Tis the Season

Morgan won't let me get a Christmas tree yet. (I have to say I agree with the whole after Thanksgiving rule). BUT he did let me add a bunch of movies to our Netflix queue. Which means that, for the next several weeks, we will go bananas with Christmas movies. Including, but not limited to the following:

1. A Charlie Brown Christmas
2. A Christmas Story
3. The Santa Clause
4. Home Alone
5. Home Alone 2
6. Nightmare Before Christmas
7. A Muppet Christmas Carol
8. Christmas Vacation
9. It's a Wonderful Life
10. Love Actually
12. The Holiday
13. Shop Around the Corner
14. I'll Be Home for Christmas
15. Elf
16. Batman Returns

Did I leave any out???




Fort Collins is getting really festive too. Downtown, they've put up all these pretty twinkling Christmas lights. I know it's too early and we haven't even had Thanksgiving yet. But there's just something so magical about Christmas...

Nanny Life

Did I mention that I get to nanny for a cute little baby named Grace? She belongs to our neighbors. This baby has been on hikes and bikes and mountain climbs. She is oh so precious.



Tonight, our neighbors are having a party to welcome in the winter. We're having hot cider and a bon fire and lots of yummy food. I think having a party is a fun way to celebrate the seasons changing!

Have a great weekend :)

Sufjan Stevens

My sweet (and very sneaky) husband surprised me today with Sufjan Stevens tickets!! We sat third row, center. It was the most amazing show I have ever seen. At one point, we were all dancing in our seats. We left this concert in the best mood.

We had to take our sweet friends to the airport this morning. I was sad to say goodbye to them, but what a great visit!

Friends Visit

It has been such a great visit with Erin and Leanna! We have crammed so much into one weekend...

On Saturday morning, I picked Erin and Leanna up from the Denver airport. We met up with our friend Karla, who is working in Denver as a math teacher. We went to lunch with her at 16th Street Mall. I saw the Paramount Theater with Sufjan's name on the marquee. He is playing a concert tomorrow (my birthday), but we couldn't get tickets!!! Oh, well. Maybe we'll catch him next time he comes to Denver.

After lunch, we left Denver and headed south to Colorado Springs, home of Focus on the Family (Mom, remember Adventures in Odyssey?) and Pike's Peak. We picked up Beka and headed into the mountains to visit Lost Valley Ranch, the five-star ranch where Mary Ellen has been working for the past several years. We arrived just in time for the Halloween party, but Mary Ellen snuck in a quick tour. This ranch is legit. It is both a functioning cattle ranch and a resort where guests can stay. It is out in the middle of nowhere. The star-gazing is wonderful. I would like to stay there.

After the party, we left the ranch and drove back to the Springs. We spent the night at Beka's apartment. Sunday morning, we got up early and made pumpkin pancakes in honor of Halloween. Then, Beka took us to Garden of the Gods. This is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. The rock formations are incredible. And so is the view of Pike's Peak. We had some fun playing here.




We had a nice picnic lunch, and then it was time to head back to Fort Collins. We got to take Erin and Leanna to church with us. I may have mentioned this before, but our church meets in the evenings, at 5 p.m., because we rent space from another church who meets in the morning. So, by the time church was over, it was dark out. As we were walking home, we were admiring the Halloween decorations and the cute trick-or-treaters. And then, true story, we saw a black horse with a headless rider emerge from the shadows. The rider was wearing all black. He carried a pumpkin and a sword. Here's the conversation that transpired:
Us: "Um. Are you by any chance the headless horseman?"
Headless Horseman: *Turns towards us and raises his sword*
Us: "Are you a nice horseman?"
Headless Horseman: *Silent*
Us: "Where did you get that horse?"
Headless Horseman: "Wal-Mart." *Rides off*

We later found out that Morgan, who came home separately, had a longer conversation with him. Nice guy, the headless horseman. Sunday night, we carved our jack-o-lantern and attempted to make snicker doodle cupcakes. They weren't very aesthetically-pleasing, but they tasted scrumptious.

Today, we spent some time exploring Fort Collins. We went shopping in Old Town. We went to Odell, where we had some beer and played Jenga. Then, we went to dinner at Coopersmith's, where we consumed more food than anyone ever should. I mean, I think we had ten courses.

Tomorrow, we have to take Leanna and Erin back to the airport :( But not until we have a delicious breakfast at Snooze. I can finally order their special birthday pancakes!

Beer and Bikes

Today was a really fun, productive day! John K came into town (he teaches at a school in Denver) to see Morgan. They went out to lunch, and I got all my work done for the entire weekend. I ran some errands, did some yard work, etc. When the boys got home, we decided to ride our bikes over to Odell, a local Fort Collins brewery. We arrived just in time to take the tour! It was super interesting, and I learned a lot about the beer-making process. I also learned that the altitude means i can only drink half of a beer.



We left Odell and rode a bike trail that follows the Poudre River. The river was high today, and the trail was so beautiful because all the leaves are changing color. I wish I'd been able to take some pictures! Maybe next time.

Birthday & Some Books

This morning I woke up to discover that Georgie had devoured an entire loaf of bread (in the packaging). This is the second loaf of bread she's eaten in a week. She needs to watch the carbs.

It is so windy here! Even in our little apartment, we can here the wind howling away. It's sort of the perfect, eerie Halloween weather. Everyone in our neighborhood gets really into decorating for Halloween. There are a lot of kids in the neighborhood though, so the decorations are more fun than scary. One family built a giant spider web out of rope in front of their house. I thought that was really neat. And there are so many awesome jack-o-lanterns. I've been trying to get some ideas for mine.

Today, I got my first birthday package!!! It was from my sweet parents. They sent me a cozy "ear sweater" (my word for a head band that covers your ears in the wintertime), a beautiful necklace, and a really neat vintage copy of Cranford, all from Anthropologie.




I am obsessed with Anthropologie's vintage books. They look great on the self. Maybe I will start collecting them.

Brunch Time

One of the most important things to do shortly after moving to a new town is to find a Sunday brunch establishment. In Athens, M and I were all about Mama's Boy. We ate there at least once a week. But now that we are in Fort Collins, it's time for us to find a new brunch place. And I am excited to report that we have.

There is a restaurant in Fort Collins called Snooze. It's an eclectic place with a creatively delicious menu. As I told M earlier today, I feel like Snooze has made my wildest breakfast fantasies come true. For example, when we went there for brunch today, I had the s'more pancakes. Amazing.



I just realized a lot of my posts have been about food lately :) Hmm... Well, in other news, we are getting really pumped for our friends' visits this next week. John K comes Thursday and Friday, followed by Erin and Leanna, who will be with us through both Halloween and my birthday! I am so excited to see them! Also, we are still enjoying BEAUTIFUL fall weather. No snow... yet.