{memory lane} 2012 in review

we've had a pretty big year this year!

i'm feeling superbly blessed as i look back at all

of the memories and adventures both big and small 

that we've had in the last 12 months.

{local love} december in estes park

we took a little day trip with my parents to estes park... shopping, eating, elk-stalking in rocky mountain national park, all of the good {cold!} things!

{holidays} christmas in colorado

this has been one of the best christmases ever! my mom and stepdad came to visit and stay with us in our new home, A got to cook christmas dinner {with the help of the grown-ups of course}, and we hosted our first holiday {for my parents and some of our favorite friends}!

{pinteresting} merry christmas!

wherever you are, however you celebrate, wishing you a day of warmth and cheer! {thank you, pinterest!}

{three little things} thanksgiving

there are so many for sure, but today i'm thankful for 

1. good friends 
2. loving family and 
3. the chance to spend time with some of them this thanksgiving!

{bonus thankfulness: hooray for being at the thanksgiving day game to watch RGIII and our redskins beat the cowboys!}

{memory lane} ann

the world is short an exceptional person today. one of my favorite persons ever, in fact. 
i haven't known her long, in the scheme of life. nine years, maybe. or less. long enough to know that i adore her. long enough to know that she was lovely. loving. witty. intelligent. strong. adventurous. and damn good at bananagrams.
she will be missed. beyond missed. beyond words.
xo

{local love} denver botanic garden

today we went on a surprise date to the denver botanic gardens! lovely lovely lovely: perfect weather, ancient bonsai trees, crazy floating bamboo sculptures, hot cocoa, and even a friendly little garden cat!

{holidays} happy halloween!

it's our first halloween in the new house - A and i couldn't be more excited for trick-or-treaters and a mini-halloween-housewarming with friends {and chocolate of course}... 

wishing you a safe and spooky all hallow's eve!

{local love} the pumpkin patch

today we went with some friends for a great pumpkin adventure at our local pumpkin patch. the selection was pretty slim but the company was pretty fantastic, so i'd say it was a success...plus, we all got to celebrate with apple cider and eat homemade dirt & worms!

{exciting news} we bought a house!

it's a sweet little 1935 bungalow in old town louisville with tons of charm and a peach tree in the back yard and we couldn't be happier!
here are some pics from the listing website {sorry for the poor quality; don't worry i'm sure there will be plenty more to come}!

{local love} visitors

this weekend two of our favoritest people came in town for a quick visit. we took them hiking {against their will} and had so much fun showing them all of our favorite things about louisville, boulder, and denver {most of which are food related...}. mostly it was just so nice to have such wonderful friends in town!

{three little things} running

three little things:

1. i ran a half marathon today. my first one ever. it's something i never in a million years thought i would {or could} do, even if you'd asked me a year ago.  
2. i have my running buddy nina to thank {that's her in the purple}. she pressured me into signing up for it {in the nicest most supportive way possible of course}, helped me train for it, and stayed right by my side for twelve out of 13.1 miles.
3. my husband is amazing. he ran the 10K race {even though he hates running} and then he was right there at mile 13 to cheer me on and give me that little burst of energy i needed to finish strong. then he continued to cheer me on all day long, telling me how proud he was of me {see what i mean? amazing}.

so that's it, really. i ran my longest distance ever with the support of people i adore and i survived and it was all for a good cause {homefront heroes and operation restoration}.

{local love} louisville fall festival

reason #584,231 that i heart this little town we live in so much: the louisville fall festival. live music, food and crafts, vintage car show, and my favorite thing ever, the pet parade!

{local love} the broncos at mile high stadium

A and i went to our first-ever broncos game today! okay, it was a preseason game and okay, it was a million degrees in the sun, but we did get to see peyton manning play for 14 whole minutes {and more importantly, we got to spend the day with A's parents showing them all of the wonderfulness of denver}!

{stateside} the mcdaniels go to washington

A and i just got back from a week-long road trip to washington state... we stopped in boise on the way up {such a cute little town! who knew?} and then went camping with good friends {and their precious kiddos} in mount rainier national park. some highlights: gourmet camping food, incredible hikes, stargazing, and waking up to a gentle sprinkle of raindrops on our faces one morning... 
then after a few perfect days camping in soda springs we headed back to our friends' home in southeast washington for more quality time...spent in vineyards...drinking wine...

