Finished!

The TV room and dining room are now completely finished! The floor looks so nice and really opens up the place! Sam is still getting used to the new floors though. Every time he runs to play his little paws slip all over the place!

It's Looking Great!

The floors are taking us a little bit longer than we would have liked. We have both been so busy that we throw in a board here and there when we can. The Tv room is almost completely done now!

Getting Started!

We started the flooring in the TV room. After putting all of our furniture in the garage, Wayne tore up the carpet, swept, put down the blue absorbent barrier, and began putting in the wood. The first row was the hardest part, but after that we were well on our way!

Hardwood Floors...This is Where it Starts...

We had been thinking of putting in hardwood floors ever since we bought our townhome at the end of March. Two weeks ago Wayne just up and bought the wood. Here it is, ready to be prepped and put in! Our next adventure awaits!

"Let Me See That Tootsie Roll!

Sam and I went to PetsMart last week and he got to pick out a new toy. As we were walking around the store, he stuck his face into a bin and pulled out this one! Although he hasn't had it for that long, he has already ripped it open and taken one of the two squeakers out of the end!

So Many Wildflowers!

There were so many wildflowers on the Waldo Canyon Trail! I snapped this photo of three different flowers sitting by each other. The red one is an indian paintbrush, the purpleish/blueish is called a bluebell, and the white is called a forrest daisy (or something similar to that!). I abolutely love taking pictures of wildflowers! I have a book that I look them up in when I get home from hiking. There are still so many more to discover and take photos of!

The Killer Yucca!

This is a Yucca plant. They only bloom once a year or once every two years. On the Waldo Canyon Trail I happened to cross by numerous ready-to-bloom yuccas. On the way down the trail I was going a little too fast and swinging my arms a little to far out to the side because when I gently brushed my hand alongside the pokey leaves, they jabbed into my fingers and hand! There were little holes all over my skin, each of them leaking a little blood! Although yuccas are really cool, they are also very deadly to the touch!

Peaceful Hiking...

This was just one of the few tree shaded sections on the trail. Once I walked into this "tunnel" it smelled like pine and clean, fresh air! The forrest floor was soft, which was a nice change from the limestone and sandstone you pass over as well!

Hiking Waldo Canyon

Yesterday I decided to go hiking in Waldo Canyon. Wayne had to work all day so I went solo on the 7 mile loop. This picture here is of Pike's Peak, and as you can see it is "bald" at the moment! The majority of the year there is snow on it, but in the mid to late summer it all melts away.

The hike itself was beautiful! It was full of so many wildflowers, hikers, and dogs! I was in the sun almost the enitre hike, having such a great time that I didn't realize I was getting sunburned!

They Both Love Guitar!

Same loves when Wayne plays his guitar and sings! He comes and sits right at Wayne's feet and just watches. The other day Wayne was singing in the car and Sam went crazy! He is going to fit right in in our family!

Cheap Entertainment!

Two days ago I let Sam rup into this box that Wayne had brought home from work. He absolutely loved it! He must have spent a good 45 minutes just chewing, growling, and pushing this box up and down the hallway! I finally had to take it away because he kept tearing little pieces off of it!

Sleepy Puppy!

The other day we couldn't find Sam. We were playing with
him and it went silent all of the sudden.
Wayne always says, "A quiet puppy is a bad puppy!" After searching all over, we finally found him curled up in our basket full of blankets. He had made himself right at home before taking a nap! We are trying to keep him out of the basket but he just looks too darn cute!

Say Hello to Sam!

Sam is our newest member of our family! Wayne and I have been looking at dogs and talking about getting one ever since we moved here to Colorado Springs. We had "Family Day" at Carmax yesterday, and afterwards decided to go look at some puppies about 20 minutes East of our home. There were ten in the litter 7 weeks ago, but when we arrived there were only three left! (2 males and one female) Wayne immediately fell in love with this little guy whom we bought and named "Sam." He slept the whole way home in the car, and then almost the entire time at Petco. We found out that the first time you go to the "Pet Walmart" you spend quite a bit! You HAVE to spoil them! Just look at this guy's face!

Sam Played a Little Too Hard!

After our visit to Petco, Wayne and Sam played with the ball for a very long time!...almost too long! One minute Sam was playing, jumping, pouncing, and the next he was flopped halfway on his bed fast asleep! He is definately a lap dog! If you are on the floor with him and he is the least bit tired, he'll crawl onto your lap and snooze.

Sam Loves His New Squeeky Toy!

Wow. I honestly never thought choosing a dog toy would be so overwhelming! We tried to let Sam decide but I think he would have like them all! We finally settled for the patriotic squeeky and he seems to absolutely love it!

On the Way Down the Trail...

We spent the night in the meadow at the top of the Newlin Creek Trail. It was a little chilly, but the sound of the rippling creek next to the tent made us sleep better. There is some old Sawmill equipment from 1887 at the top, along with a chimney from the gentleman's house who started it all. It was fun to explore around the boudlers and discover all sorts of metal, cut logs, and even pieces of his truck!

Backpacking the Newlin Creek Trail

We decided to spend labor day weekend doing some backpacking on Newlin Creek Trail. It was only about an hour's drive from our townhome in the Springs, and very beautiful! You cross the creek about 16 or 17 times within the hike to the top of a gorgeous green meadow! There were a few waterfalls along the way, but this one in particular seemed just peaceful to me. Wayne looks pretty sexy in front of it too!

Wayne Jumps over 1,300 Feet in the Air!!!

Just Kidding! But really, he is standing over a lookout point and I just happened to snap the photo the same time he was jumping in the air! Yup, he is jumping over 1,300 feet in the air! Below him is an incline railroad which takes you to the very bottom of the gorge. You sit in these metal cages that look like a mixture between a port-a-potty and a telephone booth! It's a 7 minute ride to the bottom where you can watch the river rafters float by, then catch the incline back up!

WOW! (What a hair-do!)

It was VERY windy when we trotted across the suspension bridge! Here I am peeking over the edge to the bottom of the gorge. The bridge runs over the Arkansas River, and at any given time there are 10 or so river rafting expeditions floating down the rapids. We almost did a half-day expedition with one of them, but decieded to come back later in the summer when it's warmer!

The Royal Gorge-Colorado's Natural Wonder

Yesterday Wayne and I visited the Royal Gorge in Canon City, Colorado. It's a 1,300 foot gorge with a suspension bridge built all the way across it, either to walk or drive. (We did both!) You can see the bridge off to the left of this picture (by my neck), but the pic just doesn't do it justice! While we were walking across it there was a huge burst of wind that caused the bridge to sway and made several people loose their balance! It was AWSOME!