Snow in Denver...and the havoc that it wreaks

It's funny living 3 years in Phoenix, you get used to getting up and going about your business every day and you don't think about the weather. The concern that is furthest from your mind at all times since it is sunny and warm/hot/baking 95% of the time. I definitely took that for granted. I now have the luxury of only living 4.5 miles from where I work (the first time in my career I've had a one way commute less than 25 miles) and it took 20 mins to get home because of the snow. I just got a text from one of my co-workers that lives just two block from where our old apartment is up in Thornton, took him 2 hours to get home!!!!! These are the moments I truly value. Obviously I feel for my co-worker because no one should have to be stuck in traffic that long, unless you live in LA, in which case you deserve it. I am just thankful that that is 1 hour and 40 minutes more that I get to spend with my family! I have been preaching about quality of life for about a year now and it totally counts for something. You can't put a price on happiness and the feeling that you get from getting to enjoy the simple things like sitting and relaxing at home with the family longer, rather then being couped up in a car. I honestly don't know if I could ever commute more than 20 minutes to work ever again. I know some people enjoy driving because they jam out to their favorite songs, or talk to friends on the phone, or perhaps it just calms you, but for me no thanks. I don't want to move 20 yards at 15mph stop, possibly let someone over (or be cut off with no signal, yeah I'm talking to you Denver!) and then repeat this process maybe 100 times. I used to be a car and driving enthusiast, but it's traffic that takes you 2 hours to get home that I thank god every day I switched to an Automatic Transmission. I can't believe I'd ever say that, but it's the truth. Perhaps if I lived off the autobahn or the Nürburgring that I'd enjoy a good old fashioned manual transmission and a sleek and sexy sports car, but I'll take dinner, a cold beer, and time with the fam over stop and go...stop and go...stop and go and stop..............

2010, what a year!

Sometimes you need to sit and reflect at the life you've led over the course of a year and ponder all the amazing things you've done and accomplished. Sometimes you look back and realize the insanity that you've lived through and wonder how you made it out the other side.

2010 was one of the hardest years Colleen and I have faced, not as hard as some, but up there. The take away I got from 2010 is to just trust god. I look at this picture from my first days of marriage to now being a "seasoned veteran" and think of sitting in those chairs wondering about the future we'd have together and the many obstacles, challenges, opportunities, and joyous occasions that might be out there, just beyond the horizon; poking it's rays at us trying to give us a glimpse of what lays before us. I can remember thinking how absolutely stunning that view was and how lucky I was to be sharing this with Colleen and soaking every second up with her. It is amazing though how over a year we fail to soak up all of those moments we wish we could have. It's funny how vacations make you truly appreciate being able to stop....no...really stop and to fully be present in a moment.

I know, at least for Colleen and I, we really haven't had the time to stop and enjoy all that life has given to us. This year was an overwhelming one to say the least, but I can already barely remember parts of it. My hope was to be waaaaaay better at blogging and keeping a much better record about our activities and events and hopes and dreams and all that garbaldy-gook that you love to read when you look back, but time gets away from you. So as 2011 is now upon us I am hoping to be on here...no...wait, I WILL be on here more.

To high-light some major events in our lives, which I hope to expand on in future posts, is the newest addition to the clan....Lilly Davis, a beautiful yellow lab with a curly tail and a very festive Christmas Spirit.

Colleen and I both moved to Denver from Phoenix, which was a big deal for us to move out of state.

We went to plenty of Rockies games together over the summer.

We camped for Colleen's Birthday and we got totally rained on the whole weekend.

Maddie moved out to Denver for her Cosmetology school (Aveda) and is now living in Downtown Denver in the trendiest district, called LoDo. It's trendy because it is across the street fromt he Convention Center and Performing Arts Complex, is two blocks away from 16th Street Mall, and is next to the 4 Season's hotel.

I guess the last bits of noteworthy information is that Colleen and I both have moved living situations 3 times, driven the long Phoenix to Denver and vice versa at least a few times, and have switched jobs three times too! So, if you're moving and you need help...go hire some! I wish we did :) and I know Colleen really wishes we did :)) !!! We've learned that moving is the absolute worst, it's even worser than worst if it's to a different state, and it stresses you out to the max. My advice, stay put in 2011...you'll be happy you did. If you do decide to branch out, hire help. We were lucky to get a few lending hands and we love and thank those of you who were generous enough to volunteer your services and your love and support to make our moves possible.

