Not just an iris

We have about 12 beautiful iris plants scattered throughout our front, side and backyard that are absolutely gorgeous this year, but they are more than just ordinary plants. They are from Dale’s parent’s house, so they are memories too.

Dale’s parents had about 40 iris plants in their backyard, so when Dale’s Dad passed in 2007 and just before the house was about to sell in 2008, we moved 12 of them to our house. We did not know if they would survive the transplant, but two years later they are stronger than ever.

I know every time Dale sees one of these plants it is a nice reminder of his parents, so that makes me very happy. So for Dale, an iris in our yard, is not just an iris.

And how was your Memorial Day?

Dale and I a great afternoon with Becki, Brent & Lily Dilworth today. Dale and I stopped by the Dilworth’s to check out the new landscaping in their backyard. It was beautiful. We then all headed over for a Hawaiian themed lunch at Rumbi Island Grill. The fun continued with a trip to Stone Cold Creamery so Lily could get some ice cream. Well, I say it was because Lily wanted ice cream, but Tom wanted it too. After ice cream, Dale and I stopped PetSmart to buy some goldfish for our pond. We refuse to buy any more koi since the blue herons and raccoons consider them sushi, but figured 12 plain goldfish were a great compromise. I then came home and fell asleep on the back patio. A great and relaxed Memorial Day.

It may not be Summer on the calendar...

...but our front yard is in full Summer bloom. I took a few snapshots this morning.

Such a happy flower

We have daisies in our front yard. Actually, they have pretty much taken over the one planting bed on the south side of our driveway. Starting as one plant a few years ago and now they are everyone. Daisies are such a happy flower to me.

Our own little water oasis

My absolute favorite part of our backyard is our pond. Each year the beauty of this little water oasis just amazes me and brings us so much joy. We love to just sit, watch and listen. I snapped these photos yesterday.

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The finished product

The other day I posted on Dale’s recent home renovation, but I wanted to show you the final product. Dale took an old, weather storage bench we have had for years and for just $8 in paint and $24 in cushions created something beautiful that is now on our front porch.

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The grill is officially open

It is funny but last year we never used our grill. Never. We ran out of propane and never got around last year to buying propane or starting up the grill. What a shame, huh? Other priorities or life circumstances I guess.  Anyhow, this year the grill is open and ready for business. Dale made delicious steaks last night.

Happy Memorial Day

And I'm proud to be an American,
where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me. 
                                      ~Lee Greenwood

Who kept the faith and fought the fight;
The glory theirs, the duty ours.
                                      ~Wallace Bruce

 

I wanted a small garden this year

Dale being the outdoor genius he is, put together this garden in a pot for me. It includes tomato, cucumber, sweet pepper and zucchini plants.  How adorable, huh? Tell me he is not the sweetest man ever?

This video about space saving furniture is amazing

My friend Mark Stearns posted this video on Facebook and I was so in awe, I had to repost. Incredible.

It has been a Pemble of a weekend

This weekend we hung out with not one, but two of the famous Pemble sisters. You cannot have a bad time with the Pemble sisters, as they are a blast.

On Friday evening Barb Pemble joined us to see Sex & the City 2. I personally am surprised on how bad the reviews were on the movie because I liked it. The sequel was not as good as the first admittedly, but it was still a pretty good movie. It was funny and had a good story line. I think the only fault I could find was that it pushed sex and sexuality a little to far in the Middle Eastern culture. Other than that, I thought it was a fun summer film. After the movie we all headed to Marco’s Pizza, our favorite neighboorhood pizza place for dinner. Marcos has some of the best pizza you will find outside of New York City or Chicago. It was nice to sit on the patio at Marco’s Pizza and enjoy the evening.

Last night, we joined Glenda Pemble and Sharlea McMurtry for dinner at Highlands Garden Cafe. It was a great evening as Highlands Garden Cafe is one of our favorite restaurants and with two of our favorite people. We had hoped to sit outside in the beautiful gardens, but unfortunately some late evening clouds and rain showers kept us inside. Dinner was delicious and the company excellent.

Thanks to Barb, Glenda and Sharlea for a wonderful evening. Below is a picture of the ladies from a few years back.

Today on Curb Appeal…

…Dale and I transformed a weathered patio storage container from potential dumpster material to just plain wonderful.

