The Denver Units

2012-02-07T11:16:00.000-08:00

It was another super time with our dear friends, Allens and Maddens! We joined them in Phoenix for our somewhat annual Super Bowl weekend:-). We arrived on Friday night (from snowy Denver) and stayed through Monday morning. We were able to share wonderful meals, play games, watch the 2012 Super Bowl, take walks in the sunshine and generally enjoy each others' company. We are so blessed to have friends that we can call family.

2012-01-27T14:03:00.000-08:00

The Denver Units have returned from a lovely trip to Seattle, Washington. Our hearts are overflowing as we welcomed a new "Weaver" to the family. Oly Strode Weaver was born on January 15th and is now flourishing under the care of Mama Amy and Daddy John.

In addition--our faces lit up with big smiles as we watched our youngest granddaughter, Camille, crawling around and investigating the world around her.

The photos are of John with his new son, Oly, and Matt with his precious daughter, Camille. We take great delight in watching our sons assume the roles of "Daddy". Life continues to be very good.

2012-01-13T12:28:00.000-08:00

We had a grand time in Des Moines with the junior and senior Houghtons. What fun we had with our shared grand girls. We managed to eat yummy food several times (including great tacos from Tasty Taco). We played games, made puzzles, attended a local basketball game, and enjoyed our time together--laughing, telling stories and hugging!! It was wonderful to have Patty and Charlie in Des Moines to share the festivities. We are so blessed to have such good friends and family.

2011-12-10T16:03:00.000-08:00

We had such a lovely time in Seattle with our boys and their families. We had the opportunity to babysit the Peanut one day. We helped Amy and John move into their new home. It was such fun to see where they will be making their home. We had several meals with Janelle and Matt, which we always enjoy. Grandpa put together several pieces of furniture. He is amazing with a screwdrive, wrench, and hammer! We love these folks who live in the northwest.

2011-11-14T14:56:00.000-08:00

We are back from a wonderful vacation in Williamsburg, Virginia. The Weavers, Allens and Maddens had such a grand time exploring some of America's historical sites. We felt like we were steeped in the U.S. history--both the Civil War and the Revolutionary War. We visited plantations, museums, battle fields and water fronts. Of course, we also laughed a lot, played Mexican Train and shared many yummy meals. It was definitely a memory making week with friends.

2011-10-29T14:46:00.000-07:00

It was another great visit to Seattle in mid-October. We got to hug everyone's neck, which is the highlight for us. We admired the cutest 8-month old baby--who is so cute! We had fun at a baby shower for Amy and "Fritter" Weaver. Strode attended his ACCC conference during the week so we stayed downtown for a couple of days. We moved into Bonnie and Beau's Bed and Breakfast for the weekend. We will look forward to returning to Seattle the first weekend in December!!

2011-10-17T16:34:00.000-07:00

The Weaver Units spent the last weekend in Des Moines, Iowa with the Houghton tribe. We had a grand time enjoying some decent fall weather. Our first stop was at a nearby pumpkin patch to select our perfect pumpkins for carving. On Sunday we spent a lovely day at the Omaha Zoo checking out all of the great animals. As always we enjoyed our time with our very cute and smart grandgirls. We love the hugs, the stories and the laughter.

2011-09-24T16:27:00.000-07:00

It was an amazing day in the Colorado Mountains. The Weavers drove up to Echo Lake to admire the "color" of the Aspens. We had a lovely snack at Ponder Point, took many photos, smelled the air, and generally enjoyed a perfect fall day.

2011-09-11T13:13:00.000-07:00

It is the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy. Strode is on his way to sing with a huge choral group at the St. Andrews Methodist Church. The chorus will have 2 performances today. The music is lovely and will be a wonderful tribute to those who lost their lives and to those who carry on their memories. God Bless America! May we continue to work toward peace in our world.

2011-09-04T15:49:00.000-07:00

It has been a lovely Labor Day Weekend-2011. Today the Weavers drove up into the Rockies to Echo Lake--for a perfect walk, picturesque setting and yummy weather. We walked, took photos and had a lovely lunch to top off our visit. On the way home we stopped at Ponder Point--(we will return) and the cemetery near Idaho Springs. We continue to feel blessed to live in such an amazing place. Oh the smell of those pine trees--A-h-h-h-h-h!

2011-08-14T19:44:00.000-07:00

We could not imagine a more perfect reunion! Gearhart, OR was a perfect spot to gather with our 11 family members. The vacation rental was just right, the weather cooperated and the beach provided hours of entertainment. The Denver Units are so blessed to have such a wonderful family. Our hearts are so full of joy! We will have memories to last us a very long time. Life is good.

