Thirty Days.

I made it! I actually stuck to my guns and made time for myself every night this month. I know my posts weren't always the most interesting, but that wasn't really the point. The point is, I now know that I am able to carve out my own space when I need it- and that has actually made me feel much more content and relaxed.

I want to continue writing a lot more frequently than I did in the past. I don't know if it will be every night, but the promise to myself is that I will still have "me" time every night- whether that is spent reading or crafting or with friends- or writing. I'm actually pretty excited.

I'm also contemplating taking this blog in other directions and writing more about things that make me think, rather than just my day to day life. But we'll see if I get that far.

Tomorrow starts the first day of December, the last month of the year. It begins a time of joy, indulgence, magic, and contemplation of your "new" life in the year to come. It is the first day of a beautiful month, and I am starting it out genuinely happy.

On Owls and Wooden Toys

I bought Griffin's first Christmas present from us last night! It is a wooden loader truck- super simple and well made. There is something about wooden toys that I adore. Maybe it is how timeless and classic they seem. Maybe it's because they are so durable. Maybe it's because they (generally) are not the overly bright, hideous colors that most baby toys are. I believe that this will be the first of many. I hope he likes it!

But the gift I am REALLY excited about is this little owl sweater! It is probably the cutest thing I have ever seen. AND it manages to be made of organic cotton, yet really reasonably priced! And best of all, these sweaters are ethically made by single mothers in Kenya, allowing them to provide for their own families. It is a gift I will absolutely treasure seeing him in AND I can feel good about my money going towards something I believe in. I am beside myself right now!!

We'll get him a few other small things. And I plan on making him a few toys! But most likely he'll love ripping the wrapping paper more than anything we could get him.

When I picked Griffin up this evening, he was so excited to see me. A huge smile crossed his face and he flung his little arms up so that I'd grab him. When I lifted him up, he gave me the tightest, sweetest deliberate little hug he's ever given me. Almost made me weepy. I am a lucky, lucky person.

list

We're less than a month away from Christmas. While I've been looking forward to this for months, I haven't actually done much about it. To help jog my memory and keep myself organized, this is a list of things I want to do/ accomplish in the next few weeks:

- make/ buy all Christmas presents (including those for Drew, G, Scarlett & Louise!)
- ship all presents to out of state family by no later than 12/14 (REGULAR MAIL. I'm talking you YOU, Drew.)
- do the Golden candlelight walk on December 2
- compile Christmas card list, write & mail
- get or make the family new stockings. Only the right ones will do. (it's G's first Christmas! this is special!)
- get Griff new jammies for Christmas Eve (for some reason this has been harder than I imagined)
- see one of the Olde Golden Christmas parades
- buy socket extension (hopefully light sensing) for Christmas lights outside & decorate
- get Christmas tree
- go shopping with mom. Even if I don't need to buy anything. This seems like fun!
- get Griffin his first Christmas ornament
- burn my parents' Very Special Christmas CDs
- decide on Christmas Eve menu (enchiladas? lasagna? roast? pork loin?)
- get presents for Kim's twins & go to her shower!! I don't want this to get lost amidst the holiday stuff!
- make mulled wine and hot apple cider at least once
- play in the snow with Griff (I REALLY hope we have a white Christmas!!)
- get Griff snow pants!!
- go on a date night with Drew. No kid, no responsibilities, just us and chilly Denver. I can't believe this one was over a year ago!
- figure out what Christmas foods I'm responsible for
- help G write a letter to Santa for Golden's special North Pole mailbox before December 13th (all letters get answered!)
- attend friend's holiday parties
- donate Griff's unused toys and old clothes to Goodwill
- buy a new toy to donate to Golden's Rotary or Kiwanis
- bake cookies and make treats including these and these... oh, and this (some for me, some to share. The Baker thinks I can do it!!)
- ok, I DID want to take G to the "North Pole" every year, but I just checked and the rates are INSANE. Holy balls. So never mind. Moving on...
- watch LOTS of Christmas movies. Including A Christmas Story multiple times. Thinking about watching the 25 Days of Christmas movies on ABC Family & embracing the bad ones as funny... don't know if I can do it. We'll see.
- Breathe. Relax. Enjoy. This is usually the hard part.

It's the Holiday Season!

I may have been jumping the gun before, but now we are OFFICIALLY in the midst of the holidays. My heart is all aglow just thinking about it. We ordered our Christmas cards today- can't wait for them to come in! We did them a little differently this year and made them "newsletter" style. I'm not sure if I like it- we'll see very shortly!

We went to my parent's house for dinner tonight since it will be the last time we see my brother until Christmas. I'm not sure if it was the fact that he's feeling better, or if he's just getting used to seeing them more, but Griffin totally warmed up to my parents again and was hanging all over them. It's definitely what I like to see and I'm sure it made them happier too.

