To be continued....

Hello dear family & friends!!

Again we want to thank you for your patience as we work out the contract details for the venue.

Just to give everyone an update, we have selected the Royal Gorge Bridge in Canyon City, Colorado. It is located 2 hours from the Denver area or 1 hour from the Colorado Springs area.

Local lodging accommodation can be found in Canyon City approximately 7 miles from the park. We'll post more info regarding directions, lodging accommodations, activities and airfare as the date approaches.

We'll update the blog as soon all the details are confirmed!!

Next stop Wedding dress shopping and decorations!! How exciting!!

Save the Date: September 18th 2010!!

Love
Connie & Justin

323 Days to go...

Hey everyone,

I think we've found a place and we are so excited!

Please look for an update next week on Tuesday for more details!!

As always thank you so much for your patience as we take care of all the details as quickly as possible..


Love,
Connie & Justin

355 Days to go

We are meeting with our fabulous wedding planner so she can help me move this show into high gear!! Right now, we are trying to finalize the ceremony and reception site and should have some info up by next week.

A few places we are interested in:

Mary's Lake Lodge & Resort
http://www.maryslakelodge.com/

Aspen Lodge @ Estes Park
http://www.aspenlodge.net/

The Baldpate Inn
http://www.baldpateinn.com/

and

Wild Basin Lodge
http://www.wildbasinlodge.com/

Wish us luck and look forward to an update really soon!!

386 Day to Go!

Only 386 days to go, til the big day!!

Destination Wedding ....Colorado here we come....

This month's agenda:

1. Set a budget

2. Pick a wedding location & time - We are diligently working to secure the date and site, so that we can share all the exciting details with you all. (as if you couldn't tell we're extremely excited already)

3. Start looking for an officiant!

4. Finish drafting guest list

5. Send important information on planning to my lovely wedding planner, Kat!! She is a dream come true

6. Start Dress shopping...<3>

Our blog and website will be updated weekly during our planning process; if you have any questions, suggestions or just want to send us some loving thoughts ... feel free!

Lastly, I'll be contacting you all via email or phone to gather the correct mailing information for invitations.

Let the madness begin!

Save the date...Finally

Dear Family & Friends,

Justin and I are happy to announce we have a set a date for the wedding. Our chosen date will be September 18th, 2010; so mark your calendars. As the date approaches, I will update this blog and our wedding website with all the details.

You can find our wedding website by clicking on the link here.

Feel free to leave us love here or there! Your loving words and encouragement are appreciated.

We thank you all for your patience as we plan for this wonderful day.

If you'd like a good wedding laugh, please click here. Justin is so learning that :P

Love,

Connie & Justin

P.S. TIP: Please follow our blog by clicking Follow on the right hand side of the page, under the FOLLWERS section to be updated by email when a new blog is posted.

"I can only say that whatever my life and work have been, I'm not envious of anyone-and this is my biggest satisfaction. " -- Roman Polanski

Happy Birthday Justin, JoAnne, Kim, Rachel, Jared, Dora, Lexyand Asaia!!!! I love my Leo's! I hope you all had very special birthdays!

The Lion

July 23 to August 22

Traditional Leo Traits

Generous and warmhearted

Creative and enthusiastic

Broad-minded and expansive

Faithful and loving

On the dark side....

Pompous and patronizing

Bossy and interfering

Dogmatic and intolerant

Leo! About Your Sign...

The Leo type is the most dominant, spontaneously creative and extrovert of all the zodiacal characters. In grandeur of manner, splendor of bearing and magnanimity of personality, they are the monarch's among humans as the lion is king of beasts. They are ambitious, courageous, dominant, strong willed, positive, independent, self-confident there is no such a word as doubt in their vocabularies, and they are self-controlled. Born leaders, either in support of, or in revolt against, the status quo. They are at their most effective when in a position of command, their personal magnetism and innate courtesy of mind bringing out the best of loyalty from subordinates. They are uncomplicated, knowing exactly what they want and using all their energies, creativeness and resolution to get it, as well as being certain that they will get whatever they are after. Their followers know where they are with Leonians. Leonians think and act bigger than others would normally dare; the ambitiousness of their schemes and idealism sometimes daunt their followers, their practical hardheadedness and ability to go straight to the heart of any problem reassures those who depend on them. If Leonians meet with setbacks they thrive on the adversity.

