It's beginning to look a lot like....

Christmas? 



Okay, let me be honest here. I'm no Scrooge, but I'm no Santa either. Maybe my inner Christmas Child has never bloomed secondary to limited time in my own home during the holiday season. Let's be honest, apartments aren't really condusive to excessive amounts of decorations. Why fuss with a tree when you're not even in your own home on Christmas Day? Or even the entire week before Christmas. You're right, they're all just excuses. So, ta da! a small, cheap Christmas tree appeared in our humble abode this week. Mike wouldn't let me put it up until the day after Thanksgiving (talk about someone who needs some Christmas cheer) which is fine. She's a little bare - our ornaments are in a box, somewhere, but she's cute! And it's a start! I've also pulled out all of my Willow Tree Nativity scenes and put those up on my hope chest. Ah? Do I feel a little bit of excitement in the air in this Colorado Curry household? Si!

 How was your Thanksgiving? We spent our with our friends that we met at Buffalo Wild Wings (crazy world). It was nice to be a part of a family, but I did miss my Sandy Hook family, a lot. I was joking to Mike before we started to eat that I missed the Skaggs clan gathering together in a circle and saying what they were thankful for - then John Paul praying and crying as soon as he started the prayer. It's so classic and I love every moment of it. Anyway, I went to pray for the O'Keefe Family Thanksgiving, and wouldn't ya know it, I started crying. It was all a little emotional, I'm sure they thought I was crazy. Mike said something about it later, and I almost felt more connected to home during that moment of tears. 


Our dogs got a little turkey for dinner that night. They liked it. 

Christmas is only 4 short weeks away and I am anxiously awaiting what adventures we'll be in for during our trip home. Last year we drove through a blizzard. This year looks like it includes a Christmas Eve with the Currys/Buckles in Henderson, Christmas Morning on S & G Farm, Christmas evening with the Louisville Currys. The day after christmas at the Yankee Swap in Sandy Hook, and the day after that with the BernheiselsSwindlers/Lyles. Makes me tired just THINKING about it. Oh well, we always have a good time and it's possible a bon fire might be in the making as well for New Year's Eve. 


I didn't mean to go so long without blogging. Ah, life. Love you, Love Wins!

Old Man Winter? You're not welcome.

Do you ever dread winter? I mean, truly, within the bottom of your heart, despise winter and all that it brings? This girl does. 


But my life right now, this very second, is delicious - let me try to describe to you exactly what I see at this moment in a small side-room of a coffee joint in downtown Leadville, CO called Provin' Grounds:

a blue mug of coffee holding a Bolivian Fair Trade Coffee 

several plants ranging in sizes are directly in front of me - from really tall stalks and pointy leaves, to ferns that look almost inviting to lay on (at least run across my face for comfort). some plants are in tiny pots and since my repertoire of plant naming is slim, I am at a loss for their names. one looks like a cactus. 

a window that overlooks "Main Street" although here, it's called Harrison St (and not for the president, although he has visited here). 


below the window is a really old heater - one made of steel with vertical rectangles that stick up from the ground. very old school, but it looks antique. i'm too lazy to get up from my comfy rolling chair to check out if it is indeed, putting off heat. 


beside me is a man, in his 50s enjoying a cup of coffee (in a mug that has Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure on it, how serendipitous!). he has a book, reads a little then puts it down. he'll draw his pin out from his shirt and underline something in this mysterious book, ponder, then take a sip. he's up for another refill, wonder what kind of coffee drinker he is? any guesses? 


i can barely see outside secondary to the plants that take up the majority of the left side of the window, but i can see a small sign that says "CINEMA" and a small wooden building that, from the sign, says it shows movies. it looks similar to the cinema in Sanibel Island - small, quaint, and blends in delightfully with the town. 


but, here's what blows me away about my view right now. beyond the cinema sign, are mountains - and i'm not talking about the Appalachians (although that is home to me). i'm talking about stark, white, jagged edges that pierce the horizon. small flakes of snow float through the sky, although it has to be at least 45 degrees outside, blogging at 10,150ft in elevation will create that kind of atmosphere. i'm sure every peak has a name, the only one i can remember right now is Mt. Massive, no joke. maybe that'll get your mind chewing on how big these babies are. delicious, right? 

another couple has sat down where the 50s guy left - and life moves on. that quick. 

bikes, dogs, people dressed in layers with boots, big trucks and lots of firewood. i think i've summed up Leadville. 


one more thing, and then i'll stop being so random - i just witnessed a bumper sticker that might have summed up Leadville better than my lowly observations : We're here, because we're not all there. I love it! Perfect!  My weekend here is complete. 


