Where has the time gone?

I can't believe it's been almost 2 weeks since I've posted anything. It's been just a blur of activity. All of the last minute preparations (and anxiety) associated with getting Bug to camp on Sunday, June 15th. Then dates, dinners with friends, and lots of exercise to pass the time have consumed my time alone.

I officially have a new favorite restaurant in Denver. It's called Bang, in the Highlands area at 32nd and Lowell. Phenomenal food! Absolutely wonderful. And the sweet potato toast is incredible -- could have made an entire meal off of that, but the tilapia and cous cous were amazing too. So those of you coming to visit, expect a trip to Bang. It's funky and fun. :)

On Saturday, I was REALLY missing Bug. I mean . . . looking in her room, looking at her pictures, re-reading her letters, crying . . . ugh . . . major league missing her. My very best therapy is shopping, so off I went. Mostly, I bought things to send to Bug in a care package. But also, I decided I should treat myself as well. Here is my bounty:



The Nike sports head phones are for my iPod to use while walking and working out at the JCC. Actually, I've been using Bug's iPod because she has a Nano with the cool arm band. I have the big guy that shows movies . . . . not the best for working out. Although, I'll have to remove my music from Bug's iPod before she gets home from camp. She gets irritated when I download what she terms "inappropriate music" . . . yes, I know . . . big time role reversal in my house. Anyway, I have a couple of "explicits", Justin Timberlake's "Sexy Back", and "Nasty Girl" of which Bug would not approve, but boy are they fun to get down with on the elliptical trainer! LOL

The book in the picture is for my book club that starts up in July. We're reading Jhumpa Lahiri's "Interpreter of Maladies". I haven't read it yet, but loved her book "The Namesake".

The cologne is Armani's "Code". The commercial real estate developer/tennis player I went out with last week smelled better than any man I've ever smelled in my life. It was great --- I kept inhaling while in the car on the way to the restaurant . . . a very fun, fast ride in his new Audi TT. Then, over dinner at Lola (another great Highlands restaurant), the breeze and the candle kept his cologne wafting towards me --- I finally asked him what it was . . . Armani (another Armani guy, go figure). Anyway, I went to Macy's on Saturday to ask if Armani made something comparable for women. The British saleslady put 3 Armani's on me, in different areas, told me to go off shopping and come back in 30-45 minutes as "Armani needs time to settle, dahling, before you know which Armani is you". Wow . . . am I "an Armani"???. . . hmmmm . . . so off I went. I debated and debated (i.e., sniffed myself repeatedly as I was walking through Cherry Creek mall . . . I'm sure people wondered), and finally chose Code over Diamond and the other one which name escapes me. The Code has a bit of orange blossom in it and reminds me of a fragrance by Escada called "Ocean Blue" that I haven't been able to find in years. The Diamond seems more of a winter fragrance. As I made the purchase, British saleslady said "so, you look very sexy, now you smell very sexy . . . tell me, hot date tonight?" Sadly, I told her "no", that tonight I was on my own. To which she replied, "no, dahling, just walk around a bit, you look very sexy, men will respond." Seriously???? Seriously??? I'm supposed to walk around Macy's or the mall . . . and pick up a date? Seriously? I don't think so. Was the fragrance supposed to be that powerful? Hmm . . . maybe . . . I remember my reaction to my date, and I wasn't super attracted to him (we had way too many differences on BIG subjects), but boy he smelled HOT! It didn't work though . . . I remained dateless Saturday night . . . no pick-ups (as if I would).

The final treat in the picture that I gave myself are the cupcakes from "Lovely Confections" on Colfax. These cupcakes are SO GOOD!!!!! I bought a chocolate and a carrot cake with cream cheese icing. By nightfall, I'm embarrassed to admit, all that remained were a few crumbs, which meant I spent extra time on the machines and skipped dinner absent a handful of wheat thins. In an effort to test the Armani Code, I did shower, dress up a bit, and take Chloe for a walk through Cherry Creek North during the evening. (Cooper is aggressive with other dogs, so I can't walk him through CCNorth, but Chloe is guaranteed some attention with her perpetual smile and chubby little Boxer body.)

The next morning, I woke up early, jumped on my bike and headed downtown on the Cherry Creek Bike Path. My intent was to ride into the downtown area and treat myself to an omelet at one of the breakfast places. But it was such a beautiful morning that I just kept riding. I rode upon a fox about to have duck for breakfast. I took a picture as he was scowling at me for interrupting his hunt.




Then I snapped some shots of some artwork along the river . . .



And the wonderful "Dancers" sculpture outside of the Denver Performing Arts Center . . .



Here is my building. My office is on the top (14th floor) . . .



Here is the beautiful South Platte River area right downtown.. . .



After settling for a scone (over the intended omelette), I grabbed a chai latte from Starbucks and headed down to sit by the water. There were the cutest dogs playing in the river, a gorgeous German Short-Haired Pointer and a very large English Bulldog.

The Starbucks I went to is located in the R.E.I. (Recreational Equipment, Inc.) building on Platte Street.



