The Colorado Hammons

Be Still My Beating Heart

2011-07-25T07:05:00.003-06:00

Yes, folks, the moment I've been waiting for (for a long, long, LONG time) is finally here. As of July 27, Colorado will have its very own IKEA. Someone pinch me, I know I must be dreaming! Do you even know how many hours I've spent looking on their website, poring over their paper catalog, even driving out of state to visit? Most of you don't know, but trust me, it's more than is healthy.

It will be located in Lone Tree (or Centennial, depending on who you ask), a suburb at the very southern end of Denver, which also happens to house one of my favorite malls in Denver. And it's only 45 minutes away! I could even drive up after work if I had the sudden ~~need~~ urge to!

Turns out, it will be the second largest IKEA in the country; Chicago has the largest. And, it will be the first one in the US to utilize geothermal heating and cooling and one of only six stores to use solar energy.

People can begin camping at the entrance today (maybe I thought about doing it, maybe I didn't). Our 12th anniversary is the day after the grand opening, so I decided it was probably better to take off for that instead. :-) But you can be sure I'll be up there the weekend after! I don't care how long a line I have to stand in, I'll be happy just to be breathing the Swedish-tinged air.

Sidewalk Re-do

2011-07-25T07:00:00.001-06:00

BEFORE...

The area that leads from the front of the house to the driveway has always been a little boring, so we decided to get a little crafty and do something about it. We got a killer deal on some slate tiles, but they weren't the same size as the original pavers so we had to figure out what to do with the spaces in between. Enter $3 worth of river rock from a landscaping supply company (which I dug out of the huge rock pile w/ my bare hands, to find the flattest and most colorful ones). A little Thin-Set to hold everything together, and voila! Not too bad for a day's work w/ only a partial plan in place. Even the neighbors came over to check it out once we were done.

DURING...

...AND AFTER!

Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution

2010-04-09T09:12:00.006-06:00

Everyone knows what school lunches are typically like. Lots of processed and fried foods that of course kids enjoy but that aren't doing anything for them. Here's what Jamie Oliver says on his website about the need for a Food Revolution:

"I believe that every child in America has the right to fresh, nutritious school meals, and that every family deserves real, honest, wholesome food. Too many people are being affected by what they eat. It's time for a national revolution. America needs to stand up for better food!

You live in an amazing country full of inspirational people and you have the power to change things. With your help, we can get better food into homes, schools and communities all over America and give your kids a better future. Sign the petition to save America's cooking skills and improve school food. It could be the most important thing you ever do for your family. America's health needs you now!"

Click here to read more about Jamie's Food Revolution. And please sign the petition to help him get enough votes to make President Obama, other politicians and the food industry see that this is an important issue to all of us.

First Lady Michelle Obama is already leading a fight of her own to improve food for America's children, including having a White House garden planted on the grounds (the first one since Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady during World War II!). Watch the video to see more.

Even though I don't have children of my own, I can't help but see the necessity of changes like these. As much as I love to cook, I know it's possible for us to make nutritious and tasty food for ourselves and our families, and even if you don't like to cook, it's important that our next generations have the tools and means to live healthy lifestyles.

Rodrigo y Gabriela

2009-10-13T14:55:00.007-06:00

If you haven't heard of this guitar duo by now, you don't know what you're missing. Just watch and listen to this amazing performance to get a taste and then go buy it on iTunes. Do it! I promise you won't be sorry.

Beauty Can Be Anywhere

2009-07-31T15:51:00.001-06:00

I almost always take my camera with me, because you never know when you'll come across something beautiful or interesting or memorable in some way. These are flowers that are blooming right now at Roxy's favorite dog park.

A Lovely Breakfast

2009-07-31T12:52:00.001-06:00

I found a wonderful recipe by Curtis Stone for Blueberry Compote and decided it would the perfect accompaniment to fresh peaches from the farmer's market and strawberries from the grocery store. The sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and mint from the Compote gave just enough sweetness to the other fruit, and the juice that resulted from the short cooking time was a beautiful, deep purple-blue. (The Compote is supposed to be put over the pancake recipe that it's part of, but I haven't tried the pancakes yet. They sound just as delicious!) I was thrilled with the result; I'm not sure Steven was as crazy about it as I was but he said he liked it. :-) I think this would also be excellent over ice cream, especially a really good vanilla or honey ice cream. Peach season is just starting in western Colorado and we plan on making a trip out there later this month to get a box or two. Then I'll really have to get creative to make sure and use them or put them up before they all go bad! Any recipes or preserving methods you would recommend?

Mountain Getaway

2009-07-29T15:05:00.001-06:00

We celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary a little early by taking a trip to several areas in southwestern Colorado. Some of them were places we'd each been to before, but never together and not for a long time. Plus there was lots of 4-wheel driving available, with plenty of scenery (I took hundreds of photos!) and great camping spots. We got a late start on the first day so we found a camping spot in the Gateview area just outside Gunnison, about 3 1/2 hours west of Colorado Springs.

The next day we drove through Lake City (stopping to take advantage of the Wi-Fi so we could check the day's Tour de France results) on our way to the American Basin and over Cinnamon Pass (12,640 feet), part of the Alpine Loop Scenic Byway. Camp Redcloud, about 5 miles past Lake City, is where I lived and worked for almost a year when I first moved to Colorado after (finally!) graduating college in 1997. Although my personality and way of thinking have changed a lot since I worked there, I'm so grateful that this was my first exposure to Colorado and that I had so many amazing outdoor experiences there.

The American Basin is one of the most beautiful spots on earth, especially in late summer when thousands of flowers are in bloom everywhere you look. The extra rain we've had this summer was certainly in evidence, not only in the abundance of flowers, but also in how green everything was. Sometimes there were so many greens so far up the mountainside, it looked like a soft, verdant blanket had been tossed over it. If you feel like tackling one of Colorado's many 14ers (mountains over 14,000 feet), you can hike up to Handies Peak on the trail leading through the Basin. We didn't have a lot of time so we stayed in the lower area with all the flowers. Cinnamon Pass ended near the town of Silverton, which I'd heard a lot about but was a little disappointed in. I'd love to go back sometime, though, to ride the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.

At our second campsite (probably the prettiest site we had on this trip) we met a couple named Bob and Shirley, both in their 70's, who had driven many of the 4WD passes in Colorado over the years. Steven had a great time talking with Bob and poring over the maps they had both brought. Bob's maps were over 25 years old. Shirley said she had never been scared while going over the passes, which helped relieve my mind (a little bit), since I'm very afraid of heights and kept imagining us tumbling over the edge.

The main 4WD pass that Steven wanted to do was Black Bear Pass (12, 840 feet). It's listed as "extreme" and "difficult" on most websites and maps, and while I have great confidence in Steven's driving skills, I was still hugely nervous about being along for the ride. The most difficult areas were The Steps and The Switchbacks; several of the switchbacks required 3- or 4-point turns, which involved much stopping and backing up and inching forward until we were safely around. The upper portion of the pass is one way only, for good reason--many times the road was literally the width of the truck. Thankfully I had my camera and the beautiful scenery (and Roxy in the back of the cab) to help keep me distracted, or I looked away from the exceptionally high drop-off we were driving next to, usually on my side of course.

In the end we made it with no mishaps and I would definitely say it was worth it. Steven is ready to go back and do it again but I might have to wait a little longer. The spectacular Bridal Veil Falls is about halfway down, past the most hairy switchbacks, and it was nice to get out and take a little break from gripping the "oh s**t" handle for so long. It's the highest free-falling waterfall in Colorado, with the former power plant for the town of Telluride nestled at its top.

The pass takes you into the town of Telluride, where we walked around for about an hour. No sightings of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes or Oprah Winfrey, but we did see many amazing old buildings and had some yummy homemade ice cream. Telluride is also a famous ski resort, with some pretty extreme runs and a mountain village set up away from the main town, accessed by a gondola. The gondola also runs in the summer, but we still had Imogene Pass to get over so we didn't ride it.

All along the way on every pass we drove, there were old mines and mining camp remnants. Sometimes they were so remote and precarious, I marveled at the mindset and the circumstances that would have driven people to take their chance at living there. One site near the top of Imogene Pass used to have dozens of buildings and even a public school, but it looked like you were on the moon because it was only rocks and shale as far as you could see, plus it was cold and windy. The mining deposits and runoff still affect the water; streams were cloudy and ponds were a brilliant turquoise/light blue. Apparently any fish you might catch from them are not recommended for eating.

Imogene Pass is the second highest pass in Colorado (13,114 feet) and turned out to be a little trickier than we thought. At the top you get an amazing view of mountains covered in iron ore, giving the mountains a vivid rust color. We made it safely down that pass, too, into the town of Ouray. In the winter, ice climbers converge upon this small town to tackle its many challenging areas. In the summer, the 4WD roads, hot springs, and proximity to other historic mining towns bring tourists from all over. One place we stopped had a "vapor cave", basically an underground sauna of sorts, but in a cave. I think I might feel a little too claustrophobic to stay in it for too long, plus it was really hot in there! I only took a picture of the entrance; I'm not sure how far back you actually go.

Passion. Ambition. Butter.

