Rocky Mountain State Park

aquarium

Today we took the kids to the Downtown Aquarium. They had an amazing time. Especially Lion! He can be kind of a moody little guy, but he was uber-excited today. Every single display, he was running around pointing out all the Nemos and Dorys and Gils and Mr. Rays and even all the minor characters from Finding Nemo.

Nemo and the Lion

And he saw sharks! The only thing in the whole place that scared him was this big animatronic orangutan we saw in the rainforest section. Notice how tightly he is clutching Jonathan's shirt. And how he would not turn his head to smile because he did not want to let that orangutan out of his sight.


This next picture is my absolute favorite. Jonathan took it, of the Lion watching the river otters playing. If you look closely you can see Lion's ecstatic little face in the reflection of the glass:


After the aquarium, we met up with one of Jonathan's friends from high school and her husband and two kids. I get so nervous about meeting new people, but she was so freakin' nice. And she had a nose ring and she used the word "seriously" even more than I do! I like her. And Blue just loves her little boy, who is four. We were at a pizza restaurant and Blue and the little boy, Elijah, were bouncing all over the place and playing under the table and stuff. It was awesome.

fabric

I finally ordered this fabric
to reupholster our dining room chairs. It took me forever to choose a fabric that is durable (this one is vinyl-coated) and that has a pattern that makes me happy. My problem is that I like so many different styles that it takes me forever to come to a decision, so that our place isn't going off into too many directions all at once, if you know what I mean.

So then tonight, I'm blogsurfing and I come across this photo on design*sponge:
Damn. I love the way Leona Jaeger painted some of the pattern onto the chair and now I am buggin' because I know my chairs will always pale in comparison to this.

the way we were

My friend Kristen had this on her blog, so I'm playing along. :)

The rules are simple:

1. Everyone leave a comment with a memory of me. Whether you've known me for a really long time or not long at all, you can add whatever you like! Something, anything!

2. If you continue it on your blog, then I'll come over and add a memory of you! And if you don't have blog, I'll tell my memory in the comments.

my dad

Yesterday I was in Borders and I almost bumped into a man that looked a lot like my dad. For a second, because I wasn't paying attention and because I was looking very hard for a very specific book, I thought he was my dad. And then I remembered. I am in Colorado and Dad is in Virginia. And I could have cried.

I have been thinking about Dad a lot lately. The thing is, I think he would love it here. Jonathan and I were driving through Golden a few weeks ago, listening to the O Brother Where Art Thou? soundtrack (which seemed like the perfect music to be listening to as we were driving over the grassy rolling hills) and I just kept thinking about my dad. I mean, that kind of music (I guess anything with a banjo or a fiddle, really) reminds me of him.

The sky goes on forever here. And the weather is so crisp and dry. And I see lots and lots of people golfing. Maybe the part of me that loves it so much here is the part of me that is my father's daughter.

settling in

Here are some pictures of our place. We still have random boxes lying around and I have barely begun to decorate, but here it is:
We put our massive buffet in the entry way. The little basket is a catch-all for Mabel's leash, our sunglasses and sunblock and loose change.

This is what you see as you come through the entry way:
Ta da! It is our dining area! And it needs some curtains. Desperately. I'm thinking pink. And I need to recover the chair cushions, too. Because they are ridiculously stained from the kids spilling food all over them. And because the toile might have looked nice in our house, but I want something less formal for the apartment. Less formal and possibly vinyl. And while I am at it, maybe a patio rug under the table to catch spills...

Anyway. To the right of the dining area is the living area:
(The picture on the table is of my dad as a boy.)
Jonathan found this massive tumbleweed while walking Mabel one day! And we just happened to need something on top of the tv cabinet, so there it sits.
My new bookcase is behind the couch. Jonathan's computer table is also behind the couch, so he can watch tv while he types. (Extra prints and boxes are over in the lefthand corner.)

Here's a view of the dining area from the living room. Hmmm... I think I need to raise that print a bit. It looks a little low.
See the boxes leaning against the wall? We have way too many prints to hang in this apartment! That sunny area over to the right is the door to our balcony. I have it open today because it is nice and cool and breezy outside.

