Scalp massage

Johannes is going to Cosmetology school and I had to help her practice scalp massages.  Don’t you feel sorry for me?!  The only time I have ever had a scalp massage was at a salon during a shampoo or conditioner treatment.  It was very different this time.

Johannes used cholesterol “lotion” and did a wonderful job massaging it into my scalp.It was so relaxing that it almost made me fall asleep.  She explained to me that the purpose of the treatment is to penetrate the roots to strengthen the hair and help it grow.  It increases the blood circulation and helps with headaches, better sleep, and healthy hair.  

Next time you go to a salon, ask for a scalp massage.  I would say it is worth the time and money.  It was amazing.

Meet my husband Phil

The definition of a practical joker definitely fits my husband Phil: someone who sets up a situation to produce a humorous physical outcome at the expense of a target.

 Every day is exciting when Phil is around. He is a practical joker.

Johaness and I have been the target of many pranks. I think we both enjoy a good laugh at what Phil has thought up next. 

In the latest practical joke Phil finally solved the debate between toilet paper coming off the front or the back. What do you think? Do you think it will catch on?

Easy Braided Bang

This braided bang is really easy.  In fact it is mostly just twisting the hair to look like a braid.
1. Brush hair out.
2.Find bang area and add a little bit extra beyond the center of head so it is off center.
3. Separate into a small section.  Divide this section into two pieces.

4.Twist the two strands around each other once.
5. Add a little more hair to both strands and twist again going the same direction that you started. 



6. Continue step #5 until you have the length of braid that you would like.





7. Pin the braid back behind the ear with a bobby pin.
8. Cover pin with longer hair from behind.




9. Spray with hairspray for hold.
10. ENJOY!

Bishop Castle

 

My husband and I enjoy taking short adventures. This adventure to Bishop Castle was so much fun with a mix of terror. 

Its unbelievable that one man, Jim Bishop, constructed this castle all by himself.  I can't even imagine the amount of time it took to find all the stones, move them to the site and then build this building.

On his website it says that you can have your wedding here.  Can you imagine standing in front of that window and pledging to love, honor and cherish your husband for the rest of your life.  So pretty.

Now comes the terrorizing part.  The Bishop family business was iron works.  He has put that to good use in the castle.  This is a walkway around the middle section of the castle.

This is my husband Phil out on the bridge.  This bridge just ends there.  No safety gate to catch you if you fall.  The bridge sways just enough to make you want to get to solid ground quickly!

If you look at the first picture on here of the castle you will notice where we are at in this picture.  This is the very top on the right side.  I am scared of heights but well worth the effort it took to climb the stairs to the top.  

Me pretending to be a princess held captive and waiting for my prince charming to rescue me.

If you ever get the chance to go to Bishop Castle, do it.  We had so much fun exploring the different staircases and rooms. I also enjoyed the adrenaline rush you get from walking around the iron walkways, bridges and towers. If you have a daredevil in your family, take a road trip North West of Rye, Colorado and visit Bishop Castle.

Exercising with your kids

We did it!  Johannes and I challenged each other to do 3 workouts and walk/run 5 miles each week this summer.  We could miss 6 times out of 10 weeks and still win.  The reward was a gift card to our favorite place STARBUCKS!
  
Here is our checklist for the last ten weeks.  Johannes did beat me.  She only missed 5 workouts.  I missed 6 workouts and 1 mile.  I did climb a 14er which SHOULD count as at least 6 workouts all by itself!!!

I really enjoyed working out with Johannes.  It was a time we could talk about life and laugh at each other for silly things we did.  It was also very rewarding to accomplish something together.  

Workout with your kids. They love it. Be a healthy role model for your kids!

Mount Qundary Peak - 14er #3

Last week my sister, a friend from college and I climbed Mt Quandary's Peak. My sister, MeLissa is in the hat on the left. My friend Lydia from college is in the middle. I am on the right looking cold and half asleep!

Quandary's Peak is a class 1 mountain.  That means it is one of the easiest 14ers to climb.  The trail is 6.75 miles round trip with an elevation gain of 3,450 feet.   The summit is 14,265 feet.

