I Should Have Been an Art Major

Hiya! Wooo this is two NEW blogs in one day. Since I got behind I have a lot to catch you guys up with.

Look! I found a new heart. I am on a mission to find all of them and I am up to 4. Who knows how many they have in this little land of love, but I will update you as I find them.

So from what Scott tells me... and from my recent discoveries, I am learning the true appreciation Loveland has for art. My education piece for the day according to the Loveland, Colorado website: In 1985, Loveland was the first city in Colorado to adopt an Art in Public Places ordinance, designating one percent of the city's capital construction projects of $50,000 or more for the purchase of art. Currently, the city's art collection is valued at more than 7 million dollars with approximately 72% of the total value of the collection donated by organizations and individuals. Presently, there are 307 individual pieces of artwork within the collection.

It seems that everywhere you drive, there are sculptures along side the road or pathways leading to the designated sculpture parks. Scott and I discovered an African sculpture park behind the Promenade shops (which is also where we indulge in Gelato -Italian Ice Cream). Since I have moved here, we have strolled through the park twice while stuffing our faces with Gelato... its a good combination. Each sculpture has a name, but as we walk we create our own names for them and see how close we actually are to the real one. Let me just tell you, we were way off on all of the African ones. They have some interesting art.

This picture here is me posing with my love monkeys. This is my favorite statue in the park! My sister was the first lucky guest to visit them :) When you kids, who are reading this, come to visit us, be prepared to meet the love monkeys. I know, I am strange... you don't have to tell me. The real name for this statue is, "Lovers"... not far off from my discription.

We decided it was time to appreciate our own heritage and visit the ALL AMERICAN Sculpture Park. So before I left for Ft. Lauderdale we decided to visit one. Again, we played the guessing game of what their names were, and came a lot closer to the real names. Find some pictures below:

Come'on, who doesn't want to sit on a Moose's Antlers. That almost sounds... uh... dirtty.. and not in a good way. Sorry, not apologizing for that! haha

This is a sculpture of young children playing ring-around-the-rosie. They left a spot open, for kids just like us to join! One of my favorites :)

What a classy picture! Me laying on a pig and Scott sitting on the shell of a Tortoise. Don't be jealous. You must remember, we don't have friends, so we have to create our own entertainment.

MAKE A WISH! It's a GIANT wish bone with two sculpted kids pulling on either side. Of course we took pictures of us attempting to pull apart a 2 ton scupture... but i decided to share the one of us underneath it. Hopefully, it's lucky for us :)

Put me in the circus! Do you see that talent... or should i say balance.

Well, I guess that's all of the art that I've discovered so far. For all of you engineers out there that hate art majors, like my boyfriend... Don't read this blog! Hehe. Guess that means you too Scott. If I do recall... my many memories of Scott and I walking around the PSU Altoona campus, involved him mumbling under his breath to every student dressed in their costumes, preparing for their upcoming drama play, or carrying their easel and canvases... his anger towards art majors. Maybe he's just jealous because he lacks their talent! Little did he know he'd find himself sitting on precious art sculptures 6 months later.

Random Thought of the Day: If you are married, how was your procession into the church? The typical funeral type... each person in your wedding party walking individually up the aisle? I'm sorry your guests had to experience that, when you could have had a procession like this...

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/32122353#32122353

(Compliments of my dear friends, Thomas and Gibney who watch the Today Show every day) Did you click on that link boys ;)

I'm now on a search to find a wedding to crash, with party animals like these kids! Don't tell me they weren't drunk when they walked in! Enjoy.

We'll talk again soon and in the mean time, be good and smile. oj Sistaa.

My New Friend

Hi kids! As most of you know (if i talk to you on a regular basis), I have yet to make a friend in this land of love. But little did I know that I would find my first friend on an airplane. I discovered her on my way back from Ft. Lauderdale. Before I start, I'm going to set the mood by posting this picture from an airplane... compliments of my sister.

