Fabulous Friday!

Drum Roll Please........


Its time for our first installment of the "Denver Dozen"- where we share our top twelve things from the week, whether those be exciting adventures, positive experiences or just really good deals!

12. The beautiful weather (again, another beautiful week in sunny Colorado, perfect for getting outdoors.)

11. Running sunglasses. (The best purchase made to combat squinty eyes during runs in the (#12) sunny Colorado weather!)

10. No car problems this week! (Last week Mabel the Sable was acting up, due to rust building up on her brake pads. Caused by parking over a sprinkler head. Opps.)

9. Spending $7.32 and saving $33.14 at King Soopers. (Thanks in part to this coupon! Also, help join Kraft in the Fight Against Hunger!)

8. Free cookies from Quiznos!

7. The building excitement for the upcoming 10K on Sunday!

6. The start of my PEDIATRIC job! And another enjoyable week at Kellen's new job (plus payday!)

5. Its MEGA SWAGBUCKS day! Have you heard of swagbucks yet?

4. My upcoming adventures in another state...details coming!

3. Phone calls from friends and families

2. My Colorado License came in the mail (way different from Michigan!)

1. It is FRIDAY!

Mega Swag Bucks Friday!

It's Mega Swag Bucks Day!

Kellen and I recently discovered this amazing search engine online called Swagbucks. The reason we love it? You get "digital dollars" for searching for items, just like you do every day. We have been saving up our swagbucks and already have $25 dollars in Amazon.com gift cards. We aren't sure what we are going to buy yet, but luckily the gift cards never expire so we can think about it for a while! Check it out, don't feel obligated to join- we know it is hard to pull away from google. It's kind of like the lottery when you search, you can never be sure if you are going to win. But when you do- it's sweet! And on Fridays it is easier than ever to win swagbucks, hence "Mega Swag Bucks Day"!

What to see what all the fuss is about? Join today: Swagbucks!

(Or don't :) - we just think it is pretty cool!)

The Quarter Century Club

We are both in the same club now! The prestigious 25 years old club, or as John Mayer put it, the "Quarter Life Crisis". Crisis aside, we decided to celebrate - with something a little more youthful in nature: A Corn Maze! That's right, we sought out a corn maze to celebrate my 25th birthday in style. We found one north of Denver, in Thorton, CO that fit the bill, complete with a pre-picked pumpkin patch. Now, it should be known that we are completely spoiled when it comes to fall, having both lived in Michigan our whole lives. We are used to cider mills with a billion types of apples, hayrides, and pumpkins picked right from the field. Disappointment could have set in when we say the sight for the alleged "Corn Maze" in Colorado, but we brushed by that to enjoy an allergy free adventure in the 80 degree weather. (That's right, apparently there are no allergies in Denver, CO- at least as far as my nose is concerned, no attacks yet this fall!)

The maize kept us occupied for an hour as we searched for ten stops inside the winding walls of corn. If you found all ten, you got a free mini-pumpkin. And find all ten we did, with an occasional hand from the fellow maze goers (and no, we weren't the youngest ones there.)

My birthday celebration was also our kickoff to our first fall adventure in the Denver area- we are excited for the adventures to come!

Our First Colorado Adventure

On September 25th we decided to be tourists in our new "home" state. Having become settled in our new apartment after countless hours of unpacking, we needed a break from the four walls- already! So, we hit the road and drove west (young man...). The adventure started in Boulder, CO where they were having their Fall Festival. Local artists and musicians lined the streets showcasing their art with a beautiful backdrop of the mountains. (P.S. I fell in love with Boulder.)

Free Ice Cream treat from Ben and Jerry's for my birthday. (Sign up for their birthday club online via Chunk Mail)



We then ventured over to Rocky Mountain National Park and I can officially say I know what all the hype is about when it comes to the mountains.

Beautiful! Makes you take a step back (not too big of a step though, its a long way down!) and realize how small you really are in this world, it's humbling. And on that note, God is a pretty sweet artist.

It happened to be a free day in the Nation's Parks on September 25th. (The next one, and last one for 2010, is November 11th, 2010.), so the park was pretty busy. We got there late enough in the day that we avoided most of the rush- but on the way out we got held up by all the traffic exciting the park. Or at least we thought we were getting held up... We didn't expect to see a herd of Elk lining the road with ever tourist stopping within 100 feet of the creatures. What a sight! Felt like we were at the zoo- but we definietly weren't. (See Colorado is already broadening our experiences!) This big guy could have turned around and come straight at us at any moment. In fact a few families had to jump in their cars when he started coming after a female Elk. (Called a cow, I believe?).

We finished the day off at the Stanley hotel (sight where Stephen King was inspired to right the Shinning and were various scenes of Dumb and Dumber were filmed)- which was most historic looking than creepy.

Adventure in Colorado #1 = a success!

The Denver Dozen

Welcome to our blog: The Denver Dozen! Why the name, "The Denver Dozen"? Well, every friday we will post the 12 highlights of our week in Denver- hence the Denver Dozen. We'll also post things throughout the week as well. In addition we will bring adventures from our week through pictures and a short description, so you can feel like you are living right here with us. Or at least you can get a taste of the mountains (and the 70-80 degree weather we are having right into October. I miss the red leaves from Michigan- but I will definitely take this weather!). In addition to highlights from our "adventure", we will share our money savings tips and give updates of how much we have paid from our loans each month- in an effort to keep ourselves on track and to enjoy a future of being debt free. Also, because they seem to go hand-in-hand, we will include "Green Living" tips in addition to our savings tips. (...on that note, anyone know where to drop recyclables off in the Northeast corner of Denver? We are not very happy with our current "no where to recycle" living situation. :(). Please share your thoughts and comments with us! Welcome to the "Denver Dozen"!