I was surprised on the way home tonight at how many people had Christmas lights up already! We still need to plot and plan how we will decorate the outside of our new place. It definitely made the drive even prettier though!

20 head of horned cattle, pace not to exceed a walk

We had such a fun day today, and most of that was due to the fact that Griffin was so happy all day! I can't even begin to say what a relief it is to have him back to normal.

We had a great brunch this morning! Everything turned out really well and even my brother who hates breakfast foods loved my breakfast casserole. Score! After that, Drew, Brian, Griff & I went on a walk. I noticed this hilarious sign as we crossed the bridge into downtown and I had to get a picture:

I wish I could go back in time to catch a glimpse of our town in the old days!

As I mentioned before, Griffin has been going through some major stranger anxiety lately. Unfortunately, this even extends to my parents and while he'll grin at them from a distance, he's not really so cool with them holding him right now. He warmed up to Brian super fast though and they were pals all day!

Drew and I had a really low key dinner and now that Griff's in bed, we're going to go be slugs on the couch and watch a movie we've been dying to see. YAY! Can't ask for much more!

and a little more thanks

Griffin's fever broke last night. Between that and starting his antibiotic today, he was like a new kid. THANK GOD! Even though I logically knew that he would be just fine, I was still a bit of an emotional wreck. (welcome to parenthood, I can hear my parent friends chiming in).

We got to have our Thanksgiving video chat with Grammy B, Guy & Guy's son, Stuart this morning. Then this afternoon we met my dad and brother downtown for lunch. Griffin did SO WELL! I'm ridiculously proud. Seriously- even healthy he is rarely that well behaved at a restaurant. He dazzled the pants off everyone.

Griff hearts crackers.

the boys pretending they are badasses

family. with G wishing he was far, far away.

the men in my life

We are having my brother and some of my girlfriends over tomorrow morning for a Thanksgiving leftovers potluck brunch. I have a pot of turkey green chili on the stove as we speak. Here's hoping Griffin has another great day!

thankful

Well, the day didn't go exactly as I had planned. We started out with a trip to Urgent Care after we realized that Griffin's fever had risen to nearly 105. While they basically just said it was a virus that we'd have to wait out (with an ear infection on top of it), I was much more at ease knowing that it wasn't anything dire. Still didn't make Griffin feel any less sick though. And, unfortunately, every pharmacy we stopped at was closed for the holiday so we weren't able to start him on his antibiotics today.

We picked my brother up from the airport on the way to my parent's house. It was awesome to see him again, especially since he hadn't seen Griffin since he was a newborn! We visited and snacked before we sat down to an incredible meal. Griffin did very well all day considering how sick he's been, but he did have a breakdown at dinner, and wasn't interested in trying many new foods. I think the poor thing was exhausted. So Drew and I tag teamed consoling him while still managing to eat at least some of all of my favorite dishes.

our beautiful Thanksgiving table

I was sad for a few minutes that Griffin was sick for his first Thanksgiving, but then I realized that this is just one holiday of hundreds we'll have together. And that we're so fortunate that he's a healthy and happy kid overall. I realized that I need to stop thinking about the way I'd like things to be and start enjoying the way things are. Because we really are living the good life. My tiny family, the lives we've chosen and work hard for, and the home we've made together are perfect. Everything is as it should be, and everything is wonderful.

Things I Lost in the Move (other than my mind)

Today was a day of shopping and cooking and baking and family. Griffin woke up even worse off than yesterday (fever of almost 104! Eek!) but the doctor still seems to think everything is a-ok. Luckily, we were home today so he didn't have to face being miserable outside of his own home. He seemed to turn a corner late this afternoon though and we sat outside for awhile (it was GORGEOUS) and then we did a lot of playing. His fever seems to have broken too- it was only 101 right before bed and that was before I gave him his last dose of Advil. Perfect timing.

I made a huge batch of nutella cheesecake pumpkin muffins and it was QUITE the adventure. The gods, it would seem, did not want me to produce such lusciousness. First, I couldn't find my paper cupcake liners anywhere. I SWEAR I had some. I knew exactly where they were in the old house. But I opened and closed every single cabinet in the kitchen about a million times, and nothing. I almost gave up right there, but then Drew reminded me that people were baking long before there were cupcake liners & to just grease the goddamn pan. Yes. Of course. Moving on. I then realized that I was running dangerously low on all purpose flour. In fact, the recipe called for 3 cups and I only had 1 1/2. You guys, I REFUSED to go back to the store again. Have you BEEN to the store the day before Thanksgiving? And I had already been once. I was NOT going to brave the car loads of mountain folk buying ridiculous amounts of dry goods and aluminum baking pans. Why so many aluminum baking pans? Why not just get one good pan and use it every year? And what exactly are they putting in all those pans? Are they making multiple turkeys? Could their side dishes be THAT large? But these muffins were NOT going to beat me. No. I figured I'd substitute bread flour for the rest. Same diff, right? Another crisis averted. It was then that I realized I could no longer locate my baking soda.

side note: my sister in law (who will henceforth be known as The Baker) is likely shaking her head in utter disbelief at this point. I TOLD YOU I DO NOT DO WELL WITH THIS STUFF, CORY! Stop judging me!!

