Fall, family, friends, Aspen, getting great news, a great Sunday sermon, hearty soup made in a slow cooker, the anticipation of snow, ski season and the holidays, hiking through golden yellow aspen trees on a cool fall afternoon...and on and on and on.
This week and weekend brought quintessential fall days to our lives. Over night Aspen went from a warm summer destination to a crisp and gorgeous fall getaway. The leaves changed so quickly this year that it surprised us all, and best of all, the golden leaves seem to be staying around longer than ever too.
Last week I made my mom's famous clam chowder and Bryant and I had Dave and Emily over to help enjoy it. It was so yummy and brought back a rush of memories from my childhood. For the most part, I stuck to the recipe, but changed 2 things: I added 2 more jars of clam nectar and about a tbs of Tony's creole seasoning in addition to the Tabasco sauce called for in the recipe. Because we don't keep many family secrets on the Everett side, I will try to remember to post the recipe for you to try. It is worth every minute of effort you put into it!
This week was pretty slow at work, so I continued my intense studying for my real estate exam. So far, I have passed all quizzes and practice exams on my first try. Everyone I have talked to (who have taken then test in the last 10 years) says it is the hardest exam they have ever taken, so I am a little nervous. My goal is to finish the entire exam process and have my license in hand by the first of the year. Please pray for me and my efforts as test taking has never been a strong point for me.
On Friday night Bryant and I met up with Trev, Amy Jo and the Bridges family at the Basalt homecoming football game to watch Karsyn Jo and her best friend, Gracie Bridges perform with the dance team at half time. With no Aunt B bias, I have to say, Kar Jo was the BEST dancer out there! :) She did a great job, and both mom and Aunt B were so proud of her! Amy Jo and I are both having a hard time getting used to the fact that neither Basalt nor Aspen have cheerleaders, only dance teams. At least their dance programs have a lot of talent. However, I think it takes away from the Friday night football experience.
After the game, we enjoyed a night on the couch with Mali. As Bryant watched college football, I cuddled with Mali and watched the Sex and the City movie on his laptop. I have to say, the movie was so good! Every woman should watch it. Have your girlfriends over for a girls night and laugh and cry together.
Saturday we got a late start getting out of the house, but took the dogs (we were watching Mali's boyfriend, Hudson) to Glenwood Canyon to hike the Hanging Lake trail. I have wanted to do this hike for sometime, but alas, as soon as we had the dogs out and on their leashes, a group drove by and let us know, to our dismay that dogs aren't allowed on the trail. We decided to let them play in the Colorado river for a while, which was a blast for them, and hilarious for us. They are so competitive with each other that they would almost drown the other dog in an effort to get the stick to shore first. They are just like little kids. Because we couldn't hike, we took the dogs to town and did a smaller hike up Smuggler Mine Road. The fall colors were breathtaking, and because we were in Aspen, we had to stop by Paradise Bakery and get icecream too. Yum.
Sunday we went to church and again, met up with the fam. Church was so great. One of our staff pastors spoke (as Steve was out of town) on the vine and branches. No matter how many times you have heard those verses, they are always powerful. Sunday afternoon we hiked to Cathedral lake with the whole family. Bryant gets the Bruncle of the year award as he carried and listened to Khloe Gabby nearly the entire hike. We don't call her Gabby simply because her middle name is Gabriel. That girl can talk. And talk. And talk... The hike is 7 miles round trip and all of the girls and Tait did awesome! I was so proud of them!
The fall colors, again, were amazing! We got to the lake and the guys tried to fish, with no avail. I think the water was too cold for them to move! We passed people coming down as we were hiking up who said they got snowed on at the lake. Brrrrrrrrrrrr. As much as I love the snow and look forward to it every fall, it is also hard to say goodbye to not wearing coats and boots every time you walk outside.
So, that is our weekend in a nutshell. So many of my favorite things. Thanks to those of you who read our stories. We sure love sharing them with you, and would love hear yours too.
For pictures of our exciting weekend adventures, see the photo album links on the upper right hand side of the page.
All the best...and happy harvest season.
Becca, Bryant and Mali Burger
