Lakeside Fun

The kiddos are doing a summer reading program with some pretty nice rewards every week. This week was unlimited ride passes at Ghettoside...er...Lakeside in Denver. It was a hot, but fun day for the wee Tighes.

Aidan never mustered the courage for the roller coaster, but he did think the cars were cool. Once Jonatha hopped on the roller coaster, she never got off.
Jan and I watched & laughed much as the kids hit up the park...good times.

Colorado Weather

Here's the video I took before I got to get out and start a hike. I didn't think I'd get to go while sitting at the pass trail head at 12,000 ft. But, it opened up and the sun came out for a couple of hours and I enjoyed a great hike on the Continental Divide (see photos below).

Loveland Pass

I am a bachelor for the weekend, so after doing some painting at the house, I decided to get out and head for the Pass today for a solo hike. I left the Front Range in sunny & hot conditions and arrived at Loveland Pass in 43 degree temperature with hail (glad I packed warm clothes). After the storm cleared, I hit the trail and hiked the ridge, which rewards greatly with stunning views of A-Basin, Keystone and Breckenridge all in one panorama.

I was planning to hike the ridge all the way around which would be about a 6-7 hour hike. However, another storm was looming and the wind was picking up rapidly. I didn't want to be left alone in bear country at 13,000 ft. because of a storm. Still a great time and about 2 hours of hiking. Oh, and I almost forgot...on the way down the pass I had to dodge a ton of rock slide debris, a result of all the rain. Managed to grab one I could actually pick up for my patio. Kids will love it.

Family Times

My dad and his wife Chan came to visit us this past week. It was great to see them (doesn't happen enough)...

We made stops in Estes Park and Boulder Falls one day which was nice...

I love taking pictures with an old 35mm camera...so much more natural to me than my digital.

Baptism

Last October Jonatha gave her life to Jesus Christ, trusting in his finished work at the cross for her salvation. Now that the colder months are gone, Emmaus Road had our first ever baptism. Jonatha, along with two of her friends, Brooklyn and Sidney, were baptized today.

I had the privilege to baptize my daughter today. What an honor! Galatians 2:20 says, "I am crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives within me. And the life I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." What a fitting verse...our baptism symbolizes this very thing, our sins buried with Jesus and our life resurrected in his likeness. Very cool.

For video, check out Jonatha's blog. We were able to do this in front of hundreds of witnesses at Boulder Creek. Who knows how many people were impacted by the event. That's the beauty of baptism.

Three Generations

My dad and his wife, Chan, came to visit this weekend for the 4th of July from San Diego. It's always great to see them. Pics aren't developed yet for the weekend, but Jan snapped this for me this morning...

Three generations of Tighe men hanging together...pretty cool. I hope to someday be able to take this and say, "four generations".

Anniversary

Jan and I had our 11th anniversary this weekend, so we took the offer from Julie to watch our kids all night and went out on a date. I reserved tickets for the Impulse Theater, a well known Denver improv theater. Jan and I attempted to go in 2003, but we were prevented from making it to Denver because of the Ogallala flood (anyone from Nebraska will remember that one). We stopped for a cocktail at Wynkoop Brewing Company, upstairs from the Impulse. I don't recommend Wynkoop. Their beer is unimpressive and don't mix a drink very well, in my opinion. But on to the theater...Sara, Adrian, Jeff, Carl and Marshall were the players for the night and did an impeccable job of acting and improvisation. They have no scripts but act out the audience suggestions within a variety of acting frameworks, such as "Let's See That", "Forward-Reverse", and "Sing It". We laughed pretty hard throughout the show and highly recommend you take in this Denver entertainment sometime.

We then walked a block down LoDo and ate at Via for some authentic Italian cuisine. We met the chef, James Mazzio, on the patio because he thought he recognized me (I guess I'm famous). Mazzio cooks a mean Maine Lobster Ravioli (my meal) and Wood-fired Salsiccia pizza (Jan's meal). Although overpriced for what the amount of food you get, the attention to detail and quality of food was amazing. They serve up some really fine bread, as well.

As a parent, it's not often you get to enjoy an evening without the kids. Although we love our little ones dearly, it was nice to have an adult only evening. After our romantic evening on the town, Jan promptly fell asleep in the car on the ride home and I returned the favor by falling asleep the second I hit the bed. Oops...guess we forgot to take advantage of a kid-free house, too. Oh well...

Jan, I love you! Thanks for a wonderful 11 years of marriage. I look forward to many, many more. You're the best wife a man could dream to have.