{very pinteresting} happy leap day!

why hello there and a very happy leap day to you! may your day be filled with a once-in-four-years sort of awesomeness! here's a little leap day inspiration from pinterest...

{20 items or less} 84th annual academy awards

the oscars were last night, and since i haven't seen any of the movies nominated for anything {unless you count bridesmaids?}, all i really cared about was the red carpet. i don't like to get catty {or at least i try not to get catty}, so i'll spare you my worst-dressed list {and my opinion of the dictator}. below are my favoritest favorites of the night:

1.gwyneth paltrow; 2.octavia spencer; 3.mila jovovich; 4.cameron diaz;

5.michelle williams; 6.emma stone; 7.emmie kemper; 8.jessica chastain

...and now i guess i should go see the artist...

{local love} boulder international film festival

yesterday A and i spent the day at the 8th annual boulder international film festival, named one of the "25 coolest film festivals in the world."  after an incredible "conversation with martin sheen" {love him!} at the historic boulder theater, we went to a BIFF party across the street, where A was {twice!} mistaken for some australian actor in one of the festival's short films.

{holidays} happy valentine's day!

this was our first valentine's day in colorado, and it was perfect: champagne, heart-shaped sushi, home-made chocolate-covered strawberries, and lady and the tramp.

{hope your valentine's day is perfect too!}

{very pinteresting} happy valentine's day!

hello and happy valentine's day! wishing you a day filled with love, happiness, and heart-shaped candies! here's a bit of valentine's day inspiration from pinterest:

{local love} mavericks basketball at pepsi center

tonight A and i met some friends at pepsi center in denver to see our dallas mavericks play the denver nuggets! 
we got there a little early and so we took a little detour to the 16th street mall, specifically h&m...{ps i love the fact that you can walk from h&m to pepsi center and coors field and probably mile high stadium too although it might be a longer walk - the point is everything you could ever want is right there in downtown denver. including six flags.}

oh, and yes, our mavericks won.

{weekender} super bowl time in new orleans

so we just got back from a long weekend in our favorite city with some of our favorite people - we celebrated my mister's 30th birthday, cheered for the giants, and ate and drank more than most people probably should {which means, of course, that we had a fantastic time}. we went to the aquarium to visit our otters, watched a movie being filmed, and saw a mardi gras parade. most importantly we got to spend lots of time with some of our very best friends!

{memory lane} they say it's your birthday

to my dear husband A, on your 30th birthday:
i love you. i've been unspeakably blessed to spend these years with you, going on amazing adventures and making joyful memories and building this beautiful life with you. 
many people make leap lists - things they want to accomplish before they turn 30 {or reach any other such milestone in life}. we didn't do that exactly; but even so, i feel like we've accomplished quite a few fantastic things before your 30th birthday...


30 things we did before you turned 30:

1. met {twice - or three times if you count that time in the pool when you were on a date with another girl}
2. went on our first date {ate very messy lettuce wraps, broke in to my roommate's room to find a movie she didn't even have, watched lilo & stitch, made out lots}
3. fell stupidly fantastically in love
4. went on our first trip to new orleans {i tried to make you tell me that you loved me but you were too scared and i certainly wasn't going to say it first}
5. finally said it {see? that wasn't so bad!}
6. got two cats {four years apart - are we due for another one?}
7. got engaged {sorry again that i told you to shut up}
8. graduated from college {i'm glad i got to show you where the library was before you were done} and got sweet jobs {just like real grown-ups!}
9. tied the knot {best wedding ever? i think so}
10. honeymooned in paris {walked 2 miles in the pouring rain, sang "les poissons" loudly and often, learned that you love statues}
11. went to like 15 other weddings {yup, ours was the best}
12. went on a cruise to mexico {you almost got eaten by a fish. i think we might be done with cruises}
13. bought a car {biggest check i ever wrote!}
14. moved four times
15. went to disney world {twice: once because you had never been before and one more time because it's awesome}
16. went on a last-minute trip to montreal {got lost in a cemetery; never did find that architecture cafe}
17. voted in our first primary election and elected our country's first african american president
18. traveled to spain {barcelona, madrid, segovia; cava, gaudi, tapas, pig-hair soup}
19. traveled to italy {rome and pompeii; cats, ruins, pizza, gelato, the pope, and one seriously crazy boom-box lady}
20. traveled to england {london and leeds; fish and chips, valentine's day snake bites and mono}
21. traveled to las vegas, new york, and washington dc.; road-tripped to san antonio, austin, fredericksburg, new orleans, colorado, new mexico, alabama, and florida
22. saw the grand canyon, the guadarrama mountains, the louisiana wetlands, the gulf of mexico, the mediterranean sea, and an endless ocean of stars
23. ate at least 20 state fair corn dogs
24. acquired some pretty adorable nieces and nephews {not really our accomplishment but hey}
25. dreamed about moving to colorado {then did it}
26. went to nine redskins-cowboys games {and narrowly avoided fist fights at all of them}
27. saw the rangers go to the world series twice and the mavericks win the national championship once
28. the giants play the patriots in the super bowl {twice}
29. went to a mardi gras parade
30. celebrated 9 new years, 8 valentine's days, 8 st. patrick's days, 8 easters, 8 independence days, 9 halloweens, 9 thanksgivings and christmases, celebrated 8 on-the-border-versaries and first-date-versaries, 4 wedding birthdays, 8 olivia birthdays and 8 {now 9!} alan birthdays

happy birthday, love! i can't wait to see what we can do before the next big milestone!

{20 items or less} birthday presents for A

to my dear husband A, on your 30th birthday:
i love you. i hope you're having an amazing time on your birthday trip to the crescent city {i know i am}! i wish i had a million dollars - if i did i would buy you a million presents {okay not a million; that's way too many and they'd have to all cost a dollar}.
since i don't have a million dollars, i've assembled a collection of i-wish-i-could-buy-you-these presents {because it's the thought that counts, right?}. most of them are directly related to the 30-before-30 list; others are inside jokes or just things i think you would like.

 1.lilo&stitch poster, $13; 2.hoo dat tee {okay maybe this is really for me} $24;

3.us-ducks wedding topper, $130; 4.cat print, $45; 5.walkers shortbread, $7

6.cava {also probably for me}, $10; 7.redskins cupcake kit, $9;

8.vintage disney world magnet, $10; 9.mean green tee, $24;

10.cafe du monde french roast coffee, $18

 11.dallas mavericks basketball, $13; 12.el fenix picante sauce, $3;

13.world's best apple pie, $60; 14.paris tea towel, $14;

15.vintage nolan ryan baseball cards, $10

16.you and me print, $48; 17.rome print, $55;

18.chocolate chip cookies {these ones are vegan and

 gluten-free, but i wouldn't do that to you}, $12;

19.vintage montreal pennant, $15; 20.bluebell vanilla ice cream

happy birthday, love!