Love writes a letter and sends it to Hate...

In preparation for our trip to Pennsylvania in two weeks, I have been listening to some really great, meaningful music. I have to arrive in my hometown with the utmost optimism so as not to drown in the negativity that dwells in Western PA. Perhaps it is my own negativity about traveling to place the I chose to leave for a reason (or several) and the lack of "vacation" I have while actually there.


I have found "The Ballad of Love and Hate" by The Avett Brothers to be intoxicating and so truth felt. Aside from the fact that I am madly in love with Seth, I keep listening to it for the lyrics (Ok- may be his voice, too!).

http://youtu.be/1cTJV3HK-Xs

Love writes a letter and sends it to Hate:
"My vacation's ending, I'm coming home late
The weather was fine and the ocean was great
And I can't wait to see you again"

Hate reads the letter and throws it away
"No one here cares if you go or you stay
I barely even noticed that you were away
I'll see you or I won't, whatever"

Love sings a song as she sails through the sky
The water looks bluer through her pretty eyes
And everyone knows it whenever she flies
And also when she comes down

Hate keeps his head up and walks through the street
Every stranger and drifter he greets
And shakes hands with every loner he meets
With a serious look on his face

Love arrives safely with suitcase in toe
Carrying with her the good things we know
A reason to live and a reason to grow
To trust, to hold, to care

Hate sits alone on the hood of his car
Without much regard to the moon or the stars
Lazily killing the last of a jar
Of the strongest stuff you can drink

Love takes a taxi, a young man drives
As soon he sees her hope fills his eyes
But tears follow after at the end of the ride
Because he might never see her again

Hate gets home lucky to still be alive
He screams over the sidewalk and into the drive
The clock in the kitchen says two-fifty-five
And the clock in the kitchen is slow

Love has been waiting patient and kind
Just wanting a phone call or some kind of sign
That the one that she cares for who's out of his mind
Will make it back safe to her arms

Hate stumbles forward and leans in the door
Weary head hung down, eyes to the floor
He says, "Love, I'm sorry," and she says, "What for?
I'm yours and that's it, whatever
I should not have been gone for so long
I'm yours and that's it, forever
Your mine and that's it, forever"

A Mario Kart ending...

J and I have been playing in a beer-in-hand kickball league this summer (And last, too). For the last game of the season, most of the teams in the league dress up. Our team - I gave her my word I'd stop at third- decided that we would dress up as Mario Kart characters. Below is photographic proof of our debauchery... I'd like to think if they gave out medals- we'd get gold!

It was so much fun! While I am sad that we are sitting out the fall season, I truly welcome not drinking that much beer on Wednesday nights! It's exhausting!!!!

Too hot!

One of the reasons autumn is my favorite season is because summer, spring and winter in Pennsylvania are dreadful. Autumn isn't a huge season here in Colorado as we pretty much have two: summer and winter. But, this 95 degrees and ridiculously high humidity we have been having reminds me of my summers in Pennsylvania where the only way to escape the heat is to be in a pool... Sadie and Ryleigh have the right idea...

Too bad Colorado's pools are few and far between... Guess I'll hang out in the basement for now in my air conditioning!

Red Rocks: the most beautiful venue on Earth!

This weekend, J and I went to see Grace Potter and the Nocturnals and the Avett Brothers at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colo. If you've never seen a show here, you are TRULY missing out! It was a fantastic show- outside of the people who were determined to sit in the seats on their tickets in general admission- Weirdos! I would highly recommend going to see them this tour- Grace Potter is a BAD ASS and the Avett Brothers were so good!

Anyway-- here are some photos of the venue in all its glory:

My first Fourth of July in Denver...

J and I love to go camping and moving to Colorado has only increased that. Every Fourth of July we go somewhere- three years ago it was to a local state park, two years ago was 11-Mile Canyon and last year was to Gunnison. Unfortunately, camping has not been our number one priority this summer as gas prices have put a huge damper on our trips! No worries though... Not all was lost! Friday night consisted of a lovely date at our kitchen table with fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil pinwheels... and a couple glasses of Cabernet for me and some Bud Light limes for J (his fave!). Friday's are usually our quiet night where we like to unwind from the week by making something delicious and enjoying it lazily in front of a movie. Friday night's pick: Silence of the Lambs! (Note: I'm getting Jonathan hooked on all the movie series I love like the Hannibal Lector movies and Harry Potter... ahh, love!)