To all of you I hope you all had memorable 2010's, but even better 2011's!

It's been awhile...

So it's been three months since our last post and you might have guessed it's been a little busy. A lot of goings on in our family have happened and it's been a little crazy to say the least.

Some of the major high-lights over the past 3 months include:

1) Colleen and I celebrated our first Christmas together as a married couple, woohoo!

2) Colleen got a job working as a Para-professional for a Deer Valley School here in Phoenix. She helps out with special needs kids in a K-5 elementary. She says she absolutely loves it, but it takes all her strength and energy out of her since it is such an intense job. This job has definitely given her some great work experience. Oh I should also point out Colleen is working two jobs now. This one and her Insurance Agent job at USAA...working 55 hours...whew...I'm just exhausted typing it, but she's my little worker bee! Luckily school has a spring break and will be done in May!

3) I recently just parted ways with my old company in Scottsdale, AZ to take on a new role with Case Logic and I just finished my first week on the job.

4) The biggest change has to be that this new job is in Longmont, CO! Right now Colleen and I are in different states which will be tough, but we know we are up to the challenge! Right now I'm living with John Straubinger, my former college room-mate, in his 1 bedroom apt. Don't worry I won't be on the air mattress for long. We looked at apartments all day yesterday in hopes of finding a great 2 bed 2 bath apartment that will work for us in down town Denver.

5) Another big event that just happened is the day after I left Phoenix, Maddie got in a car accident in the Nissan Altima. The car is totalled, but Maddie is safe and no injuries to speak of. The accident didn't involve another car so that was good too!!

That pretty much sums up the major changes for the past 3 months. Sorry to have taken a long hiatus, but there were just too many things going on and not enough hours in a day.

The rest of Flagstaff

Well we never got a chance to recap the end of our Flagstaff excursion.

NAU has grown up, and fast too I might add! Flagstaff didn't seem to change much, just a few things here and there, but NAU has changed dramatically. They even moved the bronze Louie that used to be in front of the bookstore. They added on to our central student union, by adding actual fast food places. They got Einstein's, Jamba Juice, Starbucks, just to name a few. They now have a new Sophomore residence hall where our crappy quad used to be, and now they have nice turf fields that are on the south side of campus. It's exciting to think that Mark Thompson, Colleen's cousin will carry on the great NAU tradition and attend next year!

It was good also catching up with an old friend. Colleen and I got to see one of my best friends and former room-mates, which is a special bond you don't share with many. We met up with Nate at the Wine Loft to play games, drink wine and catch up. It is good to hear that Nate's doing well...and reading the blog, living in Flag, going back for his Engineering Degree to do something he actually wants and likes to do. I said it with him and I'll say it here, I think it is awesome to go after your passions no matter how long it takes you in life to find it because even though the course may change sometimes the rivers always reach the sea. I'm very happy for Nate to discover his passion and to go for it. I think there is far too much comparison drawn upon one another in the Echo Generation. We were the first generation told we could do anything and that we were special. And although I agree with those statements, I feel we were almost led to believe that it would all just come to us so quickly or perhaps our parents just spared us the gorey details of how difficult it is after college. We all wander aimlessly right after school because although we picked something out of thin air, I think it takes something picking us before we settle down with whatever it is that our passion is. I for a year dealt with my own uncertainties surrounding my career path and my job goals and my life identity because so much of it was portrayed to us in school that all you needed was a major and after that it was cake.

What a great education system we have, they churn out products destined for the industrial machine, but ill-equip us with the tools of trade in which to make those choices. I know the 1800's are a little out-dated when I speak of this, but apprenticeships are so seldom heard of these days. I know there are trade-schools which do offer hands on in your field (which is great), but I think colleges and universities need to partner more with there local industries and companies to help students realize before they take that final plunge at the end of year four or five into the pool we call the real world, to really come to grips with what major it is that they've chosen. I think we're owed maybe a little bit more of a nudge towards that so we can discover if education, or business, or political science isn't what we thought it would be. I guess the only advice I can offer is to work in school, network (x3), and try new things so at least you can single out a few things before the call to action comes.

In retrospect, we all would say I might not have chosen this path. There will always be a difference though between knowing the path and walking the path.

Anyways on a lighter note below are the lyrics to The Battle of Evermore by Led Zeppelin; just because I think it is wonderful poetry to one of my favorite set of books and movies (LOTR).

