Tear Down the Wall!

If there really is such thing as organized chaos- that would not be our life these days! I'd say we are more winging it from project to project, while counting down the weeks! The good thing is- we seem to manage to squeeze in enough fun- that it all balances out. When I left off a few weeks ago- we were headed down to spend some time in CO Springs with mom and dad Sheffield. They were on a nice long CO roadtrip that was planned around our original wedding date. One thing that was so special to us- is that they took the time to go see where we got married. They actually took the lift up, and walked about 5 miles around the mountain in the wrong direction. After an unexpected but beautiful hike, they found the Rose Bowl- overlooking the magnificent Gore Range. It meant a lot to us that they took the time to see a spot that is so meaningful to us! We met them down at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort for a nice relaxing evening, and then went to the Academy the next day for the AF/ Navy football game. It had been about 20 years (wow!) since I had laid eyes on that campus. The stadium was just as I remembered, minus my cousins that I used to run around the bleachers with. We were lucky to get some earth rattling fly bys from the F15 crew, although- they were not able to drop the parachutes and game ball because of high winds. They did fly the falcons at half time- I always loved that part when I was younger. The Sheffields got us some rockin seats- even though they were 2nd row, on Navy side! I still cheered for the Falcons- and a great time was had by all. It was wonderful to share something with them, that has always been such a great family memory for me.

The weekend after, we got a stellar line up at the 4 Mile Canyon Benefit Concert. The boys from Yonder Mountain String Band, Leftover Salmon, Phish, String Cheese Incident....and Big Head Todd- all joined forces for 7 hours of music fundraising. Although these are some of our favorite performers, we both thought that they could have brought more heat. Don't get me wrong, there were definite highlights in the show, and seeing them all jam together was a once in a lifetime type of deal. I knew it was time to go when I was more excited about the pizza line.

Then- this past weekend, we were lucky enough to have mom and Granny come up and see us. We didn't do too much but catch up on life. We went out to a wonderful dinner at Houstons in Cherry Creek, and walked them through Wash Park some. We also went to Babies R Us and bought the rest of the things we were needing for Baby Sheffield. The nursery furniture is being delivered in a few weeks!! It was a quick trip, but they were able to see all the work we have done on the house, and spending any amount of time with them, is worth it. It's hard to believe that next time I see my mom, I will be a mom too!

This week has been all about settling back into the house. We brought down the wall finally, got new floors, carpets, and the painting has started. I will be anxious to have it all done, and really just be able to focus on this baby time in Dec. We went and toured the hospital last night. It was very emotional for us both to go and see where our little one is going to make his grand entrance. Overall, we were very pleased with the facilities and the system they have running there.

Tonight- we are having a dinner date out, and packing up John. I am kicking him out to Vegas for a boys weekend to go see Widespread Panic and Govt Mule play at the HardRock. He is more excited though, about watching the Auburn / LSU game at the Caesar's Sportsbook. I will be getting the final painting details done, and hanging with a few friends watching Tech play CU. I will post house pics when we get the project done.

Here are some from the last couple weeks. Until next time....

Paying our respects to the men in uniform

Mom and Dad Sheffield in their Navy Blues

Baby Sheffield's soon to be crib

Racking up a Tab

Our Rocker

4 Generations of Hitts

"Take time to give thanks

Make time to be giving

Im gonna stop and think twice

About the way that I'm living

Did I say a kind word

Am I proud of my actions?

You know a job well done

Gives me satisfaction

Can I earn your trust

Your love and affection?

One step at a time

In the right direction

Gonna aim for the sky

Keep my feet on the ground

Raise my voice to the heavens

Make a joyful sound!"

　

　

The Honeymoon

So as many of you had it marked on your calendars...last friday was our original planned wedding date. As much fun as the event at Red Rocks would have been, we were glad not to be facing all that stress and mess this time of year. Since many of our friends had kept their original plane tickets- they just came in town anyhow. I was able to meet a crew of Johns friends from high school and beyond. As much as I thought I knew about him already- there are some stories now I will never forget! We went out to dinner a couple nights to Carmines and TAG for food and catch up time. Then, last Sat, our wonderful friends Cori, Tyler,and Ashley threw us a baby bbq and Sheffield celebration. We had a good turnout, and baby Sheffield scored big! Our living room is full of bouncers, car seats, a high chair, not to mention all those little things that light up and make noise every time I trip over them...