2011-07-18T12:55:00.000-07:00

The star of the weekend was "Marvin Moose" who we happened to meet on our way up to Adams Falls near Grand Lake! He was HUGE! It was kind of him to raise his head so that our photographer could get a good shot. The other two photos are of Mom at Meadow Creek Reservoir and Dad in front of the creek running down to Adams Falls. We had great weather including several downpours. We got in a couple of good walks and some short shopping excursions. Winter Park provided us with a comfortable VRBO in a good location for sightseeing and a generally good time. We even caught the USA ladies soccer match at a local pub.

2011-06-27T19:18:00.000-07:00

Here we are with 2 adorable grandgirls at the Omaha zoo. Could it get any better than this? We had a lovely time with the Houghton family in Des Moines these last few days. Grandpa Strode could only be with us a couple of days, but we still had lots of good family time together --playing cards, tasty meals, watching incredible swimmers & an amazing diver (Sara), & a dramatic model (Lori). We even got in some extra time with Daddy John. All in all, another memory making trip.

2011-05-30T11:48:00.000-07:00

I am back from Seattle after an amazing visit with family and friends. The focus of the trip was for Grandma Judy to provide day care for Camille for an extra 2 weeks before she goes to day care. It was a privilege to take care of our adorable grandgirl. While in Seattle, I had the opportunity to see several friends, attend soccer games, share meals with both family and friends. It was absolutely a grand time--rain and all! My heart is full knowing that our kids and their children are well and happy. Next stop--Des Moines, Iowa!

Is this the cutest 3 month old in the universe? I believe she is. Camille and Grandma got along quite well. We did lots of laughing, hugging, and talking. What a precious little peanut!

2011-05-08T18:01:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day weekend in Denver was gorgeous with unlimited sunshine and mid-seventy degree weather. Judy and Strode took to the hills for their first hike of the season. This pic is from the Three Sister's trailhead up in Evergreen. We could see for miles and miles on this beautiful Colorado day. On our way back down to Denver even saw some elk grazing in the front yard of one of the cabins.

2011-04-12T15:26:00.000-07:00

As always, these three couples together can make their own fun! It does not matter that it is raining and chilly in Phoenix--we are not about to let it spoil our time together! We ate yummy food, attended a D-Back game, played cards and Mexican Train, and shared stories. Thanks to the Maddens for sharing their lovely condo with the six of us. We are so blessed to have friends that call "family"!

2011-03-25T19:48:00.000-07:00

We spent a long weekend with our family in Des Moines. This is a photo of our group in Iowa City. We toured an interesting dry stream bed. There were abundant "fossils" of shells, plants and small water animals. We had a grand time stooping, pointing and exploring the area. Our trip also included some "head & foot" games, swimming for the grandgirls, good eats (including some elk steaks) and a little shopping. As always, the time flies by and is entirely too short--we will look forward to our next visit!!

2011-03-25T19:43:00.000-07:00

Earlier in this month (March) we had a great visit with the Rob Allen family and the senior Allens--Janet and Byron. We had a great round of Kubb at the park across the street after sharing some pizza together. Janet and Byron extended their stay for an extra 3 days. We got in some super visits, yummy meals and some exciting Mexican Train. Great time with dear friends.

2011-03-06T18:51:00.000-08:00

No surprise that Grandpa Strode and Grandma Judy have some photos of their new granddaughter on their blog! We are so thrilled for Janelle and Matt as they add the beautiful Camille Kendall to their family! We spent a long weekend in Seattle getting in lots of snuggling and rocking the new little one. It was a great visit with our sons, their wives and a new grandgirl. We even had some good visits with friends Bonnie and Beau--who are always so gracious about opening their home to us. Life is Good!!

VALENTINE WEEKEND IN ESTES PARK

2011-02-12T19:47:00.000-08:00

We drove up to Estes Park on Friday afternoon for a "Units Get Away". The two pedestrians shown here were a little uncertain about the cross walk. The elk were all over Estes Park this weekend. We stayed at a comfortable condo unit complex, had a fabulous chateaubriand for two at the Twin Owls Restaurant. Would you believe chocolate fondue for dessert. So on Saturday we bundled up, put on the snow shoes and worked some of the calories off on a hike in Rocky Mountain National Park. As you can see we had beautiful sun and the snow was about 3 feet deep on the trail. A great weekend!

2011-01-31T09:41:00.000-08:00

What a great weekend we had in the "Big Easy" As you can tell by the photos. We had amazing weather and we saw some wonderful sights: a plantation tour with all the historical stories, music and great food on Bourban Street, and terrific walking tours of Jackson Square. Did we mention the yummy food? We could not believe the number of places to eat -great restaurants on every corner. It was a perfect weekend getaway. We hope to do more in the future.

