Basketball and headaches

I am not sure if my allergies are to blame or dehydration or hormones, but I have had a headache going on three days! Therefore, I don't feel much like writing but wanted to give a quick shoutout to my Denver Nuggets!! Way to make it past the first round..... Mig and I rode our bikes down to the tavern and watched the awesomeness last night. Although we got home late, it was well worth it! Sorry New Orleans. Better luck next time and probably with a new coach ;)

What a Weekend!

This past weekend proved to be a solid balance of productivity and fun! Here's how it went:

Friday:

I was pleasantly surprised by an early phone call from Miguel; he giddily announced that he had won tickets to the Opera (his very first) and a $25 gift certificate (to a pub) from a local radio station. Woo woo! Miguel has been on a winning streak as of late, but this is the best prize yet! He was given the choice of 4 different dates for the Opera "Cosi fan tutte," a work by Mozart; he chose Saturday night/Opening night.

The rest of the day:

Did yard work, posted free furniture on craigslist,set up pick-up times for items, Mig arrived home, dashed off to claim his prize from a tall building downtown, bought new brake pads for my car, arrived home, Miguel installed new brake pads, lady came and picked up free stuff, ran around with dogs, took car for a test drive, stopped by friend's house, another friend called, left first friend's house, went to second friend's house, watched hockey game, laughed, went home, ate a late dinner, watched half a movie, went to bed.

Saturday:

Woke up early to a very chilly morning and set out for a long walk (almost 2 hours) with the dogs, decided we were hungry, wanted to use our gift certificate for lunch, went down to the pub, discovered that it is a booze only (besides the bags of chips behind the bar) bar and is one of the last in Colorado where you can smoke cigars and cigarettes, liked the atmosphere, pulled up a table, sat down to watch the Nuggets vs. Hornets-Game 3, enjoyed ourselves $20 worth of beer and chips, Nuggets lose by one point a few hours later, had plenty to drink (we didn't end up using the whole $25 and the bartender was able to keep the rest as a cash tip, win/win), made our way home, made/ate a batch of afternoon/after beer pancakes, got ready for our fancy night on the town.

The Opera:

Got a little lost downtown, became late, found (what we thought was) a sweet parking spot, wandered aimlessly in parking garage trying to find stairs/elevator, found stairs, got confused with all the different theaters in the Performing Arts Complex, asked lady for directions, arrived just in time to be seated, found our seats to be awesome, realized the person sitting directly behind us (in the box) is Ellie Caulkins herself (the theater is named The Ellie Caulkins Opera House), suddenly sat up straighter, show began, watched, laughed, Intermission, grabbed a cup of coffee and water, returned to seats, made speculations about the ending, watched the rest of the Opera, talked about the ending, left the theater, drove home continuously rehashing the experience, arrived home still wired, ripped off fancy clothes and replaced with pajamas, played with dogs, talked a little more, watched half a movie, fell asleep.

Sunday:

Rode bikes to the library and grocery store, found killer deal on pork chops, rode home, Mig's chain fell off, he walked the rest of the way (it was a super short distance and I had the groceries in the basket on my bike), made/ate lunch, did dishes, picked up house, cleaned out the closets, separated clothes into give away and a cut up for quilt piles, made painting/gift for friend's birthday, Mig played bass, Mig fixed computer cord, made/ate snacks, laughed, half watched movie while doing other things, read for an hour before bed, slept.

These shirts were in the 'give-away' pile, I just had to see Mig in them first! Ha Ha.

Save-the-Date

I have been battling myself all morning in a quest to decide what to write about today. After a lengthy tennis match of ideas in my head, I decided on posting our Save-the-Date cards. I really need to upgrade my flickr account and get some of the photos online.

Anyway here are our handmade cards that were sent out to some of our friends/family; they were time-consuming (like most DIY projects) and we wanted to keep costs down, so only a few were made.

If you are a member of our close friends/family and did not receive a hard copy of one of these- this is your Save-the-Date. We love you.

You can find the tale of Miguel and Cindy (if you don't already know it) under the post titled, Love Story.

Out with the old....

In with the new.

Last Monday I began a ritual some like to call, 'Spring Cleaning'. However, my reasoning for this sudden urge to purge is stemmed from much more than a need to be clean. I figure, I am turning 30 in a few months, getting married in a few more after that and finally leaving CO shortly thereafter.

