almost perfect.

snow on the peak. and a crapload of it.
soup on the stove.
a husband that's finally home.
an infant that's been asleep for over 3 hours.
a breast pump that doesn't feel like it's ripping my nipples off.
a package today full of some of the best things on earth.

xoxo

colorado balloon classic

we got up at 5 this morning to go see the mass ascension of hot air balloons once more. it was amazing, as always. logan loved it.

sean, logan, michael, dakota, michelle, lucas, jessica, robert

logan and dakota are bff

sean and his dream of being on the pikes peak powered paraglider team...

it's foggy and rainy and kind of chilly today... perfect weather for grabbing a coffee and taking a drive into the mountains. which is exactly what we did this afternoon, after a long lazy morning. we've both been pretty sick this week with some kind of cold. i even stayed home from work for a few days, and unfortunately ended up passing it along to sean :( we're both feeling a bit better today, but we still have snotty noses and icky coughs and voices that sound more like a frog than a human.

bonuses of getting sick:

1. starting the second day of the cold, i haven't had any nausea. keeping my fingers crossed that it lasts.

2. finally having a legitimate excuse to use my netti pot. it's totally weird, but completely awesome. highly recommended.

i started moving for real this weekend. or rather, i pointed at things that needed to be moved, and fella moved them. and then we hung pictures. which was fun. and now it almost feels like i live here. we're waiting to move all the big stuff until next weekend, when (hopefully) we won't have as much snow to contend with.

it's going to be an exciting week. followed by an exciting year.

adventure team!

so it looks like this is going on our calendar for next year: warriordash.com

anybody up to join us? (keri... i know you totally want to...)

it was a lie.

we topped out at 3˚

good times.

heeeeeeeey

looks like there's a chance of double digits today, guys!

thanksgiving.

since i'm awake at this unkind hour (not of my own free will, but of a partial rebellion from my body and a stupid effing bacteria) ... i'll go ahead and share a few photos from thanksgiving!

it was beyond wonderful.

incline, round five.

"they said it was supposed to be nice today. no one said anything about it raining douchebags."

incline, round four.

no pictures. just pain. it was icy and slippery and freezing and dark, and i'm almost too tired to make a lasagna.

almost.

the last few days have been more hectic than i generally like to even think about. spent friday and saturday in denver waking up next to my lovely mother, and dropping off hoards of polaroids at a fantastic little gallery.

saturday night and sunday we thoroughly enjoyed the snowstorm. yesterday and today i've been frantically catching up on laundry and general house cleaning, a backlog of etsy orders and polaroid scanning, and trying to pay some overdue attention to a couple of furrballs.

i think i'm finally back on track. whew.

also, this lady is amazing.

weekends keep getting better and better...

where the wild things are
thai take-out
free drinks at secret bars
good bands in tiny spaces
manitou incline (in 1hr 28 min!)
etc.

this weekend was all about eating cake and being cold. all of the lovely fall leaves have frozen and died in the course of the last 3 days.

oh! also twin peaks.
and tiny art shows.
and pajamas all day.

ugh...

so, yesterday we trudged up the manitou incline. today, i'm fairly certain that someone severely roughed me up from the neck down. however, i am more determined then ever to conquer that thing.... especially after the 70-year-old man with a KNEE BRACE who PASSED US felt the need to give us a little pep talk. so manitou incline, you crazy bitch, you'll be seeing me again. and again.

estes park: valentine vow renewal

estes park: summary

favorite things that weren't necessarily documented on film:

1. hot tub hot tub hot tub. more specifically: hot tub/creek sprints. hot tub until you feel like you're having a heat stroke, then jump out and run a block down the street to the (FREEZING COLD) river and jump in, and then run back to the hot tub before hypothermia sets in. lather, rinse, repeat.

2. police officers on segways. because when you need to go a little faster than a walk...

3. trespassing to climb a mountain. the view was worth it. hearing elk bugling in the woods and not knowing where they were or when/if they were going to attack us.... a bit scary.

4. sweet potato pie. times infinity.

5. waking up early and watching movies. and waking up early to take a walk.

6. boys in bowties!!

7. walking and walking and walking. building make-believe forts between rocks and trees in the middle of town. sitting in that perfect spot for so long that your legs fall asleep and your neck gets sunburned. carving your initials into a tree. and also a polaroid.

8. pasta and asparagus.

estes park: elk

the elk were abundant and pretty grumpy this year. we came quite close to having to climb a tree to avoid 4 of the big fellas. FELLAS. with those horns that make you want to shit your pants. sean had the closest call of the weekend though... the elk basically charged at him. regardless, we went elk watching every day we were there. the bugling was delightful, and there were lots of little fuzzy baby elk. they even wiggled their way into the background of the valentine vow renewal. or perhaps we wiggled our way into the foreground. either way, it was awesome.

autumn.

thus far, the first week of fall for 2009 has been nothing short of remarkable. heading up to estes park tomorrow for a long weekend...

i'm guessing it's only going to get better.

waiting waiting waiting.

fact: 10 days can seem like forever.

fact: estes park will be the pot of gold.

sweet potato pie, guys. SWEET POTATO PIE! also hot tubs and fall leaves and favorite people and elk and bow ties.

it doesn't get much better.

...so, uh... did i mention the SNOW?