Here we go again....

I have neglected the blog for far too long. Life gets busy, and we have been enjoying Colorado as much as possible. If there is one thing people know about us, we are always on the move, and here we go again!

Henry is ready for adventure....

Checking out some animals at the Denver Zoo.
Animals we will be living near soon. 

We are moving to Luanda, Angola! Where is Angola?!?!  Africa. West Africa.

Henry found Angola on the map.
 Luanda is on the coast, to the left of his finger. 

We did not see this move coming. We thought Ryan would remain rotating for the foreseeable future. But when an opportunity comes knocking, you answer, and we are excited!!! Ryan and I enjoyed our time in Russia, and we are excited to have the opportunity to experience a new area of the world. We look forward to new experiences, new adventures, and to giving Henry the opportunity to experience something new.

Expected move date is beginning of February. For now, Ryan continues to rotate and we are deep in the processes of an international move. It's alllllll about the paperwork.

Considering it's been about 10 months since my last blog post, I have not been doing a good job keeping everyone up to date of our adventures. I will try my best to do quick, little posts to fill you in on what's been happening in our life.

Here we go again, next stop, Africa!

Hiking Marathon...

Blue skies and sunny days abound in Durango.  The temperatures are cold (in the morning) but the afternoons are usually in the 40s and 50s. Snow does not seem to be anywhere in the near future. Ironically, the South is getting more snow than we are. To my friends in Texas and Louisiana, stay warm.

With the lack of snow, Ryan and I took the opportunity to continue mountain biking and hiking. We ended 2017 and began 2018 with a trio of hikes that totaled almost 30 miles, it was a hiking marathon.

Ryan sporting his ugly Christmas sweater during one of his rides.
Sadly, I did not take any pictures during our ugly Christmas sweater brunch party.
I guess we will just have to host another brunch this Christmas season!! 

I felt it appropriate to post these pictures from a random hail storm back in September. Little did I realize at the time, this may be Henry's only opportunity to play in the "snow."

 The first part of our Hiking Marathon began on New Years Eve day. With my parents in town to watch Henry, Ryan and I went to Telluride for New Years Eve weekend. When we originally booked the trip, Ryan had all the plans to go snowboarding. When the time actually came, the snowboard was left at home, and instead, our hiking boots and bicycles were packed.

A view of Telluride. 

Not too bad of a location for our final hiking lunch of 2017. 

Bear sporting our mountain bikes. 

Thesecond part of our hiking marathon was near Silverton. Ryan and I did this hike back in October, and thought it would be fun to try it again in the winter, see what snow we could find. We found snow, and some pretty awesome frozen waterfalls. 

Here are a couple pictures from our hike back in October. People told us the lakes were beautiful, we didn't realize how vibrant they would be. It was incredible, well worth the long hike. 

Ice Lake

Island Lake

Our hike in January was filled with more snow. The lakes were covered, but the frozen waterfalls were incredible. 

Sitting on the edge of a frozen waterfall. 

Large frozen waterfall  (upper right corner).
We heard large pieces of ice breaking off. 

Trying out my new snowshoes for the first time.
Loved them! Still learning to not step on my own feet. I took some pretty funny falls.

 

Our third and final hike in our hiking marathon took us to a location not too far from Durango. Sadly, we did not take many pictures. Maybe it was because we were too busy ice skating. We encountered a few frozen streams we had to carefully "skate" across. No falls, and no tailbones injured. It is definitely a hike we want to do again when it is not covered in snow. The lakes and streams we passed would be gorgeous. 

Maybe this post about a lack of snow will bring snow our way. Luckily, Telluride and Silverton have received snow in the last week. They are definitely dependent on their snow season. For now, I will enjoy the blue skies and sunshine. But, I hope we have snow before Ryan returns. I don't know how many more cold hiking marathons I can handle. Cold weather and I do not get along. 

Actually using our ability to self rescue...

My parents joined us in Durango for Christmas and New Years. It was during this visit that we experienced what Ryan likes to refer to as an "Epic Three Generation Jeep Adventure."

Ryan, my Dad, Henry, and I all jumped in the Jeep. Looking back, it's a good idea my Mother decided to stay home. We were going on a Jeep adventure, show my Dad some of the surrounding area, find some snow, etc. etc. We also found ice, lots of ice, hidden under snow. As we drove along the trail, all was going well, until Bear lost traction and started sliding back. As he slid, he also began to turn, turning towards the edge of the cliff. Luckily, our tires hit some dirt and kept us from sliding off. But it was at this moment, nails dug into the seat, that I leaned forward and told Ryan, "we are going to need to use the winch." And we did, we successfully self rescued.

Can't say I took many pictures during the self rescuing attempt. This was taken after we safely maneuvered Bear. I was the driver, my Dad controlled the winch, and Ryan securely attached us to a sturdy tree. Notice the cable...

We basically attached to a tree, used the winch to turn Bear so he was no longer perpendicular to the trail and edge of the cliff, and slid down the trail to the portion that was not covered in ice. It only looks like snow in the picture, but under the snow was a thick layer of ice. Lesson learned, when Jeeping in winter, when encountering snow covered, edge of cliff paths, before proceeding, get out, check for ice. 

Henry playing in the snow.
This was taken earlier in the day, prior to our epic adventure. 

Other, less intense activities during their visit included, a ride on The Polar Express, a visit to Santa, and glasses of chocolate milk with Grandpa.

Allllll aboard the Polar Express...

A visit to Silverton to see Santa arrive on a fire truck.
It couldn't have worked out better, Henry is currently obsessed with fire trucks. 

Playing under the Silverton Christmas Tree while waiting to chat with Santa.
Not a lot of snow here, this and the Jeep adventure have been the only snow experiences Henry has had. Figures, we move to Colorado for snow, and we get no snow
(but I am not complaining, too much). 

No fear of Santa this year. He sat down and got to business.
No time for smiles. Telling Santa he wants a fire truck for Christmas. 

Nothing starts the morning better than a nice, cold glass of chocolate milk. 

I hope everyone had a memorable Christmas and 2018 is treating you well.