SUYL ~ Favorite Apps

I am a little behind this week but that just goes to show you what kind of weekend it has been. I am linking up with Kelly over on Kelly's Korner for SUYL. This week is favorite apps. I have already found a couple that I am falling in love with from the others who have linked up. I will forgo the common faves of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Here are a few of my favorites:

{1} Shazam~ whenever you hear a song playing that you dig, you just run this hand little app and it tells you the name of the song and the artist. And even better, just on touch of a button and you are taken to iTunes to urchase it if you please. I think it's free for up to 3 listens a month and after that you have to pay. I don't know what the cost is though.

{2} Kayak~ I can't give this app enough praise (it's a website too). Find airfares on a number of airlines and travel websites (Travelocity, orbitz, Expedia) all in one place. Then it links you straight to the page to urchase them. Better yet, the fares you see here include taxes and fees! They also have hotels and car rentals also.

{3} Newsstand~ I don't know what an equivalent would be on android but for iOS it is newsstand. I love to read magazines but hate dealing with them sitting around for weeks sometimes months. I always think I want to save it for some article or recipe etc. I never look at them again. Instead, I have started subscribing to iPad versions of some of my favorites. Saves space, money and if I ever want to read something again, I just have to download that issue again.

{4} Pinterest~ need I say more?

Ther you have it a few of my favorite apps.

Throwback Thursday

Oh, How Pinteresting!

Here we go again!


Oh, how tempting!



This will be happening in my home, hopefully soon.



I NEED this. Not want, need!


I don't know how well this would go over in my family.



My friend and I got in soooo much trouble for riding ours into the street one time



Maybe I will get around to making this one of these days.



Such a genius idea! Baby gates can be so ugly.

{five on friday}

{one}

This is on my mind a lot lately. Looking forward to enjoying many beautiful sunsets in the Hawaiian Islands, just a short 157 days from now. Can we please fast forward through the majority of those days?

{two}

A lot of people were posting throwback pictures on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram yesterday. I meant to log on and share mine here but I never got around to it. So I will share it with you today (I say that like I have a whole bunch of readers, ha!)

{three}

For all of my 34 years we have made an annual trip to one of my favorite vacation spots. Many times we made the trek more than once. Glenwood Springs is just a sweet little town (although through the years it is slowly becomin not quite so small. But this year the summer has slipped by so quickly that I was worried that we would miss our chance. But no fear, we are finally headed up in a few weeks for a few days of much needed R&R.

{four}

This just makes me laugh. That's one smart bear.

{five}
I love to read! But as of late I haven't been reading like I used to. I want to read more though so I am looking for suggestions for good books. Nothing to heavy or too serious. I read to escape my reality. Do you have any suggestions?

Oh, How Pinteresting!

Hau`oli Lā Hānau

Oh I can hardly wait! I finally get to do one of the things I have wanted to do since my first visit to the Hawaiian islands. I will be spending my birthday on the beaches of the north shore of Oʻahu. The waves will be big and the whales will be there as well. Not sure if I will make it out for some whale watching but I do hope to catch some surfers riding the waves (from the safety of the sandy beach that is). I can't wait!

Friends For Life

Most of us have at least one friend from our past that we have a very special place in our heart for. Some of them we are still in touch with and still have that bond with while others are no longer in our lives for one reason or another. I am very fortunate to have a few of those friends and most are still in my life. Many of them no longer live in the area and I don't get to see them very often. There is one who I have very few childhood memories where she was NOT a part of. And I got to see her today.

We have both been through life changes and it still feels as though we were never apart from each other. I am so lucky to still call her friend and consider her husband a friend as well and love her children to pieces even though we see each other MAYBE once a year. I hope that when we are gray haired old ladies we can still call each other friend. I already consider myself lucky to have a friend like her in my life.

Oh, how Pinteresting!

I have decided it's time to bring my blog back to life. I will kick it off with





I spend entirely too much time on Pinterest and it will be hard to pick some of my favorites but I will give it a shot. So here we go.

Source: iamrandi.tumblr.com via Richann on Pinterest

My motto.

Source: humortrain.com via Richann on Pinterest

And this would be what my dog thinks of my motto.

