Weekend Haps

Were not thrilling, exactly, but nice nonetheless.

On Friday I was scheduled to attend my Uncle Jim's fiftieth birthday party. Since my uncle and aunt and cousins live down South of where I am I decided that I should stop at the mall on the way to their house. I used to live right by this mall (Flatirons, for you local readers), but since moving back to Boulder I dread going near it and rarely do so.

It's partly because I stay snug in the Boulder "bubble" and don't venture out too much, but the reason that I avoid the mall is also that I don't like shopping. It sucks.

I really needed a new brown leather belt, so I got one. I also tried on a few workout pants at the Gap Body store.

Umm,  not so much, right? That slight looseness in my bizness area was actually more pronounced in "real life." Maybe my crotch is just naturally slim?

Because I'm a doofus I don't have any pictures of the birthday party. Too bad, too, because it would've been a good occasion to introduce you to my uncle, aunt, and cousins. Suffice to say that we ate cheese and crackers, and holiday M&Ms, and my Dad and uncle told stories about all the hijinx they got into as youngsters. (They were total hoodlums!)

Saturday wasn't too eventful. I hit up the gym for an elliptical session (because my knee is still on the fritz) and proceeded to spend the day watching CNN for more news on the Sandy Hook situation. David had to administer a final for one of his classes on Saturday night, so at least he wasn't there to see what an emotional wreck I was while watching all the coverage.

Sunday was a fun day--probably my favorite of the three days because I got to spend it with this little chub-monster!!!

My brother Brian and his wife Jennifer were making a trip to the IKEA in South Denver, so I drove over to their house to accompany them and little miss Ella. Aren't they a cute family?

We even stopped at Starbucks on the way for festive coffee cups! At IKEA I really resisted buying a lot of crap that we need for our house, and instead limited myself to: a new dish rack/dryer, a milk frother (yah I totally needed this), a vegetable peeler, and a new silverware holder. I'm such a reckless shopper, I know.

Now that it's Monday, I'm stuck doing work, though I do have these two treats:

Vegan Apple Bran Muffin

I'm also wondering when I'm going to start buying presents for other people (i.e. for Christmas) instead of things for me (i.e. milk frother...)

A Sad Day

By now I'm sure everyone knows why it's a very sad day. Am I the only one who sits in front of CNN and cries when events like this take place? It feels so gratuitous, really, since I don't know anyone who was directly affected by this most recent tragedy, and yet I can't stop myself from staring at the screen, imagining what these families are suffering, and just generally getting upset about it.

It's strange, actually, because I don't remember being very affected by the Columbine High School shootings, despite the fact that I was in a high school about twenty-five minutes from Columbine when those shootings took place. Columbine was one of the schools we competed against in sports and that year at a graduation party I remember witnessing a student graduating from Columbine completely break down, even as the rest of us were greedily drinking beer and doing other stupid crap.

Perhaps I was just too young to grasp how shocking it was. Or perhaps it's because I have young nieces now, or because David and I are trying to start a family. In any case, I'm shocked and heartbroken now, and thinking about those families in Connecticut.

Anything I say now seems trite, now doesn't it? I'll just say that I hope you all are able to savor some warm words, or hugs, or love with your family and friends today.

And I'm Baaack in the Game!

I trust you all made it through yesterday without my witticisms and daily diary entry? Sorry about that. I'd explain, but it would amount to the usual ranting/complaining, and I will spare you that.

I will tell you that last night involved two of my comfort-food favorites:

Veggie burglar.

Followed by some of my almond banana bread:

This morning I went to the gym for a run before my BodyPump class. However, my injured knee is still not 100%, and it became clear after a few seconds that running is not in my near future. This is going to make it difficult to shift the ~10 pounds I've gained since our honeymoon, especially because I literally can't do anything high impact--including my bootcamp class:-( Damn you butter! And chocolate! And cheese! 

After BodyPump I hit up the grocery store for a few things and then came home to have lunch with David. Because it is the end of the academic semester David is mega busy, however, so he had to dash to campus pretty soon after that. Since I had some time to myself, I decided to feed Haruki some brussel sprouts.

The verdict? 

She really liked them!! Isn't that cute? My dog likes brussel sprouts. I should totally have more readers if even my dog is a health food nut! She also licks her bottom though, so I guess I can't say too much about her...um, palate.

