OK kids, I’ve been lagging behind for a while, but now it’s time to get caught up because the next few months’ updates are going to be big!
Get Yer Scrap On
So, let’s start with March. It was a heavy scrapbooking month because I had friends over, went to an all-day event and attended a weekend retreat in the mountains! I went to Camp Elim down near Colorado Springs with my friend Cathy who lives down there.
It was a really fun weekend in the quiet of the mountain campsite. We stayed in adorable cabins and scrapped in the chapel which had plenty of room for us.
Despite her having to leave early Sunday morning, we both had a great time and got a lot done. We also got to know our two other tablemates. The retreat organizer gave us tons of goodies and held classes, so of course I had to partake in a card-making class as a change of pace from…making cards.
One of the best parts about the retreat was the FOOD. They have a full-time staff that resides at the Camp who made the most amazing food. And, we were treated to our own private fondue bar!
And I had fun with their décor.
Matt and John
My next event was to see the always amazing Matt Nathanson in concert with my good friend Sarah. He was incredible as always, and this time he brought a Wheel of Songs with him. They contained types of songs, specific songs, specific albums, and covers and he just randomly spun it and played what it came up with. He did this around 5 times and it was great!!
Two days later, JC and I went to see the one and only John Cusack. First they showed “Grosse Point Blank” which I had never seen before but is now officially my all-time favorite movie. Then John and a moderator chatted on stage and fielded audience questions for an hour. It was good fun.
Ghosts and Moose
The following weekend JC and I took a little getaway to Estes Park. The purpose of this little trip was twofold:
- We wanted to snowshoe since we bought the stupid things years ago and have only used them once (around our yard after a blizzard!).
- I wanted to stay in the famous Stanley Hotel and experience the ghosts that reside there.
So, guess which of these events happened? NEITHER!
First, I think the trails in Rocky Mountain National Park that still had a good amount of snow were way in the back country, and the two of us were not about to venture out there. We drove to one area of the park that I had never been to before and hiked a bit up a trail for a couple of hours, but there wasn’t enough snow. It was still super pretty though!
We drove around the park a bit and did end up seeing a herd of elk just chillin’.
And, as we tried to locate a lake in another part of the park, we spotted a mommy and baby moose!! We stood there with other hikers watching them for quite a while. We were on the opposite side of the valley so they weren’t scared by us or wanting to charge us. That was incredible.
I even got them on video!
Once our adventures in Rocky Mountain National Park were over, we checked into the Stanley and, well, checked it out!
We had dinner at an amazing restaurant and relaxed in the hotel room. I tried communicating with the spirits, but as we were to learn the next morning on our historic tour, our room didn’t have any.
The tour the following morning was really good. We learned about the Stanley Steamer, the automobile that Mr. Stanley had built, as well as the history of the building and the Stanley couple. We also learned that one of the ghosts on the property is Miss Wilson who worked there for a long time. She likes to arrange the guests’ things in rooms 217, 215 and 213. We were in room 209. So close!! We actually requested room 213 because our friend had experiences in there, but it was already booked. Now I know to ask for one of those three rooms next time!
So the trip was still really nice. I love how quaint Estes Park is and how easy it is to drive around the beautiful park. Staying in the Stanley still felt luxurious and is something everyone should do. And honestly, seeing moose was on my Goals List, so I did get one thing accomplished!
More Scrappin’ in April
In April, I had another fun scrappy day with friends at my house and we went to a small scrapbook expo where I spent too much of course. Later in the month, my parents came to visit and mom and I went to a biannual scrapbooking retreat with a big group of my friends out near the airport. It’s a great retreat that the lot of us go to as much as we can. Part of the ritual is to have dinner Saturday night at the nearby Italian restaurant that is amazing!
Unfortunately, work was crazy and exhausting while they were in town so they had to amuse themselves during the day. Dad went golfing and to the National Archives that are literally down the street to do some genealogy research (who knew!?). Mom worked in my craft room on a variety of projects including the travel scrapbook she did during the retreat.
Of course, no visit is complete without a trip to Sí Señor, the BEST Mexican restaurant on the planet. But they did not take our advice and got the MEDIUM margaritas. No, small small small!
We also made a trip to Celestial Seasonings to stock up on tea…
…and ended up relaxing at night watching a LOT of playoff hockey. Cuz it’s that time of year.
I Got Educated
Then, I got a wealth of education through:
- A class on how to jazz up your snail mail envelopes and packages. It was very inspiring and gave me lots of cool ideas to use wax seals, doodles, brush lettering and vintage postage!
- A class on writing your personal stories. The instructor wrote a workbook called Letters to the Future where there are prompts about a variety of life milestones or moments and then two full blank sheets per prompt for you to write your stories.
- Our friend Heather introduced me to “Rocky Horror Picture Show.” Yes, I had never seen that movie either, but it’s on my Goals List to attend a live performance of it. So, gotta see the movie first so I’m not a total n00b at the show and get singled out. I’m much better prepared now! Let’s do this! Just gotta convince JC to join us…
2018 Album Is Finito
Lastly, after all that scrapbooking, I managed to finish my final 2018 scrapbook! Be sure to check out the entire album on my 2018 Album page!