On the whole they are powers for good, for they are strongly idealistic, humane, and beneficent. They have powerful intelligence and are of a broad philosophical, sometimes religious, turn of mind. Those who are devout may become very obstinate in upholding traditional beliefs and will cling tenaciously, but with complete sincerity, to practices and doctrines which liberal thinkers regard as absurdly out-of-date. These will be found as the 'lions' of industries, and in the forefront of the cutting edge of technologies.

Their faults can be as large in scale as their virtues, and an excessively negative Leonian can be one of the most unpleasant human beings imaginable, displaying extreme arrogance, autocratic pride, haughtiness, and excessive hastiness of temper. If jealously suspicious of rivals, they will not hesitate to use cunning, lies and trickery to discredit them. Self-centeredness, greed for flattery, boastfulness, and bombast, pomposity, snobbish superiority, and overbearing, and intolerant disdain of underlings; to whom they will nevertheless delegate the carrying out of minor details in their grandiose schemes, and from whom they are not above borrowing immoderately if an occasion necessitates it. Any of these can be characteristic of Leo.

Add to them a passion for luxury, a lust for power, unlimited sexual lust, and emotional indulgence, and a character emerges that no one would want to know either in public life or private. But their pride may go before a fall, as uncontrolled impetuosity is likely to bring them low. Fortunately it is rare that a Leo is so undisciplined as to give way thoroughly to this list of vices, and their tendencies to them are usually balanced by an innate wisdom. Those who are afflicted with them also have the intelligence it takes to consciously and actively overcome them.

In professional life they do well at any vocation at which there is room at the top. As politicians they are content with nothing less than a powerful position in government. In business they may be the chairman of their company's board, or at least directors or managers. They are excellent organizers and overseers, often laying the groundwork for new projects. If from the artisan ranks of society they will aspire to become the boss, partly because they are ambitious by nature, partly because they dislike manual labor, preferring to take charge of others doing it. If artistic, Leos can become stars of stage or screen (their bent is serious rather than light drama), maestros as musicians where they will gravitate toward the grand instruments or activities, such as the organ or conducting of orchestras and as painters; anything grand in conception and scale appeals to them. Leo women make exceptionally good welfare workers.

In his or her relations with others the Leo type is open, sincere, genuine and trusting. Outgoing, spontaneously warm hearted and plain spoken, though never lacking in kindliness, Leos are more disillusioned than the average if let down by those they trust. They are not good judges of character and are inclined to favoritism and an exaggerated faith in their followers which too often ends in disappointment. They have a strong sex drive and are so attracted to the opposite sex that they find it hard to be constant; they can be so intensely sexual as to become dissolute. They may have numerous love affairs for their love of pleasure and beauty is liable to drive them from one attractive partner to another. They are very much inclined to deceive. Their marriages may fail for the same reason, yet they are sincere and generous to their lovers while love lasts, and will remain attached to their homes so long as it is run for their benefit. They demand service but are incapable of giving it.

Possible Health Concerns...

Physiologically, Leo governs the upper back, forearms, wrist, spine and heart. Its natives are subject to a number of ailments: pain in the back and lungs, spinal complaints, diseases of the heart and blood, sickness in ribs and sides, convulsions, pleasantries, violent burning fevers including, in former days, when they were prevalent, plague, pestilence, jaundice, and some afflictions of the eyes.