Before

After

For just $8 in paint, this storage bin went from being hidden behind our hot tub to now being featured on our front porch. Dale picked cream and red, so it would match the patio furniture on our front porch. This bin will now be the home to our watering bin, plus Dale reinforced the lid and bought two seat cushions so that it also will serve as extra seating.

I love that Dale is all about the recycling and reusing, rather than just buying new.

Yesterday I had a brilliant idea!

Everyone hates going to the dentist. All women hate going to the gynecologist. So why not combine the two? If you are going to have a bad experience, why not get it over all at once. Yes, the Dentecologist! 

Brilliant, huh? Research has shown Americans love one stop shopping. Your Dentecologist starts on your mouth and when done there, your Dentecologist moves below the belt.  Two times the fun without two co-pays! I think it is a great idea. I mean both a dentist and gynecologist have you in uncomfortable positions. Both a dentist and gynecologist put cold, uncomfortable instruments inside parts of your body. Why not kills two birds with one stone?

When I told Dale my brilliant idea, he said the Dentecologist could probably offer pedicures too. I mean why not…you are already in the chair anyhow. Look for a Dentecologist come soon to a strip mall near you!!!

Weirdness from Dale

Last night I had two dreams….one weird, one frustrating, but both involving Dale.

Dream #1 – The Weird One
In one dream, Dale was chasing me down the street with a cheerleader in a wheelbarrow. The cheerleader was either dead or extremely sleepy, but either way Dale was chasing me down with her. I kept running through our neighborhood, but every time I turned around, there was Dale like the guy from the Terminator chasing me down.

Dream # 2 – The Frustrating One
In another dream, Dale and I were driving around and came across a beautiful player piano on the side of the road, with a sign that read “Free, Works!”  We stopped and it did indeed work. I asked Dale if we could take it and he said, “No, we did not need it.” I woke up this morning a bit frustrated with Dale. It is funny how your feelings from your dreams can actually still be there when you wake up. I was actually slightly frustrated with Dale because he would not get me the player piano.

So what is the hidden meaning with all this? I guess I should 1) keep Dale away from cheerleaders and 2) keep a piano dolly in the car (just in case).

I will be replacing Simon Cowell next year

How cool is that?

On 3/16/10, American Idol was narrowed down to the Top 12. On that night, I posted on this blog who I thought we be the Top 4.

Guess who I listed?

Top 4 - Casey James, Michael Lynch, Crystal Bowersox and Lee Dewyze

I think my skills at picking talent should not go unrewarded. I think I should be the new Simon. I call it like I see it. I can do a fake British accent.

Please call Fox now and tell them you are supporting my candidacy as the next American Idol judge.

Why I really ride the bus to work each day

A lot of people ask me why I take the bus to work daily. I usually tell them that Dale makes me, but there are really six reasons:

1. I enjoy the down time to read, Facebook, blog and relax.
2. I get home quicker than if I drove because Denver traffic sucks.
3. It is one less car on the road and good for the environment.
4. It is convenient since the bus runs less than 1/2 mile from my house and feet from my office.
5. My fellow passengers are always good for a laugh.
6. Dale makes me.

Just kidding Dale!




Anyhow, I really do love the people watching and my fellow passengers are good for the occassional chuckle. For example, last Friday I took the Boulder (B) bus home and overheard two woman to my left talking. Really what caught my attention was when the one woman said, "So he has his hands inside me and decides to start a conversation." I was really disappointed when I continued to listen and realized the woman was telling about her dentist appointment earlier that day.

Today was also funny. I used the restroom at the bus station, which is something I rarely do as it is less than clean but when you gotta go, you gotta go, right? Anyhow, when I was coming out of the restroom there was a mother telling her son to go into the men's room to pee. He was probably six or so. She told him to make sure he washed his hands after. He said, "Why?". She yelled, "Because your pee-pee is dirty." as he was walking away from her into the bathroom.

Now here is what I found funny:

1. He had to ask why. He was 6 or so. This should not be new information.
2. She sent her little boy into a dirty, gross bus station bathroom alone. Why not take him into the women's restroom?
3. She honestly told him that his pee-pee was dirty.

I picture this kid 10-15 years from now needing extensive therapy because he thinks his penis is dirty and everytime his girlfriend touches it, he feels a secret, unexplainable shame all because of his Mom. This is why I ride the bus. It is experiences like this, that you never get while riding alone in your car.