I walked about 14 rows back, until i discovered my aisle seat. I sat down, put my things under the seat ahead of me, got out my ipod and that's when the girl beside me says, "Hi, why were you in Florida?" Although, I am a friendly person, I don't usually do a good job of picking out friendly strangers on a plane, so she almost caught me off guard when she started talking to me. We both discussed our travels in Florida and the next thing out of her mouth was, "I am going through a growth spurt right now, so i am going to warn you that I might have to get up and use the bathroom a lot!" Immediately, my brain is back-tracking to my nursing education, wondering if growth spurts really cause frequent bladder activity. I just looked at her, probably with an inquisitive look and replied saying, "Okay, that's fine." Really wondering to myself if I had enough time to pick a different seat. Well I didnt!

As I prepared myself for the muscial chairs I would be playing on this 4 hour plane ride back to Denver, she looked at me and said, "Can I ask you a question that might sound a little strange?" Of course I said yes and the next words out her mouth were, "What is it like to have your drivers license and drive a car?" Ooo did I forget to mention this girl is 10! Now, suddenly I am the more experienced and knowledgeable adult sitting beside her. In the mean time, I have her little brother leaning over her and interupting me by asking what state we were flying over! (Like I'm sitting in the cockpit or something?!) Geez, what did I get myself into.

Although I must say, it didn't take long before we were discussing parents, divorces, stepparents, siblings and the wonderful selection of shells in southern Florida. Shortly into our discussions, the flight attendants were coming around taking drink orders (hoping that food and drinks still entertain kids at that age) and I decided that I really wanted to complete my blog (my last post). So I pulled out my computer and as you could probably guess, her next question was, "Do you care if i watch what you type?" Then, asking if I have any games or typing programs that she could play. And since when can ten year old's read so well? She was glued to my arm reading every word, asking along the way, what I was talking about. This, of course, led to more interesting conversations, but to be honest, she was rather entertaining.

I almost hoped she would have been old enough to be my real friend rather than just like a little sister. Which leads me to our next conversation. I told her about my recent move and how I still haven't made any friends. Her eyes lit up immediately as if she had a solution to my problem... and says, "I know how you can make friends!" Curious of what advice a 10 year old was going to give me about making friends, she continued saying, "You should start playing raquet ball... my mom plays at a local club, and she can't keep up with half of her friends!" After a brief giggle, I told her that was actually a good idea, if Iwas coordiated enough to hold a raquet and hit a ball at the same time. Unfortunately, I am not, but thanked her and told her that I would think about it.

At this point... her brother is kicking her and they are arguing over the ipod they are sharing. I began replaying similar memories of my little brother and I when we were that age. Wow, where does the time go! But I decided, it was my turn to take a break and listen to my ipod. So as soon as I power it up, an album cover of U2 shows up on my screen and immediately she's asking, "Are you a U2 fan too?" Ten seconds ago, she was just arguing with her brother... talk about an observant little girl! She didn't miss a beat.

Now a few hours into the trip, we were all getting anxious to land. The boys sitting across the aisle were wrestling in their seats, the girls ahead of us were taking pictures non-stop, babies were crying and we just wanted to land somewhere that had a temperature less than 95 degrees with a lot less humidity than Florida. Her brother had gotten up twice to use the bathroom and given her early warning, you'd expect that she got up twice as often, but only once for her.

The plane finally landed and we arrived safely to the gate. Although my story may have sounded as if she was a bother, I thoroughly enjoyed the company of my new 10 year old friend! The first thing I did when I stood up was turn to the seat behind ours ,where their dad was sitting, and said, "You have great kids!" He said, "Well thanks, do you want them?" Sarcastically saying, "It would actually give me some company, sure!" Well immediately the little brother, still sitting in his seat, looks up at me and says, "Well HELLLLOOOO stepmom!" (meaning me).

The end.

Hope you enjoyed reading about my new friend :) I miss all of you back in PA - so don't be jealous, she's not taking your place. I'll be back to write more soon. Until then, be good and smile. OJ.

What I Hear...