That's right I said we are leaving Colorado. I have never lived elsewhere and I want to start my new life somewhere new. Colorado is an amazing state and has nothing to do with this desire; simply put, I'm a wannabe vagabond at heart and have felt imprisoned by 'adult' responsibilities for a very long time. Actually, I have wanted to leave for many, many years but sure am glad I stayed to meet Miguel. We aren't sure where we're going to live just yet, but we have a plan to help us figure it out.

So over the next few months this blog will likely morph into a time capsule/memory lane with some spurts of wedding stuff. For instance, last week my mother and I decided we are going to make my wedding dress (which allows me to custom fit each part and therefore don't need to struggle with traditional ladies attire).

Cheers to a good week for all! Stay tuned for some much needed humor from my wild past and crazy idyllic present/future. I'm thinking if I work it right I may be able to post daily and really bump up the ol' writing skills.

Silly Cards and Hamburger Buns

Ha! I finally uploaded pictures of the Welcome Home card I made for my sister, which reminded me of how funny I think I am.

Yes, that is my white face on Giselle's tan, thin body and Miguel's head on a lady with a chainshaw. Old school PhotoShop, except the word captions are pop-up style for a 3-D feel.

In other news: today is cold, wet and snowy so I thought the use of a crockpot would be a nice touch.

I decided on bbq chicken made from legs and thighs (started with bones but tore the meat off once cooked). After envisioning shredded chicken swimming in bbq sauce, I decided fresh baked hamburger buns were necessary. I found a wonderful recipe for buns here http://rosas-yummy-yums.blogspot.com/2006/10/world-bread-day-2006-hamburger-buns.html.

I followed the directions mostly; forgot to add the butter. The end result was awesome regardless. My fridge is still broken so were just trying to get by with random creative snacks (that unfortunately are not very healthy).

Another Wednesday

I always find it amazing when an entire week has squeeked by without me even realizing it. This week has gotten off to a slow start, mostly because of my wandering mind. Our refrigerator is on the fritz and I am just praying that it comes back to us soon; I had to throw out a ton of recently purchase perishable items, boo. In other news, today is the last day of rabbit ears TV for us forever. We have simply decided to forgo the transition to digital and remove the tv from the living room entirely. It is on a cart with wheels so if we need it for a movie, the old tube will still be accessible. Hopefully the area will feel like more of a reading/study/work room rather than where we gather to rot our brains. Will update with pictures soon.

Dream big

Ha! A week filled with surprises and wonderment. I drove to Boulder yesterday to take care of some things and as I was driving there my mind wandered to chicken curry. When I arrived at my friend's home to pick him up, he invited me in for lunch: chicken curry, rice, spinach and dahl! They are from Nepal, so this grub was as authentic as you can get and absolutely delicious; exactly what I was hoping to eat. Our business was conducted without snags, our conversation was enlightening and the weather was beautiful. Just a good day all around.

Today has been great too. I had a crazy dream about throwing a huge party at my parents house while they were away and totally got busted when they arrived home early. The best part, they weren't upset at all and just laughed about it. Strange indeed, but a funny way to awake ;)

In the midst of my morning chores, I was pleasantly interrupted by a phone call from my Miggy. We were discussing the possibility of buying Rockies tickets for Opening Day tomorrow when he received a phone call on his work phone; I was put on hold. When he returned to me he explained that the other caller was his coworker who had just offered him Club Level Avalanche tickets for tonight's game against Dallas. We both just started laughing! What are the odds of that? Ask for tickets, receive tickets. So we are watching the Avs for free tonight and having a living room dance party tomorrow during the Rockies game!

Marvelous Martes

Today is stupendous! Another beautiful Colorado day. I spent my morning doing chores and creating funny things for fantastic friends. I will post pictures after they have received their gifts. As always, I am filled with gratitude and a love of life. Tonight's dinner will be breakfast. Miguel really wants pancakes so the menu will be: Banana Walnut Wheat Pancakes, Sweet Potato Hashbrowns (not sure how these will be) and an egg for protein.

Hope your Tuesday is terrific and best wishes for a yummy dinner ;)

Firsts

After a wild weekend and a couple funny dreams, my mind has wondered to the thought of a person's firsts. You know, their first words, first steps, first dance, first kiss, first love, etc. Well, I was reminded that just because we have a few more years under us, doesn't mean the firsts have to stop. For instance, on Friday night in the freezing rain, a car load of friends and I decided to do a 'fire drill' at a stop sign. Some may remember doing these at stop lights in high school: the driver abruptly stops and each passenger must leave their spot in search of a new seat (a musical chairs sort of game). You can tell that age and wisdom has caught up a bit though, for we didn't think it was safe to do at a stop light, so we decided a stop sign in a neighborhood would be equally as fun and much less dangerous. This little incident was the first for us all, and maniacal laughter ensued afterward. Good times.