And Dale makes me.

If Han Solo had Facebook

This is funny. I found it at armchaircommetary.com.

Colorado was plagued by heavy winds today...

...and my friend Michelle Spidell sent me this photo of how bad it was down in Castle Rock, CO, where she lives. This was her neighbor's house. I sure hope they find the kids that were playing on the trampoline soon.

How can you not love that face?

Some days our dog, Millie drives me crazy as the basset hound in her makes her incredibly stubborn, but with a face like this and those eyes, she is tough to resist. She just melts my heart. She is 6 years old and part basset hound and part lhasa apso.

McDonald Play Place

Took the Krout girls to McDonalds for lunch, playing and even a little ice cream. I snapped some photos of Sophia and Kate.

What’s on your iPod?

Here are three songs I am loving right now. What songs are you loving right now that I should give a try?

Need You Now – Lady Antebellum


Katy Perry, featuring Snoop Dogg - California Gurls (feat. Snoop Dogg)


Glee Cast (featuring Idina Menzel) – I Dreamed a Dream

Red Tango

Last night, Dale and I joined our friend Barb for dinner at Red Tango, which is one of our favorite restaurants.  It is a Chilean restaurant and is delicious. We have been there probably 10 times over the past few years and have always loved the food and service. If you live locally, please check it out as it is a great local, family-owned restaurant.

And a special thanks to Barb for treating us to dinner. So sweet!

If you are interested, here is the restaurant’s info:

Red Tango

5807 West 38th Avenue
Wheat Ridge, CO 80212
(303) 420-2203

Spring has sprung!

I love Spring and when the first flowers start to bloom. I snapped a few photos yesterday from the south side of our house. The first iris had bloomed and the phlox and daisies look gorgeous too. Dale does such an amazing job with our landscaping.

 

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A beautiful Colorado day

The weather was near perfect here in Colorado today. It was in the high 70s, sunny and with the exception of being a bit breezy…it was downright glorious. 

Dale and I took advantage of the wonderful Spring day and took Elivra, our convertible Mini Cooper and headed to Erie, Colorado for their weekly Farmer’s Market. We had never been before, but our favorite bakery, Styria Bakery II has a tent there and we are obsessed with their white chocolate lemon bread, so we decided it was the perfect reason to go.

However, when we got there around 11:00 AM, they were already sold out of the white chocolate lemon bread, but we did find four other types of bread to purchase. The pollen was blowing around Erie so much today the ground was covered and it looked like it was snowing.  I snapped photo (upper right).

After Erie, CO we headed south and decided to take a drive around Lafayette, CO and go through their downtown area. We even found a very cute antique store to stroll around.

Again, the glorious weather kept calling, so we kept driving and headed to Louisville, CO.  We found another cute downtown area to explore and then had lunch at Jimmy Johns in Broomfield, CO. 

Sometimes, Elvira just takes you and it is hard to not keep driving.  And with beautiful views , how can you not be outside enjoying Colorado. I snapped this photo while driving today (lower left). I love to see the snow still capping the mountains.

The best part of the day was a quiet, unplanned and lazy day with Dale. I could not ask for anything more. We even came home and took a nap. It was nice to lie in bed, next to the man I love and listen to the lawn mowers buzzing, the kids playing and the birds chirping.

A perfect Spring day!

Check this out! I found the meaning of life.

Feel free to spread the word!!!

This video is pretty damn funny

Great idea to save money

I saw this on a website the other day and thought if you are trying to save money, this is a great idea.

Just saying

I love this time of year...

...when Spring has sprung, the days are longer and the birds are chirping. Dale is getting our front porch planters set with some new annuals. He painted the planters orange today to match our front door.




As you can see, our dog Zoe is a helper.

Amazing deleted footage from Empire Strikes Back

This video is great. If only George Lucas had left this in, I think Empire Strikes Back would have been even more powerful. Ha!

 

I had a great few days in NY/NJ

I was in NJ part of the week for business visiting my client, Avis Budget Group. They are such a wonderful group of people and it is always wonderful to see the gang in person.  I stayed the weekend and visited my friends Rob Sansom & Scott Ashley. They are two of my favorite people in this world, so it was great to get the change to visit. I also had an extra special treat and had lunch with my friend Jill Shea from college.  Great weekend and the weather in Manhattan was incredible. We saw the Broadway show Promises, Promises, which stars Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth.  It was excellent. Great time!

