Vacation!

Hurray! I finally got around to uploading all of my photos from our little trip to Aspen. We saw some fantastic bands, met some great people, stayed off the grid and generally just had an amazing time. The Professor has family in the area, so I got to meet some of them too, and they're great.

Thursday night, before we left for Aspen, we saw Sara Bareilles and OneRepublic at Red Rocks. First of all, Red Rocks is our absolute favorite venue. Second, what an incredible, incredible show. These were two artists that I've enjoyed on the radio, but seeing them live is an entirely different story. So, so talented. We will definitely make an effort to see them again.

Once we got to the festival, we had a bit of a bummer on the first night. We were supposed to see Grace Potter & The Nocturnals and Jason Mraz on Friday night, but when we got to the field it was pouring rain and we didn't really come prepared. We had a mishap with our blanket and then they sold out of ponchos - and being that the lightning was pretty close and we were in the middle of a big open field, we decided to cut our losses and go back to the cabin, where we played Dweebies and did a puzzle and drank some of our honeymoon mead, which was a gift from some friends. We were bummed to miss the bands, but we made it a good night anyway!

Saturday night was Little Big Town, Train, and Keith Urban. I'm not a huge country fan, but Little Big Town and Keith Urban know how to put on a show. Train, though - OH MAN. I had heard some negative things about Pat Monahan live, but it was all LIES. That show blew me away. They were so good.

Sunday we saw Paper Bird, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, and Journey. Yes, JOURNEY. Paper Bird is a local band, and it's always so great to see local bands at big festivals like this. They have a great sound. We bought their album and chatted with the bassist for a bit. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros - it looked like they had 25 people onstage. They might have. It was a really cool show, and they looked like unkempt hippies and vagabonds and everything I expected them to be from listening to their albums. JOURNEY THOUGH - you guys, this was on my bucket list. I never, ever thought that I would see them live. It was extraordinary. Rockstars. That's all I can say.

After getting our mac n' cheese, waiting
for the show to start

By the end of the night, we were friends with most of them.

So without further ado, the few remaining photos. I didn't take that many since my iPhone was off for most of the weekend, but I think I snapped a few good ones.

In the car, just before leaving Aspen

And that, folks, is why it's called Aspen

Independence Pass

And upon our return home, we were enthusiastically greeted by this cutie:

This wouldn't be The Professor and His Wife
without at least one picture of the cat.

And an update on what's been happening since our trip:

I started my new job at the elementary school, and I love it! It's my first experience in a formal classroom, and I am definitely out of my comfort zone with kindergarteners, but I'm learning quickly and the kids are great. My schedule has been madhouse crazy, but not as unmanageable as I was expecting.

The Professor has been mostly working what feels like 80 hours a week and in his off time, has taken up running and is enjoying football and the final season of Breaking Bad, which I will never enjoy nor understand. He is currently at the Broncos-Raiders game, so expect some kind of fanatical Facebook posts from him and, if I can convince him to take some, photos!

And the bummer: I've been sick for close to two weeks. I know I'm not superhuman, but my immune system is usually better than this. I went to the doctor and was on antibiotics, but they didn't do anything and I still feel as sick as when it started. So if anyone has any tips or tricks on losing a cold/sinus infection/whatever this is without jacking my body up with antibiotics again, I'm all ears.

Enjoy the photos! And if you've never been to Aspen/Snowmass, go. Totally worth it.

Happy Monday!

-The Professor's Wife

Countdown

Happy Wednesday everyone! First of all, check out this great song by a great artist, Tyrone Wells. 

I was thinking about making a "Wedding Dress Wednesday" tradition, where from now until the big day, every Wednesday I post a picture of a dress I tried on that wasn't "the one". It certainly felt like I tried on a thousand before I had the big aha!, but I'm probably mis-remembering. Anyway, I probably won't post all of them, but I was thinking about all of that today - it was a good time! - and stumbled upon this little jewel in my phone:

This was the first one I tried on.
So beautiful! But not mine.

I swear I tried on a thousand. So now you have that, and we can move on.

We leave for our little vacation on Friday morning, and I could not be more excited.

   

I have been dreaming of this. On a side note, the car we're in is mine - his name is Alan.

I've finished all of my homework for the week, so I can read for fun and not worry about falling behind. You guys, this is terribly exciting to me. I am aching for this trip. You know that feeling where you are thisclose to totally burning out? That's been me for about a month. I am determined to use these next five days as my recharge period before the Crazy starts. Determined. We are going to be in one of the most beautiful places in the country, seeing some truly great artists, and enjoying each other's company. I will have time to read, write, explore, think, and relax. To spend time reflecting on and enjoying quietness, with my (really really ridiculously good looking) best friend right next to me the whole time.

Although I will definitely
miss this little peanut.

I hope to come back renewed, and with lots of great ideas on simplicity. I stated before, but I'll say it again: I am entirely unplugged this weekend. I'm not even bringing my laptop, and I plan to have my phone off as soon as we get in the car to go. I may have to make an exception to take pictures - but that will be in airplane mode. Friday morning to Monday evening, I'm off the grid!

So, friends, all I ask of you this weekend is to send good thoughts and vibes my way. Shoot up a prayer that I'll use this time wisely and intentionally, that we'll be save in our travels, and that Effie doesn't entirely destroy everything while we're gone. And take some time for yourself this weekend to find quiet, whatever your plans are. It's good for you.

Until next time!

- The Professor's Wife

Update!

After a totally planned (read: totally unplanned) hiatus, we're back to bring you the latest and greatest updates from the Professor and His Wife! Hold your applause, please.

We've been working hard for the past couple of months, planning our November vow renewal, trying to beat the heat, and watching the Colorado wildfires closely. It seems like even our days off have been packed full. Today, though, I have a real, true day off, with no obligations, no meetings, and no schedule! So here I sit, at my mother-in-law's where we're house/dog/birdsitting, coffee in hand, enjoying a David Attenborough-narrated documentary about the ocean, and catching up on this, the blog that is always on my to-do list but which never gets crossed off.

So what's new? For starters, Effie wasn't pregnant, so big relief there. I mean, I love kittens as much as the next squealing seven-year-old, but I was in no way ready to be a grandmother. Especially since kittens take a lot of time and attention, and I work full time. So, happily, our number is still three and not seven or eight. Whew!

We now officially have health insurance, which feels so much better than I expected it to. It's like we have this great big cushion to fall on when one of us inevitably breaks something or gets horribly sick. We're ready for our lease to be up, have plans to move in with the Professor's parents short-term until we have enough saved up for a down payment on a house. I'm taking some summer classes and am working on getting my First Aid/CPR certification, and hopefully can start thinking about getting a job with the school district and getting my foot in the door.

And not to harp on an old subject, but I am totally feeling the baby fever again. A lot (A LOT) of my Facebook friends are pregnant or have just had babies (in fact, I just clicked over there to see that a friend and his wife JUST welcomed their son this morning!) Given that I have a wedding dress to fit into in November and that I'm not done with school until 2015 - not to mention we don't have a house of our own - having a baby should not be anywhere near the front of my mind. If anything, it should be slowly, slowly simmering on a far back, ideally malfunctioning burner. But it's hard to avoid thinking about it when it's so prevalent in my friends' lives. Even the whales on my TV screen are mothering their babies.

Lastly, the Professor and I are so looking forward to Jazz Aspen Snowmass over Labor Day weekend; we've got our three-day passes and a few extra days off, so we're going to make a little vacation out of it. Can't wait!

And so ends the update. More engaging, intellectual material coming soon, I promise.

-The Professor's Wife