Where did my baking soda go? I had like 3 boxes at the old house! Would I have just thrown them away? I don't understand. Is someone baking in my house when I'm not around? Anywho. I did some quick perusing of the interwebs and found out that you can actually substitute twice the amount of baking powder for the called for amount of baking soda. Done. I WIN!! The recipe went fairly smoothly from there. I slid a baking sheet under the muffin tin because I didn't entirely trust that my concoction would not explode all over the inside of my oven. But guess what? It didn't! I pulled them about after 20 minutes expecting them to be hideous, but they were so pretty! The recipe said they were better completely cooled, so I did heed the warning and waited patiently an hour or so and then dug in, expecting them to taste like I had royally fucked up (because baking is a science! it is all about exact measurements and the correct ingredients!) but oh. my. god. They are AMAZING. Dude, I am TOTALLY going pro with this baking crap.

I also made my Grandpa Clark's cranberry relish. I used to hate the stuff as a kid- it wasn't sweet enough. But as an adult, I LOVE it. It's got such a crisp & clean flavor that really cuts the heaviness of all the other traditional Thanksgiving foods. It is basically just a bag of cranberries, an orange, an apple and a pear, cored but with their skins on, ground up in the food processor. I happened to have fresh ginger in the fridge today so I threw a bit of that in too. Then I just lightly sweeten in with two tablespoons or so of sugar. So amazing. I swear, it is the orange rind that makes it incredible.

I'll finish with a couple of pics of my favorite boys:

Griffin busy playing his very favorite game: lets pull everything I own off of my shelves

G wasnt feeling well & actually fell asleep in daddy's arms. Sweetest. Picture. Ever.

So excited for tomorrow! Please, please, please let us be healthy!!

artist

I took a mixed media art class tonight. I felt really guilty about it because Griffin still isn't feeling well, but Drew was home... and I had been planning this for a while... and I so rarely do things for myself, so I decided to go ahead and go. I'm glad I did. Even if I was only away for two hours, I was able to get my creative juices flowing and explore the dusty and cobwebby parts of my brain.

So here is the final product. It's no masterpiece, but I actually really like it which is all that matters. And, like anything else, art is something that you improve with time and repetition. And I did learn that I am in love with acrylics.

I came home to a quiet house and Griffin sleeping soundly. My hope is that everyone is healthy and happy starting tomorrow when we get to begin our long holiday weekend together.

bad day

Today Griffin had a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. He seemed fine when he woke up, but as the morning went on, he refused to let me set him down, especially when it involved getting me or him ready to get out the door. This involved lots of hysterics. Then, when I did pick him up again, he'd cling to me and whimper. He didn't seem warm and he didn't have any other signs of illness so I assumed he was just getting smart to the fact that these are the first steps in going to school (which he has not been a fan of lately). I wrestled him into his car seat and then once at daycare I watched a very sad little boy as I left him and walked out of his classroom. It broke my heart, but he breaks my heart every morning lately so I just thought it was par for the course. When I went in to pick him up tonight, I could immediately tell something was wrong- Griffin was curled up asleep on the new teacher's shoulder. This was wrong for two reasons- 1. Griffin HATES new people right now. He sure as shit wouldn't be sleeping on one. Especially since 2. Griffin will NOT fall asleep on people. Ever. That's when they told me he didn't sleep very well today, he had a major meltdown early this afternoon, and they had just discovered he had a fever of about 101. I got my poor warm baby home, gave him some advil, and cuddled him a lot. After about an hour he was like a completely different kid- laughing, getting into everything, he even ate a great dinner and then went right down for bed when it was time. I'm hoping this is all from teething- he has at least one more tooth coming in right now. None of us needs any more illness right now, and we need to be ready for the Great Thanksgiving Feast in just a few more days!

almost members!

Today we FINALLY made it to one of the membership retreats at church. We all, for once, happened to be healthy, not working... oh, and there was no football on. The service was a good one based on gratitude, and Griffin spent that part with us. He was so well behaved and he loved the singing! After that was lunch and the membership program. There we got to learn a lot more about the church's history (the first African American, female, and openly gay ordained ministers!) and their philosophy. We completely fell in love. This church is passionate about the fact that there is no "right" belief or doctrine. They see faith or spirituality as a journey and while we may not all believe the same thing, we're all along for a similar ride. This extends to the youth in the church as well. They feel it is important for kids to learn about all other religions, including visiting local synagogues, mosques, and other places of worship. They also encourage them to question the act of "faith" or "belief" and to then seek their own answers. I am so thrilled that Drew and I have finally found a place that is so in line with our own values, and I am especially excited for Griffin to grow up in a community like this- it is always what I pictured for him. We will officially become members as part of the December 4th service. We can't wait!

