More Pictures

Ok ... it has been several months and I know you guys all have seen most (if not all) of these, but they were good times and it is sort of fun to look at them again, don't you think?

Reunion Pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=3381&l=c4cce&id=1626836064

Our trip through Rocky Mountain National Park: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=3382&l=548d0&id=1626836064

They are facebook albums, but my understanding is that you can look at them even if you are not a facebook member.

The family that dances together...

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Autumn Fun

Hi everyone! I hope you are all enjoying your autumn. We've been enjoying some very nice weather. I thought I'd post some pictures. The first is of they boys at a pumpkin patch. They had lots of stuff to do there!

The next is of Tyler with the medal he received after the last soccer game of the season. He scored a goal that game...yeah, Tyler!

It was perfect weather for Halloween...and the knight and Batman had fun. We just went around our neighborhood and they got enough candy to last them a year and a half.

The weekend after Halloween was gorgeous -- it was in the 70s and even hit 80 one day I think. November!! That Saturday, we went for a beautiful bike ride in Waterton Canyon. To the left is a picture of Tyler next to the 3 mile marker -- meaning he rode for over six miles round trip that day. Getting to be a good little biker!

That Sunday, we all had a ball raking leaves. Tyler and Connor were quite helpful this year!

Oh - and last but not least -- Tyler lost one of his front teeth today!!

I hope all is well with you guys. Do a post and let us know what's been going on!!

"The Space Between", "I Can See Clearly Now" and More...

Hi everyone! It seems a lot has been going on since we last saw you guys so I thought I'd send an update. I hope everyone had a great summer. Ours was fun! After we saw you, we had two long weekends in Breckenridge (4th of July and Labor Day weekends) -- we love it up there! We also went camping, and Eric and I had a getaway night to a B&B in Evergreen while Tyler and Connor had a fun sleepover with their buddies Miles and David. A couple weekends ago, we got to see and ride with Thomas the Tank Engine at Day Out with Thomas.

Tyler lost his first tooth on Grammy's birthday (July 6) and the second one a week later ("The Space Between" picture to the left). His two top ones are loose now. He played T-ball this summer and is playing soccer now. He started 1st grade in mid-August and said that his first day of 1st grade was the best day of his life. I'm glad he likes school...but geesh -- haven't we done some fun stuff as a family? :-) His first day of school picture is below, and it has Connor in it because he yelled "Wait for MEEEEEE!!" when he saw me taking a picture of just Tyler. We found out Tyler needs glasses, but only for distance. He has just been wearing them to see the board in class ("I Can See Clearly Now" picture below!) This summer, Tyler also learned to ride his two wheeler unassisted!

Connor is doing great in his big boy underwear, and has hardly had any accidents. He got a big boy bed last weekend and thinks that's pretty cool. He is also working on stopping sucking his thumb. We've been talking about how it will bend his teeth and he said he wasn't going to suck it anymore, so he has been wearing a band-aid on his thumb as a reminder. He has gone 10 days without sucking his thumb! He's growing up so fast!! The things he says continue to crack us up -- the other morning he climbed into bed with us, got on top of Eric and said, "You're splendid!"

Eric and I are still plugging away at our jobs and having fun with our crazy kids. They're planning to be a knight (Tyler) and Batman (Connor) for Halloween, and want whoever takes them trick-or-treating to dress up too...we'll see how that goes...!

Hope all is well with y'all! Happy Autumn!!

Gatlinburg Vacation Rental Cabin: Big Timber Lodge | Jackson Mountain Homes

Gatlinburg Vacation Rental Cabin: Big Timber Lodge | Jackson Mountain Homes

Big Jer's Company goes LIVE

Just a quick note to all, Go Green Mobile Shredding is now up and running, if you are feeling froggy, pls check out our website www.gogreenmobileshredding.com

We started this week and have had our 1st paying customer.

If you happen to have lots of shredding needs in So Cal, don't hesitate to call us!

Hope all is well.

JR

Woo Hoos

Well, it has been a long time since there has been any activity on the TRASH blog, so I thought I would post a video of Cha Cha and Tracy's performance with a special guest appearance from Connor (the super groupy).

Since the video does not come through in the email that goes out, you will actually have to go the blog location: http://blog.trashfund.com

Trashy Picture

Here is a picture of everyone on top of Berthoud Pass.

I hope you all had fun (I cannot bring myself to say y'all like Tracy does whenever she corresponds to you people).

By the way, please feel free to post things up here on the blog as you see fit. For those of you who never responded to the original invitation, Tracy can always add you as bloggers.

