Fourth Stop: Keystone, CO

Our next adventure took us on the road again, but this time north instead of south. We took off on a ridiculously long trek from Lubbock, Texas to Keystone, CO just three days after returning from Dallas. My aunt and uncle live nearby in Denver and own a condo in Keystone. They graciously offered to open up their place to not just us, but my brothers and their families as well. So it was sort of a mini-family reunion, minus the parents and the youngest sibling. I’ll warn you in advance; this is very picture heavy post! But like I always say, this is our family’s photo journal…the thing we’ll look back on in years to come. So I just couldn’t resist!

I'll admit it: the car ride there was excruciating. We stopped in Dalhart for a bit to visit Mark's grandparents. By the time we arrived in Keystone, we had been travelling for 12 hours. I have to hand it to the boys though...they did great in the car!

The first full day the weather was not so great. I think the high was around 67 and it misted most of the day. I guess it didn't help that we decided to attempt our first hike up at Loveland Pass where the continental divide is. The thermostat on our car was reading in the 30s. In August!

And that's how Mark and I celebrated our fourth anniversary...shivering!

We only had one back carrier and it was freezing so Mark, the boys and I decided to abandon the hike in favor of an awesome park we happened upon back in Keystone. The boys had a blast!

The park was even fully equipped with a really cool skate park that Mark and Kolbe had fun watching. That little boy better not be getting any ideas!!!

That afternoon we met back up with everyone else and headed to a resort area that had some sort of tributary pond that had lots of rainbow trout we could feed. Of course, the ducks loved to swoop in and steal the food. The boys loved it either way.

So did this guy! (our little nephew, Jackson)

The next morning all of the guys went fly fishing (unfortunately, no pictures....Mark said it was gorgeous!) while the girls and kiddies went to an outlet mall. The shopping didn't last long for the boys and we ended up back at the park....playing on the playground and learning how to roll down the hill.

That evening, they were giving free gondola rides up the ski lifts so we all decided to head to the top to check out the views. The boys loved the gondolas! And they loved having our dear friend, Lisa, along with us too. She lives in Ft. Collins, CO and came down to join our vacation.

The view at the top was spectacular. Perfect for photos!

And back down at the base of the mountain we had a good time horsing around too.

On our last full day there, we took off on our second hike. This time the weather was beautiful! We hiked for about two hours on some trails around Lake Dillon and had a great time just catching up as a family. Our cousin, Reed, also joined us...he's a cadet at the Air Force Academy. Kolbe crashed and spent the majority of the hike sleeping. Probably a good thing!

Overall, this was fantastic vacation. We are so glad we did it! And lucky us...we get to do it all over again next summer for a big Gaschen Family Reunion in Winter Park, CO. Can't wait!

Third Stop: Dallas, TX

The weekend following our weekend trip to Dalhart, we packed up the boys in the car and drove down to Dallas to visit Brian and Cristi, Mark's brother and sister-in-law. The recently moved back to Texas from San Francisco and we've been dying to get down to see them. (if only we'd have made it out to San Francisco before they left!) The first night, we we to eat pizza at a fun little eatery and wandered around the west end area of Dallas. Of course, I managed to forget my camera so no pictures!

On Saturday morning we drove up to Frisco to meet up with our friends, Jared and Katie, and their little boy Logan. They got word that Kolbe and Reagan's only desire on their visit to Dallas was to go swimming. They just happen to have the coolest neighborhood pool ever...complete with kiddie pool and splash pad....and decided to have us out for a swim. The boys had so much fun! And we'll admit it, Mark and I did too! Afterwards we went to a nearby mall for lunch and a carousel ride. The boys always love that! That afternoon we walked across the street from Brian and Cristi's apartment to the Galleria so the boys could play on the playground there. Again, lots of fun and shenanigans! For dinner, Cristi made us a delicious chicken spaghetti dish with artichokes and some of the yummiest garlic bread ever. She's quite the cook!