LIKES
• Speculative ventures
• Lavish Living
• Pageantry and Grandeur
• Children
• Drama

DISLIKES
• Doing things safely
• Ordinary,Day to day living
• Small minded people
• Penny pinching
• Mean spiritedness

As with all sun signs, we all have unique traits to our personalities. When these traits are suppressed, or unrealized, problems will arise. However, with astrology we can examine the problem and assess the proper solution based on the sun sign characteristics. As a Leo you may see things below that really strike home. Try the solution, you most likely will be amazed at the results. If you find yourself on the receiving end of the negatives below, it is because you are failing to express the positive.

Problem: Getting all upset and angry with others when things do not go the way you fully expected them too. This kind of reaction to a problem is what causes a lot of marital discord and unhappiness.

Solution: You should never base all of your expectations on what you should get, but rather base them on what you can give to, or do, for those who are in your sphere of influence. You will find you have a more peaceful and happy home if you do this.

Problem: You are sometimes your own worst enemy, especially so when you are striving for attention in such obvious ways that you turn off the very people you sought to impress.

Solution: The first place to start is to stop trying to gain attention; give people the chance to notice the real you. Decide what it is that impresses you and you will then know what to do to impress others.

Problem: Egotism, to the extent that you may be the Leo who thinks no one is quite as good at things as you are and the people around you are made to feel small through your habit of comparison.

Solution: What the higher minded Leo has is a sense of self worth and of greatness, this is corrupted when you let the ego get out of hand so you should learn to walk tall by looking up to those that are 'taller' than you are.

Problem: Losses in income from unwisely speculating which leads to financial ruin, as well as possible personal losses of family and friends due to a lack of concern for their financial welfare.

Solution: You should always investigate all investments well before they are made, then talk it over with your spouse as to how hard the budget can be hit, before you spend the first dime.

Your ruling planet is the SUN

.

The Sun is our nearest star and the source of energy for life on Earth. It is about 150 million km away (93 million miles), a distance which sunlight covers in 8 minutes, whereas the distance to the moon is only 1.3 light-seconds. The Sun is about 300,000 times heavier than Earth and rotates around its axis (as viewed from the orbiting Earth) in about 27 days.

Some more interesting facts about your sign:

The male lions are not particularly good hunters, the main work is done by the females when the male drives the prey in the direction where they are hiding, although the males insist on eating their share before the females. Hunting occurs at night or cooler times of day, the hotter hours are spent resting in the shade. Only males grow a mane, which can take up to 5 years to fully develop.The color of choice for Leo is GOLD


Your starstone is the rich red RUBY

Known as a stone of nobility. It can improve success in controversies and disputes, encouraging gentleness and discouraging violence. Excellent shielding stone to protect you from bodily harm.

Happy Birthday to ME!

Happy Birthday to ME!

Tomorrow is my 27th birthday! How time has passed so quickly. It feels like yesterday that I was 17. First I would like to say Happy Birthday to my fellow Cancers & July babies:

my lovely godmother Celeste!

my wonderful best friend Rachel & her twin Michelle!

and my cousin Krystal!

Here is some information about Cancer's you may not know!

The Crab
June 22 to July 22

Traditional
Cancer Traits

Emotional and loving
Intuitive and imaginative
Shrewd and cautious

On the dark side....

Changeable and moody
Overemotional and touchy
Clinging and unable to let go

Cancer! About your sign...

The Cancerian character is the least clear-cut of all those associated with the signs of the zodiac. It can range from the timid, dull, shy and withdrawn to the most brilliant, and famous Cancerians are to be found through the whole range of human activity. It is a fundamentally conservative and home-loving nature, appreciating the nest like quality of a secure base to which the male can retire when he needs a respite from the stresses of life, and in which the Cancerian woman can exercise her strong maternal instincts. The latter tends to like and to have a large family. `Nest like' is an appropriate adjective for the Cancerian home, for its inhabitants tend to favor the dark, mysterious but comfortable type of house which has something of the air of a den about it, a place which belongs to the family rather than existing as a showcase to impress visitors.

