Tuesday, September 22, 2009

She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain When She Comes

After Boulder, we headed to Rocky Mountain National Park for a scenic drive up the mountain. Starting at 7,500 feet, we made our way up the mountain to experience the air at 14,000 feet. Stopping along the way, we saw elk grazing, alpines turning bright yellow, and spectacular views of the Continental Divide. We climbed up a huge rock to get some great pictures while the cool air started to roll in along with the clouds (resulting in a snow storm the day after we left). After a few hours driving up and down the mountain, we stopped in Estes Park for some fudge and additional shopping. We had an action packed weekend and it was a blast! We look forward to heading back cause we miss Jimmy already. xoxox

A Perfect Morning

We headed to Boulder Sunday morning for brunch & a little shopping. The rooftop deck provided the perfect view of the Flat Iron mountains and the cocktails provided the perfect start to a fabulous day. Jim, Mike, Brian and I walked up and down the outdoor mall, we bought another sun to add to our collection, and then packed in the car for a road trip to Rocky Mountain National Park.

Jason Mraz at Red Rocks


In choosing the perfect weekend to head out to Denver, we first checked out which artists would be playing at Red Rocks amphitheater. Jimmy had taken us there a few years ago (see top picture) and we were blown away. We had to experience a concert. For those of you who have never been there, Red Rocks is a geologically formed, open-air amphitheater that is like nothing else in the world. The architect is none other than Mother Nature and the design consists of two, three hundred-foot rocks that provide acoustic perfection. The view is breathtaking - as is the walk up to your seats.

We bought tickets for Jason Mraz and had an amazing time. You may know of Jason by some of his popular songs such as "The Remedy" and "I'm Yours." The video above is from the crowd pleaser and final song of the night, "I'm Yours." His music is very positive and inspiring with two new favorites of mine being - "Ray of Sunshine" and "Anything You Want."

Octoberfest in Denver

Brian and I headed to Denver this past weekend to visit Jimmy and see his new digs. Our weekend was action packed, the weather was gorgeous, and the company was terrific. We started our Saturday with an awesome breakfast with cocktails and then headed to the city to drink some tasty Octoberfest beers. Pictured above is Brian, Mike, Jimmy, and me.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Cooper & the Cats

We went to Barnes & Noble this Friday night to hear a book reading of Cooper & the Cats by Abby Jones. Abby, a 6th grader, is the daughter of our good friend Jeanne Jones and was one of the featured authors last night. She wrote & illustrated a book during her camp this summer and we were lucky to be the first to hear it along with the packed house of children, family & friends. Her story was about a dog and cats that go on an adventure around Abington. She illustrates her books by using real pictures of the head and then draws the rest of the body. We were really impressed and enjoyed our time.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Turnover Tart

Today is Mr. Kenney's 78th birthday and we celebrated yesterday with the family (sans Jimmy - although we called him so we could all sing together). We cooked up some burgers and a full spread of delicious sides. And to top it all off, we had turnover tarts for dessert. They were not meant to be turnovers though. The tarts were beautifully arranged with fruit in the design of a flag and Pat was meticulous with the bakery boxes - from the store, to the car, and then to the house - she calculated every step to ensure a successful arrival. When she got to the house, she tucked them to the side of the kitchen table so no one would bump into them. Little did she know that putting them in front of the juice boxes was not the best place for them. You see, Ava says her juice boxes make her tummy so very happy - and when she wants her tummy to be happy, she is relentless until she gets one. In her attempt to reach her favorite beverage, she knocked the bakery boxes to the floor and our tarts became turnover tarts. Ava had no idea what she had done - but we figured, it all ends up in the belly (whether it is pretty or not) and it tasted just as good, had it been untouched. Happy Birthday Mr. Kenney - we love you!

A Pizza Hangover

I honestly don't know what came over us on Sunday, but we decided we wanted to make my Nonnie's/Aunt Tina's famous pizza. We were going to half the recipe, but since we didn't want to do the math, we ended up with 5lbs of dough resulting in 6-7 pizzas, onion bread, pepperoni rolls, and a sore back from standing for so long. The aroma that filled the house brought me back to my childhood and I must admit that each one was cooked to perfection. We already gave one away to our neighbors and will be snacking on some today - but I think we have a pizza hangover from the entire experience. It's a lot to make for 2 people - but we are happy we did.

The Zoo

It was a gorgeous weekend in Philadelphia so we headed to the zoo on Saturday with Bob, Mary, Ava & Luke. Like me, Ava's favorite animal is the giraffe. Since we were both excited to see the elegant animal, we saved it for last to top off our trip to the zoo. Ava got her face painted as a beautiful butterfly, we rode the carousel and were just a minute too late for the train. We saw monkeys, tigers, hippos, polar bears, and many more - but as we rounded the bend to see our favorite - the giraffes, they were no where to be seen. They must have gone in to eat their dinner. We had a ton of fun and before we left we tried to get a picture with Ava & Luke. Our best shot is below.