Wisdom to my Friends

1. When you are sad, I will jump on the person who made you sad like a spider monkey jacked up on Mountain Dew!!!

2. When you are blue,I will try to dislodge whatever is choking you.

3. When you smile,I will know you are plotting something that I must be involved in.

4. When you're scared, we will haul ass out of here.

5. When you are worried, I will tell you horrible stories about how much worse it could be until you quit whining, ya big baby!!!!

6. When you are confused, I will use little words.

7. When you are sick,Stay the hell away from me until you are well again. I don't want whatever shit you have...

8. When you fall, I'll pick you up and dust you off-- After I laugh my ass off!!


9. This is my oath...


I pledge it to the end.


'Why?' you may ask;

-- because you are my FRIEND

Fondue Party

A Recap of the Party emailed by the host the next day...

Hey guys,

Overall results from Saturday's party are in. (17 adults attending)

16 Bottles of Wine Consumed
2 Cases of Beer polished off
Unknown amounts of micro brew consumed (6 pack of blue moon, found some fat tire, etc...)

Party raged until 3:00 A.M.

Party Highlights:

1. Chick did a header into the cement floor in my garage after getting to drunk to stand up playing Beruit. Reduced to only being able to reply to every question by saying, "Woooo!"
2. Loss of vehicle keys, prompting me to give someone a ride to their house at 2:30 in the morning to get their extra set. We still haven't found their keys.
3. Keith loosing an eye to the fondue pot
4. Derek branding himself
5. Dan got married to and divorced from a girl he just met in the span of one night (New Muniz record!). Later on, we found out this woman was as fictitious as his date.
6. Numerous people's last point of remembrance was Limoncello
7. 7 Three to Six year old girls tearing up the upstairs completely unsupervised and sugared to the hilt. :) (Orange and White nerd candies filled up half of my vacuum cleaner yesterday and I was picking sticky eye balls off the ceiling (not easy for a short a$$ such as myself))

Thanks for coming by and making this party a great time again this year.

Please submit suggestions for next year so we can make it even better. A gravity bong has already be requested.

Mike

House Guest...

Found this guy hanging out in the garage today; Laura was kind enough to capture him for me (slight case of arachnophobia on my end). We kept him captive until Sam was home to enjoy him. I suspect he is a wolf spider who now lives in the ditch beside our house.

Pumpkin Bisque.... YUM

Costco sells a truly tasty Pumpkin Bisque that we ravaged the last few years. I was feeling adventurous last night and decided to make my own.... YUM.
This is the first of 4 recipes that I'm test driving...
http://www.recipezaar.com/Thanksgiving-Pumpkin-Bisque-11955

For ease, I replaced the fresh pumpkin with a can of puree, and reduced the stock from 6 cups to 4 cups. Can't emphasize how fast and easy it was to make. Oh and next time I will reduce the amount of lemon called the recipe called for, I LOVE lemon, but we either got a very flavorful one, or 2 tbls is slightly too much.

Five on Sunday

1. Big Progress on the Waterfall... We have flowing water!! (with one minor leak problem that needs to be corrected) We put in a 2000 gph pump, but might consider upgrading if we can find something in between our current size and Lowe's next size (3600 gph - wowzers!). The pressure seems to be perfect, but we want slightly more volume on the right hand side (visualize a thin 'sheet' of water. We went out Saturday night (leaving the pump running) and came home to a very dry reservoir; after a little snooping around on Sunday, Sam realized that the seams we created between a few sections of liner were not sealing very well. A trip to Home Depot delivered a new cement "specifically formulated for bonding PVC sheeting" - hopefully we'll be able to put it together before the first snow hits.

2. Lilly and Pepper have become best buds. Each morning they spend a few minutes sitting with each other and catching up on their lives. Lilly regularly practices her 'hugging' skills on Pepper - I hope to capture this on film soon - it's simply the most heart warming thing that two 'mothers' can share. Sam and I weren't sure how the dogs would do with a baby in the house to begin with; we've been pleasantly surprised that Pepper is a natural mother - patient, tolerant, and affectionate.

3. Sam and I went to a Wine Tasting & Tapas Party on Saturday night. We had icewine riesling for the first time. If you've never tried it... you must! It was similar to a sparkling cider that had gone flat (or a mix of apple and grape juice that was slightly soured). Absolutely my new favorite thing to promote. Details on what makes it so special:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_wine

4. Hallie's trip down memory lane. When Hallie was a puppy (as in 42 lbs at 13 weeks old), she would sit in the front window like a cat with all four feet in the window. As she got older she began to push on the window and thankfully she eventually was too big to balance in the window. Recently, she decided this was a good idea again, albeit she couldnt get all 115 lbs and 4 feet on the actual sill again.