Source: justgirlythings.tumblr.com via Richann on Pinterest

Yep, that's what I wish.

Source: dumpaday.com via Richann on Pinterest

Laugh every time I think this.

Source: itworksforbobbi.com via Richann on Pinterest

Some days these words get me through.

The Truth

I went to my grandfathers funeral today. My mom's dad. A man I barely knew and if I am being honest, a man my mom barely knew. It was a strange experience. The tears I have shed have been for my mom. Not because I am sad that my grandfather died. But tears for my mom who has now lost both her parent. She lost her mom a little over two years ago. And I am sure today it felt like she lost her all over again. My mom's parents split when my mom was only 9. It was a split that partially was the result of infidelity on his part. As we sat there in the service this morning it was as if my grandma never existed. The man from the funeral home who was speaking stood up there and talked about when my grandfather and my mom's step-mom met, got married, and had 8 children. It is a small miracle that there was not a mass exodus from the chapel. When he was talking about how they met and first went out, I wanted to shout out that he was doing all that when he had a wife and three kids at home (and a fourth on the way)! Those 8 children "they" had consists of my mom, her three siblings, her 2 step-siblings and 2 half-siblings. And may I point out that they were not parents to my mom and her 3 siblings. They talked about how important family was to him and how much he loved his grandchildren. Tell that to the family who barely knew him.

List Of 99

Saw this on another blog and thought it would be fun. I was surprised at how many of them I had done.

The things in bold are things I've done/accomplished/experienced.


1. STARTED YOUR OWN BLOG
2. SLEPT UNDER THE STARS
3. PLAYED IN A BAND (does school and count?)
4. VISITED HAWAII

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. BEEN TO DISNEYLAND

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis
10. SANG A SOLO

11. Bungee jumped

12. VISITED PARIS

13. WATCHED A LIGHTNING STORM

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. HAD A PILLOW FIGHT
22. Hitch hiked
23. TAKEN A SICK DAY WHEN YOU'RE NOT ILL
24. BUILT A SNOW FORT
25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. WATCHD A SUNRISE OR SUNSET (BOTH)

31. Hit a home run

32. BEEN ON A CRUISE

33. SEEN NIAGARA FALLS IN PERSON
34. VISITED THE BIRTHPLACE OF YOUR ANCESTORS (Ireland)

35. SEEN AN AMISH COMMUNITY

36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (working on this)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing 

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. SEEN OLD FAITHFUL GEYSER ERUPT

43. BOUGHT A STRANGER A MEAL AT A RESTAURANT

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

 49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. BEEN TO THE TOP OF THE EIFFEL TOWER IN PARIS
51. GONE SCUBA DIVING OR SNORKELING (the latter)
52. Kissed in the rain

53. PLAYED IN THE MUD

54. GONE TO A DRIVE-IN THEATER
55. Been in a movie

 56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. STARTED A BUSINESS

58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. SERVED AT A SOUP KITCHEN

61. SOLD GIRL SCOUT COOKIES

62. GONE WHALE WATCHING

63. GOT FLOWERS FOR NO REASON

64. DONATED BLOOD, PLATELETS OR PLASMA

65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. BOUNCED A CHECK
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. SAVED A FAVORITE CHILDHOOD TOY

70. VISITED THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt

73. STOOD IN TIMES SQUARE
74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job
76. SEEN THE CHANGING OF THE GUARDS IN LONDON
77. BROKEN A BONE
78. BEEN A PASSENGER ON A MOTORCYCLE
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican

82. BOUGHT A BRAND NEW CAR

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. HAD CHICKENPOX

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Got a tattoo
94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit

98. OWNED A CELL PHONE

99. BEEN STUNG BY A BEE

Fire!!!!!

It's fire season!!

SUYL-Single Friday

Okay, so I don't blog regularly. But, here I am watching the snow fall outside and wondering how much of the white stuff I will have to drive through to work in the morning and I thought I would give this a shot again. Kelly over at Kelly's Korner is linking up to Singles in her SUYL post this week. The last year or so has been pretty rough and I am ready for something to good to happen. I did it last year and connected with someone but it wasn't meant to be. I am hoping that this time I can connect with someone a little closer to home (doesn't have to be Colorado but somewhere in the western half of the US would be nice but I am always open to anything) and maybe something will come of it.

