Sorry so long...

It's been a really, really long time since we've posted, and we're sincerely apologetic. Some highlights since our last post...

Sarah started her new job and is loving it!

Chris ran the Colfax 5k...

...and he also ran the Bolder Boulder 10k! (see photo below)

Sarah went back to Springfield for Drury graduation and her best friend Megan got engaged!

The Arthritis Walk was a huge success and Denver raised $70,000 for the Arthritis Foundation! Four friends walked with us and we had friends over after the walk for a BBQ. It was a lot of fun!

We are moving to a new apartment that is just blocks from Wash Park - the most beautiful park in Denver! We move June 30.

We're headed to Vegas for the weekend! Hopefully our next post will be sooner than later :)

Vail and the day they closed Denver.

We spent the weekend in Vail with our besties Chad and Michelle. It was so warm and sunny! We took the long way back to Denver and through the windy beautiful roads. One of our best weekends yet, for sure.


Today, they closed Denver. A blizzard hit and literally, everyone was let out of work at noon and rush hour happened from noon to 2pm. I was picking up Chris around that time so we experienced the mass exodus out of the city first hand. The snow is absolutely beautiful though and we enjoyed an afternoon together working from home!



Snow was mysteriously in the back of the jeep...hmmmm?

Job interviews and happy thoughts.

I (Sarah) had my 2nd interview with the photo memory and scrapbooking store today. I'm really hoping I get the position - it would be great to have a part-time job! I would be a sales floor associate and in a few months I could train to be a teacher for the classes - I think I would really enjoy working with people and especially teaching. So we'll see.

We're so content with where we are at right now in life. We're loving Colorado and the incredible mountain view. We're making lots of friends and I'm loving having girlfriends here. Everyone we've met is so fun to be around and has such inspiring, solid faith. It's neat to meet couples that are just where we're at in life and we're looking forward to continuing to share the good times (and challenges at times) of our newlywed adventures in Colorado. I know it's cliche to talk about this first year of marriage as being such bliss, but really, we're so happy.

We love you all lots - and are looking forward to our full March - April - May months of visitors!

we wake up to the mountains every morning, and are reminded how much we love just where we're at...... we are at peace with life.

We're busy making memories. Here is a glimpse at just a few.Chris and Chad in the photo titled "The Handoff."Chad and Michelle on top of the world. We hiked the Royal Arch in Boulder.Chris made himself at home.Thats me (Sarah), Chris didn't bother to ask me to turn around.

ZTA Centennial Extravaganza

Last weekend in Springfield was a lot of fun. It was great that we got to see so many close friends and family in such a quick trip. 

Top highlights:

- breakfast with Stuart, Julie, Kim, Katie and Kendra at Gailey's

- surprise manicure with Hilary (from Chris for Valentines Day)

- Chris crowing the 2009 Joe College (I think it was my first official "proud wifey" moment!)

- seeing Zetas galore!

- seeing Blosser

- breakfast the next day with Carrie, Mont, Jacquelyn, Andrea and Matt at Gailey's (the guy working said, "Back again?" Our answer, "Duh.")

- gourmet lunch with Mollie, Christine, Aubri, Alayna and chef Dad 

The ZTA Centennial dinner was great, and so inspiring. Many women there were quite a bit older than us young ones, and it was neat to see how committed they still are to sisterhood. Megan Blosser sang the song she wrote about Zeta and it was amazing (see video below).

"Some days I'm on top of the world, others I'm on my knees, and I can't do this on my own... In this life I'm gonna try, gonna cry, but I know that it will be alright. Gonna smile, gonna fight, gonna fly. I'm gonna live, gonna hope, found my home here with my biggest fans. They love me for who I am, they love me for who I am."

Megan Blosser at ZTA Centennial from Sarah Gilstrap on Vimeo.

Great Weekend

I (Sarah) had kind of a rough week last week because I found out I didn't get a job I had interviewed for. The people and the position had seemed very promising and my hopes were a little too high I think :) It is reassuring that after a rough week, God has a way of showing me His love in the most obvious ways.

Chris and I had a date night Friday night and saw the movie Madagascar 2 at the $1.75 theater. We even splurged on a soda and our favorite candy, Junior Mints. After we hit up Coldstone with our buy-one-get-one coupon, bringing the total cost of the date to $14 - what a great night!

Saturday we hiked in Colorado Springs with our friends Chad and Michelle, then had dinner at their house. Lots of their friends came over and we had a so much fun playing games and eating delicious food. That kind of awesome fellowship and community has been hard to come by since we've been away from all our college friends - so we enjoyed every minute of it and soaked it in all night!