2009-07-15T11:46:00.005-06:00

I'm so excited to see this movie! I love Amy Adams and Meryl Streep, but I also love the storyline, which is based on a book written by the "Julie" of the title. Here's the publisher's summary:

Julie & Julia, the bestselling memoir that's "irresistible....A kind of Bridget Jones meets The French Chef" (Philadelphia Inquirer), is now a major motion picture. Julie Powell, nearing thirty and trapped in a dead-end secretarial job, resolves to reclaim her life by cooking in the span of a single year, every one of the 524 recipes in Julia Child's legendary Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Her unexpected reward: not just a newfound respect for calves' livers and aspic, but a new life-lived with gusto. The film version is written and directed by Nora Ephron and stars Amy Adams as Julie and Meryl Streep as Julia.

I have to admit, I've never read one of Julia Childs' cookbooks, but I'm thinking after I see this movie I'll be checking one out at the library! Plus any chef who says "you can never have enough butter" is right up my alley. :-) The movie comes out Friday, August 7.

Vive le Tour!

2009-07-04T14:38:00.004-06:00

And Happy 4th of July! The Tour de France started today with an individual time trial in the beautiful seaside principality of Monaco. This is the event we look forward to all year long and it's finally underway! Lance Armstrong came out of retirement and is racing again this year on a very strong team. For anyone unfamiliar with "the Tour", it is basically a race around the country of France, sometimes crossing borders with neighboring countries like Spain, Italy and Belgium. Each year's route is different but it always ends on the spectacular Champs-Elysees in Paris. Heinous mountain climbs, fast flat sprint stages and tense time trials (both individual and team this year) all combine to make up this amazing event which takes 3 weeks(!) to complete. It's considered by many to be the hardest sporting event in the world; Lance Armstrong holds the record for the most wins, winning it 7 times in a row from 1999-2005. You have to be a very capable, strong and adaptable cyclist to even finish the Tour, much less win it! This year has many strong riders and teams and it's exciting to see who will prevail and be on the podium in Paris. If you're interested in following it we recommend the sites Versus, Cycling News or VeloNews. On Versus you can read and hear the expert and entertaining commentary of Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen, longtime commentators of the Tour, as well as create a fantasy cycling team. You'll also see amazing photos of the beautiful and historic countryside and cities that the route follows.

This month is my and Steven's 10th anniversary and last year we had decided that as a present to ourselves we would finally go to Europe and watch some stages of the Tour. Unfortunately that plan had to be postponed once we got the bad news of my layoff this past December. But we get to watch it this year in High Definition on Versus and we'll definitely be going to see it in person, hopefully in the next few years!

Three Hits and a Miss

2009-07-03T18:56:00.000-06:00

The Hits:

Herb Butter--This is so easy to do and now that I have an abundant amount of herbs in the garden I finally tried it for myself. I made one batch with a mix of oregano, lemon thyme and parsley; one with just rosemary and one with sweet basil and lemon basil.

Southern-style Greens with Bacon--Being raised in the South it's a given that at some point you're going to eat greens cooked with bacon. Sometimes these can be tender and delicious but sometimes the results are just a soggy, bitter, tasteless mess. This recipe is definitely in the tender and delicious category. I used turnip greens which I got at the farmer's market earlier in the week (so glad to have it back again!) and left just a little bit of the stems on for added texture and crunch, plus I'm told that's where all the vitamins are. They were very fragrant and sweet when I cut them. I cooked mine for about 45 minutes, a little longer than the recipe time, since I wanted to make sure they were as tender as possible. I'm hoping to find some mustard greens to try next time. I loved the results with the turnip greens and Steven was brave enough to try them, although he didn't rave about them as much as me. :-)

Rosemary Peasant Bread--Finally, a recipe that was created for those at high altitude! (Low altitude instructions are given at the end of the recipe.) This was by far my proudest moment in the kitchen. I conquered my fear of making bread with this incredibly easy recipe and got spectacular results! The inside is fluffy and the outside is chewy--mmm, mmm, good. This will be wonderful with my herb butters; I also love dipping into a mix of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and minced garlic. This bread is a new staple in the Colorado Hammons household! (I'm not going to lie to you, last night Steven and I ate most of one loaf.) I'm going to try different herbs and maybe even just plain with no herbs. Today I toasted a piece and then topped it with goat cheese, sliced roasted red peppers, basil and a little fresh cracked black pepper. Divine.

The Miss:

Chocolate Cinnamon Bread--This sounded so promising and the batter tasted fabulous, but the end result didn't look so great. The bread still tasted good, although less cinnamon-y than the batter. Maybe it's because I'm at high altitude? Try it for yourself and let me know how it turned out for you.

Before and After

2009-07-03T17:03:00.001-06:00

When I was younger I always wanted a house with a red door, so when we bought this house and put the screen door on I "painted" it red (applying red paint with a rag and then wiping it off to allow a little of the grain to show through). But tastes change over the years and the red door didn't really match the new paint job we got on the house a few years ago. So I finally got ambitious, took advantage of my current free time and decided to refinish it! Thank goodness for power sanders; I would have lost the motivation to finish this project very quickly if I'd had to sand it by hand. An orbital sander did most of the work and a little corner sander got the narrow areas. It didn't cost anything except time and labor because we have the tools and we had some stain and polyurethane left from a different project a long time ago. You can still see a little bit of red in some of the corners but I think the results are fabulous and it looks much better with the current colors of the house. What do you think?

Great Sand Dunes National Monument

2009-06-18T10:13:00.000-06:00

Recently we were able to take a quick weekend getaway to a place we've wanted to visit for a long time, the Great Sand Dunes National Monument. It's amazing to think there is a whole field of dunes in the mountainous state of Colorado so we had to check it out for ourselves! We drove down on Saturday and decided to take the 4-wheel-drive road over Medano Pass and spend the night at the top. Steven was able to get a fun 4WD fix and we had a fantastic camping spot that night with breathtaking views. No sight of the dunes yet but worth the drive on its own. Steven rigged up a great tarp system over the truck bed so we were able to sleep in the back of the truck and be protected from the thunderstorms that came through several times during the night. There were signs everywhere warning about bear encounters so we were a little skittish about being so far out in the wilderness; it didn't help that we heard a suspicious, wild animal sound in the dark that freaked us out for a while. Eventually, though, we calmed down and enjoyed a good night's sleep listening to the rain. :)

Sunday we woke up early to beautiful, sunny weather and happily, unmolested by any bears. Roxy was thrilled to have so much open space to run around off the leash. Steven was able to use his new favorite toy, the Jetboil, to make us coffee (we also used it the night before to heat up our soup). We first learned of this amazing product when we were camping with our two friends during the Kokopelli Bike Trip and knew we had to get one for ourselves. It makes heating water the easiest and fastest thing on the planet, and it's very compact.

When we started driving down the other side of the Pass, we found out there was a huge mudhole that a big Ford truck had gotten stuck in the night before (we heard from another camper that the truck owner had to pay $900 to have his truck towed out of the hole--ouch!). So we had to figure out if we could get around it or if we'd have to drive back the other way and take the main road to the dunes. Thankfully Steven is a very confident and able driver and easily made his way around the hole. Further down, Roxy decided she wanted to ride in the truck bed and found a new vantage point, looking over the top of the cab. Super cute! After many creek crossings, some as high as the top of the tires, we suddenly came out onto a sandy road. It felt like we had suddenly landed on a beach road somewhere, and around the next bend was our first glimpse of a huge sand dune. It was so surreal to have been on a mountaintop, surrounded by many more mountains, and then all of a sudden be looking at an enormous dune. As we got further along, you could see that the dunes are surrounded on 3 sides by huge mountain ranges. It's amazing to think of how and when these dunes were formed and I have to wonder why it hasn't happened in any other areas in the state, or in any other mountainous states?

Steven wanted to climb one of the dunes but I wasn't sure I'd make it the whole way. So we parked the truck and all of us made it to a point about halfway up, then Steven continued over the top while I took Roxy and went back down. The sand was starting to get really hot and Roxy was glad to get down to the stream that runs along the edge of the dunes. Even just getting to the point that I did, you could see sand for a long ways, and Steven got some great photos of endless dunes seen from the top. Because of the rain the night before there were some hardpacked areas of sand that were easier to walk on, but for the most part it was as difficult to get up there as you would think. It was worth it, though, to say we had climbed up one of the dunes (at least part of the way, in my case). There was a wonderful dead tree in the field below the dune we climbed; up against the blue sky and white clouds it just looked magnificent.

At the bottom of the dunes is a wide, flat area almost like a beach, where water flows from under the dunes. It's very warm and moves pretty quickly, even producing some small waves; one person told us it's called "antidunes". Roxy had so much fun running around chasing other dogs and getting wet all over. The huge expanse of dunes is right in front of you as you're playing in the water, and on all other sides you can see the high mountains full of trees and rocks, just adding to the surreal effect. Beautiful!

Our last stop was at a waterfall Steven had read about. You get a really great view of the entire sand dunes area from the parking lot; it made us realize just how little of them we actually saw from the bottom, or even from the dune that Steven climbed on the edge of the park. The water at the falls was absolutely freezing but you had to climb through it to get to the "real" waterfall. Steven braved the frigid temps and got some pictures so I could see it, too. His feet were red and ice cold when he got down! Just as we were coming back to the truck it started to rain. I'm so glad we got to see and do all that we did and have nice weather when it counted!