I think my favorite part of today though was after we got home. Griffin and I shared a very ripe fall pear, bite for bite. Griffin ADORED the experience with wide eyes and juice dripping down his chin. I hope I always remember the small things.

game player

So Griffin has figured out a new game wherein he tosses food to the dog to see if she will catch it. As you can imagine, Scarlett LOVES this game. While I'm sure it will get messy and tiresome, the best part, currently, is when Scarlett catches said food item before it hits the floor. This sends Griffin into hysterical laughter so contagious that I can't help but laugh, which only makes him laugh more. By the end of dinner we were all red and teary eyed from cracking up. This parenthood thing can be a pretty good time.

Speaking of the chatty boy, here are a couple of entertaining videos.

I had to work one of our big college fairs this morning and while I would have much rather been in bed, the fact of the matter is that Griffin would not have allowed me to be in bed anyway. I actually LOVE chatting with the prospective students and their parents because, for the most part, they are still so excited and passionate. They haven't yet had the chance to become disillusioned after an 8 am physics class. I also really love feeling like I am helping people figure out their dreams. Those are the moments that make me fall in love with Higher Education all over again.

Guess what I want, but I'm not going to beg for it.

Marcel is pretty much my new favorite thing ever.

http://vimeo.com/m/32189414

waffles!

Like I posted earlier, Griffin has been getting more and more curious about what other people are eating. Apparently this carries over to school as well when his teachers noticed Griffin would scramble over to the high chairs when other kids are eating to try and pick the scraps they drop from the floor. Yeaaaah.... gross. Luckily, he hasn't succeeded. So today, his teachers fed him some of the regular kid meals along with his baby food, starting with waffles this morning! Apparently he thought he had died and gone to heaven. My baby, the piglet.

Griffin has this awesome multi-colored sensory ball that Drew's cousin, Stephie brought him when she was here last. Griffin did an amazing job of playing catch with me tonight using that ball. He'd throw it to me and we'd clap together, then I'd toss it to him (which he thought was hilarious) and then we'd clap again. I cant believe how quickly he's developing. He's more and more fun every day!

Tebow!

This afternoon Drew was ordered to work overtime to help assist in the possible mass arrests between Occupy Denver protesters and Broncos fans. I'm never happy when he gets called into these situations. We're left completely clueless as to when he'll be relieved and allowed to return home, only to have to immediately return to work again. And as well trained as I know he is, I always worry that this could be the one time things get out of hand. That you get the one disturbed person amidst the peaceful protesters that turns everything chaotic- that starts the violence- that gets someone hurt. Luckily Drew ended up getting out of it at the last minute. He got to see his boy before bedtime, he stayed safe and warm, he got to watch the Bronco game, he'll get to go to bed at a normal hour.

And what a Bronco game it was! I am not what anyone would consider a football fan, but I have to admit, Tebow is exciting to watch- especially when he pulls out a win like tonight's. Even I was cheering by the end- we're lucky Griffin didn't wake up!

Thanksgiving is a week from today!!! I seriously can not wait. My mom and I chatted for an hour tonight about what she will make, what we will bring, how fun it will be to have everyone together and how much more exciting things are in general now that Griffin is around! I am in charge of the appetizers, cornbread souffle, cranberry relish and the nutella cheesecake pumpkin muffins. YAY! We also get to pick Brian up at the airport on Thanksgiving morning. It will be so great for him to hang out with G again! Starting next weekend, I am setting up Santa's Workshop in our office and I will be madly putting together Christmas gifts for a month. Does it get any better??

chores

Last week Drew and I had a big talk about dividing up house and parenting duties more efficiently. Drew now does the dishes on nights that I cook and makes dinner himself at least two nights a week (especially on his day off). Drew has bath duty and I have bedtime duty. Drew takes out the trash and recycling and I do the laundry. Etc, etc, etc.

Tonight was Drew's first dinner night. I think it was the first time he has made a meal since Griffin was a few weeks old. But he did an AWESOME job! He made tortellini in marinara sauce and a green salad. It was so nice for me to be able to come home from work and concentrate on Griffin first thing instead of worrying about cooking. And having someone else make you a meal- no matter what that meal is- creates a wonderful sense of security and being taken care of. Griffin even demanded a few bites of tortellini and he LOVED it! Then, when I went to do the dishes, Drew told me to sit down & relax and that he'd take care of it even though it wasnt his turn.  I know it's such a tiny gesture, but it meant so much to me! So tonight was extra relaxing and I got to spend more time than usual with Griffin which was a big plus! I think that we'll all end up being much happier in the long run.

