the randoms

june and july
were sort of insane

truly
insane

which means that there was a lot to share
but not very much time in which to share it.

so, here are a few pics from the crazy 60 days
that are (finally) behind us!

over memorial day weekend
we took a little trip to milwaukee, wi
for a the wedding of herb's cousin anne

we went to the modern art museum
amazing building
decent collection

spent a little time at the
people's market - pretty cool

herb looked hot
so we did a little photo shoot





in june
my cute grandma came to town
we found out that her sister-in-law
(the only other person still alive from her husband's side of the family)
is living in colorado springs
so we took a little trip down there
it was so sweet to watch them reconnect




i rallied my office mates
and we painted our counseling room
because i wanted to vomit
instead of work
everytime i looked at the
perviously pale yellow walls

the main walls are a green-ish tan
and the accent wall is this fantastic teal
nobody went for the dark celery.
oh well, maybe at home.



at the end of june
we went to winter park to celebrate
herb's birthday
i love watching herb with these boys
they all love and "get" each other so much!!!
they have been buddies for many years now
i love that!



my sweet friend kelly
from granby, co
came through town a few times
and we got to hang



mom went to crested butte, co
for a vaca
we joined her for a few days
she saw some "july snow"
and i saw some cows




on my actual b-day
herbie put together a little happy hour
with some local friends

i am not so sure about this second picture
sort of a "my-two-dads" meets moulin rouge




a random self-photo-shoot moment



herb and i managed to still like each other
(most days)


we had some ugly kitchen carpet
at "the villa on corona"
(our lovely rental property)


but herb ripped it up
and now we don't

he is so strong and buff and manly
and unfortunately,
now he is probably
infested with aesbestos


sorry, all of you 50's kitsch lovers . . .
the stove has to go
being that it is a gas stove from the 50's
it is just too much of a liability at this point
any takers?
we're selling.



last week we had some friends come play with us
while we painted the entire upstairs of the villa on corona!



our lovely "mamma renter"


and one of her darling cuties
we are really cracking up that
our neighbor status is about to go from
having an 89 year old man
who never turned the lights on
to having three little munchkins
and their two musician, gypsy-like parents
living next door
so stinkin' fun!
we are blessed people!


and this is why we need community around us
there is no way we could have done this alone
without many tears
and our moto is
"choose beers, not tears."

gone fishin'

my mom is flying into town tonight
we're all leaving in the morning to go play in the mountains for a few days
and celebrate herb's 35th birthday
he is really excited to have two whole days in which he is:
"in my mid-30's and married to a woman in her 20's!"
he thinks he is such a hot-shot
and then, i turn 30 two days later!
sorry hot shot.

pictures and stories will surely follow when we get home next week.
enjoy the weekend!
cara

Over and Out (again!)

here are a few things i did in the last 32 hours!
FUN!

and now . . . we are heading out of town tomorrow
morning for herb's cousin's wedding.
hmmm.
weird to put two possesives in a row.
is that right?
"herb's cousin's wedding"???
at any rate, we are out of here -
milwaukee or bust, baby!

enjoy the rest of your week
c

O.U.T

Out.
That is what I am.
In Missouri.
Visiting family and my best friends.
Missing Herbie.
But you know what they say about distance.

Hope to have some fun pictures to share when I get back - hacking around with the camera lately. Man, it is NOT easy to take great pictures.
Next stop, learn how to use Photoshop!

But first, family time and that fantastic river rock massage tomorrow! YES!

What have YOU been looking forward to lately???

you can't help but smile

I Like Rocks ***elsie challenge***

today, elsie flannigan did a challenge over at creating keepsakes .
the idea was to scrap a page about something you find beautiful . . .
something that is simple and ordinary and everyday.

there are so many things . . .
kids playing on the playground
the flowers in my front yard
the vintage looking label on the brand of coconut milk i buy . . .
my husband's silly smile that he makes after he has made a joke and is waiting for the perfect pause in the conversation to say his next joke . . . .
the beautiful old wooden floors in our home . . .
so many many things . . .

but there is one thing that came to mind front and center -
(maybe because i had a picture printed and ready to go!?!?!)