A Rainy Day in May

2009-05-25T19:42:00.001-06:00

The recent abundance of rain has done wonders for the garden. I've gone a little crazy taking all kinds of pictures so I had to share some here. A few days ago we went to Home Depot in the rain (have I mentioned the rain is always cold here, even in the summer?) and hit the jackpot, finally finding a rosemary plant--the most elusive herb so far this year--as well as some Lena Broom, a bush that I've been seeking for several years now for its beautiful red and yellow flowers against a brilliant green stem. I was so excited when Steven spotted them; we ended up getting three and I hope, hope, hope they all survive the winter. Steven also got the other side of the brick walkway done and some stepping stones in front of the raised bed. I've gotten some onions, arugula and mesclun added and everything is looking great!

Bicycles in Amsterdam

2009-05-25T19:15:00.001-06:00

This web page was a hoot! The author was in Amsterdam for a vacation and sat for just over an hour taking photos in a particular square. In that span of time he took 82(!) different photos of locals riding bikes. You'd never find that here in the States. If you don't have a lot of time just have a quick look through the pictures and try not to feel too embarrassed that we Americans drive everywhere for everything. Now I'm even more inspired to dust off my cruiser, pump up the tires and go on an errand somewhere. I put one of my favorite images above, of the woman in high heels toting her boyfriend on the rear rack (ouch! but apparently quite common). I don't know how comfortable I'd be riding without a helmet, as all Amsterdam-ers seem to do, but in a more bike-friendly city it's probably not really a big deal. Reading through some of the comments at the bottom, it sounds like the huge cargo/child carrier "buckets" are a fairly new phenomenon and are actually being reviewed for safety. Of course, there does have to be a flaw in the perfect bike city of Amsterdam. Apparently bike theft is extremely common (one comment called it "the second national sport") and most of the bikes you see have huge, heavy bike chain locks and sometimes even more than one lock, plus they're usually modified so as to make them more easily recognizable if it does get stolen. Sad.

Chic Cyclist

2009-05-25T19:00:00.001-06:00

I found this blog in the wee hours of the morning when I couldn't sleep (very rare for me). I love her message that riding a bike should be a beautiful and practical experience. As she says: "This blog is intended to promote elegant transportation cycling, to complement all the blogs for cycling as a sport. I do like lycra but only for athletics. Day to day we want to look pretty!"

Lemon-Sage Roasted Chicken

2009-05-18T13:14:00.004-06:00

I tried this recipe the other night; it's found in the "Two Dudes, One Pan" cookbook mentioned previously in my Kitchen Essentials post. It turned out so well that Steven took a picture to show that it looked exactly like the photo in the cookbook! :-) The meat was really tender and juicy and the skin browned nicely thanks to the rubbing with olive oil. I didn't have any thyme in the garden yet so I substituted oregano and I also smash the garlic cloves a little to make sure they release as much flavor as possible. I don't have an official roasting pan so I used a glass 13x9 pan on a cookie sheet to help the heat distribute evenly. I served the chicken and onions with creamy parmesan orzotto (orzo pasta prepared like risotto) and steamed sugar snap peas. Mmmm, mmmm good! Here's a link to a good review and article about the cookbook from the Tucson Citizen; it also includes another FABULOUS recipe that I've made, the Cuban Roast Pork. I made it in our CrockPot--another great reason for its honorable mention since it didn't make it onto the Kitchen Essentials list!

Lemon-Sage Roasted Chicken

1 2 1/2- to 3-pound chicken
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 fresh sage sprig plus 6 fresh sage leaves
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
2 yellow onions, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rings, PLUS 1 yellow onion, quartered
3 fresh tyhme sprigs
1 lemon, halved
5 garlic cloves

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.

Place the chicken on your cutting board. Slip your fingers under the skin of the breast and gently work them down the breast to create a pocket. Insert 1 1/2 Tablespoons of the butter and 3 sage leaves into each breast pocket. Rub the chicken with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and then salt the cavity and the entire surface of the chicken.

Toss the sliced onions with the remaining 2 Tablespoons of oil in a roasting pan and then evenly spread them over the bottom of the pan. Stuff the chicken with the thyme sprigs, the sage sprig, the quartered onion and whole garlic cloves and plug with the lemon halves. Tuck the wings under the breasts and set the chicken on top of the sliced onions.

Place the pan in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 425 degrees F and roast the chicken until browned and the juices at the leg-thigh joint run clear, 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes (a digital thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh should read between 160 and 165 degrees F). Remove the chicken fom the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Tent the chicken loosely with aluminum foil and let the chicken rest for 5 minutes, then remove the stuffing from the cavit and disccard everything but the lemon. Squeeze the lemon halves over the chicken, then carve and serve.

Tip: After taking the chicken out of the oven, place it on your cutting board breast side down so some of the juices collect in the breast, yielding nice moist white meat.

Serves 4.

Raised Garden Bed

2009-05-18T12:45:00.003-06:00

We've completed another yard project! I found this tutorial on The Pioneer Woman blog and got inspired to do something similar in our yard. Steven was a great husband and did all the cutting and assembly and the rest was up to me. He built in about an hour. I had to buy some fill dirt at our local landscaping supply place, then I added a little bit of peat moss and a little bit of compost from our bin, then mixed it all together with a shovel. Some Gorilla Hair mulch on top and I was ready for plants! So far we have onions (my first time trying them out; here's hoping it goes well), lemongrass, lemon basil, sweet basil, cilantro and Bee Balm. There's more space available so I just have to decide what else should go in. I really want to do Arugula and some lettuces, we'll just have to see if I can find any. Maybe some zucchini or squash of some kind. I'm going to add a couple more grasses or flowers in front of the planter and we're putting a brick walkway of sorts on either side so I can get to what's in the middle. The rest of the garden got some new tomato plants, parsley, lots of tall decorative grasses, dianthus (carnations/pinks) and columbine from our local Horticultural Art Society's annual plant sale. And we were able to get rid of some plants we didn't want via the wonderful Craigslist.

Homemade Chicken Stock

2009-05-18T10:16:00.000-06:00

My CrockPot/slow cooker didn't make it onto my list of Kitchen Essentials, but now that I've learned of this method for making my own chicken stock, it at least deserves an honorable mention. It's something you can do overnight if you don't have lots of time during the day. You can even use wilted carrots and celery, which I also learned you can store in the freezer (along with your chicken carcass) until you need them. I've made two batches so far, and each one has yielded about 8 cups. Several comments had suggested adding onion skins for a little deeper color and flavor; I've done that with both batches and it tastes great. I also added a teaspoon of salt, a few peppercorns and about 5 smashed cloves of garlic. So now I'm stocked up (no pun intended) in the freezer for the next time I need chicken broth or stock in a recipe. Too bad it's getting into summertime so I won't be making as much soup as I do in the winter. I froze it in two-cup portions in quart-size freezer bags. Whatever was left I froze in an ice cube tray for those times when you just need a little liquid to deglaze a pan or add some flavor.

Those Ingenious Europeans

2009-05-17T09:43:00.000-06:00

Leave it to the Europeans to be so smart and inventive with all things bicycle. Krissy sent me the link to this wonderful all-in-one handlebar and basket from a design firm in Copenhagen.

Krissy and Travis also lived in Germany for about 2 years and while there they visited the bike mecca of Amsterdam. Just look at all the bikes in this garage! It's bigger than a lot of car parking garages I've seen. I feel so ridiculous and lazy sometimes driving my car for short errands only a mile or two from my house. I've even got a really great cruiser that's fun to ride.

Another great invention from a company in London is this bike rack that also incorporates a planter. I have an extraordinary fondness for things that are functional but beautiful at the same time. They also have a really clever storage option for multiple bikes.

Street Tree Program

2009-05-16T09:34:00.000-06:00

When we got home from Utah we found this little beauty waiting for us! The city of Colorado Springs instituted a street tree program and our neighborhood was one of those chosen for participation. I thought I had missed out on it because our neighbor across the street had already picked his up and planted it himself, but I guess we just got lucky and it was delivered and planted while we were gone. A free tree and free labor; what a bargain! It's a Tartarian Maple so it should have some nice fall color. We had picked a flowering pear tree instead but I guess everyone else had picked the same thing so we got our second choice. I'm so excited to see it grow and change through the seasons.

Kokopelli Trail Bike Trip

2009-05-15T09:07:00.000-06:00

At the end of April, Steven and two friends rode for 4 days and approx. 120 miles on the Kokopelli Trail, from Loma, Colorado to Moab, Utah. Roxy and I came along to drive the "sag wagon" with all of the camping gear, food and water. During the day she and I went on hikes, drove around the various scenic areas, went to the store if necessary and then we met the guys each afternoon at that day's designated campsite. Because I was driving the supplies and equipment we got to have great meals every night and morning--pasta with meat sauce, fettucini with homemade alfredo sauce and chicken, sesame chicken salad with soup and of course, what's a camping trip without burgers and hot dogs (and s'mores for dessert one night)? Another bonus was that 4 of the 5 nights we camped had a toilet nearby (basically a ranger-maintained deluxe outhouse, but it did have toilet paper!) and one night our campground even had a shower! That was one of the most appreciated showers I've ever had.

Our campsite on the first night was the most beautiful place I've ever camped; I couldn't believe it when I drove up to it and it was available! The Colorado River was flowing far below us and there was a train track that ran along side it in the canyon. All night there were freight and Amtrak trains going by, but they provided a soothing sound since they were so far down. Plus it rained that night; what a wonderful thing to fall asleep to. Roxy was in heaven because she got to roam around off the leash and explore much as she wanted. I got really nervous when she would get close to the ledge but I think she was just doing it to torment me. That day also had some unexpected heavy duty 4-wheel driving; I learned later that there was an easier route available, but it was worth it to say I got to really go off-road.