Sunday we ate breakfast in bed because since Chris has been working Saturdays, he really has come to cherish his Sunday mornings in bed. We went to the 11 o'clock church service and are enjoying our church a little more every week. Sunday afternoon we went to a broadway comedy skit at the Denver Civic Theater called "Defending the Caveman." It was a HILARIOUS interpretation about the differences between men and women - so funny! We finished up the weekend by watching the Grammy's together last night, what a wonderful weekend :)

Monday morning I volunteered at the Arthritis Foundation - it was great to get out of the apartment! Ironically enough, I did lots of work with my little finger joints and actually it was kind of tough haha. I kept thinking, "oh wow my joints don't move like this anymore." I met two women that work there that are about my age and it was great to make a couple friends! I'm volunteering on M-W-F mornings, so thats something to look forward to!

We're headed to KC then to Springfield next weekend and are really excited to see family and friends. We'll be at the Zeta Tau Alpha Centennial Celebration and also Drury's Homecoming. Chris will be crowning the new Joe College! Have a great week!

Pueblo Vacation & Hiking

Chris was assigned to a client in Pueblo so Sarah tagged along for the week. There wasn't much to do in the booming metropolis of Pueblo, but we did get to see Senator Salazar's office - he's the new Secretary of the Interior under the Obama Administration.



Pueblo is kind of like a mini San Antonio, Texas. There is a mini river walk, neat!



A week or so later, we went hiking near Boulder. The weather has been great and we've been spending our weekends outdoors!

"There's no sweet tea in Colorado." -a disgruntled mom

Mom, Dad and Mollie came to visit us in Denver for my birthday weekend - they took us on a tour of our own state and we were very worn out by the time they left. The adventure started on Saturday, exploring Denver's 16th Street Mall.

Mom and Dad on the free 16th Street Mall bus - aren't they cute in their matching puffy vests?


Mom, Mollie and Chris hiked around Mt. Falcon.

Dad really liked this wall of old license plates we saw in Morrison. "This was the auto body repair shop we broke down at on one of our vacations" says dad. "There is a shop that we broke down at in every state" says mom.

Sarah's Birthday Surprises

The Day started with a delicious delivery from Stuart, Julie, Kim, Katie and Kendra. Edible Arrangements - Sarah's favorite!
And ended with Chris's surprise, dinner at the Denver Aquarium! It was feeding time in the huge tank and the scuba diver waved.

Great start to the new year!

New Years Eve with Chris' cousins Daniel Gilstrap and fiancee Sarah Lacy + Andrew and Melissa Gilstrap. Then a few nights later, in the middle of a Colorado blizzard, pizza + drinks with our Colorado friends Michelle and Chad Achterhoff. We appreciate our friends a lot.

Photos Galore

Great news...

You can view wedding photo proofs here!

And view honeymoon pictures here!

It's beginning to look at lot like...

Weather update...turns out you can't spell Colorado without cold.  Expected high of 5 on Sunday.  The permafrost layer can be very slick in spots, I am needing to get some treads for the work shoes.  We hope to go see the real stuff up in the mountains soon!

As I sit here (this is Chris) Sarah is putting the finishing touches on her project for today.  We are the owners of a new vacuum cleaner, she has added all the attachments and hoses, just now tightening the last screw.  I am very impressed!

Sarah has been relentless this week in the job search.  Most promising leads come with the stipulation of patience as they will be doing the bulk of the contacting and interviewing after the holiday season.  Tis to be expected I guess, we find it encouraging that the opportunities do exist out there.

Work for me has been coming along comfortably, the calm before the storm I assume. 

We are looking forward to a week or so at home for Christmas, anticipating tempting treats and many hugs and pictures to share. 

Wedding pictures are starting to come in, will be passing those along as soon as we can. 

Love you all, thanks for checking in.   

Finally Wed

Here are a few photos from the photographer's blog. There are many more photos to come!

Final Website Posts...

November 6, 2008 - By Sarah

Likewise, I too am in a series of lasts. Today is my last day at ADsmith. I'm leaving a family of mentors and friends after a wonderful year and a half in my first ever, grown-up job! I really, really will miss my friends here at ADsmith. Tomorrow I'm leaving for Dallas to see Bekah and then visiting Chris in Denver. I'll spend a few days in Kansas City with my family - my last time in KC as a single Duvall daughter. Wow, this period of engagement and planning as really flown by! We're excited to see everyone in just 24 days!

November 1, 2008 - By Chris

One of the things about Sarah moving out here that will be pleasing to you, the viewer is that she will bring with her a digital camera. That way you can see the snow on our mountains!

I spent another day up in those mountains, this time with some friends. We walked up to the top of a mountain and had lunch. It was a pleasant 75 degrees and I believe a good time was had by all.

