Linda Rokos Watts

great song to start the morning... sun is shining, the weather is sweet, makes you want to move your dancing feet...... much tuesday love.....

Saturday Stella and I ventured out of the valley up to Estes Park to go on a little hike! We headed up to Lilly Lake. It was B E A U T I F U L!!!!! Not a cloud in the sky, the leaves where changing, and the sun was shinning. This little lake that these guys are chillin in, is about 500 yards from Stella's school! Lilly Lake A shot from the parking lot! Love this time of year! Longs Peak! The rest of the weekend we worked on the house and we got the barn cleaned out! Woot ! I got into a fight with a stick and got a bit of a black eye (it looks tough) hehe ! Hope everyone had a beautiful weekend. Much love from me and the lil one!

Yup, it's true, I killed Hank! Known FACT: Beta fish like to jump, fill their tank up too much and there is a possibility that they might make it out of the tank (wish I knew this when I cleaned his bowl on Sunday). Hank jumped out of his tank in the middle of the night and I found him dry and crispy on the tile floor Monday morning. I got him off the floor before Stella woke up and when she walked by his tank and said "Good Morning Mr. Hank" luckily she didn't notice Hank wasn't in there because normally he hides in the greens in the mornings. Whew, Monday morning crisis averted. Now what? Do I try and find a matching colored fish (not hard to do) and replace him before Stella notices? Thought about it all day long and decided that I would fess up and let Stella know what happen. The truth prevailed and Stella was good with it all. A little bummed but the new fish behind my back sort of made it better pretty quick. Now, time to come up with a name..... Meet ...

Check out this article..... I was interviewed by a friend a few weeks ago! Eldora pledges to enhance the skier experience as their primary focus for the upcoming 2010-11 ski season. The resort is looking to capitalize on another snowy winter after receiving well over their annual 300 inches of snowfall last season. Making the learning facilities more beginner friendly is Eldora's key element in introducing new skiers and snowboarders to the sport. They began by removing two lower mountain chairlifts, Tenderfoot 1 and Tenderfoot 2, and replacing them with a magic carpet. The new "lift" will facilitate beginning skiers and riders in getting up the mountain for the first time without having to load a chairlift. The magic carpet will be usable year round. Hikers, bikers, and other summer visitors will be able to park at the base Eldora , and within steps, load the Tenderfoot lift. Experienced guests can take advantage of improved gladed skiing this winter. Crews have spent...

Yesterday Stella and I went to Boulder for registration night for her ski team. It was exciting to see a bunch of people that we typically don't see throughout the summer but see every weekend throughou t the winter. It was fun to watch the kids get all ramped for the snow to start flying! Stella's Team from last year!!! If you happen to be in Boulder on Sept 30 th , at 7pm, come check out this sweet new movie (with proceeds going to the ski team)!!! A few guys I know are in it and from what I've heard, it rocks! A fun night out and for a great cause!!! Hope the weekend was great! Much Love!

Last night we sat out on the deck to this amazing sunset. Summer is slowly winding down and even though it's 90 today, the evenings are getting cooler and cooler (love it)!! These pictures don't do the sunset justice but they are still pretty! Stella and I have a weekend planned full of, no plans. It's nice once in a while to not make a plan and just see where the weekend takes us. There is of course the standard laundry and house touch ups to catch up on, but other then that......it's wide open to adventure! Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! Much Love!

Yep! It's that time of year again. Time to get all the wood chopped and ready for the winter. Both my parents house and my house are heated by stoves in the winter. It's a bit of a process to get it all ready but so well worth it! I actually enjoy doing this! The best part about this, is that, this means that snow is on it's way! Woot !!! Much Love!

I heard this song some time ago and LOVED it. I've been searching for it since and to my surprise, flipping through the channels last night....there she was. Florence!! She was on the MTV Music Awards and ROCKED it. Her live performance was phenomenal! I downloaded her album today from itunes. Can't wait to hear more! What a voice! Much Love!

