Wedding Photos Gallery Open!

All of our wedding photos have been posted!

Along with the three blog postings by Melissa Beck, our photographer, there is now a place where you can see all the photos taken on that special day.


First off, thanks to everyone for your kind comments on the blog postings. Through the "Share the Love" contest that Melissa Beck had for us on her blog, we got a free leather bound coffee table album. Not only did we hit the top tier of 60 comments to get the free album, we got a total of 78 comments about her awesome photos.

You can view the blog posts at the following links:
Post #1
Post #2
Post #3

All of the photos from the wedding day are split up into seven galleries and can be viewed here:
http://melissabeckphotography.smugmug.com/Weddings/Melissa-and-Jason
Password:
18Sept2010

Do you want some of these images for yourself?
You may purchase any of the images you see in these galleries. Plus, through November 13th, you can get 20% OFF your order by entering the 18Sept2010 promo code at checkout!

There are quite a few images in these galleries, so take your time and enjoy them when you can.

Thanks to Melissa Beck for your talents, capturing our day and making us feel so comfortable in front of the lens. Also, a big huge thanks again to everyone who made our wedding weekend so spectacular. It would not have been as fun as it was without all of you!


If you, or anyone you know, are interested in Melissa Beck's photography services (We highly recommend her!), you can find more info about her on her website located here: www.melissabeckphotography.com

Indian Brown Ale

Our first all grain brew at the new house! We decided to take a clone recipe of the Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale and add some spices to it and create a Winter Warmer that will be great to drink between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The morning started off on the wrong foot when the new burner would not fire up. That extended our time about an hour or so, but we finally got it lit and it worked like a charm for the rest of the brew.

OG= 1.075
FG= 1.010
ABV = 6.9%

Ingredients:
10.75 lbs Pilsner malt
15.2 oz flaked maize
10.9 oz amber malt
10.8 oz crystal malt
6.5 oz coffee malt
2.2 oz roasted barley
6 oz brown sugar
0.72 oz Warrior hops
1.2 oz Golding hops
1.33 oz Liberty hops
0.25 oz Golding hops (dry hop)
0.25 oz Liberty hops (dry hop)
British Ale yeast

We had another snafu after our mash, sparge and boil. As we attempted to work the hot wort through the counter flow chiller to cool it down and make a hospitable environment for the yeast, the height of the boil kettle was too low and the pressure of the wort was not enough to get all the way through the counter flow chiller. We could have raised the level of the boil kettle, but that is easier said than done with a boiling hot keg full of boling wort! So, I had to run to the store to grab a few bags of ice. We got the temp down using the ice and cold water running through a cooler, although at a much slower pace thus adding on about another hour or so to the brew time. Then pitched the yeast. It is now happily bubbling away in the spare room downstairs, just waiting for us to keg it and enjoy in a few weeks!!

Halloween Fun

1. Pumpkin carving at our house on Friday evening with the peeps.
2. Belated birthday dinner at the West end in Boulder for Melissa.
3. Costumes.
4. Hanging with the crazies in Boulder ... even more fun when they are all dressed up!

See photos from Halloween HERE

York Fall Wedding

Carah and Tom were getting married in York, ME. I headed out from Denver late on Thursday evening while Melissa had already left from Chicago (where she was for work) earlier in the evening. We met at Logan around 5:30 a.m. on Friday and headed north towards York. On the way we stopped in Newburyport to watch the sunrise on a very chilly morning, I think it was 75 back in Denver! Our arrival at the York Harbor Inn was a bit premature, 7:30 a.m., check in was not till 2. So we drove to the Cape Neddick "Nubble" Lighthouse and slept in the car for a few hours, trying to catch up on missed sleep from the long travels the night before.


Mom, Mark and Eric joined us for a late breakfast. It was great to see them again, even if we had just a month before in Colorado. Friday evening was a blast with a small rehearsal dinner at the Inn and then meeting up with everyone else at the bar later in the night. Saturday was filled with wedding events including the ceremony at a small church in York and then the reception at the York Harbor Reading Room. The food was amazing, with a raw bar, sushi and pasta and carving stations. They had a great band that played through the night keeping everyone dancing and having a blast!