And here is a video of Griffin in his awesome frog pajamas telling me non-verbally that he wishes I'd stop being such a drag:

technical difficulties

Our internet randomly went down and I just spent 30 minutes trying to fix it. This included changing network preferences, manually entering IPs, restarting the computer and modem, and lots of swearing at the screen, only to find out that all I needed to do was restart the router. Ack. I have a MAJOR love/ hate relationship with technology and right now it's leaning far to the hate side.

Suffice it to say that I am no longer in any mood to write. Except to note that the month is now halfway over and I have stuck to my commitment to myself so far. Kinda proud of that. Oh, and to say that Griffin is officially 10 months old tomorrow. My, how time flies.

Case of the Mondays

We started Monday out kind of rough. Griffin was super sweet and in a great mood- until we got to daycare. Then everything turned sour. He clung to my side the whole time I was there and then when I turned around to leave, he tried to crawl as fast as he could to follow me out. I said goodbye and let the door close, only to see him launch into hysterics and bang at the window. It totally broke my heart. I know all kids go through separation anxiety, that it is a healthy part of development and that I have to let him grow from it. But I hate turning my back on him. I hate that one of the lessons he is learning is that I wont always be there for him, I cant always be his safe place. 

How do we make it to adulthood well adjusted? 

Well- I guess it depends on our definition of well adjusted. Sigh.

Anyway, my entire day was kind of thrown off after that and everything seemed to drag by SUPER slowly. I hope the rest of the week looks up!

Here is a quick video of Griffin from tonight. He is demonstrating his stellar standing, crawling, climbing and chatting skills. Most impressive baby ever. :)

Adventurous Eater

Griffin has become quite curious about the food Drew and I eat. While he'll still eat his baby food, he whines at the table until I give him a few bites of whatever I have. Yesterday he tried chocolate chip pancakes, toast, chicken soup, and pasta. Today he tried eggs, hash browns crackers, and rice. He loved ALL of it. It's super cute watching him try new things but it's also really exciting to have him be so open to new flavors. We'll continue to expand his horizons and I hope he continues to enjoy it all!

Griffin actually allowed me to have a really relaxing Sunday. Though he woke up at 5:30, I brought him into our bed and he immediately fell asleep for another hour and a half after nursing. Laying in a quiet bed until nearly 7 is unheard of in our household these days so it was quite the luxury. Then he took two extra long naps today. I actually also took a nap during one of them. It was awesome! When he was awake, he was super sweet, happy, and low key. Such a good kid!

We went hiking this afternoon at Mount Galbreith Park, a pretty spot in the foothills about a mile from our house. Drew and Griffin have been there a few times before on their days off together and Drew was excited to introduce me to it. It was gorgeous and we had a great time. Unfortunately, the higher we went, the more snow and ice were on the trail, so we couldn't go all the way up with Griff in the bjorn. I'm looking forward to doing the whole trail up to the peak in the spring!

yes, they are cute. though I was mad at Drew for forgetting G's hat.

pretty trail

G with his favorite tree

Griffin insisted on a family photo

Social

We had a super social day today! First, I went to coffee with my friend, Jacqui. She was a really good friend of mine at DU and I don't get to see her nearly as much as I'd like to anymore. It was so good to catch up on everything AND she was so impressed by Golden, she is considering moving here! Yay! Then this evening, my friends Kate & Letty came over for dinner. I love having people to cook for and I had a new favorite recipe I wanted to share- pasta with sausage and roasted tomatoes. SO GOOD. We had a lot of fun (and we got to show off the new house! Always a plus!)

Griffin is currently going through a fear of strangers phase. When Jacqui came over, he screamed hysterically when I had to leave them in the same room for a second. When Kate and Letty came, he buried his face in my shoulder for the first part of the visit. He eventually warmed up to them, and he even played games with Kate, but he's definitely out of his comfort zone with new faces. He's even been shy around my parents! I hope he gets over that soon- especially since my grandmother is SO excited to see him at Christmas!

on Veteran's Day

I find it hard to put into words exactly how I feel about our the military because I know in some ways it sounds conflicting. I consider myself to be very liberal. I am, for the most part, a pacifist. I do not condone war, though I do believe it is occasionally necessary (the unfortunate thing being I don't believe most of our recent wars have been necessary). That being said, I am also extremely patriotic. I love my country, I am proud of the place I live, the people I know. And I am beyond supportive of those who serve. The decision to leave the comfort of your home and family, even during peace time is not an easy one. To join during war time is bravery that I can not even comprehend. I truly believe that regardless of your political affiliation, your stance on the need for battle, or what your station in life is, these men and women are separate from all of that. Our military is not the same as the wars they are carried to. In those situations, they are simply doing their jobs. In enlisting, they are doing what they believe is right and honorable. They face pain and terror to ensure that our homes remain safe. And they are willing to lay down their lives to protect yours. How many of us can say the same?

