Greeley Activities

Whenever I come to Greeley to visit, we try to find fun activities to fill our weekend. Josh doesn't have a TV, so it forces us to get out and try new adventures. When we aren't eating at Roma's or The Wing Shack, you may find us participating in some of the following activities. 

THE POUDRE TRAIL

Josh and I have found this trail, which begins in Greeley and goes to the other side of Windsor, 20 miles there and 20 miles back. It's paved and flat, so we spent a lot of time on this trail this summer training for my ride. It's a gorgeous trail, and we will often see snakes, wild animals, and other wildlife along the way. 

THE CACTUS CANYON

When we're feeling dance moves within us, we will head to The Cactus Canyon, a country dance bar. Even better yet, from 8 p.m. - 10 p.m., their drinks are only $.50, so it's a cheap night of dancing. We usually head home around midnight before the crowd gets too wild. We are old, you know. 

UNCO SPORTS AND CAMPUS

UNCO has a beautiful campus, so we spend time walking down the sidewalks and taking tours of old buildings. We also go watch a lot of sports there, too. Yesterday we went to the football game (UNC lost by 2 points in the last 3 seconds of the game). It was a great game! We also watch volleyball, basketball, and wrestling. We've gone to a baseball game once, too. Sometimes Josh makes me go to the gym on campus, which isn't my favorite, but I go nonetheless. This campus, like UNK in Kearney, brings a lot of life and activity to Greeley. I love the feel of a college town. 

ESH'S FAMILY DISCOUNT STORE 

Esh's is a small grocery store that sells damaged food. If a cereal box is damaged, or a can of food gets a dent, the regular stores won't sell it, so they ship it off to Esh's. Here, everything is super cheap, so if you don't mind a crumpled box, then this is a great place to get your food. The contents change every week, depending on what gets sent to the store, so Josh and I find new, cheap finds every time we visit. 

FRISBEE

Josh and I (pictured above) have started playing Frisbee at a park on UNC's campus. If the weather is nice, we'll take a walk to the park and toss the Frisbee around for a while. Then we'll sit on the grass and people watch. We've even watched a game of Quiditch (from Harry Potter) while sitting. 

So you see, we don't spend ALL our time eating. We do try to get out and find fun things to do on our weekends in Greeley. 

Greeley Food

I really like the town of Greeley. It reminds me a lot of my hometown. It's a little bit bigger than Kearney, but it still has the small town feel and friendly attitudes that make it feel like home. 

Josh always kids me about going back to Kearney. He says, "Are you going there to visit your friends and family, or do you go for all the food?" He says that because there are a ton of restaurants that I love in Kearney that can't be found here in Colorado. So whenever I make a stop in Kearney, I have to make sure to hit: Runza, Amigos, Skeeter Barnes, Eileen's Cookies, Daylight Donuts, and Taco Johns, just to name a few. That's a lot of eating in a short weekend. 

Likewise, Greeley has a few of my favorite places to eat. Josh and I have become "regulars", and while they may not call us by name (yet), our servers definitely know our faces. 

Here's where you'll find Josh and me every other weekend, and here are some MUST eat at places if you ever make a stop in Greeley. 

ROMA PIZZA

Roma's has these amazing Calzones (called Caroli's) that are to die for. They are huge (it covers the entire plate), and they are stuffed full of deliciousness. Josh and I attempted to share one (we did it once), but we quickly decided that 1). they are too good to share, and 2). we're not willing to give up our favorite toppings. Josh gets pepperoni and pineapple. I get pepperoni and jalapenos. Order with a side of ranch to dip (instead of marinara), and you will have heaven in your mouth. Even better yet, Roma's has coupons online for half price Caroli's, so Josh and I both get a calzone for under $10!

THE WING SHACK

If you like wings, then this is the place for you! O.M.G., these wings can't be beat, and believe me, Josh and I have tried to find an equivalent match in or around Littleton and can't find anything that compares to these wings. If you like a little kick, get the Garlic Hot (pictured above). It will get your noise running, but man oh man, they are so good! They are big wings, too, so you'll get your fill of meat, and they slather the sauce on, so it just drips off the wings. Their happy hour special is 24 wings, an order of fries, and a pitcher of beer for only $17.99. This is our favorite place to eat and watch football. 

