Team Artsy Fartsy For The Win!

We're always on the lookout for fun weekend activities.  This week is Denver Arts Week and this year they had a great idea for a scavenger hunt!  We're hoping to win one of 14 wonderful prizes so we hauled the children downtown to photographer ourselves in front of some of Denver's landmarks.

We split up into two teams!  Mallory and I were Team Artsy Fartsy and I'm sorry to say that we had a subpar photographer.  I don't know what iKeith was doing...but most of our shots are blurry. For more of our photos click here.

Alex and iKeith were team Art Smart Blart and Cart.  I have not idea what this means but this is what happens when you let a 4 year old pick your team name.

There is a long list of activities and we had to pick 6 of these and post them on the Visit Denver Facebook Page.  If you think you will ever be visiting Denver....LIKE their page.  Tons of great info.

We did all kinds of fun things like joining a herd of buffalo on the 16th Street Mall, singing with a local street musician, sipping a Colorado-brewed beer at Wynkoop Brewing Co, checking our watch at Lannie's Clocktower*, visiting the Ballpark Museum and posing like the Big Blue Bear at the Convention Center.

Checking my watch....

What's that Bear Looking at?

The kids had a great time and we got lots of exercise in the bright Colorado sunshine!  We even found a new favorite restaurant...Colorado's First Brew Pub,Wynkoop Brewing Co.  I had the pleasure of drinking a beer called Wixa Weiss and eating the best kids Mac and Cheese I've ever had!  Details on The Rookie Foodie coming this week.

******************* 

iKeith is on Facebook now.  He kept telling me that he needed a FB login for his app testing and then I wanted him to enter this Denver Arts Week Contest with me and he needed to be able to post pictures on their fan page.  So he told me to go ahead and set it up.

I've been very happy with his lack of interest in Facebook because even though it doesn't look like it....this man was a player!  I was not interested in all of his old girlfriends friending him and talking about the old times.  I have zero interest in having to step up my game in the bedroom so that he's not interested in meeting up with some old flame.

It took exactly 24 hours for one of them to find him and friend him.  sigh

So....for all the girls iKeith has loved before....this song is for you!

* I haven't worn a watch since 2004.  I have a cell phone...why do I need a watch.  It is also my alarm clock.  Steve Jobs....I love you!

Belmar Park

It's Not Fall Til You Visit The Pumpkin Patch

Last week we went to the Hills Harvest Pumpkin Patch in Thornton.

 They have a lovely little field that you can trapse through looking for the perfect pumpkin, or you can just jump out of your vehicle and chose from a nice assortment of pumpkins.  They also have a spot for a photo opp.

For some reason...my kids were shy and wouldn't look me in the eye.  I think it had something to do with the smiling scarecrow with the price tag still attached.

We traveled back in time to see what Mallory would look like in 1977.

I made the yummiest Corn Chowder over the weekend...here's the recipe!

Hill Harvest is one of the nearest pumpkin patches to the city of Denver. I researched many of them and if you don't want to drive a long ways...this is your best bet. They also have free hay rides Friday-Sunday, and have a little store with lot of other products such as honey, green chili, salsa and veggies. They had a nice assortment of apples and buckets of pie cherries.

Hill Harvest Fresh Farm Produce and Pumpkin Patch
3225 E 124th Ave
Thornton, Co 80241
303.451.5637
Hours: 9am-6pm 7 days a week 

What IS Second City?

Last week I won tickets to a show on twitter. I love twitter!!

The contest was put on by Denver Center for the Performing Arts and the tickets were for The Second City Comedy show.  I'd been hearing good things about it and it was on my wish list of shows I wanted to see.

I was so excited when I won the tickets because you know how much I love the theater AND I love to laugh!  We started off by having drinks at The Corner Office...right across the street from the Garner Galleria Theatre and we had the pleasure of having Alex for a bartender.

I was having a lovely time until we discovered that Alex was old young enough to be my son.  It was then that I realized I really need to stop flirting with bartenders because it's now becoming inappropriate.