One of the trails Roxy and I hiked was the Trail Through Time, where many different dinosaur fossils have been found. Paleontologists still quarry for fossils during the summer months. Right near the trail was a dinosaur vertebrae fossil. It felt completely plausible that dinosaurs roamed there so long ago; I felt like I could look around the corner and see one at any moment.

Our third night of camping was another incredible location. We were lucky enough to camp by a river or a stream every night. The sound of water is absolutely my favorite sound.

Another day Roxy and I hiked in an area called Yellowjacket Canyon. The walls of rock were massive and had all kinds of patterns and variations everywhere you looked. The layered rock was really fragile and a few pieces broke off when I stepped on them.

The biggest bike mechanical issue was a couple of flat tires. Not bad! They rode for 3 days in a row, then we all took a break on the 4th day because it was unclear if the road and trail for that day was even open (due to lots of snow received the week before), plus everyone was ready for some rest. The next day I shuttled them up to the top of a mountain near Moab, Utah, and they got to ride a 15-mile downhill section of trail. What a great way to end the trip! Part of the trail they rode was the downhill portion of the Porcupine Rim Trail, which Steven, Travis, Trevor, Jerry and I rode in 2006, but we had to ride all of the uphill section before we even got to the downhill part. Next time we're definitely doing it the shuttle way!

Roxy the Flying Dog

2009-04-21T11:28:00.007-06:00

I've been wanting to capture some of Roxy's impressive leaps and yesterday at the dog park I was lucky enough to finally get some great shots, and a video of her doing the "wild thing" around the creek. It's amazing the height and distance she can get when she's in the mood to run fast and jump around (which is pretty often, but especially so after being cooped up in the house most of last week). She's easily 4 feet or more off the ground! I just love her energy and enthusiasm and enjoyment of life. You can't help but be in a good mood when she's with you.

Spring has Sprung!

2009-04-21T11:28:00.000-06:00

You wouldn't know it from our winter weather last week, but I think our warm temperatures and (mostly) sunny days are here to stay! The tarragon, chives and oregano are poking up in the garden and various other greenery is in evidence around the yard; one plant even has a few flowers on it. The lilac has lots of tiny buds and I can't wait for that fabulous aroma! Even the pesky dandelion looks beautiful to me at this time of year.

This is what we saw last week, on two different days:

Today I have all the windows open, the ceiling fans are on, the sky is a cloudless blue and I'm wearing a cute summer dress I got on sale last fall. What a difference a few days make!

Ah, the Ataulfo Mango

2009-04-20T09:04:00.004-06:00

Sometimes referred to as the Manila Mango or the Champagne Mango. Never before have I been so excited about a fruit! As I said to Steven yesterday, I love the color, the texture, the taste and the smell of this luscious, wonderful fruit. (I don't like the taste of the regular red and green mangoes you normally find.) We've been lucky enough to find them at several stores recently; yesterday we got some at Costco, and they're probably the best we've had so far. If you haven't had the pleasure of sampling this fabulous treat, don't delay any longer. I promise you won't be sorry! And if any of you hate (despise, loathe) bananas like I do, you'll be as happy as I was to learn that these mangoes are high in potassium.

Musical Road by Honda

2009-04-09T12:02:00.005-06:00

Honda recently did an amazing project on a 1/4 mile stretch of California road. Click here to see videos and hear the musical end result! I think this is something that should be done on bridges and overpasses everywhere, so you get the cool effect without getting tired of it.

Help Grow Your Soup

2009-03-25T18:13:00.004-06:00

I stumbled across this exciting opportunity today. You can visit the Campbell's Soup website and have free tomato seeds sent to you for planting! (Hence the "grow your soup" phrase.) Nothing beats fresh tomatoes in the summer time, especially if they come from your own efforts. I've never planted them from seed before, but for free, it's worth a try! And once you have your fresh tomatoes later in the summer, slice them on top of fresh mozzarella, add some fresh sliced basil, some olive oil, salt and ground pepper and you've got a world class dish. Yum! My mouth is already watering.

Pot Rack Inspiration

2009-03-25T10:01:00.005-06:00

I put this in my last email to everyone but I thought I should also put it on the blog. A photo I submitted was used in a post on one of my favorite sites/blogs, The Kitchn, providing "good ideas and visual inspiration" for hanging pot racks. How exciting! See the post here.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

2009-03-23T09:53:00.006-06:00

It's always so much fun when family comes to visit! John and Jamie Egbert and their 4 adorable kids came by this past Saturday and we all went to the zoo, along with a cousin of Jamie's who came down from Denver with her 3 kids. The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is literally on the side of a mountain, so you have an amazing view of the city while you're walking around. I loved the cute meerkats and the pavilion where there were hundreds of small, colorful birds flying around and you could feed them seeds on a stick. The mountain lion liked the look of baby Kole and he came really close to the glass to check him out. Feeding the giraffes is always fun, too, but I wasn't able to get any good pictures to show their black tongues. There was a baby giraffe in the pen who was just born about a month ago. I'd been wanting to go back to the zoo for a really long time and it was great to be able to go with such a fun group!

Elevated Dog Bowls project

2009-03-05T13:29:00.003-07:00

This is a project I'm so excited to do for Roxy! I've been wanting to get some elevated bowls because it's a better, less stressful position for eating and drinking, but it's so much cooler to be able to make our own. I'll post the finished project as soon as I'm done!

Here's the original post and instructions from Design*Sponge.

Kitchen Essentials

2009-03-01T10:56:00.009-07:00

After seeing several lists like this on some of my favorite websites, I wanted to have a go at creating my own list. It turns out I have more than 10 items (the standard length for most of the lists I've seen), so I'm dividing mine into the Top Tier Ten and Second Tier Ten. Top Tier are things I use most often, sometimes multiple times a day; Second Tier are slightly less "essential" but still used regularly and things I wouldn't want to be without. Each item has a link so you can see what it looks like; in most cases it will be the exact item, or as close to it as I could find. I'd love to see what your own Kitchen Essentials are, so please let me know about them via a comment on this post, or a post on your own blog, or an email. It would be a shame to be missing out on something wonderful for my kitchen!

TOP TIER TEN

7" Santoku knife (or a chef's knife)--I prefer the Santoku knife because of the slight curve to the blade, allowing for (in my opinion) easier chopping of herbs, vegetables, etc. since I can "rock" the blade back and forth while chopping. On both the Santoku and chef's knives, the blade is wide enough to be able to transfer your ingredients from the cutting board to the pan. Supposedly the kullens (little indentations along the blade edge) are there to keep food from sticking to the blade, but I've never found this to be the case. All food sticks equally for me, but maybe a pro could tell a difference. Steven did a lot of research and he found the Calphalon Contemporary series to be a good choice, because it's less expensive than a lot of other brands out there, but equally well made and balanced.

Bamboo cutting board--The grain on my bamboo board appears tighter than my previous wooden cutting board and I feel that it makes it easier to clean and shows less cuts from the knife. I wish my countertop was big enough to just have the board sitting out all the time. It also serves as a good resting place for hot things coming out of the oven. I love the two-tone coloring on this board, too. There's no reason something functional can't be beautiful too!

Honing steel--I was lucky enough to get my Wusthof honing steel for $20 at Williams-Sonoma because the handle was a color that was not selling well (kind of a cream/off-white color). The steel part is what's important to me, not the color of the handle, so I was very happy to get the good deal! This has saved and enhanced the blades of all my knives and I don't know what took me so long to buy one. You don't realize the value of a clean, sharp blade until you don't have it and your tomato gets squashed instead of sliced.

Wooden spoon--(Don't know that I really needed a link for this, but since everything else has one, I guess this one should too!) All of my wooden spoons have handles of different lengths, but I'd probably have to pick the longest handle if I could only choose one. That way no matter what your pot or pan size, you'll be able to stir your goodies. Lately I've found some beautiful olivewood spoons that I would love to get, but I can't really justify it yet since my old ones show no signs of wearing out any time soon! Although there is one of my short-handled spoons that is becoming almost see-through; hmmm.

12" saute pan (with a lid)--Another thing that we've researched to find good quality at a lower price. The one I currently have is a non-stick version by Tramontina; several of their pans have passed the rigorous testing of the Cook's Illustrated folks, who are extremely thorough in their testing processes so I trust the results they post.

Rosle ladle with off-set hook handle--I use this for everything: soups, gravies, spaghetti sauce, pancake batter, anything that needs dipping. It's amazing the difference the angle of the handle can make! Steven gets tired of washing it because I use it so often.

Good cookbooks, websites and other recipe sources--I'm not good at creating a recipe entirely from scratch, so a great starting recipe is absolutely essential. I always make the recipe exactly as it is printed the first time, and then tweak it from there to fit our personal tastes (or to fit what I have on hand in the pantry, refrigerator and freezer). Over the past few years I've begun accumulating a healthy collection of cookbooks that I really enjoy and if I'm contemplating a new one, I usually try to check it out of the library first to make sure it has enough good recipes in it to make it worth buying. Ebay and yard sales are great sources for used cookbooks in good to excellent condition, and since it will probably get dirty the first time I use it, I don't care if it's brand new when I buy it. So far my favorites are: Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentiis; The Food You Want to Eat by Ted Allen; Two Dudes, One Pan by Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo. I also rely on different websites for inspiration: Real Simple, Food Network, Cook's Illustrated and Chocolate & Zucchini are just a few. Friends and family are another exceptional source; many of our favorite recipes have come from them! And there are always those recipes you grew up with that you get from your mom or grandmom or whoever did the cooking in the house. Sometimes the writing on the card or paper has gotten so faded that I have to fill in the words again. That's the sign of some good eats!

