Dinner and a Party!

Marsh surprised me as we were out for our anniversary dinner Friday night at the Flagstaff (in Boulder) with a new camera phone ......now I can talk AND take pictures whenever --what a beautiful combination!! We had an issue, however, figuring out exactly HOW to take the pictures as the phone can also take video. Our waitress was extremely patient and sweet as we made multiple attempts to figure out the correct process. It did, quite honestly, become a little tiresome as you can see.


okay, sweetie .....take the picture now.......



my handsome husband

Of course, as soon as we got home, I pulled out the manual and the whole process was actually very simple ....we just didn't quite have the right technique and/or steps down yet ....oh well, as "Kip" would say: I love technology .....but not as much as you, you see ....... (Napoleon Dynamite fans will know what I mean here :) ....We had an unbelievable five course tasting dinner that included salmon carpaccio, halibut, rabbit, and venison (main course). Dessert was a lemon torte, but we substituted one of our desserts for a hot chocolate Verona cake so we could try both. Marsh managed to finish off the lemon torte while I was consumed with figuring out the technicalities of the new camera phone. I did, however, get a picture of it before he devoured it.

I'm sure it was tasty .....thanks for sharing, honey......

It was a memorable evening, nevertheless, and quite honestly I was stuffed without having had another taste of the fabulous lemon torte. Afterwards, we drove around some of the neighborhoods near Chautauqua and admired the varied architecture of the beautiful homes ....one was for sale and we thought we would take bets on the price. This neighborhood is significantly higher than many other Boulder neighborhoods ....but it's good to know that you can get a 5 bedroom for $2.5 mil. ....not too shabby ......

Above Boulder ....city lights at night

Saturday we were invited to dinner and a party with the neighbors ....it was a blast! ...I have a slide show of the photos above my blog archive, so check it out folks. Some of the pictures turned out better than others as we had the lights out and candles lit in observation of the "global lights off" initiative last night ....anyway, all I can say is Tracy is a wild, wild woman!!

Fun with the picture phone!

I have off today and we are having a bit of a lazy morning (me, my stepson Collin who is on his spring break, my dog Chance and my "niece" Harlow --we're taking care of her while Ash and Andria are performing in Telluride and Crested Butte) ......I thought I would take advantage of Collin's technical expertise (he was practically born carrying a laptop) since he was here. I felt certain he would know everything there is to know about his picture phone (my cell is bland and basic ....no camera, people ....just the bare necessities) ......turns out he needed my technical help ....good luck there!! .....but I was pretty certain you can just enter an email address instead of a phone number and send the photos off. That is in fact the case. .....Modern technology is very frustrating at times, but quite an amazing thing. ....So it appears this is the morning (or should I say afternoon now at this point) of figuring out how to operate devices capable of taking, downloading, and sharing data --mainly photos, as that is in part the purpose of this blog. Here's a few more from the cell phone (this was once technology only thought possible on The Jetsons ....we've finally arrived):

Chance taking advantage of "Daddy's gone" time on the bed

Lulu (Harlow), the fur pig, lounging ........cute, cute

....and I've managed to accomplish uncovering the mystery of my laptop Webcam today ....I've had my computer since December, but have never tried using it. Once again, I thought I would elicit information from Collin ...I'm certain HE knows how to use this thing. Collin, you're disappointing me today, Sudoku King!! ....He knew how to take the photos, but not how to download them from there or move them to any folders, etc. ...I'm pretty proud of myself as I figured it out entirely on my own.

Not bad for a non-techie ....at least I don't really consider myself one, even though I've sold high-tech data analysis software in the past and satellite imagery to defense and intel (not sure how I got on that path exactly) ...Now I'm doing what I love working for an architecture and design firm after making the decision a few years ago to go back to school for a second bachelor's in interior design with an emphasis in sustainable design. It was unbelievably grueling, put well worth it (more to come on that as well as my husband's field of hydrogeology.....he's a PhD brainiac .....really.....I don't understand half of what he's published....) .....Well, time to shut down as I need to get in some treadmill time and a walk with the doggies this afternoon before my honey and I celebrate our anniversary tonight!!

A few more 3/28/04 Wedding Weekend photos...

...oops, hang in there with me as I figure out the "how to" of it all ....I still don't have an account for the slideshow, but all in good time ....I meant to add a couple more photos to my last post, but had technical difficulties and basically got kicked out before I was finished .....so here they are:

....the perfect setting.....inside and out..........

...the stone on this fireplace must have been 50 feet high .....really......

....strapping lads, eh??? (especially the chap in the middle!)