Our neighbor moves out this week, so we finally will not be crammed in one half of the house any longer!! WOOHOO! We will start unloading stuff to next door on Sunday evening. We will have a week to get that organized, before the contractors come in and start taking down walls and laying the new floor. It's been frustrating as the baby room is so full of storage junk, we can't even get in there to see what we have room for! I did have my girlfriend Jackie come over this week to talk about painting the nursery walls. She is going to do something fun for me- with her artsy creative flare. Thank goodness for her- I would throw a slab of green up there and call it done! All the rest of the housework seems to be falling in line with our schedule. We will be displaced for a few days- but it will be worth it to come home to a new feeling place!

This weekend we are heading to CO Springs to meet mom and dad Sheffield. We are staying with them tonight at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort, then hitting up the AF/ Navy football game tomorrow. Yes Dad, I will still be cheering for the Air Force- even though dad Sheffield is a Navy grad! We are looking forward to spending some nice time with them regardless!

Work has been going really well, and our next baby doc appointment is the start of next week. I've been feeling pretty well, but am still ready for this heat to pass. We had record highs this week in the 90s. For those if you who live in TX, keep your comments to yourself. Remember I live in CO, and it's supposed to be fall.

The flowers are still out in bloom at Wash Park- we took some good photos of them and my belly last week.

Have a wonderful Friday all!

my tummy at 29 weeks...

Part of the shower crew...

Thanks mom and dad for the chair, and mom and dad Sheffield for the srtoller system!! ( 2 of our favorites for the new little man!)

With aunt Amy...

pic from our golf tournament a few weeks back- we were the caddy-shaggers...

A group shot from our other wedding party earlier this summer

Plumbing, Fences, and Trenches...oh my!

Another week has flown by, and here we are mid-September. Our main focus lately is getting this house ready, as I feel we will not get much conquered come December. Our friend Dave is still living in the other half of the duplex, so we are working around what we can for the next couple of weeks, until we take over the entire compound. We had a kickstart to our yardwork motivation, as our neighbors across the street starting taking down their larger than life tree. As much as we appreciate the better mountain view from the roof, it also took down one of our plum trees out front. We were looking to replace the thing anyhow- this just got that ball rolling a bit faster. The new trees and the sprinkler system are all being installed this week. If you look at our yard- right now, there are just a ton of ditches. Aspen didn't know what to think when she came home from her doggy friend's last night. I know this will all come together, and save John a ton of watering and lawn time- but right now, It looks like we have a bad case of gophers that are addicted to hot pink spray paint. This will be one thing crossed off on the list- until we take down walls, install new floors, and paint the insides. Oh yeah, and build a nursery.

Speaking of the nursery- we were forced to finally register for baby Sheffield. Let me just say, that was a mission. I do not think it's possible for anyone to make it out of Babies R Us in under a few hours. For the Sheffields- try about 4+ hours. We never knew there were so many types of burp rags and butt wipes. It was a bit overwhelming after a while, but luckily we hung in there and made some great choices. Thanks to all those that helped us out with tips on products- we really appreciate all the advice.

We have been able to squeeze in some fun time as well. For Labor Day- we laid pretty low around the house. John met some friends to watch the Auburn football game, and we did make it out to see Willie at Red Rocks. He is still going strong after all these years. And to be honest- his sons band, Lukas Nelson and the Promise of the Real, was a very pleasant surprise. They sounded very rock/blues, almost Stevie Ray style. It was them first, then Ryan Bingham, and in the end- Willie himself for the closer. 2 of his sons played guitar and drums and sang with him, and his sister was on stage playing piano. It was quite the family affair. He played all the classics, including Amazing Grace for Poppa. The show was a great encore to our Red Rocks season. It's kind of fun to think that next weekend we would have been getting married there....

Just this past weekend, John put another three peaks under his belt on the 14er count. I believe he said there are about 45  peaks (14000 ft or higher) in CO, more than any other state. He has climbed 9 of them, I think. He, Aspen, and the guys went up camping on Friday night, and hiked most of Saturday. He was definitely more active than me at my hair appointment and shopping the mall.

I don't have any new pics to put up this week, but promise there will be some coming soon. The flowers are out in full bloom at Wash Park, so we will get some good shots there before the seasons shift.

On one last embarrassing note- I am actually looking forward to some crap TV later on tonight after yoga. John and I have been sucked into America's Got Talent. If you have not seen this, I don't recommend watching, unless you have a couple hours a week to waste. It is addicting. Who doesn't like crazy freak talent shows with obnoxious judges and hosts? Seriously though, there are some amazing people that are contestants. If I would have been born with half their talent, someone else would be writing this blog about me.

　

　

Doctor, Doctor...Give me the news!

As far as Mondays go...this one started off pretty well.  Instead of work, we were at the doc's office first thing this morning.  We had our standard check up, and were able to see our little man's face for the first time!!  Pretty amazing things- these ultrasound machines.  I can't even begin to explain how weird it was- to feel him punch me, and see the fist at the same time on the TV screen.  What has technology come to??  All went well with everything, and we will go back in another month.  Baby Boy Sheffield is growing extremely fast.  He is already 1lb 12 oz!  I've certainly grown more than that, but doc was happy with my weight and progress as well. So far- we are passing tests with all flying colors!