 

This sign really says it all.  Although Quandary's is considered an easier 14er to summit, there is really no easy 14er.  We also knew from other friends' past experience that we did not want to mess with any bad weather.  They had gotten caught in an electrical storm.  We did not want that to happen to us.  I should have payed more attention to the 4th tip, but more on that later.

I really felt like I was in good enough shape to do this mountain. I had done two other 14ers and knew this was easier than either one of those. That was my first mistake.  I had a big head.  My ego was inflated.  That hope was quickly deflated.  I had prepared but obviously not enough.  I had a really hard time keeping up.  I don't know what happened, maybe it was God saying, dodo brain this is to remind you not to get overly proud of yourself.

With the encouragement of my friends I kept on. 

We were almost to the first false summit when someone stopped us and told us there was a storm approaching quickly from behind us.  We turned around and sure enough, a dark cloud was right there.  The thoughts of our friends in an electrical storm were in our heads.  We had a decision to make.  Do we turn around now when we were so close to the summit? Someone with an altimeter told us we were at 13,899.  We made the decision to go to 14,000 and reassess the situation.

At 14,000 feet we made the decision to take our pictures and turn around.  In the next picture you can see the storm coming in fast.

This was my third 14er.  I don't know if it can count as an official 14er since we didn't summit, but to me, it is my third 14er.

Instead of lightening and rain, it started to snow on our way down.  It is the middle of August and like the sign said, be prepared for changing weather conditions. Very true! The snow added some fun to our hike down.  We tried to catch snowflakes in our mouths, some people threw snowballs, and the mountain goats came out to play.

Finally after WAY too long we made it to our car.  So what did I learn?
-Train more than you actually think you need.
-Don't get overly confident.
-Watch the weather before leaving. (we did this)
-Keep a careful eye out for changing weather conditions while hiking.
-Take extra clothing for those changing weather conditions.
-EAT! I took lots of food, but about half way up I wasn't hungry anymore and stopped eating. I ran out of energy and really had a hard time.
-DRINK WATER! After I was done with the hike I realized I had only drank half of my water.  I really needed to drink more. I was very dehydrated.

DIY Healthy Cake

 

This beautiful fruit arrangement can be used as a birthday cake or as a center piece for a table.  

You will need:

1 large watermelon

1 large cantaloupe

1 pint strawberries

1 pint blueberries

Package of Grapes

 3 Kiwi

2 oranges (optional)

toothpicks

2 small dowels

cake stand

plate

birthday candles

flower cookie cutter

knives/cutting board

•  Find the middle of the watermelon and cut 3 inches on each side for a total of 6 inches. Trim off  the rind.
• Find the middle of the cantaloupe and cut 2 inches on each side for a total of 4 inches. Trim off the outside.
• Cut 1 inch off the top and bottom of the watermelon to create the top layer.   It should be 2 inches by around 2 inches depending on the size of watermelon. Stack both pieces with toothpicks to hold together.
• Level each layer so they are flat on the top and bottom.

 

For the Pineapple flowers:

• Trim the pineapple and cut into 1/2– 1 inch slices.

• Using a cookie cutter make your flower. You may need to trim with a knife to make a clean cut.

Trim and cut remaining fruit into bite size pieces.

Assembling:

• On your cake stand stack the cantaloupe on top of the watermelon.  Push dowels that have been soaked for 30 minutes in water through both layers to hold in place. 

• Place the top layer of watermelon on top.  Toothpicks will help to secure this layer.

Decorating:

• Push toothpicks into grapes and into the top of the bottom layer of watermelon.
• Break toothpicks in half and use them to secure the blueberries into the top of the cantaloupe.
• For flowers, push the tooth pick almost all the way through pineapple and stick into watermelon.  Leave a little toothpick showing for the kiwi and then the blueberries.
• Slice a small slit in the top of the strawberry and insert a small candle. Using a toothpick add to the top of the cake.
• For the cantaloupe, we decorated using kiwi and blueberries and then added a few skewers of fruit to the top.
• To serve, add a plate under the cake stand and add the remaining cut fruit.

  Enjoy this amazing fruit "cake". Don't forget to light the candles!