Meet the Parents

Molly and Tommy sitting in a tree

K-I-S-S-I-N-G

First comes love

Then comes marriage

Then comes Gracie in a ba-by carriage!



May I Introduce...

GRACIE!

Yes...it's true.  We have a new baby.  Well, more like a 10-week-old furball.  Santa was very kind to me this year.  He knew this special, one-of-a-kind gift would help mend the hole in my heart.

After a phone inquiry to the one-and-only-mini-doodle ad in last Sunday's Denver post, we found ourselves waking on Christmas Eve to a 5:00 a.m. alarm.  A three-hour road trip to Ogallala, Nebraska, for an 8:30 a.m. rendevous with the breeder is just what every crazy-dog-lover needs to experience just once in their lives (even if you do have to wait until you're 50 years old).  It's pure joy.  Pure Christmas joy.

She is a new designer breed called a Mini Goldendoodle.  Her dad is an 11# Miniature Poodle and her mom is a Golden Retriever.  What?  "How-do-they-do-that" you say?  Yes, it's done "artificially," but the result is a very smart, non-shedding, very cute bundle of happiness!

Stay tuned for puppy tales...

Blue Man Group

Going downtown to the theatre is always a wonderful night out for us. This is just one of the little (big?) splurges that are such a treat to ourselves.  We started out the evening @ Lime on Larimer Square for dinner.  A trip to Larimer Square should be on every Denverite's Christmas event list.  It's really beautiful.

Then, we had an 8:00 p.m. date with these guys.

We should've known something was amiss when we arrived to our usual seats to find them covered with a black seat covering and a nicely folded rain poncho/slicker placed over the back of the chair.  What the hell?

Fashionable, aren't they?

Needless to say, there was a lot of "stuff" (goo, paint, jello, and some kind of sludge) that flys off that stage as the mute Blue Men go about their unique brand of entertainment.

Midway through the show, the orange jello mold gets a lot of play in the show.  Somehow (I'm not sure I caught the method of launch as it happened so quickly) it flys off the stage in a little arc and lands squarely in Bill's lap.  Well, that was a hoot.  Nice catch.  Those of us in the first four rows prompty make sure we are thoroughly covered under our free ponchos.  Well...not everyone.

The next bit has the Blue Men eating twinkies with their lovely assistant from the audience.  Near the end of the skit, the Blue Men regurgitate some kind of yellow sludge that shoots like a canon (a good 25' to 30') from the stage via some kind of an apparatus in their chest.  The audience moans very loudly.  Everyone ducks.  Well...not everyone.

Bill gets a nice shot of goo directly to the forehead.  Slimy, runny, goo.  Turns out its...mashed bananas.  Still, it's enough to trigger a gag reflex.

Notice the "sludge shooter" on Blue's chest?

Asking for a "blue" autograph...nice blue fingerprint across the front of my tickets.  How long will it stay wet?

Geez, shouldn't we get some kind of a refund if Bill is part of the show?

2010 Candlelight Dinner

Don we now our gay apparel
Fa la la, la la la, la la la!

We love this particular holiday event!  Our country club is lit with thousands of twinkling white lights and luminaries.  Diners eat by candlelight.  There are also several Christmas trees, wreaths, mantel decor and Christmas finery.  Truly, the club is decked out for this special occasion - it is just beautiful.  We've enjoyed this particular holiday event as long as I can remember it being offered.  It also gives us a chance to dress up and don our favorite holiday apparel (check out Bill's new Jerry Garcia attire).

Troll the ancient Yule tide carol,
Fa la la la la, la la la la. 

The dinner is a four-course plated meal and the entertainment is always a local high school choir.  Christmas carols never sound so good!

We thought it might be a great way to celebrate some Christmas cheer with my sister and brother-in-law as it just gets harder and harder to get together during the holidays.  Maybe we've started a new tradition?

Tis the season to be jolly,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Juddhead?

I am officially a member of the "Juddheads."

What a great night, with my bestie, Deb.  We've planned for months.  All of the details have been covered (and then some).  Afterall, this Girls Night Out would be our Christmas gift to each other.

Let me just say...that Wynonna Judd can wail.  Forty-six years old or not.  What a voice!

They sing with great emotion. There is laughter. There are tears (and, a whole lot of red hair!) It's apparent that their relationship has changed. They're in a much better place after 25 years.

We had a blast, great seats on the floor, and we have another fond memory to add to the pile.

The Halls are Decked

Whew...what a weekend.  Seems like all I did was work.  Climb stairs. Squat. Lift. Bend. Descend Stairs. Repeat 1,000 times.

Sunday morning.  Wake up.  Pull a muscle in your back and still repeat the above 1,000 times (but WAY slower and moan EVERY SINGLE TIME).

The older I get, the harder this gets and the longer it takes! It was a lot of work, but I am glad that it is all done in one weekend.  I can sit and admire my handiwork for the next 19 days.  Seriously, only 19 days?  Seems like a lot of work for only 19 days!

I really do enjoy our holiday decorations.  Some belonged to my mom and some I can remember from our Christmas trees when I was little.  I've collected ornaments for a long time ever since I had my own Christmas tree in my very own apartment.  Each of them holds a very special, very dear memory.  Which explains why I was so weepy this weekend.  Starting with Hershey's peronalized stocking out of the box, every ornament evoked some kind of response from me. Truth is, I am simply not over losing her yet.  All of her ornaments, her stocking, and her Christmas apparel were just waiting to be unboxed and enjoyed again this year.  Well, that started the waterworks, and I was teary eyed all day and let me tell you, Bill got a rolling charge out of that!  I felt hormonal.  Bill assured me that was NOT the case.

Our Family Tree

The Kitchen Tree

Thanks to Nate Berkus, we took a trip to a Christmas tree lot/nursery.  There's nothing like a fresh Christmas tree lot to get you in the holiday spirit.  The smell alone can make the grinch happy.  Upon entering, we were served hot apple cider. I shopped and Bill pestered every single one of the ladies of the nursery. Poor ladies.

How cute is this place?

My first "fresh" floral design

My newest creation is some fresh pine grenery and a beautifull hallway arrangement (if I do say so myself).  Thank you Nate!

Remembering Ronnie Thomas

I've been thinking about my dad all day today on what would have been his 76th birthday.  I can hardly wrap my brain around that fact.  Truth is, he was taken from me way too soon, and I did not get a chance to know him as an "old man" and my kids never got to know their grandpa.  However, I have had 50 years, 6 months, and 17 days of great love and admiration for this man.  He was a great dad.  Miss you.

Circa 1978 - Yellowstone National Park