Springing into Spring

Hey guys and gals!

We in Boulder had our first 80-degree day yesterday! It was a fabulous day for dog walking and made me sad to be inside all day!

And speaking of being inside, work has gotten incredibly busy. I've now worked there almost eight months and this is by far the most work I've had come at me at the same time. Even though there aren't enough hours in the day (I get there at about 7 and leave just before 5) the days fly by.

Right now I'm loving...

1. Hootie and the Blowfish- wonderful summer music

2. My car finally got an oil change along with every-other-liquid-change. Poor thing had been neglected so now I'm enjoying driving in general more since I know it's in better shape.

3. Riding Bryce's motorcycle with him. Super fun and he got me a helmet, safety first :-)

4. Wine. As you might know, I'm a pretty staunch red fan but summer is a good excuse to dapple in some whites. When I find great ones, I'll post them up here but right now the favorite at my house has been Bogle 2007 Russian River Pinot Noir. Hard to find but worth the search. Kamiak makes a fantastic California white that is a sav blanc and chardonnay mix that'd I would recommend as well.

I am SUPER excited to visit my family in just two days! Hiking, biking with Graham, eating at Nic's and testing out my parent's new addition on their house is going to be a blast. And after this trip....get excited to hear about my next voyage! At the end of April I'll be off to St. Louis to visit Paige for shopping, dining and a full weekend of girl talk!

Henry will be one year old next week so I hope the weather is perfect for a dog park visit. Be thinking of him April 3!

Lots of love to you all.

Visits and Visiting

These beautiful spring months have been the months of visits and visiting! First, I have to again thank Rachael and Mark for being fantastic tour guides during our visit to North Carolina! We ate some wonderful southern food, played a little Guitar Hero, strolled around the Wake Forest campus and spent time catching up. What a great weekend!

Another visit during late February/early March was our family friend Cait. Cait was visiting the University of Colorado on the last of her many college admissions visits. I got a text from her the other day saying she has narrowed it down to two schools and CU is at the top of the list! Best of luck to her while she makes a lot of tough choices.

And currently, I have another visitor! My long-time friend Meghan is here with her 6-month old pup Autumn. Henry and Autumn are an absolute riot. From getting each other in trouble to stealing toys and food, they are having a blast and I think Henry will be very sad for her to leave. As for me and Meghan, I am enjoying the company, girl chats and live in Henry-sitter and she's enjoying her last college Spring Break! Meghan also got to meet Bryce over the weekend for some beers, wine and chili. It's going to be a fun week!

The next visit is going to be a trip to sunny, beautiful Arizona! As a little surprise, I bought tickets for Bryce and me to visit my parents and Graham the first weekend in April. So we will have three days of fun in the southwestern sun! As a little pre-payback for meeting my parents, Bryce is determined that I meet all of his family before we leave. Conveniently, they all live in the Denver area. So far I've met his dad, one of his sisters and two cousins and I'm sure he has more family times lined up I don't even know about yet. :-) They are all wonderful so bring it on.

Lots of love and warm, sunny weather to all of you!

5280

5280. It's the height in feet of Denver. It's the name of Denver's magazine. It's how many calories I consumed in the first 45 minutes of dinner last night. It's also how many calories I ate in the second 45 minutes. It is 5280 restaurant week. Yum.

Each year for about two weeks, all the fine dining establishments in Denver open their doors with a special prix fixe menu and about five choices for each of three courses. From the Capital Grill to the Broker and from Fago de Chao to the Melting Pot, they all participate in this gluttonous affair. And it is sooooo good.

Last week we hit up the Broker, an upscale steakhouse where seating is entirely in the vault of an old Denver bank. Great steaks, great ambiance, and it was great to hang out with Bryce as well. (especially because, again, I know he's reading this)

And then last night we went to Oceanaire Seafood Room. Great wine list and absolutely five-star service. Phenomenal place!

I know it does weigh into my opinion that my significant other lives there, but the Mile High City is really starting to grow on me. Denver is fun, clean, urban and still navigable.

Other updates: Cait had a great visit and loved CU! She still has one more school to hear from before she makes her decision. This Friday is the big NC trip! Good luck with your tests this week Rach! We are thinking of you.