EILEEN'S COOKIES

This is a favorite in Kearney, too, but if you are in need of a cookie, then this is the place. Their cookies are thick and soft, and there isn't a bad flavor to choose from. My favorites are the Monster Cookie (pictured above), or their sugar cookie. Josh prefers Macadamia Nut. Whatever you choose, you will fall in love with their cookies. 

WINCHELL'S

Anyone who says a donut is just a donut has not had a donut from Winchell's (or Daylight Donuts in Kearney). These donuts are SO YUMMY! Winchell's is directly across the street from Josh's apartment, so it's easy for him to grab us a donut for breakfast. We only eat one each, and we're always sad when it's gone, but it is totally worth the calories. We each get a cake donut with white frosting and sprinkles (middle left). 

And Josh and I wonder why we can't lose weight....... :)

Asking for Prayer

In three weeks, Jefferson County, my school district, has a bond/mill on the ballot. Vote YES on 3A/3B signs are everywhere, and teachers and parents have been going door to door to spread the word. The same 3A/3B bond did NOT pass three years ago, and it is even more important to pass this time around. The cost  increase is $.10 per day for house owners, which is $3 per month. Easy peasy.

My school district has been in some very serious financial problems over the past four years. Over the last two years, my school district has cut over $70 million. Part of these cuts included salary freezes, a 3 percent paycut for all staff, and furlough days sprinkled throughout our school year. Health insurance has gone up, benefits have gone down, and it has been a tough few years for many of us struggling on a tight budget.

Among many other consequences, here's what will happen (probably to me) if this bond/mill doesn't pass:
Chatfield Senior High alone will have to cut 10-15 teachers (and every school in Jeffco will have to cut 10-15 teachers).

My school, the place where I have labored for the past three years to get a permanent job, will have to cut 10-15 teachers. I will be among those cut.

By cutting 10-15 teachers, our classroom sizes will go from an already overflowing classroom of 30 (which is nearly impossible to teach) to upwards of 40 students per room. We teachers cannot even fathom how this is possible, as our rooms are so small that 30 students are busting at the seems.

By cutting 10-15 teachers, my co-workers will go from teaching 5 classes a day to 6 classes a day, each class with 40 students.

My school will have to cut a counselor, a principal, a librarian, several Pera's, and the list goes on and on of all the cuts.

It's serious. It keeps me up at night. It is very, very serious.

I know none of my blog readers are in Jefferson County. If you were, I would demand you vote YES on 3A/3B. But since you can't vote YES, I am asking for your prayers. Pray this bond/mill passes, or yet again I will face being cut at my school.

We NEED this bond to pass.

Dear Lord, help people see the importance of this bond. May the voters of Jeffco understand why our schools need this money. May your presence be felt as people consider this bond.

Thank you for your prayers over the next three weeks.

Panic

There are four things that send me into panic mode.

Like, real panic mode. Sick to my stomach, I'm going to puke, I'm shaking uncontrollably panic mode. Chances are, you probably don't know these things about me, so sit back and learn about Shiloh.

The first thing that will set in the panic is getting trapped in the middle of a long row. For example, a church pew, or a row of bleachers at a baseball/basketball/football game, or a row in a movie theatre, or the window seat on an airplane. The reason this causes me so much panic is not because I'm claustrophobic but because I fear I will have to go to the bathroom. And if I'm stuck in the middle, how can I possibly get out? And even if I could get out, how annoying is it for everyone else to have to stand up to let me through? And not just once, but twice! Whenever possible, I sit on the end.

The next thing that really gets me nervous is not having food around me. I think I was starved in my last life, so now I have to have food on me or near me at all times. Even a granola bar in my purse gives me enough reassurance that I'll be okay. This abnormality has brought about the "bag of fun" whenever I travel. This bag of fun is a lot of fun because it's full of goodies for the long trip ahead. Usually, I don't even eat any of it, and if I do, I eat a very small amount. But just knowing that food is available should I need it brings me comfort. I have a very hard time being out of my routine (including weekends) because I just don't know when I will get to eat next.

I think a lot of ladies can relate to my next thing: shopping for jeans. I sweat. I turn read. My heart rate goes up. Enough said.