We arrived at the Second City Show and found out that you can drink through the entire show!  I drowned my sorrows in Merlot and we made friends with the people that we were seated with.  We found out that they were there to celebrate their 6th wedding anniversary.

The show is very funny and I highly recommend it to anyone...unless you are easily offended.  If you can take a joke and let things roll off your back...then you should see this show.  If you are a member of The Tea Party...you should stay home.

There was a wonderful improv part of the show where they used this older gentleman from the audience and built the skit around his answers to a series of questions.  It was so hilarious that my stomach is sore today from laughing.

As the show was wrapping up and the actors were getting ready to do their last number.  My husband hollers up to the stage and asks WHAT DOES SECOND CITY MEAN?

I was really thankful that we were seated at tables so that I could crawl under ours.  My husband is a very smart man....how could he not know what Second City is?  The actor that was on stage answered his question and moved on....and then the rest of the cast came out and were looking out into the crowd to see who the simpleton was.

I joked around with my new friend Lori that we've both been married for 6 years and it's extremely obvious which one of us has two small children at home.  Look how fabulous she looks!

Can you tell that I'm drunk pants?

After the show...we asked our new friends to come have a drink at one of our favorite bars and we ended up telling them our dating story....in a he said/ she said fashion.  We think they liked us...because they asked for our phone number.  I hope they call...and that Lori wasn't offended when iKeith called her Cher.  If I could turn back time....

Keith and I are officially on the prowl for friends!


The Second City is a long-running improvisational comedy enterprise which originated in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.

The Second City Theatre opened on December 16, 1959 and has since expanded its presence to several other cities, including Toronto and Los Angeles. The Second City has produced television programs in both the United States and Canada including SCTV, Second City Presents, and Next Comedy Legend, as well as being heavily involved in the creation of the satirical 1969 sci-fi film "The Monitors." Since its debut, Second City has consistently been a starting point for comedians, award winning actors, directors, and others in show business.
Top 10 Second City Alumni


Bill Murray
Tina Fey
John Belushi
Stephen Colbert
Chris Farley
Steve Carell
John Candy
Dan Aykroyd
Mike Meyers
Amy Poehler


In case you missed it...I revealed my new kitchen on Friday Night! 

How I Spent My 40th Birthday

We started the day at the Rocky Mountain PBS Kid's Fun Fest.  It's the biggest free family party in Colorado!  There is a bouncy house, a climbing wall, a stage coach, an Urban Farm (aka...petting zoo) and guest appearances from Curious George, The Cat in the Hat and Clifford the Big Red Dog.  I won't tell you how many children I had to knock down to get my picture with Clifford.

There was an incident at the bounce house that has our house divided at the moment.  After I tell you about it...please take the poll on the right hand sidebar.  We were waiting in line for the bounce house for around 30 minutes.  It was one of the most popular attractions there and the kids were being very well behaved even though we had to stand in the sun.  Mallory was so excited because it was her first time to enjoy the pleasure of the bounce house. Finally...we were next and we were about to step up onto the mat to remove the kids shoes when a woman came running up with 3 kids and cut in line.  Her husband had been standing in line in front of us for his family.

I told my children (rather loudly) that I was sorry but they were not NEXT.  The Dad said he was sorry but that his kids won't stand in line that long.  I told him that my kids had to...why shouldn't his.  And then iKeith told the Dad that we understand...blah blah blah.  I thought it was incredibly rude and inconsiderate to all of us that waited in line and that it teaches HIS children that they don't have to wait, or do any work to get what they want.  What do you think?

And then I flashed about 30 people who were waiting in line to sit in the Stage Coach. When Alex sat on my lap...about 4 of my buttons slipped out of their holes and when I got out of the stage coach my shirt was unbuttoned to my waist!! Oops.


As we were walking back to the car we saw this on the sidewalk and I got really excited about how iKeith and I were going to celebrate my birthday later that night.

Clever Advertising!