Narrow silicone spatula/scraper--Somewhere Steven found me a set of these with a stainless steel handle and a hole in the handle for hanging them from a hook, but I've never seen them in a store. I use this spatula so often, it's another thing Steven hates washing because it's in the dirty dishes all the time. Even if I have a large jar, can, bowl, whatever, it's still the one I go for because it just works the best.

Measuring cups and spoons--I've got a variety of measuring cups that I've had for so long I don't know if they're even made anymore. One newer kind I've come to love is a smaller glass one that shows tablespoons, teaspoons and ounces. It kind of looks like a tall shotglass but the sides are straight, it doesn't taper down at the bottom. Of course, the Pyrex ovenproof glass measuring cups with a spout are reached for often, too, especially for making scrambled eggs or salad dressing. The narrow measuring spoons I have are perfect for fitting into smaller size containers.

Tongs--In all of the restaurants I've worked in, tongs are like an extension of the chef's arm. They use them for everything, including grabbing hot bowls and pans, as well as for cooking. I'm not quite so confident with my tong-usage abilities as to be able to pick up hot bowls with them, but I use them all the time for cooking. I like the ones that can lock shut for storage in my utensil canister, but are opened easily for quick use.

SECOND TIER TEN

Dutch Oven--I resisted buying one of these for a long time, but it has quickly become a very important item in my kitchen. It's so satisfying to see hot soup simmering in it on a cold day!

Kuhn Rikon Swiss Peeler--This little guy is the perfect size and the blades seem to stay sharp forever. I wouldn't trade it for any other peeler.

Microplane tools--Technically this is two items, but I'm lumping them together because they're made by the same company and one is basically a bigger version of the other. The zester was my first Microplane tool, and I use it all the time for grating fresh parmesan cheese and lemon/lime zest. The box grater was a recent purchase, and one I'd been lusting after for a long time. I'm glad I waited because they've made a few improvements over the original version, including a cover to keep your hands safe when it's being stored. These puppies are crazy sharp!

Paring knife--It may surprise some people to see this in my Second Tier list, but based on the criteria of using something multiple times a day, this one doesn't get used as often as my Santoku knife, hence the "lower" placement. However, I do love this one for handheld jobs that require a little more precision.

Skimmer--Extremely useful for transferring ingredients into and out of a pot of hot water.

Cuisinart Food Processor--I've recently found myself using this more often; I know some people would consider this an essential but I haven't gotten to that point just yet. One thing that has made me more apt to use it on a regular basis is the flat lid/cover that I had to buy separately. Trying to clean the original lid with the crazy feeding tube that comes with it was always such a daunting task that I never wanted to bother with it (remember, we don't have a dishwasher!). Having the flat lid has made a world of difference; the only thing I wish is that the top hole was a little off center so when you're pouring something in it doesn't go straight down onto the blade's plastic center, it would go into the food instead. (It looks like my link shows that the processor now comes with both lids/covers; good news for all those cooks out there.)

Kuhn Rikon Epicurean garlic press--Another item that passed the test for the Cook's Illustrated panel of experts. Ok, so I don't need this since I have the Santoku knife that would work perfectly well for chopping garlic, but I hate how sticky my fingers get when I use the knife, plus this garlic press creates uniformly sized minced pieces of garlic that are almost impossible to achieve with a knife.

Safe Cut Can Opener--I'll be honest, I use a lot of canned foods, probably tomatoes most of all, and different kinds of beans. This opener leaves no sharp edge on either the can or the lid and has lasted for many years.

Electric Peppermill with light--Technically this fits the criteria of a Top Tier item, since it's used multiple times a day, but oh well, I ran out of room in the Top Tier list so it's in this one instead. The light is much more useful than I anticipated when I first bought this peppermill, it's very easy to refill, and the batteries last a long time.

Whisk--I have two different kinds: a metal one with a wooden handle and a silicone one with a stainless steel handle. The silicone one is great for use on a non-stick pan.

Barr Trail

2009-03-01T10:00:00.006-07:00

Earlier this week Roxy and I went for a hike up (part of) Barr Trail, the long trail that goes up to the top of Pike's Peak. It was so nice to have temperatures in the low 60s in February! I hadn't been on that trail for several years and for some reason had forgotten how much uphill there was (dumb, I know; it's going up the side of a mountain!). Anyway, I was grateful for the switchbacks that allow it to not be straight uphill, and of course Roxy had no problem. She ran up and down the trail the whole time I was hiking, and she's also learned to drink out of a water bottle and Camelbak tube so she can stay hydrated. I'm so proud. :-) The views of the city and Garden of the Gods park are spectacular. Thankfully we didn't run into any bears, as the sign at the trailhead so ominously warns of.

Entertaining TV for any Food Lover

2009-02-08T18:56:00.006-07:00

I just have to share this show/website with you! It's a Scandinavian cooking show called Perfect Day, that I've seen a few times now on my local PBS station and it's just a hoot--and has some great recipes also. Each episode has a different chef who hosts the show (Tina Nordstrom is pictured above); they travel to various interesting places around their country and then they cook the recipes for that episode right there at the different sites! So far I've seen recipes made on a glacier, on a boat in the sea during a rainstorm, in a meadow and more. I've never seen an American show like it and it's a refreshing change from the studio-created kitchens that you see on American TV. It makes you feel like you could have a tiny kitchen (or no kitchen at all) and create a feast, complete with appetizers, dessert, drinks and all. The recipes on the website are sometimes hard to follow, and sometimes it's obvious that the translation is a little off. I haven't made any of the recipes yet but I've printed off a few and I can't wait to try them (like this one and this one). If you find it on a TV station near you, it's definitely worth watching sometime. I guarantee you'll be entertained! :-)

Kreativ Blogger Award

2009-02-02T10:42:00.003-07:00

My friend Christina was sweet enough to nominate me for a "Kreativ Blogger Award" (which I clearly don't deserve due to my recent lack of posting, but I am thankful just the same!) :-) I'm supposed to list 7 things I love and then nominate others for their own award. Here's my list:

1. My husband--He's handsome, kind, thoughtful, generous and regularly lets me try new recipes on him.

2. My dog, Roxy--she's the 3rd boxer I've owned and I can't think of a better (or cuter) breed of dog. She's still got a few puppy habits that I won't miss when she finally grows out of them, but I wouldn't trade her for anything!

3. My garden--Nothing beats picking fresh herbs from your own front yard (or back yard, or wherever you have your garden). It's so nice to look at a recipe and know that when I go to the grocery store I don't have to buy any herbs because I have them already! I'm hoping to add more tomatoes and some other edibles to the yard this year, too.

4. Cooking--You should see the pile of new recipes I have printed from various websites or copied from magazines and cookbooks. Plus the cookbooks I own that still have undiscovered treasures in them. It's so rewarding to follow a recipe, and maybe enhance or change it to suit your likes and dislikes, and have a terrific meal at the end of the process. I have to admit I am a messy cook, though, and I really hate to clean up. Steven is very good about doing the dishes and cleanup for me, after we enjoy the fruits of my labor. And one day we'll have a dishwasher, so even that work will be reduced!

5. Reading--The very first thing I did when I moved here was to get a library card. My mom always took us to the library when we were kids and I'm so grateful that she started us early with that habit. It's such a wonderful resource that many people overlook. We have several libraries in town with beautiful views of Pike's Peak, so sometimes after a hard day at work (which will happen again, I know it!) I'll go to the library and settle in one of the chairs by the huge windows and forget the world for a while. My Shelfari list (at left) shows a sampling of books I've read, and I'm always interested in getting suggestions!

6. Warm, Sunny Days--I so appreciate the lack of humidity and the moderate temperatures here in Colorado Springs. Winter still feels a little too long for me, but the Spring, Summer and Fall seasons more than make up for it. I can already see the days getting longer and it makes me so happy to think that Spring officially starts next month already!

7. Feeling Happy, Healthy & Confident--With my new free time I've started going to different exercise classes 5 times a week, in addition to taking Roxy on hikes at the dog park or in beautiful Palmer Park in the center of town. Even though I don't particularly like exercising I do love the results of consistent hard work and I want my body to last as long as possible, and hopefully age gracefully, too. There's still so much life to be lived and I want to be around to enjoy it for as long as I can!

And here are my nominees for their own "Kreativ Blogger Award":

Krissy Hammons, Laura Cummard, Amanda Lamb

A Visit to the Fine Arts Center

2009-01-23T20:03:00.009-07:00

I'm all about finding free things to do around town (especially right now), so I was super excited to learn that the 3rd Saturday of every month is a free day at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. They were closed for over a year for major renovations and I hadn't been back to see it since then. It's a great place to see art, of course, but they also have a stage for theater shows and a restaurant that is supposed to be really good. Even with the renovation, they kept the main original Art Deco building, which is just beautiful and makes me wish I lived there, or at least had those design elements in my house.

There was an amazing display of fabrics for the "Designing Women of Postwar Britain: Their Art and the Modern Interior" exhibit. It was inspiring to see the influence these women had on an entire generation! Three women were highlighted: Lucienne Day, Marianne Mahler and Jacqueline Groag. Lucienne Day was married to Robin Day, a furniture designer, so there were a few of his (wonderful) pieces there, too.