That is not to say that the Cancerian is unsociable, just that for them there is a time to socialize and a time to be solitary, and this is part of the apparent contradiction in their nature. Outwardly they can appear formidable - thick-skinned, unemotional, uncompromising, obstinately tenacious, purposeful, energetic, shrewd, intuitive and wise, sometimes with a philosophical profundity of thought verging on inspiration. Their intimates, however, may see a very different character, one with a sympathetic and kindly sensitivity to other people, especially those they love. They are able to identify with the situations of others because of the keenness of their imaginations. They are often over-imaginative and prone to fantasy, sometimes trying to shape their lives to fit some romantic ideal. They are appreciative of art and literature, and especially of drama, where the spectacle and ebb and flow of action and feeling particularly excite them. They may themselves possess considerable literary, artistic or oratorical talent. Their sharp ears and talent for mimicry can sometimes give them success on the stage, though their tendency to be emotional may make them overact. Interestingly - because they give the impression of being down-to-earth - they are often fascinated by the occult and are more open to psychic influence than the average. If they can reconcile the personal conflict of their urge to be outgoing with the reserve that causes them to withdraw into themselves, then at best they can inspire a generation, especially the youthful part of it, by their idealism. A job in which they can express this, and in which they can do well, would be as a leader in a youth organization. In their personal relationships they are mentally a mixture of toughness and softness, often emotional and romantic to the point of sentimentality in their fantasies; but in real life and in marriage, their loving is not so sentimental but tenaciously loyal. Even if they have affairs (and they may do so, for the male in particular is open to sensual stimulation), their first loyalty remains to spouse and family, of whom they regard themselves as the protector. Both the Cancerian man and woman love unreservedly,giving much and asking little in return - in fact, one of the most important lessons they have to learn is how to receive gracefully. They are too easily influenced by those they love and admire, and swayed by the emotion of the moment. They are also loyal friends, the negative side of their faithfulness being clannishness, the narrow patriotism of "my country right or wrong"; and closing ranks in suspicion and coldness toward outsiders.

Cancerians have a retentive memory, particularly for emotionally laden events which they can recall in detail for years afterwards. they are strongly governed by childhood memories and since they live intensely in the past in memory and in the future in imagination, a chance meeting with someone for whom they had an unrequited love, even if they thought they had conquered the feeling, will easily rouse the emotion all over again. The Cancerian has many potential faults. They can be untidy, sulky, devious, moody, inclined to self-pity because of an inferiority complex, brood on insults (very often imagined), yet are easily flattered. They can be tactless and difficult yet, because they are normally ambitious, they will curry favor by floating with majority opinions, outlooks and fashions of the day. As a result they often change their opinions and loyalties and, indeed, their occupations, and lack stability. They are easily corrupted and, because they are convincing romanticizers, can make successful confidence tricksters. Their romanticism in another sense make them ardent supporters of causes, for example a football team with whose heroes they can identify in a world of fantasy.

Their abilities fit the Cancerian for a wide range of occupations. As they are interested in what people are thinking and able to judge what they can safely be told, they can be good journalists, writers or politicians, though in this last capacity they are more likely to remain in the background rather than attain prominent positions of power. They may, indeed, change their party affiliations. They can serve in other departments of public affairs, especially those which involve looking after others, for example in any kind of service from welfare and nursing to catering - their own love of comfort and good living makes the Cancerian an excellent chef or housekeeper. They sometimes have a penchant for trade or business and are often successful as a captain of industry. This is because they are excellent organizers with a good sense of value and economy which they may combine with a flair for inventiveness and originality. The romantic side of their natures make them enjoy grubbing about in places where exciting discoveries may be made (old stamp collections in attics, etc.), and if they can do this professionally as a secondhand dealer or specialist in antiques, they will be happy. More common occupations which suit some subjects of Cancer are real estate broker, gardener and sailor.

Physically they are average to below average in height, with a fleshy body and short legs in comparison with the rest of them. Their hair is usually brown, their faces round, their complexions pale, their foreheads prominent, their eyes small and blue or gray in color, their noses short, perhaps upturned, and their mouths full. They sometimes walk clumsily.