Sunday started with a delicious brunch at the Inn, the bloody's are a must try if your ever there. We then said our goodbyes and headed South to Portsmouth. We were meeting up with Nate, Vanessa, JP and Calvin as well as Eric and Paige at Flatbread for a light lunch. After some intriguing conversation we headed out again and met up with Celeste and Derek to watch the Pats game at a bar in Boston. We watched the first half, then headed back to their house where Celeste had prepared a roasted chicken dinner for us all to enjoy.


Finally we headed into Beverly to Colleen and Paul's house to catch some z's before our Monday morning flight back to Denver. Thanks for the place to crash, the car for the weekend and the drive to the airport Colleen.

A busy, but fun long weekend!

Check out photos from the weekend HERE

Wedding Photos Part II are here!

More wedding photos have been posted. Check them out HERE in Melissa Beck's second Blog posting.

"Share the Love" –
With her blog postings, she offers a "Share the Love" comment contest. Each comment made on her blog about the photos, us, the wedding day/events or about her talent gives us a point. The more points we get the more credits we earn towards products like prints and photo albums. So let us know what you think of the photos by commenting at the end of her blog. (One comment per person please.)

She will be uploading one more posting, so check back for more!

Enjoy!!

http://www.melissabeckphotography.com/blog/melissa-jason-bride-and-groom-part-two/

Wedding Photos are here!

We got word today from Melissa Beck, our wedding photographer, that she has started to post photos from our wedding on her blog. Take a moment to view them HERE.

"Share the Love" –
With her blog postings, she offers a "Share the Love" comment contest. Each comment made on her blog about the photos, us, the wedding day/events or about her talent gives us a point. The more points we get the more credits we earn towards products like prints and photo albums. So let us know what you think of the photos by commenting at the end of her blog. (One comment per person please.)

She will be uploading to three postings, so check back for more!

Enjoy!!

http://www.melissabeckphotography.com/blog/melissa-jason-married-part-one/

Sorry, we've been MIA

Well, since our last post back in April, a lot has happened. We bought a house and moved to a great little neighborhood called Edgewater, CO. I got a new job as a Graphic Designer at Jackson National Life Insurance, and love it! And we spent all summer planning a big party for September 18. It was well worth it! I heard it went well, what do you think? ; )

So, now that things are back to a somewhat normal pace, we (yes we, Melissa now wants to start blogging as well) will try our best to get more posts in about our Adventures here in Colorado and beyond. We are still busy with work, things around the house, more weddings (we're looking forward to it Carah and Tom!) and trying to hit the mountains more than the past year allowed, so our posts may be delayed. But we will get to them and keep you all up to date on what we are up to.

Big trip planned for January! We are going on our honeymoon in Costa Rica. Half adventure activities, half relaxing ... just our style.

So, stay tuned to Coadventure.blogspot.com for more soon!!

See our recent posts and photos here:
Mt. Sherman #2
Steamboat Springs Getaway
Wedding Brew at the Hanke Farm
4th of July Weekend
Jefferson Camping
Memorial Day 2010

Mt. Sherman #2

So, last September 20th was a big day in our lives. We woke up bright and early at Copper Mountain, and drove to Leadville and the Mt. Sherman trail head. Our plan was to climb the 14, 036 ft. mountain and then head back to Denver. I, and Mother nature, had different ideas. My plan was to propose to Melissa at the top. Mother Nature's plan was less fun ... to not let us get to the top. Anyways, I still proposed and got a yes, just not at the top, and the rest is history. You can read all about it at this previous post from last year, if you have not already: Sherman Engagement.

This past weekend we drove away from the city and up to Keystone. The weekend was dedicated to our "Mini-Moon", as Melissa calls it. We are not actually taking a honeymoon till January, so we felt a weekend up in our beloved mountains was due and we might as well celebrate the recent nuptials at the same time.

