Free at Last

I know I've taken some days off, but here is E saying "Wha chu got?". Just a Colorado baby hanging on the floor in the house with a Smartwool hat on keeping her warm. Who needs clothes?

Kathleen is on break now, but for some reason that makes me feel more busy. Maybe there are things that I feel should be happening because I've got back up and I am just not super motivated.

Might have something to do with me getting some sort of stomach virus on the 19th- the day before my birthday- and puking/spray-painting the toilet for a few days, but I'm not sure. I do know that laying in bed on your birthday is only a good thing when you choose to do it, not because you are forced to!

This is a project I'm gonna start working on this Holiday. Notice that everything (guitars, amplifiers, chairs, patio furniture, weights, statues, and full sized Arnold Swartzeneger posters) has been moved into Hillary's bedroom? We plan on framing all the walls, insulating, hanging drywall, in the next few days so that we can have a space for watching TV/movies and a play area for the baby. Oh, K's tredmill will go somewhere too. The groundwork for a bathroom and shower has been set in the concrete, maybe before Paternity leave is over, I'll have finished that bathroom too. Guests? Hope so.

Got a text at 6:45am yesterday from a friend who was going to ski UP the mountain at 7:30. Quickly got dressed, packed, and drove to meet him. Kind of a strange thing to do the day after spending so much time in the bathroom, hanging out. But, thankfully for me, I don't think things through too much, because I got to climb through a cloud and then be on top if it in the sun looking down (over the clouds) to the mountains lit up by the early morning sun. I only had to suffer for 1 hour. Then, skiing down was probably the most fun I've ever had on Heavenly Daze and See Me. Totally soft corderoy, no one yet on the mountain, and FAST, FAST, FAST! Ended up back in the clouds, but I knew what was above them. Barely even noticed that the friend I met up with, had finished and left within a half hour. I only saw him 3 times. Once at the parking lot, once when he waited for me 1/12 of the way up, and finally when he and his dog flew past me on Heavenly Daze- um, they were going home and I was only 1/4 of the way up.


Went for a hike yesterday afternoon with E, K, and K. Just did Doc's loop, but it was so beautiful outside. I was also a little worked from the morning, so, it was a good way to get outside with the ladies and Kodi without getting too beat up. Again, Doc's loop only takes about and hour from door to door, but how great to be able to do that without driving. K and I regularly talk about how lucky we are (smart and lucky?) that we get to live here. I am standing on Emerald mountain is the foto below. It is the mountain as seen from the previous foto. I was standing on the background of this foto while I was skiing and taking the foto above this one- I just realized that.

It has been snowing for the past few days. I looked at K's dog house (Kodi, not Kathleen) the other day and there were only about 4 inches of snow on it. Now, 1.5 feet if there is an inch. So it has been beautiful, but, snowing-type beautiful. Yesterday, however, things cleared up a bit and the sun just makes everything feel so good. It's hard to imagine that that glowing orb in the sky can do bad things because it just feels so right.

I'd like to call this next foto "Jingle Balls". It's what happens to the dog when he goes out in the snow... every time!

This is what all of us wish we could be doing at the end of a hike. Unfortunately, most of us are too big, or at least don't have friends/family big enough for us to be doing it. But it looks so natural for Emerald.


Wait. How'd that foto get there? This is the one I was talking about for after the hike.


Went to a friends for "heavy apps", omg! H decided on an Asian theme, so there was (were?) pot stickers, sushi, spring rolls, wings, edamame, peanut sauce, soy sauce, ginger and wasabi! Wow what a spread, and there were only 4 of us. Also got to have a martini, something I only drink when I go to this house because when H says something is good and true, I believe it. And I've heard her say numerous times that J makes a mean martini. I think the best part of the evening, however, was E had her first non-family babysitters and she responded so well.

And they only charged candy!

Fa Ra Ra Ra Ra, Ra Ra, Ra, Ra.