Possible Health Concerns...

Cancer governs the chest, breasts, elbows, stomach and digestion, womb and female reproductive organs. Cancer, which can affect any part of the body, is sometimes said to have taken its name from this sign, which can therefore afflict its subjects with imperfections anywhere. This is incorrect, however, the derivation of cancer being the Latin cancer meaning gangrene as well as crab. nevertheless, Cancerians are said to be liable to breast cancer and to suffer from pleurisy, dropsy, piles and varicose veins. The excitability mentioned above can lead to weak digestion, gastritis and other stomach ills, and there is a tendency to coughs and weakness of vision.

LIKES
• Hobbies
• Romance
• Children
• Home and Country
• Parties

DISLIKES
• Aggravating situations
• Failure
• Opposition
• Being told what to do ;)
• Advice (good or bad)

PROBLEMS THAT MAY ARISE FOR YOU, AND THEIR SOLUTIONS

As with all sun signs, we all have unique traits to our personalities. When these traits are suppressed, or unrealized, problems will arise. However, with astrology we can examine the problem and assess the proper solution based on the sun sign characteristics. As a Cancerian you may see things below that really strike home. Try the solution, you most likely will be amazed at the results. If you find yourself on the receiving end of the negatives below, it is because you are failing to express the positive.

PROBLEM: You can be oversensitive and something of a clinging vine which may cause you to harbor imaginary hurts and slights, this can make for highly unsettling conditions with your spouse.

SOLUTION: Be sure that the love you are expressing is not simply your need to hang own to someone for moral support, and if necessary, you should seek professional help in order to overcome this negative, clinging aspect of your personality.

PROBLEM: One of your biggest personality flaws, next to neediness, is the habit of being so self absorbed that you sometimes fail to notice what others are doing and accomplishing in their lives, you feel shut out and jealous if a family member has more success than you do.

SOLUTION: You should make a special effort to change this in yourself by forcing yourself to rejoice over their good fortune and when you do this you find that it will eventually become a habit and you as well as they will be happier for the change.

PROBLEM: Your inability to take orders without getting angry or upset may be another one of your problems and this one could be very serious as it affects your chances of earning a good living for yourself and/or your family, since you are quite apt to walk away from any job where you feel 'picked on'.

SOLUTION: Try keeping an ear out and find out how the ones who have been on the job for any length of time gets along with the boss and coworkers. If you follow his lead or simply decide that you will simply keep quiet and follow orders you will soon see how well you can be really liked by all concerned.

PROBLEM: You also have a problem with putting things off until the last minute which upsets your family and friends. This also has a tendency to make an unpleasant matter even more unpleasant when you procrastinate.

Solution: Make taking care of the business at hand your prime objective from now on for, when you do not have all those worries in the back of your mind you will find it more pleasant to be around people, and you will also find that life goes smoothly for you from then on.

Your ruling planet is the MOON

.

MOON:

Mean Radius (km) 1,738

Distance from Earth (km) 384,400

Period of Rotation (days) 27.3217

Some more interesting facts about your sign:

The crab is a nocturnal water creature that is well equipped with its massive claws to defend itself and survives very well in the 'wilds' of the underwater world in which it thrives. They have also been prized for food throughout the ages. Crabs come in a variety of 'styles' and species and are found in most of the oceans of the world, as well as in many inland waters. Being a sea scavenger, the crabs help mankind by keeping our waters cleaner.

The color for Cancer is all the shining colors of the moon SILVER

Your starstone is the beautiful, translucent, PEARL. The Pearl can be all the silvery colors of the moon and not just white. The pearl takes on its silvery, shimmering, colors from the color of the linings of the mollusc (oyster) in which it is grown. A beautiful, perfect pearl can sell for as much as $250,000.00, so speaking of a 'pearl of great price' becomes readily understandable. This precious stone can be harmed if subjected to hair spray, acids, perspiration, and some types of cosmetics.