The weekend went by way too fast, as they usually do.  John took off with the boys for a river rafting trip.  They camped and spent 2 days on the Colorado.  All the girls at 624 (Aspen, Harley, & Myself), Missed him greatly, but he returned safely home last night.   As for me, I had a bridal shower on Friday.  Sat- I spent with some girlfriends doing "girlie" things.  Then Sunday, I went to brunch and on a bike ride to catch up with some friends I had not seen in a while.  Brett and Kelly brought their new baby Ashton over for me to meet.  Not to mention, brought us a ton of baby boy hand-me-downs we can look forward to! A little bit of yardwork and Broncos football on TV ended a fine, restful weekend.  It's still pretty darn hot here, so I get wiped out pretty easily.

Tonight we are heading to Boulder to see Robert Earl Keen play at Chautauqua.  Texas music in the mountains! The Road Goes on Forever.....

Here are some pictures from the wedding- in case you have not seen them yet.

"The time has come for us to pause,
And think of living as it was.
Into the future we must cross,
I'd like to go with you..."

"And when we walked into the day
Skies of blue had turned to grey
I might not have been, clear to say
I never looked away..."

"And when we came out into view-

There I found myself with you.

Breathing felt like it was, something new...

I'd like to stay with you- going alone with you."

So happy together...

Telluride!!

The Foundation

As much as I hate to admit how much I learned from my brother.... he is often a good example of many things. It is tough to stay current on what's happening with everyone everywhere. I have been able to follow the House of Murray, all the way from CO. That has motivated me to get our updates down, so anyone interested, or just looking to kill some time, can follow the Sheffield story as well. (Thanks, Brian. I love you.)

2010 has been quite the year. I am assuming, if you have this blog address, we have communicated somewhat lately. If you fell onto this webpage by accident- happy reading about some strangers....

I'm going to summarize the past few months in highlights, because why waste too much time on the past?

April 11, 2010- the day I agreed to become a Sheffield. Well, it was way more romantic than that. After spending a day with friends around Denver, John and I were home and back to our Sunday routine. The Masters (golf) were on TV, and it was getting time for our typical Sunday night cruiser ride. We took off towards Wash Park, and made a lap around the lake. As we stopped to check out the sunset, I was so pre-occupied by quacking at the ducks, I couldn't even tell that John was nervous. Before long, he was on his knee, and I had tears in my eyes. After saying yes, we celebrated with a couple bottles of yellow label he had hidden in the bushes. My feet still have not come back to the ground.

The original wedding date was set for Sept of this fall, a big throw down at Red Rocks. Our plans were altered a bit, when we heard the news- that we would soon be 3 Sheffields. That's right, a little man due this Dec. We opted for the quicker approach, and ran off to the Ritz in Beaver Creek for our own little ceremony. We spent 4 days in Bachelor Gulch, where we took a ski lift to the top and said our "I do's" in God's most beautiful chapel, the Rocky Mountains. Please don't be offended that you were not physically invited. All the thoughts of our loved ones, and one single photographer to document the special occasion, made up the entire guest list. We were proud to marry on Father's Day, to honor the 2 best men that would have stood by our side in Sept.
Now that fall is almost here, it's hard to believe that summer is gone. It makes sense, as we have been everything but slow moving. We made our annual trip to Orange Beach to see Widespread Panic play at the Wharf with our friends. Yes, it was before the oilspill made it to the beaches... We also traveled back to NC to spend some time at Lake Toxaway with mom and dad Sheffield, and our brother Keaton. We just hung out at the lakehouse, watched fireworks, and enjoyed spending the time. Although we couldn't go back to Abilene, our nephew Ethan celebrated his 1st birthday in late June. We did make it to MN for cousin Brad & Mindy's wedding. It was nice to see almost the entire Hitt family in one place. As large as we are these days- that rarely happens. Recently, we have come home from a week of Colorado road tripping. We went to Crested Butte, over to Ouray- and wound up in Telluride for a few nights of friends and Phish tour. We still have Willie at Red Rocks coming up, but other than that- I would say it's the close of a good season.
It's crazy sometimes when you look at how quickly life changes. I've traded in my softball glove for golf clubs and mommy yoga, Friday nights out for reruns of Criminal Minds, and cold 6 packs for ice cream... We feel nothing but lucky in life right now- and cherish the blessings of each new day.
"I can't remember all the times I've tried to tell myself to hold on, to these moments as they pass...."