2011-01-18T15:27:00.000-08:00

Yes, you are correct...this is San Diego and it is about 73 degrees on the beach. Judy joined her buddies (commonly known as the Fab 4) for a long weekend on the Mission Bay strip. Bonnie, Christy, Erin and Judy had a sunshining good time! We fit in a lot of fun in one weekend: Mexican food, wine country tour, Italian food, Starbucks (several times), more wine, Seaport Village, Old Town and beach walks. We were sorry to say good-bye to the sunshine and the beach. We will be back for sure!

2011-01-02T14:24:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to all! Here we are--the Units with their special grand girls--Sara and Lori. Note the additions of 2 American Girl dolls...Rebecca and Molly:-). We have had such a lovely Christmas holiday with our family. We spent an amazing few days in Seattle with Matt, Janelle, John and Amy. There were celebrations for a birthday, Christmas and an expected Baby Weaver. We saw friends and spent time with our kids. Who could ask for anything more?

Soon after our return from Seattle--the Houghtons (Michelle, John, Sara and Lori) arrived to spend 10 days more of celebration. We took in the Children's Museum, Botanic Garden's light show, American Girl store, Mexican food, Elk hunt (for John), movies and much, much more.

It has been a glorious season of celebration. Life is incredibly good.

2010-12-14T14:57:00.000-08:00

So here is the deal...we have many, many wonderful photos from our Thanksgiving celebration in Seattle. However, I am not sure that any of them project the fun we had as much as this one does! We did have a grand time with John, Matt, Amy and Janelle. We had some interesting weather with snow and ice, but we prevailed and had a grand time. We spent about 48 hours at Beau and Bonnie's home in Kirkland. We ate turkey, played games, watched football and generally had some super family time. Amy cooked up a storm in Bonnie's kitchen, which was fun to behold. In addition to the "turkey" time, we also celebrated Matt's birthday and cheered for the Seahawks (but to no avail). So watch for the next posting--we will be back in Seattle to celebrate Christmas (a little early) and John's birthday too. Good times ahead!!

2010-11-21T14:29:00.000-08:00

Look at the smiles on these faces. Who is happier? Grandparents? Grandgirls? We think it could be a tie!!! We had such a grand time in Des Moines this past weekend. We were able to get in our usual hugging, playing games and laughing. A highlight for us was being the "Mystery Readers" in Sara's class on Friday--Sara guessed it before we arrived. Michelle spent an entire Saturday playing with her scrapbook pages; while Sara went horseback riding and Lori and grandparents had a dandy time at the Build-a-Bear store. It was a terrific weekend...puzzle making, checkers, crafting, reading and more. We even got in a few good visits with Daddy John. As always, it is a treat for us to be around this special family.

2010-11-06T15:59:00.000-07:00

Who can imagine more fun than the Allens, Maddens and Weavers taking a trip together up the California Coast? We had such a grand time. The weather was absolutely perfect. We toured the Hearst Castle, observed hundreds of elephant seals in their natural habitat, toured a mission, drove through the wine country, ate some excellent meals together, laughed and shared stories! Charlotte arranged for a lovely VRBO home in Cambria--right across the street from the ocean. We had a terrific view from our expansive window. This trip was a true reminder about friendships and how important they are to all of us. We are truly blessed to have some special people in our lives!!

2010-10-04T08:45:00.000-07:00

Strode and Judy have just returned from a wonderful (too short) visit to St. Louis, MO. Strode started the visit by participating in the ACCC conference which started on Wednesday. Judy joined him on Thursday evening. Friday, they toured the area near the "Arch" (the Gateway to the West). Strode took a number of photos --no surprise there. Friday evening Judy and Strode joined sister Pat, brothers Tony and Walt and sister-in-law Gwen for the start of an extended visit and wonderful Italian dinner (thanks Tony). Most of Saturday was spent in Cuba, MO with youngest sister, Julie. Lots of memories were retold with laughter and hugs interspersed throughout the visit. It was very special to have all the Weaver "sibs" gathered in one place. Another treat for all the visitors was to celebrate Sunday in Aunt Sally's church as she shared a thoughtful sermon to the congregation. It was truly special to be part of her flock on a Sunday morning. The Weaver clan shared some football viewing and some tasty pizza at Tony & Sally's lovely home before everyone departed to their respective homes and travels. The hope is that the Weaver siblings will plan to do this again in the not too distant future.