Whine.. whine...whine and more whines is all I hear about me posting a new blog! Well here I am! I am actually sitting in the Ft. Lauderdale airport people-watching, while I should be working. I have been in three states in the past week and still have two more to travel to before the month is over (all work related). However, finding some personal gain out of it is always enjoyable. At least I have people to look at when I am traveling instead of only having my reflection to look at when I am in the home office. In case I haven't mentioned, the only social interaction during my normal work day, is with my stalker maintenance man when I walk to pick up the mail. As of late, I have been dodging him and his golf cart, so the only person I see is, well... me, myself and I!

In the past week...I was able to make a trip back to Pennsylvania (for work), but was able to visit everyone, which was nice. I also just had a Sheriff's Conference to attend in West Palm Beach, and have two conferences to attend this coming week in North Carolina and Tennessee. Who would have guessed I just moved to the West! Sure seems like I am spending more time on the East Coast these days.

Now before I get into any new thoughts, I figured I would keep my promise and update you on the rest of my 4th of July weekend.

What Scott heard on the 4th was the pounding in his head from the rebound migraine he woke up with that morning. (Grr!) That’s now three holidays in 7 months that a migraine has attempted to ruin…. Christmas, Easter, and the 4th of July. What’s the next holiday…. MY Birthday… guess I should start planning now, with a present for him instead...full of Tylenol, shots, a bucket, and a pillow. Loverboy, I always plan ahead :)

Still feeling sorry for Scott that morning, I decided to keep our plans of driving my sister to Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP). I set the GPS and we were on our way, through the foothills and arriving at the top of the Summit! The pictures below are Jess and I hugging the “snow sticks.” I have no idea what the real name of them is, so that’s the name I gave them. Considering the elevation of the Rockies and the abundance of snow that falls on them each year, these tall “tree like sticks” are placed along the edges of the road, so that when the road has to be plowed, they know where the road starts and stops. Basically it keeps the snow plows on path. Do you see how tall they are? A lot taller than me, and I don’t think I have seen snow higher than my knees before. Gives you a good idea of how much snow the mountains really get!

Here is a picture of us at the top of the Summit… 12,005 feet! We were lucky we got out of there before the storm started.

A picture of the Elk! Certainly not something you see in Pennsylvania everyday. This was just off the side of the road when we were heading to the Summit.

As the afternoon continued… We made it back from RMNP in one piece without getting lost! We were even greeted by Scott at the door, which meant he had plans of attending the soccer game, even with having the migraine that morning. I couldn’t have been happier!

Now let me back-track for a minute…. when Scott called me at the beginning of June to tell me that we were going to the Colorado Rapids Soccer game for the Fourth of July... I had the same reaction that any other NON-soccer fan would have. A disappointed one! However, before I could open my mouth he said, "Kylie, they have THE STATES largest display of fireworks!!" Immediately, my not-so-excited feeling turned into true anticipation!

Unfortunately, the ONE thing I did not hear or see on the fourth was Colorado's largest display of fireworks! Let me explain...

The whole Bores family (including my sister and I) packed in the car to meet Dave and Arica (Scott’s Brother and Girlfriend) for a little Mexican dinner before the event…. And of course margaritas. It was a good start to the evening.

Now, with our drinks in hand and the mascots cheering in the rowdiest fashion, the game began. As I said before, I am a non-soccer fan, but it didn’t take long until we were yelling from the stands in full outright Spanish, just to fit in with the rest of the crowd! HA kidding! I know a few select Spanish words and “Score” - “Soccer Net” – “Go Team” - & “Goalie” are not among those. However, Dave had to remind us from time to time that we were still in the United States and not across the Mexican border as most would have thought. To put it bluntly, we were the minority in the stands :) Nonetheless, the game was fully enjoyable!

At the end of the game, we were escorted on to the field to see COLORADO’S Largest display of fireworks. Sitting on a blanket, the lights went off, the jumbo tron illuminated with a brief introduction, the patriotic anthems began playing overhead and the firework show began firing. Just a few minutes later, we noticed long delays between fireworks, the music was suddenly playing two songs at once, and people began leaving. No joke, this was 6 minutes into the show and I was not happy! Turns out they had technical problems with the computer system, which caused a major malfunction in the firework display.