Greetings from Colorado

Hello, fellow TRASHed ones! I just wanted to say that is was so nice having you all here, and I hope you enjoyed your visit to our state. Thank you all for your help during your time here...everyone pitched in so wonderfully with cooking, dishes, cleaning, etc. We've got a great family, and it's wonderful that we all get along so well. I hope you all had good journeys home, and that you'll come visit again soon!

Major Meltage

Eric found out the hard way today that the TRASH '08 water bottles should not be left in a hot vehicle. His is now quite warped and unusable. Just thought I'd warn y'all!

Directions For Sunday

From Tracy’s house to Tommyknocker Brewery

US 285 South to

CO-470 West to

I70 West

Exit 240 turn right (13^th Avenue)

Right on Miner Street.

Tommy Knocker Brew Pub is on the right. You can follow signs to town parking.

From Idaho Springs to Snow Mountain Ranch.

I70 West to Exit 232 for US-40 toward Empire

Take US-40 over Berthoud pass and through Winter Park

About 12 miles past Winter Park, the entrance to Snow Mountain Ranch is on the left.

I am not sure what to do from here, because Tracy did not see fit to tell me when she ordered me to make these directions. Just keep driving until you see someone or something you know. If you never do find it... call Tracy's or Grammy's or Papa Lou's (anyone as long as it is not Shep's) cell phone. I cannot guarantee that anyone will answer because I do not know if we will have any kind of cell reception way up in the wilderness of Grand County.

We have made it most of the way.

Well we have made it to Colordado Springs. So far so good. Getting to hike back in some trails. Going to Pikes Peak on Tuesday. We have plenty of down time. So if anyone needs us to pick anything we can. IE sunscreen, beer, or anything to save you from having to go to the store when you get here. Ted, I will stop at the Goodwill store to buy some clothes so we can rent bikes and show our our appearance.

SAFE TRIP

Hi Everyone!
Thanks to all of you for calling Dad today on Father's Day. You made his day extra special. We are looking forward to seeing all of you very soon! I looked at the extended forecast for Winter Park and the highs are in the mid 60's, so pack accordingly. Don't forget............Talent Show................ parents as well as kids should participate........remember the fun we had when you were all kids!!!! Good memories! We love you all and want everyone to have a very safe trip!!!
Love, Grammy & Papa Lou

TNT's Colorado Vacation Definitions

Hello everyone! In light of our gracious hosts posts regarding tips and tricks for our Colorado trip, I thought I would share some of my slightly skewed "definitions" of the suggestions:

Altitude Sickness: perfect excuse to lounge around
High Altitude: standing by my lawn chair rather than sitting in it
Sunscreen: the umbrella over my lawn chair
Hydration: lots of Coors Lite (it's a pretty watery beverage, right?)
Hiking: the walk to the cooler for Coors Lite, and also to the bathroom
Group Hike: Jon and I walking to the cooler for Coors Lite (Budweiser)
Whitewater Rafting: my kids thrashing in the pool while I lay on a blow up raft
Rain Gear: the roof on the cabin
Walkie-Talkie: my children
Dressing in layers: if I decide to wear shorts AND underwear that day
Eating Foods and High in Potassium: Beer nuts
Horseback Riding: when my kids crawl on my back while lounging on the floor
Swimsuit: two words: Banana Hammock!

Looking forward to it!
TNT

Horsey Ride

We have reservations for 12.5 people to horseback ride! (The .5 is Connor who will be riding with me or Eric). The reservation is for Monday, June 23 at 10:00am, for a 1-hour ride. The others counted in the 12 are: Greg, Kara, Megan, Andrew, Katy, Michele, Jake, Jenny, Maya, Eric, Tracy and Tyler. If anyone else wants to go, just let me know and I'll add you to the list. I didn't have to put down a deposit. Yeeeeehaw!

Packing

In addition to the regular personal items you'll be packing, here are some ideas of things you might want to bring, if you have these things:

• Sunscreen
• Sunglasses
• Hats -- both caps for sun and hats for cold, especially for the kids (hope the ones for cold won't be necessary, but you never know in the mountains)
• Layers...since mountain weather is unpredictable -- jacket/sweatshirt/pants
• Comfortable shoes -- you don't need hiking shoes to go hiking, but you won't want 3 inch heels! Might want to bring an extra pair in case they get muddy or wet.
• Backpack -- to take hiking, etc.
• Swimsuits
• Rain gear
• Walkie-talkies
• Collapsible cooler (lunch bag to bring lunch on hike)
• And of course, a CAMERA!!

