Ok, hopefully this won’t be a total “pay attention to the wondrousness that is me!” page. But I was thinking, that as our life continues forward out here in Colorado, with new adventures, friends and significant life events, the pictures that I post in the Gallery will begin to lack, well, context. You could, in theory, find yourself saying “Oh look, Brandy and Andy in front of yet. another. mountain. Isn’t that nice.”
So, I’m starting this blog-ish page with these ideas in mind, to let family and friends know what is going on in our life, and to provide little stories/background to go with new pictures that get posted. On the right side you will find direct links to the various photo albums and other information we have up on the web.
I have sent a link to this page to family and friends where I have ready email addresses. Please feel free to pass it on to other people who would come under the umbrella of “family and/or friends of Brandy and/or Andy.” But I don’t intend for it to be for general public consumption, and it shouldn’t show up on a Google search.
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Just a quick summary of where we are today: We moved to Colorado Springs in May 2006. Andy is working at a terrific job as a Product/Reliability Engineer; I am working as a Legal Editor, which is also terrific, because, though it is still law, in a few months it will become home-based and flex-timed, allowing me to live my life.
We currently have an apartment with a magnificent view of the mountains and the Air Force Academy from our balcony. We are in the process of building a house, and if you like (though why would you?), you can follow the house-building here: House-in-Progress Pics. As I’ve told many of you, once the house is complete (likely December), we will have plenty of room to host visitors, and welcome them. We can take you on adventures, or just provide a place to sleep while you go on your own.
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Below I have added my first comments to go with pictures and events since we moved to Colorado. In the future, I will make new posts as things get added. Enjoy!
Scenes around Colorado Springs (Link)
Nowadays, I almost always have the camera handy. This section consists of random photographs I have taken around the greater Colorado Springs area, including from our balcony, in town, and especially at some of the local parks and trails. Just to give you a flavor of the beauty of the area!
Colorado Adventures (Link)
Air Force Football
Considering that we can see the stadium from our apartment, it had to happen. The pictures are from the game against in-state rival Colorado State. No, it wasn’t quite Auburn-Alabama or Georgia-Georgia Tech, but it was a very exciting, high-energy game, which Air Force came from behind and won. Go Falcons!
Slammin’ Bobs Softball
Andy braved the chilly fall nights to play mens softball in the Colorado Springs rec league. The team is mostly made up of guys from work and other techies in town; the moniker is an inside joke I couldn’t hope to explain. I won’t comment on their record, but they are considering changing their name next season to the “Bad News Bobs.”
Hiking Mount Almagre
In mid-August we went on our first hiking adventure, with one of Andy’s co-workers as a guide. Mount Almagre is the second highest peak in the Colorado Springs area (the first being Pikes, of course), at 12,500 ft. Its nickname is “Mount Baldyâ€, because its summit is above the treeline and somewhat rounded (not very dramatic looking). The first half of the hike was almost like walking through an old forest. Eventually the trees faded away and the trail got more rugged as it cut across the mountain. The most amazing part was when we reached the east side of the mountain and could see downtown Colorado Springs, way, way below us. Witness the power of the camera zoom on picture - 13 miles roundtrip, about 5.5 hours - quite the adventure indeed!
Lake Granby/Grand Lake/Winter Park
On Labor Day weekend we went on a trip was organized by some friends we met through Andy’s work. Some info about the area - Granby is an old cowboy town that is considering becoming a trendy tourist spot, and lies in a valley between the Berthoud Pass/Winter Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. Between Granby and the entrance to RMNP, there is a group of three large lakes and a number of smaller ones. On Saturday we fished and cooked out at Lake Granby. I was shocked to see all the sailboats and powerboats all over the water, out here in the middle of the mountains!
On Sunday we went to Grand Lake, at the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. The pictures, try though I did, have not captured how beautiful this place was on a day of perfect weather. The lake glistened in the sunlight, the mountains were green, children and adults played in the parks and on the water. The nearby hiking trails went up into the mountains, where the trees and streams created cool, shady serenity (or would have, if not for all the people!). Saturday evening we went to Winter Park Resort, which is a ski resort in the winter and a mountain biking resort in the summer. It being a holiday weekend, it was quite the festival. Amazingly, it was their last weekend open before getting ready for the ski season, and they expected to be open for skiing within 2 months!
~Brandy
but I was busy with the actual holidays :). Casting my mind alllll the way back to November, thanks everyone for another wonderful trip back to Georgia. It is comforting to be able to come back and hang out with family and friends as if we never left. Check out the pictures of Thanksgiving here: Thanksgiving 2007 Album
She was disabled but still loving life for the last few years, but in the last few months she started a decline from which she could not recover. With me my entire adult life, and our entire marriage, she was truly a part of our family and will forever be missed.
. I haven’t felt too strong an urge to post here this spring and summer, as most of you reading this have been coming out to visit us!