laborless day

long weekends are fabulous! gives one the chance to relax, camp, catch up with friends, vacation or just veg out. i spent this weekend with friends and family.

the bute family was in town for a wedding and i can't pass up time spent with kevin and jill and their little girls. kylie is absolutely adorable. isn't it great how kids ask for what they want? thursday night we spent at matty and beck's place bbq'ing and catching up with the butes. often times the adults would get deep in conversation and forget about kylie, but not for long. she would scream at the top of her lungs basically saying, "look at me, don't i look so cute?" and who could disagree that she was the cutest thing around. she melted hearts by resting her head on men's shoulders and running around the lawn throwing tennis balls 3 feet infront of her.

from the bqq, pete and i headed to evergreen for a fun filled family time. take away from this weekend... i like my nieces and nephews that are potty trained and don't have high pitched cries that make me cringe. since there are only 3 of those, all of which are my sister's kids, well those are my favorite right now. sorry nefret, kaylee, eliza, sammy, keegan, duke and caleb, i promise to like you more when you are about 5 years old.

regardless, i had a great weekend spending time with the family. anytime the whole summers clan gets together, it is madness, but good madness. kids running around constantly, video games going, adults having brief conversations and reverting back to childhood tentencies.

i try so hard to pretend to be an adult, but the fact of the matter is when i get around my family, i revert to a 10 year old. being civil is thrown out the window and i want my way all the time. weird mix when there are actual children around. that's why family vacations are best when each adult/couple has their own room to recharge and close the door to the insanity and noise from the family.

Needless to say, i did not have my own room or my own space. the first night i spent on the floor while my husband and brother watched a movie. not comfy at all. the 2nd night, i slept on my sister's futon bed which was better than the first night, but somewhat lumpy. the 3rd, well i didn't make it to the 3rd night, we headed home so i could sleep in my own bed without the pitter patter of feet waking at ungodly hours.

takeaways from the weekend:

• 18 adults/kids at a restaurant is insane. plan to sit by someone you can talk to all evening long. i sat by my nephew who thought i was the best thing since sliced bread for the weekend. he wanted to sit by me for every meal. i've racked my brain to figure out why i was so cool to him, but i got nothing.
• it's nice to be a kid's favorite even if next time you see them, they can hardly remember your name. even adult want to feel loved and special especially coming from a kid.
• "i spy" is the greatest game ever for a bored kid.
• i had my doubts, but wii fit is fun for the whole family and so entertaining.
• and lastly, i love love my family even though they annoy the heck out of me. you read it here, i would do anything for anyone of them.

sunday night grandma took us to white fence farm where we had delicious fried chicken and then the husband and i headed home for a full nights sleep.

Peter's hand in the cow's mouth

family farm animals

me and one of my favorite nephews

monday we headed to park to get a little more time with the bute family before they left town. we dined on kfc (kentucky fried chicken for those less civilized) while bees followed us around. aparently they like fried chicken like the rest of us. kylie was there to smear dirt on her face and good times were had by all.

kylie and emily

oh obama...

i really do want to like senator barack obama, really i do. i even want to like him enough to vote for him because let's face it, he's the hip and trendy candidate for president. he blogs, he texts, emails and quite frankly is well into the 21st century compared to the alternative john mccain.

BUT... here comes the empathic but. he speech was awful last night. obama wanted to come off as a new and different kind of politician, one that could lead this country, but instead he sounded like the same old suit who says the same old things that all democrats say. we don't want 8 more years, bush and mccain are one in the same, blah blah blah. did anyone else think that barack riped on mccain more than he gave an inspiring speech?

honestly, i had such high hopes for his speech. never hearing him speak, i wanted to hear this man that is known for his speaking talent. i wanted him to inspire me to vote for him. i wanted him to have a speech that would truly go down in history. instead it was the same tired talking politics. tear down the opponent while building myself up. promising the same things while putting this coutry further into debt. he told 1/2 truths by quoting statistics of how great the democrat party and how awful the republic party has been and then wrapped up by saying he wanted a different america with different politicians who aren't divided by party lines. you do realize obama you just got done drawing party lines in the first part of your speech?

50 years from now no one is going to be quoting from this speech because it wasn't inspiring.

i really, really wanted to like him...