My name is Richann, I am 33 and live in the Denver area. I have lived here my entire life and although I never know where the Lord will lead me next, this will always be home to me.

First and foremost, I am a follower of Christ. While I will never claim to be the "perfect" Christian, I do my best to live the life I believe He wants me to live.

I love kids and can't wait to have kids of my own someday. While I am patiently (okay maybe not so patiently, but I'm trying) waiting for that day, I am surrounded in my life with kids who mean the world to me. First, there's my little cousin, L, she's 5 and I love her to pieces. She can be a little goofy but then, so can I.


Then there are my best friends kids C & J, who call me Aunt Richann (which is great since I am an only child, and don't have nieces and nephews otherwise). It's rough because they live in NE Ohio and I don't get to see them as much as I would like to. But I get out there to see them as much as possible. Last summer when I was out there we took the trek up to Niagara Falls which was great!



The good thing about them living so far away, is that I LOVE to travel, and while NE Ohio isn't very adventurous, it's something different and we always find some fun adventure to go on together. Obviously, since I say I LOVE to travel, you would hope that I have been someplace other than NE Ohio, of course... I have traveled to different places across the US, as well as the Caribbean, Mexico, Ireland, Guam, Hawaii (I know this is the US but it is one of my FAVORITE places to go) and the list of places I want to go, just keeps on growing. I am currently planning my trip to London at the end of May, I am super excited about this trip as a friend has actually decided to join me. I usually do a lot of my traveling alone but it is nice to have someone join you too. Here are a few pics from some of my recent trips.

Disney World Jan 2012

Mexico 2010

Hawaii 2010

When I am not traveling or working ot spending time with my cousin, I like to read, spend time with family and I love Football, specifically the Denver Broncos. I spend my Sundays afternoons watching football games and truly enjoy it. Maybe I can even meet a guy who can handle that trait of mine... ;0)

So there you go. A little about myself. If you want to connect or know of someone who may be a good match for me, leave a comment.

I've Come to Realize... there is a pattern in my life lately.

I've come to realize that my body is... getting older.

I've come to realize that my job is... not what I want to do the rest of my life

I've come to realize that I need nothing more in life than... God

I've come to realize that I've lost my mind... and I sometimes wonder if I will ever get it back

I've come to realize that I hate... death and loss

I've come to realize that money is... a crutch, more money will not make me happy.

I've come to realize that certain people... aren't necessary in my life

I've come to realize that I'll always remember... my dad.

I've come to realize that my sibling... doesn't exist.

I've come to realize my mom... is one of my best friends.

I've come to realize my dad... meant more to me than life itself, and I miss him more than words can express

I've come to realize my cell phone... has a picture of my dad that I had forgotten I had.

I've come to realize when I woke up this morning... I wanted to stay in bed.

I've come to realize last night... I missed my dad.

I've come to realize right now I'm thinking about... my dad.

I've come to realize today... is another day that I will miss my dad.

I've come to realize tonight... I am missing my dad.

I've come to realize tomorrow... I will miss my dad...still

I've come to realize I really want to... talk to my dad.

I've come to realize my children... will never know my dad.

I've come to realize this weekend... will be hard, cause my dad isn't here.

I've come to realize the best music to listen to when I'm upset... is music that reminds me that I will see my dad again, on the other side of heaven.

I've come to realize that my friends... will stick by my side through the tough times.

I've come to realize that this year... couldn't possibly get any worse... at least it better now.

I've come to realize my husband... will never know my dad.

I've come to realize maybe I should... take time to spend as much time as possible with those I love, because you never know when they will be gone.

I've come to realize I really don't understand... why tragedy has to happen.

I've come to realize my past... is filled with memories of my dad.

I've come to realize parties... aren't the same without my dad.

I've come to realize my life... is unpredictable

This is me

I just thought I would thow myself into the mix over at Kelly's Korner on her "Show Us Your Singles" link up. I always find it akward to talk about myself but here goes nothing.

(me with my little cousin)

My name is Richann, I am 32 years old and live in the Denver area. I have lived in the area all my life with the exception of the time I spent in central Florida at a small Christian college. I believe that God has someone special for me in the world and I can't wait to meet him. Maybe this is the way God will bring us together.

