Just a reminder

One Giant Post

It's been a bit since I've posted, so here's one giant catch up post. 

Memorial Day Weekend!

We went to go see the play Once with Paul and Lesley and Paul's mom.  Once is based on a move that came out probably 10 years ago.  It has really great music!  Before the play started, the entire cast was out on the stage singing and playing their instruments.  It was pretty cool!  

Ben and I sneaking a photo before getting yelled at that "no photos are allowed in the auditorium!"

The 5 of us out at intermission.  After the play we grabbed some dinner at The Nickle.  It was a fun evening!

On Memorial Day, we threw together a super last minute day in the park.  We scoped out a great spot at Clement Park in Littleton.  Ben had bought a giant boil pot last year, so it was time we put it to good use!  We had a smorgasbord of friends come- work friends, church friends, the normal friends.  But it was a good time! 

The finished product!  We also made a spicy dipping sauce, which was awesome!  The corn and sausage were surprisingly my favorites!  I'm excited to try crab with this!

Playing some lawn bags

The following weekend, Casey and Melissa came down and we went hiking over at Deer Creek!  It was a gorgeous day.  And the views were awesome!  Sometimes the camera just doesn't do them justice. 

After our hike, we got in some pool time before Ben made his famous pizzas.

For Christmas, Ben and I bought my parents tickets to go see Beauty and the Beast downtown.  I LOVE going to the theatre.  It's one of my favorite things!  My sister and I got tickets as well, and we had a Burcham Family Night of Fun! 

Meliss and I before the show

The fam!  Apparently this is my new theatre dress....I wore it to Once as well!

The stage. 

The Witters came to town!  It's been a few years since Marcus, Emily, and the kids have made it out.  We went up to Georgetown to ride the train.  It was fun!  The kids especially loved it. 

The whole crew. 

After the train ride, we went to Beau Jo's for pizza.  The rest of the weekend was pretty low key.  Some pool time, some games, and just hanging out!

Father's Day!

For Father's Day weekend, we took my dad to Snooze and then an impromptu hike.  It was a gorgeous day. 

If anyone can pull off sundresses and tennis shoes, we can!

It was a fun time together! 

Weekend Shenanigans

Last weekend was so great! I did my airlife memorial 10k race. It was terrible, but the atmosphere is so cool! 

They release doves at the start line in memoriam of those who lost their lives serving as first responders. Then, to kick off the race, they have ambulances, fire trucks, police cars, swat cars, every type of emergency vehicle you can think of! They all turn on their lights and sirens. It's so loud and so cool!  

Dove release

Me heading out!

I can honestly say that I am a terrible racer. Terrible. I think I put so much pressure on myself to have a good race and I just collapse. In the past I used to get so bummed out about it. I didn't this time. I know that I am in much better shape than I have been in awhile. I know that the weekend prior to the race I crushed it And had an awesome run! Maybe racing just isn't for me?! 

That night we headed uptown to Beast and Bottle for dinner. We had been here before with Paul and Lesley. The food this time was even tastier than the last time! The first go-round we all did the chef's tasting menu. This time we split an appetizer and then we each got our own entree. We did the fig and pig flatbread (below). It was delish!!! Highly recommended! 

For the entree I had soft shell crab. I've never had soft shell crab before. You literally eat the whole thing! No shell crackin' involved.  

Sunday we headed over to Green Mountain to do some exploring. Our house is in such a great spot with access to hikes and trails all within 15 minutes. 

The view at the top. It reminds me of the Sound of Music! Everything was so vibrant and green. 

Red rocks in the distance

Just the 2 of us 

Date Day!

Two weeks ago I planned a date day for Ben and I. I had this idea of doing a scavenger hunt(ish) activity.  I had it planned way in advance and Ben didn't have a clue what we were doing. 

First stop, Top Golf.  

Top Golf is really cool.  It's an indoor/outdoor range basically.  Your ball has a little GPS tracker in it and the targets have sensors so it knows exactly where you hit the ball.  They have different challenges you can pick from. They have a cool bar and full service menu.  And outdoor heaters!  I had read some reviews where people had to wait 3-4 hours to get a bay.  So I made sure we got there super early!  We didn't have to wait, but by the time we left they had people waiting. 