We'll bring some bug spray so you don't have to deal with that on the plane. I'll let you know if I think of anything else.

Whitewater Rafting Info

I found out from Winter Park that the nearest whitewater rafting they recommend is Mad Aventures. They have two places to go rafting -- Idaho Springs and Kremmling. Idaho Springs is on the way to Winter Park from Denver, and is actually closer to Denver than to Winter Park. I was thinking if anyone wanted to do this, it would be good to do it the day we head up or the day we head back from Winter Park. But it's Class III-IV rapids, so kids have to be at least age 13. I'm guessing this leaves us out, unless there's a group of adults that wants to go.

Kremmling has Class I-III rapids, so kids age 4 and up can raft. However, Kremmling is about an hour drive from Winter Park. Not sure if anyone wants to make that trek.

I'll assume we'll pass on the whitewater rafting, unless I hear otherwise from some of you.

Feel free to come back and visit us any time when you might have more time to raft!

Horseback Riding, Anyone?

Several of you showed interest in horseback riding while you're here, so Grammy and I checked into it. The place that YMCA recommends is Sombrero Stables -- more info at http://www.sombrero.com/snowmountainranch.asp.


They have 1-hour rides for $32/person and 2-hour rides for $45/person. They also have breakfast and dinner rides, but I thought we may not want to do this since the cost is quite a bit more and I know at least our kids wouldn't eat enough to make the cost worth it. Let me know if there's interest in that, though.


Kids age 1-4 can ride with a parent, and kids 5 and up can ride their own horse.


Will y'all please respond and let me know if you're still interested after learning the price? If we have a group that wants to do this, I'll block a time for us.

Glimpse of Colorado

Just in case you need to get your collective juices flowing for your upcoming Colorado trip... here are some pictures from our past couple of weekends in the mountains. Some of these views are similar to some you will see when you are here.

A couple of weekends ago, we stayed in Winter Park (which is very close to snow mountain ranch where we will be staying for a few days when you guys are all here)

This first photo is us on top of Berthoud pass. There is still back-country skiing going on up in that area. We were just driving through. When you T.R.A.S.H. people are here, we will most likely go over this pass either on our way to or back from the YMCA of the Rockies. It will be interesting to see if there is still considerable snow.


This shot is from a trail in Grand Lake, about half an hour North of Winter Park. Grand Lake is the town closest to the entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park on the West side of the Continental Divide.


As you can see from this picture, we had to hike through some snow to get close to the lake.


For our Memorial Day Weekend Camping trip. We went up to Rocky Mountain National Park. We were on the other side of the Continental Divide for our camping trip.

This is Tyler and Connor in front of Long's Peak. Unfortunately, Long's peak gets lost in the clouds in this picture. This was a much nicer view in person than comes across in the photo.
This is a view above Cub Lake. We got to this lake by hiking about 2 1/2 miles into the mountains.

This is a picture of the valley through which the Cub Lake trail leads. The snow-covered mountains in the back are part of the continental divide. Some of them are accessible via Trail-Ridge-Road. Tracy is considering leading the group up this route on our way to Tabernash.

We had lunch on this rock on the way up to Cub Lake.

Here is the family up at Cub Lake. It is quite a hike for a six-year old. Connor got to ride in a pack, so it is not nearly as impressive that he made it as it was that Tyler did. Connor called the mountains in the background "Rocky Mountain Pie". I am not sure how he came up with that name, but it works fine for me.

And of course, what is Colorado camping without guitar and singing by the campfire? If you are all nice you might be able to convince the artist to perform for you while you are here.

TRASH '08 Calendar

I created a calendar of when everyone is coming and going so I could keep it straight. I thought I'd share in case anyone else is interested in this info. We'll see if this works...I uploaded a document to Google Docs and published it. To see it, click here: http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=p9wSmdYXEUMVr7Spd0Yi1aw

One Month Away

Hi Everyone,
Well, it's one month from FUN, FUN, FUN!!!! We are really looking forward to everyone being together. I don't know about the rest of you, but we are especially afraid of the Tyler/Connor tooth tigers that we are about the come in contact with.
Eric, you should write a book, you are a talented writer! Hope everyone is having fun this Memorial Day weekend. Papa Lou and I are enjoying the cooler weather, doing some yardwork and possibly taking in some movies, or whatever else comes up. Love you all. Let the TRASH talk begin!

Colorado Tips

Just thought I would share some information that may be useful in making your stay just a little more pleasant. If not useful, it may be interesting. If not interesting, it at least takes up space on this neat little blog that Tracy refuses to use.

