A Declaration of Independence

That's right. Alex is officially done with Frito Lay as of Friday morning. I'm not sure that it has actually hit us yet. It probably will tomorrow when we actually get to wake up together and eat breakfast and leave at the same time. It's kind of crazy to think about.

For a year and eight months, Alex and I have had completely different sleep schedules and for ten of those months, we had different days off. It has been challenging for us physically and spiritually and we are anxious for this new chapter to become real to us.

Alex's employees threw a party for him last Wednesday night and I got to go. They could not say enough positive, loving things about him. The impact that he has made on people at Frito Lay is impressive, to say the least. God used him to encourage many people and we know that is the reason that he was there. Pretty cool stuff. I cannot say enough how proud I am of my husband.

He starts school (a pre-school camp, actually) tomorrow. That's fun. We've been going to WalMart and perusing the back-to-school section. Back to the grind and being poor college students! We're exploring cheap food options again (rice, beans, chicken). Any meal invitations over the next 16 months will be appreciated. :)

AND about a week and a half ago, we got back from Estes Park, Colorado. My family goes every other year and stays at the Y Camp there. It was a blast and a nice break from work.

Here are some highlights from the trip:
- On the way up, we stopped at Trinidad, CO. Then we took a short day trip to the Great Sand Dunes National Park. It was...really hot.
- Once we got to Estes, my dad and I decided that we wanted to scare my sister and her friend Caitlin. We bought this really creepy doll and mounted it on a ski pole. We were going to sneak outside their window after they went to bed and then wake them up with the creep-o doll. Unfortunately, they discovered the hiding place before the plan came to fruition. BUT my dad and I got a good laugh about it for at least two days before they discovered it.
- Alex and Leah got to go rock climbing. Their guide could do pull ups with his fingers and told them that he went up and down Longs Peak in four hours (a hike that took us 12). I think he was a little bogus.
- While they were rockclimbing, Caitlin and I rented a tandem bicycle at the marnina. We almost died....at least 3 times. For those of you who think it's easy, it's not. There's no way Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy could have ridden one. The first time we tried to get it started, we rammed it into the bathrooms. The third time, we actually ran into some people and Caitlin ended up on the ground. After that, we rented scooters from a lady who lives in Austin during the winter. She showed us all her pictures of scooter accidents. We rented some 50 cc scooters and rode them around for an hour while trying not to swallow bugs.
- Leah, Caitlin, and I went on a tour of the world famous Stanley Hotel. This is the hotel that inspired The Shining. It is supposedly haunted. The tour was interesting, needless to say. I got some pictures of some orbs (ghost spirits) and our tour guide could read auras. We made a spoof video of the tour back at the cabin and it provided an hour of entertainment.
- On the Sunday before we left, we all did Longs Peak. It's a 15 mile round trip hike and you gain alot of elevation (i.e. a buttkicker). We were on the trail at 2 am, shortly behind the bridal party (that's right- someone was getting married at the summit). It took us about six hours to get up. The sunrise was unbelievable and the pace was really slow. Towards the end once you get past the boulder field (climbing over rocks for 1.2 miles), you have to go over this thing called The Ledges. You're basically climbing across rocks that are slanted. If you fell, you would most definitely get hurt. It was pretty nerve-wracking. Leah, Alex, and I were all trying to stay alive and I think the elevation was making us a little loopy. I laugh-cried at least twice. We thought once we got across those, we would almost be there, but once we rounded the corner....yikes. It was basically straight up bouldering and loose rocks. Leah stopped and said she couldn't go any further. Alex and I pressed on for a little bit. I stopped about halfway up that cause I wasn't sure if I could get down safely. Alex got 250 feet from the top of Longs, but it had rained the day before, which made the summit technical. At one point, he slid 15 feet on his stomach. He decided, then, that he had a wife and he needed to live so he came back down.

Leah and I got chased by a marmot, which caused more hysteria. I was afraid Leah would fall off the mountain out of fear of the large rodent. I screamed, "Throw rocks!" We laugh-cried again. I fell on the boulder field on the way back and cried again. We were so exhausted and it was a trudge down. When we got to the car, I cried again. When we got back to the cabin, we all ate and then passed out. It was quite a hike. I'm glad that I did it, but I won't do it again. I'm satisfied with what I did. Alex wants to try again but he'll have to find someone else. :)

Actual school at the shelter starts August 24th. I'm excited!