Antebellum

So as many of you may know, we have been looking to increase our family by one... not another human, a furry friend. It's been about 3 years since we had a dog. So I have been on the hunt recently for a dog. I have spent months, yes months, searching for the right dog to add to our family.

I hate puppies, I need to get that out in the open right now. Our last dog ruined me on puppies, and although they are cute, they are A LOT of work, that I don't want to do. Hey, just being honest here... So, I figured if we got a dog, not a puppy, I would do okay with it. I wanted a smaller dog but not a cutesy purse dog. So the last few months we have weeded our dog choices down and decided we wanted a mini schnauzer. But, they are super hard to find, and are almost always puppies. I was looking on craigslist for Denver, Pueblo, and Springs; I was looking weekly at the animal shelters in Pueblo and Springs; and I was looking online at other rescues as far away as Clovis, New Mexico.

We looked at several dogs, trying to find the right dog for our family. Most were to hyper or high strung. We found some owners that wanted over $200 and didn't give a crap about us or what we had to offer the dog. But one ad stood out. Cute dogie who was loved a lot but the families newborn was allergic to her and rather than dope their child up at such a young age they decided to re home their furry family member. I waited a week to meet the dog, she was in Nebraska with the family and was coming back to visit her grandparents in Colorado Springs.

Yesterday, we went and met her. While she is a little bigger than we wanted, she was so gentle for being five months old. She is a dorkie little girl, wire-y terrier hair mixed with the beautiful coat of a border collie. Her dad was Border Collie and Basset Hound, her momma a terrier mix. The results are funny. She is so lovable, crate trained, potty trained, and mellow. Don't get me wrong, she's still a puppy, but isn't like annoying hyper puppies. She melted my heart! I went back yesterday afternoon to take Mario to meet her. For the first time on this dog search he didn't come up with any negative things about her, he fell for her too. :-)

So we loaded up Lexington aka Bella and started driving home. All was well... TILL I smelt a puppy fart from the back seat. Mario then looked back and said ummm, no, she pooped in the car... opps! I was laughing so hard I couldn't drive... It's pouring rain out and we are at a gas station cleaning the seat. What a way to break us in! lol

When the girls and Mario's dog Fyasko met her, they fell for her too... she is so sweet. Fyasko has a little puppy crush on her... ;) Needless to say she fits in so well with our family! Because Lexington is too close to Remington (and boy the two of them wouldn't know who I'm yelling at) we changed her name to Antebellum aka Bella...

I can't wait to get her out on a hike, teach her to run along side my bike, and to not hog the bed at night... :) 

The Chapel on the Rock

While on our Estes Park vacation, Mario and I happened to drive past this amazing church right off the highway. I bothered him till he pulled in on the way back so I could take a picture of it... amazing! We walked up to the church from the left of the picture around the rocks and to the door far right. It was OPEN! Knocking I pushed open the door and was mesmerised by the interior of the church! Known as the Chapel on the Rock was absolutely beautiful. Over looking the chapel up on a hill is a statue of Christ... it was one of the most calming and peaceful places I have been to on this Earth! Below is the picture I took which I fully intend on painting someday and the brief story behind the Chapel from the website: http://www.saintmalo.org/chapel.htm

The founder of Camp St. Malo, Monsignor Joseph Bosetti, had for years entertained an idea that one day he would build a chapel on this site. In 1916 he and two friends observed a falling meteor during the night and in his search for the remnants the next morning, he came across a large rock. The beauty of the land inspired the priest and he remembered Jesus’ words to Peter: “Upon this rock, I will build my Church.” (Matt 16:18).

Vowing one day to build a chapel here, Msgr. Bosetti prayed for nearly 20 years to acquire the funds. During time, he found himself in a constant battle with the Colorado Highway department which had plans to dynamite the enormous piece of granite to both widen and straighten the curve in the road.

Eventually, Msgr. Bosetti won the battle and years later, when the chapel became a reality, it was reported that a group of engineers who laid out the road came to the dedication and thanked him for his perseverance.

The chapel was designed by noted Denver architect Jacques Benedict. The contractors were the Coulihan Brothers and Charlie Miller of the nearby town of Allenspark, who had native stone hauled in by mule carts from the surrounding area to use as building material.
The land on which Camp St. Malo is built was given to the Catholic Archdiocese of Denver by Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Malo who purchased the 160 acres from the William McPhee estate in 1935.
The Malos donated the funds for the building of the chapel and paid for its maintenance for decades. The chapel was dedicated by Archbishop Urban Vehr in 1936 to the honor of Saint Catherine of Siena and in the memory of Mrs. Malo’s mother, Catherine Smith Mullen.
In 1993, Pope John Paul II visited the chapel during his trip to Denver for the World Youth Day and bestowed his personal blessing on the chapel.

Over the years, thousand of visitors have stopped at the chapel to enjoy its simplicity and beauty as it is framed against majestic Mt. Meeker. In 1999, Boulder County designated the chapel as a historic site. The Chapel on the Rock is truly a Colorado landmark.

Camping...

When I was a child, we went camping a lot during the summer. It was exciting, loading up the truck, heading out to find our perfect spot, setting up camp, and then 4-wheeling all day. It was something I looked forward to during the summer. If we weren't camping we were at Lake Pueblo, boating and fishing. I learning some of the most important life lessons while camping or boating. One time we were camping and I got up early in the AM and sat by the camp fire as a whole herd of deer descended into the valley around me. They grazed within feet of me. To this day I can remember how magical that moment in life was. I learned that sitting still and waiting can reward you with God's wonders.

Camping provided my family time to be together... sure mom and dad still argued and we still got in trouble... but it was quality time to get away from the city with my parents. I took my girls camping last weekend with Mario.. we found the perfect spot and set up camp. We stayed up LATE and ate Smores for breakfast. We has an amazing time! Even though my parents weren't there, I could feel my dad's presence around me. I felt at ease and blessed to have such amazing people in my life. I also must note that we were around the corner from where we spread my dad's ashes a few years ago.

I look forward to many more camping trips with my girls and Mario... hopefully we can make many more memories in the years to come! :)

Oh to be young again...

Look a this amazing picture! We got our family photos taken and this is one of my very favorite... that's Remi in the picture... I love it... The squares, the dots, the lines, and then my baby girl in it.... so much fun, she ran along the wall... enjoying the sun and the camera focused on her... she loved every thing about it... :)

Here is my Courtney... she is such a tom boy... yet the camera came out and she was a super diva... posing left and right... I love that this one is such a natural photo of my girl...

Happiness....

What is happiness, and why can't I seem to find it? Webster defines it as :

Main Entry: hap·pi·ness

Pronunciation: \ˈha-pē-nəs\

Function: noun

Date: 15th century

1 obsolete : good fortune : prosperity
2 a : a state of well-being and contentment : joy b : a pleasurable or satisfying experience
3 : felicity, aptness

So in definition one it says obsolete... when I looked that up it says it means "no longer in use, old fashion"... so what Webster is telling me is that happiness is no longer an option... no longer used... hmm, seems like I'm doomed....