Alas, my friends, Old Man Winter is coming and sooner than later I'm going to have to test out a ridiculous number of hand lotions until I find one that doesn't burn when I put it on my cracked, bleeding hands. Skis will top our trusty Jeep and we'll be Keystone bound; snow shoveling will ensue. The silver lining? Colorado has more than 300 days of sunshine per year - hence my red face after our 6 mile walk yesterday - and that makes me happy. Worth it. 


My Bolivian coffee is now cold, and down to the last sip. I feel rejuvinated and thankful for some time alone to reflect on my thoughts, regardless of how random they may seem. Blogging has provided me a creative outlet to do something that has always provided me satisfaction - writing. True satisfaction though, only comes from our Heavenly Father and that is something that I strive for daily. Living my life for Him not them. 


Thanks for listening - Love you, love wins!

And then I served Communion....

In all my Christian years, I had never served communion until earlier this year. Park Church serves communion weekly,  which is a different theology than the Methodist Church who serves once a month. I'm not one to focus on small theological debates, like how often to take communion, but it has been mind changing to observe this passage weekly. The timeliness of communion is irrelevant, it it not my intention to blog about when it's "right" to take communion. Moving forward, the leaders in our community group asked Mike and I, along with another couple, to serve communion one Sunday evening.

We are still considered a new couple at our church (although everyone there is new as the church is only 2yrs old - an Acts 29 church plant from TX) and when asked to serve I thought, "No one is even going to know who we are".  Clearly, we are just going to look dumb at the front of the church while everyone wonders why these clowns are serving the body and blood of Christ. We hadn't even attended the church for a year! I obviously had my doubts. However, I can guess you probably know the ending to this story, as the Lord uses every opportunity to create humility within our hearts.

Humility lesson #1 - Serving communion to a body of believers with your Husband is incredibly intimate. To be in sync with your soul mate while completing a task that is so overwhelmingly vital seemed almost heavenly.  As people would take a piece of the bread from Mike, then dip it in my chalice I thought  'You can't have one without the other'. How true of a marriage to your husband and of our relationship with Christ. It is the underlying idea behing marriage, right? To serve Christ together. And the body without the blood is, nothing. Christ gave us both (His whole life) so that we could be free of sin. Talk about humbling.

Humility lesson #2 - There is something extremely holy about holding that chalice as people dipped their bread into my wine. As I watched our congregation file in line in front of ME to receive one of the holiest moments in the Christian church, I cried. Can you imagine? Me, crying, while trying to hold the chalice and say "the blood of Christ, shared for you".  I'm not much of a multi-tasker, but I hope people felt the presence of the Lord as I did in that moment. It is so humbling, to be the one that holds these precious gifts and then serve it to your fellow brothers and sisters. I think I probably experienced one of the most intimate moments of my Christian life. 

In all my years in the church, at camp, and throughout the many "church" things I've done, no one had ever asked me to serve communion. I think the Lord was waiting for the right moment so that my heart would be ready to receive and understand the meaning behind such a sacared moment. And I am so grateful. 

And speaking of the right moment, I am currently in quite a doubting phase. How quickly life can change. For example, I really thought Mike had this particular job sealed this past week after his in-person interview. I just knew that we were going to get to stay around the Foothills area, I could get a new job closer to where we live now, we could buy a home, settle down, heck! We could actually know what our purpose was here. We could stay in our church, now that is comfortable.  I totally thought this job was the "right" moment. The "right" thing for us. Psyche! How frustrating after so many "no's" - doesn't my husband deserve just one "yes"? We've been in this job battle for over a year now, battling money, place, happiness, etc. Can you see my doubts? And now we start from ground zero. Hoping that the Lord will open the right door for us. Ack! Life. 

The visit from Mike's cousin and his fiance was great! Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies make Autumn fun! Especially noting that Winter is next. Ken and Becki have planned a short trip up here for the week before Thanksgiving! Have I mentioned we like visitors? Amazing! 

Love you! Love wins!

Our trip to the Bluegrass (although, it wasn't very blue)..

It is the perfect Autumn day in Colorado. Cool, breezy, not a cloud in the sky. The leaves are mostly brown, but some bright yellow and red make my eyes happy. Mike and I  have finally returned to normal following a week at home in KY - probably the best trips home yet! I would suggest a return to your home beyond a holiday, I think you'll love it. I've tried not to think about the amount of Bourbon Balls and Ale8 I have consumed. Eek! I'm craving another Ale8 right now! Good thing mom stocked us up!


Since our return, I've thought about how many friends and family we were able to see in such a short time, I think the number is around 30. I don't think we even KNOW 30 people in Colorado.....I guess it places perspective on exactly how comfortable home really is. Mike and I are still developing relationships/friendships here - and that requires time. Not that we don't have time, but I would rather just be around my friends who already know my stupid quarks (i.e. not give me evil eyes when my elbow hits your beer and it spills on you; I'm sorry, I'm a clutz) and accept my shortcomings. Ah, the beauty of stepping out of your comfort zone in order to enrich your character. I don't like it. 