Uncle Andrew babysat the kids for us and we started the evening at Sketch Wine Bar.  click here to see pictures and details about what we ate. It's a really fun wine bar in a historic neighborhood in Denver.  We had a great time drinking wine and magic sangria, eating meat and cheese and talking to people that came and sat at the bar.

Soon it was time to head over to the Curious Theater to see Dead Man's Cell Phone. It's a community theater but with amazing professional actors, that has made it's home inside an old church that was built in 1880.  It is a cozy and intimate setting with an orchestra and balcony area.   Curious is in their 13 year and they have been awarded a Best Theater Award by 5280 Magazine.

We were 6th row center which was perfect!  I was so happy and excited because this was only my second play.  I've seen many, many musicals but only one play....this was one reason that I really wanted to see a stage performance for my birthday.  Because you know I'm all about trying new things.

I loved the play!  Seeing a story unfold with real people right before your eyes is an exciting experience.  This is an odd ball comedy about a mousey woman that discovers the man at the table next to her has died and his cell phone is ringing...and ringing.  This woman takes it upon herself to keep answering his cell phone as she informs people that call of this man's passing and she begins to tell stories to help comfort the people he's left behind.  She also becomes accepted into the dead man's family and helps them deal with their loss....even though she's mostly lying to them. 

It was opening night so as part of our theater experience we were invited to an after party with the cast.  I was scared to go inside but iKeith convinced me that I'd be sorry if I let my fear of walking to a room full of strangers stop me.

I'm so glad I went!  I was able to meet and talk to all of the cast, the director and the owner of the theater.  I even walked right up to a gal and talked to her because she was wearing knee high socks and ended up having a wonderful conversation with her.

William Hahn plays the Dead Man

Emily Davies plays the mousey woman.

Scott Bellot plays Dead Man's Brother

It was the perfect birthday!  I'm so glad that I had this experience on my 40th birthday....it's a night I'll not soon forget and I'm excited that we found this theater because we can't wait to go back and see more plays there.

Scenes From a Dream Job

I was really excited on Saturday when iKeith said we could go to LoDo (LOwer DOwntown) and see his office.  He's taken a couple pictures of his desk but I wanted to see the big picture.  It's a beautiful loft with a giant skylight in the middle.  It feels like a very creative place!

Seeing this space that he spends so much time in and how cool it is...made the apartment situation feel worth it.  But I'm also a little jealous. 

Downstairs from his office are a couple bars...in one of them the bartender (Alice) already knows his name.  I'm not sure this is a good thing.  I prefer the Irish Pub.

 On his walk to the parking lot he passes this place....a medicinal marijuana store.  We saw some gentlemen leaving the store that looked quite healthy. 

 His office is also two blocks away from Coors Field!  

I can't wait to show you what he's been working on!  

Soon.....

Climbing Red Rocks...and Coffee

Good Morning! I'm headed to Red Rocks this morning with my friend Denise to climb the stairs. It's one of the items on my before I turn 40 list and we're going to tackle it!

And then I'm going to get some coffee.  To see what I did this morning and video of a hot chick...click HERE.

Speaking of coffee....I had my first cup of Keurig coffee at iKeith's office yesterday and I'm in love! I must find a way to get one these machines!

My Temporary Home

My air conditioning is broken. We figured it out on moving day and on Monday I went to sign the lease and report that we had a serious problem. The manager...who I'll call Nicky said that she would send Dick the Maintenance guy over as soon as he was done cleaning the pool.

I was gone most of the day so I assumed that Dick had come to the apartment. Do you know what happens when you ASSume something? Yeah, that. It's been 90 degrees everyday...the kids are getting heat stroke and I'm getting tipsy on ice cold boxed Chardonay and getting NOTHING unpacked.


Today I went to remind Nicky about my AC and she apparently forgot. I'm starting to think she's had some kind of head injury because she didn't forget to tell me about all of the misfortune that has befallen her family. I've now learned not to talk about ANYTHING except apartment business because every time you say something she follows it with 'That's like this one time'.  Talking about traffic leads to a conversation about how her husband lost his leg and her son was in a coma. She also doesn't have any upper teeth and I have a hard time understanding her.


