A Second, Consecutive Weekend in Denver

To celebrate my second, consecutive weekend in Denver this summer, I had several celebrations to attend.

Friday:
On Friday night, I joined my friends Nicole, Mandy, and Mariyah, and Nicole's daughter, London, dad, Kevin, step-mom, Joanelle, brother, Bennie, and Ben's girlfriend, Vanessa for a birthday dinner for Kevin (turning the double-nickles - that's 55) and London's FIRST birthday.

We dined at Zengo, an amazing modern Mexican cuisine restaurant. It is truly one of my favorite restaurants in Denver. When we order, it's more tapas-style because you really want a little of everything on the menu. However, one of the signature entrees is the Kobe beef that you prepare yourself at the table on heated stones.

These are my recommendations from the dinner menu:
Ceviches - Both the Camaron and Mahi Mahi

Sushi Rolls - Angry Zengo, Kobe Beef Tataki, Volcano, and Crispy Softshell Crab Roll

Appetizers - Edamame XO Style, Won Ton Tacos, Empanadas, Tuna Tartare

Soup - Chipotle Miso

Entrees - Char Broiled Black Cod, Kobe Beef

Just looking at the menu again made me salivate...and to quench your thirsts, Zengo also has amazing mojitos. I prefer the traditional cucumber, but the passion fruit one is delish, too.

After dinner, we took Bennie and Vanessa around LoDo bars, and of course, had to take them to Cowboy Lounge. It's an urban honky-tonk...meaning that they play hip-hop right after "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy". Bennie, being the super-popular, hip-hop DJ in Sacramento area even got recognized at CL...which is really weird...on another weird note, Nicole and I managed to clear half of the dance floor with her custom choreography to "Devil Went Down to Georgia"...nothing feels weirder than being stared at while twirling and lassoing the air....

The group at the CL

Saturday:
Saturday morning started with a bridal shower for Christy (Wedding #6 if you're tracking). The morning was nice with delicious brunch prepared by Miss Kalyn. The theme for the party was lingerie, but in true style, it got a little naughty. Surprisingly, not because of me! Although I think Christy will have quite the interesting honeymoon - and Quintin, you can thank us later. ;)


For Saturday evening's event, I got to officially celebrate Chelsea and David's engagement with both of their families. You can see Chelsea's planning process on her blog A Colorado Cupcake and with her articles for the Broomfield Examiner on bridal style and planning.

Chelsea and Me, the Faboosh Bloggers that we are...

Mr. and the Future Mrs.

Another reason to love summer and time with friends is relaxing on a cool Saturday evening in the backyard while being serenaded with acoustic guitar and music just floats through the air. David is an amazingly talented musician and, with the help of his sister, Ashley, the duo brought tears to people's eyes.

David and his sister Ashley serenading the party

Sunday:
To cap off a weekend of celebrations, a day in the park with friends and cake for London's first birthday was a MUST!

Celebrating one year seems a little odd when you think about it. But, when you think about how much your life has changed in that one year, your eyes open to all the possibilities for where life's road could have taken you.

London was so cute with her cake...she simply kept sticking her finger in the frosting and licking it....she got a little messy, but to her mom's appreciation, not so messy that you would have to hose her down.



Here's to everyone that I got to celebrate with this weekend:

Kevin: May your next 55 years be as amazing as these last 55 years.

Christy and Quintin: I am excited that I get to share the first day of your lives together as husband and wife.

Chelsea and David: Although your wedding is a year away, I can already see the love that you have for one another and I am also excited to get to share the first day of your lives together as husband and wife.

London: You are a little miracle in more ways than one. I cannot wait to see the little girl that you will become, and better yet, the woman you will be.

Fourth of July Weekend

Having the hard life that I do, I had to suffer through four straight days of enjoying sunshine, friends, family, and fireworks. I am such a martyr.

For my first weekend in Denver in two months, I started with errand running,

UPDATED: I got to enjoy a Mexican feast at Blue Bonnet with a former co-worker after many trial and tribulations with Apple and updating my iPhone. We got caught up on life and PITAs in our lives. (That's Pain In The Ass)

followed by well deserved Rio margaritas with my cousin, Nic, who is also my hero. He's currently serving in the Marine Corps in Quantico, VA and came home for a week to be with family and friends.


For Friday, I got some friends together to celebrate a weekday without work and had a picnic in Wash Park. We enjoyed the sun, the company, and played badminton - which turned into Getting David's Flip Flops Out of the Tree. I guess I should explain the rules to Getting David's Flip Flops Out of the Tree...