Our weekend consisted of great food and drink at Modis, Blue River Bistro and Backcountry Brewery, hot tubing, biking around Lake Dillon (25 miles) and finishing our attempt at the summit of Mt Sherman.


Mt. Sherman Stats:
Difficulty: Class 2
Exposure: 2 of 6
Summit Elevation: 14,036 feet
Trailhead Elevation: 12,000 feet
Elevation Gain: 2,100'
Round-trip Length: 5.25 mi
- We got a sweet Garmin GPS unit from Gary as a wedding gift. We tracked both our bike and hike, but are still working out the download of info. Hope to have that up and working for our next hike/bike/ski blog! -


The weather all weekend was amazing with high 60s low 70s, blue skies and amazing fall colors with the Aspens in a full blaze of gold.


We finally made it to the top of Mt. Sherman (my second, Melissa's first) and had a very relaxing weekend. Can't wait to get back up to the mountains. Maybe for some skiing?

See photos from our bike and hike weekend HERE

Steamboat Springs Getaway

It was a long summer of wedding planning, but we did make it up to the mountains a few times. Late in August we said, "We need a weekend away from 'wedding stuff', where should we go?" Adam and Elisa were nice enough to host us at their house in Steamboat and along with their son Ethan, we had a fun and relaxing weekend away from the city.

We took a nice hike with some great views, rode our bikes through town, perused the local art fair, hit up the rodeo and some tasty ribs, and finished it all off with a great tub down the Yampa river which flows through the center of town (a must if you are there during the summer).

Thanks for your great hospitality Adam, Elisa and Ethan. It was a much needed vacation from all the wedding planning. We are looking forward to hitting the hill with you all this winter!

Check out photos from the long weekend HERE
Note: We had a little technical difficulties with the camera settings, so the photos are a bit on the blue side.

SOX in KC!

Click HERE to see photos from the trip or view in the slide show at the end.

Well, it was quite the spontaneous weekend to say the least. While watching the Red Sox play the Royals on Friday evening, Melissa came up with the idea to drive to Kansas City on Saturday and see the Sox play game two of their three game weekend series. I thought she was crazy, since we already had plans for the weekend and KC is 600+ miles and 9+ hours from our house. So she called her dad, Rich, and proposed the road trip to him. He was game and soon I was talked into it as well.

Rich showed up to our house at 6:30 a.m. on Sat. and we started the drive through one of the most uninteresting parts of the US, Eastern Colorado and Kansas. Not much to see other than signs at every little town saying that they are the birthplace of this famous person or president, or home to a museum with five legged cows, an 8,000 lb prairie dog, or the National Greyhound Hall of Fame. The Eastern part of Kansas seemed to be completely on fire with grass fires for as far as the eye could see and smoke blocking our views of the flat plains. But cops and residents in these areas seemed to not really care, so must be a typical spring occurrence.

We made great time and got to our hotel, which was across the street from the park, a couple hours before game time. We donned our Red Sox apparel and headed to the park with quite a few other Sox fans. It was a beautiful evening and the stands were almost full. They were giving away Royals jerseys to the first 20k fans, so the place filled up fast. Best tix we could get at the gate were in the upper deck, but the stadium is pretty intimate so the view was just fine. A great game that held our attention to the end and the Sox won 8-3.


We were high on the win and the 600 miles of driving, so we headed down to the ticket counter after the game and decided to get tickets to Sundays game as well. Better seats this time. Back at the hotel we wondered into the lobby bar and got a drink with a ton of other Sox fans. Chants of "Yankees Suck" popped up with the occasional "Sweet Caroline" being belted out by the happy crowd. 14,000 miles from Boston and the Nation was alive and kicking!