5. Sunday evening Hallie was on the back deck barking at the neighbors roof line. I tried to bring her inside and she insisted that something was up there - search as I might, I saw nothing. For 15 minutes she stood inside the kitchen door still as a stone staring out the door. Sam came in the room and instantly figured out what she was sooooo worked up about. A giant Owl hanging out - Sam managed to capture a few grainy shots and a short video clip - cool animal!

Headbutts

Mike, Laura & Lilly arrived back from their trip this week. Lilly has grown into a little person - Sam and I just can't get over how much she has changed in 2 months. Most children learn to gives hugs & kisses... Lilly, being the advanced little girl that she is.... gives hugs, kisses and headbutts. Her hugs and kisses seem to be reserved for the people she's most comfortable with, but headbutts - well those are just fun endless give-aways.

Waterfall update....

I haven't had time to post very much lately... we've been working hard in the backyard... and here is the fruit of our labor... We're only about 1/2 way done, but so far we're pleased with our novice progress...

Added a few Juniper shrubs, a butterfly bush and some grasses....
And for the grand finale... I will remind you what it originally looked like for a side by side comparison:

Five over the Weekend - With Rachelle

Rachelle came to visit this past weekend....

5 things we did:

1. Coors Brewery Tour... kind of speaks for itself.

2. Downtown Denver.... We hit up Fado's (a huge Irish pub) and watched the ball game let out, spilling people all over downtown. After a yummy Boxty appetizer and a few drinks we walked to Cowboy Lounge for some good 'ol country music - where they mostly played club hip hop stuff.. despite several attempts we ended up with only this one good picture up my nose..

3. Breckenridge - Rachelle talked me into a very brave adventurous mountain bike trip down Peak 8 Fun Park.... for being a scaredy cat and not very experienced on a bike... I actually had a really good time. By the end of the hour ride, I was feeling pretty comfortable on the bike, I'm actually willing to try it again. Although, next time I'll be more prepared attire wise. Rachelle and Sam both decided this look was far too preppy Buffy for me... I just didn't have anywhere else to put my sweatshirt - ha :)

4. Pearl Street Mall... Dinner at the Med - MY FAVORITE.... and a quick walk down Pearl Street mall to watch the street performers. This guy juggled torches on a 20 foot unicycle; and finished his show my flipping his hat off of his head, catching it with his foot and flipping it back on his head with his foot... while on the unicycle... and I think my job is exciting sometimes?
5. Tubing down Boulder Creek. The temperature over the weekend was in the high 80's... so we opted Sunday for a tube ride down Boulder Creek... unbeknownst to us, it is late in the season for such fun.. the creek was especially low, which meant a lot of bottoming out and walking in between dry spots. Just the same we had an awesome time. We even encountered a deer drinking from the stream; he was clearly not afraid of us, and started to walk up the hill towards us. Sam scared him back down to keep him safe from the busy street behind us.

Five over the Weekend

Ok, I'm going to try my hand at this 'routine' posting thing again. It's just hard for me to keep up on and find enough interesting things to write about.

1. Hallie went back in for a check up on Thursday. She had removed most of her bandages in one night - which we found out was from an itchy case of dermatitis. Apparently, having her toes sealed together for such a long period of time was bound to cause problems, and will continue to for the next 5 to 7 weeks while she finishes healing. The doctor said all looked well, stuck her on some anit-biotics for the derm problem and sent her home with a new pretty bandage and a hard splint this time. (We've done our best to monitor her and keep the E-collar off, someone her size with a hard plastic cone on their head is no fun for anyone.) For anyone who doesn't know, Hallie's real name is Jalapeno... consequently the doctor's new art work... :)

