Merry Christmas!

As 2009 comes to a close, I'd like to offer this image to delight you:


Pictured above is family that traveled all the way out to Colorado for Christmas this year. By snowmobile! I hope it was worth their while - we went on brewery tours, did some hiking and ate and celebrated all week.
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The Holidays

No people, no food; just a pretty table.

In other news: A satirical musical based on Jerry Springer's talk show exists and has since January of 2005, though I'm only learning about it today; Condoleeza Rice is in Ethiopia to discuss some of the largest conflicts in Africa right now and none of the region's leaders are going to be there; and teaching four year olds to play Christmas music on the piano takes away from the joy of the season just a little bit!

Garden of the Gods

My youngest brother is out here to visit for his spring break. Spring is an excellent time to come visit Colorado (hint hint). Yesterday, we spent the day hiking way off the paths (to my husband's law-abiding dismay) at Garden of the Gods. Here is a visual account of our day:

The view from up pretty high after scrambling up there, getting dirty, and falling on cacti.

Taking a nap in the coolest tree!

Luke. Smartly dressed without cuffs in his pants to collect rocks and dirt!

That's me above.

I know I slept well after our day. And since Luke still isn't up yet, I'm assuming he was as exhausted as I was!

In other news: The world is ignoring Iraqi refugees, Lindsay Lohan forgets to button her shirt, and I'm going to Toronto on Thursday!

Happy Valentine's Day

Time is tapping on my forehead

After two and a half days of lazing around at home and overeating, it is now the weekend. Thanksgiving Day, my favorite of all the holidays has come and gone. I think Thanksgiving is my favorite because there are no pressures, expectations, dogmas, or huge expenses; it is simply about thinking about your life and being thankful. And at its most commercial, Thanksgiving is about good food and family; both things I can support celebrating.

(my meal. my delicious delicious meal).

This year though, Thanksgiving felt a little different. Maybe I’m not thankful, maybe I don’t like thinking about life, maybe the food wasn’t good enough! (Hah…. Unlikely). But, nonetheless, it felt different. I gave up Thanksgiving with family in order to be able to spend Christmas with them (honestly, living over a thousand miles away from “home” isn’t all it is cracked up to be)! But, the food was good, a friend of mine from Texas came up to visit, the turkey was moist, the leftovers are extensive, and now I don’t have to be irritable when I hear Christmas music.

(me and Jessica. I'm all red from cooking and we're both hungry. We don't look as thin anymore as we do here!)

Sea-worthy Swankitude

Getting prepared for a big Thanksgiving.

I am too tired to cook. I am supposed to be making a pumpkin pie, an apple cranberry pie, and a cheeseball appetizer.

Instead, my friend Jessica and I went to the zoo. I love the zoo…. I just can’t help it. We’re zoo members! In fact, Jessica and I didn’t see another adult there that hadn’t come with a child. Oh well. We DID feed some very greedy giraffes,

saw a spectacled bear being inappropriate with himself, hiked up quite a ways to see a condor in his captive splendor, realized that bald eagles are some of the fluffiest eagles around, and had a pretty good time with an orangutan (I had to look up that word to spell it properly).

Since the zoo, we have meandered around the downtown area, eaten way too much for the tiny little people we are (okay…. I speak for just myself here), and are now thinking about taking the puppy to the pet store for some fun, and going to see a movie.

When AM I going to cook?! (however..... those grasshopper squares are FABULOUS!)