After a great nights sleep, we drove into downtown and walked around. It was dead in the business district so we headed towards the river and stumbled upon City Market, a great outdoor marketplace with everything from fruit and veggies, to spices and nuts, and yard sales and flowers. We grabbed a coffee and strolled around the plaza. Not about to pass up some fresh spices for $1 a scoop we grabbed a few bags as well as some peanuts for the game and then headed to lunch.

Our friend Mario suggested Arthur Bryant's as the place to go in KC for BBQ. The receptionist at the hotel also suggested another place. We figured asking a local would help, so Rich asked an old man with no teeth who looked like a local at the market. "I love Arthur Bryant's and they give you the most meat", he said. So between that and Mario's tip, we knew exactly where to go. The line was down the sidewalk even before they opened, so it had to be good. And boy was it! Fall off the bone ribs and delicious sweet pulled pork. I think we ate too much, and so did Wally!


Back to the ballpark. We checked out of our room and headed across the street. Half as many in the stands today. Guess the Royals fans only come out for the free shirts. There was a sea of red in the lower level and it was nice to cheer on the Sox with a ton of fellow fans. The weather was beautiful again for the 1:05 p.m. start and the Sox belted a bunch or runs to put us up early. The Royals made a bit of a comeback, but not quite enough as the Sox took two of three on the weekend with an 8-6 win.


Back to the car and a looooooong drive to Denver (thanks for driving most of the way Rich!). It was well worth the drive to see our beloved Red Sox win two. We are looking froward to the three game series in Denver vs the Rockies in June. We have tix to all three and the drive will be much easier!

GO SOX!!

Click HERE to see photos from the trip or view in the slide show below:

Bring it on!!

Every new addition.

Every red, white, and blue bunting.

Every first pitch.

Every renewed vow.

Makes us want to play ball.

FURTHUR

Last night, Rich and I went to see FURTHUR at the 1st Bank Center (formerly known as the Odeum, formerly know as the Broomfield Events Center).

It was a great show! My favorite part was the unique Pink Floyd cover of Time. Rich was kind enough to provide a recap of the evening:

8:33:07 PM: Set 1
(after good food at Tuk Tuk and free parking compliments of a Obi-Wan Kenobi we were near first to arrive on the floor. We got to about 5 feet from the stage and realized it was a 2 hour wait till the show started --- we than took up a great strategic location at the corner of the rink --- It was very entertaining as this is where the free-form dancing went on). I underlined the songs that I thought were the highlights – many highlights tonight.

8:34:44 PM: After Midnight (predicted by the gentleman that sat to our right)
8:35:15 PM: Next Time You See Me
8:41:29 PM: Till the Morning Comes (there was a reference to a duck going into a bar and asking for flies – the bartender didn’t serve flies or ducks – but apparently nails – duh-know really ---- Jason can explain)
8:48:47 PM: Cumberland Blues
8:58:09 PM: Good Lovin’
9:11:21 PM: Magnolia Mountain http://www.cowboylyrics.com/lyrics/adams-ryan/magnolia-mountain-15678.html (I have never heard this song before)
9:17:29 PM: Ripple (A Driscoll favorite --- an personally I think one of the greatest songs ever written)
9:21:24 PM: Sugaree (this was killer --- the keyboard player really delivered)

9:35:00 PM: setbreak

10:25:13 PM: Set 2
(the second set was one of the strongest sets I have ever seen!!!!!!)

10:26:39 PM: Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion) >
10:33:00 PM: Birdsong >
10:48:18 PM: Alligator >
10:59:11 PM: Dark Star >
11:08:42 PM: Time > (Pink Floyd – this song happened shortly after I told Jason they never cover Pink Floyd songs J )
11:15:11 PM: Breathe Reprise * >
11:18:49 PM: Dark Star > (with a couple of St. Steven & Birdsong – teases)
11:22:52 PM: Morning Dew >
11:34:29 PM: Let it Grow >
11:47:51 PM: Midnight Hour >
Going Down The Road Feeling Bad >
12:03:59 PM: And We Bid You Goodnight (The harmonies were spectacular)

