I've been up since early, i've taken the pictures off the walls and taken the big pile of junk to the trash and now i'm just sitting here looking at our home. Thinking of all the fun times Alena and I had here and how excited we always were when the family would visit bringing a small piece of home with them.
We were so excited to have a fireplace and remembering how hard it was to start the dam thing ha that higher elevation thing is nuts! Over the years i've gotten it down though roasting marshmellows, when we had no electricity bringing the pillows and blankets out and camping in front of it. Watchig the snow fall outside, making a huge pot of soup, getting a nice warm, fresh loaf of bread from Paneras(oh yeah only 3 1/2 minutes away) and hearing the fire snap.
Our little patio, When we had no furniture or plants nothing that was Alena's playground she was too scared to go play outside, so I bought her paint and chalk and she'd color and play with her dolls out there. Getting up early just to sit out there and drink my coffee before the day started, feeling that cool breeze. Once we got our little table we'd sit out there and have dinner, eat our popsicles or when it was snowing just watch the snow fall with our little white lights that made it glow so warm and inviting.
We've had parties for her friends, my friends, her first communion, birthdays, two Thanksgivings, Easter and many other celebrations just because.
Our home was the common meeting place for all her little friends, the popsicle house summer, spring, winter and fall they always knew Alena's mom has popsicles in the big freezer!
Sitting on the stoop downstairs with the other parents watching the kids play.
The blizzard that hit us hard in Dec 2006 Alena and my brother had barely made it out of the state the day before and I woke up feeling horrible, lonely, depressed and looked outside to a beautiful winter wonderland. THAT didn't end for 3 days by the time it did we had been snowed in for 3 days and had about 3 1/2 feet of snow on the ground. The city had pretty much shut down and you'd better hope you had food, wood and a shovel. Well I had two of the three, that's how I ended up meeting a bunch of new neighbors and we've been friends ever since.
It was a community effort we took turns with what few shovels we had, buckets, brooms or whatever you could find and started digging each other out BECAUSE our leasing office didn't have anyone to clear the parking lots. It was fun we'd all meet outside with our coffee or later in the day something a little stronger and start digging. By the end of day 2 we had the parking lot pretty much cleared and had made some really good friends.
There are so many wonderful memories we'll be taking with us and the joy of knowing that even though our lives may not have been perfect out here we had quit an adventure.

Remember when

So i've made it through Alena's closet, the hall closet, front closet and mine, taking down pictures and boxing up things to get ahead start. Looking through all our things it's been crazy between the laughter and tears. A week from today we'll be back in KS back to the one place I have always fought so hard to get away from.
Anyway, i've actually made a small dent haha well at least I think I have.

Last Day at Eastridge

Alena's last day of school at her beloved Eastridge. She's excited and sad she keeps talking about if I stay next year......or if I did come back for 4th gr..... I feel so horrible I only hope that i've made the right decision to move back and fight just a little harder to stay here.

"I look different"

Alena woke up today and decided she needed to be different today. She normally wears her hair up in a ponytail it's easier with school and she hates her hair being knotted up at the ended of the day.
She also loves earrings but her ears aren't pierced but she does have a couple pair of smaller clip ones. She's also always afraid of wearing any kind of jewelry she's petrified she'll lose it.
Today she decided she wanted to look different so she fixed her hair down and chose her pretty purple earrings and a silver chain with cute little bracelet.

After looking at herself in the mirror and making sure everything looked right, she turned and looked at me and said "I look different"

Pictures

I added the link to my blog but just wanted to write a bit about what i'm doing it's fun I really like it. Shutterfly has developed a create your own webpage for your pictures. so I started adding all my pictures, I wish I had more pictures of my dad's side scanned into the computer but now that I have a scanner I can start working on that.

Moving back to KS and closer to the family has just really gotten me to thinking that we have separated ourselves and it's sad.

I'm extremely happy to be so much closer to my family in Missouri and do look forward to being able to visit more often these past three years have been very hard on Alena and I not being to go and visit and spend time with Grandma and Aunt Cindy.

Music

http://www.playlist.com/user/19287780

I have the best memories of my childhood! I had two of the best uncles, they were young and fun, exciting, protective and made sure that we were always doing the right thing at the right time or ELSE! It didn't matter to us though we thought they were really great guys. My mom although stern would always lighten up when a great song came on the radio.

I remember bell bottoms, platform shoes, pretty girls, and really cool friends, my uncles getting ready for dates, proms, pinball machines and I just couldn't wait for my uncles to get home from school.

I remember laughter, tears, smiles for no reason and family gatherings that weren't even planned we just all ended up at the same place and we always had a fun time together. I knew we were strong and secure in who we were and I was always so proud of where I came from.

In the background of my most amazing life was MUSIC, always music! At our family get together (planned or not), out w/my uncles, and even Saturday morning cleanings with mom in her anjemima bandanna. There was unlimited music, dancing, and even singing (bad or good).

This play list is just a few of the songs that hearing them put a smile on my face, or make me laugh and sometimes cry because I miss the strength, and the love and the forgiveness, the loyalty to one another and the endurance of my family.