Saturday we went on a lovely hike in Jamestown, CO on a trail called Ceran St. Vrain. Our overweight (sigh) Labs were thrilled to discover that most of the trail ran beside water and were smart enough to realize that they couldn't swim in a lot of the areas due to the ridiculously high waters we are having this year. (Thanks late snow melt!) After a quick lunch at Larkburger- YUM! - we went back  home, grabbed a few things and off to Denver we went! After quick bike ride to a friends house, we were on our way to the Colorado Rockies game. Our friends- bless their hearts- stood in like for more than 8 hours waiting for Rock Pile tickets- or the $4 cheap seats that are the most fun! Here are some photos:

Since we had the cheapest seats in the house, we were able to go on the field to watch the fireworks for the BEST seats in the house! Very cool! Overall Saturday was a great night, with some great friends!

Sunday consisted of a few hours at Valmont Bike Park, followed by a lovely evening with some friends and more fireworks in their neighborhood.

Yesterday was more than relaxing and we spent most of the day in the basement catching up on True Blood and the Next Food Network Star! We're also watching the entire Harry Potter series to prepare for the end... which is just around the corner. Sad!

And now Tuesday is here... Is it the weekend yet?!?! At least it is a four day week!

Must. Be. Better.

Now that I've successfully gone three whole months without a single blog... I have so much to say! :o)

Jonathan and I both ended up getting brand new mountain bikes! I've lovingly named my bike Sylvia... because she's both sleek and beautiful.

We've been going pretty much every weekend- especially now that Boulder has opened VALMONT BIKE PARK!!!! A mecca of fun and entertainment, which regularly makes me feel like a child on my lunch break, let alone on my Saturday mornings! I've noticed a huge improvement in my bike handling abilities and have become so much more comfortable on my new best friend!

Purchasing several thousand dollars of bikes can definitely put a damper on a budget. Therefore, what better opportunity to broaden our horizon than with homemade cooking? I learned how to make homemade pierogies (an underrated delicacy of my homeland: Pittsburgh, PA!) and made about 100 in a 24 hour period. The secret? Sour cream. Put sour cream in the dough to keep it moist and in tact during the sealing process. I didn't use a secret family recipe or anything, but I did use this recipe: http://pittsburgh.about.com/od/recipes/r/pierogies.htm - The first batch came out a little thick, but once J and I discovered how thick to make them, they were perfect!

One thing to know is that I am addicted to hot sauce, especially Sriracha. So when Randy Clemens came out with The Sriracha Cookbook - I was ELATED! When the booked arrived at my house last month, I had never been so pleased! The book is so much more than just "add Sriracha to whatever" - but puts delicious twists on everyday favorites. First we started with the chilaquiles- a Mexican breakfast- which was amazing! We followed the chilaquiles with many other recipes such as deviled eggs, tikka masala, baked mac n cheese, pulled pork... and BUTTER... yes, Sriracha butter is a real thing and it is 100 percent delicious! J has limited my Sriracha cookbook recipes to about one a week... and I have to respect his wishes, but still put the hot sauce on 99.9 percent of my meals anyway!

Four months ago I started the C25K running program. I was physically forced to take a two week hiatus due to some major knee issues. This past Saturday, I successfully completed 5k. It took me 45 minutes... and I walked the last .4K, but I did it nonetheless. After the 5k, we biked 14 miles to Stapleton for an afternoon at the pool and many deserved beers! Granted, I still snooze most mornings when my alarm goes off at 5:25am, but I've decided that the dedication to running is going to take me a lot longer than the four months it has taken me to get here.

Hopefully it won't take me 3+ months to post my next blog... here's to hoping... Happy Fourth!