Catching Up!

Moving on down the road….still not caught up with our summer fun blogs :-(
I feel ashamed that I am only to the beginning of June so what I have decided to do is sum everything up so that way from now on I am caught up to date.

After Memorial Day weekend in Chicago Dustin and I had a couple of weeks of regular summertime in Austin. One of the weekends my best friend Kristin was in town and she stayed with us for a couple of nights….we took her out on the lake in the boat and got caught up with each other. I miss her so much!

Kristin and me at Sandy's in Lakeway

The Orrick’s also had a family reunion which was a blast! Besides that I was selected for work as the District Sales Trainer for my district…and because of this I got to attend a really fun retreat with the other DST’s in my region in Denver. We got to hike the red rocks together which was so fun!

The Orrick family reunion!

A couple weeks after that we headed over to hike the Smoky Mountains and go to my Cousin, Rod’s wedding in Wrightsville Beach, NC. The hiking was awesome, it was about an 11 mile round trip hike (beautiful weather) with an elevation climb of about 2800 ft. The wedding weekend was fun being with all the Petticrew’s and we got to stay in a really awesome beach house right in Wrightsville.

Smoky Mountain View

Wrightsville Beachhouse

Come 4th of July we got to spend more quality time with family. On Thursday the 3rd, Dustin and I packed up my new company minivan and headed out I-10 West…where if you didn’t know the speed limit is actually 80 mph…it is awesome, until you pay attention to how fast your gas tank is emptying! We drove into Roswell and picked up my parents at the airport and drove into Ruidoso to Dustin’s parent’s casa. We had a relaxing weekend which included wine, games, fireworks, conversations on the big deck, Jack Ingram concert and a little bit of gambling. I am so blessed that my parents and Dustin’s parents get along so well that we could actually do something like this…I know it is not all that common!

4th of July with our parents in Ruidoso, NM

The rest of July included picking up my niece and nephew from Camp Longhorn, floating the river in New Braunfels with friends, and having Jackson come stay with us to go to Dirt Bike/Motorcross camp for a week. Dustin and I also celebrated 3 years of marriage (which I actually did blog about). When I went with my family to pick up the kiddos at Camp Longhorn, I just about died when I found out that Jackson’s counselor in his cabin was sleeping on the bed frame that had once been in my Chief year cabin- the very one I slept in back in 1996! I knew that the beds got moved around the camp, but I thought it was so crazy that the one where I wrote my name bigger than normal ended up in the cabin with my 10 year old nephew!

Oh the memories!!!! I can't believe 13 years have passed!

August arrived and I went to Denver for a work meeting. It ended up that Dustin and I decided to have me just stay there for the weekend so he could fly up and join me. We were super nervous but that weekend on the 8th of August we completed something that to this day was one of the most difficult things I have ever done! We hiked Mt. Elbert in Colorado, which is the 2nd tallest mountain in the 48 states (after Mt. Whitney in Cali). The peak comes in at 14,433 ft and with the altitude affecting us, I thought I would die. I am going to copy and paste the link to Dustin’s review of the hike that he posted on the 14er’s website that pretty much sums up the day we had! Check it out if you’d like. Pictures included!
http://www.14ers.com/php14ers/tripreport.php?trip=6881

Mt. Elbert, Colorado- 14,433 ft

After all that hard work the next 2 weekends were very much needed! The first weekend I had a reunion with my best friends from college…the 6 of us had not done this since college and it was so much fun! We have seen each other yes, but only for events like weddings, baby showers, etc…never just to be together and relax! I love those girls and I can’t wait for next year…better start planning now!

Us Girls :-)

Grand Lake!

The next weekend I had yet another fun weekend with my oldest friend, Alison. She drove down to Austin for the weekend and we treated ourselves to a day at Lake Austin spa resort, which is one of the top rated spas in the country. The joke is that it is literally a few miles from my house, but I have never been. This is mostly due to it being outrageously pricey. Alison I totally worked the system and booked a manicure…then paid the small resort fee to stay all day and enjoy the amenities J While we were there I became obsessed with this tea they had to drink…so obsessed that after that day I search everywhere in Austin for it…Whole foods, Central Market, HEB, etc..finally I had to order it online and I am anxiously awaiting its arrival tomorrow via UPS. I normally don’t drink tea…never been a fan, but this stuff is addictive. It is great because it is caffeine-free so I don’t have to feel bad if I drink a gallon in one day! It is called
Mighty Leaf Verbena Mint Organic Tea….it is soooo good!

Lake Austin Spa

Best Tea ever!!!

Anyway, now you are all caught up. It has been a week since my weekend with Alison and Dustin and I have enjoyed a relaxing weekend here at home. Next weekend is Labor day weekend and we are still nailing down our plans. The following week I leave on Tuesday early in the AM for a work meeting in Vail. I love that I have been able to be in Colorado so many times this summer!