2. The Bedroom Furniture set is almost complete. I've only owned one true bed in my childhood life (unless you count the bunk beds that my sister and I shared). In my adult life, I've simply had a matress in a frame and a few odds and ends from Target/Walmart. A few years ago when we moved to Colorado I began looking for real furniture to fill our bedroom, to very little avail, since Sam and I have only a very narrow spectrum of style that we both enjoy. I stumbled upon a Pottery Barn set that we both instantly liked, until the price tag, in true Pottery Barn fashion. I've had my heart set on this collection for nearly 3 years now, but could not justify the cost. Each month I signed online hoping for a sale, and have yet to see one. That is until.... one random evening when a friend was over and asked to see the set. Sure enough, it was nearly $1,000 off... she had me amped and ready to go; but I insisted on going back to the store to see it in person a few days later first. Wouldn't you know it... the associate that helped us was the Assistant Manager of the store, and after a little coaxing and eyelash batting, we walked out of the store with a sales receipt in hand. I am the type who typically has buyer's remorse for a week or so after a large purchase... not this time! Three years of comparison shopping, and waiting for a sale, and in the end, I walked out with nearly $2500 off of the set. I am enamoured! The set consists of a canopy bed, extra wide dresser, armoire, night stand, and end table. The only piece I'd still like to get to complete the look is a Seagrass chair - but I'm now patiently waiting for it to go on sale as well - let's hope this one doesn't take 3 years. :) (I also hope to replace the fish tank with a tall black hexagon tank at some point - the current one simply doesn't go well in the room).

3. The water feature is FINALLY underway. We hand picked 4 boulders for the feature back in April. The delivery guy was unable to get the donkey throught the fence panels to place the rocks, and so was left shaking them loose inside the fence line at the bottom of the yard. And here they have sat for the last several months. Last weekend my boss was kind enough to lend his muscles and bobcat to move the beasts. Rather than squealing and screaching each time things got scary, I decided to spare everyone and stay inside to watch from a distance. Sam had a very good idea of what the feature was supposed to look like and so managed to both drive the bobcat a good deal of the day and still coordinate placement. It took about half a day, let me tell you - being graceful with 3/4 - 1 ton boulders is a fine art - especially when their placement is up against a fence line. We are now in the process of finding the remaining parts to the pondless waterfall, and placing all of the remaining rip rap rocks. I think it's going to be a great focal point of the yard when it's complete.

4. Seamus (the adopted stray cat) has formally made himself a stray again. I'm sad to see him go, but when we first took him in we agreed that he was a free spirit and free to go at any point that he wanted. He loved being outdoors during the day and with his insistence, there was no way for us to keep him tethered down. He didn't come home one night about 3 weeks ago now. He is micro-chipped with our information, but so far we haven't received word. We put up a missing poster and sent out a neighborhood email, but at this point we've pretty much accepted that he's likely not coming back. I hope he has found a good new home, and I'm pleased that we could at least contribute to the kitten population control effort before his departure. Sadly, we finished his cat tree the day before he left. Sam did an excellent job, it looks better than most professional ones you'd buy at the petstore. We decided to sell the cat tree which cost us only $24 in materials on craigslist to help recoup some of the costs we invested in the little guy. Who knows, if we can get a decent price for the cat tree, we may even begin a production line on the side :)

5. Friday night we went to Nissi's for the first time. It's a little restaurant with live entertainment across the street from my work. We've been tempted to check it out a few times, but never followed through until now. We saw "The Long Run" Colorado's tribue to the Eagles. Absolutely spectacular band!! The dummer did all of the Don Henley solo's - and lemme tell you.. he could give the man a run for his money - he was dead on! Tickets were no more than a regular movie outting, although the food was a bit on the pricey side, the quality was great. Sam had the Calamari. I had Sweet Potato Fries with sweet curry aioli and a house salad. Yuuummm. :) We will be going back there for sure!

Hallie's Wounded Fashion Statement

On Friday when I picked Hallie up from daycare, she came out limping. I loaded her in the car and took her home expecting to find a puncture or cut of some type, but found nothing. A few hours later her toe had doubled in size. So we decided to watch her for the night thinking perhaps it she stepped on a bug and had a bite. This morning she still refused to put weight on the foot and the toe was still swollen. A $200 vet visit later, we found out she has a broken toe and a tick. (I am thankful the doctor randomly found a tick, it was a tiny bugger the same color as her fur, and tucked behind her ear, where we would never have seen it, but frequently scratch her). They splinted her foot; it should heal on its own in 6 to 8 weeks. We just have to keep it dry, and her sedentary (yeah, right - ha).

Given that it is a Saturday, the vet office was empty - and as the only patient of the day, the tech's decided to be extra kind to our little sweetheart. The splinted her foot with matching bandage to her collar and then created a little daisy artwork from other colored tapes - too cute.