There was also some incredible work by Mikel Glass, who recreates common items using wood. They look so authentic that you have to touch it to realize that what you're looking at isn't just a dirty cardboard box. Each piece had a little story behind it, like the $86,000 pizza (I don't remember the story well enough to tell it; it's probably on his website).

In the permanent collections, there was a whole room devoted to Dale Chihuly, the talented glassblower/painter/artist who created the breathtaking ceiling in the Bellagio hotel lobby in Las Vegas. He also created a special collection just for the Fine Arts Center when they hosted an exhibit for him a few years ago. Come to think of it, that's the last time I had been to the Fine Arts Center!

January

2009-01-22T08:47:00.007-07:00

The first two-thirds of January has dragged a bit, but at the same time feels like I can't believe it's almost over!

I did get to go snowboarding two times this month (okay, one day was technically in December but it was Dec. 31 so I'm counting it as January). The first day was at Breckenridge and was not a ton of fun of course, but Steven was really patient with me and sacrificed his time to help me learn how to ride the edges and all that fun stuff. I didn't realize that the muscle group for snowboarding was so different from skiing! It definitely takes some getting used to but the comfort of the boots and the ease of carrying just one piece of equipment more than makes up for everything else. The next visit to the mountains was to Monarch where I actually made several turns in a row by the end of the day. I stayed on the bunny slope most of the day, which helped my confidence a lot and allowed me to not feel so bad about my lack of skills, since most of the others on the hill were doing even worse than I was. I did do two regular runs in the afternoon, though, so I really felt accomplished. Steven was also able to get out and enjoy some really great snow while I was practicing on my own. Monarch is a great place to go snowboarding or skiing and if any of you ever come visit us in the winter time we'll be sure to take you there.

Other than the snowboarding and regular trips to the dog park with Roxy, there really hasn't been a lot happening in this first part of January. We've been enjoying some really nice weather here in town--I'm talking temperatures in the 50s and 60s! Not bad for winter in Colorado. I've mostly been spending my days looking at job postings and updating my resume. I already can't wait for the job hunt to be over, but we have a great Workforce Center here which I fully plan to utilize this time.

Sadly, I don't have any pictures for this post.

December

2009-01-20T06:21:00.011-07:00

December started out wonderfully! On the 3rd, I celebrated my 35th birthday and Steven took me to dinner at my favorite restaurant, The Blue Star. I had a lemon drop martini and the best cheeseburger in the Springs. A little unusual for a birthday dinner, I know, but that was what I was really craving and it totally satisfied. As my birthday gift(s) Steven gave me snowboarding equipment, which I'm trying for the first time this season. I think I'm really going to like it, and I can only hope that I'll be as graceful and smooth on the hill as Steven is.

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On the 9th I got to attend a (free!) lecture by the legendary movie director Spike Lee. He was a very down to earth guy and I greatly enjoyed his talk. Now I just need to watch some more of his movies!

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The next night Steven and I and a few friends got to see a live taping of the radio show etown featuring one of our favorite musical groups, the Flobots. (See their additional websites here and here.) It was so interesting to see the way the show was taped, and to have to redo our applause sometimes so that it can be used for editing. The edited show will air sometime in February; I'm excited to hear it again in its polished format. I'm proud to say the Flobots are from Denver but have become nationally known for their song "Handlebars", which I've seen on VH1 and have heard on the radio many times. They played that song, as well as my favorite one "Rise" (both videos can be seen on their main website) and several more. I love the viola in all of their songs, played by the only girl in the band. Their style of music is unusual and probably not for everyone, but I love it! They're very politically active in the community and it's inspiring to see that at such a young age. I know I wasn't anything like that when I was younger.

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Later that same week, our office received the bad news that the Colorado Springs location was being closed and all of us were being laid off. Some people had to leave that day, but the rest of us stayed until January 23. It's really a bummer, because I had been hoping that this was a job I could enjoy and grow with for years to come. But now it's back to the job hunt along with everyone else who's in the same position. Thankfully Steven's job seems secure and he's been enjoying his new role as the Operations Manager.

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Christmas was a low key day for us. We just did stockings this year, considering the bad news I had received not long before. Roxy had her own stocking and was thrilled to find lots of treats and a new toy to play with! And I finally watched A Christmas Story for the very first time (hard to believe, I know). It was hilarious! I'm definitely adding that to How the Grinch Stole Christmas (either version is fine) as a Christmas tradition from now on. We didn't have a tree this year but I did finally get the decorations up around the house. I was excited to put up some really cool mirrored stars I bought at Cost Plus World Market. They looked great on our stair railing, and I was also able to display the wonderful glass pine cone that Krissy had sent me from Germany a couple of years ago. I love Christmas time!

Thanksgiving in Utah

2009-01-06T06:47:00.006-07:00

Steven's brother Travis was able to come home on an 18-day leave and it happened to include Thanksgiving, so for the second time in a few months we made the trek to St. George. It's feeling shorter every time we go; we've got a regular route now and it can be made in one day if necessary. Having cheap(er) gas again helps a lot, too! We got there at about noon on Thanksgiving day and later that afternoon had a terrific early dinner with most of the family; unfortunately Trevor and Jordan weren't able to make it this year. This time we brought Roxy and she got to play with her new best friend Windsor (she was totally the boss, even though he's twice her size). It was a blast watching them together. :-) On the drive out and back Roxy found a few favorite places to lay in the car once she finally realized that it was going to be a while before she could get out and run around.

We were also able to see Steven's nieces, Mia and Mya, get baptized, as well as celebrate Mia's birthday. It was so great to see the family again, and especially Travis, who we hadn't seen in over 2 years. We can't wait for him to be home for good! Plus we got to meet a lot of Krissy's extended family who came up for Mya's baptism. I didn't take very many pictures on this trip, quite unusual for me, but here are a few to enjoy.

Some Great Websites

2008-11-07T06:49:00.010-07:00

Even though my favorite type of design and style is modern, mid-century modern, Scandinavian, etc., I also love just about anything with some history behind it. Some people would say that the styles don't mix, but I think you should have things that you love and that mean something to you, rather than buying or not buying something just because it does or doesn't fit into a certain style.

I was excited to find the website for P.O.S.H. Chicago, a company whose founder seeks out tableware from manufacturers, flea markets and wherever else he can find items that have a story to tell.

Another fun site actually belongs to a new coworker of mine at Walter Drake. She was hired about a month ago and last week we found out that she sells her own designs on The Spotted Olive(TM), ranging from t-shirts to mouse pads to holiday cards and much more. I've already found at least 10 things I want to buy!

I've had the CHiA'SSO site in my list for a while now, but I bought my first product from them recently, these fabulous aluminum and steel windmills for my garden. They're one of the first places I've found to offer more modern garden and outdoor products, instead of cute frogs and cherubs and the like, and they also have tons of other great items for your house.

Links to all sites can be found in the Websites list to the left. Enjoy!

Close Encounters of the Political Kind

2008-11-07T06:21:00.005-07:00

I'm so excited to have been able to participate in one of the most historic and important elections in my lifetime. No matter what, history would have been made. If McCain and Palin had won, we would have had the first female Vice President. Now that Barack Obama has been elected, we have the first African American President. (As my boss told me yesterday, he'll be sworn in on steps that were built by slaves. What a long way our country has come.) I had never even voted before I met Steven and now I'm adamant about speaking out for what you think, even if it's only to cast a vote for the candidate or amendment or issue that you feel strongly about.

Since we weren't able to see either McCain or Obama when they campaigned in Colorado, we jumped at the chance to hear Michelle Obama speak at an auditorium just a few blocks from our house. (We usually didn't even know the candidates were in town until they had already been here and were gone. We heard about this rally the day before.) About 3,000 people came out, and we wound up being part of the crowd that had to stand outside. Thankfully, Colorado was enjoying one of its last warm, sunny days so it was actually very pleasant. And she stopped outside to see us first! It was funny to see the stereotypical security guys with the curly earpiece, fancy suit and everything. You could spot them a mile away. She was an excellent speaker and didn't use a prewritten speech, something I greatly admired.

A Fascinating Discussion

2008-11-03T19:12:00.008-07:00

I found this discussion on one of my favorite websites/blogs the other day and felt that it was something others would appreciate and could benefit from. The dialogue is between the blog author and a fan of hers who is an avid chef but happens to be blind. As many complaints as I have sometimes (my kitchen's too small, my knife isn't sharp enough, the pan I wanted to use isn't clean), they all pale in comparison to the issues this gentleman faces constantly. And he has such a great attitude about it! I hope that if something terrible were to happen to me one day and I lost my eyesight, I would be able to develop the same attitude and not just feel sorry for myself. If you can't click directly on the link, cut and paste it into your browser window, or click on the main website in the list to the left and search for How the Blind Cook.

http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2008/10/how_the_blind_cook.php

Introducing...

2008-10-27T06:45:00.005-06:00

...ROXY!