1. While playing badminton, play near a large, leafy tree.
   
2. Next, make sure to get the birdie stuck in the tree with no extra birdies to continue play.
   
3. After that, throw logical items at the various branches to get the birdie out.
4. Naturally, when one flip flop gets stuck (See below), throw the second flip flop so the PAIR gets stuck.
5. After attempts with a full water bottle that is so heavy, even girls throw like girls, try anything else you have with you on your picnic.
6. A Nalgene bottle with some water and ice in it have a great balance for throwing and turning the game into modified catch.
7. The game can last from 5 minutes to one hour...depending on aim, objects, and location.

One of my favorite parts of the Park Day was gaining a shadow. Her name is Lilly and she is the daughter of my friend Heather. It takes Lilly-Boo awhile to warm up to you, but after that, we are best of friends. She'll be celebrating her second birthday, which also happens to be her Golden Birthday, next month, so you'll get to see more of my new shadow. She did also like to play with Obie, David and Chelsea's dog, once she realized that Obie liked her, too.

For the Fourth of July Independence Day festivities, I went to my friend's downtown loft where we could watch the fireworks from Coors Field on his rooftop...being only 3 blocks away, it was like front row seats to the best fireworks display in town! I wasn't able to capture the display with my slow shutter speed, so you'll have to settle for a stunning view of Union Station from the rooftop.

To finish off my four-day weekend, I went to the racetrack to catch up with Kalyn and her family since I haven't really seen them since my trip back to Holly in May. Hammes Racing didn't have any horses running, so I got to enjoy the whole Hammes clan without stress of a horse not placing....or Mama Hammes yelling at Nick and scaring bystanders...

All in all, the weekend was a perfect for celebrating all things American: Friends, Family, and Fireworks...not to mention the margaritas, wine, hot dogs, barbecue, gambling....

Literally, Caffeine and Cocktails

I had an epiphany yesterday and thought that I would actually post my choices for caffeine and cocktails...well, current choices, anyways...

Caffeine

Skinny Sugar-Free Latte from the 'Buck or a Northern Lite Latte from the 'Bou
(That's Starbucks and Caribou Coffee, by and by.) I really like the Cinnamon Dolce, Caramel, that good, old standby, Vanilla, but the 'Bou has a Turtle flavor that is decadent...I go between iced and hot depending on the weather, the day, or just me. For an extra jolt, read: Monday, I just add a shot of espresso.

F My Life, a/k/a Mocha Frappacino Light
I superimposed the letters on the side of my cup once and an F My Life was created. The baristas at the local 'Buck know me, so when I order an F My Life, they know what I mean. They think it's funny, too having since being directed to fmylife.com. It's a nice little dose of chocolaty coffee that's blender-ed with ice....yummy....


Sugar-Free Red Bull
Having some wicked hangovers from regular Red Bull, I swore off the Bull altogether fearing the same nauseating result. However, in my recent time-travel in time zones and not allowing my internal body clock to adjust, the sugar-free version was reintroduced to me in small doses and surprisingly, I took to it very well. With only 10 calories for the 8.4 oz can, I can't complain...oh, and the price tag is a little nicer from the 'Buck and the 'Bou.

Cocktails

Grape Soda
A grape soda is simply grape-flavored vodka and soda. It tastes like grape soda. Simple and delicious.

Sweet Tea
This little gem will really get you into trouble...it's Sweet Tea Vodka, water, and ice. You don't taste the alcohol and that's where the trouble begins...it's so good once it hits your lips.

Bacardi Melon and Sugar-Free Red Bull
It's like a delicious melon ball with some energy behind it. As part of my reintroduction phase to Red Bull, I was served this masterpiece of non-alcoholic tasting awesomeness.

Wyoming Cream Soda
Served tall (meaning in a taller class to allow for more mixer, one serving alcohol), this little glass of heaven tastes like, you guessed it, cream soda. I call it a Wyoming Cream Soda for the person that made me my first glass. I can tell you that I was initially hesitant to taste Captain Morgans and 7Up, but with the right ratio of 2 parts 7Up to one part Captain, it's magnificent.



I hope that you will try some of these concoctions and share yours! I'm always looking for the next signature drink....

Wedding, She Wrote

This weekend, the last of my two months of traveling, was spent in Michigan with my dad and one hundred of his closest friends and family.

