34 years old. Wonderful cake made by Ahna. Hugs by Ezra. Dinner with the parents. A-Basin ski pass as the gift. More and more gray hair on the chin.

A 10-year, single car payment replacement plan has been implemented. This of course requires resetting our cars to one that will last 5 more years (see previous post about getting rid of the 2000 Outback in exchange for a 2002 Highlander) and trading in Ahna’s 2003 Outback for a new version. We were able to find a 2010 at a dealer that was returned with only 4400 miles on it….it made it affordable and we are now new owners of a black Outback. There is a lot more room to get kids in and out, and the doors/windows have been improved with this design update to make them seal better and the ride quieter. It’s been fun to drive for the past couple of days!

For the 5th (?) straight year, we headed to downtown early in the cool October morning to participate in the Race For The Cure. We are pleased to be part of one of the largest Race’s in the country – this year drawing more than 50,000 people. We again met up with good friends Ryan and Britta, and walked the 5k course (Ahna did amazing, but the really remarkable thing was that Ezra literally ran 1.5 miles).

We walked in honor of Nana as she bravelly continues to battle the cancer, and in memory of Savta Nomi and Marilyn  – both who passed away this past year.

The garage nears completion…..enought to announce it’s completion on the blog – with a final photo update once all of the organization has been completed (who knows when that will be done). Last winter we noticed, rather dramatically, that our bedroom – which is located directly above the garage – was cooler than the rest of the upstairs. The garage didn’t have any insulation on the outside walls, so one of the priorities this summer/fall was to get it done. Dad and I hung all of the insulation, then we found some workers on an off day in the neighborhood to do the drywall, and finally I painted the floor. Looks great and we are hoping for some energy savings as the colder days start to set in – in a few days we are getting lows in the mid-30s. 🙂

The time has come to say good-bye to a great friend and great car. It’s been right along side of me (then us) through every major event of the last 10 years, and holds a very special place in my heart through a deep connection with my brother.

The car turned 10 years and 1 month old as it hit Craigslist the other day. It’s special vibe got it sold in 3.5 hours from posting to drive to contract for purchase (it was actually just picked up yesterday by the new owner). There are some photos below of some of the crazy places and good things the car has been part of, but the memories and stories are countless and never ending. This may sound a lot more sad than a normal parting of ways with a car, and I suppose that it is…but that’s okay too.

Summer is finally officially gone (although the daytime temps around here might disagree) and fall is upon us. For those that aren’t used to a Colorado style autumn…it’s about 8 days and 13 hours long, and has some of the most beautiful leaf changes this side of Maine. The Aspen trees go from a green to a light green to a yellow to a burnt orange to the ground.

The trick is trying to time your open schedule with the few days that the Aspen leaves are featured in their majestic color. This year, we missed by a couple of days, but still managed to see plenty of stunning color on our drive into the mountains. We headed out for Kenosha Pass, a camping/hiking spot about 1.5 hours from the house…and a popular spot for taking in the Aspens. Luckily we arrived early (a good side-effect of Ezra waking early) and beat the monster crowds that had assembled by the time we were leaving.

We spent some time hiking around the area and exploring the trees….which these days mostly consists of hiking as far as Ezra wants, and at his pace – which at times is a full run, and at other times takes 10 minutes to walk 10 feet. We were up there for a little over an hour and enjoyed the cool air, the hiking around, and the beautiful sights.