Battle of Evermore

Queen of Light took her bow
And then she turned to go,
The Prince of Peace embraced the gloom
And walked the night alone.


Oh, dance in the dark of night,
Sing to the morn-ing light.
The dark Lord rides in force tonight
And time will tell us all.


Oh, throw down your plow and hoe,
Rest not to lock your homes.
Side by side we wait the might
Of the darkest of them all.


I hear the horses' thunder
Down in the valley below,
I'm waiting for the angels of Avalon,
Waiting for the eastern glow.


The apples of the valley hold
The seeds of happiness,
The ground is rich from tender care,
Repay, do not forget, no, no.
Oh, dance in the dark of night,
Sing to the morning light.


The apples turn to brown and black,
The tyrant's face is red.


Oh the war is common cry,
Pick up you swords and fly.
The sky is filled with good and bad
That mortals never know.


Oh, well, the night is long
The beads of time pass slow,
Tired eyes on the sunrise,
Waiting for the eastern glow.


The pain of war cannot exceed
The woe of aftermath,
The drums will shake the castle wall,
The ringwraiths ride in black,
Ride on.


Sing as you raise your bow,
Shoot straighter than before.
No comfort has the fire at night
That lights the face so cold.


Oh dance in the dark of night,
Sing to the mornin' light.
The magic runes are writ in gold
To bring the balance back.
Bring it back.


At last the sun is shining,
The clouds of blue roll by,
With flames from the dragon of darkness
The sunlight blinds his eyes.

Reception Photos

Hi All,

Here again to let you know that the link to see photos of the reception is below on our Picasa Web Album. Hope you enjoy!

Ian

Photos from the Wedding

Hi All,

The photos from the wedding can be purchased off of the below link. Hope you enjoy them all!

Shannonallen.printroom.com/immendavis

Flagstaff!!!

We're in Flagstaff this weekend, and it is absolutely gorgeous! Colleen and I left on Thursday right after work, got everything packed in the Jeep and we were on the road by 7:20 pm headed for our old college stomping grounds. It was kind of funny though because Wyndham told us their office closes at 9 pm so we were speeding trying to get up there by 9 pm. We were both questioning it a little since these are "time-share" units. So we called them back and they told us if you show up after 9 pm...which we did 9:10 pm...that they have a key drop box and to just pick it up there and to call a number from a phone booth right next to the key box. It was kind of crazy, but cool. We didn't have to go through all of that mumbo jumbo that comes with checking in at 9 o'clock at night.

After we dropped everything off in our very awesome unit, we headed off to go roam around Flagstaff, just to see what has changed. Flagstaff haaaas changed, but also hasn't if you understand what I mean. It has in the sense that this business has gone under, or that one is new, or that one moved from the west side of town to the east side of town. But aside from that, it's pretty much the same. The people look the same, the traffic is the same, the trees, the layout everything, but it certainly is a sight for sore eyes. It is very nostalgic coming back to your Alma Mater after a couple of years. Colleen and I have both said how much we feel at home here, there's just something special about this place.

So when we came back after driving around Flagstaff, we came back on Country Club Drive and I turned to Colleen and told her I think Adam's old condo is very close to the unit we're staying at. Well it took last night (Friday) when we went on a walk to realize that we were about 5 doors down (I know if it had only been 3 lol) from Adam's place here in Flagstaff...small world!

Yesterday (Friday) was a lot of fun. We slept in, then we drove around Flagstaff. We got Pita Pit, of course right?! And then we went to go see a movie...not New Moon...yeesh do you think we're crazy standing in a line that wraps around the entire Harkins building!!! Oh yeah Flagstaff only has one Movie Theater in town now! Anyways, we went to go see Blind Side. GO SEE IT! Amazing movie, and very emotional. I really think it's Sandra Bullock's best movie and at the end when they show the photos of the real people, they actually did a great job matching everyone and made them look like their real life counter part, except SJ. Oh well it was a great movie and you should go see it, forget New Moon.

One other trip down memory lane Colleen and I did was do a Starbucks run, get some warm drinks and head up to Snow Bowl. We would do this so much in college, it was our romantic thing we would do. So we headed up there and just chatted and walked around and looked at the west valley from Snow Bowl and soaked it all in. It's so quiet up there and so serene. It makes you appreciate all that God has given us. Well we're off for more so we'll bring you back up to speed at the end of the vacation.