We're finally a dog family again! We were lucky enough to find this sweet little girl on Craigslist (I'm telling you, it's a goldmine!) and have had her for just over a week now. She's the first fawn boxer we've had and I just love how dark she is and the little black tips on her ears, and her cute little 3-inch tail that just barely grazes the ground when she sits down. The family who was currently watching her for a friend couldn't keep her any longer and neither could the friend, so we were able to bring her into our family. The original owner had named her Baby Girl but we changed that to Roxy. She's super smart and has already learned the dog door and is learning how to shake for treats. We've gone on lots of walks around the neighbourhood and in various parks around the area. She already loves to sleep with us on the bed and she loves to cuddle, but she's still young enough (about 18 months) that she doesn't stay in one place for very long. It's been fun to learn her likes, dislikes and habits. She loves riding in the car but not the truck. She loves going for walks. She loves to come stand directly over your head while you're laying in bed. She doesn't like to be told to move once she's found a spot. She loves pig's ear strips! She loves tummy rubs and laying with her back legs sticking straight out. We're so excited to have found such a great dog.

What's not to love about this face? :-)

Emma Crawford Coffin Races

2008-10-27T06:29:00.004-06:00

This weekend I went to the Emma Crawford Coffin Races in Manitou Springs to support our Walter Drake team. Here's how the local newspaper describes it:

Emma Crawford lived in Manitou Springs at the turn of the century, arriving with the hopes that the famous drinking Mineral Springs would help with a cure for her tuberculosis. Sadly, in the summer of 1890 Emma died quite young, just before she was to marry Mr. Hildebrand, an engineer on the Pikes Peak Cog Railway. Her wishes were to be laid to rest on top of Red Mountain. Her heartbroken fiancee and eleven other men began the arduous task her carrying Emma's coffin up to the top of Red Mountain. It took them all day, working two shifts to scale the 7200 foot Summit. In 1929, after years of stormy weather on the granite mountain the granite gave way and Emma's remains were washed down the side of Red Mountain. Emma was later buried in the Manitou Springs Cemetery in an unmarked grave. An official grave site was granted to her in 2004 to honor her life. Now every year in late October, Manitou Springs remembers this beautiful young woman who loved her town and her Red Mountain with this unique festival.

Each year there is a parade of the coffins and then they race each other up a section of the main street in town, pushed by 4 "pallbearers" and with an Emma laying in the coffin. My boss and 2 co-workers were part of the team and they spent many hours repainting and revising the coffin they had raced the year before. I'd never been to the race so it was fun to go support someone I knew and to see how many people actually turned out to this somewhat quirky event in the small town just west of Colorado Springs, at the foot of Pike's Peak. Our team completed the 250-yard run in 39.2 seconds, finishing in 16th place out of 49 entries. Not bad!

Design House Stockholm

2008-10-07T18:35:00.005-06:00

I've stumbled across a great website, www.designhousestockholm.com, with a plethora of products that I would love to have. I really like their design philosophy, apparently it came from the Quakers! Very simple and to the point, just like their products. Here are a few that I'm lusting after currently.

The Whale Tong

The Shell

The Tablo Tray

Carrie Bicycle Basket
(How can you not love this? It makes me happy just looking at it.)

My New Favorite Product!

2008-09-30T20:06:00.004-06:00

Here it is, my new miracle product: Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion. I have never found any trick or any product that keeps my eye shadow and/or liner from creasing half an hour after I put it on. So I eventually resorted to just mascara or some eyeliner when I knew I wouldn't be wearing it for too long. But this stuff really works! I've worn it two different times now and have had absolutely no creasing. Yay! I got mine at Sephora (inside our JCPenney store), but I think most major department stores carry it.

Colorful Colorado

2008-09-29T19:50:00.005-06:00

Yesterday Steven had a rare weekend day off and we went for a drive in the mountains to see the leaves changing. We went at just the right time; everything was beautiful! Sometimes we wouldn't see anything for a few miles and then we would turn a corner to find the most amazing display of color. Sadly, there has been a huge problem this past year with a particular (harmful) beetle that likes our ski area evergreens and there are many dead pine trees mixed in. We took an excessive amount of photos as usual, but I'm sharing the best with you. (I also got to get up close and personal with a new friend. :-) If you've ever watched South Park, you'll recognize him right away; and yes, it's the real South Park that the show is based on.) We even got to do a little 4WDing in the car, at a little lake that was so still you could hardly tell where the mountain stopped and the water began. Steven loved the off-roading, of course, and the Audi performed like a champ! Along the way we stopped at our favorite French restaurant (with actual French owners) in Breckenridge, where you pay $11.00 for a sandwich but it's beyond worth it.; they also have a lemon and sugar crepe which is fabulous and I get it for breakfast anytime I get the chance. While we were driving up the road some crazy mountain boarders went zooming by. Even though they had full-face helmets on, I still wouldn't feel safe trying it myself.

Fall in the city

2008-09-29T19:42:00.003-06:00

A collection of random photos from the garden and about town. As much as I hate to see summer go, there is a beauty to fall that is unmatched in any other season.

A Creative Fence

2008-09-24T06:31:00.002-06:00

It's official, I love this fence! Possibly even more than the one made of doors. What a creative idea and a sustainable use of something that obviously still has "life" left. I wonder how many projects I can start and then not finish? This might be one that I could actually get done! :-)

Foo Fighters at Red Rocks

2008-09-12T07:21:00.009-06:00

On Monday we went to a Foo Fighters concert at Red Rocks, near Denver. They had been scheduled to come in July but had to cancel because the lead singer was sick. It was definitely worth the wait! The weather was pretty chilly but it didn't rain, and the band played for over 2 hours. They played all the songs we were hoping they would and many more. Red Rocks is by far the best place to see a concert, with the beautiful view and the amazing natural acoustics. I definitely recommend it if you come to Colorado.

Vacation part 5 (Grand Junction)

2008-09-12T07:21:00.008-06:00

The last part of our vacation was a stop in Grand Junction, on the western side of Colorado. There's a bed and breakfast there that I've always wanted to try, plus it's peach season so we wanted to be sure to get some to take home. The bed and breakfast turned out to be okay but we probably won't stay there again. They did have this really amazing wall in their garden, made completely out of old doors. I want to do that at our house someday! We drove the Colorado National Monument at sunset (beautiful) and ate at a wonderful French restaurant, and the next day headed home. We were so glad to be back to temperatures in the 80s and our own bed. The peaches have been wonderful; I'm grilling the last two today, with butter and brown sugar (yum!).

Vacation part 4 (St. George)

2008-09-12T07:20:00.004-06:00

After San Francisco we decided to head to St. George to see more family. We wound up staying 3 nights, had a really relaxing time and got to see lots of people. Although we didn't love the 100+º temperatures, we had a great time. Playing with Tammi and Jerry's new dog Windsor was a blast! Everyone was fascinated with Steven's iPhone and now they all want one, too.

Vacation part 3 (San Francisco)

2008-09-11T06:51:00.008-06:00

After our visit to Oceanside, we had tentatively planned to drive south to San Diego (1 hour away), but we decided we were done with the beach and would rather go to San Francisco (10 hours away!). Since we didn't have anything reserved in San Diego, we were able to come up with an alternate plan and just be able to do it. That's the best kind of vacation, when you can do whatever you want to. We spent two nights in Castro Valley, about 45 minutes east of San Francisco, and used BART and all the other wonderful forms of public transportation available in SF to go see Fisherman's Wharf (where we ate our first real crab; very tasty but a lot of work for not much reward), Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park and downtown (where Steven got to go to his favorite store, the Apple Store, and I got to go to one of my favorites, H&M). It was definitely worth it and absolutely one of my favorite days of our whole vacation.

Vacation part 2 (Oceanside)

2008-09-11T06:22:00.008-06:00

Oceanside was loads of fun and we got to see lots of family that we hadn't seen in quite a long time. It was foggy every morning but the sun was out full force by 11 am. Lots of playing in the sand and all the beachy things you do; baby Lyla had the best seat in the house, with her little bed dug out of the sand. I also got to go for a ride on my first jet ski. (I liked driving it more than riding it.) We rode out to a buoy with all kinds of seals sunning themselves; one was barking the whole time and one giant one was resting his head on one of the metal bars and didn't move once while we were circling around. The water was pretty choppy but we got the jet ski up to about 30 mph out in the ocean and up to 42 mph in the calmer bay area. Here's a sampling of the tons of photos I took while we were there. (Click on a photo to see the full size image.)

Vacation part 1 (Flagstaff)

2008-09-02T06:45:00.009-06:00

Ahhh, vacation. There's just nothing like truly getting away from it all by going someplace far away from where you live and work. We were fortunate enough to have 10 days off together (our longest vacation ever!) and we took full advantage of it. We had looked into flying to California to spend time at the Beach Club, but with flights and car rental and hotels for afterward it turned out to be cheaper to drive, even with gas prices as high as they are right now. I'm so glad we did, too, because it gave us a lot of flexibility to do what we really wanted, which is the point of a vacation, isn't it?

While we were driving we passed near several giant thunderstorms and were fortunate to see some beautiful cloud formations. I loved the ones with the sun rays coming from behind a dark cloud.
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Our first leg was from home to Flagstaff, where we spent the night with Steven's Grandma Opal. She just celebrated her 80th birthday in August and is one of the sweetest and most capable people I know. I swear she looks the same now as when she came to our wedding 9 years ago! You can always look forward to excellent food when you come to her house, even when you arrive at nearly 11:00 pm, like we did this time.

We also got to see Steven's Aunt Janet and cousins Danny and Allison Williamson, who run a boy's home and school, as well as pastor a church in Flagstaff. They put in a lot of hard work and you can tell that the boys are in good hands, and the home and school are developing a great reputation around the country. It takes a lot of commitment and dedication to do something like this and I greatly admire them for it. Grandma Opal ("Gram" to the boys) even cooks for all of them one night a week.