This is our 5th day in our new apartment and I think I'm finally ready to talk about it.  Downsizing has been surprisingly hard.  I say that because I've lived in worse places than this...I've lived in a 100 year old farm house and the well broke for 6 weeks.  I've had it worse!


Maybe it's because I now have children and had I looked at this place myself...I would have NOT rented it.  It's old and it's cheap.  As they say...you get what you pay for.  I miss my beautiful house and large kitchen and I'd love to go to sleep without the sound of someone's bass pounding through my wall. I'd give anything to see Brother Horton at my door....


The day that we arrived...we almost hit a 10 year old girl that was riding her bike and texting.  Yesterday I saw a 2 year old wandering the sidewalk alone and a mother driving with kids NOT in seat belts.  I'd take the kids to the pool but I've seen those people and I really don't want my kids to breath cigarette smoke while they are playing in the pool, plus according to the newsletter I got today...one of those A-holes stole one of the life jackets that was donated by the fire department.  And if they will just please return it, no one will say a word. The good news is that if I did go to the pool...I'd be the skinny one. Just sayin.


Speaking of the newsletter....it was a wealth of information.  I found out the pool code, that the landscapers come on Tuesday (but they were a day late and mowed the grass today) and that someone has been using the trash can in the laundry room as a restroom.  Oh...and they just installed a recycling container on the property.  This was good news to me because I was about to try to find somewhere to take my items.  Here is a list of items that they will not except:

• Plastic Bags
• Plastic Tops
• Needles and Syringes
• 6 pack holders
• Light Bulbs 
• Boxes of Wine 
• Plastic Microwave Trays 
• Stickers
• To Go Containers

The good news is that all of their beer cans, vodka bottles and milk cartons can absolutely be recycled!

I know it sounds like I'm complaining and maybe I am...just a little bit.  I'm trying to look at the bright side...which is that iKeith loves his new job and this is not forever.  This is our temporary home...

I just saw Dooce's post about her new house...and I think her office is as big as my entire apartment.




Disclaimer: The opinions and thoughts of Connie are not necessarily the opinions and thoughts of iKeith. Also...this post is brought to you by Franzia but they did not contribute to the livelihood or bank account of Connie. Only to her happiness.

Who Says You Can't Go Home?

To accomplish great things we must first dream, then visualize, then plan... believe... act!

~ Alfred A. Montapert ~

When iKeith and I were dating we talked a lot about dreams. He loved being a computer program designer but he was growing tired of doing the same things all the time. He told me he had worked in Downtown Denver once and loved it. Once the iPhone came out he started learning to write apps and decided he'd love to be doing it for a living.

I've always felt so lucky that iKeith made my dreams come true...being a wife and stay at home mom was all I've ever wanted.  I have a great life and it all began when I met Keith.

I'm also a woman of action and I'd rather do than sit and think about things.  I also love to support my husband whenever I can and seeing his dreams come true has been my goal for a long time now.

I knew his career as an Engineer with the space program was going to be short lived and I started asking iKeith what he really wanted to do when our stint in Utah was done.  He said he wanted to program again and make apps for iPhones and iPads.  And he wanted to live in Denver.  Denver is home.

I encouraged him to attend the Apple World Wide Developers Conference so that he could learn all he could and make some contacts.  Before we left for San Francisco I found his old friend and colleague Dave on twitter and I started stalking following him.  When we checked into our hotel in California I saw a tweet from Dave that he was in a bar a few blocks away and he ran over to find him.  (my stalking skills from high school still serve me well)

Keith and Dave hadn't seen each other in five years but they caught up quickly and we found out that Dave's company was going to be hiring....and he was an app developer.  Dave got us into the party that his company was throwing and Keith was able to meet Dave's boss and express his interest in joining his team.

Yesterday, iKeith accepted the job offer and will now be a part of the Double Encore design team!  I'm sworn to secrecy as to the project he's going to be working on...but it's so cool and iKeith is so excited! And his office....across from Coors Field in Downtown (actually LOWER Downtown) Denver.