the truth is . . .
i really love rocks.
when i go somewhere special, i pick up a rock.
when i am having a hard day, i pick up a rock.
if there is something i want to be sure to remember,
you get it . . .
ROCK!

we have a small and growing menagerie of these memories on our window sill.
there is the flat, round one i picked up one day and sat on the top of my computer at work - i wrote "strength" on it (just as a little reminder that god is my rock and my strength)
then there is the one my sister picked up on a walk back in 2003 over thanksgiving - when we celebrated our last holiday with our beloved aunt sara a few weeks before cancer took her body.
there is the heart shaped one i picked up in hawaii for herb the first time i realized i was in love with him . . .
and the little tiny castle shaped one from our honeymoon that reminded me of the watch towers that dotted the amalfi coast (you know, to protect the city from pirates!?!?!?!)
. . . our most recent addition is the two small white shiny stones we gave to each other during a ritual at the marriage conference this weekend.
it is my version of a modern day karin (not so sure of the spelling on this one)
the way i understand it, "karin" is the irish practice of stacking stones to mark a special moment or place or time.
ancients used to collect and stack rocks when they found some sort of victory.
the isrealites used to pick up a stone when god showed himself faithful . . .
then when they started to wonder where he was again . . .

(and i understand this can happen from time to time
when a three day trip ends up taking 40 years
and your god may or may not show up
in the form of a cloud, a bush, or an ass.)

. . . they would just pull out their rock and remember his faithfulness,
trusting that he will indeed be faithful again.
personally, if i was living a nomadic lifestyle, i am not so sure that my first thought would be "rock!"
but hey, they where under a lot of stress . . .

so, there you go.
a little random tidbit about what makes me tick.
rocks.
they remind me to god's faithfulness,
things i am thankful for,
and things i hope for.

Love Letters

Dear Austin, TX
It was so nice to meet you this weekend.
You are indeed, very weird.
But then again, so am I.
Thanks for all of the hospitality.
I especially enjoyed the perfect amount of humidity, the green grass, and the cool breezes through the window of the cottage we stayed in.
I also loved window shopping for hours in your quirky boutiques.
Oh - and I loved that the main street was packed with people for a vintage car show all weekend.
That was funny.

The truth? I feel like I can be honest with you, Austin . . .
I hear you get kind of steamy in the summer, so i am afraid you might be a little too hot to handle for a long term relationship.
but maybe we can have one or two long weekends together every year?

Love,
Cara

GOOOOOODBYE Austin, I Hardly Knew Ya!

Dear Austin, Texas USA:
I have heard lovely things about you. Your music scene sounds very fun and funky. I appreciate that in a music scene. I also understand you have good food. Things like burgers smothered in queso. I like queso very much. When you say "burger smothered in cheese", it sounds unhealhty. But adding that Spanish semantic twist was a good idea. Do people eat more cheese in Texas, because it is called queso? I bet they do. Not only do you have good cheese marketing, all of the people I have known who have Austin ties are very down to earth and fun. And let's not forget style. Those ladies have figured out how to do the whole, "Who me??? Oh, i just threw these skinny jeans and sparkely (but not TOO sparekly) top on and happen to look like a sex kitten" look down pat!

Cheese and sex kittens aside, I am afraid when I visit tomorrow, I will have to keep my distance. I can't get too close. I cannnot become attached to you. You see, if I fall in love with you, I will surely be disappointed.

Becuase with clowdy, rainy skies and a humidity level of 94%, it is guarenteed that after this weekend, herb and I will NEVER live in Austin.

With the Anticipation of Unrequited Love,
Cara Harjes

Highlights

A few highlights from our trip . . .