{pinteresting} room by room: wallpaper lust

wallpaper makes everything better, don't you think?

...{thank you, pinterest!}

{weekender} pitkin days

A and i went to pitkin this weekend for pitkin days: every year the pitkin historical society puts on a series of fundraising events to celebrate our favorite little mountain town. there's a melodrama, a fun run, a horseshoe tournament, a potluck dinner, and lots of other activities for all ages. it seems like the whole town gets involved - my father-in-law was in the melodrama, my mother-in-law announced the raffle winners, and A and i got to help make popcorn and sell concessions. i even got first place in the two-mile fun run {check out my fancy trophy!}...i didn't fare quite as well in the water balloon toss or the egg toss...maybe next year...

{local love} denver lately

this month in denver...

we went to see the sandlot at mile high stadium. it was our first time to visit the stadium so we were pretty excited! it was grey and drizzly and we tailgated in the back of our subaru {yup, we're that colorado} before the show. the rain continued as the night went on and lightning finally forced us inside where we waited till after 10pm and then gave up and went home. but it was a good idea anyway. we got to see the stadium and eat free nachos.

we went on a pedal-hopper party bike tour for our friends' birthdays: three bars, one sarcastic tour guide, and many bruises on my shins {a success!}. the two birthday girls got to sample brennivin we brought all the way from iceland just for the occasion. shenanigans continued into the wee hours of the morning and we even got to see an old friend from texas who was in town for the weekend! oh, and i got more bruises.

we went to the yves saint laurent retrospective at the denver art museum. not sure why they picked denver as their ONE AND ONLY stop in the united states (!) but i surely wasn't going to miss it. it was rather spectacular - i think A even liked it!

{pinteresting} love letters

nine years ago on this very day, A took me out on our first date.  nine years in and i still feel like the luckiest girl in the whole wide world, like i won the prize. nine years in and i still miss him when we're apart for more than a couple of hours. the smell of his skin is still my greatest comfort, the sound of his laugh my greatest joy. he is my best friend and the father of my fur-children, my hero and my biggest fan. i don't know where i'd be without him, and i never want to find out.

{weekender} pitkin family fun time

we just got back from a loooong weekend in pitkin {which i know is probably not a shocker but this time my niece J, my brother-in-law C, and his girlfriend H came with}! 


on friday we picked our texan visitors up from the airport and headed for pitkin {with a brief stop at a giant hot dog for lunch, bubbles, and chipmunk-viewing}. we got to my in-laws' cabin in the afternoon and spent the rest of the day relaxing and catching up {and wondering when little J was going to get sleepy}...

saturday was my niece's third birthday {they grow up so fast!} and also the pitkin volunteer fire department's annual fundraiser {we may or may not have led J to believe that it was her giant birthday party...}. A and i had the honor of driving the family jeep in the parade while C and H drove the four-wheeler {why yes, we are very famous and fancy, thank you}. after the parade there was dinner and dancing and staying up much too late with our pitkin friends...

we spent sunday in crested butte, wandering up and down main street and eating popsicles mostly. we had a disgustingly huge dinner at slogar {it's a mcdaniel family tradition} before going back to pitkin...

monday morning we slept in {as much as we could, considering the bright sun pouring in through the windows at six a.m.}. when we finally got going, A and i headed out in ol' red {she's as old as me and i love her}. we drove up to cumberland pass and hiked around for a bit, but ominous thunder clouds threatened to ruin our day so we headed down the mountain again. when we were about halfway back, we spotted the perfect place for a picnic! we sat on our jackets in the middle of a meadow and got sprinkled on while we ate our lunch. our soda exploded all over us when we opened it, but we were able to rinse off most of the sticky in a nearby stream before hopping back into the truck.

that night we played basketball with our friends. when the game was over we all sat on the court and talked for hours, and when it got really dark we walked up to the kids' fishing pond and talked for a few more hours. the moon was so bright that we cast shadows on the ground as we walked. it was maybe the most perfect night that pitkin has ever seen.


tuesday was our last morning {for this trip} and i enjoyed it the way i enjoy most mornings in pitkin: sipping my coffee on the front porch with the dog and anyone else who cares to join me {usually A and/or his dad}, listening to the wind in the trees and the occasional hummingbird, and marveling at just how warm forty degrees can feel.