“alive” shows

happy birthday to me

We were up and out of the hotel by 5:30 am for our 8:30 flight from California. We made it with a few minutes to spare and were all happy to sleep on airplane on the way home. 
We had a quiet evening with dinner and dessert at Johnny’s. It was a super quiet day and exactly what we needed after a busy weekend. 
We stopped at Crumble on our way home and my sweet family got me those gorgeous flowers. It was a good day!

tarzan

This is the last show of our season tickets the Candlelight Theater. The girls and I go to each show and B joins us when he can…or most importantly, when he wants. This theater isn’t always a hit for him. Us gals always have a good time, but its hit or miss for B. 
The girls and I have seen Tarzan before (here). I remember us really having a great time and enjoying the show although Gwyneth may have been a scared of the apes. 
We had a “bring a friend for free ticket” for the show tonight. B decided to join us and we’re always glad to have him along for ride. 
We enjoyed the show, but let’s just say that B is still not thrilled with Disney productions or people acting like animals. He was definitely a good sport but I could tell he was counting down until the show ended. First Cats now Tarzan…I sure don’t make life easy for this guy!
The girls still liked it but maybe not as much as the first time around. We all agreed that the music is still pretty great. Even the worst night at the theater is pretty darn good for us. I just love this time with my family. 

sewing, hiking, beauty and the beast

Gwyneth has been attending a sewing class on the weekends. It has taken her several weeks, but she finally finished these leggings! They fit her perfectly and she has learned so many different techniques. These sewing classes have been so wonderful. She is signed up for a few sewing camps this summer. She really loves it. 

While B and Annabelle worked a party at the kitchen, Gwyneth and I went shoe shopping and for a little walk around McKay Lake. I’m finally starting to feel better after 3 days of coughing and sneezing and the fresh air was just what I needed. Plus, everyone who passes comments on those bright yellow shoes which can’t help but make you smile!

The girls and I along with their friend Charity went to the theater for a night of Beauty and the Beast. Both my girls are great friends with Charity and we’ve had these plans in the works for weeks. They’ve been counting down for as long as I can remember. The car ride, dinner, and ride home were all giggles and the girls seemed to really love the show. It was a wonderful night and the show was a good one!

Sorry about that flash, but thanks for the laugh Miss Gwyneth

happy mother’s day

Oh boy, I don’t know how that husband of mine puts up with me! I was a bit of a mess this Mother’s Day. My studios were slammed and I was getting work messages through out the day. Not to mention,one of my employees sent me a text after closing the night before QUITTING. A text at 9:30 pm on a Saturday night. Absolutely no notice and she wasn’t showing up the next day — one of our busiest days of the year. You gotta love the work ethic of some folks (insert high levels of sarcasm). I like to think that I’m a fair and reasonable boss. I work around schedules and do my best to accommodate.  I guess some people will just take advantage and for that they just suck.  I don’t really take offense but I have zero patience when people are jerks and mess with the time I get to spend with my family. 
I did manage to turn my attitude around. Life’s too short to waste it being grouchy!
B and the girls surprised me with homemade scarves and air pods. I never would have purchased those airpods for myself and I’m really excited to listen to my books with them. How cool am I? Yep, I listen to books any opportunity I get. I know, pretty hip and happenin’. 
We had lunch at The Pig and The Sprout. It’s one of our family favorites but it was a little off today…or maybe it was my attitude. Ha! It was a gorgeous day and the walk to the ballpark was lovely. The streets were packed with people. Everyone was out for the ballgame, Nuggets game, and celebrating moms. It was a great day to be out and about in the city. 
It was a bright sunny day at the stadium and our seats had no shade. We ended up standing behind the bullpens most of the game and had a blast!! The Rockies got a big win while sadly the Nuggets lost and are done for the season. 
The girls went to the gift shop and bought this for me. 🙂 
My awesome crew!
Taking a stroll through the milk market after the game. 
We stopped and checked it out. It is essentially a food court with beer and wine. It was slammed after the game, but I think it would be more enjoyable without the big crowd. 
The girls got ahold of my phone and took some lovely photos of each other. 
Thanks for an amazing Mother’s Day. I’m one lucky momma!