On Veteran's Day I think of my uncle who died in Vietnam. My father, a proud Marine, who served bravely and lost a brother, his best friend. I think of my grandfather who was at Iwo Jima. Drew's grandfather who was an Air Force hero in WWII. We are fiercely proud of them and their service. And we are so full of respect and admiration for other Veterans we meet, young and old, that we are nearly star struck when we hear their stories.

While I was still working at DU, I had a graduate student who was earning his Ph.D while working as a high ranking Air Force official, teaching at the Air Force Academy and raising four kids. I met with him frequently as he completed his dissertation. I remember him coming in on one day in particular talking about he'd be deployed again soon but that it was going to be his last tour. I immediately thanked him for his service and told him how much it meant to me. He brushed it off and said he was just a regular guy, no hero. A few months later, one of my favorite professors came to me in tears. My student had been killed in Afghanistan. He was 44. Since that moment I've thought a lot about the day I thanked him. It was such a tiny gesture on my part, and one I even considered not saying out of embarrassment. I am so unbelievably thankful that I did.


So for my student, our family members, and all the other veterans in the country, I will always fly my flag on this day. I will always honor their memory. I will always say thank you.

There was a Veterans Day ceremony on campus today before work started. I made sure to leave home with more than enough time, so that I could stand in the early November fog, watch our flag be raised by our ROTC, many of whom are my current students, and listen to the national anthem being played by our band.

Sure beats tv & a sandwich.

I had the best lunch hour EVER today. There was some sort of catered event in our office and we all got leftovers. I ate mine at my desk while I worked which meant my actual lunch break was wide open. I immediately came home, put on my pajama pants, crawled into bed and read for 45 minutes. BLISS. I must make that a weekly activity.

I coordinated a group advising session for about 100 students today. At that meeting, a professor got up and began to talk about the program as a whole. Then he paused and said "I want you to know that the very best thing that has happened to this program in the 12 years that I've been here is that you now have Jessica. You don't know how lucky you are." I was completely floored and it made my entire day!

Griffin's Christmas presents from Grammy B came in the mail tonight! I can hardly contain my excitement! And we have to wait over a month for him to rip into them! Glad I've developed some patience over the years...

The Spirit of Giving

Every year Drew & I donate to non-profits. Sometimes it is a one time gift, sometimes it is a monthly donation. We've given to organizations like HRC, Oxfam, Vietnam Veterans, RAINN, Slow Food Denver, the Red Cross, and the Water Project. There is currently a giving campaign at work where they have asked us to consider donating whatever we are comfortable with to a local Colorado charity. I decided to contribute a portion of each pay check to two organizations: the Dumb Friends League and the Girl Scouts of CO.

The Dumb Friends League is an animal shelter and education center. They provide free and low cost medical care for animals of those less fortunate, care information, and rescue services for abused animals. It is where we adopted my parent's cat, Fred, and it is also where we took Gabe when he got sick. While he ultimately had to be put down, I have always appreciated how warm, understanding, and helpful they were- both to me and to Gabe at the time. His ashes were also sprinkled in a garden there. I felt like this was the least I could do to repay them for their kindness and honor Gabe's memory.

The Girl Scouts are an organization close to my heart. I spent 8 years as a scout, moving up through the ranks, and I have some wonderful memories of those experiences. More than anything though, I partially credit the Girl Scouts for showing me that it is cool to be a girl, that girls can be tough and adventurous, and that I should always be myself. I hope that if we have a girl one day she ends up a scout as well and I feel good supporting an organization that regularly does for thousands of other girls what it did for me.

Getting close to the holidays always puts me in a giving spirit. It is when I think most about society and how I can do my part. It is also when I tend to recognize how lucky I am and try to figure out how to help those who are not as fortunate or those who got me where I am. I think it's when I feel most human. While my contributions to these organizations will last all year, I hope to come up with some other good ways to give back, both now and in the future!