(me on vacation in Mexico)

I love kids and can't wait to have a family of my own. In the meantime, I spend as much time as I can with my little cousin, I teach the 3 year old Sunday school class with my mom and I spoil my friends kids (who all call me Aunt Richann).

(on vacation in Hawaii)

I love to travel, read, watch movies and spend time in the outdoors. I am very fortunate to live near the mountains, and love to be able to just go for a drive and enjoy God's creation. If you know someone you think might be a good fit for me, leave me a comment. Let's see if God has something in store here.

Grandma

On Nov 9, 2010 Lois Fanning Barry Schwartz joined her beloved husband, William Robert Schwartz whom had passed away on Oct. 6, 2007. They are survived by 7 children, Robert Barry, Colleen Johnson (Paul), Linda Gilkey (Gary), Cheryl Lane (Mark), Kurtis Barry (Donna), Mark Schwartz (Susan) Jeanell Delon, 12 grandchildren, 9 great grandchildren & Lois’ brother, Richard.

Lois was born on Dec 27th of 1930 to Richard & Irene Fanning in Denver CO. She grew up in a loving home at Lincoln & Elsworth with her parents, a brother, her paternal Grandmother and a Cousin. She went to Sherman Elementary, Byers Jr. High, and graduated from South High in 1949. She then went to Barnes Business School where she met her first husband, Robert Barry. They were married in Feb. of 1951. In Dec of 1951 they had a son, Robert and she became a stay at home mom. In Feb of 1954 they had a daughter, Colleen and then they added another daughter, Linda in May of 1955. By this time the one bedroom attic apartment was overflowing and they bought a home in a new area of town call Athmar. In 1959 they made a move to Midland TX with Bobs’ company. The family moved back to the house in Athmar in Denver, which they had rented out while in TX, in 1960. In June of 1963 another son, Kurtis, was added to the family. Soon after this Lois & Bob were divorced and her children became her life. She had to go back to work and was working for a Temp Agency when in 1966 she was asked to go to a job at Cahners Publishing.

Even though both Bill & Lois had gone to the same Jr. High and High schools Lois was 7 years older then Bill so they had never met. After Bills’ divorce in 1972 while working at Cahners they would see each other in the halls and started working on different projects together. There was an attraction there but Bill had done nothing about it. So after a while Lois decided in 1978 to take the bull by the horns and ask Bill out. Right away he said yes. Lois asked him later why he had not asked her out and he said that he thought she was married and would never get in a situation like that. In June of 1979 they were married in a home they had purchased in Cherry Creek Vista with 6 of their 7 children present along with 2 grandchildren. Bill & Lois worked, traveled, hiked and loved their home together. They were the best of friends. They celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary with a garden party at their home with about 80 of their family & friends in June of 2004. In 2005 the first signs of cancer showed up in Bill. After a long battle he passed away in 2007. Bill was cremated and was waiting for Lois to join him.

In May of 2008 Lois sold the house in Cherry Creek Vista and moved to her new condo at Aspen Terrace in the Windcrest Retirement Community. Her condo was on the top floor with a balcony where she had a view of the beautiful mountains that she loved. The friends that she made there were invaluable to her. She loved to laugh & talk with her new old friends as she called them. They made her life a joy.

56 Days

That's how long there was between the day my grandma was diagnosed with cancer to her passing. 56 days... That's less than 2 months. Can I just say, CANCER SUCKS!!!!!!

How?

How do you want to find out your grandmother has died? I was asked this tonight. How do you answer a question like that? It was a valid question, one that I need to figure out the answer to. Cause it will happen and for me it is going to happen soon. My grandmother, my mother's mother, is dying. I have only had 6 weeks to wrap my head around it. She was diagnosed with advanced cancer 7 1/2 weeks ago. She decided not to fight it. Honestly, with as fast as it has gone, even if she did fight it, I don't believe it would have made any difference. I saw her 2 weeks ago at my cousins wedding reception, and while she was in a wheelchair, she still looked good, all things considered. It's hard to believe how quicly things have gone downhill. Yesterday afternoon, the family was told maybe a week, later last night, it was a few days. I cringe when the phone rings. Afraid that it is going to be the call. My mom asked me tonight what I wanted them to do if it happens while I am at work. I don't know what to say. I know what I want to say... "It's not going to happen so why ask." But I have to face reality, it is going to happen. Do I want a phone call? Do I want someone to come get me? There are many things in life we don't want to think about. This is one of them. And I better go figure it out. The situation is going to come sooner than later.