Yup! Another fire has broken out about 10 miles (as the crow flys ) from the house. This time it's to the north of us. This one has less of a chance of reaching us then the one from last week but it's scary that all these fires are popping up and it's sooooooo dry. We haven't had rain around here for quite some time. So far about 700 acres have burned up since the fire started yesterday mid-morning. On a little lighter note, Stella and I had a great weekend. Pretty chill, nothin crazy, but had a great dinner with friends on Saturday night. Blessed to have such great friends! Also got a little shopping in this weekend and found these gems below! Some lovin around the BBQ pit. Found these at World Market (love that place)! All you need is LOVE!!! Check out the new flowers! Yeah I know, they're fake BUT, they add some great color to the house. Dad bought these planters for me a few days ago. It's a little late to try and plant some real flowers in them so t...

The latest news: BOULDER - Authorities were prepared for the worst overnight, but on Friday morning reported good news in the fight to contain a wildfire that has already claimed 169 homes. Driving into Estes on Tuesday for swim practice the sky was red and orange, this isn't the best picture but it was taken with my cell. Typically from this view point you'd be able to see a stack of mountains in the background in the National Park, but not on Tuesday. They even kept the kids in during the day on Tuesday because it got pretty thick in the valley. Reports from a few friends that live in the fire zone are slowly coming in. Some of their houses have survived and some houses have not but more importantly everyone has. Lots of thoughts and prayers are being sent to the people fighting the fires and to those devastated by the fires. Last night Stella and I had a long talk about what we would do in case a fire showed up on our door step. We also talked to my parents who live...

No joke this time. This fire is intense. So far reports are coming in that quite a few homes have burned down and a couple 1000 acres. It's burning hot and fast! It started on Monday morning, and unfortunately the 65 mile an hour gusts didn't help and it spread fast! (photo courtesy of Joan) Luckily our house is a few miles north and a few valleys over from the fire but I woke up in the middle of the night and had to close the windows because the smoke had settled into our valley. Took this picture driving into Boulder yesterday to grab some groceries. It was thick in town and ash was falling everywhere. (photo courtesy of Joan) Thoughts and prayers are with those who are fighting this fire and for those who's lives are being turned upside down by this thing. Much Love!

Stella and I busted up to Steamboat on Saturday morning for a few days of hot springs , hiking, biking, relaxing and playing. It was beautiful!!!! Great weather, great friends, and beautiful views. It doesn't get much better! The Saturday morning drive through the National Park in Estes on our way to Steamboat! Every time I drive through the park, it always amazes me. The views are stunning! I didn't get too many pictures this weekend. We were too busy playing. Here's one of Stella and I on the deck at the cabin on the Adam's Ranch. Hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day weekend! Much Love!

We've made it through week two of swimming and school! Whew! It's going to take a bit of getting use to being back in the swing of a solid schedule but so far so good. Stella had a great practice last night, we had to work through a few frustrations but we're finding our groove. After a 400 IM warm-up, the coach had the kids swimming laps with only a 15 second pause between laps for a full solid hour. Stella was whipped out after practice but she still found a little energy to go play on the diving board with her team mates after practice! :) The butterfly is definitely the hardest stroke but she's committed to getting it down! Lovin the backstroke! Swimin as the sun is settin ! As long as we are still smiling after practice, it's all worth it! She's workin hard and it makes me a proud mama! We're off to Steamboat for the long weekend, lots of relaxing and playing to be done. Hope everyone has a wonderful Labor Day weekend! Much Love!!!

I woke up this morning FREEEEEZZZZZING ! It was awesome! The first thought I had in my head, and before I opened my eyes was snow and then I looked out the window and it was bright sunny and in all reality about 60 degrees (i know, not too cold and most definitely not "snow cold") but regardless it got me really excited about the up and coming ski season. I'M READY FOR IT!!! The cold, white, scarf wearing weather. Here's a pic from last season. It was one of the best days of the season out on the mountain with a great friend. Those are the best kind of days....right!?! Praying for snow (although it's a bit premature!) hehe Much LOVE!