---------------------------------------------

RE: STARSTONE CONTROVERSY

There is, and always have been, a controversy over "starstones". Starstones are NOT birthstones. I give you here in these pages the stones that are called your starstones, (planet stones), which viberates the strongest to your planet or sign, NOT to the month that you were born. I would also like it if those who think they know precisely what their stone is to go to the library and reference some good Astrology books such as 'Parkers Astrology'. Sorry for the confusion, but confusion over this topic has raged for hundreds of years.

Dale's Amazing Elk Call

Check Dale out.

Top 10 reasons we loved our Colorado vacation

Words hardly express how much of a good time we had in Colorado. Steve, Sharon and Dale made our trip not only memorable but packed with fun stuff to do that you definitely can't in Dallas. 

This will be a short list, until we can update you with a full story of our trip. Enjoy..... 

(keep in mind these are just a few of the memories that we really enjoyed)

10. Moose hunting: Moose! Moose! STOP! ...seeing both Justin and Sharon dash from the car to get the shot! Way to go! A couple hours looking for moose is so worth it!

9.  Sharing marshmallow thoughts  by the campfire. It's obvious Connie and Aunt Sharon know how to cook the good ones :P

8. " You might be a redneck if your family portraits are outside of the "Chuckwagon"..Heck Yea!  And now we know never to wrestle a check from Aunt Sharon cause it ain't gonna happen. She is strong!

Justin 0 - Sharon 1 Guess we'll have to see how the scoring goes next time.

7. Dales super concoction of Whiskey and Green Tea!! We ran out of 7-up. Still Mighty fine Mighty fine!

6. New moose sheets & Bailey the best dog ever: Thank you Sharon and Dale for making us feel such at home in your new home, and letting us be the first to sleep inside.  And Bailey was super sweet and such a great hostess too!

5. Watching Connie put the binoculars on wrong when looking for the bald eagle...oh wait she figured it out. There were babies baldies in the nest, how amazing!!

4. Young Sharon and Dale had a farm. E I E I O! And on that farm there were lots of Elk! E I E I O. Elk Elk here, and and Elk Elk there! E I E I O. we could go on forever with all the cool wildlife we saw.

3. Breakfast at Stevie's (haha like Breakfast at Tiffany's :P) a meal fit for KINGS!! Thank you so much for the great breakfast and a great night sleep in your guest bedroom. We were ready to conquer the world the next day.

2. HISTORY, HISTORY, HISTORY! We learned so much about specific areas in Colorado thanks to Dale, Sharon and Steve's wonderful information on Indians, properties, mountains, camping areas and the best part family stories and history! Oh and we almost forgot the Jail in Wyoming, that was awesome, thank goodness we didn't get 5 to 10! But 4 or a pardon would of been more like it!

1. Families are like fudge - mostly sweet with a few nuts.  ~Author Unknown

It meant most that we could spend these few days getting back in touch with nature, but most importantly family. We have never been so welcomed and had so much hospitality from anyone, and we appreciate the lengths you all went to to make us comfortable. You made our trip perfect!! We wouldn't change a thing..We can't wait to visit again.

Also, check back for more updates & pictures from our vacation.

Mother's Day

Hope all the Mother's had a wonderful day on Sunday! I love you mom and grandma!

Happy Mother's Day.

Happy Birthday Jeremy

Happy Birthday Jeremy!!!

 Wishing you all the best on your birthday and the years to come! We are so happy we made it to your "Macho Man Partay" We had a blast.

Snap into a Slim Jim Oooooo Yea!

It's time for Wii Wars

Calling all family, friends and anyone who generally wants to "Get Beat" at Wii!! 

Qualifications:

1. Must not be a poor sport if you lose (its guarnateed, sorry we're good)
   
2. Must be able to handle Wii Controller without  flinging it across the room and making unsightly holes in our walls or TV
3. Must not have sweaty hands ewwwww
4. 
   

Who: You

What: Wii Wars

When: Coming soon... stay tuned

Where: Casa de Justin & Connie

Why: So we can beat you! :P