Playing Dress Up

Lately I get so excited to provide Miss M with opportunities to dress up that I forget that I need a little dress up too. Actually that's not true, I've been working the heals and skirts when we go out because I don't have any "work" dress up in my life these days.

Thankfully Chris and Cullen (aka The Landrum Family - logo design to come) provided just the opportunity to for us to put on the shine when they invited us to the National Guard Association of Colorado Military Ball. Once I returned the tight black cocktail dress that had me looking like Rodney Dangerfield, I remembered an old reliable I had in my closet from our Wedding. It's one of those dresses that feels so comfortable, sexy and fun to have on. It has literally been years since I curled my hair (and once I did I remembered why: my hair won't curl). For his part, I had to break D's heart when I explained he couldn't wear his nice tan suit since it was a black tie affair; still the old guy cleaned up well. He was no match for Tricia, Chris, and Deb - who were all rockin' it. And I would fail if I didn't give a shout out to Cullen in a tux, which I probably haven't seen since their wedding in 1990.

It was a great night. We learned about things we should already be familiar with, like what these National Guard volunteers contribute and we even got to see a photo of William Gilpin. It was certainly impressive to see Rob in his element and hear (with some prodding) his stories about the medals he earned. I'm embarrassed to admit I take for granted the freedoms so many others fight for every day and I'm grateful!

I'm also embarrassed that my photos as of late have been really sucking (more so... because I can't find my camera and have been using my phone). Needless to say, the lighting in the pre-party room wasn't the best and I felt like we were in one of those bad photo taking time space continums. Still, here are a few shots from the night.

J cracks me up... along with Chris' expression
A much nicer photo but I had to keep him running away in the background
The shot I sent to Nancy to show miss M - the obligatory "my parents are at a fancy ball" photo
Sergeant Major Rob Lawrence speaking to the crowd

I'm On The Hunt I'm After You

Hungry Like the Wolf - Duran Duran

Leave it to me to be off mark about a neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt. Saturday morning I was driving over to Nancy's house humming Hungry Like the Wolf in my head as I explained to Miss M about the activity that was in her near future. I pictured ruthless little kids kicking my sweet little spring bud over to get a plastic egg full of cheap candy. Thankfully, it was neither as intense or as amazonly sexual as I imagined. In fact, it was a gorgeous day surrounded by a bunch of people longing for the same thing as me: an experience for my child to remember. 


We arrived shortly before they cut the pink ribbon for the "Under 3" section. Once they did, a flurry of parents and children careened towards the grass section where seemingly the Easter Bunny had flagrantly spewed eggs all over the ground. There was lots of hand holding and slowly picking up eggs. Some of the three year olds had full baskets while M was working on her three that I gingerly knocked some kid over to get. I was pretty put off to find each egg we picked up was empty. Of course I was thinking some bastard took the candy and threw back the egg until I realized all the eggs were empty (and we were dealing with three year olds at best). Once the hunt was over, each kid returned their eggs to the table and got a "treat" from the Easter Bunny. The hunt was starting to seem much "greener" and user-friendly than I anticipated. M loved her new notebook and pencil and only ended up with one miniature box of nerds (impressive since I would have cursed the sugar riddled experience otherwise). I really couldn't moan anymore.


Except that here is where my 70s roots kick in: I long for the good old fashioned egg hunt we had in our yard every year with the eggs we decorated ourselves. Sure it meant a basket full of mostly hard boiled eggs and of course as a kid, I longed to go on one of the coordinated hunts in a large lush park. After a few years, I found the predictability of a guaranteed egg in the little metal gutter coming out of our front garden planter or the one on the back of our mailbox too easy to locate. Thinking back now though, I love the idea of my parents coordinating the experience and inviting the neighbor kids to join in the fun. The older kids got to have the distinct honor of hiding the eggs, the younger ones got to hunt. It seems so much more intimate and fun that way.


I'm not a fan of crowds - the older I get, the more true that statement holds. Sure this was a great experience, but I think our future spring celebrations will include a close group of kids, like the ones we arrived with. Call me old fashioned that way but I will bring back the simplicity and utilitarianess of the 70s with pride.

Spring Break

We've been hanging with some of our favorite folks the past two days. Yesterday, we made our way down to the Littleton Museum where we saw donkeys, cows, turkeys, sheep, and a cat. Three brand new baby lambs cuddled in to their mommas, close to the fence. Miss M kept crouching down and standing up, saying, "Hi. Hi." and waving with an open/closed hand wave (not like the queen). I watched in excited amazement as one little lamb tottered and hopped, finding balance on it's new legs. It was a first for me.


The morning had a slow kind of feel. We took time to imagine what it would be like to go to school and write on slate boards with chalk (the original ipad) or ride a wagon 15 miles to Denver City for the day. Some of us even relished the fun of jumping through haystacks. It was like we were pioneers living in the 1800s; holding our hands out to shade our face and stopping to pull hay out of our shoes. It didn't even feel right to bust out my phone to take photos.


What these three don't already know is that they are on a great adventure, paving the way everyday. I only wish they had each other's loyal, adventurous companionship at every turn. Later in the park, we watched them play together and run down the hill. I looked at Meg and said, "It's practically like Little House we just need some tall grass." We were laughing about it but the memory now makes me beam: outside on a sunny spring day, me and my kin with my gold standard and her lovely kids... could life be any better?


