A new state, a new blog post

It's been WAY too long, and for that I apologize! There's no possible way I could successfully recap the last three months in any sort of detail in one blog post.  So, I'll try to hit the highlights via photos and captions.

1) Back in April, our fabulous neighbors and friends helped us send Jeremy off to Colorado in style.  In hindsight, the fact that we were in shorts in April should have clued us in to the ridiculous heat that summer would bring.

From left to right: Mark, Dave, Jenny, Tom, Denise, Chuck, Curtis, Me and Jeremy

(Not pictured: Kim, Rain and Finn, who were there, but had to go home early)

2) Ruby-girl turned 4! We celebrated in the only way we knew how, cheeseburger with a candle in it :)

Jeremy, proud of his cheeseburger "cake"

Ruby, blowing out the candle

Me and the birthday girl!

3) Jeremy moved to Denver a couple days after Ruby's birthday.  About two weeks later, my parents came to SLC to run the Timp Trail Half Marathon with me. We had every version of rain, hail, and mud imaginable, but had fun none-the-less. 

The color-coordinated (unplanned) Fricks crew post-race

Dad won his age group - woohoo!

4) At the end of May we moved out of our SLC house and into our new place in Denver.  Jeremy's folks were amazing troopers and traveled from California to help us pack, move, and unpack.  It was a major undertaking, but we managed to get it all done in record time.

Jeremy and his dad - super excited to pick up the moving truck

 

The first shot of our new place

 

Just a quick break from unloading the truck

After dropping the Jeremy's folks off at the airport, we were treated to a

double-rainbow on the drive home. I took that as a good omen!

5) For most of the month of June, Ruby and I moved in with our "former" neighbors in SLC while I finished up work at the U. I took advantage of my last few weeks in SLC and played a few more softball games with my fabulous team the Owls.

Ruby making herself at home in Dave and Jenny's house

Go Owls!! O,O

 

Saying my final goodbye to the best friends and neighbors a girl could ask for

6) Later in June, Ruby and I packed up the X-Terra and made the drive out to Colorado to join Jeremy.  We're all enjoying being back in the same house again and exploring our new neighborhood.

 

A little anxious, but so trusting. She'd go anywhere with me!

Crossing the border

It didn't take long for Ruby to feel at home -

here she is, loving her new backward

Jeremy and I got new bikes to explore our new 'hood

Ruby, of course, was the first to become an official Coloradan - 

Jeremy and I still haven't gotten our licenses

This is how Ruby spends most of her days -

starring out the back door at the squirrel who lives in the Juniper tree

7) On July 21, we took a family hike up to Lost Lake.  It was my first major outing in Colorado and perfectly timed to celebrate 13 years since my heart surgery in 2000.

The view from the trailhead

Ruby found a nice "water bowl" and invited herself in for a drink

She also found a new "stick" to play with

Those of you who know me well, 

know I'm happiest when I'm on a rock in the middle of a river :)

Lost Lake

Happy dog!

Ruby's first swim in Colorado

Shake it off!!

13 years with a happy heart

My loves

Family photo op

Obligatory selfie

 

Enjoying a local beer after the hike

 

 

And a margarita for the Mister!

8) Around this time, I had a birthday and Jeremy spoiled me with not one but two fabulous dinners.  The weekend before my birthday, we spent a lovely evening downtown.  Then, on my actual birthday, he made me a delicious steak dinner at home. He's a keeper.

 

Early birthday cocktails downtown

 

Birthday dinner, courtesy of Mr. Gleason

Finished off with cupcakes!!

9) Although we no longer live in a state that shuts down two days after my birthday for a parade and fireworks, we still celebrated "Pie-N-Beer" day.  I think that's a tradition we'll keep!

At Ernie's, our new favorite pizza joint

10) Last weekend, we took a whirlwind trip back to California.  Jeremy's buddy that he's known since kindergarten got married in a lovely ceremony and Jeremy enjoyed having a mini-reunion with his childhood friends.  I enjoyed the wedding, but I enjoyed sticking my feet in the ocean even more! Glad we were able to sneak in brunch with my extended family in Laguna Beach :)

Can you imagine how adorable these guys were when they were little kids?

 

Toes in the ocean = happy Ashley!

Whew! I think that's about it. Or at least the basics :) I've been keeping myself busy trying to get my lectures ready for when classes start later this month.  More on that in the next post, which I swear will be soon. Love ya'll!