* the last taco stand on the strip of restaurants on the ferry dock. we sat with the owner and his friend while we waited for our boat to arrive. the owner was right when he said he was about to serve me "the best margarita" i would have while in mexico.
* the twighlight ferry boat ride AWAY from the lights and noise of cancun . . . the warm, humid air felt so good on my skin after our long long long cold cold cold ridiculous winter!
* as we rounded a corner, we heard the shouting and laughing of hundreds of children. herb thought i was about to navigate us away from the noise and he near-panickly declared, "We have to go see what that noise is!!!!" As we crested the hill, we saw what appeared to be half of the community out cheering on the middle-school girls basketball team.
* Nightly sunset cocktails on the third story rooftop patio.
* Walking through the neighborhood where we stayed and people watching. With the tourists being mostly contained to two thouroughfares, we really enjoyed tooling around the community.
*Watching the way other cultures do such a neat job of letting family, work, and play all sort of bleed together . . . life is life. None of this compartmentalizing stuff.
* The color of the water - unbelievable! i have never seen anything like it before!
* Making an unexpected connection with another guest at the hotel we stayed at.
* Taking pictures of the early morning fishermen cleaning their catches - one of the men moved the mouth of his fish, making it "sing" to me.
* Riding bikes with herb down the coast; stopping for a fun photo shoot on a hidden strip of beach that was covered in conch shells and then drinks at a peaceful hotel with an amazing oceanside swing bar.
* Being the only non-locals at an ocean-side restaurant.
* Took a $5 cab ride to the end of the island where we snorkeled and rested in a secluded park strewn with hammocks and little niches to sit. It was so quiet we could hear a half-dozen different kinds of birds.
* The guests in our hotel got along so well that one guest initiated a dinner party on friday night. Everyone work together to make the party happen.
* Amazing mexican breakfasts every morning made by jose.
* Waking up in time to watch the sunrise from the rooftop; then taking an early morning walk with my camera down the coast.
* Buying a coconut from a man with a machette.
* Great talks with herbie.

Color and Texture and Light - OH MY!

I had so much fun playing with our camera on our trip. I am such a hands on learner . . . so getting up early and going out at sunset was the perfect way to start playing around with sunlight and color. Loved it!

Well, Hi There!

after a fantastic and breathtaking four days,
we are back to colorful, sunny colorado!
we got home around noon today . . .
we are unpacked
laundry is started
pictures are on the computer (most of them)
and souveniers for the two (out of four!?!?! come on people, free stuff! i would have expected more takers than that!)
winners for the name drawing are neatly piled on the kitchen counter.

we are off to church . . . it is our night to greet, so we can't be late!
more tomorrow!

we had a delightful time enjoying nature and being together . . .
what have you been doing to enjoy the simple things lately?

On Our Way

The flight is at 11:40am.
The plan is to leave at 9am.
Guess who was ready at 8am with bags packed and a "can do!" attitude?!?!?!


Tell you what, if you leave a comment while I am gone with your name and your fave vacation that you've been on, I will draw two names when i get home and send out a little souvenir from mexi-co-oh-my-goodness-we-are-going-to-have-so-much-fun!

(BTW- my post about the weather not being perfect a few few days ago was totally cheeky . . . not at all actually complaing. oh no, this girl is quite grateful for all of the little treats and luxuries I have been given!)

It Won't Be Perfect . . .

But I am still getting just a little bit excited .

Next Stop . . .

Austin TX!
Well, technically, it is not the next stop.
I am jumping ahead.
But I am getting excited.
We are going to a wedding in Jonestown, TX at the end of the month . . . about 40 minutes outsite of Austin.
Our sweet friend Amy is getting married to a man named Cole. Amy is a friend I used to work for and she is just going to make an amazing wife and friend for this Cole fellow . . . whoever he may be. (We're still checking into you, Cole so don't get too comfortable with us yet.)

Since the wedding is not until Satruday night and our flight home is not until Sunday night, we are staying in the heart of the funky south austin district so that culture is at our finger tips during the days.
Apparently Austin is known for art, music, and food.
Plus a general feeling of funk.
You know, the important stuff!
Plus, the Colorado River runs through this part of Austin (like, blocks from our hotel) before dumping into the gulf.
I think river life is fun (i am the daughter of a man who has owned barges most of my life . . . we grew up close to the missouri river bottoms . . . so close that you could see the flood waters from our neighborhood back in '92.

ANYWAY, if you have ever been to Austin let us know your suggestions for burgers, blues, and whatever else we need to know about for a fabulous Austin-licous (but not austin-tatious . . . that is not our style) time.

Sorry, When I am About to Leave for Mexico, I Apparently Call Herb by Many Different Hispanic Names.