Only a two hour delay for me today...

...on my flight. Must be my lucky day. Finally boarding and will be taking off in about 30 minutes.

Has anyone ever noticed that every time I fly...

...several things consistently happen?

1. I always set off the security screening machines. I could be naked and the damn thing beeps. Why won't my Dad confess he put a metal plate in my head as a baby?

2. My flights are always delayed. Is it just me.

Today is a little different though in that I am upgraded to first class. I guess that makes up for the extra pat down by the creepy man from TSA and the flight delay.

Parents never suspect their child is gay

This photo shows that sometimes there are signs.

Best bicycle ever!

I have decided I am not pro-gay marriage

Instead, I am pro abolishing all marriage. I am so tired of people standing behind marriage as some sacred, honored tradition that the gays will ruin. If churches really cared about marriage they would shun all their divorced parishioners and run them out of the church. With a 50% success rate, how can anyone see marriage as sacred? Gays will not ruin marriage. It is already ruined. When we allow people to have 7 or 8 marriages in their life, it is a joke.

Everyone can keep marriage. What I need is for local, state and federal governments to stop using this out-dated tradition to define legal rights. I deserve the right to make decisions for Dale and him for me without having to draw up special documents. We deserve the same tax benefits that any straight person who gets married on a whim receives. We deserve a comfortable retirement where if one of us passes, the other receives our social security benefits. We built and share our lives together and deserve the same benefits as everyone else.

Okay, I will hop off my soap box now, but I just saw a car with a bumper sticker that said "Protect Marriage, Stop Gays!" and it pissed me off. The woman driving of course was smoking in the car with two small children. How about a bumper sticker that reads, "Follow me & watch me kill my kids with second hand smoke."

Gays are not fighting to be a part of your honored tradition. We are fighting to have the same rights and benefits of other Americans. So please keep your marriage, but find a way for government to not discriminate based on marital status.

Happy Mother’s Day everyone!

This is an actual Facebook posting yesterday from a college friend of mine that made me laugh.

FOR SALE: 2 year old, cries a lot, likes to wrestle & hit, will cry during the night if pacifier falls out of mouth & demand mommy put it back in, FREE to a good home.

Being a Mom is one of the toughest jobs out there.  Having a sense of humor about it makes you one of the best Moms out there because if you can’t laugh about it, you will just go crazy.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms out there with a sense of humor.

Happy Mother’s Day

Sending wishes of happiness and joy to all you amazing Moms out there. There is nothing quite the same as the love from your Mom. It is that unconditional love that holds you tight. This is one of the best photos I have ever taken as I feel it captures that very feeling. This is my neighbor Nicole Krout and her daughter Sophia several years ago.  Have a wonderful day Moms.

Last night I drank a 3 year old Zima

Dale and I found the Zima when we were cleaning out the bar in our basement last week.  A few interesting facts:

1. We think the Zima was brought to our last Halloween party in 2007.

2. A three year old Zima packs quite a punch. I got a little buzzed from just one, which makes it a very affordable way to get drunk. Sadly, I only had one.

3. Zima was no longer produced in the USA as of October 20, 2008.

4. Zima is still produced in Japan. The Japanese know quality.

5. I have never been to Japan.

6. Zima means “winter” in Bosnian, Croatian, Macedonian, Polish, Czech, Serbian, Slovak, and Slovene and in transliteration from Bulgarian, Belarusian and Russian languages. My Zima was cold, but not as cold as winter.

7. The lemon-lime Zima drink was part of the "clear craze" of the 1990s that produced products such as Crystal Pepsi and Tab Clear.  Crystal Pepsi was so damn creepy.

8. The slogans used in early advertisements for Zima were "a truly unique alcohol beverage" and "Zomething different".  The Marketing Department at Coors in charge of Zima were zeniuses.

9. Zima was literally in a category by itself—an alcoholic beverage that wasn't beer, wasn't wine, and wasn't hard alcohol. Interesting, since it was a malt grocery stores in many states could carry it, while unable to carry wine coolers, since wine was only sold at liquor stores. This allowed losers more access to the tasty beverage.

10. At Zima's peak in 1994, 1.2 million barrels of the beverage were sold.  Wow, who knew Zima was that popular?

11. In 1995, Zima Gold was launched, an amber-colored beverage that promised a "taste of bourbon" and targeted toward men. The drink was unpopular and disappeared from store shelves within the year.  All I can say is yuck!