Hey, speaking of free time, what are you all watching on TV these days? I'm asking because I'm looking for some new recommendations for decent TV shows. Since we got a TV a few months ago I've really been making up for lost time, and have become hooked on: Homeland (but we don't get Showtime anymore so I've been jonesing for it), Teen Mom 2 (I know, I know!), Parenthood (is this like the most real portrait of family life ever?), New Girl, The Mindy Project (both of these are like the highlight of my week), and Elementary (Jonny Lee Miller is more than just Angelina Jolie's ex boy toy).

*Do you feed your dog any human foods?

An Abstention

Can you all please grant me one today? I'd be really grateful:-)

Back tomorrow, and in the meantime I hope you all had a good day!

Tree Woes

Is it snowing where you are? I mean, is anyone in the US getting a "normal" winter thus far? In Boulder, CO we definitely are not. I bring this up that because it did, in fact, snow last night, though it was completely unexpected.

Also, is it just me, or does it totally _not_ seem like Christmas is in two weeks? I used to feel caught by surprise when Christmas rolled around every year, but I always figured it was because the academic semester kept me busy right up until the 18th or 19th of December. I thought that once I quit taking and/or teaching classes that that feeling would change, but so far it has not. I mean, I see all the eggnog at the grocery store, and I get excited to smell the Christmas trees for sale outside the grocery store, but there's just something lacking in my anticipation for the holiday. I think it's excitement. Boo.

Currently this is because we've had a set back in our Christmas tree efforts. Originally David and I agreed that because we just got back from our trip and he just went on another trip that we'd just lay low this year and skip the tree and decorating. But my mom had other ideas, and last weekend I went with her, my Dad, my brother Chris, his wife Sarah, and their two daughters to a Christmas tree farm outside of Winter Park, Colorado.

I'll just stop here and say that you should do something like this if you haven't already. It was a really nice holiday tradition that (at the time) helped to get me more festive.

Chris and I even stood next to each other:

Riley did snow angels:

My mom had brought a sled, too, so we went sledding down some of the hills in the tree farm and laughed and giggled the whole time. Seriously. And you should know that this is not how my family operates; this gives you some idea of the cute factor of this activity.

And, after everyone else had chosen a tree to take home, I sawed down this poor little tree just because I thought it was cute:

Despite my agreement with David, this little guy was just calling to me. And despite my smiling face, I actually did have a moment where it seemed bad or mean to basically kill this tree and prevent it from growing. (I suspect there were girl hormones involved in this thought process.)

Anyhow, I was really glad about my cute tree and even went shopping at my mom's house for some "new" ornaments and lights for it. (Am I the only one who "shops" at their parents' house because--let's face it: they already have a load of stuff and they can probably afford to buy more/newer ones?)

But then I tried to set it up on my new tree stand and have regretted my decision ever since. The thing is too small. It's little trunk is too small to stay securely in the stand, even after we wrapped a towel around its base.

Here is David begrudgingly helping me this afternoon:

And here is Haruki wondering why the f$&* her afternoon walk is being delayed for this stupid smelly shrub:

As you can (kinda) tell from the photo above, we didn't really get it straight and it really needs to be leaned against something to ensure that it doesn't tip over.

Sigh. No tree lights for me this year.

*Have you put up a Christmas tree this year? Is it pretty and bright and festive? Also, do people wear "puffer" jackets where you live? In France this seemed to be a dead giveaway that I was American, as there were _no_ French peeps wearing puffer jackets or vests.

Tea Time

Alright, peeps, cha-ching! After almost two weeks of vacation programming, it's back to normalcy over here in Sunshine Canyon.

Meh. It's also time to get back to work:

And so far I've proven only moderately motivated and mostly just tired. I did turn in the introduction for my dissertation last week, though, so that's something. If only I didn't know that my advisor is going to have _lots_ of changes for me to make to it shortly. Oh well. For now I'm revising all of the body chapters in my dissertation, and just thanking my lucky stars that I don't have to come up with any original thoughts any time soon.

It's been a long weekend, in part because David was out of town on Popsockets business, which meant that it was just me and Haruki for five days straight. I've been really bad about reaching out to make plans and be social lately, too, so that five days involved a lot of me being alone--something that I look forward to but also something that isn't the most healthy if carried too far.

