Highlights of 2010

With 2011 just a few hours down the road, I thought I should look back and remember what all took place in 2010...

We went snowboarding for the first time. Ouch, I hurt just thinking about it! The lodge and the shops are really as close to the slopes as I need to be.  Coordination and balance apparently got left out of my genes!

Greg had back surgery in April. Although he still isn't fully recovered and just got the nerves "lasered" a couple of weeks ago, he is definitely doing better. We're hoping 2011 will be kinder to the ol' back. I know he'd LOVE to get to go skiing & play golf this year! 

Kel graduated from Mines (undergrad) in May. It started out chilly and we were worried it would rain (it had for days) but it turned out to be beautiful! Read more about Kel's graduation here. 

As a Valentine's Day gift for hubby I got us tickets to the Senior PGA event that took place in Parker at the end of May. Even though I'm not really a golf fan, I'll admit it was a fun day! Again, we totally lucked out and the weather was fabulous! 

Right after the golf tournament, Greg's mom & dad came out for their annual Colorado visit. We always have a great time with them! This trip we took them down to Colorado Springs to see Garden of the Gods and the Broadmoor. (In general, I don't really like Colorado Springs, but both of these are MUST SEE sites!) 

In July, to celebrate Kel's graduation and  turning 21, we took a little trip to Vegas. Fun! In August we took Greg's new Denali up Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park. It is a high, unpaved drive, but so worth it! We went high enough to see snow in August! 

Labor day weekend we went up to Oregon to see the Jones family. Now that Kevin & Jaci live in Medford, we get to see everyone at once! It was the weekend of the Southern Oregon, so we got to see Kevin play for a couple of days and also got to see the other out-of-towners. I can't wait until we get to watch Henry & Theo play in all the RVCC touraments! It gets really busy, but we love getting to see so many people! Gary & Carol had a fabulous big dinner party for us. Unfortunately, Greg was getting super sick and ended up being ill the whole next week...

On my birthday weekend we went to see Brad Paisley in concert (it's becoming an annual tradition!). The show was fantastic and he even sang a couple songs right next to us! Awesome. 

My mom joined us for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer walk in downtown Denver. Not only was it really fun to participate in but we were overwhelmed and inspired by all the people! Over 50,000 people walked in the Denver event alone! 

Our big vacation of the year was to Maui in October with Gary & Carol. It. Was. Fabulous. After Maui and our honeymoon trip to Waikiki, we're hooked on Hawaiian vacations for life! I love the beach. And relaxing. And the sound of the ocean. And the sand. And the sunsets. And the palm trees. And the shaved ice. All of it, really! 

I've already told Greg that for my 30th I want to go to the Big Island! 

After talking about it forever, just before Thanksgiving we got our kitchen updated! New countertops (we picked out the exact piece of granite ourselves), new sink, tile backsplash, new dishwasher and new refrigerator. 

It turned out better than we even imagined! Kyle at VIP Remodeling did spectacular work! I told him he needed a facebook page so I could add a glowing review! Oh, and I'm pretty sure Paige Elizabeth had a little crush on him :) She was stay by him all day and "talk" to him. 

I know I'm missing a lot of birthdays and holidays and everyday adventures, but those are a few of the highlights from 2010. We are looking forward to an even better 2011 full of fun, family and friends!

Purse Recycle, Part One

Ok, in the early spirit of spring cleaning and in hopes of a less cluttered 2011, I'm on a mission to reduce the number of purses I have (as well as many other things to come, so stay tuned!). It is not an easy mission. I got two more for christmas. One I bought for myself. I know, it is a bit of an obsession. Help me. Please!

So, I'm only planning to keep my favorites. But I hate to see all the others go into a ratty old bin at Goodwill to mix amongst the masses of junk. If anyone wants one (or two or three, don't be shy) they are yours! I'll gladly give/send/bring/ship them to you, just let me know what you like.

