The Christmas Tree Hunt is On!!

I ventured out with my friend Colin tonight to find my perfect Christmas tree!! This is the first time I've went to get my own real Christmas tree, and since I was tardy getting a permit to cut one down myself we ventured to the Christmas tree stands. First stop Dollar General of course because you can't hunt Christmas trees without Reindeer Antlers. So with antlers on and hot cocoa in hand we set out. Who knew trees could be so expensive. I was hoping to score a huge one to put in our ginormous living room to fill it up a little more and make it feel a bit more warm but unless I was willing to spend over $200 dollars that just wasn't going to happen. I then came across a sweet little Charlie Brown tree which looked so very lonely and cold and I was almost sold on the little guy but decided to go a big bigger. We found a good sized Grand Fir and strapped it to the roof of my jeep (I felt so rugged outdoors woman at this point) and brought that baby home. Colin hauled her up the stairs. Set her up in the stand and she was just a beauty. Nice and green and has already smelled up the entire place with the smell of Christmas. I will let her relax tonight and get branches settled and then decorations, hot cocoa and perhaps baking (with egg nog of course) shall take place tomorrow evening. Hooray for Christmas time. I plan to leave it up well into January. Don't judge! :) Happy Holidas everyone! Also included are some pictures of just a few of the amazing light displays around these parts. Can't wait to get our place all decorated!

Thankful And A Year Older

I had such a great time at home with my family over the Thanksgiving holiday. I think I squeezed just about everyone into my visit. We had a wonderful family dinner with my grandparents and some other relatives. It was a classic Wessel holiday which started with great food and family and ended with good drinks and stories in the 'Lodge' which we lovingly call our shed now. I was able to visit Baldwin and hang out with my boys who I do miss very much, you just don't find a group of guys like them. Hanging out with them is like living in a sit com and if you know them then you know exactly what I'm talking about...see pictures that follow :) On Friday my mom and I went to see the Broadway musical WICKED at Music Hall in KC. It was absolutely amazing. Theatre that even a straight man could enjoy. The lead women had the most amazing voices and it made me miss singing very much. Maybe i'll pick up that guitar of mine that has recently been collecting dust in the corner and get back into it. We shall see. Saturday I spent the afternoon with Dorian and we watched the KU/MU game. Sadness....such a close game and I was really hoping especially for my dear love Mr. Meier that they could have won this last one, but I guess it just wasn't meant to be. I still hate Mizzou with a deep passion, no changing that :) Saturday we spent the evening in Olathe with some old college friends I haven't seen in years. It's so nice to reunite after so long. It's just funny how nothing really changes. Everyone plays their role and it just never seems to change which is weird but all too comforting at the same time. On Sunday I got a chance to relax and hang out with my good friend Amy from nursing school, we did a bit of silly shopping and entertained ourselves quite well. Monday it was time to head back home, well my new home. It was hard to leave but I was glad to be back in the sunny state of Colorado.

So I turned 27 on Friday. With my friends help I managed to have a fantastic night that would leave me wounded for the entire day to follow. We had a lovely dinner at Rock Bottom Brewery. There was a Christmas or "Christen" Parade in my honor downtown and then I went on to dominate beer pong at my place. We then hit the town for some drinks and dancing. I think the more I drink the better I dance. Ended the evening in the wee hours of the morning and woke up feeling like a million bucks and like I was a million years old. Takes you longer to metabolize that alcohol when you get older. Sadness. Needless to say my plans to ski saturday morning did not work out. No worries though. It has snowed all day today and I plan on enjoying some fresh pow pow in the am. I am so thankful for my friends and family today. You keep me smiling on a daily basis and thankful that you are all a part of my life.

PS) Now that it's snowing on a regular basis, I expect you all to start visiting!! Lets hit the slopes together. Miss you all!!

She lifts her skirt up to her knees, walks through the garden rows with her bare feet, laughing.

I've been meaning to blog for a few days now. Last Wednesday Luke, Angie and I attended the Ray Lamontagne concert at the Denver Performing Arts Center, Opera House. It was beautiful. Ray played by himself and he sounded so amazing. Seeing an artist like him live really makes you truly appreciate the raw foundation of music. Just a voice and a guitar. It ended all too quickly but it was such a wonderful show. Makes me want to pick up my guitar and actually learn to play it well. I'm heading back to Kansas for the Thanksgiving Holiday tomorrow morning. My flight is at 6am!! I'm excited to see my family and friends and perhaps a certain guy too :) I'm sure you're reading so I can write that to boost your ego a bit Deech. The snow continues to fall on the mountain peaks and I'm so excited to start to have visitors to come ski with. I haven't been out again since last week but I plan to be back out there soon. For now I'm enjoying the sunny days which are many and getting back to painting a little more. Something about Colorado makes me feel very creative and artistic and in touch with the world around me. Happiness is infectious here and I like it very very much. Happy Holidays to all!!

Livin' Large at 12,000 feet.

