The Joys of Colorado

Okay, don't get me wrong, I really like Colorado. It's beautiful and I love all the open space, a nice change from the East Coast and the congestion of DC. People here are so laid-back and friendly, there are so many outdoor activities to pursue, and I love all the conveniences we didn't have in Aviano, but I'm not used to all this snow. I mean it hasn't been that bad, we haven't had to dig ourselves out or anything. I think the snow is beautiful, I just hate the mess we're left with afterwards, the slick roads and sidewalks and the shovelling.

Yesterday evening I left the house to run some errands, when I left there were snow flurries falling, but nothing was sticking. It seemed like in no time that changed. I couldn't have spent more than 20 minutes in a store when I walked out to barely visible conditions. The wind was blowing, the snow was falling hard, and the roads were covered. What should have been a 15 minute trip home (maximum), turned into a stressful 45 minutes. The roads were bad and it was difficult to see through the large snowflakes. Cars had spun out and were stuck all over the roads. We made sure both our cars had 4 wheel drive and were good for such conditions, for which I am thankful, but it was still stressful. A few times I coudn't stop and feared I'd hit someone. I prayed most of the way home and was thankful when I got home safely. This morning I woke up to a beautiful sunny day, one problem, Chae is gone and the driveway and sidewalk were covered in snow. I don't think I've ever really had to shovel. Growing up my parents usually took care of the shovelling, and we lived in a townhouse, so there wasn't as much space to shovel. In college, the facilities/grounds people took care of the shovelling, and snow hasn't been a big deal the last two years when we were overseas. Besides, I don't think I've ever lived anywhere known for getting snow as frequently as here. I procrastinated as long as I could, and finally headed out. It took me an hour and 10 minutes and our driveway looks nowhere near as pretty and clean as everyone elses. It's obvious that I'm an amateur. Shovelling is Chae's job, but he wasn't here to do it. One of the conditions I gave before moving here was that I wouldn't have to shovel snow (Chae's been talking about moving back to Colorado since we dated, I was always a little unsure). I know, it makes me sound like a diva, but everyone knows that I'm kind of h&m (high maintenance, it's a nickname Chae gave me), it's just that I'm not a fan of the cold. It really should not have taken that long anyway. Chae does it much faster, but he is also much bigger and stronger than me. I was also trying to scrape off the snow that had turned to ice. At least I got a workout in, especially since I didn't make it to the gym this morning, and Kiera enjoys it. We throw the snow at her when shovelling and she eats it (you cans see pics in a few posts back). She eats so much snow she is literally throwing it up, peeing a lot, and shivering, but she cries hysterically if we don't let her enage in this activity. She's always loved the snow. Anyway, I finished with an aching back and shoulders, and a blister or two.

I wish I could say that was my last complaint of the day, but one more incident occured as a consequence of yesterday's beautiful snowfall, I bit it. I was leaving the Home Depot and was just a few feet from the car when I slipped on a patch of ice and landed on my right butt cheek/hip/back. Contrary to what some of you out there might be thinking, I was wearing tennis shoes, not stilettos. I think that's the first fall I've ever had on the ice. I'm usually cautious after it snows and am wary of the ice patches. This time I was not paying attention and was in a hurry to get to the car. No worries, I'm fine. It didn't hurt at all at the time, and no one saw (although I wouldn't have cared, I don't think they would have laughed when we're all slipping and sliding). The area is just a tad sore right now, but fine. I think our weekend snowboarding trips and my crash landings have prepared me for such a moment. I'm more annoyed than anything else. I wish we could enjoy the beauty of the snow without the consequences.

