Photos of my little family

These are pictures from our holiday weekend...

Christmas

Chester sitting by an open fire...Stanley licking Chester's toes...last minute shopping for gifts to acquire...No, not a gift card to Lowe's...

Okay, that is my version of the old fashioned Christmas song...Chestnuts roasting by an open fire..

It is quiet here at work. We get to leave early, which is always a treat. What is in store this weekend? Tomorrow, we will probably work on the kitchen. The dishwasher comes in the afternoon so that will be good. Sunday, we get to share some time with the Pellegrino's which is always a treasure and then dinner with Mike's parents. Monday is Christmas Eve, so we will hang out during the day and then at night go to church and then the Brown Palace. Tuesday it is Christmas. We will wake up slow, open presents, walk the boys and then hang with my family. It will be delightful.

I probably won't write until next weeek, so Merry Christmas to all and to all a good...long...weekend!

A humbling experience

On Monday, I helped feed 700 homeless or needy people in the Denver metro area. That sounds a lot more heroic than I feel. I felt humbled by this experience. Regis, being the awesome place that it is, had a volunteer opportunity at St. John's Lutheran Church downtown to help prepare a lunch and feed those that needed food. I have some mission leave time so I thought what the heck? I got there around 11:30am to a bustling, busy kitchen. Lunch was served at 1:00 and there was lots to be done. I saw some colleagues, but the majority of people were volunteers who dedicated almost every Monday to this task. When you volunteer for something like this, there is no orientation or training. You have to be a go-getter. I found an apron and gloves and started chopping vegetables for a salad. Then I put myself on coffee cup duty, making sure there were plenty of clean coffee cups to be had. As 1:00 drew closer, the line grew longer, until it wrapped around the communal area and outside.

A volunteer told me "Every day of the week, someplace in Denver, somewhere, food is being served to the needy. They know where to go." It lifted my spirits to know that these needy people had someplace to get their daily meal (one man told me-Honey, I can only afford this one meal a day...). I didn't socialize much, just got busy to the task of feeding people, but I did look at faces. Weathered faces. Women's faces. Some young, some old. Some Indian men, black men, older white men in wheelchairs. I felt humbled and my spirit felt lifted at the same time. This was their community...where do you go to get the next meal? They have each other's back. What would we, as a society, do without churches and community centers to provide this dignity to people? I don't know. All I know is that I am so glad volunteers and programs like this exist. It is humanity taking care of humanity. With a little bit of spaghetti sauce and sweat added on top.

We're getting there...

Here are some updated kitchen pics. At least it is coming along...

A taste of Morocco

Mike and I had a fabulous weekend, which began on Friday with a movie and dinner. We saw The Golden Compass which was an entertaining movie. Afterward, we were going to eat at Wazee Supper Club, but as we headed down Blake street we passed the window of a cozy Moroccan restaurant. We decided we were in the mood for something different and went in. It is called Marrakesh Restaurent between 15th and 16th on the east side of Blake street. The atmosphere was authentic, with pillows, music and staff that all evoked the sense that we were in Morocco. We sat down and a woman brought warm water scented with rose to wash our hands. She brought warm bread with butter and sweet spices. The food was delicious-I had cous cous and vegetables, Mike had Lamb skewers. We topped the meal off with Moroccan mint tea, a scrumptious, sweet drink that was like dessert. This gem is a must try at least once and once you go, you will want to go back!

Bookclub

Had a blast last night with the bookclub ladies. I am so impressed with this group of women. It is comprised of such professional women: A teacher, a nurse, a small business owner, a social activist, to name a few. Not only do these women have careers, they have kids, husbands, social lives, personal interests, and make time for us to get together once a month for some much needed female bonding. We decided this month to make it casual and meet for drinks, which we did at LOLA...a fabulous place in the Highlands. We enjoyed some good libations, snacks, and conversation not limited to television shows, celebrities, books, children, and life in general. I feel so privildged to be a part of this group and from this picture can see we will be around for a long time...watch out Denver!

Happy Birthday Jen!

You know you are aging when you can say you have known someone for over 20 years. I have known Jen for I think 26 years, something like that. We met in preschool and have stayed friends since. Happy birthday to my lifelong friend...at this point it is sisterhood, really.

Commercial Christmas

I don't know why this year the display at Cherry Creek mall for Christmas bothered me so much. I mean, it is a mall, the hub of commercialism at Christmas time. But please...reminisce with me for a second...remember the big tree in the mall during the holidays? With the piano player, and Santa? Over the past few years, the Christmas display has moved toward Christmas-y movie themes. Two years ago it was Chronicles of Narnia. Okay, this one was fine. The lion, the snow, the magic of the story for me is in alignment with the feeling of the holiday. Last year was Happy Feet. Now we are pushing it. Just because they are penquins and live in the cold doesn't mean they have to promote the holidays. And this year, it is Fred Claus. Now, I love Vince Vaughn like the next guy or girl, but come on...Fred Claus? I guess I am just itching for that old fashioned, back to nature Christmas feeling. The tree, the snow, pinecones, a warm fire, Father Christmas, hot chocolate, and a Charlie Brown Christmas in the background are going to have to take a backseat this year. Maybe next year.