At this point we left give the encore wasn’t strong enough

11:13:34 PM: E: Samson and Delilah

Snowmobiling Vail Pass

Snowmobiling on Vail Pass is quite the adventure. Especially when you go with Gary and some of his friends who are much more skilled at riding than I am. And after 14"+ of fresh powder during the past two days. Since moving to CO, I've been on a sled twice. The last time on Rabbit Ears Pass (near Steamboat) about four to five years ago. The type of riding we did was not your typical trail riding while sitting down. Nope we took off through the meadows, up steep hills and through the forest all around Vail Pass. I got my sled stuck a few times (Due mostly to my inexperience and lack of confidence on this 500lb machine that took me upwards of 50mph) and was up to my chest in snow trying to dig it out. Throwing around a sled and trying to make it go where you want it to, and not into the deep tree wells, is quite the work out. My back, neck, fingers and arms are all sore the day after from holding on. It was a blast and I can't wait till I can get out again and maybe have a little more confidence in what I'm doing out there.


Check out photos in the slide show above or HERE

Blogging, or lack thereof

So, as you may have noticed, I have not been blogging as much as I used to. With the holidays, a few freelance design projects, busy weekends, wedding planning and my new job, I have been a little tight on time. Well, I finally made myself sit down and update the past month or so. Below you will find four new posts to enjoy, light on the copy side of things, but some great photos to check out. I got a sweet new camera from Melissa's parents for Christmas that I have been trying out. Takes some great photos!

Our wedding planning has been moving along quite well. Still lot's to do, but it feels somewhat under control at this time. You can see our wedding web site HERE. Our Save the dates went out in the mail:


My new job has been very hectic, but is starting to come together with some exciting new packaging design and branding projects.
Example:


Headed out to Vail Pass this weekend to make some turns on a snowmobile. Have not been on one in a while, so should be interesting. Keep an eye out for some photos from that, hopefully sooner than later.

Peace!

Crested Butte

This weekend we enjoyed one of my gifts to Melissa for Christmas ... a ski weekend in Crested Butte, CO. I've been here a couple times before, but it was Melissa's first visit. A 5.5 hour drive from Denver (well worth it for no traffic and no lines at the lifts, unlike Summit County and Vail). We stayed Friday night through Sunday. On Saturday we skied as it snowed all day, then Sunday we took a 4 mile snowshoe on the road to Gothic (closed in the winter, goes to Aspen in the Summer). We enjoyed the local shops and restaurants in town and even got in a couple more Breweries on the way (Gunnison Brewery and Amica's Brewery). The drive home was a bit longer due to an hour long road closure on 285 as the snow blew across the plains and iced up the road. Four vehicles had flipped in the icy conditions. We made it across slowly and in one piece.


Check out photos in the slide show above or HERE

Taylor Wedding in Vail

Eric Taylor, an old roommate from Breckenridge and fellow employee from the Summit Daily News, got married in Vail to Stephanie Feldhaus. We attended the ceremony at the Vail Interfaith Chapel in the center of Vail Village and then the reception at the Eagle/Vail Pavilion just down valley. There was a light snow during the ceremony and some great BBQ and drinks at the reception. All the best to Eric and Steph in their future life together!!

You can view their wedding web site HERE


Check out photos in the slide show above or HERE

Mountain Wine Tasting

We decided to spend the weekend in Keystone and bring along a bunch of wine to taste for our wedding. Each person brought along a white and a red under $15. We cooked up a great dinner and tasted all the wines, judging each as we went along. We found a few winners and will try them again over the next few months. On Saturday we took some runs at Breckenridge, then went for a hike out behind the condo on Sunday.


Check out photos in the slide show above or HERE

Vail Powder Day!

A great day at Vail. 9 inches new reported, but there was much more than that in the back bowls!! Knee to waist deep in areas. Melissa disappeared a few times. Should have brought our snorkels. Great day!!


Check out photos in the slide show above or HERE