Impromptu date!

Crown Pub
Yummy food and drink
Walk around Old Town
Stop in at fudge shop... Impromptu dessert
Buying a new pair of TOMS to replace my broken flip flops
Walk a couple miles down a nature trail
Picking up Big Bang Theory season 5 at the store

Pretty good night that started "what's for dinner?" "let's go on a date!"

the garden of eden is in Jackson County, Missouri...

Today we had a date day down to Denver to see the Book of Mormon musical. It was so much fun to get to spend the day together down in Denver. We got the tickets way before we knew where we would be moving to, (Sarah actually spent 2 hours online trying to get tickets the morning they went on sale to get them... it was sold out by 12:30 that day!) and we were happy that we actually got to use them! The musical was hilarious, but definitely not high brow musical material. Very crass in many parts, but so stinking funny too!

The tickets! So glad we got down there in time to get them from Will Call. The CU/CSU game was also today, so traffic was a mess! We got to our seats on time though!

Here we are! We were there!

Wahoo! Bryson is super excited for picture time.

After the show, we went to a restaurant called Sam's No. 3. This was part of our "Diners, Drive Ins and Dives" restaurant eating experiences

What a fun day with great company in the Mile High City!

Griffin's birthday!

Our favorite little out of uterus nephew turned one yesterday! And, he started WALKING on his birthday party day! He had taken a few steps, before, but he was walking all around by the end of the day. What a cutie!

Aunt Sarah and Uncle Bryson Found a rocking moose at IKEA for the little moose man!

Dinosaur Train

Cake made my Muzz (grandma Lillie)

Yum cake!!!

Here dad, have some!

Mmmm!!!

Cake is why God gave us 2 hands

Yay!

Oh man, being 1 is hard! Sleepy time on Auntie Sarah while mom and dad cleaned up the party (I got the best job!)

 

daddy's birthday celebration

In August 11, we took my dad to Fort Collins New West Fest to see Alison Krauss and Union Station! What a great night!

Me and daddy

Bryson and me

Concert about to begin

Loving the music

Alison and Union Station

First 29th birthday!

Yesterday was Bryson's "first" 29th birthday! (Next year, he will be 29 again... we're not going to 30 in this house.) We enjoyed a Rockies game with both sets of our parents and little brother Babb.

Then... it started to rain... and rain... and rain...

They finally called a rain delay, and we left to go back. The game continued a few hours later, and of course, the Rockies Lost. But a fun night.

Tonight, we did Bryson's birthday with just the two of us. Green lantern cake made by Sarah

I forgot to get a #9 candle... but i figured he should at least use the 2 in the tens place one last time!

Happy birthday to the most wonderful man I know!

And, in response to last year's post, here are 2+9 things I love about you...

2. - I love how amazingly supportive you have been during our journey through all my back pain. Glad you haven't decided you bought a lemon and want to return me for a newer model.

1. - I love when we go to a coffee shop, where we get away from the distractions of the house, and we get to talk about life and love.

9. - I love you so much for getting through seminary this year. You are AMAZING and I am so proud of all the hard work you did.

8. - I love how you almost single-handedly packed our apartment for our move to Fort Collins since I had recently had back surgery. What an amazing husband.

7. - I love how you still make me laugh. I am pretty sure I will laugh with you for the rest of my life.

6. - I love how faithful you are being in your new job as a pastor. I know you will be so great in this job.

5. - I love how much you support my career. Whether it's coming up to help me move furniture or attending one of the many kiddo concerts (when I know you really don't like to be around all those kids), you are always there happily to support my teaching.

4. - I love how you maintain me when I am being my gooney self. Whether it's leaving my cell phone at the American Furniture Warehouse store or forgetting my iPod, you never get too mad, just give me an "Oh, Goon."

3. - I love seeing you get excited about theology and Bible stuff. Your knowledge and excitement for God has made me want more.

2. - I love when you do silly dances for me. Even when you think I might not be watching, I appreciate all your moves.

1. - I love that you chose me to be your wife. I am so honored and blessed to be called "Mrs. Lillie"

(WHEW! Next year I only need to come up with 30 things!)

...no comprendo?

I have been working really hard on my Spanish since surgery. Well, I HAD been working hard on my Spanish... preparing for the school year has gotten in the way a little. My school is very Spanish speaking. 97% of the kids are Hispanic (though not all necessarily speak Spanish in the home, I learned today... well, duh Mrs. Lillie). But what has really been cool is how all the teachers talk in Spanish together. Many of the teachers are also Latin American and many speak Spanish. I was doing well understanding some conversations I'd been hearing. So, today, after almost talking to our custodian many times in Spanish, I decided to get brave and ask, "I'm working to learn Spanish, can we talk in Spanish instead of English?" He said, "Yes, we will talk in Spanish now." (Now meant now.) I did good telling him I didn't want a couple things in my room anymore (sí, lo quiero... no, no lo quiero) and learned a new way to say, I think, "How is your day going?" (Como le hay ida?).

*no fair using google translate on the rest of the story until it's over*

Then he came in and asked me "Quiero un pájaro?" Hmm... pájaro... pájaro... Let's do some inferring... he is holding a box... that looks like it might have paper in it... looks like it could be from a paper company... maybe we're talking about paper... "No, no quiero?" "No quiero?!?!" he says. Then he brings over the box. With a live bird in it. Pájaro = bird.

Nope, still didn't want it. But I am doing some Rosetta Stone again tonight.

New classroom!

Today I went in to my new school! Here are some pictures from my new room.

A view from the back of my room before i did anything yet. It's HUGE! I am pretty sure it is the biggest elementary music room I have ever seen, which bodes well for a music teacher who loves to do line dancing and other crazy movement activities. The benches and trees will be leaving my room but they are waxing the front hallway.

All the xylophones! I am so excited about this! There are about 10 xylophones and 6 metallophones + 4 glockenspiels! 

View from the other side of the room

The 15 keyboards! And those black bags? Those are about 18 class guitars! How cool is that???

A different angle 

After I moved the xylophones around to a different area of the room

Oh, did I forget to mention the 10+ bass bars???

The multitude of classroom instruments!

I have just barely started digging through this room. There are SO many resources. There were many many children's books that relate to my music curriculum that I don't have, some great Orff magazines, a few more instruments hiding and some other good books I know I'll look forward to going through. I met a few teachers today, and I think this will be a good staff too. I love my principal. She is extremely nice and helpful and seems like she will really be great to work for. 

Though I am still sad being gone from my SPE family, I think this will be good place too.

More pictures coming as I finish setting it all up!

On another note... some other cool things at the Lillie house (and no, it's not a baby crazy people):

Wahoo! So proud of Pastor Bryson Lillie! :)