Finally, I nearly throw up every time I have to call someone on the phone, especially people I don't know. It usually takes me 5-10 minutes to press the send button, and that's after preparing myself for the call. You know who I'm talking about: the hair dresser, the bank, the cable company, a parent of a student, a business call. Imagine how life was when I worked in sales (hence why I went back to school and eventually quit). I don't know why I am like this. You would think it would be easy to call someone because they can't see you and have no idea who you are, but nope. If I can, I will drive to a place and walk in to talk to a person face to face. Even more ideal is this thing called online shopping/appointment making/paying bills. If and when I can, I do everything online. Need a hair appointment? No problem, I'll do it online. Need to pay a bill? No problem, pay it online. Need to ask a question? More than likely, the answer can be found online. This panic has gotten worse over the years, and now Josh has become "Shiloh" when the time arises. Shiloh is a transgender name, right? Most people think my name is a boy's name anyway, so no one second guesses when Shiloh is a male voice. What would I do if my name was Rebecca or Sarah or Elizabeth? Josh makes the phone call for me when face to face or online won't cut it, and thanks to Josh/Shiloh, my cable bill is lower than it's ever been, and I have more channels that I've ever had. Thanks, Shiloh! This little problem of mine often causes me to procrastinate.

For example, over the summer, I had a crown done on my back tooth. I had a temporary crown for about two weeks, and the dentist called me to come in for my permanent crown. I went in to the dentist, and long story short, the dentist told me she thought I needed a root canal. She gave me the name and number of a root canal specialist and my homework was to make an appointment with him, get a root canal, and then call my regular dentist to get my temporary crown fixed (but she couldn't do it until I had a root canal). Well, every time I even thought about calling the root canal dentist, I started to panic, so I would set the thought aside and continue with my day. One week passed. Two weeks passed. Three weeks passed. Four weeks passed (all, by the way, while I still had a temporary crown in my mouth). After about four weeks, my dentist called to find out if I had my root canal. Nope. But the good news was I wasn't in pain anymore, so the dentist agreed to fix my crown. I didn't have to get a root canal after all, and I never even had to call to make an appointment. It paid off in the end! ;)

There you have it. Those four things make me want to puke. What makes you panic?

Craft Time

Can you guess what I made yesterday?

 

 I started with a framed white board.

And some fancy, bedazzled material.

 I took out the "innards" of the white board, so I was left with just the frame.

 Then came the hard part.

 I glued the material to the frame. 

 Almost there.....

Ta da! This is the final product. An earring holder.

Now I can see all my earrings without having to dump them out every morning.

I also see that I have room for more! :)

I hung it above my mirror so I can try on earrings to find the perfect match for my outfit.

 

I gained my inspiration from this one, which I found online while shopping for an earring holder. I thought, "I can make that," and headed to Hobby Lobby. I, of course, added my own spin to match my taste (lace just isn't me), and I love my final product. It only cost $6, too, which is even better.



Gross

Case, Siahna, and I went for a walk last night while Shannon took Jeff out for his birthday dinner. Case was on his scooter, and I was pushing Siahna in the stroller. As we walked down the trail, Case yelled, "Dido, did I ever tell you we saw a snake here once?"

(Why is it snakes have been a topic on my blog far too often in the past month?)

"No, you never told me that. Was it big?"

He proceeded to describe the snake. I was grossed out. "But you know what else we saw that was even grosser?"

My mind went to a giant snake eating a mouse. Or a pile of poop. Or a kid throwing up.

"We once walked by this bench and someone had thrown their trash on the ground. Isn't that gross?!?!"

Good job, buddy. I love that you care about our environment. That certainly is pretty gross.

He continued, "Doesn't that person know that there's a trash can right around the corner? Don't they know that the trash doesn't belong on the ground but goes in the trash? I just don't understand why someone would throw trash on the ground."

Me neither. If a five year old can figure it out, why can't adults?

Lesson Required

I picked up my phone as it rang. It was Josh.

"How do you make a grilled cheese sandwich?"

"You take two pieces of bread. Put butter on each side..."

"Yeah, well, I already made it. And it sucked."

"Sucked how? Like you burnt it? Or you didn't cook it long enough and it was soggy?"

"How high should the heat be on? Because I turned it on high. And then I let the pan heat up. I then put the bread on, and it burned to the pan. When I tried to take it off the pan, the buttered part of the bread stuck to the pan."

My poor, sweet, bachelor boyfriend.