2010-09-26T15:32:00.000-07:00

Fall is here in Colorado. Judy and Strode took a lovely trip up to the mountains to enjoy the wonderful weather and the color turning on the aspens. It was a perfect day trip. They even made a short stop in one of their favorite little bergs--Georgetown. A picnic lunch was shared under a shade tree to complete a "just right" weekend adventure. We are so blessed to live in this amazing place!

2010-09-24T09:42:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a weekend with our son John! It was football, football and more football:-). John arrived late on Friday night -so we scurried to bed to get our beauty sleep. Saturday morning with lunch pack in hand, we headed for Boulder on the famous "Buff Bus". (John definitely lowered the age average on the bus!) We enjoyed a wonderful game at Folsom stadium where the Buffs beat Hawaii. We followed up the game with some yummy Mexican food.

Sunday, looked much the same, except we drove ourselves to the parking lot near Invesco Field to watch the Broncos vs. Seahawks game. It was hot! In fact, it was the hotest game on record at Invesco Field--and we were there baking in the sun. We had a great time in super seats. Sad news with a loss for the Seahawks and good news for the Bronco fans. (We were mixed!) We followed this game with Italian food on the patio.

Needless to say, it was a "just right" weekend with son John.

2010-09-10T08:47:00.000-07:00

Here are the "girls" on Labor Day weekend at the Living History Farm in Des Moines, Iowa. We had such a good time looking at all of the "olden" day houses and equipment. We also fit in a pony ride and a freeze pop! Sara and Lori were delightful and charming! Sara was so interested in all of the history and tradition. It was a treat for Grandma and Grandpa to be a part of the tour. During our visit we also got in a couple of meals out, church, and some kite flying. It was wonderful to spend time with this special family. We are blessed.

2010-08-30T12:38:00.000-07:00

The Denver Units had such a nice August weekend. We took in a movie and dinner with friends on Saturday. The highlight of our weekend was a wonderful hike with our friends Pat Olive and Dennis Steh. Pat was Judy's supervisor when she was a principal. We had a grand time while hiking a gentle trail for about 3 miles. The view was lovely and the weather was just right. We will definitely go back to this same area for hiking. We are so happy to be able to take advantage of this great outdoors in Colorado!!

2010-08-17T20:10:00.000-07:00

What a week we spent in Seattle...lovely weather, our boys and their girls, friends and general good times. We hugged our way through the week. Our days and nights included: a Sounders Soccer game, a Seahawk training camp day, a tour of Pikes Place Market, moving furniture and weeding, Trivia night at Red Hook, two movies, a rousing game of Tripoli and a birthday celebration. We couldn't have asked for a better trip. We are so blessed to have 2 wonderful sons and 2 terrific daughter-in laws. They are always so generous in sharing their time with us. It has been a super, duper summer.

2010-08-17T20:04:00.000-07:00

One of the highlights of the trip was a lunch picnic with Matt and then a walk through the P-Patch community garden. Lots of color and unusual plants. It was a perfect day to enjoy the Seattle sunshine (once again August is some of Seattle's best weather.

2010-07-21T10:19:00.000-07:00

Amazing, outstanding, and awesome--all words to describe our extended weekend in Crested Butte, CO! We had such a great time. The weather was just about perfect and the scenery was absolutely lovely everywhere we turned...mountains, flowers, water, aspens, blue sky and more. We hiked each day and took photos galore--especially Strode:-). We had a couple of picnics, we forged creeks and we scaled mountains (well maybe small hills!). We hope to return in the fall to see the aspens turn golden. We are reminded how blessed we are to live in this beautiful state of Colorado.

2010-06-28T10:52:00.000-07:00

Well what a wonderful extended weekend we have had. You can tell by the smiles on our faces that we are enjoying our time together. Amy and John arrived on Thursday (late). From Friday morning until Sunday afternoon we packed in a ton of grand time together: Brewfest--rain and all, Rockies game, World Cup soccer, Trip to Leadville, many games of "Head and Foot", not to mention lots of laughter, good meals and many hugs. This was definitely a memory maker for the Denver Units. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family!!!

2010-06-22T13:22:00.000-07:00

Last week was one of those weeks that will fill our hearts and minds with wonderful memories. It was a perfect week for Grandma Judy and Grandpa Ed (Strode). Our daughter, Michelle, and her family joined us in Denver for a week. We were able to take in lots of sights and sounds of Denver. It would be hard to choose our favorites. The nice part about the visit was that we were not rushed and we got in lots of hugging and visiting time with our wonderful daughter, her husband John, and our precious grand girls-Sara and Lori.

We managed to fit in a trip to the Denver Aquarium, the Children's Museum, a paddle boat ride, shopping, 2 ice cream stops, 5 playgrounds and some yummy Mexican food meals. John got in several "running" days. The girls had lots of play time. And the "mamas" got pedicures. All in all--a fabulous vacation week!!