While we were out to breakfast with everyone the next day, Steven's brother Travis called him from Iraq! We hadn't talked to him since he left in May, and for him to call while we were sitting with Grandma Opal in Flagstaff was just perfect. Steven and Grandma were both excited to hear his voice. (Little Trey was also excited to try his first lemonade.)

A Walk in the Woods

2008-08-11T06:25:00.011-06:00

This weekend a few people from Walter Drake went on a hike to Horsethief Falls near Divide, about 45 minutes from Colorado Springs. While the waterfall wasn't quite as big as I was expecting, it was still a beautiful hike. It's been a really long time since I've just gone hiking and it was nice to get out into the woods. Because of all the rain we've been having lately everything was exceptionally green and lush, kind of rare for Colorado. One of the main things I've missed about western North Carolina is the variety of trees and plant life and how verdant it always is, so it was refreshing to see a little bit of it here in Colorado.

This moss especially reminded me of NC; there are so many varieties of moss everywhere you look. I liked the small red things that looked like antennae poking out of the top and it was so soft when you touched it.

There was a super cute little boy who came with his dad on the hike; he held onto the Camelbak tube most of the time and drank from it whenever he wanted. But if the tube fell out of his hands he'd wait for his dad to reach back with the tube and he would just open his mouth and wait for it to come to him, which of course it never did and finally he would grab it and hold it again for a little while. Adorable!

The waterfall was smaller than I thought it would be but was still a very pretty place and the water was cold and clear. Amazing to think of how long it took for the water to carve out the little channel for itself into that huge rock.

9th Anniversary

2008-08-06T06:25:00.018-06:00

On July 28 we celebrated our 9th anniversary; can it really be 9 years already?! It's been fascinating and wonderful to see how we morph and change over the years, both as individuals and as a couple, into who we are today. I'm so grateful for the time we've had together up to now and I can't wait to see what the future holds for us.

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July 26-28 we participated as volunteers at the Courage Classic, a fund-raising ride benefitting The Children's Hospital in Denver which treats chronically ill children (www.couragetours.com). There were over 2000 participants as well as all of their friends and family, so it was a busy and inspiring time in Copper Mountain, Colorado. Quite a few of the riders were children and young people who are in and out of treatment regularly but who still rode 60 miles a day. (And I complain about my 6-mile, slightly uphill grade, ride to work with a fully healthy body!) Steven provided mechanical support to many, many people and their bikes while I helped out answering questions and selling products in the Bicycle Village tent.

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On our last day in Copper, we got to go for a ride of our own. There is a beautiful paved bike path that goes throughout all of Summit County (where most of the famous Colorado ski resorts are located); we rode over Vail Pass and down a super fun, fast section towards the town of Vail. Parts of the path are right next to the Interstate, so it can be a little intimidating to be riding directly next to speeding cars and semis, but lots of fun, too when you see how fast you're going. Then we had to come all the way back up, of course! Our total ride was almost exactly 20 miles; less than 5 minutes after we got back to the car a huge thunderstorm started. It turned out to be one of the biggest storms the area had seen in a long time, so our timing was just perfect.

The Lovely Garden

2008-06-29T16:56:00.003-06:00

Summer is officially here and I thought I'd share some of my favorite photos of the garden. We've had some rain but most of the time I'm out watering every few days. I feel like we have a Xeriscape garden for the most part, but I still feel guilty sometimes using all of that water. It does allow me to have fresh herbs and beautiful plants and flowers, though, and it helps beautify the neighborhood, so I guess it's not such a bad thing. The first tiny green tomatoes have just appeared; I'm so excited for those! This brick planter is a project we did earlier this year; everything in it is green and flowering now. (The bricks we used are some that I found on Craigslist also; anybody noticing a pattern here?)
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The columbine is Colorado's state flower and it grows wild everywhere up in the mountains. I love how many color varieties there are. Supposedly if you plant various colors in your garden, eventually they'll be cross-pollinated by the bees and new unique colors will appear. That hasn't happened for me yet, but I keep hoping. Currently we have two yellow ones, this really pretty burgundy and white one and a purple one.
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This blue/purple one is called a Bachelor's Button. The "petals" look like little trumpets to me, and there's also a part that I think looks like a bee's antenna. It flowers really early so you don't get to enjoy it for long, but it's very pretty while it's around.
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I'm not actually sure what this one is, I think maybe an onion of some kind. I don't remember planting any onions, but there are two different bunches of these so somehow it made it into the garden. Maybe it came in from the compost bin. Anyway, this green and purple together is so pretty and I love the look of all the little buds with stripes on each one.

Our New Wheels

2008-06-29T16:21:00.010-06:00

It's official--we are now a motorcycle family! Our "new" addition is a 1974 Honda 550 Four that we bought from a gentleman in Boulder. He himself never really rode it, he just kept it around as a project bike and was starting a new project so he decided to get rid of this one. As you can see in the picture, it's in really great shape. We might look for the rear back rest/rack accessory because I want to be able to carry things on the motorcycle. I'd prefer just the rear rack, but it's sold as one piece with the back rest. Apparently adding accessories takes away from its value, so if we ever sell it we'll take the rack back off. I love that it's small enough for me to stand over and feel confident that I'm able to handle it.

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Steven already knows how to drive a motorcycle so he's been out on several errands, some with me on the back and some by himself. We've ordered new helmets so until they come in, our trips consist of going to the Blockbuster 2 miles away or short drives around the neighborhood. I'm going to take a beginner's class so I can get some practice before hitting the open road. The main thing I'm nervous about is remembering all the things to do (pull in the clutch, twist the throttle, make sure it's in neutral when you stop, make sure the choke is on (or is it supposed to be off?), be sure to use both hand and foot brakes at the same time, etc., etc.). The clutch is a little hard to pull but maybe that will just help me develop some serious hand and forearm strength in my left arm. I'm excited to learn, and we're both excited to have something small and gas-efficient for short errands, as well as fun trips to the mountains on days off. Steven may get more of a dirt bike style motorcycle for himself in the future, but for now we'll be sharing this one.
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I did get a used helmet yesterday that Steven found on Craigslist (actually, he found the motorcycle on Craigslist, too; I love Craigslist!). This is the original color I wanted to get, but I went with white and silver for my new helmet instead. Now I have both! So depending on my mood (or my outfit), I'll switch between the two. This style is called Modular because the front portion is hinged to make it easier to open and get on and off. Plus I'm a little claustrophobic and really hate having my nose blocked in any way, so this style helps a lot. Steven's is a really cool matte black one with a shiny black star on the side.

Beautiful, bike-friendly Boulder, CO

2008-06-17T18:10:00.007-06:00

(Side note: It's obviously been a while since my first post. I had gotten really frustrated with the next post I tried to create and finally enlisted the help of a friend who has had a blog for a while. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You to my friend Amanda for helping me figure out why I was having so many problems. She is a lifesaver! You can see her blog at Lamb's Lines in the list at right.)

Steven spent almost a week recently in Boulder at a big off-site bike sale for Bicycle Village and since he was there over the weekend, I got to come up to spend some time with him and do some browsing on my own during the days. Boulder is incredibly bike-friendly and has a rack to lock up your bike outside every place in town. This one was my favorite, for being both functional and decorative. There are miles and miles of bike paths and there are even signs on the paths to tell you where in town you are so you know if you've reached your destination. Plus drivers are mostly courteous to bike riders, instead of being annoyed that you're taking up "their" space.

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This is exactly the way I would want my house to look if I couldn't have a front yard. I love how clean and simple it looks and all the angular lines and all the windows in the front of the house and the fact that there is a lot of vegetation in such a small area. And inside this house I would have this kitchen...

Every store I went into in Boulder had "No Photography" signs posted everywhere, who knows why. So I snuck this photo while the owner was outside talking on the phone. The color of the cabinets against the dark countertops looks just right. The countertop is Paperstone, made entirely of recycled paper. How cool is that?

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There were these amazing art pieces everywhere you go, but especially on Pearl Street, a pedestrian-only area about 1/2 mile long with all kinds of shops, street performers, restaurants, you name it. I would love to have this fountain in my yard.

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Even the door of the courthouse is artistic...

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We drove to the top of a super difficult road that Steven rode his bike on the day before, so he could show me the beautiful scenery. I'm glad I wasn't the one riding! Very faintly in the background you can see what we think is one of Colorado's 14ers, a peak that is above 14,000 feet. There are over 50 in the state, and some people make it a goal to hike/climb all of them. I've traversed about 5 or 6 of them so far, but I'd love to get a few more under my belt. Pike's Peak is probably the most famous 14er, and we're lucky enough to see it every day! We've only driven up that one, so I don't count it as being conquered just yet.

And so it begins...

2008-05-25T18:11:00.001-06:00

Hello all,

I've been wanting to start a blog for quite some time now, partly because I always enjoy looking at others' blogs and finding out what's happening in their lives, and partly because honestly I'm a little lazy when it comes to staying in touch. So now you'll have the opportunity to check in or not, as you feel like it. I hope that you'll comment occasionally, and let me know if you have a blog or website of your own for me to link to.

Since I'm brand new to this, I'll probably be playing around with the look of it for a while and figuring out how to get photos on, etc. Hopefully I'll keep it updated pretty regularly so you can see all that is going on in our lives out here in beautiful Colorado.

Lots of love,

Jen and Steven