A weekend back with the family was nice. It was very different without grandpa there, but good none-the-less. I loved seeing both the Hastys and the Millers, as well as Jamie. Although a few might come visit me in the next few months, I will most likely not be back in St. Louis until the two weeks before the wedding.

Mom, Dad, and I managed to get in most of the restaurants that we miss: Pasta House, Jack in the Box, Steak and Shake, and Yen Ching. We also managed to hit Blueberry Hill, yummy grandma Hasty spaghetti, and taste-test fried chicken for the wedding. Did we do anything but eat?

I headed back home this morning to get back to work, with a push through until spring break the second week of April. I’m looking forward to settling back in with my fiancé in our lovely house and finishing the winter with a flurry of skiing (both downhill and cross-country) and sitting warm and cozy by our fireplace.

Here are few pictures from the last few day of the cutest little girl ever…

In Loving Memory...

Robert Christian Miller
December 16, 1939 - January 26, 2009

An Irish Funeral Prayer
Death is nothing at all.
It does not count.
I have only slipped away into the next room.
Everything remains as it was.
The old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged.
Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.
Call me by the old familiar name.
Speak of me in the easy way which you always used.
Put no sorrow in your tone.
Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes that we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was.
Let it be spoken without effort.
Live means all that it ever meant. It is the same as it ever was.
There is unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am but waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just around the corner.
All is well. Nothing is hurt; nothing is lost.
One brief moment and all will be as it was before.
How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting, when we meet again.

Happy Holidays!

Although a bit stressful at times, I had a WONDERFUL winter break! It was great to see family and friends, and I even managed to check several things off the never ending wedding checklist :) Below are just a few of my favorite pics...

Pictures of the Snow as Promised Below

For Sale...

2006 Pontiac G6 in great condition. Approximately 61,000 miles. Not recommended for areas in which snowfall exceeds 3 feet!

Yesterday's 45 mile drive to work was slow but steady as a huge snow storm settled into the San Juan mountains of southwestern Colorado. Throughout the day snow continued to pound down on Telluride, and Jeremy and I knew that the drive home was NOT going to be easy. Literally 2 and a half hours later we arrived home to a driveway filled with 12 inches of the fluffy white stuff.

Since we knew it was supposed to snow all night, we set the alarm for 5am and tried to get some sleep. By 5:30 this morning we were ready to shovel out, but when we opened the garage door there was a bank of snow up to my hips! Over three feet had fallen! According to the HOA breakdown, most of our winter dues go towards snow removal, but we have yet to see anything of that nature...grrr. So Jeremy grabbed the shovel and got to work. We took turns shoveling (with our one shovel) for nearly an hour and a half and then were able to use the car to "plow" the rest of the snow out of the way. The car performed far beyond our greatest expectations, but we've decided we probably need a second all wheel drive vehicle (the other one is still at the "car spa" recovering from the deer incident). Once we got to the road, the drive wasn't bad... it just wasn't my favorite way to start the day!

Pictures to come soon :)

Yummmmm...

The high altitude version of Gram Hasty cookies!

Thanksgiving Break!

This has been one of the most relaxing and fun breaks I've had since I began working as a teacher! I didn't have to travel, since mom and dad (and the boys) came out here. We relaxed, ate good food, played tons of games, put up the Christmas tree, explored Colorado National Monument, and crossed a few things off the never ending wedding checklist! Below are several pictures of our time together.