Not So Lazy Days of Summer

Hey Everyone, This past weekend was a busy one for Thomas and me. My brother came into town for a visit. I'd previously mentioned that he's moving to Denver. He's decided against this, so he came for a brief stay instead. After over a year of being married, Thomas and I have developed a better process for having guests stay over. I guess practice makes perfect, so the entire stay went smoothly and was enjoyable. Friday night we went down to Pearl Street for the Fall Festival. It was awesome! There was a great band and all sorts of booths. They also had this trapeze thing that you could do for ten minutes. I was feeling a touch under the weather and had just eaten dinner so I avoided it. But at the next Fall Fest, I will definitely be flying thru the air with the greatest of ease (and hopefully not crashing to the ground). Saturday we hit Flatirons to do some shopping. They've remodeled The Gap and I highly recommend it now. When you go in the dressing room you get a buzzer and they write your name on the door. Instant, personal service!

Saturday night we went to a party at Eddie and Larissa's. It was a combination housewarming/late birthday party (Eddie's) and it was wonderful. Their new house is beautiful - front and back yard, hardwood floors, great fixtures, lighting and cabinets and countertops, and lots of space. At the party, I got to see some people I haven't seen in awhile - Rich and Melissa, Tim, and Tom. And I got to meet some new people like Eddie's brother, his best man and their neighbors (I was quite jealous of their neighbors as ours tend to be rowdy college kids). I honestly felt like I was on a TV show. That's how great this group was. Eddie grilled the most delicious burgers and Larissa made cous cous and the best potatoes ever (Thomas inquired about the recipe - I see it in my future). However, I most enjoyed her sangria and moist chocolate cake with coffee ice cream. All in all it was a lovely evening. We stayed outside most of the time because the weather was just that good. Eddie and Larissa made it all look so easy. It kind of inspired me to try having more than two people over at one time.

On Sunday Thomas decided the time had come to put up our Sunsetter. A Sunsetter is an awning. We needed it for our upper deck, a great space that has gone unused because the horrid sun beats down on you and burns you within five minutes. So if this space was ever to be used, the awning was a necessity. Unfortunately it came in three hugely heavy and ridiculously long boxes. Luckily Creede was there or we would never have got them upstairs. It was definitely a three man job. Once we got everything upstairs we opened the boxes and there were literally hundreds of parts. I almost wept. I knew this project would not only take the entire day, but would likely end in disaster. Fortunately, Thomas read the instructions and had a visionary's sense of how things should be done, so though it did take all day we actually got the thing up. Now that it's up, I adore it. I have made much use of it in the past three days because the deck plays host to one of my favorite things - my hammock. Now I can lie and read in the hammock whenever I like and not have to worry about the sun. With my skin, this is a BIG deal. I am over the moon with happiness about this turn of events.

On Sunday night Thomas, Creede and I met Tim at Dave & Busters in Westminster. Creede and Thomas played lots of games while Tim and I caught up. D&B has this new deal now where you get your meal and for a little extra get a $10 game card as well. This proved to be very popular with us and we actually didn't even use up all our cards. I played a solitary mean game of Ms. Pac man - got past level 3, made 67,000+ points, and wore out my right hand in the process. Definitely the best bang for your buck. After that, the boys went to see The Exorcism of Emily Rose (I am forever grateful to Tim for accompanying Thomas to these horror movies. The nightmares are just too much for me), and I went to see Just Like Heaven with Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo. It was your typical romantic comedy. Maybe a little better than average, but the plot was especially predictable. Luckily the two leads are charismatic and talented, tho it's not like they had chemistry in spades. I'm still glad I saw it rather than Exorcism , even though Thomas, Creede and Tim really enjoyed it (read what Creede had to say here).

So that was my weekend. Creede left for Creede Wednesday, but it's going to be a beautiful weekend. I see a lot of hammock time (and finally Serenity!!!) in my future.

-sunday