Don't Blow Away

You know, Chae told me a lot about Colorado. He told me about the 300+ days of sunshine a year, the snow, weather patterns, temperature, the mountains, all there is to do here (i.e. hiking, snowboarding, camping), but he forgot to mention one thing, one thing that seems to be very significant, or perhaps I should say aggressive, in Colorado - the wind. I have never experienced such strong winds so frequently before. It's crazy. It's very windy right now and was so most of the night. You can hear the wind howling around the house, threatening to burst through the windows. There are many windy days in Colorado. I've only been here for four months, and as I stated before, I've never experienced so much wind. I don't know if it comes down off the mountains or what. It can be warm and windy or cold and windy. Maybe that is why you can see four seasons in one day here, the wind must blow in the weather. In our rental house (which we stayed in for 2 months) we actually had to take the table umbrella down and put it in the shed. I thought the wind would break it.

When I studied in the South of France, we learned all about the powerful wind down there. The wind there even has a name "Le Mistral" ("masterly,"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mistral_(wind) , in this link you can see a picture of the wind blowing in Marseille, I was 20 minutes north of there). I think the wind in Colorado should have a name too. Any suggestions? Either way, the wind I experienced in the South of France pales in comparison to the wind I've experienced here, although I was there for such a short time.

I hope it doesn't sound like I'm complaining, because I'm not. It doesn't really bother me, I'm just surprised at its intensity and the frequency at which it occurs. We've actually had really nice weather the last few days. It was in the 60s. We went snowboarding on Saturday and it was beautiful, sunny and warm. I wanted to post some pictures, but Chae left for Rochester, NY (business) yesterday and won't be back until Friday. He has the laptop which has all of our pictures. Well, I must go. I have a lot to do, which means I must venture out in the wind.

House of Crazy!!!!

Did I mention yet that my dog is driving me absolutely crazy?! I can't wait for her wound to completely heal so that she can go outside to play and burn some energy. Fifteen days and counting since she's been able to play and is full of pent up energy. I took her back to the vet on Friday thinking that we would finally be done with the whole process and that everything could once again return to normal in the Pak household. Turns out I set my expectations too high. Thursday night Chae took Kiera's bandage off so that we could take a look at her wound. It was stinky. Must be what it smells like when a cast is taken off. He then bandaged her back up. Well, Friday evening, an hour before leaving for the vet, I'm in the kitchen prepping dinner when Kiera walks down the stairs and lo and behold what do I see, but a naked paw. At some point she had taken off her bandage and cleaned her own paw. I found a piece of gauze, wrapped it back up, and sent her to her bed. Later that evening at the vet clinic, the vet informs me that there are no sutures to be taken out. Apparently Kiera had ripped them out herself (the whole reason we went to the vet was to have them taken out). No worries, the wound is healing well she says. The only problem is that the wound is located on a part of her paw that she uses when walking, which means it continuously opens and so it is healing from the inside out. The best thing to do she says is to restrict Kiera's activities for another week. Another week?! But she's driving me crazy. They re-bandage her foot to keep it clean and prevent infection. It looks like Kiera blames her bandaged foot for not being able to play, so yesterday she rips off yet another bandage. Good news, the wound looks a lot better. We just put a sock and plastic bootie on it whenever she goes out to make sure it stays clean. Four more days and she can finally go out. I can't wait, for both our sakes.
In other news, we went snowboarding on Saturday. Good news - this was one of my best and most fun snowboarding days thus far, bad news - Chae's snowboard went MIA. We took the bus back to the parking lot, and placed our snowboards on the designated brackets on the outside of the bus (just like everyone else). When we got off the bus Chae's board was gone. He rode back with the bus driver hoping it had fallen, but it was nowhere in sight. After a trip to the lost and found and filling out a report, still no board. I kept hoping it would show up. Why do people have to be like that? Stealing other people's things, especially something expensive? Chae was bummed and I felt so sad for him. He was a little attached to the board. It was his first one. Yesterday he bought another one from a store that was about to close so he got a good deal. We didn't exactly want to spend that extra money when there is so much to do at the house, but we've already invested in season passes and want to take full advantage of them. I believe in a just God, so although we may never see that board or know how justice was served, I believe that God will take care of the situation and culprit in some form or another.