Our trip back to KS

Over memorial day weekend we went home for Elisabeth's wedding and had a wonderful visit with family. We really hadn't been home since christmas so it was good to hang out with everybody. We drove in town just in time for me to make it to the bachelorette party. It was a tiring day since I had gotten off work at 8 am, we drove all day, then the party that night... but it was worth it. Stephen went all out and got a limo for the party and we had a progressive dinner at the Legend's.

Beth is showing me her glowing bling bling ring for the night!



This was the girls breakfast on the morning of the wedding.
More wedding festivities, Nan working on the bridal bouquet.
Ezra was the only boy allowed!

Matt seating granny and grandpa Bollinger

There was beautiful weather for the outdoor evening wedding. I like this picture because of the flower girls giddiness! Much joy and happiness for Beth and Stephen!!

That's quite a knife for cutting the cake!

The Diliberto girls!

The gazebo was magical all lit up at night!

Aunt Kelly and her dogs, I think they are inseprable. This was the day after the wedding, a lazy day to recoup, we watched star wars all afternoon!

Then we headed to KC to visit my family.

We attempted to go fishing with my brother and sister, we were quite unsuccessful, but the sunset was beatiful! The fish were just hiding from us.

These hibiscus make me happy every time I walk through them!

Lazy afternoon by the pool with miss Meggie

Here we are in Plattsburg visiting mom and Cayla!

This is Matt with Kinsley, the sweetest little girl ever! She looks just like her daddy. Kinsley is 4 months old and is the daughter of one of Matt's best friends since grade school. It was a great time to hang out with Dan and Melissa. (this is Matt in daddy training)

I am so sorry we didn't get to visit everyone! It was a very busy time. I surely do miss Kansas in the spring. Colorado is just not quite the same. I was sort of hoping for a good spring thunderstorm while we were home, but we didn't really get to see one. Today we were out biking in Colorado and it looked like a thunderstorm was coming our way and then it just blew over us! Nothing. I am sure it landed in Kansas though!

Oh yea the other exciting thing was that Matt's birthday was last week. I surprised him with a class at the local community college. It was a two day motorcycling rider class. So he is officially looking for a motorcycle, since he loved the class (of course). He has only been talking about it for a couple of years and here we are two years later! He was very happy though so we'll see what happens next...

So happy summer everyone!! I can't believe it but I am about halfway through my contract here in Colorado, so we'll have to start thinking about our new plans soon. The hospital I am currently working for does not know if they will be able to extend my contract here, we would really like to stay another three months, but we'll have to wait and see. In the meantime we are checking out our options. This is the part of travel nursing that I find difficult to accept. It's like a roller coaster, you accept your contract, all is busy and a little stressful with preparations. You get to your assignment, (hopefully you like it) for the first 4-6 weeks you feel carefree, exploring and loving the fact that you get paid to travel. Then about halfway through it's time to figure out what happens next and then it's lots of phone calls, playing the timing game, trying to get your next contract or extending and working on your living arrangments. Now with leases coming due and not being certain what's coming next it is double frustrating! I know it will all work out and it is reassuring to know that God knows what is coming next!

Hiking and Biking!!

Well we have been busy just playing in our backyard!

Just to the west about 1/4 of a mile is this state park with some great trails for hiking and mountain biking and we have fallen in love with these trails!

Here we are just after a climb up a small foothill called Mount Carbon it's great to get to the top and take in the views!!

Our next place to play is Red Rocks, which is about 2 miles to the west of us.

Here we went hiking a bit, they have lots of trails and it is such beautiful place.

The big thing to do here on a weekday is to run the stairs of the amphitheatre for a great workout.

We found the fire department out here working out as well as many other groups of people!

We are hoping to see a concert here this summer, so far no one we are that interested in is coming, but we'll keep watching the schedule as it develops.

At the visitor center we learned that Red Rocks was built as an economic stiumlus back in the 1930's. The men who came to work were housed there in a camp and had food and lodging as well as weekly pay to send to their families. We also learned it was designed after an amphitheatre in Greece!

What a great picture!! Deosn't he look so happy to be in Colorado. Matt says he is still in recovery from Northern Virginia and is enjoying his time here much better!