RT school is complete!

I finished my degree in Respiratory Therapy yesterday! I was able to finished with a 4.0, which I am very proud of. Now all I need to do is pass a few board exams (will be taking in late September) to become a licensed RT and look for a job! I am so blessed to have supportive friends, family and a great husband to keep me strong and encouraged throughout school. Now, wish me luck with my boards!!

Cheers to 5 years of marriage!

Happy 5th Anniversary Dave! Although you will be at work, I am still thankful for all of the memories we have shared and I cherish the time we have spent together. I love you and life is better together. We have a very bright future ahead of us and I am so grateful/blessed to spend it with you. We make a great team and compliment each other well.

Cheers to my best friend, partner in crime, and dashingly handsome husband! I love you David Richard Finney Otten! Happy 5th Anniversary. And here is our anniversary sundae! Yummy!

Dressed up for Pro Cycling!

The USA Pro Cycling Challenge charged though Colorado August 20-26th.

I went with Eric (Dave and I's college friend) to see a mountain stage over Independence Pass just outside of Aspen.

E and I woke up super early and snagged a spot at the top of the pass. Only the crazies and cycling enthusiasts were up there and I guess it made me a little crazy to be there. People were passing out tequila shots, cheese balls, beer, olives (pitted of course), and many other odds and ends of food. Cow bells rang, people screamed and the cyclists buzzed by to the top.

It was a great opportunity to see up close just how hard these men work. Eric dressed up in his high school water polo speedo and cape to encourage the riders. I think he did a pretty great job by giving them inspiration to cycle faster.

The views were incredible and I had a wonderful day. Thanks for the invite Eric!

Practical Outdoors!

This past weekend, Dave and I were able to sneak away and go camping for a night. We headed up towards North Fork, CO. Which is off 285 between Pine and Deckers. We had never been in this area. It is in Jefferson County and this area suffered an early spring wild fire in March and April. We saw the devastating effects of 4,500 acres burned and it felt eerie camping someplace for the first time since the fires as well as seeing the tree loss. Our campsite was beautiful with big rocks on one side and an open valley on the other. We were right on the Colorado Trail so we rode out mountain bikes on it and thoroughly enjoyed our time. Mountain biking is thrilling, hard work, but was soooo much fun! The Colorado Trail is connects about 500 miles in the Rocky Mountains. Oh, and we bought a bike rack for our car for our anniversary, which is this week. 5 years of wedded bliss are upon us. Nothing says love, like a sweet rack for our car:) We both love practical!

Racing Away....

It seems as if most of June and all of July has passed me by. Life has been so insanely busy. It has been good overall, but time is racing away.

Dave started with rotations in the Burn/Trauma ICU and General Surgery. He had an epic/tragic day at University Hospital on July 20th/21st when a gunman opened fire in a movie theater in Aurora. The gunman succeeded in killing 12 and injuring 58 others. It was complete terror and madness in Aurora and surrounding hospitals. Something unfathomable had occurred and Dave saw the aftermath at work the next day. Taking young, innocent people to surgery after being shot in the head. Absolutely tragic. This incidence touched many lives across the nation and it most definitely impacted ours. Many of our friends worked tirelessly helping these shooting victims and their families in area hospitals. One of our friends posted a comment on Dave's Facebook page and it said: "Save one life and they call you a hero. Save a thousand lives and they call you a doctor." So, true. On a lighter note, Dave and I have been spending our time playing frisbee, riding our bikes, and fishing any time we can. Kezia and Avery visited one day and it was great to spend some time with the two of them. Amy joined us for lunch and we basically fought over who got to hold Avs:) I took a bike repair class at REI recently, so I could learn to change bike tires and do basic maintenance to our bikes. We recently bought road bikes off craigslist and have been loving the ride! I finished my clinical rotation in the Neonatal ICU and thoroughly enjoyed it. One day, I think I would like to work in the NICU. It is an extremely loving and close place and I feel like i would be extremely rewarding to work there. I finish school at the end of August. It has been a very busy/hectic time for me, but I am not sure what I would do if my life was not crazy all the time. In mid-July, I spent time at Champ Camp. It is a camp for kids with asthma. I had a great time up in Ward, CO. It was beautiful outside and the kids were incredibly knowledgable about their asthma. I saw a moose with her two babies while at camp and Dave met up with me on the last day to go fish in Brainard Lake. We both caught a cutthroat trout and I was especially excited since it was my first ever. Cutthroats live at higher altitude in Colorado and have very pink coloration. Busy busy, but doing great! Pictures of our time outside:

My first fish caught on open waters!

Dave caught this beauty: a 16 inch trout!

A couple of dorks:)

Although life is racing away, Dave and I try each day to grab the moments and cherish them. I always look forward to Dave's hug and Asher's snuggle time. Life is busy, but I would not change a thing.