2010-06-06T13:35:00.000-07:00

June 5th found Strode taking on a first time challenge. A fellow at work put out the call that he would be leading a "hike" up to the top of Mt. Bierstadt about one hour from Denver. It is reputed to be the easiest of the 54 14,000 foot mountains in Colorado. So with only one week of preparation, Strode spent about 45 minutes to an hour each day walking up and down the dam that is close to their home in Lowry. The day started early (4:30 wake up) the group assembled and 27 of us took off to try our hand at mountain "hiking". The trip is three miles each way and a gain in elevation of about 2,200 feet from the trail head. The first two thirds is as best described a climbing hike. The surprise came closer to the top. This early in June that is still a lot of snow covering the peak and we had to do some pretty significant 'bouldering' since the normal trail was covered in snow in a number of places. Strode is shown on the left with a look of relief that came with reaching the summit. Top left shows the many stops that we took to catch our breath. Top right, we had to test our balance going up and down crossing the stream. On the right the view from the summit shows the beautiful distant views and the boulder field that we climbed through to enjoy that breathtaking view. After lunch at the top we headed down.

2010-06-03T08:37:00.000-07:00

On the Memorial Day weekend Strode and I took in a great baseball game at Coors Field. You can tell by the photos that it was a great day to be outside in Denver. It was a full house as the Rockies took on the Dodgers. Strode was practicing taking photos with his phone, which is still a work in progress:-). We had great seats on the third base side. Rockies lost the game, but it was still a very successful outing as we continuted to celebrate our long weekend.

2010-06-03T08:30:00.000-07:00

This was really a "sports" weekend for us. Not only did we take in the Rockies game, but we also attended a Colorado Rapids game. It was great fun. The Rapids were hosting the Seattle Sounders. Strode and I sported our much coveted Sounders scarves to the game. We were greeted heartily by several other Sounders fans (also wearing scarves). We were torn as fans...who to cheer for? Should we root on the home team--Rapids? Or should we support the Sounders --where son John works? We cheered for good plays, but quietly were hoping the Sounders won. In the end, the Rapid prevailed. It was a great evening to watch some professional soccer.

2010-05-22T16:21:00.000-07:00

Strode and I were off to the woods! Today we hiked Elk Meadow which is near Evergreen, CO. It was an incredibly sunny day with the temperatures in the high 70s. It was very windy out in the open, but just right under the trees. This is one of our favorite hikes in the area. It is about 3 miles doing the full circuit...some uphill and downhill. As we walked along today we were reminded about how blessed we are to live in such a beautiful area.

2010-04-27T07:39:00.000-07:00

What a grand weekend we had in Des Moines...a little rain and wind did not stop us from hugging, laughing, playing games and "doing crafts". This photo was taken at the very nice botanic gardens in Des Moines. We lucked out because the "gardens" had some special activities on the Saturday we visited. There were instruments to play while singing along to favorite songs. There were balloon flowers and a few animals to admire. All in all a perfect afternoon topped off by a tasty lunch at Fudruckers--Sara's choice. We all enjoyed the yummy milkshakes. Thanks to the Houghtons for a wonderful visit. We are always well cared for when we stay at their lovely home!!

2010-04-19T08:31:00.000-07:00

In addition to our "work-day" with Habitat for Humanity, Strode and I took an amazing walk around on of the few water venues we have in Denver. Wash Park is a wonderful area with a couple of small man-made lakes with trees, bicycling and walking paths. There are several acres of grass for the volleyball enthusiasts and playgrounds for the small fry. You can see by the photo that it was a lovely day to be out and savor the spring weather. It is good to be alive!!

2010-04-19T08:07:00.000-07:00

This was a busy, but productive weekend for the Weavers. The highlight of the weekend was joining the volunteers for Habitat for Humanity for a Saturday work-day. The photo shows part of the work team from our church. Strode, of course, is on the far left in the photo. Joe and Linda Holliman are in the photo as well- the very short and very tall combo:-). There were 10 volunteers from the church who painted all day long. It was a great experience. Judy provided lunch for the 10 volunteers. That was her contribution to the work-day.

2010-03-31T15:43:00.000-07:00

We are back from our very fun trip to Seattle this past weekend. In one of these photos you will find my "boys". We had several opportunities to visit with Matt and John--and to do a little neck hugging. We were so glad to get to spend time with them. In the other photo you will see a couple of the Allens, extended Allens/Fishers, and we added Matt's wife Janelle to the mix! This photo was taken at the Fischers' home in Issaquah after Tricia's baby shower. All in all, it was a fabulous trip to the Northwest.

