Snowboarding and Slot Machines

Hey all!

I hope April is showering you with fun and happy times! It seems April is the month of birthdays. Bryce turned old, Henry turned 1 and a few other friends celebrated various ages in between.

For Henry's b-day he got a trip to the groomers where he came out looking like a lion as opposed to his normal punk rocker look. Henry+blow dryer= poof.

For Bryce's b-day we had a wonderful Italian dinner with his family followed by a fun weekend. Saturday started with a trip to Breckenridge for snowboarding and then the fun continued at one of the Blackhawk casinos! Somehow we managed to gamble for over four hours without losing money despite neither of us being experienced blackjack players. I think my friend Ally had it right when she said, "Don't put anything on the table you aren't willing to lose and stay away from those bloody slot machines!" Wise words.

Another exciting piece of April news is my long-awaited furniture delivery! At the beginning of March I bought a new bed and switched my queen bed to the guest room. To make a very long and aggravating story short, I just was able to get it delivered last week. Luckily, it was worth the wait! It's a big, wooden Pottery Barn bed and I promise to have some pictures up soon.

Wine recommendation of the week: At Bryce's birthday we had a great bottle of red and a wonderful white. In the spirit of summer drinking, I'd recommend the apple-y and sweet white! It was a 2007 Orvieto Classico from Orvieto, Italy. Fruity and delicious Orvietos are easy to find for under $20. If you aren't a white drinker, the 2006 Chianti Classico goes great with rich Italian food, red sauces and chocolate desserts!

To end this update, I'd like to recommend some food for thought. We watched the Michael Moore documentary called Capitalism, A Love Story over the weekend and it is a must-watch for any informed American. Whether you agree with Moore or not (past works include Sicko and Fahrenheit 9/11) it is an eye-opener to an imperfect system where the imbalances in wealth and ownership grow ever-wider. I'd love to hear what you all think of it so feel free to post comments here!

Thinking of you all,

Em

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.

Eastbound and Down

If you're a Danny McBride fan, you've likely seen the show "Eastbound and Down" about a too old, too fat and too untalented former major league baseball star...who is now a middle school gym teacher. Bryce and I kicked back and watched a few episodes this weekend and, lemme tell you, it's pretty funny stuff. Another HBO great.

But not only is Eastbound and Down the name of a show, it is also the direction I will be headed in just under two weeks! Look out North Carolina! Can't wait to see you Rach and thanks for the nod in your last blog post.

This weekend will bring another visitor to my little casita. The Campbells, some of our closest family friends, have a college-age daughter who was accepted to the University of Colorado! Cait will be flying out this Thursday to visit the campus and Boulder to see if it's a good fit for her. Of course, I can't wait to play host again!

I hope all of you had wonderful Valentine's Days and are looking forward to warmer spring weather!

Much love, much laughter and much fun to all of you.

Has it been so long?

Hello blogger ladies!

Has it been a month for me? Apologies are in order! Things have been busy, but not busy enough to neglect my cyber gals.

First and foremost, I must mention my new beau who is likely reading this after discovering my blog during an early-relationship google session. Hi Bryce! Thanks for reading!

The biggest news here is our trip to North Carolina in March to visit Princess Alice! Woohoo! Can't wait! The only downside is that it will be a quick trip but, as they say, short and sweet. Besides the fun post-Valentine's Day trip, the only other news is Henry's latest escapade...

I think he is having a problem adjusting to not receiving 100% of my time and attention and his solution to that problem was to eat a good portion of my leather chair. Henry, as you all know, has not be a destructive dog and right on his 10 month birthday, he spent the day tearing up the foam and leather on the foot part of my recliner.

While he was in big trouble, life goes on.

What's new with all of you? Is it Spring yet where you all are? Any Spring Break plans?

Lots of love from Boulder.

The Year of BRRRRRRRRR

Has anyone else noticed how cold it is? All my Kansas friends are freezing right now with more snow and lower temperatures than Kansas has seen in a long time. After my wonderful New Years visit to OP, it was the first time I have ever seen my car thermometer RISE when traveling West on I-70!

Gosh, it's great to be back in the swing of things after the holidays. I think living in Boulder is turning me into a homebody- I never want to leave and I can't wait to get back. However, absolute highlight of the holiday season was my trip to Overland Park. Thanks again to Megan, Chris and Scout for their wonderful hospitality! Henry and I miss you guys! And of course, it was wonderful to spend so much time with my east coast buddy as well. It was good to see in person that Rach survived the first semester of law school!

2010 is already brining new challenges in my job. Things are picking up and I can't wait for the increased responsibility. I also received an iPhone from work the other day. And, while I am a HUGE fan of the phone, it is going to be hard to acclimate to being "connected" 24/7.

Henry is already back in his Boulder groove. He seems to have claimed my leather chair for his "lookout post." Everyday when I get home from work, I catch him perched up there keeping an eye on the birds.

Cheers to 2010! May it bring you all great happiness, great success and lots of FUN! Stay warm.