T minus 17

Our paper chain at the very beginning.

Our paper train today!

Only 17 days until our big trip! Do you remember when the paper chain first started? We do and can't believe it is so close.

Big Foot and BBQ

Yesterday was Stella's last day having to go to the vet. In the morning she woke up with a big foot from her wrap but was doing much better. When we finally picked her up from the vet, she was completely back to her old self.

After work we were invited to our neighbor T's place for a BBQ. He had cooked BBQ chicken and beef ribs, homemade mac and cheese and a really good dessert. It was a beautiful night with good food and great conversation among all of our neighbors.

Sick Puppy

Last night Charlie and I were up all night because our little Miss Stella was really sick. We thought it would pass but after about 12 hours I finally had to bring her into the vet. She was on an IV today along with some antibiotics and electrolytes to make her feel better and get hydrated again after being sick. She has to go back tomorrow to continue her treatment to ensure that the bacteria is out of her system. Above is a picture of our sick little lady.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day Dad! Love you a ton and hope you had fun golfing.

Durango - Day 3

Today we headed back home to ABQ and had an amazing ride through Pagosa Springs and Chama. Lots of great scenery and I did take some video but need to edit it before I post so you may see that later. I thought I would show you a picture of our bike (named Hilda) fully loaded. It is always amazing how much stuff you can put in those side boxes and as you can see Hilda is a huge Hawkeye fan!

Durango - Day 2

Our cute Bed and Breakfast Hotel. It is on the Historic Hotel Registry

The car show happening while we were there

Our Room

Our Sampler at Steamworks Brewing Company. It was very good.

Our room was called the Across the Wide Missouri. All of the rooms were named after movies filmed in the region.

Some great pizza we had at Home Slice Pizza

The bikes we could use from our hotel. We went for a short ride, I had Phantom and Charlie rode Silver. It was really fun!

Durango was a great time and I would highly recommend stopping there if you are in the area. There is a great little downtown with cute shops and a lot of places to eat great food. You can also ride the narrow gauge coal train from Durango to Silverton or go white water rafting through town. We didn't have time for either one but will be doing those some other time since we spent most of our time enjoying all the food and the atmosphere.

Durango - Day 1

All of our gear that we were taking with us.

We headed out after work for Durango, CO for a weekend away and to test how much we could carry on the bike in anticipation of our upcoming trip in July. I have only one word for our drive up there....HOT! We picked a bad time, considering it was about 94 degrees when we left, and since we do not travel without wearing all of our gear, it was almost unbearable (at least for me since I really enjoy air conditioning).

We got to our campsite at 5 Branches around 8:30pm and set up our tent, ate, sat by the fire for a little while and then went to bed. We were both pretty tired.

Happy Birthday....

To ME!!! I turned 28 today and a great day was had! At work I went out to eat with most of my co-workers at 5 Guys Burgers and had birthday cake. Later in the evening, and I went to have sushi and it was delicious. Below are some pictures from our dinner. This weekend we are headed to Durango, CO for a birthday weekend get-a-way. I will post more pictures after the weekend.

I don't know if you can tell but the plate is on fire!

Chef Knockout

Today Charlie and I went with our friends Hugo and Jessica to Chef Knockout, Round 3. It was an event to support a local food shelter where you could taste samples from local restaurants as well as competitions between local chefs.

Alegria

Tonight Charlie and I went with our friends Danielle and Ben to see Cirque du Soleil's Alegria. I recommend going and seeing any Cirque du Soleil show because out of the 3 I had seen before, none have been bad and this one was not an exception. I have included the link to their website for you to check out. www.cirquedusoleil.com/alegria

Boston Day 3 - Freedom Trail & Saying Goodbye

Love the architecture!

The cemetaries are very interesting as well

The headstones are very detailed and the oldest we saw was from 1666. These are all within the city buildings.

Bonnie and the boys

The best clam chowder at the oldest restaurant in the country, Ye Olde Union Oyster House

Tony and his oysters. They were yummy!

The Oyster Bar

The oldest Tavern in the country. The Bell in Hand Tavern, right next to the Union Oyster House

Great Street Performers!

Megan reenacting the statue

Group photo before Tony heads back home

Charlie and me with Beck and the Wally mascot we got him. He was a bit squirmy!

Beck with the uncles, aunt and grandma Bonnie

The were some beautiful churches

Our last day was spent walking the Freedom Trail and taking in some good food. It was sad to leave and I look forward to another visit.....hopefully sooner than later.