welcome baby parker!

Wednesday, February 8th became one of the greatest days for my family: Parker was born! Now there are whole new roles: sister turns mom, parents into grandparents and I am now an aunt. Everyone is ready to develop their part to nurture this little one.

deadwood

Last year I drove through Deadwood, SD in the middle of the night. I had to keep driving, but I desperately wanted to stop. It was such lovely looking place, with pristine and preserved buildings from the 1860s quietly nestled in the Black Hills. After that I read about it and devoured HBO's characterization of the town. I finally got to go back and stayed for the day. Deadwood was not always quiet; the region was called 'The Bad Lands' for a reason. During the gold rush, everyone carried guns and any free time meant hanging out with booze, cards, and women. I got to visit the museum, the graves of Buffalo Bill and Calamity Jane, and the site where the first pieces of gold were found. The entire city is now a protected National Historic Landmark.

tea party ii: baby shower!

One of the best things EVER is happening in my family right now: a baby is on the way! My sister is pregnant and due in a few weeks. During winter break I had a baby shower for her titled "Tea for Two." There were lots of family and friends, stories told, and desserts. The cradle my dad made transformed into a the greatest gift holder. And everyone got to leave with a gift- a mini tea party for later.

tea party i

My good friend's daughter has started getting interested in fancy things. She is six now, and is now drawing clothes and jewelry so she is a girl after my own heart. Of course I had to put on a tea party for her. Her mom is not as interested in dressing up so when they came over we both whisked her upstairs and dressed her up in as many pink and rhinestone items we could find in my closet and jewelry box (we did good). And then we had a lovely afternoon snacking and sipping and chatting.

holiday recap: stocking stuffers' stuffing

If only Pirate would rip through JUST the wrapping and not the presents themselves.

holiday recap: walking the dogs

Pirate and I decided to join in on the annual Wire Fox Terrier Rescue Awareness Walk in December. Seeing all of these foxies together was incredibly delightful for the owners and the strollers down 16th Street mall in downtown Denver. It was a festive night and at the end of the walk the dogs were invited into The Brown Palace for a photo op!

holiday recap: ooh la la dining

This past Christmas the family decided to create a grand 6 course french meal- amuse bouche, soupe, entree, salade, fromage, et dessert. I don't know what was more fun: planning the menu, making it all, or gathering around the table and eating and talking for hours. The food was incredible, especially the onion soup, but the most memorable items for me are the champagne and wine glasses with mustaches on them and the yule log. The mustaches were there because my sister is pregnant and can't partake in libations, so we turned her juice into Juice Francais and the la buche de noel (yule log), a French holiday tradition, was a great recipe to finally try out.