How Do We Spend Our Summer Nights?

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BIKE RIDES TO CITY PARK

Chalk Art 2009

Saturday we headed back to the annual La Piazza Italian chalk art festival!
It was the 3rd year in a row that we have attended.






And I have to say that chalk art 2009 was a success!

We saw it all! From the "psychedelic baby"...

...to the many faces of the chalk art festival.

Even boy genius here... he is only 9 years old! He said that his design was some character from Alice in Wonderland. I was thinking it was one of Floop's Flooglies from Spy Kids- which by the way is one of my all time favorite movies!

Of course we stopped for Gelato. This was the Italian art festival!

And this year we added some extra cheesiness to our original design. Not only did we go with the hands but we added a heart this year.

I also took the chance to get in some window shopping. But only window shopping because...

Hot Dog! The search for Denver's finest...

School is out! Summer has officially started! This summer Aaron and I have some pretty big plans. But before I divulge these plans to you, we have a slightly disgusting confession to make... We LOVE hot dogs! It has been a life long love for both of us.

Angela- "While in high school, my best friend's mother would always buy an extra pack of hot dogs to keep around her house just in case I stopped by for an afternoon snack."

Aaron- "I loved them so much as a child that I would eat them cold, straight out of the bag. Later on, my affinity for "the dog" was lost after a bad round of mac & weenies that was more weenies than mac. Since then I've regained my taste - there's nothing quite like a hot dog covered in mustard and onions at a ball game."

So this summer we have dedicated ourselves to finding the BEST that Denver has to offer.

Now what would the best hot dog look like to us?

Angela- A cold poppy seed bun, grilled dog with mustard, NO ketchup, with relish and sauerkraut.

Aaron- A steamed white bun, grilled dog with mustard, ketchup, chopped onions and occasionally sweet relish. All washed down with a cold root beer.


To help find the perfect hot dog, after long deliberation, we have come up with a special judging system. At each new hot dog establishment, we will evaluate the dogs on the following criteria:

• Value (Is the price of the dog worth what you get?)
• Presentation (Does it actually look like something I would want to eat?)
• Preparation (Grilled, boiled, microwaved, or other?)
• Ambiance (Am I afraid of walking out of this place with some type of disease?)
• Taste (Flavor heaven or could it replace soap as a punishment for swearing?)

Each dog will receive an overall score on a scale of 1 to 5 weenies. Besides a blog update, we'll keep track of where we have been on the side bar.

Here is a preliminary list of joints we have lined up:

• Steve's Snappin' Dogs
• Mustard's Last Stand
• Bernie's Hot Dog Company
• Coors Field
• Hot dog stand on the corner of... to be determined
• Meyers and Wolfe Fine Hot Dog and Hamburgers
• Chicago Style Beef and Dogs
• Hardware Store Challenge (Ace Hardware/Home Depot)

We are still looking for places to add to this list so if you have any suggestions please let us know!
And if you happen to "relish" the occasional hot dog, come join us on one of our weekly adventures!

So get excited for our summer of hot dogs! Look forward to our first review next week!

Game Face!

/
Saturday Night was spent in support of Game 3 of the NBA's Western Conference finals.

Nuggets vs. Lakers

Of course we were rooting for the Nuggets!

How did the game go? I will let Aaron tell you...

We have not given up hope yet.

GO NUGGETS!

Ode to Skiing

(Better late than never! Written a month ago.)

I just took this picture out of my living room window. It is approximately 2:00 pm on a Friday afternoon. This must mean that either 1. I am sick or 2. there was actually a snow day for the Douglas County School District. Yes my friends, it was #2. At about 11:30 this morning they announced that school was out for the day! I don't think our school had ever been in so much chaos. Kids were jumping and screaming at the top of their lungs. I actually heard a kid scream, "School is out forever!" Well sorry to disappoint you kid it is only a half day. I also heard "FINALLY!" yelled A LOT! There is a rumor circulating the sixth grade that our superintendent is from Alaska and that is why we NEVER get a snow day, not matter how badly needed. Well I guess our Eskimo friend finally caved. Here I am at home.

Now you would think that besides the 5 minutes today that I was scared for my life as I thought that I was going to get flattened by the mad rush of kids for the front door, that my joy level should be sky rocketing! But I find myself a little somber today. It is the end of April and the ski season has run its course for the year. Days like today pump me up for what is awaiting in the mountains, but I knew not to get excited because there would be nothing awaiting me. Aaron and I said goodbye to ski season 2009 two weeks ago up in Vail.

It was a great way to end the season! Another POWDER day! My favorite!







So in order to lighten my mood here is an ode to ski season 2009:

We will miss you and...

... your not so friendly Europeans that think they own the mountain. It is not a mad rush to the front of the lift line. We take turns in America. ONE AT A TIME!

... your PINK EASE bus that ever so nicely dropped us off the at the bottom of the mountain house- thus skipping the long walk through Keystones ski village in SKI BOOTS!

... Keystones infamous Mozart run that is always undoubtedly icy and crowded and luckily a means to an end, because there is no way I would ever attempt this run if it wasn't the only way to get to Keystones wonderful backside.

... your wonderful powder days that make me stop and enjoy my surroundings. They even entice me to actually fall down so I can roll around in the snow like a giddy little kid.



... your overly priced chili cheese fries, because there is nothing better after a long hard day on the slopes (well maybe the hot tub). Their delicious smell gets me every time.

... your acceptance of me no matter how much I complained of your freezing cold weather on some of your seemingly endless lift rides... a big thank you to the inventor of hand and foot warmers!

... your ability to bring out all of the ridiculous hats that exist in the world. Check out this wanna be unicorn.



It truly was another successful year! We can't wait to see what adventures next season will bring!

Fiesta!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

This year we wanted to honor our Mexican heritage by throwing ourselves a little Mexican Fiesta! Now technically we don't have any Mexican heritage, Peruvian yes, but Mexican not so much. Despite that little fact we figured that there was no harm in remembering that victorious battle day in 1862 when severely outnumbered Mexican soldiers so bravely fought their rival, the French, to hold onto Mexico City. Ok, really it was just another excuse for us to have a fun time!

We were able to enjoy a fiesta complete with 3 cheese chicken nachos, Ancho chile barbeque burritos, freshly made chips, fresh guacamole, pico de gallo salsa, and of course, no Mexican fiesta of ours would be complete without PINA COLADAS! (virgin, of course). Now none of this would have been possible if it wasn't for our good friends down at our favorite semi fast food mexican grill, Qudoba. (Because seriously who has time to cook these days? Ok, probably just me.)

I am still regretting the fact that we did not invite friends over to bust open a pinata, but next year we are planning a Cinco de Mayo fiesta for friends and family. So mark your calenders! May 5, 2010. Great times will be had by all!

He's back!

It has been a while since my last post so I thought I would take a second to update you on the status of my husband. I am sure you were all so worried seeing how my last two posts consisted of 1. us going to Mexico and 2. my husband crashing our living room due to some unknown sickness. Of course with all of the media attention I am sure you were all thinking the same thing... Swine Flu!

Well I am happy to report he is Swine Flu free, you can all breath easy now, he just had the regular old flu. He is back to normal, and he was even healthy enough to change my flat tire on Tuesday. Now don't think I am completely helpless. I can change a tire... seriously I can! But why bother when I can stand back and take pictures while my strong healthy husband can do it for me :)

Thanks babe! Glad to have you back!