Ben teeing off.  You can see the targets in the background.

 

Next stop: Breckenridge Brewery for a tour! We have been here plenty of times to grab a drink or hang out with friends, but we've never done the tour.  It was pretty neat! The city of Littleton put certain restrictions as far as water evaporation and smell, so it was cool to see how they capture all of the evaporation stuff.

After the tour, we got a sample flight.
Next stop: Smokin Fins.  It's a newer restaurant in old Littleton.  They had this delicious seafood flatbread. 

 

Our final stop was at Inside Scoop Ice Cream, also in Old Littleton.  I forgot to take a picture of the clue or the shop! 
It was such a fun day!! 

Hello, Spring!

It's officially spring!!   Our pool is open, although with the rain and snow last weekend, I don't think it's seen much action.

Life has been pretty quiet for us lately, which has been kind of nice, and kind of strange at the same time! I've been training for the Air Memorial 10k, which is in 3 weeks.  I'm studying to get my real estate license.  And, I think I'm reading more than I have in the last several years combined!

I updated our wreath for our door- which I think turned out pretty cute! It took me about 20 tries to get that stupid burlap bow looking right!

 

This last weekend we went over to Paul and Lesley's house to celebrate her graduating from grad school! Her mom made the prettiest carrot cake I've ever seen- freshly shaved white chocolate curls adorned the top.  I'm thankful for our friends and being able to celebrate accomplishments with them!

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

Hiking and Pizza

The last few Weekends have been pretty low key for us. We decided to go exploring over at Deer Creek Canyon. This place is only like 10 minutes from our house and they have several different trails you can explore. It's really pretty! And you can actually get a pretty clear shot of downtown up there! 

Ben has been on a quest to become a great pizza maker. I have no idea where this new obsession has come from, but he has taken it to a whole new level. He's done research, tried different recipes, different sauces, different cheeses! He even broke our pizza stone in the process! 

Below is his latest and greatest! The crust has a nice crispness to it, but also has that nice, airy quality! I'm pretty impressed with his skills these days. Chances are if you come over any time soon, Ben will make you your very own! 

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

1 year

A year ago today my father in law passed away. He fought a very long, very hard battle with cancer. He was first diagnosed before our wedding. Years later, one of his doctors mentioned how it was a big deal the he made it to our wedding. He eventually went into remission for about a year before the cancer came back in his lungs and brain.

Our last Christmas together, he wasn't doing very well. He lost the ability to do a lot of the things we take for granted- feed ourselves. Walk. Get in and out of bed. I remember one morning, one of his nurses came over to help out. He was in rough shape and when the nurse asked how he was doing he just smiled and said he was doing great. He truly had a fighter's spirit.

Boyd used to always give me a hard time about being a CU fan. And he used to ALWAYS ask when Ben and I were going to have kids. He was passionate about his family, his husker football, his church, and writing. After he passed away, we published all of his articles into a book. It was one his dreams.
It has been an interesting year without him. Parts of it have been really tough. I honestly don't know how people get through a loss like this without faith. Even in the pain and chaos, there has always been a sense of peace and hope.

I am very thankful for the son that he raised and the role model he was for Ben. I am thankful for the memories we have, and I'm thankful that we will see him again one day.

Poached Eggs

I really enjoy a good eggs benedict for breakfast. One of the keys is a poached eggs. I had never made poached eggs before but really wanted to give it a go. A few weeks ago, I had the day off and thought that would be a nice way to start my morning. Boy, was I wrong!!!  One of the eggs slid through the slots in my slotted spoon and I ended up with runny egg all over my floor. So then I tried it with a non-slotted spoon. Big mistake!! I had water all over my English muffin and prosciutto. I ended up just making some scrambled eggs instead and called it a day. 

Well, I don't want to be defeated by a little egg! Today was the day for me to conquer those little boogers. And, I did it!!!! Only 2 out of the 4 came out great, but, I'll take it!! 

I give you hollandaise-less eggs benny