Today marks my official start to the ski season. Being a Tuesday it was a bit difficult to find company to hit the slopes but I couldn't wait any longer I had to get out and try out the skis. Headed to A-Basin this morning. Amazing drive, you know besides the nauseating winding of mountain driving in general. Loveland pass is absolutely beautiful. The sun was shining warm today and made everything even brigher. So I get to the mountain, gear up and start to head up to the first lift. As if walking in ski boots isn't difficult enough on level ground the only route to the first lift and lodge is a steep packed snow hill of which I chose to charge. As I was walking carefully and trying to dig the toe of my boot in with each step I 'mis-stepped' fell face first into the hill, gashing my hand with my ski bindings. I laid there for a minute laughing at myself before a couple snowboarders walking behind me helped me back to my feet and we all shared a laugh. So now I'm REALLY ready, dealing with a little bloody glove but no big deal. As soon as I got on the first lift all my troubles were gone. There weren't a lot of runs open but what was open was nice and packed powder just added to my happiness!! I wasn't sure how the day would start off. It had been a few years since I last visited the slopes, but like they say its like riding a bike and I fell back into it in no time, plus the Volkl skis rode amazingly well. It's kinda nice riding as a single on the lifts, you end up meeting some interesting people, including the snowboard dead heads who offer to share their pot with you haha. I only put in a short day, about 3 1/2 hours, but really that seemed enough when there aren't that many runs open. I did love A-Basin though, gorgeous area. I'm excited to go back when the Montezuma bowl is open and all the cliffs are snow covered. I got a kick out of all the ski and boarders in the backcountry hitch-hiking rides back up the mountain. Was tempted to pick a few up but was too excited to get up the mountain myself so I let the pickup following me take care of them. I'm so excited to be so close to the mountains!!! Here's hoping for more fresh powder in the days to come and many more ski adventures to write about!

It's time to hit the slopes!

I ventured out yesterday to get my first pair of skis, after much consideration I went with the Volkl R1's. I'm very very excited to hit the slopes. Snow in the city again today. Not much but enough to dust the ground and make me so happy to be here. I love the snow so much and the great thin about snow here is that it's beautiful and then gone. The sun shines almost everyday and you just can't help but be happy, plus being able to see the mountains from my bedroom window doesn't hurt either. I'm missing home a little bit and so excited to get to travel home for a few days for Thanksgiving. Mom and I are going to see Wicked day after thanksgiving and I'm SO EXCITED!!! And food and shopping of course. Thinking about hitting the slopes this weekend but I'm making a game time decision based on how much fresh pow pow they get tonight. Breck opened yesterday and I love it there so much. The town is great to hang out in. Amazing Micro Brews!
Happy Friday the 13th everyone. I woke up this morning and was a bit hesitant to leave the house, sometimes it just gives me an uneasy feeling, the stigma of Friday the 13th but then I always remember what my best friends Mom Kathy Jardon used to say that Friday the 13th was good luck not bad and so I got out and enjoyed the beautiful sunshine and snow in her honor. I'm missing my friends but the roommates are doing a great job of keeping me entertained. This past weekend after a few festivities and cocktails I got to put my nursing skills to work as Chris "mis-stepped" as he calls it and fell down the stairs. I walked out of my door to see him on all fours in the landing. He had a nice little softball sized knot on his tailbone and a bloddied up nose. Upon examination I thought he might have chipped his front tooth and well lets be honest that would have been kinda funny for him to wake up sober the next day and look in the mirror "WHAT THE?". But after rinsing the blood from his teeth they were all there pretty as ever. We put him to bed and he survived the night.
Beverages with Angie last night at Wynkoop Brewery. She is such a fun gal. I am lucky to have her here. I anticipate many adventures with her this ski season. We're going to try to do some boarding hahaha. You can be sure i'll be blogging on that one after the fact.
Well anyway I must be getting along now. Friday night calls! I'm attaching pictures of the big snow we had a few weeks back. 18 inches downtown. Let's hope that is just a preview of all the fresh pow pow to come!!

Curtis St. Chaos

1015 Curtis St. was filled with Ghouls, Goblins, Athletes and Sassy gals. The roommates hosted a Halloween party. Some friends of ours have a Halloween party every year so they brought all their stuff over and decorated our entire place. It was amazing. Orange lights, coffins, rubber bats, skeletons, and to top it all off a smoke machine. I broke out the good ole' go to pumpkin costume from last year which I spent much time and dedication making, and of course it was still a hit. Kelly went at Lt. Dangle from Reno 911 and Chris as Robert Downy Jr's character from Tropic Thunder. Great time had by all and tonight (real Halloween) we all snuggle into our beds early for some quality sleep. Happy Daylight Savings. Don't forget to turn your clocks back.

Pumpkin Patch Birthday!

Today my baby sister turned 25...well my adopted Colorado baby sister. Amy (my best friend from high school)'s little sister Sara Jean. This afternoon Sara, Stefan and I embarked on the journey to find the perfect pumpkin at the Boulder Pumpkin Patch. It's been a few years since I've been to a real pumpkin patch and had forgot the happiness that can come from browsing through a field full of happy bright orange pumpkins just waiting to be picked. After much comparison we each picked out one perfect pumpkin for our respective personalities. We returned to Boulder and went to continue the birthday celebration at 'The Kitchen'. Delicious apps and a hefty beer list made for an enjoyable afternoon in this adorable restaurant. The weather is amazing 70's today and sunshining as usual. I really love this Colorado sunshine. A day filled with tasty food, cold beverages and happy orange pumpkins. It was a great day. Happy Birthday Sara!

I know this is a tardy posting as I have been here for nearly three months but here are a few photos of the place that I now call home.