Shopping, concert by the lake, seeing friends from home, swimming in a resevoir

I guess when I write it all down, we are keeping ourselves busy. We've had beautiful weather all week. A few clouds that looked like rain, but we never seem to see or feel a drop. No wonder it's so dry here. The nights are very cool. The last two nights our furnace kicked in...unbelievable with how warm it is during the day. Ceiling fans work wonders here, and Chuck bought some for each of the kids' rooms last night.

On Wed. we pretty much sat at home. Nobody was in the mood to do a thing. It was o.k., Alli and I sat and read our books, I looked over recipes, and the kids played computer and guitar hero. It was kind of nice. By evening, though, we were stir-crazy. Every other Wednesday they have free concerts at the lake house here, so we headed that way to see what it was all about. Man, was I amazed and impressed! There were hundreds of people there! Families galore! The bands that played were awesome, and tons of kids were up there dancing. It looked like a big wedding reception--all these little girls dancing together in sun dresses. The parents were spread all over the lawn in chairs and blankets having picnics. There was wine and cheese and full course meals. Needless to say we were NOT prepared. I guess this is such a big deal that you have to get there a couple hours ahead of time to get a seat on the lawn. In the back there were numerous games of soccer and lacrosse, plus football and baseball games that the boys were playing. It was so fun! Here is a picture of the lake house as we walked home that evening:

The nicest part? NO MOSQUITOES!!!!! Not one bug was in sight--I could have stayed there all night. We were forewarned that the next concert will be a doozy. I guess a very popular band in the area is playing, so we were urged to get there EARLY. I can't wait.

So, yesterday (Thursday) I packed the car and headed into Denver to have lunch with Chuck. We then went to find khaki pants and a navy shirt for Allison to wear to work. I had spied a beach while I was driving one day, so the kids and I went to check it out. Remember the creek I told you about that runs through our town? Well, at the bottom of the mountain they made a reservoir from all the creek water. They had a nice beach area, too. The kids there were catching crayfish, but the boys were a little leery about that this time.

Afterward, I took the kids home, and Allison and I got ready to meet with a couple of her friends that were here on vacation with one of their families. It was so nice to see them, even though it's only been a week since we last saw them in Minnesota. We giggled the whole time. I think it was the highlight of Allison's week.

Alli, Shelly, Jeremiah (Shelly's cousin), Shea

This weekend we are thinking about checking out a Strawberry Festival in Glenwood Springs (thank you for the idea Shelly!). Check back for pictures!