Surprises!

Last weekend I was able to practice a bit espionage in planning Kim's surprise birthday party. It was a great success. Kim was thoroughly surprised, as she jumped back two feet when opening her apartment door. Waiting inside for her to return home from dinner were a hand full of friends. We all attempted to dress like her, by dawning plaid shirts, ponytails, and dark eye makeup. The evening was fun with balloon volleyball, homemade cupcakes, and lots of laughs.

Here are a few pictures of the fun filled evening:

Kim's surprise!

Lindsey, Kim, & Amy

Scott, Lindsey, Tessa, Kim, Sigrun, Amy, Patrick,Hanna, & Rachel

Award Season & Movie Reviews

With the Academy Awards just around the corner it is time Scott and I get out and about and see some movies. Crazy thing is this year my parents have seen more of the nominees than I have! This year the number we have to see has doubled! There are now 10 best picture nominees.

Here are my thoughts on the nominees we have seen so far . . .

Up in the Air
This was the first nominated movie that we watched. I really enjoyed it and would give it two thumbs up. Mr. George Clooney gave a great performance and is well deserving of the best actor nomination. The movie is definitely a drama, however, I found myself laughing quite often. It is a modern tale of the modern traveling businessman. All of the characters are great and very human. The film ends in a bit of a predictable way, a bit sad, but good at the same time. Overall a great movie.

Avatar

We went to see this movie on a random Monday in the middle of the afternoon and it was sold out! This film has made a ton of money, the most money ever, beating out Cameron's' last movie Titanic. Oooh that makes me think of an interesting question, if those movies were going head to head, which would win best picture? That is a difficult question. Both films are quite epic. Avatar is embarking on a new horizon of film and it is quite beautiful cinema. Scott's vote is Avatar, but I am not too sure. I love the story of Titanic.

Avatar is deserving of a best picture win. It has meaning and depth. The characters are dynamic and I even forgot that they were big and blue. The only complaint I guess I have is that it was a bit long. It is never a good sign if you look at your watch during a film. I was surprised that the majority of the film was not action packed. Overall the film was good and I would not be surprised if it took home the statue.

District 9
I wasn't intending to watch District 9, but Matt gave it to Scott for Christmas. We also had no idea that it would be nominated, although I am sure Scott would say that he knew it was a possibility.This movie was hard to pull away from. At times I didn't want to watch but just could not stop. It was a bit bizarre and quite a bit different in how it was filmed. It is made to look like a documentary. The main character I despised at first and then as he grew empathy toward the aliens I grew to like him. There are a number of messages that can be taken away from the story: human rights violations, the experience of refugees, and racism. Although it was a bit bloody in a strange way, I would recommend it.

The Blind Side
The movie was great and a wonderful surprise. I knew in the back of my mind that it must be good with Sandra Bullock winning so many awards. She was really at the heart of the film. The movie was warm, uplifting and overall very enjoyable.

UP
I really liked this movie, but I must admit that I had a pile of tissues next to me when it was over.

*It is going to be a difficult pick for best picture of the year. They are all so different and good in their own ways. I am excited to see the next batch of nominees, however, I am afraid it will make my vote even more difficult to cast.

Happy Birthday Scott!

Today Scott is turning 26! He is over the halfway mark to 30. I am thrilled to celebrate his first birthday as my husband and I am so thankful to have his love in my life.

Here are a few pictures of Scott . . .


Happy Birthday Scott - I love you!

Quick family visit

Dad, Mom, Kayla and Kellan's visit flew by. It was wonderful to see them and spend a little time with them. I am really grateful that they were able to make the trip. They arrived in Denver on Saturday afternoon and stayed until Tuesday morning. Saturday we enjoyed an evening of Fish tacos and Wii games. Sunday we walked around the University of Denver campus and then ventured downtown for a nice dinner. Kellan thoroughly enjoyed the lightrail ride down. Monday was spent with a trip to the zoo and dinner at a pizza parlor. The zoo was packed with people, but overall a great experience.

Kellan was so much fun to be around. His favorite question is, "how was your day?" He is great at Wii golf, better than Mom. : ) Both Scott and I really enjoyed the visit. Thanks so much for make the trip out here guys. I love you all.


Here are a few pics from the Fauble Family visit . . .

Assessments . . .

Ahhh . . . Today I have the PMF assessment exam. Thousands of people take this test in hopes of being one of the 500ish people that are nominated as Presidential Management Fellows, and then of those 500ish people they still need to find the job. I have a long shot, but I might as well try. It would be an amazing opportunity. It is a paid two year deal with a Federal Government Agency and it includes a bit of loan forgiveness. I will just have to cross my fingers and leave it up to God. It is a bit scary not having any idea where we will be come June and a bit thrilling at the same time.

Blogging exercise & 6 day countdown

So, the real reason I have been back to the blog is that Jolee asked me to look into creating a blog for Del Rio. I think it is a great idea, we just need to make sure we keep it going. You can check it out - http://delriovineyards.blogspot.com/

Del Rio is doing great and I am grateful that I still get to be a part of the experience even from a distance. So in celebration of the new blog Scott and decided to open up a bottle of some delicious Del Rio Syrah. The 2006 is a very smooth and velvety wine. The flavor is marvelous. It was paired well with our mozzarella pizza.

6 days and counting until Dad, Mom, Kayla and Kellan fly into Denver! I am thrilled to have them visit. It is going to be great. I look forward to seeing more of the city with them here. We are planning on visiting the aquarium, ESPN zone, and playing lots of Wii games. I think as the year progresses and June is getting closer and closer we are realizing how much we still need to see and do in Denver. This spring is going to be filled with camping and hiking, along with quick day trips to the surrounding cities.

Fall 09

Here are a few glimpses into what we did this fall . .

Rockies Baseball
Rocktober did not last as long as we hoped, but I did get to go to a playoff game. It was really fun, however, really cold. Katie and I braved the weather to cheer on the Rockies. The experience was amazing with the number of fans. The lightrail ride to the game included the entire car chanting "Tu-lo."


Halloween . . . Scott was a bit creepy, but I still love him. He was Freddie and I was a witch for our first small party at Kim's house. On Halloween I attempted to dress up as Luna Lovegood. That costume was a bit more fun to put together than the witch. I think we should start a new tradition of dressing as HP characters.

Thanksgiving was spent here in Denver with a few friends. It was really low key, but very enjoyable. We made and ate lots of yummy food. The day was spent watching the Broncos beat the Giants, which was a bit sad since I was rooting for Kevin Boss. Then we ended the night with a number of fun games. It was great.

Costa Rica! Pura Vida!

I went to CR with a group of students at DU for a course on the politics and culture of Central America. The trip lasted just about 2 1/2 weeks. It was quick, but fun. We had lectures through out the week and the weekends we had free to travel on our own. A group of about six of us traveled the first weekend to the Cloud Forests in Monteverde where we went ziplining. It was amazing. The rain forest was beautiful.

Our second weekend we traveled to Montezuma on the Pacific coast. The water and view was breathtaking. After the great weekends it was always hard to travel back to San Jose. All in all the trip was well worth it and I would recommend travel to Costa Rica.

It was great to make it back to Denver. I missed Scott and I was looking forward to Christmas. We spent both Christmas and New Years in Denver and enjoyed the time to relax before we had to get back into our normal busy routines. Now, we are looking forward to next weekend. Mom, Dad, Kayla, and Kellan will be visiting for a few days. It is going to be great. However, I do need to get a jump start on making sure our apartment is squeaky clean. : )