I should have known that it was something more than just a BBQ, but when I asked my dad point blank if this weekend was really a secret wedding, he said, "Nah. This is just how Sharon does parties." So, putting it from my mind, I played one-handed croquet (it's one-handed because you were required to hold a beer the entire time) and sitting back listening to the band play. (Perhaps clue #2)

After thanking everyone from coming, my dad told everyone to go to the maple tree because he and Sharon were going to get married. By the way, the officiant was found on the Internet and he's also a flight attendant who left right after this to fly to Miami. Oh, and he was the only one in pants. (Perhaps clued #3)

For the most convenient terms, I have two step brothers and a step sister, who has a son, so technically, my dad is a grandpa and I have a nephew of sorts...weird. Although, I don't think that this will be awkward because none of us will be living with them and have to argue about touching someones drums or making our beds into bunk beds so that there would be more room to do activities.
Now that my travels are over for some time, it has been pointed out to me that where ever I go, there seems to be a wedding. Thinking back, I have gone to a wedding the four of the last five weekends and I am sure that there were numerous weddings in Vegas to make it 5 for 5. Apparently, I am the Jessica Fletcher of weddings. Instead of going somewhere and someone gets murdered and I investigate it, I go to places, people get married and I party. It's a much better version, I think. Jessica Fletcher never caught on that all these people would die around her and apparently her friends didn't either because they kept inviting her.

Perhaps with all this blogging and wedding-going I should start a novel series: Wedding, She Wrote. Ha.

Racking Up the Miles

Today, I realized it has been over a month since my last post. To be fair, I have really only been in town for three to four days at a time before jet-setting across the country.

My weekend in Holly was the first of seven weekends in a row that I would be traveling, so now that I am upon my last one, I thought that I could play catch up, in several parts.

Weekend #1: Holly, CO - See also: "Everybody Dies Famous in a Small Town"

For your visual entertainment, I will include a photo of me and the grad before her first of two graduation parties.



Weekend #2: College Station, TX

I had never been to the Aggies' home base, but I had a great time while I was there. I got to see some baseball, a lot of East Texas, and had a great night in Northgate. Here's something that Denver should look into: Shot Bars. While I can see the logic that most people in the winter will not go to a bar for a shot or two and then move on, however, it is a promising business in the other seasons...Having a menu spelling out what is in shots also creates diversity in my drinking palate. At a stop on our impromptu bar crawl, I met Mr. Madras, here. What you can't see in this picture is his matching white leather loafers. Awesome.


Weekend #3: Lakewood/Morrison, CO

Ok, so I live only about 15 miles from these two towns, but since I was A) without a means of my own transportation, B) I was living out of a suitcase, and C) I didn't go home from Thursday to Sunday, I consider this a trip.

This weekend was for my friend Kathryn's wedding. She went from K-Ro to K-Mart. Things started on Thursday night with a Bachelor/Bachelorette Party slash Meet-and-Greet for friends and family. Friday brought about the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner (beer pong and pizza - AWESOME.) Saturday was the big day...It was a gorgeous outdoor ceremony right next to the historic Red Rocks Amphitheater. From there, we danced and drank the night away! It was a fabulous fete! Sunday, clearly, was left for recovery.


Weekend #4: Las Vegas, NV

To celebrate my friends Nicole and Shira's 30th birthdays, a group of girls got together in Vegas. We stayed at the Hard Rock (my first time), had a delicious dinner at Nobu, danced the night away, and went to Rehab on Sunday. If you haven't seen the TV show on truTV, let me tell you that it is crazier than the show. It is wall-to-wall people and you should be inebriated to think it's a good idea to get in that water....yuck. It was a great weekend away and a fun time with my "circle of friends that will never be square." (Mariyah's toast.)

Seriously? Icky-poo-poo.

Weekend/Week #5: Littleton, CO/Pittsburgh, PA/Morgantown, WV

This was one long weekend that turned into a week. On the Saturday of this weekend, I actually stuck around Denver and attended my friend Shannon's wedding. It was exquisite and definitely a party. In true Shannon style, the shoes were, of course, Manolo.


On Sunday, I headed to Pittsburgh/Morgantown to hang out with my friend Katie for her wedding the following weekend.

Weekend #6: Washington, PA

The most recent weekend was to celebrate Matt and Katie and their kick-ass wedding. Katie and Matt were told by the hotel and the DJ that it was the best wedding that they had ever had there and it was. Everyone at some point was on the dancefloor. And after the wedding, did everyone retire to their rooms? No! Everyone went to the hotel bar and continued the party until last call. There was another wedding there that night, so everyone was in a party mood.

Double-fisting on the dancefloor. That's my girl.

It's not the most flattering picture, but it's fabulous.

Weekend #7: Lansing, MI

So, this weekend hasn't technically occured, it does involve a family reunion of sorts with my dad, my uncle, my godparents, my future step mom, her family, a live band, and alcohol. Details and photos to follow.

I promise that I won't let so much time lapse between posts!

Everybody Dies Famous in a Small Town

This past weekend, I went to the hometown of former Colorado governor Roy Romer. I'm talking about Holly, Colorado. It's in the southeast corner of the state - about 3 miles from Kansas and about 45 miles from Oklahoma. The drive from Denver takes about three and a half hours and takes you through many small towns. We stop in Limon for dinner, then a pit stop in Eads to catch up with some family friends, then into Holly. On the way out, there may be a pit stop in Eads, but there's the Loaf 'N Jug in Hugo for a pit stop, fill up, and leg stretch. Side note: who knew that you could acquire a gift card for AMC theaters (nearest location over 200 miles away) at the Loaf 'N Jug in Hugo?