Mike and I did all the classic Bluegrass things: bet and won at Keeneland, tasted Bourbon at distillaries, went to the World Equestrian Games, attend a UK vs. Auburn football game and played on the farm with our dogs.

My dad recently had a total knee replacement and it was a blessing to be home and be a part of his recovery. It is always a blessing to visit with the in-law in Louisville! We just missed David and Amanda! 

A trip to my old Kentucky Home won't come again now until Christmas - which I feel is forever away, but by golly I think it'll be here before we know it. My absence from the blogging world is inexcusable. I will attempt to blog several more times before Mike's cousin Alex and his fiance come to visit this weekend! How exciting! 

We are also planning a trip to Moab, UT for a weekend! It's pretty close and I want Mike to see all of the incredible natural arches. Life is good! Love Wins!

Dreaming Trees....

It's already the end of September? Wait? Is that right? I could have sworn it was still the beginning. I mean, I feel like I just blogged about Labor Day. Crap. 

In all fairness to the month of September, I'm kind of glad it's going by quickly! The 29th (next Wednesday) is Mike's birthday, then we leave on the 1st to head to the Bluegrass State! It'll be our first trip home together, driving, since Christmastime. October is a random time to go to KY, but we are hitting up the most important KY traditions: Louisville, Keeneland, World Equestrian Games at the Horse Park, UK vs. Auburn football game, etc. etc. I'm contemplating taking Mike to the Ale-8 factory, since he's never toured it before. 

However, because Sept isn't over yet, here are a few pictures of what has consume the past 3 weeks of my life: 

 A quick trip to Chicago included: 2 nights at Wrigley Field to see Dave Matthews Band, pizza at Giordano's, much walking, and a trip on the Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier.

Life has alo included some changing of the seasons and we drove up to Kenosha Pass (it was SO busy, apparently yesterday was the day to see the Aspens) to view the changing leave colors. It was worth it, check this out

We're attempting to change the reverse light on my car today - wish us luck. I watched part of the World Equestrian Games on NBC today - yay! NBC! The Broncos play the Colts - eh, not interested. And the Rockies, well, we're not sure they are going to make the post season. Oh well.


My dad at a total knee replacement this past week and I have been catching up on life on S & G Farm as dad slows down to let his knee heal. We're praying for a speedy recovery!


That was brief summary. I plan on blogging before we leave about more in-depth topics, esp. since I made a promise to myself that I would blog at least 4 times a month. Gotta get on that!


love you, love wins!

Yay! Life!

You've got to check out this local company Mike and I stumbled upon last night at the "Taste of Colorado" Festival. The festival itself was quite LARGE in comparison to the little Pioneer festival that's held in Winchester, KY every Labor Day weekend. YAY! Labor Day Weekend! They have a number of Yay!'s that aren't online that we saw in their little booth.....so cute and they have a great attitude about the vision of this company. PLUS one of the owners is from West Virginia (I still like her even though she went to WVU)! YAY! It just makes you want to say, "Yay!" after everything. You should try it.  Here is a picture of the Yay!s that we bought:

You might think that Mike bought the "Yay! Boobies!" but, that was totally me. Remember? I just finished walking 60 miles in three days to save the boobies, so - Yay! Boobies!


So, here is their website - please check them out and support local businesses in CO! 

YAY! LIFE!


This afternoon consists of cheering on the University of Kentucky as they take on the University of Louisville in the Gov's Cup with our favorite UK fans in Colorado. Then, to a friend's house to celebrate a 3-day weekend! Going to try to squeeze in a run inbetween - maybe check out the Sniagrab (bargains spelled backwards) Sale going on at Sports Authority - we got some sweet deals on our skis last year! Tomorrow we'll go to church and maybe do some hiking around. Monday we are heading to Coors Field for a Rockies Game (I know that might be surprising, not). I remember when I blogged last year about Labor Day weekend - time does fly. 


Are YOU living the YAY! Life!? 


Yay! Naps! 


Love you, Love wins!

I'm walking on Sunshine....whooooahhhh...

Remember that hike Mike and I took up Mt. Audubon? This is me at the summit pondering how to save the world. No, I'm probably thinking about how to keep our dogs from eating large rat-like rodents called Pica. They like to sqeak then dart into their holes - little sissies - regardless it taunts our dogs instincts. Here is a video of what the summit looked like - please put it on mute because it was REALLY windy up there.








Moving on -


If you want to know the truth, I cannot believe that I walked 60 miles in 3 days. Honestly, I didn't know when I woke up on Day 2 if I could even move my feet. My blisters were throbbing and my body was so tired. But, Team Undercover needed me, so alas, you keep on walking. This was on my New Years Resolution list and I am so glad to have it checked off!


Things you learn when you walk 60 miles in 3 days:

1. Taking a team picture at the beginning of the walk will look much different than the end. Hair down, hats clean, blister-free, etc. etc. etc.