Teal Toes - Raising Ovarian Cancer Awareness

In preparation for my beach vacation, I went and got a pedicure today. I went out of my normal comfort zone and decided to paint my toes teal. I didn't really have any specific reason for it just that I wanted to do something a little different.

Well when I was checking the blogs I regularly read I came across a post about Teal Toes. September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. Ovarian cancer is sometimes called the whispering killer. Too many women with ovarian cancer do not get diagnosed until their cancer has spread. Their survival rate is 45%. Survival rate improves greatly - to 93% - if the cancer is diagnosed at an early stage before it has spread. Only 19% of ovarian cancer cases are diagnosed at this local stage. Make sure you know what the symptoms are. There is so much attention placed on Breast Cancer awareness (don't get me wrong that is very important as well) but I thought that I would take the opportunity to help get the word out since I painted my toes teal...

Where does the time go?

Wow... it's been 6 months since I posted. In a way I feel like I have been really busy but at the same time, I feel like I have done nothing. Let's see... since I last posted in December I have done the Christmas thing, went on a trip to Mexico, turned 31, greived the fact that we didn't get to celebrate a special someone's first birthday, tragically lost a friend, flew my best friend out here to have a girls weekend, decided that my next really big trip will be next year to London/Paris, celebrated my cousins college graduation, and took a trip to Florida that was very much needed... not too much but some of those events were pretty significant. My trip to Mexico was amazing. My favorite part was my birthday. We went whale watching and got to see a mating group of three humpback whales and boy did they put on a show for us. An experience I will NEVER forget. January 16th would have been Caitie's 1st birthday. It still sometimes feels like it was just yesterday that I was visiting her in the hospital when she was born. The precious angel will be deeply missed and every January 16, will mark the special day that we were blessed with her. At times I feel cheated but then I remember how blessed we were to have known her for 7 1/2 months, and I thank God for every last day we did have with her. On March 17th, I received news that my roommate from my freshman year, had passed. She was pregnant with her 4th child and suffered a stroke. They were able to save the baby but they were unable to save Kylee. She had such an impact on so many lives. That was evident by the fact that there were nearly 1000 people at the celebration of her life and nearly 400 more viewing online. Not to mention the 1600+ who are on the facebook page celebrating the impact she had on so many. Kylee will be missed by many. I flew Dawn out here the end of March and we had a good time. We don't usually get the opportunity to visit just the two of us. The only times we have had the opportunity it was just moments in the evenings when I was visiting or when the kids were really little. I love the kids but there are times when it is nice to just spend some time with your friend. We got 2 whole days this time around. She flew in late on a Friday night and we spent Saturday up at Red Rocks in the snow. Then on Sunday we went and saw Mary Poppins which was here in Denver. It was so much fun and I look forward to being able to do that more often. One day we will hopefully be able to meet up somewhere fun like NYC or something. I finally decided that my next big trip will be a sojourn to London/Paris. And if things work out right, I will be joined by a friend. Planning on about 10 days, split between the two cities and doing it on a tight budget. If things work out right, I am hoping that between airfare and lodging it won't be much more than $1500. That is some serious budgeting when you think that the two cities are some of the most expensive cities to visit. I will post more details as they are worked out. The trip is more than a year away but I am so excited about it already. My cousin graduated college! He is the first of us and he is the youngest (unless you count the cousins who came along nearly 20 years after him). I am so proud of him and to tell you the truth he has inspired me a bit and I am considering going back to school and at least finishing up an associates degree. We will see how that works out. :0) The last significant event was my trip to Florida that I just went on last week. It was truly a week of relaxation. I spent a lot of time in the sun and in the water. It was so desperately needed as I was about to lose my mind with the day to day drama that I deal with anymore. Just wish the trip was a bit longer. Now to figure out when I get to go back...

Brrrr..... Need I say more?