I also spent a few hours yesterday engulfed in art. I have been thinking a lot about my wedding (another thing full of firsts; my first save-the-dates, my first engagement, my first wedding dress, etc). In thinking of the nuptials, I was inspired to test my skills as an artist and try drawing a sugar skull; our wedding is Dia de los Muertos themed, more on this in a later post. Anyway, after what I believe to be a great first try at drawing this colorful guy, I feel amazing. The point to all of this could be summed up as, never stop trying new things. Never stop having fun and pushing yourself to discover new areas of wonderment. If you don't try, you will never know what you're capable of! So enjoy each moment and never forget to appreciate all your firsts!

North Carolina

This post has two purposes: share about my road trip to Asheville, North Carolina and a quick highlight of another reason Miguel is so great.

First, my trip to the East. I had never visited North Carolina before and saw my buddy Kim's forced relocation there as the perfect opportunity. We packed up a Uhaul (during which all my recent yoga practice really came in handy), hitched up a tow dolly and loaded her Saturn Vue upon it (which is another story in itself). Finally around 2pm the two of us and her 15 year old dog, Callie, hit I-70. The first day was filled with the beautiful scenery of Kansas (anyone who has ever driven through Kansas can surely read into the sarcasm in this statement). Stopped for the night. Day 2 began with a rapid and enthusiastic visit to the exterior of the Kansas Speedway. Kim is a huge NASCAR fan and when she realized the speedway was right off the highway she squealed with excitement, "CAN WE GO??!?!?!" For emphasis on the humor in this, Kim was the one behind the wheel at the time and she was also the one moving and basically, the leader of this adventure. I laughingly responded with a shrug and the words, "of course!"

After the windy detour, we were back on the Interstate. We made it through the rest of Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky and finally stopped in Nashville, Tennessee for the evening. Note: I was in the midst of being tortured by an awful cold that was robbing me of energy, appetite and my voice. Next morning, I was very groggy after popping a couple Tylenol PM in the hopes of putting my sickness at bay for some much needed zzzzs. So, Kim took to the wheel and we headed for our final destination. After a bit of Interstate driving, our MapQuest directions sent us on a scenic byway, which we were unaware of until caught within a mountain canyon fully equipped with hairpin turns and steep inclines/declines. Absolutely the opposite of what we needed at that moment; a 17ft Uhaul pulling an SUV with two tired drivers and a dog with cabin fever. The stress started to get to us and Callie; at one point we had to pull over and switch drivers so that Kim could try to soothe her crazy pup.

Long story short (ha!), after a two hour extension to our drive time estimate, we arrived at Kim's new house in Weaverville, NC. This should have been a moment of celebration except for one small detail: her driveway entrance angle was too sharp for the Uhaul and trailer to directly access, the trailer would need to be backed up. Anyone who has ever tried to drive in reverse with something hitched to the rear should understand how this definitely cut the celebration of arrival short. Kim does not know how to do this trailer stuff, I do (thanks to my Dad and years in manual labor). And remember, I also have a horrible virus attacking me, sleep deprivation, exhaustion and a overly full bladder working against me. Yet somehow after a few bad tries and a nervously shaky leg, I succeeded in getting the Uhaul and tow dolly into Kim's driveway!!!! That's right, I'm a badass! Ha, take that crazy driveway and trailer with an SUV; I win!

Ok, so those are the most exciting parts of my trip. Otherwise I simply relaxed and enjoyed a vacation from life. I had no Internet, TV or car to distract me from reading and knitting. Two things made this trip one of the best ever though, 1) Getting to connect with Kim in a whole new way and take our friendship to another level, and 2) eating some of the yummiest food (hands down, the best Reuben from a great little pub Hannah Flanagan's and a wonderful lunch at Stoney Knob). Plus, I was able to experience a different state and truly appreciate the beauty of Asheville and surrounding areas, the views and the people. Thanks Kim for giving me the opportunity to gain new perspective and enjoy a much needed getaway! Here are some pictures of her new pad!

Now, onto my second purpose for this post. As I was uploading my NC pictures, I was delighted to find that Miguel had apparently made himself pizza from scratch while I was away and took some good shots of his work. How great is that? He actually cooked tasty/kinda healthy food for himself, proving that he likes my cooking and that he actually can follow directions!! Haha, just kidding. I'm just so proud of his beautiful accomplishment that I had to share it! Good job baby!!