It is a beautiful historic building . . . huge . . . there is even a climbing wall inside, along with every possible outdoor adventure product ever made or sold. Let me tell you, this is where all of the beautiful, fit people hang out on Sunday mornings in Denver. I needed a drool rag! Good grief . . . I've decided all men are sexy in bike wear, helmets, and sunglasses. And they ALL congregate at REI on Sunday mornings to meet their buddies, drink coffee, and organize rides. I've definitely got to spend more weekend mornings at REI.

I continued my ride up into the Highlands area, which was quite hilly. My quads still are feeling that part of the ride, even today. But it was great. I found another ice cream shop to take Bug as we continue our search for favorite ice cream store.

It really was a wonderful experience. The ride home was a little tough because I had ridden so much farther than I ever intended, and I was fighting the wind the entire way home. I got home, walked the dogs, and took a much needed nap. Still thinking of the cupcake consumption from the day before, I went back to the JCC for a workout before settling in to watch "Dan in Real Life" (isn't Steve Carrell the cutest thing in this movie???).

Yesterday found me back at the grindstone of work. Too tired last night to even work out except for a couple of walks with the dogs. I'm so ready for Bug to come home. She's my very most favorite person to spend time with, and I want all the time I can get before the sullen withdrawn teenage years hit. My plan is to be at the camp by 9:00 Sunday morning --- cant' wait.

It's been a fantastic weekend . . .

Yesterday morning, it was snowing. April 26th and it's snowing. ??? My daughter played a soccer game for the first time in the snow. And it was extremely windy. The parents were all huddled in our coats, gloves, and blankets on the sidelines while our children were in shorts and jerseys out on the field. Luckily, I had made my daughter wear leggings under her shorts, I gave her my gloves, and another parent had a hat for her to borrow. And her team won, 4-1. It was great. And it was the first of a doubleheader. So, after the first game, we raced to get something to eat and drove across town to the field where the second game would be played. And, miraculously, by the time the second game started, it was warm and beautiful. No evidence of snow whatsover. The girls were all shedding winter gear rapidly. We were down 3 players for that second game, and both of our fullbacks (including my daughter) were injured --- we lost 1-0.



On the way from the game, we drove by a bicycle shop. We've been shopping for bicycles, and this particular shop had been recommended by my friend Beth. Well, we had to stop. And boy did we shop. Ended up with 2 bicycles (at prices I'm still choking on), a Thule bicycle rack that fits into my handy dandy trailer hitch I had put on to move out here, 2 helmets, 2 bicycle locks, and 2 rackbars so I can actually haul these expensive little 2-wheelers on my expensive little bike rack. But I couldn't be happier. Until yesterday, I had not ridden a bicycle in over 30 years!! I was so nervous to get on the bike and ride outside the shop . . . but I couldn't buy it without riding it first, right? No, the cute salesperson wasn't going to allow that --- those guys are all about service, and he wanted me to have just the right bike. The first one did not work --- ouchie --- that seat hurt. The second one, I fell in love with and took right off down the street. I didn't crash! Yea! My daughter was so proud. And I was so glad I got them . . . she told the sales guy (who told me) that "the move has been really hard on my mom and really expensive. I didn't think I would get a bike for 2 or 3 years." So after I controlled the tears coming to my eyes after that comment, I gladly handed over my credit card. Here is my lovely new bike.

So today, we took a long bike ride. It was so much fun. And a picture perfect day, sunny and in the 60's. We rode to a park and played on the swings, then rode through the Rodeo Drive of Colorado, a/k/a Cherry Creek North, onto the bike path next to Cherry Creek. We had a blast.

I was so confident from my renewed sport (which brought back a ton of great childhood memories by the way), that I came home and fired up my Dad's Portable Kitchen that I had bought him many years ago and that I got after he died in June 2006. I had never used it, was intimidated by it --- I don't know why, it's a charcoal grill after all, and the owners of the company are good friends of mine and have given me all sorts of booklets, tips, and recipes, but I had never used it. I moved it to Colorado and bought it a nice heavy cover from Smith & Hawkins to protect from the elements, but have never used it. Well, today, I flipped that cover off, loaded the charcoal, fired it up and cooked hot dogs and hamburgers for dinner. And they were goooooooood! I'm so excited that I finally used it. I'm already planning what I will grill next!

After dinner, we took the dogs for a walk. And, what I've been hoping for ever since we moved into this area, an extremely cute man carrying his groceries approached and asked if he could pet our dogs. (Well, yes, of course, cute man . . . pet my dogs, ask for my phone number, etc . . . ) But I was being cool, making great conversation, excited that this guy obviously was a neighbor, and, at that moment, right when things were going so well . . . Cooper, in his excited state over the cute guy, lost all bladder control. And, because he was jumping and wagging side to side, urine was going everywhere . . . including on cute guy's shoes. (Sigh) Suddenly, he needed to get his groceries home. Darn it!!! I did not need my dog's urinary incontinence to blow an opportunity! Oh well, I'll just have to take some non-dog walks and see if I can redeem myself.