it all began with Ben and a bbq

Solo Expedition

A large factor in my angst over whether to make the trip to Estes was that I was heading out to Phoenix the next morning to help my Dad get my Grandparent's house ready to sell. I woke up feeling much improved but extra sad because I'd been keeping my distance from Ben for 24+ hours and got little in the way of a big snuggle good-bye. Yes, it was my first Solo ~~Expedition~~ Relaxation since Ben's arrival. Ryan and I had had the 2 nights alone in Vegas in May, but I was together with Ryan and Ben was only blocks away. I departed at 9am on Wednesday and returned late Friday night. My Aunt joined us in Phoenix and we did get a lot accomplished. The stager didn't come until right before I left, so I felt bad leaving them with lots of work. We did make some good progress and some good plans for future visits and getting rid of lots of stuff.

Right after my Dad picked me up we headed downtown to a restaurant I had read a feature on, called The Arrogant Butcher. It was delicious from start to finish, but what was more amazing was having a nice meal out without feeling rushed and without feeding a little someone else while I ate. 2.5 days without the direct responsibility of another human life was very refreshing. I took long, hot showers two days in a row and dried and straightened my hair on both occasions!! I will let Ryan fill you all in on his new appreciation for the opportunity to shower. Amidst the planning and cleaning we also did a little shopping, ate at In and Out, and had another nice meal on the way to the airport for my flight home. I did miss Ben and Ryan both like crazy, but knowing Ben was in Ryan's care put all worries at ease and I tried to relax as much as possible to recharge my engines for the start of 2012.

My Monkeydoodlebritches and I have settled back into our weekly routine without the hustle and bustle of preparing for Christmas. Story-time at the library comes back this week and I'm hoping to get our walking and play dates back on track. Up next, Ryan will fill you in on what they did while I was away and his thoughts on being Mr. Mom..........

I got to quietly enjoy my coffee by the pool while watching the sunrise over the mountains

Estes Park and Old Friends

Unfortunately, half way through our shopping outing on the 26th, I came down with a flu bug of some sort. I was unsure whether I'd be up for our long planned trip to see friends from North Carolina who were home for the holidays in Estes Park. As departure hour grew near, I decided to suck it up and make the trip but saved my hugs and cuddles for another visit. Friends Lucas and Risha, and their kiddos, Quinn and Alex were in town staying near Lucas' mom, Suzanne, and husband Bob. Ryan went to college and worked with both Lucas and Risha and he and Lucas were both on the 10-year Master's Programs :). We joined them for playing and snacks before we were joined by more family and friends for a delicious enchilada dinner. I get many of my favorite recipes from Risha and she made some of my favorite white chicken enchiladas. Ben had a great time playing with the kids, especially Sadie who was close to his age. Sadie's family recently moved to Australia and it was so neat to talk to her Dad about their experience and to debate socialized medicine with him, especially in light of recent experiences of our friends the TS's who just moved to Canada. We also confirmed that the dairy products down under do indeed have a funk. We'd wondered about that since we were engaged there eons ago and had yet to chat with an American who had experienced the same. As I was happy just to sit quietly and chat and had energy for little more, the pictures are lacking:(. Parting was such sweet sorrow and we are keeping our fingers crossed that Lucas and Risha will soon come home to Colorado for good.

Sadie learned a new trick :).

Nemo with the kiddos

Deer at the Stanley Hotel

No matter how many times you see it, it never fails to amaze!

Christmas

Christmas morning began for all of us with Ben's Uncle Oenghus (MeeMee's dog) falling down the hardwood stairs at 6 am. I had been awake since 530 finishing some things and soon the coffee was hot and the house was buzzing. Ben was certainly more excited this year than last when he had absolutely no idea what was going on. However, LOTS of new toys had nothing on old favorites as you'll see in the pictures. It was a lovely calm and peaceful day as we opened gifts, ate a delicious breakfast, took LONG naps, watched movies, and capped the day with prime rib and lots of other goodies. We all got to bed early as Tante, Ryan and I headed out at 6:30 am as not to miss the Crate and Barrel after Christmas sale. We scored great deals all day and were home by 2 for lunch and more napping and then heading back to Nana and Grandpa's. Ryan had the whole week between Christmas and New Year's off so the fun was far from over.

There is a video of Ben walking out to Christmas here.

a treasure to this Mama

After many takes, these were the best.

they both got Routers and many convos were based on one when one party thought they were discussing the other kind :).

Awesome hiking backpack from MeeMee

We both had fun with this one.

Many pics with Silly Tante

Old standby dog bowl

MeeMee's landline is a CONSTANT fascination

toys ignored :(.

Expressing his excitement to his best friend

Stocking overflowed

Christmas Eve

With hopes that I haven't lost all readers during my long absence, I'll begin where I left off....next stop, Christmas Eve! We spent the day at Nana and Grandpa's just as was tradition before we moved away. As she had been working lots, Nana had some Christmas things left to finish so Ryan, Ben and I headed to Hurdles where I used to work to say Hi! on my favorite day. Christmas Eve at the jewelry store was always lots of fun. The day always started with breakfast out as a store family and ended with champagne. In between were lots of desperate (mostly male) gift givers, which meant great sales and lots of wrapping to do.

We got back to Nana and Grandpa's in the early afternoon and the prepping began. I made Tante's Apple Cheddar Butternut Squash soup and Pear and Gorgonzola spinach salad and Nana made snack and apps galore. Great Grandma Lola, Great Uncle John and Cousin Christopher joined us for dinner and gift exchanging. We departed for MeeMee's a bit after bedtime, but Ben was a champ and stayed awake and mostly happy as we settled in at MeeMee's to await Santa's arrival.