2010-03-22T09:53:00.000-07:00

Here we are the second day of spring 2010! There were blizzard like conditions in Denver on Friday, but as you can see, there is very little snow left on a lovely Sunday afternoon. Strode and I took a long leisurely walk around this beautiful lake in City Park. There were people everywhere walk dogs, pushing strollers, jogging and biking. We know that we will have some more "weather" in the next few weeks, but a day like this reminds us that spring will come!! We are seeing buds on trees and a few bulbs are pushing up through the crusty ground. Ah-h-h we do love our sunshine.

2010-03-07T19:26:00.000-08:00

Here are the girls from our visit last weekend. If you look very closely you can see the "hole" where Lori has lost her first tooth! It was a great announcement as the grandparents arrived. We had such a special time reading, crafting, visiting the zoo and strolling the mall during our stay. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family. We thoroughly enjoy making memories together.

2010-03-07T19:21:00.000-08:00

Last weekend Strode and I spent a weekend with our favorite grandgirls in DesMoines. Of course, Michelle and John were there too! You can appreciate, I am sure, the artistic work of the 3 artists in this photo. Each of the artists (left to right: Grandpa Ed, Sara and Lori) designed and created their own masks. We spent much of the weekend creating and crafting at the kitchen counter. It was great fun.

2010-02-15T14:51:00.000-08:00

This weekend was a busy one for the Weavers. Judy was off to Phoenix to spend a couple of fun days with the Fab 4 (the other three are Erin, Bonnie, and Christy from Seattle). Strode first flew to San Diego for a board meeting of a cancer executives association and then back to Denver for a fund raiser event for his hospital. They are both home safely enjoying the President's Day off and will get a chance to celebrate Valentine's Day together next weekend.

2010-02-10T19:41:00.000-08:00

What a grand Super Bowl weekend we had with friend (really family) in Phoenix, AZ this past weekend. We toured the Phoenix area, rode the light rail, saw the Ansel Adams photography exhibit, played Mexican Train and ate gobs of good food. (We also fit in the Super Bowl and cheered the Saints on to victory.)
The photo here was taken in front of the Irish pub where we joined Marni and the Allen family for lunch, hugs and good conversation. We are blessed to have such good friends and can share such good times.

2010-01-31T16:29:00.000-08:00

Here is the laundry room on the way out to the garage, the guest room and our bed room. It is a little hard to show the bedroom without a wide angle lens on the digital camera. That is all of the key rooms, hope it give some perspective of our home layout and what it will look like to those who might come to visit.

2010-01-31T16:21:00.000-08:00

These three are all taken from the center of the great room. The fireplace is in the center of the west wall, dining area to the north end and the kitchen is to the east side. We are really enjoying the glass front cabinets for Judy to display her good china at the south end of the kitchen.

2010-01-31T16:15:00.000-08:00

Our good friend Mary Nelson asked to see some of the inside of our new home so for Mary we will post some pictures taken today. The first two show the bottles that we got at Hobby Lobby that replaced our holiday snowmen that have been enjoying some featured decor spots in the family great room. The third is of the great room from the front door entrance.

2010-01-30T19:07:00.000-08:00

Rocky Mountain High - Colorado - Today we drove up to Echo Lake at the entrance to Mt Evans and trooped about the lake on our snowshoes. As you can see it was a beautiful Colorado day with lots of blue skies and a crisp 40 degrees or so. The lake is at about 8,500 feet in altitude so we did not set any speed records in our trek. It was a perfect Saturday after a very busy week. We live in a beautiful part of the world.

2010-01-18T12:26:00.000-08:00

Strode and Judy enjoyed a very nice weekend with good friends Pat and Charlotte Madden from Arizona! We managed to get in some Mexican Train, lots of football watching and , of course, we didn't miss a meal! The purpose for the Maddens trip was to spend time with a dear friend from Flagstaff who is receiving Hospice care. We were so pleased to be able to provide a place for Charlotte and Pat to sleep, eat and relax. We were able to catch up with all of their doings. We will look forward to seeing them again during the Super Bowl weekend in Phoenix. We are so blessed to have such good friends. They headed out very EARLY this morning hoping to stay ahead of the snow storm that is expected in northern Arizona later today.

2010-01-18T12:20:00.000-08:00

This has been a great couple of weeks for the "Units". We are continuing to enjoy our new home. There is lots of construction going on around us, which is good! We hope that by this summer most of the lots around us are filled in with homes. It is noisy and messy, but will be worth it to have the neighborhood complete. One of the highlights for Strode this month was a very brief sighting of his brother Tony and lovely wife Sally. They came breezing through on their way to the slopes for some great skiing! They were packed for the cold and snow. Tony and Sally stopped by the house for a quick bite of lunch and a quick tour of our new house. Strode was glad for the visit--even though it was brief!