High Altitude
To us, Denver is in the low-lands at 5,200' (1 Mile) high. While you are here, you will be spending a significant amount of time at 8,000 - 9,000 feet and probably go as high as 12,000 feet during your visit. Higher altitude means much thinner air. This, of course, gives Ted a built in excuse should he fail while "taking on all challengers", but it also can be unpleasant if you are not careful. Altitude sickness is a nasty thing.

So, while here:

1. Take it easy. Especially the first day or so, try not to do anything too strenuous. If you get tired, take a rest. Luckily, most of you will have a nice amount of time to acclimate in the Denver area a day or two before we head up to Snow Mountain Ranch. Use that time to relax and learn to breath the thin air.
   
2. Drink lots of water. Lots and lots of water. Drink water. Especially if you are active at all, you need to make sure you are hydrated. There is very little humidity in Colorado and high altitude gets you dehydrated quicker.
   
3. At higher altitude, the sun is much more intense. Wear sunscreen. Wear a hat and make sure you wear sunglasses.
4. Try to eat things high in potassium
   
5. Check out http://www.highaltitudetips.com/ . I think I got the main things, but it does not hurt to be prepared.

Weather
Denver gets almost 300 days of sun. This means chances are, every day will be warm and sunny.... at least to start out with. Weather during spring time in Colorado is unpredictable (actually this is true year - round). It is very common to get thunderstorms late in the afternoon, so make sure you bring rain gear. At high altitudes, when the sun goes down, it can get cool fast, so make sure you bring sweat shirts. It probably is not likely, but it is also possible to get snow in June.

Basically just plan to dress in layers. While out and about, bring a backpack and plan on wanting to add or remove clothing as appropriate.

Wildlife
I have been seeing Coyotes wandering around our neighborhood the past couple of days in the evenings and early mornings. There are possibilities of close-encounters with black - bears and (very rarely) mountain lions. We are such a big group, that I seriously doubt these sorts of creatures will want anything to do with us, but do keep in mind to keep an eye on the little ones especially in the early mornings and evenings. It really is not a big deal, because it is true that wild animals are generally more afraid of you than you are of them. Just be aware of it.

You will probably see lots of deer and elk. We have spotted Moose close to where we will be staying up in the mountains. You may see big-horn sheep or maybe even some mountain goats on your way up to Tabernash.

Basically, just keep your eyes open. Wildlife spotting is exciting and fun.

Perhaps the most vicious, and scary wildlife are the TylerandConnor-Tooth-Tigers. Perhaps the most nefarious of all predictors, the scariest thing about them is that they look so innocent... even cute. But if you spot one, be afraid. Be very very afraid. Eventually, they will viciously attack. And, I have spotted them all over the place. They have even been know to be bold enough to wander into suburban houses and attack innocent, helpless fathers.



Pine Beetles
It sucks, but Grand County Colorado (where Snow Mountain Ranch) has a huge pine beetle infestation. You will see lots of dead and dying pines.

http://www.ymcarockies.org/home/our-locations/snow-mountain-ranch/pinebeetle

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05528.html

Feast at the Shepards

Hello fellow TRASHers! June is almost here...we're looking forward to seeing y'all. Just wanted to let you know that you're all invited to dinner at the Shepard house on the Saturday night before we head up to the cabin. We've never had 30 people at our house before...but we're close, right?? Well, we will be that day! Hope for good weather where we can go in the backyard too!

Grammy and I have started talking about activities...if you haven't sent me info on what you're interested in doing yet, please do so to get your opinions added! More to come soon...

Um, yeat that guitar hero thing?

Jer got it for xmas and hasn't stopped playing, has II and III and Rock Band now....I am sure he will be up to test the lil ones.

We are bringing the BBQ and have an Aerobed if we end up short on kid spots to sleep.

Looking forward to seeing everyone.

Things We Need?

I know its still early. Since we are driving we can cart along some things. If you can think of things for us to bring to keep the kids (and some adults) busy, IE board games, toys, that you cant pack. Let us know. We will try to bring them along.
Jon

Talking TRASH

The Teberg family is REALLY looking forward to this year's reunion, since we missed the last one with Tommy being sick and spending his first birthday in the hospital. He is now looking forward to spending his third birthday with everyone, and meeting some of his aunts, uncles and cousins for the first time.
Since we'll be rolling in a little later than everyone else, I suggest you boys use the time wisely to practice your (questionable) skills on darts, pool, horeshoes, bocce ball, or any other game you can find.....I'm taking on all challengers....................