Some pics from Bret and Nealia's wedding...

My new toy...

Yes, finally! I'm about to purchase this sweet bad boy. Well it's not much of a bad boy. This will be my first bike. It's a moderately low powered sport bike (250cc) and is perfect for a beginner like me. I'm scheduled to take my motorcycle class on the weekend of July 3rd. Shortly there after my new bike will be delivered to my house. Can't wait!


Sweet helmet to go with it perhaps? With a hefty price tag of about $700.00

Trip to Ridgeway, Colorado

There are simply no words to describe my experience on the Colorado trip last week. It was exciting, thrilling, amazing, and just plain incredible. The Sawtooth Ranch is like living a dream. It's located high up in the mountains near Courthouse Mountain in Ridgeway. The view from the front deck was placed squarely center on Courthouse. Off in the distance were large meadows that were frequently filled with wild Elk and on occasion wandering black bears. I'm only going to show a few of the pics that I took while on this trip because my step-dad doesn't want much of the ranch published on the Internet. The trip was both satisfying and spiritually rewarding. I am truly thankful for having the opportunity to experience this amazing part of Colorado.

Do you see the Sleeping Indian?

20 foot snow bank

Gorgeous waterfall near Red Stone

My mom and step-dad

Working hard on the ranch, which oddly never felt like work

Courthouse Mountain

A spin on the ATV through the Aspen trees

These cows kept following me in every direction, earning me the title of cow whisperer

The peak of Cimmeron Ridge

A day in Teluride with my sister and her family

The Zoo in my back yard....

These little devils visit me just about every night. I feed them on occasion, so they keep coming back for more. I had an old chunk of BBQed pork in my fridge that I was going to throw away and decided to give it to the opossum instead. These guys appear to be very young. Opossums tend to get much larger than this.

It was rather amusing to watch them both drag this huge piece of meat around from one corner of the yard to the other. They were so enthralled by the tasty meat, that they completely ignored my presence. I was able to get within 3 or 4 feet of them and just sat there watching them enjoy their meal. They let me get a little closer to them every time I feed them. Some additional reading on Opossums: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Opossum

I'm frequently visited by many species of birds on a daily basis. There are about 3 families of Blue Jays, 2 families of Cardinals, 2 or 3 families of Mocking Birds, countless Morning Dove, and a lot more that I can't identify.

In addition I've got about 4 squirrels that visit me often as well. Unfortunately once I get Abby, all of the critters will no longer be welcome. Abby will more than likely run them all off.

It's official, Abby will be our new family member...

It's official. I will be adopting Abby tomorrow and picking her up on Friday. I met with her today along with B, her current foster parent and we had a wonderful experience. Abby is very well natured, calm, attentive and gorgeous. She only weighs in at about 35 lbs. What was really amazing was after only a few minutes, she was already acting protective over my daughter Avery. My father and step mom met us at the Star Bucks to check out Abby as well and when my dad leaned over to kiss Avery, Abby went over to investigate to make sure Avery was OK. I'm really excited about Abby. She's smart, beautiful and has such a pleasant disposition. I feel so lucky to be able to adopt such a wonderful dog.

On My Way to Ridgeway, Colorado

Photo by Jack Brauer

I'll be leaving for Ridgeway on the morning of Monday 6/16 and returning 6/23. I'll be staying at my step dad's ranch "Sawtooth Mountain Ranch". I hope to do some hiking while I'm there as well as some Fly fishing with my brother-in-law Lee and nephew Caleb. Supposedly every morning you can see a large heard of Elk in the front yard of the ranch. The Courthouse Mountain and Sawtooth Mountains are within hiking distance of the ranch. I'm excited beyond words about making the trip. I'll definitely post some pics of the journey when I get back.

Trying to adopt Abby...

I haven't met Abby yet, but what I know about her so far I really like. Abby is a Redbone Hound mix and she is gorgeous. The Austin Dog Rescue is presently trying to find Abby a good home and I hope that it will be mine. You can see some info about Abby here:

http://www.austindog.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=212&Itemid=1

CAMELBAK: The best water bottle I've ever owned...

I can't say enough good things about the Camelback Hydrate or Die water bottle. It's ideal for any situation. It has a decent list of features as far as a water bottle goes not to mention that it's made by a high quality manufacturer known by most avid campers and hikers. I bought two of these bottles, one for each of my children. It has a spill proof flip top dispenser that will only dispense liquid when you bite down on it, which is ideal for my kids since they love to chew on their straws. It's dishwasher safe and very durable. It has a convenient handle at the top of the bottle that can be used to strap onto a backpack or other carrying device. The nozzle also flips down to conceal itself inside the top area. It will hold a little over 24oz of liquid, which equates to about 3 glasses of water. The bottle itself is made of a recyclable material. It's sturdy and attractive. I intend to buy a few more of these bottles to keep around the house for everyday use.

The price tag of these bottles starts at about $12.99 per bottle. Not cheap, but well worth it if you have kids and are constantly mixing drinks for them to take on the road. Especially since it gets so hot here in central Texas, this is ideal to help keep the kiddos hydrated during outings or even just to take to school with them to ensure that they always have a source of liquids that I know they'll drink during the day. There are many different colors available. I bought mine from the Sportsman's Warehouse in Round Rock, but I'm willing to bet they're easy to find. I give this bottle a 5 star rating where ever I see it. I highly recommend it.

Fun with the kiddos...

Dad made some yummy veggie soup...

Theo is always being silly...

MMMM.... We love dad's cooking.

Fun with Dad.

Crazy Apa...