Well, yesterday's post was not actually meant to be a call for affirmation or a roll call of all of my blog readers (though that is not above me!) . . . i was actually going to write the story as a letter to Kelly just to make her laugh. Then I realized that Jennifer watches Grey's Anatomy and would also think it was funny. Then I realized, they might be the only ones left who read.
OKAY! So, now that Kelly and Jennifer DO read this blog, plus the two commentors and my friend Kaye who just emails me when she feels like leaving a comment, we have established that I have five readers!
Notice that Herberto is not on that list.

We are now at the four day mexico countdown. Arnesto has been mocking me for weeks now about my tendency to pack early . . . but i did't start until last night!

This is not the first of countdowns for me. When we were about a month out from our wedding, I made Jose a long paper chain and each day, he took down one link to find a sweet message from me . . . his mexican bride! Then there were the numbers (printed out on my parent's dot matrix printer) that hung in my locker the last 50 or so days of my senior year in high school.

But the truly funniest count down I ever did was in high school. I had a crush on a boy named John Stevens. Little heart breaker. Anyway, John and I were on the swim team together for years. This particular summer, I decided that I loved John. So i would ride my bike (or just walk) around the neighborhood trying to find where he was mowing lawns. Then i would sort of prance by as if i hadn't noticed that he was there. But looking extra sassy, no doubt (me, not him). Can you see how I made it 27 years without a "real boyfriend"???

The real treat was that he mowed our next door neighbor's lawn. I would take note of this and wander out to sit on the hammock in our yard when he was our mowing.

Fancy that.
Here I am. On my hammock.
Which just so happens to be hung across two trees . . .
one on our property and
one on the neighbor's.
Oops.
Do you have to mow the grass RIGHT where I am lounging?
Shame.

Huge shock - this didn't actually do much in the way of making John my boyfriend. So when the summer was coming to a hault, I began the "14 Day John Countdown". I cannot tell you a thing about it other than the fact that it was well documented in a properly labled journal. And while I did go on several dates with John, there was only friendship in the cards for us. Oh the entertainment I provided for my parents. Years and years.

I really should send them a bill.

Luckily by the time I met Jorge, I had outgrown the "oblivious hammock lounging" routine. I had graduated to much more mature, stelth-like techniques, like just boldly stopping by his house wearing nothing but running shorts and a sports bra (the kind that covers your tummy . . . come on, what do you take me for?!?!?), "on my way home from the park, because you know i live in the neighborhood now . . . yep. just four short blocks directly southeast of here. riiiiiight over there. would you like me to draw you a map, phillipe? i know how you love maps. i mean, um, well that is what i have heard. i have not set up web cams in your house or anything. i don't know that you sometimes read maps while taking a dump. But if I had set up web cams, that would not be a deal breaker would it? i mean, i know you like tech-y stuff. hey, eyes on me. don't look directly into that corner."

Smooooth.

And yet, lookie who is leaving in four days for mexico with their sexy latin (with subtle german undertones) lover?


(*** and this, ladies and gents is why i don't blog more than every 10 days! i just came over here to check my email . . . an hour ago! and here i am, still in my towel, blogging. dangit!)

Counting Down

Today's snow storm seems like as good a day as any to say . . .
Two weeks from yesterday, we are getting on an airplane with the masses of high school juniors and seniors who are allowed to leave the country for spring break (still don't understand that one) . . . flying to cancun . . . saying "peace out, homies" to the high schoolers . . . hopping a ferry and . . . landing at this sweet place for 5 nights and 4 long, sunny days of lounging, exploring, snorkeling, and making out on beaches!!!!!!

2 AM Friends

Who do you call when the boogy-man comes out to get you in the middle of life's dark nights? For me, it is Sarah, Latonya, and Mikki. They have known me since I was 19 years old. And they love me anyway. Two weekends ago, I got to spend a few days with them at the lake of the Ozarks. It was heavenly. Although, in heaven, I doubt your pontoon boat dies and drifts onto the rocky shore. And if it did, you probably would have better luck paddeling it away from shore because you would have heavenly muscles. And even if that didn't work, the people you flagged down for help would have stopped to help you. Or at least one of the five boats of people would have stopped to help you. And if that didn't work, you certainly would not have to get into the cold October lake water to swim/push the huge old boat back out into the lake so that you didn't get charged for ruining the bottom of a huge old boat.
Never a dull moment with them!