We didn't have enough space for our books, so I only unpacked my favorites and I shelved all of Jonathan's books in this bookcase at the end of the hall. It was supposed to go in the Lion's room, but we'll just get him something else eventually. Perhaps. Sorry this picture is so blurry. I don't have the best camera.
And that's all I took for now...

a sad update

Well, it happened.  I just found out that the little boy back in Fredericksburg, whose sister was is Blue's ballet class, did indeed pass away.

I love this picture:

feeling blue

Blue got her hair cut yesterday. She decided she wanted shorter hair, "just like Lion's" but I convinced her that that was perhaps a little too short. So while we were in Wal-Mart picking up groceries, she got her hair cut in a sleek little bob. (I'll post pictures soon, I promise.)

It is very cute. I told Jonathan, she looks like some rich little private-school girl. But maybe that's because her haircut reminds me of Madeline.

I was feeling a little blue last night. Which is bound to happen a lot, I'm sure, but it still isn't much fun. I know we haven't been here long enough to have made friends yet, but still. I think it is not going to be very easy for me. To find friends, I mean. I really miss my friends and my family.

I got Monarch of the Glen, series 3, part 3 in the mail from Netflix yesterday and I put the kids down for a nap and watched all 4 episodes. And that made me homesick for Olivia and Adrienne. I said to Jonathan last night, "Where will I find friends who love Jane Austen and British television out here?" He smiled and said there are women like that everywhere and that I will find them but we've only been here 2 weeks. And I know he is right, but I still couldn't help feeling sad.

I am very lucky that my husband is also my best friend, but I miss just calling Olivia and telling her to come on over. I miss her just walking in the front door without knocking and the kids going apeshit with excitement.

This move is going to be an enormous challenge for me. Growing up, I went to school with the same people since kindergarten so I never had to make any sort of effort to make new friends. And I am blessed to still be very close to my best friends, Andrea, Lesley, Christina and Amy. I love them so much.

And I met all the DWAFS while working at Borders. And we were all so young and went out after work and we all already knew we shared a love of books and movies because we chose to work surrounded by them. So now, if I tried to have some part time job at Borders (not that I would yet because then I wouldn't see Jonathan very much) but even if I tried, I would be this old mom who no one would ask out drinking after work anyway. Not that I need to meet my friends in a bar, or anything. That's not what I mean. I can't express myself very well today.

I made friends in college. Wonderful friends. But I don't even remember how that happened. We were just thrown together the first couple of days before school started and it was like being at summer camp or something. We were together 24/7.

I try to be friendly everywhere I go, like yesterday at this AMAZING mall I went to with the kids. I was chatty with any and every woman I passed. I was in the elevator with some other moms-with-strollers and I would smile and make small talk and then ding! the doors would open and we would go our separate ways. And I'm sure I'm just being impatient. It'll happen. I mean, who doesn't have friends, right?

But Olivia, Roxanna, Kris, Adrienne, Katherine, Elisa, Barbra, Leila, Karen, Kathy, Christina, Amy, Shannon, Sam, Diana, Velvet and Elizabeth ... I miss you guys.

my new car

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

I cannot get over how beautiful it is here. Will I ever be able to just glance at the mountains in the distance and not feel my heart swell?

Last weekend, my first weekend in Colorado, Jonathan and I took the kids to the most amazing zoo.


It is funny. Since we have both only ever lived in Virginia, we cannot help comparing every single aspect of life out here to life back there. And we both admitted that we figured any zoo we ever visited would pale in comparison to the National Zoo. I mean, it's the National Zoo. The zoo of our nation. It has panda bears.

But this zoo is better. It's called the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. We went ahead and became members of the zoo upon entering, because we figured we will go there often and after 2 visits, the yearly membership will have paid for itself.

The entire time, I kept thinking, I am so glad we joined the zoo so we can come here any time we want! It is about an hour away, in Colorado Springs. And the zoo is on the mountainside, so you walk up and down and it is so cool and breezy and shady. The day we went, it was 65 degrees. There is a big ski-lift that you can ride up the mountain and look down on the animals. (No, we did not ride up that with Blue and the Lion!) It seems like a rather small zoo, but they have so many animals... And there was so much for the kids to do. There are pony rides, a petting zoo, an antique carousel,


and the kids were able to feed and pet the giraffes.