Patt and Al, my (our) amazing parents....I love this photo....

We would never forget about you, Chance (my sweet, sweet boy)

..and that was everyone.......no, really!!.....a small wedding = a stress free wedding ;

fun in the snow afterwards....of course I'm all time QB (you wouldn't take Favre out of the game, now would you???)

Our Wedding Anniversary .....oh, and a little background....

Tomorrow is our four year wedding anniversary (Marsh and I) ......People say you find love, or even your soulmate as my story goes, when you're not looking for it --and this couldn't be more true of the evening when our paths did finally collide (I say collide instead of cross as that is more representative of our personalities ....we're both quite competitive). ....A coworker and friend of mine, Shelly, insisted that I accompany her on a night out with a bunch of men that were getting together for a "male bonding" weekend .....they had rented a shuttle limo --like a fancy bus decked out and big enough for at least 30 people--and were going to pick up a bunch of single ladies in Boulder with the plan for us to meet them in Denver (after their "males only" dinner reservation).....oh great, just what I wanted to be: fresh meat for a bunch of drunk, horny middle-aged men (that's the picture I had in my mind anyway) ......and I was tired of attempting to meet people in all the wrong places. I, quite honestly, had absolutely no desire to participate in this night of festivities .....but Shelly would not let up and would NOT take no for an answer. ......I threw something on after shopping (something I rarely do), having no luck finding some kind of outfit to change my mood and my mind going into the evening. .....Once in the limo on the way to Denver, I decided to drink a cocktail and make the best of it ....at least I knew Shelly and I would have fun together and laugh about it at the office the following week. .....The thought NEVER crossed my mind that this incredibly funny, handsome, wonderful man was going to walk into that bus when we arrived in Denver, send one single glance my way (in which our eyes connected in a moment where time, I'm absolutely certain, stood still) and I would not only feel an immediate connection and knowingness as well as instant attraction, but from that moment forward, continue to fall deeper and deeper in love with the love of my life and my very best friend. .....So for any of you single folks out there, love will come to you when you least expect it and when you stop looking, and in a way, stop trying so hard attempting to make what that very special connection and knowingness that love is happen ......enough said. Well, here Marsh and I are eight years later celebrating four incredible years of marriage (again, incredible doesn't mean that whole yin and yang thing hasn't happened along the way ...but that's part of what has made it incredible) ....we truly grow stronger and closer as a couple with each passing year. .....My stepsons, Justin and Collin, have been an important part of our growth process on so many levels .....I never, ever thought I would be a stepmom, but for so many reasons, it is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. It has challenged me in ways I never could of imagined as well as provided me with a window through which to truly see myself through the eyes of others (this is not always positive, but tremendous for personal growth) .....Marsh and I have watched the boys grow and mature from the innocent ages of 10 and 12 to the you'll-be-a-real-man-soon ages of 18 and 20 ......I will say that this type of experience is pretty good birth control in and of itself (sorry, Justin and Col.....you know I love you guys ;) .....and our sweeter than sweet dog Chance keeps us all grounded (at least I like to think he does ......oh the wisdom behind those love-you-without-fault eyes of a dog). ...So as I sit here tonight and look forward to my beautiful husband's arrival home tomorrow to celebrate our anniversary, I knew I needed to pull out some wedding photos .....The day (or celebratory long weekend, I should say) was perfect: very small, very private, in the mountains secluded at a gorgeous log home, with soulful music sung by my triplet brother and sister, David and Andria, as well as my very talented brother-in-law Ash (more to come on his amazing abilities later) ......Mom and Dad, Justin and Collin, .....and that's it............absolutely perfect.

Here we go.....

I certainly like to write and love to talk (just ask my husband), but I never thought I would have a blog. Well, I became inspired from the past, so to speak. A random search lead to a thought about my past --which then lead me to a woman's blog (it made an impression on me, you see) .....and it got me thinking about a number of things including how often we don't take the time to document, through pictures, what is going on in our lives .....and what better way to share with family and friends your life than through pictures and perhaps a blog .....and now with everything digital and at your fingertips (literally), there is no excuse not to dive on into the digital age --at least not for me any longer! Also, we will be making a BIG move this spring from Colorado to Austin, Texas .....this is worth documenting! I won't go into any detail yet as I believe the pictures will ultimately speak for themselves ......and with anything in life, there will be a yin and yang to it all I'm sure ......thank God for top-shelf tequila and margaritas, that's all I can say about it right now when I picture the upcoming event :) .......not too shabby for a late-night first-blog-ever effort ..... us working folk have to get up in the mornin' .......g-night for now ......zzzzzzzzz