Clouds

Clouds fascinate me. There are so many different types and the way light reflects through them is a different picture each day.

As a little girl, I use to lie in a big pile snow after I was worn out from sledding and stare up at the clouds floating by. Imagining them as dragons or bunnies dancing across the sky.

Now as an adult, I hardly take notice because I'm hurrying to get somewhere. Today I could not help but notice.

look at these melons

our little garden is getting a bit more crowded these days as we are in the dead of summer and 23 consecutive days of 90° temps... the veggies like. the sunflower is about 10 feet tall and our watermelon and cantalope are the size of softballs. i can't wait to make a tasty pasta salad with the dozens of cherry tomatoes i pick each visit to the garden.

there are multiple things we'll do differently next season like spread out the tomato plants and the vine like plants. plant less squash and more lettuce for daily salads. do composting. overall the community garden experience has been wonderful as we have met quite a few neighbors and feel like something bigger than just a couple living in a duplex. for more information about denver ubran gardens go to www.dug.org.

not so closet green thumb

i'm a first time gardener and i tell everyone i meet that i have a plot in the community garden. yes i toil in the ground everyday (almost) to grow my own vegetables, but funny that there are tons of fellow gardeners. closet green thumbs that quietly go about growing wonderful flowers and salad fixin's in their own backyard. how these people keep quiet about such a task as growing something from a seed to food, i don't understand. i get giddy every time i eat a complete salad that was grown 2 blocks from my house. the time we meticulously picked weeds and watered our veggie babies so they would grow big and strong. then there's the early stages when it's all work as we wait for something to grow from the ground. we question our watering methods, the seeds, the soil, the season as we hold our breathe for a sign of life. snow fell and we worried for the tomato plants that they would make it through the night.

and now 2 and half months later we are harvesting vegetables. we know all the work that went into growing them and how far they have traveled (2 blocks by foot) to get to our table. there is a sense of accomplishment growing something from a seed relying on the sun and the noutrients from the soil to do most the work. we are bound to the earth whether we realize it or not. i feel a kinship with farmers and even my ancestors who work the soil for their livelyhood. did adam and eve feel the joy i have from seeing their garden? i wonder if one day we will all be gardeners again, back to basics and back to the soil...

summer lovin'

denver summer nights are absolutely perfect as the sun sets over the mountains and temperatures drop just enough to be comfortable with or without a sweater. it's already july and i'm dying to enjoy a summer night with a movie under the stars. there are many venues around town that offer the free movies and a chance to gather the community. i want to bring a bottle of wine, some pasta salad, a french stick and cheese as a settle into my lawn chair for a classic film. hopefully i'll catch at least on outdoor movie before summer's end and most likely at film on fillmore.

colorado shakespeare festival has been around for years. set on the campus of the university of colorado at boulder in the outdoor mary rippon theater. wonderful red rocks as benches set the stage of a nature filled night of theater and entertainment. bring a cushion and a bottle of wine for maximum enjoyment. check out their calendar here.

things that got my eye right now...

• just had brunch at duo located at 32nd and zuni in east highlands. delicious and well priced at around $8 for an egg dish. next time, i'm getting the "sweet thing" with onions, mushrooms and eggs, it's to die for! and their dessert is getting rave reviews as well.
• cornhole is sweeping the nation, well at least I'm introducing all my aquaintenances to the game. much like horseshoes, but with a beanbag and board with hole, this game is addictive since little skill is needed.
• the denver marathon has now enter my radar with a race date of october 19th, my goal has been defined. but will it be a full or 1/2 marathon?
• i sit waiting with baited breath for my Pétanque set to be delivered to my front door. another outdoor game that is the french version of bocce ball. Pétanque uses metal balls and can be played on any surface. you can find me in the park drinking vino verde and playing lawn games.
• i've been waiting to check out neighborhood flix on east colflax next to the new tattered cover bookstore. they have independent movies served with food. tuesdays is a steal with $6.50 ticket prices all day (regular adult is $10). rumor has it the Sesame Ginger Sweet Potato Fries sell better than the popcorn.
• irish snug is a pub that started a run club 18 months ago that has grown to over 2000 members according to their website. tuesdays nike has a run club with good sandwiches and fruit after the run, the irish snug run club has pasta and discounted brews. i might try it out this week...