12. Zima is often portrayed in TV Shows as a "gay" beer or one for effeminate men because of its advertising campaign which cast it as a light beer.  Damn it.  Is that why someone brought it to my house???

If anyone would like to confess to bringing the Zima to our house in 2007, I would like to say thanks.

It’s Hump Day!

And in honor of Hump Day, I am playing humpy songs all day. Happy Wednesday and feel free to play these songs today too.

Song	Artist
Afternoon Delight	Starland Vocal Band
Baby's Got Back	Sir Mix-A-Lot
Bad Girl	Madonna
Bad Girls	Donna Summer
Borderline	Madonna
Burning Up	Madonna
Candy Shop	Madonna
Cream	Prince
Darling Nikki	Prince
Dim All The Lights	Donna Summer
Dirrty	Christina Aguilera
Dirty Diana	Michael Jackson
Do Me	Bell Biv Devoe
Do That to Me One More Time	Captain & Tennille
Do Ya Think I'm Sexy	Rod Stewart
Don't Cha	The Pussycat Dolls
Erotica	Madonna
Fever	Madonna
Fire	Pointer Sisters
Funky Cold Medina	Tone Loc
Get Up (I Feel Like Being a Sex Machine)	James Brown
Hanky Panky	Madonna
Hollaback Girl	Gwen Stefani
Hot Child in the City	Nick Gilder And Time Machine
Hot in Herre	Nelly
Hot Stuff	Donna Summer
I Kissed a Girl	Ivri Lider
I Touch Myself	Divinyls
I Want Your Sex	George Michael
If	Janet Jackson
I'll Make Love to You	Boyz II Men
I'm A Slave For You	Britney Spears
I'm Too Sexy	Right Said Fred
It's In His Kiss (The Shoop Shoop Song)	Diana Ross and the Supremes
Justify My Love	Madonna
Kiss	Prince
Kiss You All Over	Exile
Lady Marmalade	Labelle
Let's Get It On	Barry White
Let's Talk About Sex	Salt-N-Pepa
Light My Fire	Doors
Like a Virgin	Madonna
Love Hangover	Diana Ross
Love Song	Madonna
Love To Love You Baby	Donna Summer
Milkshake	Kelis
More, More, More	Andrea True
Mr. Brightside	Killers
Nasty Girl	Vanity 6
OPP	Naughty By Nature
Paradise by the Dashboard Light	Meat Loaf
Physical	Olivia Newton-John
Piano Man	Billy Joel
Pour Some Sugar On Me	Def Leppard
Promiscous	Nelly Fertado
Push It	Salt-N-Pepa
Rasberry Beret	Prince
Ring My Bell	Anita Ward
Rock The Cradle Of Love	Billy Idol
Rope Burn	Janet Jackson
Sex And Candy	Marcy Playground
Sex Bomb	Tom Jones
Sexual	Amber
Sexual Healing	Marvin Gaye
Sexual La De Di	Amber
Sexy Back	Justin Timberlake
Sexy Bitch	David Guetta
She Bangs	Ricky Martin
Shoop	Salt-N-Pepa
Sledgehammer	Peter Gabriel
Slow Hand	Pointer Sisters
Suck My Kiss	Red Hot Chili Peppers
Super Freak	Rick James
The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss)	Cher
Then He Kissed Me	Crystals
Throb	Janet Jackson
Tic Tac Toe	Kyper
Too Funky	George Michael
Touch My Body	Mariah Carey
Turning Japanese	The Vapors
Under The Bridge	Red Hot Chili Peppers
Unskinny Bop	Poison
Upside Down And Dirrty	Christina Aguilera
Velvet Rope	Janet Jackson
Wicked Game	Chris Isaak
Wild Thing	Tone Loc
Work It	Missy Elliott
You Sexy Thing	Hot Chocolate
You Shook Me All Night Long	AC/DC

Dale made a yummy chicken salad for dinner

Delicious!

This is why I need an iPad (and a cat)

Check out this video. So cute.

 

Good girls

Aren't they adorable? Zoe (bigger dog) rarely will lie down right next to Mille (smaller dog), but Millie always lies next to her big sister.

I love when Zoe lies like this...

...and has leg from legs crossed. It makes her seem very dainty and lady like.