Friday found us hanging out with some pizza, salad, ice cream, and a pretty good bottle of Loyal Companion Chardonnay from Cru Vin Dogs Wine Group, my new favorite. It was an easy happy hour with a new twist - the kids. Tack that to my latest schtick (for anyone under 35), "who wants to ride the scooter?" and I wouldn't trade it for the world. Watching Miss M mimic little L's words or holding hands with big M as they go to find something to play with truly sets me right. Then I look across the table at my good friend, relaxed enough to let a curse word slip, and we sink back in to some silly talk about famous people, new music, and what we will do when I win the Mega Millions lottery.

Bubbles

We met Julie and K & A and Lori and C & G for a play date at the Denver Children's Museum, a place we visit every other week these days. It's so fun to watch the kids play together, especially since M interacts with them more now that she's older.

These days, when we visit the Children's Museum, the bubble room is a must. Her favorite right now is the bubbles filled with steam. When they pop, it seems like a little magic spell has happened. It's pretty fantastic. But her curiosity has been moving towards the "bubble cube", where kids can stand inside a bubble room by pulling a cube attached to a rope. This photo was caught just before miss M stepped in the "moat" of bubbles. Her shoe and pant leg got entirely drenched. I figured there really wasn't anything I could do about it, so she walked around the museum the rest of the day making mini bubbles as she stepped. It reminded me of something out of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Herding Cats


We hung out at Nancy's house when the incomparable Emily was in town. I was excited for a night of funny conversation and of course the kids had a great time too. We layed them down on the bed to catch a photo of all three of them; of course it was like herding cats. This one above is Photoshoped so I can get all three in the same timezone.

It's fun to watch miss M and H playing together more and more. They joke with each other too - that silly toddler humor that's so wackadoo and non-sensical and seems completely elitist unless your "in on the joke." Still, as I read them night time stories, they continued to make each other laugh and I relished in the development of humor and the cousin bond.

Sheep in a Carousel

We went up to Nederland for our "fairly annual" Frozen Dead Guy Days visit. This year, D wanted to park the Swinger up there so we drove up Saturday morning with Megan and met him and Dean. The wind was horrible; on our way out of Boulder a sign warned that all the events had been canceled for the day. Still we went and hung out in the motor home. We got to see the very short parade that took place but for the most part, being outside was painfully funny at best.


Channan and Barbara came by to say hi. They're moving back to San Fran and it was the last time to hang out before they go. Bart, Suzie and little G came up to hang out as well. Thankfully Suzie found the super cute Carousel of Happiness to take the girls for a ride on. It passed the time and got us out of the tight quarters of the Swinger for a bit. It was little G's first time taking a spin - I think she liked it. M is old hat at this point but now she can say "bah" when I ask her what a sheep says - she's very good with animal sounds these days. It might have something to do with repeat readings of Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy Shaw (one of our favorites these days).



Me lika Mizuna

To be honest, I'm not a foodie; I wish I were. I admire foodies. They seem like cool people who never have to say they're cool to be cool. They just silently take in the moment, taste it for all it's worth and notice the fine nuances. I'm not that subtle and neither is my pallet. Since I can't really smell anything, my schnauze ruins most things I really want to taste. I use my eyes more in the eating experience because of this. It's why I like color and contrast on a plate. Still D holds firm to the idea that he can expose me to the finer foods in life.



A few weeks ago, he took me out to the incomparable Mizuna for dinner. It was inspiring to say the least. Upon sitting down, I felt like we were whisked away in to a dream of what you imagine the most wonderful date dinner to be: a quaint, hip restaurant; a friendly waiter; unbelievable food presented in the most interesting ways; long-legged wines courtesy of a well-seasoned sommelier; and the sheer joy of a full belly of good food and drink as you sit across from an attractive companion.



Since D knows so many people over there, we were visited by faces entrenched in the scene. It seemed like clockwork the way the evening flowed and they stopped by the say hello. It was impressive; I told him later in the meal, if we weren't married and just on any old Friday night date, he probably would be getting lucky.



This was food and ambiance as an art form. It was taken to a high level by people who perfect what degree to prepare the food at, how to make it unique and interesting, how to seamlessly deliver the enjoyment of the experience to your own personal space within their confines. Every person is at the top of their game: mastering their profession, believing in the company, helping people enjoy a night out on the town. Who cares if it's cow town Denver; I felt like we were in Manhattan. Good meals have no boundaries.



In fact, I was nervous that I wasn't sheik or foodie enough to rise to the occasion. D grimaced at the idea of me taking photos of the courses. He made me promise no flash (please, I don't shine my gold teeth in public). Still, I'm left wanting when I sit reviewing the night in photos. The experience itself is one beautiful photo in my head though I wish my morsel memory was stronger. I wish I could remember the flavors more distinctly and how the wine accompanied them. I wish I was savvy enough to order a five-course meal in perfect, complimenting flavors to match the standards of what each person in that restaurant brings to the table. To say to the staff, I too like food as much as you. But I don't understand food the way these people do. It made me feel lacking - in a good way; in the way I get inspired to be a better person in my daily life when I'm faced with people flourishing passionately in theirs. In the way it made me go home and want to make flavored butter to serve on the table to my guests.


If as Bonanno says, "Every night is theater; we’ll want to give a better show next time". I say, it was all I could do not to walk out of Mizuna clapping.

Quack It Up

Since I haven't been able to sift through the California pictures quite yet, I'm going completely literal with the Photo Friday posting this week. I'm including what we were doing exactly one Friday ago. Sophia and Little L took us to feed the ducks. L was half way through throwing the loaf of bread while miss M just stood there eating a slice and watching all the flapping. Those birds are fed well and have no sense of personal space. It was pretty awesome.


Sophia caught this shot of all four of us, which I love.