All of iKeith's dreams come true....because of my perseverance and the power of prayer and twitter!

I also found out yesterday that my friend Monica is moving to Virginia in 2  3-4 weeks.  We arrived in Utah at the same time and met in the hotel in Ogden.  She was my first friend here and it was always so nice to have her to talk to about the challenges of living in Utah...because she was going through it too.  I joked with Monica that it's as if we've been in prison for 3.5 years and we're both being released for good behavior!

We've already experienced some blessings and I'm hopeful that our move to Denver will go quickly....which really, I don't have a choice because we're leaving Utah in our rearview mirror in 22 days!

I want to thank all of you that have prayed and thought positive thoughts for us over the last year as we've dealt with the threats of layoff, changes and uncertainty!  I can't imagine going through this without the support of my friends.  Thank you for your friendship, your positive comments and caring about my family.

And now...I have some packing to do!

Here We Go!

It's 3am and I can't sleep.

iKeith received an offer from The Dream Job!  We are very excited but also worried because it's a pay cut....and we have very little wiggle room in our budget.  We spent hours last night trying to figure stuff out and also figure out where we're going to live.

Now you know why I can't sleep. 

My brother in law is going to look at the perfect apartment for us tomorrow.  It's a place that I wanted to live when I was single and Bobbi and I even looked at them once.  It's right next to the place we wanted to live when we thought we couldn't have kids and within walking distance to Little India, Whole Foods, a liquor store and Michaels.  Of course I won't be able to shop anymore....

It's also 10 minutes away from Nana and Poopa and it has a pool.  The kids are thrilled!

The other thing that is keeping me up at night is the fact that iKeith needs to report for duty on August 9.  Which means that I have approximately 23 days to pack and move and I will miss Bobbi's birthday.  Oh, and I need to sell half of our stuff to pay for our move.

I need to get some sleep....

Denver, Broken Dreams and Love Lost

I'm going to try to do a post that will catch me back up and then I can return to my regularly scheduled programing...whatever that is. Coming Soon: The Connie Diaries: Summer 1987 Edition!

Our trip to Denver was last minute and super fun! We decided to take a 4 day weekend, visit our favorite city and check out the house that we were planning to move into.

Some of you were confused how we already had a place picked out...our plan was to move in with my Bother in Law (his new nickname due to a typo) because he was in the process of remodeling a 3 bedroom townhouse and his roommate had backed out. It was going to work out great!

This is no longer our plan.  Sadly, there is just not enough room for us there and after being in the house 20 minutes with Andre (Rob's Cat) poor Alex had a huge allergic reaction and spent the rest of the evening with swollen eyes and a headache.  We can't live there.

Speaking of allergies...I've confirmed that Mallory is allergic to dogs.  Poor thing was stuffed up so badly from being around the two Pomeranians that my in laws have and one of them bit her face while we were out to dinner.  I vacuum twice a day at home to keep the allergies at bay.

We had a great time in Denver!  Keith needed a new pair of Teva's so we spent some time at Dick's Sporting Goods and Alex rode a cool bike all around the store...while Mallory found some cool sunglasses that she liked.  We ate lunch at our favorite fast food joint (Good Times Burgers) and went to the Denver Aquarium again.  The kids love that place!

We stopped by Invesco Field and got Alex his first Bronco Hat and I got a jersey to wear when I watch the games this year, now I just need to find out who this Hillis guy is. (EDITED: Payton Hillis is cute!!  And old enough to be my love child)   Keith is really excited because after 8 years of being a Season Ticket Holder...they upgraded his seats and they are in a great location!

We had thought about taking the kids to Casa Bonita for lunch but decided against it...but we stopped by to vist the fountain on our way through town.

Uncle Andrew stayed home with the kids Saturday night while the rest of us when out to dinner.  In the years that we've been in Utah...our favorite Indian Restaurant moved and then closed.  We were really bummed until I discovered that Little India had opened in Belmar and we can now say that we have a favorite Indian place again.  Fabulous food, great service and yummy wine!  I tried Butter Chicken for the first time and it was fabulous!

