photography club and friends night

I signed up to help start a photography club at the girls’ school. Our first meeting was after school today and there was a pretty decent turn out. B even joined and snapped this fanstic picture of me and the girls… ha!

After the club we were pretty hungry and grabbed lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant, La Fogota. I got these lovely faces from Annabelle…

We ended a busy day with dinner with our dear friends the Billeras. They left Miss Ruby behind for a sleepover. The girls were all awesome together and were out by 11 pm. It was such a fun night and a perfect ending to the week.

happy birthday, Mitch

Happy Birthday to our dear friend, Mitch!

His birthday fell on a Wednesday which seems to be everyone’s busiest day of the week. With all the activities planned for the evening we couldn’t all get out so we asked to bring dinner to them. B whipped up some chicken paprikash which is a big time favorite of this group. We gobbled it up and had a great ol’ time celebrating Mitch’s day with him. These are good peeps and we’re lucky to call them friends.

I can think of no one who likes paprikash more than this guy! Happy, happy birthday!

Gwyneth and Sarah.

Cupcake time.

Not a bad bash for a Wednesday night!

littleton staff appreciation

The holiday weekends sure did get busy. We ran out of time before the holidays to meet with staff, so we had a small celebration after the holidays to show our appreciation to the Littleton crew. It’s a small group, but full of talent, creativity and character. I really enjoy these ladies and I feel lucky to work alongside them in the Littleton studio.

Gwyneth joined me for the celebration. The dinner request was for Olive Garden which was easy and B didn’t have to cook for us on his day off. After dinner the staff did the Escape Room next door. Gwyneth got a little freaked out when we headed over so we skipped that part of the evening. I have to admit I was a little happy that she didn’t want to do it, because those rooms give me anxiety and make me feel claustrophobic. The rest of the group loved it though and made it out with plenty of time to spare.

pizza quest | protos and sarah’s birthday sleepover

My quest for good pizza started on the 1st, here, but it’s really been going on for quite some time. It’s not too sad to force the girls to try all different pizzas with me until we find a favorite!

Today we tried Protos in Lafayette. The crust was crispy which I didn’t expect to like as much as I did. Gwyneth loved it, Annabelle said it was ok, and B didn’t like the atmosphere. It was a bit snooty for a local pizza joint. Our server took great care of us though and even gave some great recommendations for Italian sodas and pizza toppings.

This pizza was not my favorite. It was good, but doesn’t reach favorite status.

We dropped Gwyneth off at the Tendler’s house for Sarah’s birthday party. That little lady, at the bottom of the stack, is turning 11. My heart was filled to the brim when I walked in the door to find all these girls together. I adore these girls. They are kind and funny and are so joyful together. Gwyneth truly has some wonderful friends.

Of course, we gave the option to Annabelle to do whatever she would like that evening….I think she wanted to just lay on the couch and be a lazy bum tonight because of her sleepover last night. We tossed that option off the table and asked her to come up with something new. She asked for Melting Pot and to walk around Louisville. I loved that plan!

We spent way too long exploring The Singing Cook, which has way too many fun home/kitchen gadgets. We stopped in to check out the new restaurant, Verde, which is local and quirky and lots of fun. We grabbed a few happy hour cocktails and a Jarrito for Miss Annabelle along with a sample tray of their salsas and guacamole. We were pleased with this place and are eager to return to try out their tacos.

We had a late dinner at Melting Pot and this girl loved her raspberry mocktini.

We had such a nice time having Annabelle all to ourselves. She’s awesome!

I woke the next morning to find these photos waiting for me on my phone. Connie sent them over and those girls sure did enjoy that sleepover. Such fabulous cuties!

happy birthday lisa

My dear, dear friend Lisa turned 50 today! We were so excited to celebrate with her and all I got was this one, crappy picture. We had dinner and drinks at the Parkway and had an absolute blast! I have more birthday celebrations in the works for this fabulous lady so stay tuned….

swim

I made a promise to myself that I would start swimming regularly. It’s my favorite form of exercise, it’s relaxing, and I feel my mind is in a good place when I finish. My goal is three days a week to start. This week I made it 3 times but I was only able to swim twice….I didn’t check the schedule before I left and arrived just in time for the pool to close for swim lessons. Oops! The other two days I arrived by 6:30 am and had the pool all to myself.

smores

It’s been a slow return to everyday life around here. The schools that feed my studios all returned to spring session today which means a small reprieve from the hecticness of the holidays. I will miss those busy studios bustling every day. I love when the shelves are full of painted pieces and each chair is taken.

Opening the 3rd studio in Littleton right before the holidays was difficult. I wouldn’t say that I excelled but I survived. I’m looking forward to putting my best foot forward in 2019. There’s so much room for improvement….I just need about 10 more hours in each day!

After visiting all the studios today and a night full of dance classes for Gwyneth, we let the girls decide what they wanted for dinner. We ended up at Hu Hot which is one of their favorites (although maybe not their parents first choice). They can always sweet talk us with smores!

wings over the rockies

We had to divide and conquer for work today so B and Annabelle took off for the restaurant supply store and Gwyneth and I….well, we slept in. Once I got that lazy-bones gal up and moving we decided to check out the Wings Over the Rockies museum.

We have a membership at the Denver Museum of Science and Industry which allowed us free entry to this museum as well. Smashing deal! I need to be better about checking in to these things.

We had a great time exploring!

gaylord resort

We love our little Colorado staycations and jumped at a last minute opportunity to check out the Gaylord Resort. The resort was offering a locals discount and we hopped on it. The hotel is located quite close to the airport and it is huge! There are tons of hidden fees and stadium pricing for food and drinks, but the pools were amazing and the common areas had stunning views. We won’t be visiting often, but we look forward to visiting again in the summer when the outdoor pools and lazy rivers are open.

Here’s a bunch of pictures of Gwyneth from the resort. Poor Annabelle wasn’t feeling great and spent much of her evening in the room resting.