Joseph J. Bitter (1937-2007)

While we have some other things to share from our month of September, it is important to prepare a special post today. On October 1, 2007 a great man was lost. Today we remember Poppa and how truly special he was to each and everyone he knew and loved. While it seems amazing that a year has already passed, it also seems like forever since I have had a chance to hug my dad. It is just another reminder of how truly precious life is and that we should always remember to tell those around us how much we care. Dad, you are missed and loved always!!

September 2008

Well, September has been a big month for us so far and it is only half over.

AUG. 29 - SEPT. 1: We started off the month with a relaxing Labor Day weekend...for the most part. We had nothing but good intentions at the start of the weekend. We were going to be productive and get lots of house work finished. While we definitely made some progress (Drew was a trim machine!) we did manage to get a bit sidetracked. Our friends Greg and Jess called us to tube the St. Vrain river outside Boulder on Saturday. Since we agreed it is important to do "Colorado" things, we dropped our brooms, shut down the table saw and headed west to Lyons, Colorado. We have heard people talking about the St. Vrain before and what fun it is to "float". We were all rookies and had no clue where the float was technically supposed to start and stop. After asking around a bit, we found what looked to be a good spot, blew up our tubes, grabbed some beer and headed to the river.

It took about 3 minutes to realize that we may have chosen the wrong spot!! The water was about a foot deep and rocky. Still, we were determined to make it a fun day. We continued on...we experienced much butt bruising, a few good rapids and subsequent wipeouts, numerous episodes of "beer overboard", but the water just didn't get deeper. Finally, after a great wipeout and complete loss of the cooler (later to be retrieved), Drew popped his tube. He and Greg insisted they could float together to no avail. We were forced to abandon the float and head to the highway. Jess and Kate stood aimlessly on the side of the road while Drew and Greg walked up the highway to our car (and it wasn't close). Needless to say, I am sure we looked incredibly cool. In the end, we had some great laughs and really ended up having a lot of fun. Next time I think we will get a map! (p.s. this isn't actually us in the picture, but gives you a general idea of what it SHOULD have looked like)

SEPT. 5-7: Never a dull moment with the Bispings. We ventured off on another road trip this weekend, again with both dogs in tow. We headed back to Rochester for a very important wedding. Drew's great friend Mark was marrying his long time girlfriend, Jessica. Unfortunately, we got a late start out of Denver as it took time to pack up the new baby, Cooper. We arrived groggy in Rochester at about 9am on Friday morning. Friday was the rehearsal dinner followed by a fabulous wedding on Saturday night at The Stone Barn. What a beautiful and fun wedding. Kate had the opportunity to meet many new faces from Drew's high school days and Drew had a chance to catch up on old times. Everyone was incredibly nice and welcoming. The bride and groom were perfect and the day couldn't have been much better.

SEPT. 8:
Where did the past year go??? Seems like just yesterday we were preparing for our wedding, celebrating with all our friends and family, and off to Hawaii! It is amazing to believe that we have already made it to our first anniversary. They say the first year of marriage is the most difficult...ours was no different. We endured so much this first year with the loss of my father, grandmother and our dog, Cora, buying a new house, renovating a new house, new jobs, school, etc. We truly feel blessed to have each other and to know that we can get through even the most difficult things together.

We celebrated our anniversary with a great dinner at Table 6. Drew brought me some gorgeous flowers and a stunning diamond necklace. While not subtle with my hints, I gave Drew a digital picture frame so he could keep his family with him at work! FINALLY, we also sat down together and ordered some wedding photos. Nothing like a little procrastination. It was a perfect day and we can't wait for the year to come.

SEPT. 16: Well, it is official...I am truly a BISPING. Not a Bitter-Bisping, simply Kate Bisping. I obtained my new SS card a couple weeks ago and finally went in to change my driver's license today. It feels a little weird to let the Bitter name go, but I will still be Bitter at work (no pun intended).

Cooper Arrives!

Well, after much anticipation and a few nerves, our little Cooper has arrived safely in Denver. Drew, Marley and I left Friday, August 22nd after work, heading for Enid, Oklahoma. We made it just outside of Wichita, KS where we decided to spend the night and get a few hours of decent sleep (in an itty bitty hotel room with an itty bitty shower). Saturday we drove the remaining 2.5 hours to Enid to meet our newest addition.

While not the biggest boy of the litter, Cooper was undoubtedly the most handsome! I am sure it was a little tough for him to leave his 11 other remaining siblings, but he sure seems happy to be home with his new family.

The previous pictures we sent out certainly do not do him justice. He is just precious. He has wonderful markings and a striking blue eye that makes your heart melt. Marley is adjusting a little better each day. He has had a rough time adjusting to the new little fella but is definitely starting to warm up. They aren't quite getting close enough for a decent picture yet however.

We plan to track his growth carefully and post pictures frequently so you can watch him grow in to a great big boy!!

Crawl for Cancer 2008

On Saturday, August 16th Drew and I joined a group of friends in the second annual Crawl for Cancer in downtown Denver. We missed last year's festivities since we were preparing for our wedding. So, we really didn't know what to expect. Needless to say, it was a great day.

There were teams made up of 10-12 people. Each team visited a series of 5 bars throughout the day (started at 1pm) and were given four pitchers of beer as part of the entry fee. We were the Self Examiners (don't ask). Our team started at the Whiskey Bar (in torrential rains nonetheless). We then moved to Retro Bar, Lodo's, Celtic Tavern (where Tom Harkin threw a party this week for a bunch of Iowans...Iowa political rally at a bar, shocker!) and Delaney's.

While we each had to do something 'special' to win a medal for the day, our two top performers were the expectant mothers who put up with us and stayed for the long haul! Quite an achievement.

The numbers aren't out yet, but there were several hundred people and some truly outstanding costumes...from cowboys to swim teams and even the cub scouts. It's just nice that you can get so many people to come out and have fun and support a great cause at the same time. As we all know too well, Cancer Sucks.

Here are a few photos of the festivities. Yes, Drew and I are racing little horses...there was no official winner.

Drew & Gale Go To Alaska...

In July, Drew and his dad, Gale, took a trip to Ketchikan, Alaska for a little R&R and fishing with Matt Petty and Matt's Dad. Needless to say, LOTS of fish were caught. Unfortunately, we don't have any pictures of the big crab feast we had back in Denver...Yum!

New Baby: 6 weeks old now...

Well, our new little man is getting more handsome each week. He is now 6 weeks old. We will pick him up on August 23rd from Enid, OK. Marley is getting really anxious! Check out the size of the little man's paws.

Our New Baby!

Marley has been a little sad since the passing of his sister, Cora. So, we decided that he needs a friend to keep him company. After much searching and deliberation, we have found the newest addition to our family. Our new puppy was born on June 30th and will be ready to come home in a few short weeks. He was born in Enid, Oklahoma and gets bigger every day! He is a gorgeous little (for now) Great Dane. The three of us (Marley too) will be driving to Oklahoma the weekend of August 22nd to pick him up. We are still working on his name and will keep you posted.

Our wonderful Cora

As many of you already know, our wonderful little Cora passed away at the end of June after a long battle with bladder cancer. Cora was diagnosed and expected to live no longer than 6 months. She was going strong a year and a half later. Unfortunately, the tumor got the best of her and caused her bladder to rupture on the last day of our camping trip. While we were so incredibly sad to say goodbye to our little girl, we know that she was happy and enjoying life up until the last day. Marley misses her a lot but has been keeping busy with lots of visits from friends and family.