Sunday morning I escaped and met my lovely friend Denise from Eat Play Love for breakfast.  She suggested a place that I am now in love with.  It's called Snooze and it's located just a few blocks from Coors Field (Go Rockies).  Click HERE to see pictures of the inside....it was so cool!  I adore Eggs Benedict and most times when I eat out if it's on the menu I'll order it because I NEVER make it at home.  This place does several versions of Eggs Benedict and we found out later that you can customize your order and get two different ones.  Denise and I both ordered the Bella Benny (not named for Twilight) and it was amazing!  Thin slices of prosciutto, brie cheese, and perfectly poached eggs on an english muffin...topped with cream cheese hollandaise sauce, balsamic glaze and arugula!  Snooze also has a full bar so I had the most amazing spicy bloody mary!

I spent the rest of the day relaxing, reading Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (I love this book!) while the men smoked meat.  We missed the fireworks because of thunderstorms but the kids were too tired anyway.  All in an all...a great 4th of July and trip.

Job Update:

Still haven't heard anything from The Dream Job...they seem interested in Keith and we're hoping that they are taking their time because they know that we're planning to move back at the end of summer.

Word on the street is that N.ASA may be regretting the decision to cancel Constellation (or they are realizing that they can't because Congress has to approve it) and there is a chance that they will just rename the project.  BIG SIGH  We can't take much more of this back and forth and after what I learned yesterday....I don't want my husband involved with NASA anymore.

NASA administrator Charlie Bolden gave an interview to al-Jazeera recently and he's quoted as saying that Obama had three objectives for him when he took the job.

One, he wanted me to help re-inspire children to want to get into science and math; (by CANCELING the space program) he wanted me to expand our international relationships; (by giving away our lead in space to China and Russia) and third, and perhaps foremost, he wanted me to find a way to reach out to the Muslim world and engage much more with dominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science, math, and engineering.

Reading about this development sent chills down my spine. It's time to pray hard...America is in trouble. My heart hurts because of what is happening with NASA and the space program.  Dreams, livelihoods and the future of our country are falling apart.

The Bachelorette:

I'm bored out of my mind.  I don't think Ali really likes any of these guys and neither do I.  Chris reminds me of a Golden Retriever and I just want him to roll over on his back and let her scratch his belly.  I just don't SEE anything between her and any of the guys.  I guess if I had to pick someone I'd say she's going to end up with Roberto.

 As for The Wrestler...good riddance!  I hope ABC paid that girl a pretty penny for handing over her voice mails.  What a douche!  I liked Ty...but as soon as he said that he and his wife broke up because she had ambition and he wanted a traditional marriage....I knew he wasn't the one for her.

I hope that we've now seen the last of Jake and Vienna.  I never want to see Vienna's stupid face again.  And gosh Jake...why weren't you calling Vienna's creepy Dad?  I think Jake is fake and nothing like the guy we first saw on Jillian's season.

Speaking of Jillian....oh crap.  She and my Ed have broken up.  I hope he didn't break her heart too badly.

I'll Be There For You.....

If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you.  A.A. Milne 

During my trip to Colorado last week....I made more of an effort to take time for myself. Of course, I'd hoped I'd have more time because I wanted to go to the Boulder/Broomfield area and visit Denise and Cari but time goes so very fast on vacation that I didn't get to. Sorry guys! Next time....

On our way to Denver, we stopped in my old hometown of Greeley. I took Calvin to my old neighborhood and we shared a vanilla shake at the Drive Inn.  It had been way too long since I'd seen my friends and their families. Anne* and Kathy* have been my BFF's for the last 15 years. Through marriages, births of children, and a couple divorces. These girls were with me and helped me through one of the darkest times of my life and I'll love them forever.