Leaving the stadium we saw the cars lined for miles.... just sitting in traffic. We decided to head next door to the Commerce City Police Station (where Dave and Arica “play” cops everyday-hehe) and wasted time until the traffic cleared. At least we were sitting in the station by choice!

Although we left disappointed, they are redoing the firework show on July 25th. Celebrating the 4th, twenty-one days late! Horray! Stay tuned for my reaction in my next blog.

Didn’t realize this blog was getting so long… whew! I’ll wrap it up. The weekend with my sister was coming to an end, but we had a few things left to do. That being, the Anheuser Busch Brewery…see the real Clydesdale’s below. Yes, the same ones who star in the #1 Budweiser commercial every Super Bowl. This one's name was Darth!

We also had a celebration for the not-so-young Birthday Boy. Although, these days you are as young as you look, I mean feel, right?! Did the waitress ask to see your ID for that margarita, Dave? Haa! This didn’t stop him from celebrating with a few games of washers (yes, Arica carried you the whole time), eating a watermelon full of vodka, deep frying a turkey, opening rocks for presents and eating the delicious German Chocolate cake with singing birthday candles. The day ended with his famous quote, “Happy Birthday to Meee!” (I added the extra “e’s” for emphasis.

I guess this concludes my 4th of July weekend. I apologize for not holding true to my “one blog a week” comment. Although, I said I would try… I never made a promise. So in the mean time, stay tuned for my updates, as my entertaining life in Loveland... and the East Coast continues.

Random thought of the day: What is your first thought when I say the word...Palm Tree. The beach, right?! So if you are a beachy kind of person, would you ever consider buying an indoor palm tree for your house? Not fake... real! I thought I would clarify it was REAL, in case you are thinking I like to own fake things (the orchid, apples, and oranges). I found one in the gift shop in the airport and can't decide if i want to purchase one or not. I mean, palm trees can barely survive the Northern Florida weather during the "winter" months, let alone in my small office in the middle of Colorado. Considering I am miles upon miles away from any kind of coast, beach, ocean, or palm tree.... I thought having my own slice of the beach, may put my mind at ease.

Although, let me tell you, Scott and I purchased a hanging plant and a tall lily plant for our back porch, and as my experience continues... I am learning that my thumb is far from green! They are almost dead and if I can’t seem to keep a normal plant alive, how could I possibly keep a tree meant for the South alive in the center of the Rocky Mountains?! Therefore, I decided against the purchase of the indoor palm tree and figured it would be my excuse to plan more trips to Florida and visit them in the place where they belong! Plus, it may have made my fake little orchid a little jealous ;)

Until next time... be good and smile. OJ, sisterrr!

In a Heart

Hello from the small heart in Northern Colorado!


Yes that is me sitting on a HEART at the visitor center in Loveland. (Sister, I promise to find more!)

It's been a week since I have updated all of you on my life... and too be honest I don't know where to begin! I guess I will start with first things first. This blog and is going to involve stories and pictures including my sister and you are probably going to wonder where she came from. (Well from her mother of course, but how did she get out to Colorado?!). Well Scott and Jess schemed together with their clever brains and planned a trip for her to visit over the 4th of July weekend. I had no idea she was coming and let's just say I was surprised! :)

We spent the weekend taking her to various tourist areas and some of our favorite places, but the first was Mount Evans (North America's Highest Paved Road). Or was it Mt. Everest, Jess? This was the first place Scott took me the first time I visited Colorado and was the first place we decided to take her. (Wow that was a lot of firsts) The view from the top is really unimaginable until you see it with your own two eyes. As you can see below... 14, 270 feet wasn't high enough for us... we had to jump a few feet higher!