On Sunday we paid a visit to Ikea. Mark hated it. I loved it! What woman wouldn't? Especially a woman that loves all things domestic. The boys actually did really well there and got treated to some chips once we made it through the checkout. Back and the apartment Cristi made us fantastic panini sandwiches. Again, awesome cook. And finally, we got to attend mass at St. Ann's in Coppell before heading back home to Lubbock. It was a great little vacation! And we had a blast with Brian and Cristi. Such great hosts! Hopefully next time we can stay longer and maybe go ice skating at the Galleria! Roll the footage...

Rudy clowning around with Jared at the pool.

Katie and precious little Logan. We've never seen this guy cry! He's always this happy! And Katie is always this adorable. Jealous!

Family swim time!

Merry-go-round!

Look who wants to ice skate!

Playing at the Galleria

Rudy loved playing with the little wall puzzles after Kolbe showed him how they worked.

And Kolbe just spent all his time jumping off of everything. He's in that jumping stage of life. Ugh!

Second Stop: Dalhart, TX

The second stop on our crazy summer tour was in Dalhart, TX. Mark and I returned from Midland at around 11pm and the next morning we took off for Dalhart with the boys. Mark and I have been together for about six years and in that time have never gone up to Dalhart to visit his grandparents. They always come down to Lubbock instead. But on the weekend of our visit, Grandma’s 80th birthday was being celebrated and we absolutely wanted to be in attendance. It was also the weekend of the big XIT Rodeo, which is quite the affair up in Dalhart. So not only did we get to celebrate Grandma’s birthday, but we also got to have a lot of fun at the city-wide bar-b-que and hanging out at Grandpa and Grandma’s house with lots of family. Though it was barely over 24 hours long, it was such a fun trip and I’m so glad we did it!

So sweet!!!

Kolbe enjoying the giant inflatable slide at the bar-b-que.

Mark's cousins Mika, Melisa, and Meagan

Kolbe has had a pair of boot since his second birthday, but Miss Lora decided that Rudy needed a pair for the rodeo too. Grandpa went out and picked these up for Rudy. Aren't they adorable!?! Cutest little boy boots ever!

And of course the kids had fun playing with all the balloons left over from the party.

And fighting over Miss Lora's car keys too!

There was also a lot of fun to be had with a bag full of action figures and cars that one of the other boy cousins brought up.

Grandpa never misses a good chance to dance!

That's Grandma on the left and her sister, Mary, on the right.

Grandpa has an old, old work truck parked out in front of his house. Kolbe had a blast sitting in it with Mark and steering the giant steering wheel!

And Mark took the opportunity to teach Adan and the other boys how to catch frogs! Such a rite of passage for boys!

Mark is DONE!!!

First of all, I'm really behind on posting all the happenings of the Asmussen Family on here. I've literally had no time to sit down and do it. And considering my parents will be here in a few short hours to visit for my cousin's wedding, I probably should be finishing my cleaning instead of working on the blog. But I need a break, so here I sit....

Mark officially finished Physician Assistant school a few weeks ago on August 6th. We have one of those could-it-really-be? type of feelings. Mark has been a student for our entire relationship...dating included! But he's finally done! And we couldn't be prouder of him. He has accepted a job here in Lubbock working with a well-respected neurosurgeon and another P.A. that is one of the most magnificent people Mark has ever come across in the health care field. If it was me, there'd be no way I'd be cutting in to someone's brain or back...or even watching it! eek!...but he seems to like it and be very excited about starting his career on September 13th. He takes his board exams a week from today on September2nd so all prayers will be greatly appreciated!!!

Here are a few pics from his white coat ceremony which was sort of a final hurrah for his class. Again, I can't say it enough, we are SO proud of him!!!

Sorry, it's blurry. It was the best I could do!

Mark's whole class reciting their oath.

After the ceremony...yes, I got to attend this one alone.

And, of course, I made him pose for some cheesy pictures back at the P.A. School. Doesn't he look handsome!?! If you're ever in Midland, you have to go check out the P.A. School Tech has set up there. It puts every thing in Lubbock to shame. Not kidding.