Unfortunately Haruki put a hit on me too. Seriously. The day after David left I took her on a hike and she rewarded me by slamming into my right knee cap while running on the trail. And I mean slamming. Like, I fell down and cried it was so hard. I can at least walk normally without pain now, though there isn't any high-impact exercise in my near future...boo. I hate the f-ing elliptical machine, but for a few days you can imagine me elliptical-ling away while thinking about how to get revenge on Haruki.

I did do one noteworthy thing this weekend, however, thanks to my mother-in-law. I didn't know this until recently, but apparently it is a tradition for the women in David's family to have holiday tea every year at The Brown Palace Hotel in Denver. You can check out the hotel and the tea menu here: http://brownpalace.com.

The Brown Palace is a pretty famous hotel in these parts, not least because the unsinkable Molly Brown stayed there for a week after surviving the sinking of the Titanic. Oodles of presidents have stayed at the BP too, which makes for a pretty swanky atmosphere:

I'd never had afternoon tea before, and it was definitely a fun experience. We ordered three large pots of tea for the table to share, and then proceeded to stuff our faces with finger sandwiches (egg salad, cucumber, and one roast beef that I didn't try), scones (regular, aka butter, and ginger/butterscotch, which wasn't as sweet as it sounds), and tiny desserts (i.e. really miniature peppermint cheesecake, chocolate truffles, tiny Madeleine cookies, etc.).

It was not the most nutritionally-complete meal, but everything was well done and it was really nice to spend time with the ladies of my new family. (Even if I did have to wear tights instead of yoga pants.)

*Do you like "dressing up?" Have you ever had a proper afternoon tea?

House Party!

So, finally, a house tour. As you might recall, David's house burned down in the Four Mile fire a little over two years ago and it's finally finished being rebuilt. We were not living together at the time, but I was there on the day of the fire and can vouch that it burned to the ground. I can also vouch that the new house is much, much nicer, not only in terms of just better design and better furnishings and schtuff, but also better because it is our house now, rather than just David's house that I lived in.

That's the beauty of home owner's insurance: if your casa incinerates and your insurance company has to pay up you can prolly build a house that you wouldn't otherwise be able to afford. I should add here that a number of people who lost everything in that fire didn't have insurance, and David and I feel very lucky for how this has all worked out for us. (This is despite the incredibly difficult and time-consuming process of rebuilding with a contractor who is a #$%#$^%^.)

So without further ado, here is a tour of the house. I took these photos the day before we left for France, so I was constrained by some bad lighting and having a bunch of crap laying around as we got ready to leave.

The kitchen:

David is particularly proud of the kitchen back splash, since he picked out the color. (It's a deep charcoal-y blue.)

Nikki's Nook, aka the breakfast booth and where I work:

The laundry room: (Woo-wee!)

David's office:

The entryway, looking into the living room:

The guest bathroom:

Guest shower:

Guest bedroom:

The mudroom, complete with a doggy shower on the left and a doggy door straight ahead:

The living room:

Master bedroom:

This was mid-laundry. My bad. And yes, we sleep on the floor.
David spends all of our money on Popsockets so we can't have real beds yet.

Master bathroom:

Bedroom/Bathroom #2:

So, again, I apologize for the crap lighting in some of these pictures. If you want to see more pics with better lighting just let me know.

If I had to sum up the house, I'd say: divine. It is absolutely the nicest home I've ever lived in, and the fact that it's only 12 minutes outside of Boulder is pretty fantastic. I'm not sure I really believe it's my house yet, actually, because I've been renting so long. It's also a little uncomfortable because while our house is relatively small--only 2,100 square feet or so, with three bedrooms--it looks pretty fancy and I think gives the false impression that we are $$$really rich$$$. I mean, we will be rich soon, when Popsockets goes big, but until then not so much. (I should add that compared to the average American household, we are, in fact, very well off. Just not (nearly) as well off as our millionaire neighbors who had an enormous house built just so their son had somewhere to live while attending the University of Colorado at Boulder.)

*On a completely random note, Lindsay Lohan in that Liz Taylor biopic = WTF? More importantly, Lindsay Lohan = WTF?