2. Husbands are essential to this journey. Mine was the driving force behind me signing up for this journey. He encouraged me and supported me throughout the process....plus he gets husband of the year for dropping me off so early at Opening Ceremony (5:30am!).

3. Blisters are inevitable and you have to take care of your feet. As disgusting as mine were, I saw so many other blisters that were worse, I really just stopped complaining. Plus, you have to keep in mind the reason you are walking and the pain is just part of it. Actually, when you are almost ready to give up because you are so tired, your feet hurt, and you have to pee so bad you might just go in your pants, something miraculous always happens. I'll explain later.

4. You must be comfortable with calling your breasts many different names. You must also be comfortable with men wearing bras and velvet boobs. In addition, a van that drives by that says, "Save Second Base" and shirts that read, "Big or Small - save 'em all" make you laugh. No matter how many times you see it. That sign reads "BreastSwana Safari", for example, will get you every time. Men should be very thankful I walked to save boobs. Maybe that's why Mike was so gung-ho about the whole situation :)

5. Pink is a movement, not a color. And, having a tent to yourself is clutch.

6. The Lord's plan will always prevail, this was confirmed to me through this sunset. I just couldn't believe how beautiful it was, I took like a million pictures. But, truly, God places us in the right place, at the right time, with the right people for the right reasons. Right? I mean, there is no doubt in my mind that this weekend had been ordained for a long time.

7. When you are walking with a girl that you've never met before and you have discussed every topic under the sun while melting on a hot concrete pavement with loud cars racing beside you, a team sign in the middle of the blue was ESSENTIAL. This was one of those miraculous things I mentioned above. We almost walked right by it - but there it was - beautiful, pink, and just the thing we needed in order to keep going. At this point during the walk, our other team member were tending to their wounds and resting. Kristal and I kept Team Undercover going, and going, and going.

8. Lunch indoors = heaven.

9. When we first started walking, someone mentioned, "You won't remember how to flush a toilet." I thought, that's pretty bogus and far-fetched. I mean, we're only using them for 3 days, it can't be that bad. HOLY CRAP. These beautiful blue (they should've been pink) portable potties were life savers. In fact, Kristal and I could always tell we were coming up to a pit stop because we would have to pee. At one point in the walk, I RAN to these beautiful creations because my bladder was about to fall out. I just really refused to become dehydrated (story about that later, too).  Regardless, my point was when Mike and I went to Arby's after the walk to grab something to eat, I forgot to flush the toilet. Oh boy.

10. Just wanted to give a quick thanks to the girl who allowed me to take this sign and walk with it for a while. This was my whole reason for walking in this crazy thing. My Aunt Donya was 25 when she lost the battle to breast cancer. I want to be a part of a movement that never allows that to happen again. Too young.  Another miraculous story - as Kirstal and I were finishing up day 2 (the most horrid day of all) a young woman was standing outside her house. This was not odd, as we had random people cheering all over the place, but as she saw my sign she said "Thank you so much for walking - I had a double mastectomy in December of '09. My son had a football game otherwise I'd be out there with you. But thank you so much!" She was crying, I was crying, Kristal was crying and good golly we were just a huge hot mess. The Lord knew that was just what we needed to make it through that last mile. Miraculous.

11. Dogs in pink energizer bunny ears will make you smile. Husband that show up at cheering stations will also make you smile.

12. Women are much stronger than you realize. Here we are showing our muscles on mile 59.5. Hottttttttt.

13. You always remember when you meet someone that you know will change your life. This is Debbie a 10 yr survivor that drug most of the women in her family (her sister, daughter, daughter-in-law, herself, and me) to raise money and participate in this crazy event. To see her taken out on a stretcher into an ambulance was quite the humbling experience. She ended up okay (this is her the night after being in the ER), but it was what kept Kristal and I to keep walking, for Deb and for women that were not able to participate. I love her.

14. Here is team Undercover after 60 miles (well, only for 2 of us) -  we look tired. This was one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. Will I do it again, IIIIIIIIIIIIII don't know right now. Ask me in a month.

15. You must really be crazy to go to a Broncos game after you walk 60 miles (16 miles that day). I'm crazy, insane, coo-coo, and just downright stupid. Mike and I wandered to Invesco to watch the Broncos beat the Steelers in a pre-season game. It was LOUD, but fun and I survived. I'm so gald we went.

16. And to top it all off, my dreams really came true. Ray LaMontange and David Gray performed together at Red Rocks. I'm all typed out, because seriously, this might have changed my life, too. Here is my love, David Gray playing my favorite song. I love him. I love this song. I love my crazy life that never ends.



Okay, so one more thing before I conclude this crazy, long, post..... I WAS ON TV!! It's another miracle.
Here:

 



I love you, love wins.