Kathy, Me and Anne

A post about girlfriends wouldn't be complete without talking about my day out with Robert*.  He took me to brunch at this cute little place in Cap Hill (more about this later on my food blog, subscribe...so you don't miss it.) and then we went shopping at The Cherry Creek Mall.  We had a blast!  He tried to make me try on a $137,000 ring at Tiffany's, but I refused because if I touched it, I'd want it.  Here we are modeling the latest hat fashion's from Anthropology.

Me and Rob

One night, I went to a bar.  I was going to meet a couple gals that I had worked with previously and a brand new friend that I met on twitter.  Katherine* and I worked at the collection agency together and became fast friends when we discovered that we didn't like most of the people we worked with.  Every morning we'd go down to the coffee shop in our building and grab a coffee and bagel and talk a mile a minute...and then we would talk more at each other's desk.  We also both had a crush on our boss Ken. Martha* didn't come...canceling at the last minute.  Bummer.

 

Me and Katherine

I love meeting new people that I've gotten to know from my blog and twitter.  I'd recently become acquainted with Tina from My Lipstick Life and I was so excited when I found out that she lived in Denver.  She agreed to come out to the bar, even though her daughter was very concerned about her meeting a stranger from the internet.  LOL!  Have you ever met someone for the first time and feel like you've known them forever?  Tina and I could have chatted all night!  AND Kat and Tina live in the same neighborhood and now they are going to be friends too.  Isnt' that awesome?

 

Tina!

*These people do not have blogs OR Tweet.  Crazy right? 

P.S.  I'm noticing a trend here....I only wear black and aqua. Three different outfits....same colors.  Funny!

Santa and The Color Purple

Hey everyone! It's been a crazy couple of days...staying really busy and visiting friends. Yesterday was all about the kids! We decided it was finally time for them to meet Santa.  Someone please tell me if not allowing parents to photograph their kids with Santa is the norm?  I refused to pay for their photo packages so I snuck across the way and took my own pictures.

Mallory was too afraid to sit by Santa but when he asked her what she wanted for Christmas she said a Pink Bicycle!  And then he fist bumped her.  That Santa is a cool dude.

Alex had a great chat with Santa about the trains he owns and the one's he wants. I was most impressed that this Santa knows his stuff....Alex said pink train and he knew it was named Rosie.

We also went to the Denver Aquarium in Downtown Denver.  The kids loved seeing all of the fish and were surprised to see Tigers there too.  We had lunch in their restaurant and were able to sit right next to the giant fish tank that takes up half of the eatery.

We ate with the Fishies.

Mallory and I left the boys in the Apple store and we went searching for a purple dress.  She just loves the color purple and wanted a dress to add to her now growing collection.  We hit the mother load in Macy's and she ended up selecting a beautiful dark purple knit sweater.  She was so much fun to shop with and I'm so thrilled that she is my shopping buddy!

We also needed to visit Invesco Field at Mile High because the kids needed some Bronco Gear.  We suspect that we are responsible for the Bronco's decline over the last four weeks because our children didn't have proper attire.

You just wait until Thursday.  GO BRONCOS!

Today...we're going shopping again.  The Target in Ogden was completely sold out of any size 7 shoes for poor Mally (due to the baby boom of 2007) and now I need some boots since I fell in a snow bank yesterday.

I'm a Heathen...Get Me Out of Here!

I liked Mama Kat's list of prompts this week. One of them spoke to me more than the others.

Where would you like to be?

I think I've made it pretty clear that we don't feel like we belong in Utah. I've never lived anywhere in my life where my religion was a basis for people talking to me and it's hard to deal with. I'm really concerned for the kids....I don't want them to be excluded or shunned because they are different. Life is hard enough....

I would like to be in Colorado....Denver to be exact.

I love downtown Denver and we are huge Bronco Fans. My hubby has had season tickets with his best friend from childhood for 7 years. He travels to several games every winter.


My favorite place to hike....the Boulder Flat Irons. I once hiked 9 miles here while on a date.

This is my favorite restaurant...The Red Square Bistro. Calvin and I have celebrated our anniversary here twice and ended up pregnant days later...both times.

Here's my dream house...in a fabulous neighborhood. It's only a cool million.

I know my dream will come true....someday.