cats

Many years ago I went to see CATS with my dearest friend, Diane. We both hated it. I tell the story often about how much I hated that show. My girls love to hear that story. 
First and foremost, I’m not a cat person. I guess that’s pretty important when attending a show about…well, cats. 
CATS was included in the DPAC season subscription and for some reason I really thought my family should experience this. I don’t dislike many shows but CATS (and Les Mis…in case you were curious) is practically painful. Why I felt the need to inflict this on my family…I’m not sure. I guess I have a really weird sense of humor and it tickled me. 
We had dinner at Oceanaire before the show and let me tell ya, that was the highlight of the night. 
Gwyneth is our seafood junkie. She gave oysters a try tonight and decided they are amazing. Yessss! Her tastebuds and willingness to try new foods are astonishing. 
Annabelle and her Cesar salad. The girl has an obsession and could have Cesar salad for every meal…yes, probably breakfast too! She truly loves salads and can point you to all the best in Colorado. 
Oysters, shrimp and crab. Gwyneth is quite an expensive date! That college meal plan is going to be a real surprise for her. I’m not sure we’re doing a very good job of her preparing her college life but she sure is fun to go out to eat with now.  
And then off  to the show we went…
I have to admit it wasn’t quite as bad as I remembered. Diane may be a bad infuence on me (which of course is why I absolutely adore her!). There were some memorable songs, but overall it still falls at the top of my “Thumbs Down Theater List”. (I don’t really have a list like that but I’m kinda feeling inspired to create it…)

At intermission I asked what everyone thought of it. Gwyneth replied “well, it would sure be a lot better with dogs!”. 
B fell asleep half way through the second act. 
Annabelle’s favorite part was the Cesar salad at dinner. Ha!
Even though the show was a bit of a bust we all laughed so hard together. It was a night we will never forget. 

happy easter

It has been years since we woke up on Easter morning at our own home. We’ve had a tradition of going to a hotel to swim. The girls wanted to attend a swimming party with friends last night so we switched up the plans and stayed home for the night. I sure do love a tradition, but it was nice to see these girls so happy and to sleep in our own beds. 
After going through Easter baskets and finding eggs at home we met up with Meyers for brunch. We met downtown at The Pig and Sprout which is one of our family favorites. 
These kids sure are growing up fast. 
The girls didn’t have school on Monday so we spent the night at Great Wolf Lodge. By the time we arrived most of the crowd was heading home. It was a pretty quiet night and we had the place mostly to ourselves. 
My fabulously, goofy girls
I booked the hotel through Hotels.com instead of through the Great Wolf Lodge website. We got a better deal, but the view was a little less than desirable.  At least we had a patio to enjoy all this beauty… HA!

avalanche playoffs

We jumped at the chance to attend an Avalanche playoff game. It was a first for the girls and me. The only seats available by the time we got around to buying ours were WAAAAY up in the rafters. We didn’t care though – we were just happy to be there for the action!

It wasn’t looking good for the Avs. The flames had them outscored until the final period. The Avs managed to tie it up and then win in overtime. The stadium went wild. The noise was unbelievable. It was so fun to be part of the excitement.

I’m so glad our gals didn’t have school the next day because we didn’t roll in until midnight! It was well worth the late night. What a game!

women of rock

We had an amazing night of music at the Colorado Symphony! 
We started with dinner at Pizza Republica which was a big hit for everyone.  It had been a while and it didn’t disappoint. 
The Women of Rock concert was amazing. One of the very best I’ve seen at the Symphony. We all had a wonderful time rocking out….well, I probably rocked out a little more than the rest of my family much to my girls’ embarrassment. 
Here’s the song line up:
DOLLY PARTON “9 to 5”
BIG MOMMA THORTON “Houndog”
JOAN JETT “I Love Rock and Roll”
WHITNEY HOUSTON “I Wanna Dance with Somebody”
STEVIE NICKS “The Chain”
ANNIE LENNOX “Walking on Broken Glass”
MELISSA ETHERIDGE “I’m the Only One”
TINA TURNER “Proud Mary”
THE PRETENDERS “Middle of the Road”
GLADYS NIGHT “Midnight Train to Georgia”
PAT BENATAR “Hit Me with your Best Shot”
ARETHA FRANKLIN “You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman”
ADELE “Rolling in the Deep”
EURYTHMICS “Would I Lie to You”
P!NK “Try”
DONNA SUMMERS “Hot Stuff”
BONNIE RAITT “Something to Talk About”
MADONNA “Holiday”
TINA TURNER “A Fool in Love”
JANIS JOPLIN “Piece of My Heart”
LADY GAGA “Shallow”
TRACKSUIT WEDDING “Coming Home”

disenchanted

The girls stayed with a sitter this afternoon so B and I could go to show. I went to see Disenchanted with friends a few years ago and thought it was so funny. When I saw it was coming back I had to take B. The girls were envious but this show is not at all kid-friendly.

We had a great afternoon and enjoyed the show…although I have to admit it wasn’t as funny as I remembered. I’m not sure if it’s because it lost the surprise factor or because I was with a bunch of moms the last time who could probably relate a little more to vulgar princesses. It’s never a complaint when you get an afternoon away though!