Brown/Bronze Kathy Van Zeeland Purse

12"W x 6"H x 4"D

Natural & Black(shiny) Guess Purse
(with removable shoulder strap)

12"W x 8"H x 3"D

Navy J Crew Bucket Purse

11"W x 8"H x 3"D

Black Leather (super soft!) Gap Bag with light purple lining

15"H x 14.5"W x 4"D

Light Green Ralph Lauren Purse

11"W x 7"H x 2.5"D

There you have it. There are more, but I haven't had a chance to take photos and measure them yet. Baby steps. Please feel free to pass along and share with friends!

Let me know if you see something you want!

Las Vegas!

In mid-June, in celebration of Kel's 21st birthday, we headed down to fabulous Las Vegas! The lights, the sounds, the massive-ness of everything - Vegas never disappoints!

The newly-legal gambler spent all night playing Poker and all day sleeping, so I have virtually no photos that he was even there....but he was.  The rest of us, however, did all sorts of shamelessly touristy things. Mom & I saw the one, the only, the fabulous, CHER! Unfortunately, no photos were allowed at all (and they were serious!) so I don't have any photos of the actual show. 

These were some of the costumes from her last tour. Trust me (I was on the 3rd row, so I know!) her costumes this time were just as amazing! She is flawless! Totally worth the price for such great seats.

And of course, we had to make it over for some yummies at In-N-Out Burger. I'm pretty sure the double-double is the only thing that got Greg through his all nighter on the strip with Kel! Yum, oh what I wouldn't do for one of their cheeseburgers and fries....

One of Greg & my favorite shows is Pawn Stars on the History Channel. Love it! Yes, we stood in line to go in the Pawn Shop...I really wanted to buy something, but yeah, we were a couple of grand short for anything in there! I settled on a totally tacky & completely fabulous pink Gold & Silver Pawn Shop t-shirt with a giant diamond ring on the front. It is my new favorite thing to wear.

My adorable husband waiting in line. We were told they were filming when we got there and they had just asked everyone to go wait outside. We're watching for an episode with a Rosa Parks letter and a cowboy hat, those were the items from that morning! 

Other highlights from the trip include: getting to meet up with my all-time-favorite boss Dan, exploring the new City Center complex & Aria Hotel, outlet shopping at Tommy Bahama (don't think the girls forced Greg to go with us, he was all over it!), exploring the wonderful Bellagio and having dinner with Uncle Billy & Aunt Coleen. Such a fun trip! I want to go back...this weekend. Or next. Seriously, again soon!

At the Bellagio Conservatory

World's Largest Chocolate Fountain

Chocolate literally comes out of the ceiling! Yum!

I think the Wynn & Encore are so beautiful. I'd really love to stay there next time...*hint, hint* : ) 

Thanks for a great time Vegas! Looking forward to seeing you again soon!

Gary & Carol Visit!

June has already been busy around the Jones house! Greg's mom & dad came out to visit the first week of June and we had tons of fun.

Dinner at our favorite steakhouse in Parker

Unfortunately, Greg & I had to work during the week so we didn't have time to go Rocky Mountain National Park or any of the other fun places around here. Thanks to Gary & Carol for being so easy going and working around our schedules. They even planted some new lilac bushes in the yard (can't wait to see the beautiful purple blooms next spring!) and cooked us dinner a couple of nights! But we did manage to get away early a couple of days and have plenty of fun on the weekend.

Saturday, Greg had to work during the day so Gary, Carol & I met up with my mom for lunch. Then Gary went home to watch golf and the girls went shopping and to see Sex and the City 2. So much fun!

Sunday we went down to Colorado Springs to see the sights. We started at the always impressive Broadmoor Hotel. What an amazing place! (And the only warm & dry day all week!)

Greg & Gary admiring the two gorgeous golf courses.
Maybe next time boys!

Then, after walking around the Broadmoor and a trip through the pro shop (who says men don't like to shop?) we drove through Manitou Springs and made it over to the Garden of the Gods. I've actually been to the Garden of the Gods several times, but it is just as amazing every time! 

It was a very warm and busy Sunday afternoon at Garden of the Gods, but we had a great time walking around. This is an absolute "must do" for anyone visiting Colorado! And surprisingly enough, it is completely free. Bonus. 