And, here is Griffin, completely unrelated. I just adore this picture. :)

Proud'a Him

We've been a bit stressed out ever since we had the flu. Drew heard through the grapevine that his superiors were not happy with him missing two days of work and that he could potentially be transferred. Regardless of the injustice of that (he is maxed out on sick time with over 200 hours and has not missed a day since July) crazier things have happened and we worried about the negative ways our lives could change. In the midst of that, everyone's new schedule went into effect and Drew was moved from his courtroom where he had worked tirelessly with the judge to get it working perfectly. Though everyone got switched, it really bothered Drew to leave the people he gained so much rapport with. Then comes today. First Drew got an email from the captain basically saying he's glad we're better, Drew was never in any danger, he's an excellent officer and a benefit to their team! Then, Drew found out the judge from his old court room personally requested that he be moved back to her court room! We are, of course, relieved... but I am also incredibly proud of my husband. It is no easy feat to be so well respected in his line of work and I know he has worked hard and sacrificed a lot to get himself there. I am just so happy to see that recognized.

I'm still not used to this time change thing. I got out of work a bit late because of a meeting and it was pitch black by the time I got to my car. The LAST thing I wanted to do was go home and make dinner. But I knew I'd feel better about it in the long run if I forced myself and I'm so glad I did!! I actually managed to throw together pork chops in balsamic cherry sauce with roasted pears and sweet potatoes! Oh. My. God. So good!!

Holiday insanity

I LOVE the holidays. Thanksgiving straight through New Years Day is my favorite time of year by far. I always get so excited about planning gifts, decorating & seeing family, but this year I'm a bit carried away. I think I started talking about it in September... I made card and gift lists a month ago, and I very nearly bought Griffin elf pajamas this weekend (Drew stopped me).

I think part of the excitement is all the family we get to see this year. My brother is coming out for Thanksgiving AND Christmas, my grandmother & aunt Chris are coming for Christmas, and then Betsy is coming in January! I can't wait to hang out, catch up & show off our kid!

And I AM excited about gift giving! We are on a REALLY strict budget this year between daycare and two mortgages! But I have come up with some really cool and thoughtful gift ideas that won't break the bank. I think tighter budgets force you to be more creative!

But mostly, I am so excited for Griffin's first holiday season, I can hardly stand it. I am already plotting which sides I can feed him on Thanksgiving, when we'll get his picture with Santa, taking him with us to find the perfect tree, starting the tradition of reading The Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve like my mom always did for us... the whole thing has me giddy.

And to think- Thanksgiving is only two weeks away! Eeeeeeeee!

the peak of Table Mountain

Today was another awesome day. I got up early (not used to this time change business) and made a latte & french toast with jam for breakfast. It was another beautiful day so we decided to take a hike up North Table Mountain before the Bronco game.

North Table is the flat topped mountain at the end of our street- we look up at it's ridge from our porch or the bedroom window. It has a bit of a reputation for being a rattlesnake habitat and I had to talk Drew down from bringing his gun (explaining that if the snake was a threat, he'd be bitten before he could get a shot off... sigh. While we knew we'd get a bit of a workout, we didn't realize that the summit trail is at an intense incline- no winding, no plateaus, just a thousand feet straight up. With a bottle of water and Griffin in the bjorn we made it at a decent pace (so what that we took two brief rests on the way up). But it was really cool to be able to look out over our neighborhood from the top and was a gorgeous panorama, it was an amazing feeling physically once we got back down, and nary a rattlesnake in sight!

the boys taking a quick breather on the way up

this is actually the peak- sort of looks like an alien wasteland

pretty excited not to be walking up hill anymore

mountaintop family portrait

prairie mesa

We decided that we're going to try to hike North Table once a week and mix in one of our many other local mountain parks along the way. We're hoping to get in shape to hike a 14er next summer- it WILL happen!

One of Griffin's very favorite things in the entire world is bath time. It's been that way since he was a tiny baby, but now that he's bigger, he plays, squeals, and has intense splash-fests. He is the Gilded Star Sea Monster. I took a quick video of him tonight, and while cute, it's WAY more tame than his usual baths. I think the time change was getting to him too.

In other Griff news, at his last doctor appointment, they tested his blood iron level and decided that it is now safe to transition him onto cow's milk! We are starting out slow and he's getting an ounce of milk in each of his bottles for a week, then we'll up in to two ounces for a week and so on. I am SO excited to be able to get him off of formula, both for the cost savings and for health reasons! I'm torn about nursing, though I think I will still do that once or  twice a day until he is close to a year old.

Back to the grind tomorrow, but SO thrilled that we had such an wonderful weekend!

celebrating fall

I couldnt have asked for a better day. We all woke up healthy and in a great mood (which is a huge plus in of itself!) We decided to celebrate that fact by going to breakfast at our regular place in the old neighborhood- DJ's. While we LOVE Golden and everything it has to offer, we haven't been back to DJ's in months and we definitely missed it. When we got home, Griffin immediately took a nap which gave me some time to read. Laying in bed with a book in the late morning is a pleasure I definitely took for granted in my old life and I savored every second of it.

This afternoon we decided to take a drive up to Georgetown. We meandered along Clear Creek from our neighborhood all the way into the mountains and the views this time of year are gorgeous. We had lunch, visited a few shops and looked for bighorn sheep. 