And of course you can't forget the picture with Mr. Tour Guide! The rose between 2 thorns... or the thorn between 2 roses?! :)

Got oxygen? Well not us! Not after a strenuous climb over rocks, snow, other tourists and billy goats at that elevation. So instead of drinking water after our adventure, which is highly recommended... we decided to dehydrate ourselves even more by drinking at the Coors Brewery. Who would have thought a Friday afternoon at the Coors Brewery would be so so crowded! Well it was, but we waited in line in the small town of Golden, Colorado to take the bus and tour the facility. Did you know 300 railcars are stocked of beer each day. One rail car = one six pack a day for 90 years!!! That is a lot of freaking beer. Sign me up!!! (I swear all of these blogs somehow relate to alcohol, sorry if you are a recovering alcoholic reading this...I don't mean to be a tease) Although, I must say drinking a freshly brewed ice cold Coors Light in the rocky mountains... well I'm not sure it gets any better than that! The brewery actually gives you three free 8ish ounce beers at the end of every tour. (We blame Scott for forcing us to drink all 3 beers in 15 minutes...and don't forget we were already a little dehydrated... which led to a 2 tipsy sisters when we left)

(I also decided to share a picture of the billy goats with you since its not something you see everyday in PA).

After our refreshing beers at Coors, we decided to enter the Hippie Capital of the US... Boulder, CO. Of course we had to enter in style by jamming out to a few tunes by Rusted Root! (Do the hippie dance - you know who you are.) We visited "The Blending Cellar," which is a cool little wine bar that we discovered a few months ago and did a "wine flight" (basically another name for a wine tasting). While sitting outside, drinking our wine, discussing our fun day, and people watching...a woman walked past saying out loud... "I need to shave my airpits tomorrow!" Well enough said...Welcome to Boulder, CO! Our adventures continued through the early evening down the infamous Pearl Street.... and our night ended with a little swim in our pool at the apartment.

Wow I only made it through day 1 of the weekend... and I have so much more to share. I hope it was enthusiatic enough to bring you back! For now... this blog is to be continued.

Upcoming: Our eventful, or shall i say UNeventful 4th of July; Rocky Mtn National Park; More beer tours at Anheuser Busch; and a Happy Birthday to Dave (Scott's Brother).

Random thought of the day: Do you squeeze your toothpaste bottle in the middle or do you squeeze from the end? Is this something that you even take notice too or is so routine that you even don't think about it? Well...when you share a toothpaste bottle with someone who does the opposite of you... you will learn how much of a pet peeve it can create. For the record... I squeeze in the middle! Take notice the next time and if you are a "middle person," don't ever share your toothpaste with Scott! ;)

I will be back with more soon... in the mean time... be good and smile. OJ!

For My Niece

Happy Birthday from Colorado!

Ten years ago today my precious niece, Madison, was born in Kentucky, which is where her dad was stationed for the Army :) When she was born I was enjoying the summer days before entering the 8th grade... and now look... I have already graduated college (Twice) and she is half way to 8th grade! Where does the time go?!

When my sister told Madison that I was moving to Colorado her first question was of course, "FOR WHAT?" After explainning that I was moving to follow my heart to live with Scooter, (by the way, is the nickname my sister gave Scott and has just "stuck" ever since) her first words were, "Well she isn't going to be here for my birthday!" I guess at that age, thats all you care about... although, I should say she got that from her Aunt. Considering I have already hit the fun ages, 10...13...16...18...21... I still look forward to my birthday every year. Speaking of... Scott my birthday is only 2 months & 2 days away...don't forget :) See Madison, Aunt Kyky has a countdown until her birthday too!

I will bring your gift home on the plane with me next weekend. Promise. Oh and maybe, if you are lucky, Scott will return the pretty pretty princess jewlery that he "accidently" wore home or maybe I can talk him into buying you a game of your own, so that he can continue wearing the jewelry around the house! (hehe, don't worry Scooter, your secret is safe with us)

I hope that you have a great day and enjoy this next year, living the life of a 10 year old! You are growing up to be quite the young lady and just think...three more years until you're a teenager. (Sister, relax!) I love and miss you, Maddy!

Until next time, be good and smile. Olive Juice.