We had such a great time! The zoo is open year-round so I was thinking we may go there for the Lion's birthday this year, since he loves The Lion King so much and was so excited to see a real lion--ahem, hence, his nickname.

Happy 5th of July

We didn't make it to the fireworks last night.

Lion had an ear infection before we came out to Colorado and he was pretty fussy yesterday so I figured it was back. Since we have only been here a week, I haven't even really looked for a pediatrician yet (slacker) and since it was the fourth of July I knew none of them were open anyway. So Lion and I spent a while in a 24-hour Emergency Clinic yesterday afternoon. And discovered he does indeed have another ear infection.

So we started a new round of antibiotics last night and he went to bed early.

While the Lion and I were out, Jonathan and Blue and Mabel took not one but two long walks, so Blue (and Mabel) also went to bed early.

Jonathan and I stayed up half the night watching a "Jaws" marathon on tv.

thanks a lot, Lion

I realized last night while getting ready for bed that someone had put a Little Einsteins sticker on the back of my skirt. So for who knows how long, I was walking around with a sticker on my butt that said "Mission Completion!"

Cabbage Ramen Noodle Salad

1 package coleslaw mix
4 green onions, sliced
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 package Ramen noodles, broken into pieces

dressing:
1/2 cup oil
3 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 Ramen noodle seasoning packet

Combine all ingredients, except for the Ramen noodles, and chill for several hours.

Before serving, add the noodles and mix.

Leila's mom made this for our good-bye cookout at George and Leila's and it was so delicious. Very light and refreshing. A nice alternative to the more traditional, heavier potato salads and noodle casseroles and perfect for hot weather. I made a batch today to have with dinner and I can hardly wait! We are going to go to a nearby neighborhood after dinner that supposedly has awesome views of Aurora to watch the big fireworks display. That way, we figure we won't get stuck in traffic when the show is over so we can get the kids to bed. And by "the kids," I mean Jonny and I, because we have been very tired lately!

weather's beautiful, wish you were here

The first thing I have to say about living in Colorado is this: the weather is AMAZING.

When I was still in Virginia, and Jonathan was already here with Mabel, he was warning me over the phone that it was hot here. He kept telling me that everyone he had spoken to complained to him about the heat. To those people, I say "pppfffffffftttt."

It is not hot here. It is gorgeous. The air is so crisp and dry. It may be warm out, but there is a constant, constant breeze. And no mosquitoes. Well, I did manage to find one the other night, because for some reason the stupid things are drawn to me. Maybe because I am so white. I am like a beacon.

But we can sit out on our balcony and it is so cool and breezy. I keep telling Jonathan that it reminds me of being at the beach.

The locals here think it is hot. Lucky fools. There are all these warnings on the news about taking care to drink lots of water and not to overdo it blahblahblah, and I am sitting here thinking, "Are you kidding me?" We went to the zoo last weekend with the kids and since we were about 1000 feet higher in elevation, it was even cooler. It was 65 degrees out! People were walking around in shorts and tank tops and I was wearing jeans and a light jacket. I kept repeating myself to Jonny: "I cannot believe I am wearing a jacket in June!"

a cry in the night

I spent 3 hours on my cell phone today trying to get our stupid internet connection straightened out. Hi. I'm back online at last. But I am way too tired to really sit here and blog. But I wanted to share this little story.

Jonathan woke us both up in the middle of the night the other night, yelling, "Sons of bitches!"

I touched his arm and asked him if he was okay and he grunted that some dudes were breaking into our car. Once I knew he was awake and okay, I burst into giggles. And I couldn't stop. It was just so ... so sudden: "Sons of bitches!" I mean, who says that?!

He didn't find it funny at all. (He does now. "Sons of bitches!" has become a running joke now.) But at the time, he flipped dramatically onto his side, turning his back to me as I lay there gasping and wheezing.

Then he said, in an ominous voice: "I hope you fart."