I'm Published...

in a non-technical way. My old boss from one of my college jobs asked me to write an article about one of the professors in my department, Dr. Jeff Cawlfield. See the above link if you're interested in reading the article.

It was a fun experience - who knew 200 words could be so tough to come up with? Or stop at once you knew where you were headed?? I've also had a handful of clients email me at work to comment on it, usually starting with the, "I didn't know you were a Rolla grad," or some variation of that statement. So, Andy, thanks for the unexpected networking tool, too!

Cardinals Vs. Rockies

The last weekend of baseball games - regular season, that is - in Denver is this weekend. AND the Rox are playing the Cards! AND we're going tonight!!

This is awesome for so many reasons.....the Cards are about to clinch (either by 1 win or by a Cubs loss), the Rockies are solid in the NL wildcard race, Matt Holliday should get a warm reception as he's back at Coors for the weekend and we get to see the fireworks after the game!

What's not quite so awesome (but still is, really)....there's a good chance the Cards and Rox will play each other in the other opening playoff series! What will I do???? I'll be happy either way, but I think I'll root a little harder for the Rockies. I know, I know - this is probably very shocking to those who know me. But the way I see it, the Cards have gone to the Series twice in the last decade and won it once. The Rox made it once but were swept. So I think it would be nice to see them have another shot and hopefully get at least one (if not four) WS win.

(Interesting sidebar: the Rox were swept by the Red Sox, just like the Cards were a few years earlier.)

Soooooo, let's go TEAM! Man, how will I sing in the stretch tonight???

Take That, Therapy!

We had our last therapy appointment yesterday and have been officially dismissed! Our surgeon, Dr. Glawe, had recommended hydrotherapy for Elwood's rehabilitation - it's really easy on his joints and is a good way to build up the muscles surrounding his "reconstructed" knee and aid in restoring the muscle tone on his other hind leg also.

Last night he was loaded up and put on the treadmill for 30 minutes. He did pretty well, except for being MAJORLY distracted by treats from the staff! In the end we are leaving therapy with a 0.5 on the limp scale (0 is no limp, 5 is no weight supported by the limb; we started at 3). The staff let us know that we should expect him to carry his 0.5 for another 2 months or so....they said it's the rare dog that has no limp before the 6 month (post-surgery) mark. Kev & I are so pleased with the results and Elwood's almost as good as new!

Major bonus: Elwood's been given the green light to go back to daycare. He'll be soooo happy!

Today we're grateful for...

fabulous weekend weather. It's a (very) cold and rainy day in Denver. Saturday was a bluebird, almost-but-not-quite hot day while we were in Palisade. And yesterday was hot, but with lots of clouds to offer relief without rain. The great weather really helped out with our activities - we were at a wine festival on Saturday and out at the Broncos game yesterday. So, we're thankful the cold held off until today!

We Miss You Already...

Our very GREAT friends, the Mergys, moved to Portland over the weekend. While we are so excited for all their new adventures and the awesome job Jeff landed out there, we are so sad to see them go. But we are also really looking forward to spending some time in a new city when we visit.

It's hard to believe they only spent a little over a year in Colorado. Chels and I had met each other a few times through a mutual friend (we heart you, too, Am!), so when she and Jeff moved to Denver, we had a girls' dinner of sushi to catch up and get to know each other better. We had a great time and went about making lots of plans for us & the men to hang out. Once we got the boys together, well, let's just say they hit it off incredibly well(man crushes on each other, in the cutest way possible). And we spent much of the next year having tons of fun, sending lots of texts, trading old and new stories, and building great memories. As 2 couples and 4 individuals, we became the kind of friends that are more like chosen family.

So with that being said ,while it is sad to not have them a few miles down the road, having them hundreds of miles away is really no big deal. (But really, when are you guys coming back??)

Never Forget

It's September 11. Eight years ago our country was changed forever. While it was emotional - and still is - and devastating to all America, my family was not directly affected with the enormity of the loss.

For me, it was a life-defining moment. I was in my last semester of college and inhabited a world of immediate locality with only passing interest in politics, foreign relations and "war," and never dreamed that anything like that would happen. That was the first day I truly thought of myself as an American, even though that is regrettable to admit, especially since I came from a family that served (sorry, Dad, truly). That was the day I really began to care about where the country was headed and what we stood for, globally.

For me and the current and future administrations, I hope the lessons are never lost. And the memories are always honored.