Escrow

Well, we came to an agreement on a selling price and our house is officially under contract! We close on the 29th of June and they move in July 1st. Wowzer. Troy and I are in a daze, we can't believe it's all really happeining!

Holy Batman

An offer has been made on our house!!!
We got an offer today from a couple that looked at it on Tuesday. We just signed the paperwork for a counter-offer. It's not pretty, but we may just get out of our house trap! It will take major bleeding of our assets and a generous line of credit from our Wieck parents, but my job as a stay at home mama will not be compromised. Thank the world!
We switched realtors at the end of May, and it turns out that the first people to see the house under the new realtor are the ones that put in the offer. I feel bad for the old realtor (bad luck) but we are so totally happy to FINALLY have an offer. Funny, if the offer is successful and turns into a contract on the house, then our closing date will be the same day as we closed when we BOUGHT the house 3 years ago. Crazy!
We have the apartment that we will move into narrowed down to two different complexes. We will go take a look at both of them Saturday.
If everything goes well we will be moving into our new place somewhere between June 27th and July1!
HOLY BATMAN!!

Fairy Slipper- Orchidbulbosa

I was able to identify the orchid we found using the internet. I LOVE THE INTERNET. Here is some information about the Fairy Slipper.
The jewel-like fairy slipper is one of a dozen species of native orchids that can be found around the Elk Mountains [not where we were]. These are the first of the local orchid species to bloom, beginning in late May, and are found in the diffuse light of coniferous forests, usually on north-facing aspects. This is the most colorful of the local orchids with bright pink petals crowning the yellow, maroon and white “slipper.” Each flower is solitary, on a short stem emerging from a single broad basal leaf. Like many orchids, the fairy slipper has a bulbous, or testicle-shaped root, inspiring its species name, bulbosa.

Another common name, calypso orchid, may be interpreted as a reference to the lid or hood (from the Greek word kalyptra, meaning covering or veil) that protects the reproductive organs of the flower. Calypso is also the name of the sea nymph in Homer’s epic poem, the Odyssey, who detained the willing Odysseus on his return from Troy. Like the sea nymph, these orchids are captivatingly beautiful and prefer secluded haunts. They are sometimes also called Venus orchid, after the Greek goddess of love and beauty. Although calypso orchids are usually not very abundant where they grow, they can be found in northern temperate forests around the world.

Cabin Trip

We just got back from 3 days at our cabin in the mountains. We are having really hot temperatures here in Denver, so it was great to get up into the mountains where is was slightly cooler. We left Saturday afternoon after working all morning around the house. When we were about 5 minutes from the cabin we saw a moose on the side of the road, muchin' away on some grass. Sunday we woke up, the neighbors brought us some fresh bran muffins (we have awesome cabin neighbors) and went for a nice 2 hour hike up by Agnes lake. We tried to make it to American Lakes, but there was still too much snow. We had to turn around when the trail became to snowy. We saw moose tracks left and right, it was apparent that they are all around up there. Sunday night we gave Annabelle a bath in the sink, had a nice dinner and watched SwingKids.
Monday I was sleeping in until Troy called for me to get up quickly. We had a moose on our porch! That was the closest I have ever seen them get to the cabin.
She saw us inside and got a little uneasy. Eventually she sauntered around the edge of the pond and then disappeared over the banks of the river.
After breakfast we packed up and went for a hike up to Lost Lake and Laramie Lake. Laramie Lake was awesome, we were the only ones there, so we thought.
When we got to Laramie Lake, Annabelle had a huge meltdown because she had skipped her morning nap and in the process of chewing on our camelback tube had soaked her sleeper outfit. We had to strip her down to a diaper and rock her to sleep on the banks of the lake. While I was holding her and sitting on a log we had the pleasure of watching a beaver come out of his den and swim around in the lake. He slapped his tail at us (or possibly Arwen) and dove down twice. Then after about 20 minutes of swimming, he went back into his home. I have never seen a beaver in person so it was a really cool sight, and a nice reward for having to slow down and let Annie take her nap in an interesting location.
That evening we enjoyed a nice dinner, some peach cobbler, watched a sad movie, and hit the hay. Tuesday Troy let me sleep in! He got up with Annie at 7am and let me sleep until 10. While I was sleeping Troy and Annie went on a walk and took a picture of this orchid that they found growing along our entrance road. I have never seen an orchid in the wild. I didn't even know that they grew wild in Colorado. Pretty rare find!!
I woke up feeling more rested than I have in a long time. We packed up, I went over and got the bran muffin recipe from the neighbors and visited a little with Annie, and we headed home. The drive was uneventful, Annabelle slept the entire way and Troy got in a good nap himself!