Day 73 - 79: Climbing, pie, pie, climbing.

 We have had a week. Tuesday Brandon and I took a lead rope climbing class. The class super informative and is setting us up for our next step in climbing - outdoor climbing. We still have to test with the gym to be certified to lead climb indoors. We are looking to certify this month. Brandon started dog walking this week. He is walking two silver labs twice a day, three days a week. He also has two more meetings with other potential pups to walk. 

   I made my first pie in the oven; blueberry pie. It was delicious! I channeled Alice and it worked. We had our first dinner guests on Wednesday, and it was great! The weather was still nice enough to sit outside. It was a great night of chicken pot pie and cards against humanity. I guess it was the week of pies.

    We finally sold our loveseat and have so much more room for activities in the living room. I rearranged my desk and my plants. We also purchased a humidifier this week, which is much needed in this high desert. We are still on the hunt for a sleeper sofa for the other side and trying to sell the sectional. We have some more decorative ideas to warm this place up and make it our own.

    Thursday, we closed up the party deck and moved back about six feet so our new hose would reach to get ready for winter. We had to switch out our regular water hose for a heated hose, so it doesn't freeze during the winter. Our RV skirting should be arriving this week, and Brandon will have to install it.

 Friday Brandon and Alanna went to look at a used snowboard for her. Alanna truly channeled her aunts with this one! It is a yellow Burton board. Snowboard for Titi Dana, yellow for Shushu. All Alanna needs now for this ski season is a new helmet and goggles. We got our Ikon passes in the mail this week. Super exciting! After work we went into downtown Loveland and went into some shops before going to dinner. 

    Saturday morning, we woke up and it was a bit chilly, so we did what we normally do and turn the electric fireplace on in the living room. I smelt something off, but then again, my sense of smell hasn't been accurate since last December, so I didn't think anything of it. The smell didn't go away and finally I said something to Brandon. Then the fireplace started smoking. So that was exciting! We removed the fireplace from the wall and unplugged it. We brought Alanna to roller derby practice. I don't think I've seen her this excited about something in a while. While she was at practice Brandon and I went to do laundry (super romantic, I know). What we didn't realize is the plaza the laundromat was in had a Neptune Mountaineering store with an abundance of climbing equipment. Brandon was originally going to be going outdoor climbing with a group of people for the first time, but those plans fell through. When we walked into this store and saw everything they had to offer, Brandon's face lit up. The staff was so helpful, knowledgeable, and patient with all of our questions. We ended up getting a great starter set for outdoor climbing, so we can go and not have to depend on anyone else. So that is our next adventure. There was a cafe in the store, so I got a decaf vanilla latte and for the first time ever, it was really pretty! It's the little things.

    We also went to the brewery in the plaza called Southern Sun Pub & Brewery for lunch. We didn't realize initially that we have been to this brewery, but at a different location, last year with Dad and Dana. The staff explained to us that they do not accept credit cards, it is cash and check only. They also work off the honor system so if you didn't have enough cash for your bill they will give you an addressed envelope to send a check for your bill. This completely blew our minds. The last time we were there they were accepting credit cards simply because of covid. I asked our server why they don't, and it was super interesting. The owner decided that they would rather pay for full benefits for their employees instead of paying credit card fees. 

Today we took it easy. Brandon met with a few more dog walking clients, I made some bread loafs and meal prepped, and we went to the grocery store. We are all reset and ready for the week!

Things we learned:

• Don't ever leave an electric fireplace going when you are not home. Luckily, we were home
• There is a bit of faith in humanity thanks to Southern Sun Pub & Brewing (great fries also!)
• Neptune Mountaineering has excellent customer service
• Only use Grandma's bread loaf pans, the other one didn't turn out as nice

Much Love and Happy Times,

The Blackshire's