Finally, before Gary & Carol had to head back to the west coast we all headed to Coors Field for a Rockies game. It started out very hot, then looked like we were for sure going to have rain, but luckily we didn't get a drop! (June around here is about as volatile as it gets...warm, cold, hail, rain, tornadoes, anything is possible...and all in the same day!)

No rain, the Rockies won, and we all had a great time! Thanks so much to Gary & Carol for making the trip out to see us. We won't be making it up to Oregon this summer, so we are so glad they made it out to visit us!  

Graduation

Congratulations are in order for my baby brother who graduated college last weekend! At 20 years old (that's right, he hasn't even turned 21 yet!) he has a degree in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering from Colorado School of Mines. Impressive!

The New Graduate

CSM Stage with Diplomas

The few hours of his graduation were the only hours of a clear blue sky all weekend! But, luckily we didn't get wet and we enjoyed beautiful weather during the ceremony. (I think Mines knows what they are doing by having the ceremony at 9am!). 

Iconic School of Mines "M" on the Hillside

Greg & I getting ready for the ceremony to start. 

Post-Ceremony Hug from Mom

It was great to have family in town to help us all celebrate. Afterwards Greg grilled up fajitas for everyone...yummy! 

For now Kel is enjoying his summer vacation but he'll be returning to Mines in the fall to begin his PhD studies in Chemical Engineering! After that long-awaited 21st birthday arrives (May 27) we're taking him to Vegas for some fun! 

Valentine's Day

Make a Smilebox greeting

Slideshow: The Kitties

My first creation from smilebox.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Family

We are finally home & settled back in to our routine after our trip to Oregon. Unfortunately, we are both sick and no amount of medicine seems to be helping! Hopefully we'll back to normal in another couple of days. Some highlights of our trip:

The "grown ups" at Bella Union.

The germ monster! Good thing he's such a cutie pie!! Henry, you were such a busy boy with school & skiing & friends that we didn't get a photo. Sorry buddy, but thanks for fitting us into your schedule a little! : )

At the California redwoods....in the rain! We had a great day trip even with the rain. We always love spending time with mom & dad Jones.

I think this is Mt Hood. Someone was reading the entire flight so I had to entertain myself taking photos out the window. Not bad, considering!

We had great time with family and friends. Of course we were also glad to get home and see our 'babies'. They made it clear that they were all happy to see us too! Speaking of those crazies, hilarious photos & video to come soon!

2010, Day 1

With 2009 now officially behind us, its time for some self-evaluation and overall improvements for the new year. I suppose given the forum, numero uno should be to keep up with the blog! Well, it is January and I haven't posted since August....yes, I think I can certainly improve on that consistency!

Numero dos: in short, dress better. I've decided that if I want to be treated as a professional and to be respected and promoted as such, then I need to make sure that I always dress as such. It's so easy to dress a little too comfortable, too often. So, I am making a very conscious effort to buy and wear clothes with this in mind. Sloppy clothes and casual shoes aren't going to get me anywhere, so they are a thing of the past!

Numero tres: continue to exercise on a regular basis and work to achieve and maintain my goal weight of $#* (I can't reveal all my secrets!). Well, there is my quintessential "lose weight" new year's resolution. The good thing is I'm not starting from scratch on this one. Greg & I have done pretty well at going to the gym 3 times a week. Hopefully we can maintain that, but I also need to go on my own and do a hard workout every time.

Those are the big three, but a few other things are in the back of mind as well. I know it's just because of my love for Project Runway, but I want to learn how to sew. Will I be making my own clothes or quilting anytime soon, no, but I want to know the basics. I'm certain this will be on the list every year for the rest of my life, but I am going to try to shop less and pay off the credit cards. I have a serious addiction to sale shopping which I know the drop of a ball in Times Square is no match for. Nevertheless, I'll try to make an improvement. Maybe I should throw away all my store coupons, I'm beginning to think they cost me much more than they actually $ave....