had a Birthday lunch of Benny's famous pancakes and sausage. Yum. We napped and then had her family Birthday party.

Then Niki and I headed to downtown Denver to snap some photos. She wanted some she could give as a gift to her hubby. Here are my 2 favorites. And one of me in front of the Denver skyline. Afterwards, we met Niki's friend Heather for dinner at PF Chang's.

Monday: Benny watched the kids so Niki and i could have a day out to go to Colorado Springs.
We went to the zoo, which included a drive up to the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun. We weren't interested in the whole shrine to the sun aspect, but it was a great view, and I recommend taking the short drive up there. After the zoo, we saw the Helen Hunt waterfall (not named after the actress in case you're wondering). Then we headed to dinner and then Garden of the Gods. That was a beautiful place and we got there as the sun was setting. It made for some beautiful vistas.

Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun

Helen Hunt falls

Niki in front of the "Kissing Camels"

PS: I don't know what's up with Blogger, I can't get rid of the underlining in my post. No I am not a fanatic underliner.