We are now officially in the same month as the wedding and the anticipation is certainly mounting from my perspective. I am beginning my series of lasts. Today I payed rent for the last time before I am a married man. Last night I hopefully went to Wal-Mart to grocery shop by myself for the last time. I am also trying to translate the time left into realistic time tables, thinking about all the things that could happen in less than a month. I could welcome any advice or suggestions as to which lasts I should take extra care to enjoy and savor. So send them my way!

Hope everyone is well! See you in less than a month!

67 days in counting.

below are our old blog posts from our wedding website. we'll begin blog posting here now. 

September 19, 2008 - Again from Panera, this time with my Love.

(by Chris) The weekend is beginning with quite a bang as Sarah and I sit here at Panera at 7pm on a Friday night. Rest assured we are about to paint the town!

www.mywedding.com/thegilstraps - If you are reading this you have probably followed the little card included in your invitation and we thank you for doing so. Feel free to meander the site at your leisure and to visit as many times as possible as we continue to update with relevant and irrelevant information. It also must be known that we are continually measuring your belief in our potential as a couple by the number of hits our website receives daily.

September 16, 2008 - By Chris.

I'm afraid I must begin this prose by promising to keep it short. For some reason, Panera closes at 8pm on weekdays. It, so far, has ben an utter feeling of helplessness being out here in Colorado while Sarah and her mother (and my mother) put in all the hard work that will make possible what you see on November 30th.

Being more the spreadsheet rather than the canvas in this relationship, I can't wait to see all the grand plans that I have heard so much about, finally come to life!

Colorado is growing on me, as if it needed to. The early fall days are perfect for cruising around in the Jeep and in the evening, those of you who know me may not believe this, I open up the porch door and windows and let the cool breeze in. I didn't realize you could turn off the AC before October!

I am anxiously anticipating Sarah's visit later this week, a few of my groomsmen the week after than and then one of my sisters to round it off. I say that to say, chez Gilstrap is filling up quickly so you better get your reservation in now.

I hope this note finds all you young, impressionable minds well. You know I would love to close with a parting shot against the beyond lucky Broncos but they may be the only chance the West has this year.

September 2, 2008 - We're Famous.

(by Sarah) We were recently featured in a commercial in  Springfield. My advertising agency did the commercial for our client, Second Baptist Church. Check it out: www.virb.com/adsmith

August 15, 2008 - Honeymoon Plans!

We're both really excited about our honeymoon plans that chris has planned! We're headed to the Riviera Maya and staying at the El Dorado Royale Resort. The resort is ranked in the top 10 most romantic resorts in the world by Forbes magazine! At the all-inclusive resort we will enjoy our honeymoon suite complete with ocean view, porch that walks out to the pool, jacuzzi with ocean view, open-air shower as well as several gourmet restaurants to choose from.

July 6, 2008 - Back from Colorado!

(by Sarah) Well I'm back from Colorado and Chris is officially moved into our new apartment. We both think we have one of the best views of the entire front range - in the entire Denver metro area! Our apartment is in Aurora, a suburb of Denver. Check out the pictures on our wedding website photo gallery: www.mywedding.com/thegilstraps

June 19, 2008 - Awesome Engagement Pictures!

DColeman scores again! He did such a great job on our pictures and we had a blast shooting them. View them here: www.photoreflect.com/pr3/thumbpage.aspx?e=3885031

June 11, 2008 - Packing for Colorado

(by Sarah) Chris is headed to Colorado and we are all helping him move. We'll leave Kansas City June 20th and spend the week moving him into his new digs in Denver. currently there are still several finalists on the list for housing situations. Lots to consider - apartment or house? utilities included or not? washer and dryer? Plus, its tough looking at just the pictures of the places online and knowing nothing about the neighborhoods! It is going to take a 14' Uhaul and trailer to get all the stuff + red Jeep out there!

(by Chris) Never have the emotions of sadness and excitement been so strong at the same time. It is hard to believe in this big master plan that being apart from one another is such a necessary step. So far we are looking for preoccupations or anything that will help pass this time apart (suggestions please). We know that we will be stronger having gone through this time but we have to convince ourselves of that each day. We also know that we really don't have it that bad and that the big day will be here before we know it! Just gotta get there! He knows the pans he has for us. We rest in that fact and that fact alone.

May 19, 2008 - We booked our photographer today!

We just met with our photographer to book with him - hoo rah for finding a great photographer! David Coleman is a really nice guy and his wife Sarah is super friendly too. David and Sarah just got back from a vacation in Estes Park, Colorado - we are glad they love Colorado too! We're really excited about working with them and are looking forward to seeing the incredible work that David does. Check out his work on his website: www.dcolemanphotography.com