{memory lane} around the world in ten years

ten years ago today, a nice boy in clown shoes and a pick-up truck took me out on a date.  we took our first trip together three weeks later and have been partners in travel and life ever since.  we're the luckiest.  i'm the luckiest.

{memory lane} our on-the-border-versary

ten years ago on this very day, i was drinking margaritas with some friends at the on the border restaurant in denton, texas.  my friend's boyfriend's friend was there and we started talking... and i believe the rest is history.  :)

{memory lane} happy six years to us!

today we're celebrating six years of marriage {well, in actuality we're sitting around with headaches from last night's adventures in birthdayland, but it is our anniversary in any event}... 
it's been quite an exciting year for us -- we've traveled to lots of incredible places {iceland, washington, dallas, LA, orlando, new orleans}, been visited by friends and family, attended one wedding, two concerts, and three football games, bought our first house, run three races, and celebrated one big birthday...and those are just the highlights!  in between, we snuggled our cats, made new friends, and explored our new hometown.  we spent as much time as possible in the mountains and in pitkin.  we ate lots of good food and had living room dance parties and watched probably a little too much television.  we lost some special people but we held each other until the hurt went away and we laughed through the tears when we needed to.  i say this all the time but i don't know how i got so lucky to be married to my best friend and i don't know what i'd do without him.  happy six years, A!  love you so much!

{memory lane} on turning thirty

if you had told me ten years ago about where i'd be at age thirty, i'd probably have looked at you like you were crazy and told you that you had the wrong girl.

it'd go something like this:

hey, 20-year-old olivia!  guess what?  when you're thirty you'll be living in small-town colorado {i know you think you're a city girl} in your very first house with your amazing husband {you'll meet him in a few months, don't worry} and two cats.  you'll be a freelance graphic designer {yes i realize you're afraid of computers and you think you're going to be a famous fashion designer} and you'll have traveled all over the world with no intent on stopping any time soon {even though you're a broke waitress right now}.  you'll wake up at 5am three days a week {ha!} to go to bootcamp {double ha!} with some wonderful people who will challenge you and inspire you.  you'll hike and do yoga and run for fun {and no, not in your high heels}.  you'll even run two half marathons {that's 13.1 miles - even though you've never run more than 3 miles and you hate running}.  and although this might all sound terrifying and so not-you {okay except for the husband-and-cats part}, it most certainly is you.  
you will love your life with every part of you and thank your lucky stars every single day.  you will love the people in your life with all of your heart and soul and know without a doubt that you're exactly where you're supposed to be; that all the struggle and change that have marked your twenties will have been worth it and that this next chapter of your life will be amazing and exciting and wonderful and you will happily greet it with open arms and an open heart.

{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.

{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

{holidays} happy fourth of july!

{wishing you a safe and happy independence day!}

{holidays} happy father's day!

here's to all the dads out there -

i'm blessed with more than one!

{local love} 1940s ball at boulder airport

tonight i took A on a surprise date to a 1940s WWII-era ball at the boulder airport - complete with swing dancers, parachuters and world war II aircraft, roller derby girls, a frank sinatra impersonator, and a casablanca-themed food court! the people-watching was spectacular {check out that adorable couple in the second photo!}...and of course, i like any event where i get an umbrella in my drink!

{p.s. we're famous!}

{memory lane} honeymoon in paris

five years ago we were on our honeymoon in fabulous paris, eating more than our fair share of baguette sandwiches and singing les poissons in our very best french accents as we strolled along the champs elysees...it was in paris that we were bitten by the travel bug - and the rest, as they say in france, c'est de l'histoire!

{holidays} happy mother's day

sending lots of love and joy to all of the amazing moms out there {especially mine}!

{memory lane} our wedding day

five years ago today i was blessed enough to marry the most amazing man person i've ever met. it was quite simply a perfect and magical day. so much love, joy and laughter. crazy dancing, yummy food {or so i heard}, millions of hugs and kisses. it went by so fast. i treasure that one day so dearly, and i always will; but words cannot possibly express how lucky i feel to have spent these last 1,827 days being married to my very best friend. 

{happy anniversary to us!}

{photos: scott & tem}

{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!

{memory lane} this year in pictures

on this last day of 2011, i thought i'd do a little reminiscing. this year was incredible in so many ways - we went to london and pitkin and washington dc, celebrated three weddings and welcomed two new nieces and a nephew, moved halfway across the country and had tons of fun exploring our new city, sadly said goodbye to one sweet puppydog, went to a basketball game, a baseball game, and a football game, and spent as much time as we could with our amazing friends and family. i'm not sure that life gets too much better than this, but i'm excited to find out what 2012 has in store for us!

{wishing you the happiest of new years!}

{memory lane} dusty

today we lost a beloved friend, dusty.
she's been a part of my husband's life as long as i've known him {longer actually}...i think i only got to stick around because i passed the dusty test eight years ago. 
she was one of the sweetest, smartest puppies i've ever had the privilege of knowing. she had such a good long life that she shared with such a good loving family. we were blessed to have had so much time with her, but it doesn't mean that we don't ache right now and it doesn't mean that she won't be terribly missed.

{we love you, little stardust}