Green Bananas

It’s that time again….New Year, New You!  New chances, Fresh starts.  New Beginnings, New Challenges.  New Dreams, New Adventures.  Get Healthy, Lose weight.  Smile More, Worry Less.  Stop Smoking, Save Money.  Stress Less, Exercise More.  Be Positive, Laugh more.


It’s all over the News, Social Media, and the magazines in the check out lines.  Try this diet.  Try this new product guaranteed to take away your pain, problems, wrinkles, husband, (just kidding.)  These are all great ideas but let me add my thoughts to them.


 As a Fitness Instructor of course I’m going to encourage to take care of yourself physically by exercising for 30 minutes, 3 to 5 days per week.  That’s doable, right?  Next you need to take care of your brain.  Yes, read, learn, do hobbies, but also take the time to relax, meditate, breathe.  Get a massage, practice Yoga or Tai Chi.  Take a walk, look at the stars, or watch the sunrise, preferably over the ocean.  And last, but not least, take care of your soul.  In these Golden Years, we don’t buy green bananas, just in case were not around when they get ripe. HaHa!  In all seriousness, you never know.  So I encourage you to “Let Go and Let God.”  He’s got this all figured out.  Matthew 6:27 asks us, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life.  Go to church, forgive an enemy, or your son in law, reconnect with friends.  Don’t just exist, Live!  


You are never to old to set another goal or dream a new dream. 

Denver over Thanksgiving 2019

It was a beautiful day in Pittsburgh but we knew that Denver was having a snowstorm.  We were waiting to see if our flight was delayed then decided, "What the heck, let's just go to the airport!"  (Oh yes, I almost forgot, Julianne got a speeding ticket on her way back from Edinboro.)  So we get to the airport and start walking around.  We see Michael Symon's restaurant, Bar Symon and go in.  Since it was a late flight we ate salads and sandwiches.
The flight was uneventful.  Bill and I watched a movie on his Kindle and Julianne did whatever Julianne does.  We get to Denver a little late and then the fun begins!  It took forever to get our luggage because of delayed flights earlier in the day.  I takes a long time to get our rental car too.  Oh, and did I mention the temperature is in the single digits and there is a foot of snow on the ground!
We were planning to visit Justine before checking into our hotel but by the time we were on our way, she was asleep on her couch.  Did you know that they don't salt the road in Denver?  I'm glad Bill was driving and not me.  Our GPS took us through the suburbs and shopping areas.  We did find a liquor store open, thank goodness!  We finally made it to our Staybridge Suites hotel, unpacked, had a beer, and went to bed.

Yep, there was a foot of snow!  After breakfast we drove over to Teen new house.  We met Oliver and took the grand tour.  It is a nice house with room to grow.  Anthony had to go to work that night so we left him to take a nap and we went to the Stanley Market.  We had a flight at Cheluna Brewing Company and walked around for a while.  We decided to go to Station 26 Brewery for some tangerine beer and popcorn. 

We got back to Teen's picked up Anthony and went to the Escape Room.  We had so much fun when we were there earlier in the year we wanted to try again.  We escaped again.  Ain't no stopping this Prutz / Kern combination!  We had a nice Italian dinner at the Cherry Tomato that evening.
Happy Thanksgiving!  We found Alice's Restaurant on the internet and listened to it at Teen's while enjoying delicious smells of turkey and apple pie.  We nibbles snacks and drank lots of beer until at last the turkey was ready.  It was well worth the wait!

With full bellies we watched Christmas Movies and then played 500.  What a great Thanksgiving!

Next day, we drove to Fort Collins for a tour of New Belgium Brewery.  We also stopped in at ODell Brewing Company and stopped at Black Shirt Brewery as well.  We splurged on mouth watering burgers at Park Burger that night.

Saturday, last day here.  We packed, went to breakfast, then went over to Teen's for last minute snuggles with Oliver.

Went up the street for a light lunch at Ester's.  Said our sad goodbyes and drove to the airport.

As I look back at there pictures and remember all that we have done with our kids, I pray that they will cherish these memories as much as I do.  Thank You, God for giving us the finances to be able to travel and spend time with Justine and Anthony.  I pray that the next time we see them they will have news of a baby.  Amen.

Julianne and Joyce's Spring Break in Denver

So as I'm looking through my Blog I notice I didn't write anything about my last 2 visits to Colorado.  Julianne and I went out to visit in March on her Spring Break from Edinboro.  Bill was out of town, so we put the pups in the kennel and made our escape.  We didn't have a lot of time so we wanted to make the most of our trip.
We got to the airport early, seems to be a habit, and enjoyed dinner at Bar Symon.  Juli had pierogis and I had Poutine again.  Yum!

We flew Frontier with just our carryons.  Justine picked us up at the airport and we went to their tiny house.  Anthony had snacks for us, of course.  

The next day was Thursday, Anthony was working so it was a Girl's Day.  First we went to the Denver Biscuit Co.  Oh my, the delicious biscuits!

We drove to the Stanley Market.  It had lots of cool shops.  Then we saw an exhibit called  Natura Obsura at the Museum of Outdoor Arts in Englewood.  It was definitely obsure.  I wasn't too sure about going to an Escape Room but we did and it was so much fun!  And Yes, we escaped!  Afterwards we joined Amy and Charlie at Super Mega Bien.  I tasted food I never did before and it was muy bien!

Now it is Friday.  Anthony is off so we drive to Boulder.  Juli wants to go back to the Tea House.  We enjoyed our lunch with hummis, chicken and lots of tea.  We drove back to Denver and stopped at Anthony's favorite bar, Black Shirt Brewery.  Even though our bellys were full we went to SMOK.  If you can't guess by the name, it was a delicious Bar B Que place.

I thank God for the opportunity to visit and all the experiences we had in Denver.  Hopefully we will be back at Thanksgiving or Christmas.

My word for 2020 is Hope

Hebrews 6:19...We have this HOPE as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.

What do I hope for in 2020? 

 

1.  A baby for Justine and Anthony

2.  Love for Bill and I

3.  Happiness and Peace for Jessica

4.  Julianne to find a good friend and faith in her future

5.  Good Health for Mom and Dad

Those are the biggest dreams on my heart.  

I know God is working on them.

Hazel, Hazel, Hazel...

Hazel, Hazel, Hazel...Come inside and get a treat!  Come in and get warm!  I think someone is coming, you better come in!  HAZEL, get your butt in here!

Hazel loves to be outside and she only comes in when she is ready.  Luckily, we have the Invisible Fence and know that she is safe.  

Yes, I know she is cute, but she needs to learn to listen.  Especially to Julianne while Bill and I are at work.  I'm going to look into Obedience Classes for her this Spring.

This is my first post this year.  I am hoping to write more often.  See you soon...