Super-Heros

Alena has been getting homework assignments on people that are considered real life super heros, people like Lance Armstrong a cancer survivor and champion cyclist, Chris Reeve after getting injured he established a research lab for spine injuries. So yesterday she had to pick a real life hero that she knew or knew of and at first she said me, can't lie I was thrilled and happy that my daughter considers me her hero, but I wanted her to take the time to think just a little more about others that she has heard of or read about.
So she finished her other page of homework and then without a comment walked over to a shelf that I keep a picture of a Navy Seal from Colorado his name is Danny Dietz he was killed the year we got here. His services were held the day I official arrived, and every year since then my command has been involved with his memorial and I have been extremely honored to be a part of that.
Okay so back to her homework she picked up Danny's picture and said I choose him, I want to write about him. At the end of her story she wrote "he was a brave, and very strong and he died so that others could be free".

Tobyn and the Toothfairy

Alena comes home from school and plays with her puppy Tobyn, today she stopped and after a quick game of fetch saw something in his favorite ball. After looking a little closer she realized it was a tooth at first she was a little shocked and concerned but I told her that puppies lose their teeth just like people do. She ran over picked him up and said oh boy Tobyn let's go put your tooth under your pillow so the toothfairy will come for you!

week 1

First week of school is officially over today whoohoo oh yeah!!! I got a 98 on my first quiz, it was open book but I only had to use the book for 2 of the fifteen questions!
Heading into week 2

count down

8 June 2008
23 days and a wake up man time is cruizin by!!!!

Going through stufff

So i've been trying to go through closets and rooms I live in an apartment so not like i've got a tone but boy it's shocking how much stuff I can fit.

So I find a picture that Alena had drawn for me the first few weeks we moved here. She was 6 when we moved and it was a simple stick figure picture, but Alena was/is always very colorful so even her stick figures were bright and tended to have all different color parts and pieces. This picture was nothing but a pencil drawing, no one smiling, no trees, grass no nothing! On the back was a note that said mommy i want to go back to kanzes. She would ask all the time when 3rd grade is over right mommy we get to go back?

Now shockingly now she says it'd be okay if we stay.

Danny Dietz

We were at Target and we were looking at books one book caught my eye because I saw that it was about the Navy and most specifically Navy Seals. So I picked it up and started reading and realized this was the story of an incredible man and his team and the sole survivor. I got a little choked up for a few reasons one I realized that in a few weeks it would be three years since his death June 28,and it made me think of his family, as a mom of a young man my heart broke for her, two it marked my arrival here in Colorado and it was a sad time for me and Alena as well and the day that I officially arrived at the command was his funeral. Alena came over and saw what I was looking at and her littl eyes got so big and said mommy that's him! that's the man in our apartment! I had to laugh cuz she almost made it sound like we were keeping him hostage and said yes that's the man in the Picture in our apartment. She was so proud she kept saying this is so cool I know who he is.

Alena's Day on the Town

It was a gorgeous day for Alena's field trip schedule for the day
8:00 leave the school to walk to the bus stop
8:15 catch the bus to the lightrail
8:30 lightrail to downtown Denver
9:20 arrive downtown walk to capital building
9:35 start climbing to the dome
10:05 leave capital building walk across Larimar Square to the Byers-Evans Home Museum
10:15 arrive museum begin "afternoon in the past"
11:30 leave for lunch
noon lunch at the Old Spaghetti Factory
1:00 head to the lightrail go back to the school
2:30 back to school and end of the day

so the schedule looks great and easy enough to follow YEAH right!!!

went a little more like this
8:07 left the school and RAN to the bus stop about 3 city blocks away with 26 children and 8 adults. 1/2 a block away we see the bus crossing the intersection....speed it up just a bit!
hold up the bus while we validate 34 bus vouchers oh the people just loved us
8:40 arrive at lightrail station and again RUN across a busy terminal and up two flights of stairs onto the lightrail platform where thank goodness sits the lightrail WHEW
9:35 arrive downtown and miss the free shuttle bus that will take us about two blocks closer to the capital building but now add those two blocks to yet another lovely run
9:45 get to the capital and cram our party through the metal detectors oh yeah the security guards loved us
begin our climb up to the dome and remember what is denver? oh yes the mile high city and please do not think that this bit of fact was left out of building the capital building.
So the climb to the base of the dome is approximately and I say approximate because I didn't count but the children in our group did and the approximate total was 145 stairs. We get to the base of the dome and meet our guide that gives us not only a needed breather but also a little information on the building we are in. Then off we go again to the mid section of the dome adding another 66 stairs.
We quickly ooh and aah out the windows and take pictures to save this moment in about 10 minutes give or take a minute or two.
Then we crammed back down narrow, windowless stairwell so we can leave the building and start across Larimar Square to our next destination
10:30 we are now 1/2 hr late but arrive at the museum and boogey to get the the skit and tour started
11:45 leave the museum and start the cross town walk to lunch the kids are all thirsty, tired and hungry this is a great combination!
12:05 YEAH food and liquid we are happy to see that our tables are set and there is a salad and drinks waiting for us.
We eat and everyone is happy
1:15 leave the restaurant and head to the lightrail and wouldn't you know it we see it pulling away sooooooo it's another 10-15 minutes for next one and we now have 26 rejuvinated children and 8 exhausted adults sitting in front of the downtown courthouse. The children are all over the place and screaming like indians.
1:40 onto the lightrail and back to the school and whoohoo we get to the terminal and the bus is waiting
2:15 onto the bus
2:35 back to school WHEW our day is done and we have made it back with all 26 children and 8 adults

the count down has begun

1 Jun 2008
30 days and a wake up