I was in Holly for my friend's little sister's graduation from high school. The class was 15 people and was a quick, one-hour ceremony. I had people asking me (since I am from the suburbs of Denver) what my high school graduation was like. They couldn't believe that I had over 700 people in my class, that I had to hand a slip of paper with my name and phonetic spelling on it to a teacher, and I didn't know the two people that sat next to me. Much less could they fathom the thought of a three-hour ceremony.

The ceremony for the 15 really could have been completed in 20 minutes if it were conducted similar to my high school graduation, but the small class allowed for a lot of personalization to the ceremony. Every student was able to hand a rose out to individuals in their lives that had made an impact (sobbing ensues), a video of the students through the years - from babies to their senior picture - and even as a whole class from kindergarten. The recognition of their achievements on an individual basis made this ceremony more memorable for me because I felt like I got to know all 15 students.

Which brings me to the title of this entry "Everybody Dies Famous in a Small Town". Miranda Lambert has a song of the same title that really is the epitome of small town life. Everyone in the town is like family, if not family by birth or marriage. I know more about half the town because there is always someone talking about friends and family and since my friend Kalyn lives in the city now, of course, she needs to be caught up. I realized all of this because I, too, not only asked about people, but people mentioned to me things that had been going on in my life since my last trip for Holly Fair (a weekend in September with horse races - read: tailgating - a town dinner prepared by the senior class, a street dance, parade, livestock auction, and parties) and realized that the grapevine was in full effect.

There is a certain charm to small town life. It has it's own pace of life. I don't know if I could live the life, but weekends at a time, it's a great life. And who wouldn't want to be famous, if just for a weekend?

Jen Lancaster Love or Why I Realize I Am Not the Only One Who Thinks Asshats Are Everywhere

Last month, my friend Chelsea, a/k/a A Colorado Cupcake, started a book club. See Bright Lights, Big Ass. She chose the second book from Jen Lancaster. Naturally, I needed to read the first (not needed nor required, but I thought, I had a month, why not?) book to get myself acquainted with her writing style. By the way, it is super easy to read along with her train of thought because it is essentially every neurotic thought that every woman has while trying to complete the most mundane to the most exhilarating task. Her books read like journal entries, retelling stories from her day and adventures that she had dealt with. At the beginning and end of every chapter, you get a little slice of hilarity sandwich with a one-sided email or letter to her neighbors from a fake home owners' association.

Bitter is the New Black:
Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered, Smartass, or
Why You Should Never Carry a Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office

Bitter is the story about how Jen and her husband Fletch went from an internet boom, power couple, to living unemployment check to unemployment check, being evicted, living in the "ghetto" of Chicago (not the Southside), and how slowly, their lives would turn around. From hitting rock bottom, Jen realizes that she was irresponsible with her money and vows to never reach that level again. Even if it means temping at the worst imaginable places possible.

Bright Lights, Big Ass:
A Self-Indulgent, Surly Ex-Sorority Girl's Guide to Why it Often Sucks in the City, or
Who Are All These Idiots and Why Do They Live Next Door to Me?

Bright Lights is a continuation of Jen's foray into professional writing and preparing for all that entails. From the tour, to editing, to realizing that she's surrounded by idiots, Jen talks more of her neuroses with Fletch and why people never cease to amaze her in the levels of f*cktard they can achieve. She also speaks of the Revised Holy Trinity: Target, Trader Joe's, and IKEA. While Denver doesn't have a Trader's or IKEA - read: please open one soon - I do know the joys of these retailers from my sojourns to find them. Jen is literally preaching to the choir.

Such a Pretty Fat
One Narcissist's Quest to Discover If Her Life Makes Her Ass Look Big, or
Why Pie Is Not the Answer

Pretty Fat is the book that really solidified why I think I am Jen Lancaster, just 16 years younger. We have the same sense of humor, the self-confidence, and the ability to ignore external factors that would down-trodden others. I know that I may never be a size zero, I will be a fit bitch. Ha.

Pretty in Plaid:
A Life, a Witch, and a Wardrobe, or
the Wonder Years Before the Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smart Ass Phase

Pretty is Jen's latest book. Although I am currently reading for this month's book club (Something Borrowed by Emily Griffin) I plan on running out to pick up my copy of Pretty - along with campaigning that Jen have her book tour extended to include a stop in Denver.


For more from Jen Lancaster and to see where she will be on her book tour for Pretty in Plaid, visit jennsylvania.com.