Griffin REALLY wanted to try on some western gear

Daddy & G across from the AWESOME old-school candy shop!

old town

hams

The weather turned while we were up there and it seemed to go from mid to late fall with the snap of a finger. Winter is around the corner. Damn.

When we got home, we got to video chat with Cory, Steve & William. Unfortunately, Griffin was not very cheerful for most of it (he skipped his afternoon nap) but it was good to catch up anyway. 

Griff & I played a lot this evening before bed. Here are a couple of quick videos I took of him trying to free his friend...

But I think my favorite part of the day was around noon. I took Griffin to the front door just as a big gust of wind started to blow hundreds of golden leaves off the trees. Griffin looked so surprised that we went out and sat on the rocking chair to enjoy it. We basked in the sunlight and last of the fall warmth. Griffin sat in rapt silence as leaves blew around his head and danced across the porch as we rocked together. I hope I never forget how content we both were. How his fine baby hair when caught in the sunlight matched the blowing leaves. How it smelled like earth and pine and my baby. I hope that is how I always remember fall.

TGIF!

Even with missing two days of work, it was a LOOOONG week. We're all feeling MUCH better (pizza for dinner, people!!) and we're psyched to RELAX and enjoy the weekend together.

When I walked in to pick Griffin up this afternoon, he was sporting a mohawk! His teachers thought it would be funny to do something different with each of this kid's hair. I wish I took a picture then because they just used water and by the time we got home, it was flat again. But he looked like quite the bad ass!

You may notice that I've been writing more lately. November is National Novel Writing Month where you write daily with a goal of 50,000 words by November 31. I had been thinking lately that I dont do much for myself anymore- all of my energy is focused on work, the house & the family. I barely even read. I decided I needed to get my spark back, get inspired, and figure out what I am going to carve time out for. While writing a novel in a month turned out to be MUCH too lofty for me right now (maybe next year!), I am taking that concept and applying it to writing in my blogs- both this one, and I'm hoping to restart my food and community centered one as well. My hope is that by writing a bit every day I will learn how to find time for myself, and I will be able to reflect on what makes me happy. While nothing makes me happier than my boys, I need to have an outlet (like Drew has video games)! So here is to a month of introspection!

Boo!

Whew.

I am finally feeling normal enough to stand and eat and walk about a bit. I'm still not 100% (and poor Drew is STILL nauseous) but I was able to handle some major tasks like washing all of our linens to rid the house of these evil death germs and finishing a big project for work. I even managed to get to the store to buy us apples and chicken soup (the only things that sounded at all appetizing today). So I'll go to bed early and go in to work tomorrow. And hopefully I'll be a much more fun (and generally better) parent for Griffin too! Poor kid.

But this means I am also finally well enough to post about Griffin's first Halloween! We all had a GREAT time (until Drew got sick, that is). Downtown Golden has a 50 year tradition of opening the stores on Washington Avenue to trick-or-treaters while it's still early, and we had every intention of taking Griffin. I drove past on my way home from work and it looked like a great time. Unfortunately, Drew's work kept him a bit later than usual so by the time we walked down there, it was over. We decided to stick around a bit and have dinner downtown anyway. Griffin looked awesome in his cowboy costume and we loved hanging out with him. When we got home, we dressed Scarlett up too and while she didnt enjoy it so much, Griffin seemed to have a blast. We lit our jack-o-lanterns, passed out some candy (almost as much as we ate) and then Drew & I watched scary movies after putting G to bed. Here are a few of the pictures.

Griff in his spooky outfit from great-grandma!

our pumpkin family (notice Drew's badge & G's fangs!)

rockin' the old west

I dont think they make cowboys any cuter

goofing around with dad at dinner

the two buck-a-roos

Griffin taking star formation

the boy with his cowhand

the cowhand is VERY patient.

G wants to go for a ride

mama belongs on the ranch too

Gratitude

Today I was SO thankful for daycare. Drew and I are still recovering. I spent most of the day asleep and neither of us can eat a thing. We would have been awful parents so it was a blessing to have a place Griffin could go to have fun & be well taken care of. I am really hoping we're back to normal tomorrow, though it took Griffin 3-4 days before he was eating like normal. This flu has whipped our butts!

sick

The stomach flu has ripped through the family lately. Griffin picked it up from daycare & got sick Friday night. Though we hoped to avoid it, Drew came down with it last night and I am dealing with it as we speak. (I am currently in that blissful "better" period between "sessions". It won't last long.)

I'd normally be laying around miserably ignoring the Internet, but today is the first day of NaNoWriMo and I promised myself I'd write SOMETHING every day. I'll talk more about it soon.

In the meantime, this is my "something". And now I am going to go convince myself I'm not dying.