2009-12-30T15:58:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays everyone! Hope your time with family and friends was grand. The Denver Units certainly had an amazing Christmas celebration --in 2 parts. First round was celebrated in Seattle with Matt, Janelle, John (and a pinch of Amy)! We had such fun and got in some great visiting and hugging. The second round was in DesMoines with Michelle, John, Sara and Lori. We did Christmas the traditional way with a church service and one Christmas gift on Christmas Eve (always PJs) followed by stockings and presents on Christmas morning. We feel so blessed to be able to share these special times with our kids, their spouses and grandgirls. We are looking forward the year 2010 and all it has to bring. Happy New Year to all!

2009-12-15T09:52:00.000-08:00

Well we did it--We have moved into our new house. It was quite the adventure, but we did it! It will be well worth the effort of moving a gazillion boxes and rearranging furniture several times. Our house is just the right size and will accommodate several guests. We haven't hung too many things on the wall yet--we will wait awhile for that. We put a few snowmen out to celebrate the season and then on Saturday we are off to Seattle followed by some holiday celebrating in Des Moines. Life is so good. Happy Holidays everyone!

2009-11-30T01:27:00.000-08:00

Well here we are in our 16' Budget truck! We drove it 1400 miles from Denver to Seattle loaded with boxes, furniture and assorted tools for the Weaver boys and their spouses. (We had a few extra items for the Hollimans as well.) The trip north was mostly incident free--although we had a few tense moments in the snowy "pass" just outside of Seattle. Strode did an amazing job of driving the entire way! It felt good to make the trip and deliver various items to our kids. The rest of the Thanksgiving week was very successful with lots of time with family and friends. Now this week we will look ahead to our move into our new home. It will be a very busy week with all the things that need to be done before our move, but it will be well worth the effort.

2009-11-15T15:03:00.000-08:00

So here I (Judy) am--standing in our new kitchen. Strode and I drove by our house today and spent about an hour--checking it out. We measured drawers, admired our floor and generally inspected all the nooks and crannies. We are getting so close to our move-in date--very exciting. Next weekend we will be off to Seattle in our Budget truck--to spend a week in the Northwest and celebrate Thanksgiving and Matt's birthday. As we look outside right now, there are about 6-8 inches of snow on the ground. Winter is definitely here in Denver. We hope for a dry weekend for our travels at the end of the week. Life is good.

2009-11-12T19:26:00.000-08:00

What a great week we have had. We have been watching the construction crew put some of the finishing touches on our new house. We are still aiming for a Dec. 5th move. The other good news this week is that the Houghtons in Des Moines are celebrating John passing the oral boards!! Congratulations to John. We know that John is an amazing doctor (not to mention-wonderful son-in-law). Strode is in Nevada for a couple of days, but will return in time for the Friday night Nuggets game. Life is good in Denver.

John's October Visit

2009-11-02T10:41:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful weekend we have had with son John! It was great fun to have our youngest "cub" here in Denver for a couple of days. We had the perfect weather for his visit. We were able to get in quite a few activities and lots of hugs. The main event was the CU game on Saturday. And although the Buffs had a rough outing, we still had a good time. As you can see here in the photo, we also toured our new house as it is nearing completion. In about a month we will be making our move to our new "digs"! As you can see -fans, lights, flooring, painting and tile projects are complete. It was a treat to show it off to John. Lots of room for visitors!!

2009-10-28T07:45:00.000-07:00

SNOW, SNOW, SNOW....in Colorado! This photo was taken this AM from our balcony at the Gem on Pearl. The weather report says that we could have as much as 2 feet of snow within the next 48 hours! The roads are pretty messy right now, but it is sure beautiful to look at and it is so QUIET! School was closed today and it may be closed tomorrow so it is a perfect day to update our blog and get a few things done. We are supposed to go to a Nuggets game tonight. We assume it is still on unless we hear otherwise. We hope that the weather report is accurate and that by Friday it will be clearing and warmer so son John can fly in to Denver without any hitches. We are expecting about 50 degree weather for the Buffs game on Saturday. So until next time...Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.....

2009-10-23T19:40:00.000-07:00

Since Judy has been resting her left foot after a little toe repair work and Strode has been fighting his bi-annual sinus cold, we have been rehabbing by putting a 550 piece puzzle together. What a great way to relax and concentrate on some creative puzzle solving. Here is our big achievement all in one big piece. We really liked the subject and we highly recommend this activity to others!!

