Highlights of 2010

Instead of doing my tranditional Favorite Things List, I decided to post 12 representative photos from the year.  I picked 12 since there are 12 months in a year, but the photos are not tied to any particular month.   So, without further ado, here they are:

#1.  2nd Jannual International Pub Crawl.  This was the last stop of the night, if you couldn't tell from everyone's expressions.  We're gearing up for the 3rd Jannual Pub Crawl next week.  I can't wait!

#2.  My sister Abby (right) at the Colorado State High School Track Meet.  She is fast.

#3.  Greece!!  I loved our trip to Greece.  We had so much fun.

#4.  My friends Gina and Seth got married!  We went out to California for the wedding.  It was fun to catch up with the girls.

#5.  I got to throw my first baby shower this year.  It was for my friends Brent, Catherine and baby Alice.

#6.  I went to Las Vegas to celebrate two birthdays:  my sister Anna's and our friend Mary's.  It was a blast!

We spent a lot of time at the pool.

#7.  Erick & Nicole got married!!

#8.  Warrior Dash!  Mud, Sweat & Beers. . . . and Turkey Legs. 

#9.  We climbed another 14er, Mt. Bierstadt.  I got altitude sickness and puked at the end.

  #10.  We ran the Chile & Frijole Festival Hot to Trot 5K.  Abby took first place in her division and won the squash pictured here.

#11.  My cousin Carla got married in Estes Park.  Wedding Receptions are fun.

#12.  Josh and I celebrated our 4 year wedding anniversary in the Napa Valley!!!

You know I can't resist adding a #13 for good measure.  This is from Josh's 29th Birthday.

  Happy New Year everyone!! 

Aloha, Fitness!

Ok, in a little less than two months Josh and I will be basking in the sun on the beaches of Maui.  We are both super excited.  We haven't been back to Hawaii since our honeymoon in 2006.  It will be especially fun because we will be able to share the fun with friends.  We are all headed west to attend a wedding.

However, despite our excitement, I'm already nervous about slipping into a swim suit.  The holidays have not been kind.  I think its mostly due to my beverage selections over the last few months.  I've been drinking way too much soda, indulging in way too much wine and tossing back lots of cold ones.  That's in addition to eating burgers smothered in cheese, truffle aioli and mushrooms. . . .among other delicious snacks.

So, I'm going to take a cue from my sisters and work towards making 2011 the fittest year of my life.  I know that probably isn't totally possible, considering I was ridiculously fit in high school, but I like the way it sounds :)  My sister Abby is planning on cutting out soda starting next week and I'm going to tag along and try to do the same--well, at least cut back to one a week.  We'll see how it goes.  I don't want to deny myself completely, but it might be easier if I don't open myself up to temptation.  My sister Anna is planning on trying to drop a few pounds and exercise more.  She bought me some awesome, custom-designed Nike Free shoes for Christmas.  I can't wait to break them in!  We have a few races on our radar already.  All in all, I'm just going to try and be healthier. 

Cheers to 2011!  Health!  Happiness! and Lots of Love!

Feliz Navidad

Due to the lack of snow in Denver, it has been difficult to get in the holiday spirit.  I keep thinking Christmas is a few weeks out.  So, Josh and I decided to jumpstart the holiday vibe by putting up our decorations this weekend. We didn't want to haul out all of our old Christmas stuff, so we decided to do something totally original this year:  a fiesta tree.  Yes, behold our creation.

 We found red fiesta balls (Josh calls them dingle balls) in the trim section of Walmart and used them as garland.  I picked up a cheap serape (tree skirt) and miniature sombrero (tree topper) at Party City.  We made a bunch of home-made ornaments including yarn god's eyes, pom pom snowflakes, clear bulbs filled with pom poms and beer bottle caps, and other fun stuff.  We also threw a few of the fake mustaches from the DIY birthday photobooth in the tree for good measure. We were pleased with the results.

We also went to cut down a real tree with Josh's parents; our brother and sister-in-law; and my Aunt, Uncle and cousin.  There wasn't any snow in the mountains either, so it felt funny to bundle-up and cut down a tree.  Regardless it was still fun.  We drank apple cider; ate Christmas cookies; hunted trees; and made the traditional stop at the firehouse for chili before we headed home.  All-in-all, a good day.  Now it feels a little more like Christmas.