2009-10-17T20:39:00.000-07:00

The house in the Arbors neighborhood is starting to look like a finished house. The landscaping is in both in the front and the back. We got inside this afternoon and the tile is just about done in both bathrooms, the granite counters on the kitchen island and the side bar are done and the tile around the fireplace looks really good. We have been given a December 4th close date so will be working toward that day (or the next) to have the movers and truck over at our old house to get all the furniture out of the basement.

2009-10-09T17:06:00.000-07:00

Grandma Judy and Grandpa Strode spent a weekend in Des Moines with their favorite (and only) grandgirls. Of course, we were delighted to spend time with our favorite daughter, Michelle, and favorite son-in-law, John. It was a wonderful time laughing, playing and visiting with the Houghtons. Michelle and Mom got in some shopping, which is always fun. Michelle got in some scrapbook time with friends while Sara, Lori, Grandma and Grandpa ran through the mall stopping at Build-a-Bear and munching on yummy pretzel sticks.

2009-09-21T13:55:00.000-07:00

Can you tell that this was an amazing day to walk/hike in Colorado? This was one of those perfect days to be outside. The weather was just over 70 degrees with a little breeze and the path had a few challenges, but manageable. We saw some interesting birds, new plants and trees along the way. Mostly we just enjoyed being together and savoring the sounds (lack of), the smells (pine trees) and sights of being outside in this glorious country.

2009-09-12T21:43:00.000-07:00

Well Strode is back from his 36 hour trip to Indianapolis and a board meeting for the Association of Cancer Executives. Judy did a great job while he was gone and the movers made short work of getting all of our furniture down into the basement where it will stay until our new house is done. It is moving right along with all the stucco undercoat applied and all of the sheetrock up. Judy and Strode stopped by today and they were taping the seams and starting the finish work. We are all moved into our rental condo and slept here for the first time last night. We have set our land line phone number up as an "anywhere voice mail" so we can keep the number when we move in. We are still on track for a mid-December move in and are really enjoying watching it finish out.

2009-09-10T19:24:00.000-07:00

Well here are Mom and Dad Weaver in Bend, Oregon! We had a great time over the Labor Day weekend with friends Dan and Mary Nelson. We met the Nelsons in Portland and drove to Bend. We stayed in a fun rental house that we found on VRBO. It was just right for us. We toured the area, did some hiking and ate lots of good food. Our favorite areas of interest were the lava beds. We hiked through some very interesting landscape and learned a lot along the way. Our trip to Oregon was a good break from all of the packing we have been doing over the last few weeks. Now we are ready to move into our little "Gem" on Pearl Street for the next 3 and a half months. Many adventures ahead...we will keep you posted.

The Extended Weaver Family in San Diego

2009-08-23T21:22:00.000-07:00

Here we all are in San Diego in July. From the left, Matt and wife Janelle, John and wife Amy, Michelle and husband John with grandgirls Lori (5) and Sara (7), Judy and Strode. We did it all, swam every day in the pool at our vacation house, Sea World, Old Town, a Padres game, Wild Animal Park, the beach, and a water park. All of Mom's bear cubs within arm's reach for hugs any time she wanted. Doesn't get much better than that. Laughed a lot and played a couple of Tripoli games finishing with our traditional five card showdown hand for all the chips on the table (to declare the winner of the universe).

2009-08-20T20:51:00.000-07:00

Our new home in the Arbors development is coming along at a steady pace. The windows and doors are in, the roofing went on yesterday and today, and electrical wires are dangling everywhere. We are almost done with all of our selections and approved a very nice patio landscaping plan just today. Judy and Strode have been biking over most evenings to view the progress.

2009-08-18T12:19:00.000-07:00

It is raining cats and dogs outside today. Judy has already been to school and worked with her nine new student teachers. It is going to be an exciting year for her.

I failed to mention yesterday that Strode and Judy had a great weekend this past weekend. Friday, Saturday and Sunday included a dinner out at one of our favorite brew pubs--Lodo Bar and Grill, a concert at the Arvada Center --blue grass and Celtic music, and a run through the Golden Art festival, which is one of our favorites. Strode also likes the fact that he can stop for a beer or two at the "2nd largest brewery" in Golden! A great little place to stop and rest awhile.

Busy Days

2009-08-17T15:16:00.000-07:00

The Units are currently up to their eyeballs in packing boxes! We are getting ready to make our big move in the near future. We, of course, sold our house and now we are building a new one not too far away. We will be in "temporary" housing for about four months while we wait for the construction of our new house to be complete. Fortunately, we found an amazing little condo near downtown Denver! We call it the "Gem on Pearl Street". In the meantime, we will keep packing, go to work and enjoy our beautiful Colorado.