1200 Miles West

Mike and I didn’t make it back to Michigan for Christmas this year, however we were fortunate to spend the afternoon and enjoy a lovely dinner with the Poceta family in Broomfield, CO.

My parents met Bill and Peg before I was even born, so the Quinn’s and the Poceta’s have been long time friends. Mike and I knew moving out to Denver that Jessica (Bill and Peg’s oldest who just happens to be the same age as my brother Michael) and her husband Chris (they got married in Estes Park in May) had been living out here for some time as they had both attended grad school at CSU.

We left our house around 2:45pm this afternoon and headed to Broomfield. Typically it would take 35 minutes to get up there, but today with the snow it took a little longer. When we arrived, we were treated to hors d’oeuvres and wine. Mike actually had a mystery beer from the Beer Festival that took place at the convention center in October, but then opted to switch to the red wine after that.

For dinner we enjoyed prime rib that was medium rare just like I would have ordered it if I were in a restaurant. The corn casserole was delicious (not sure if the Poceta family shares this recipe, but I’d love to have a copy!) along with twice baked potatoes and broccoli salad which were also fantastic. To finish things off, we were treated to a slice of peppermint ice cream pie drizzled with Hershey’s chocolate sauce and an Oreo crust. Yummy!

During our dessert, we all opened a party favor that cracked when you pulled on it and inside there was a prize. I had four mini pencils in mine. Mike and Jessica both had hair ties (at least we think that’s what they were). Chris had a mini pad of paper, while Andrew had a puzzle of some sort. Bill was nice enough to give his bracelet to Peggy and Grammy had a key chain with a ball puzzle inside of it. To tell you the truth, I have no idea what was in Peggy’s popper. The bonus was that all of us got a joke and a paper crown along with our prize. Don’t we look royal?

After dinner the guys played a second round of euchre (if you’re not from the Midwest this is a card game) and Bill and Chris were triumphant for the second time.

The ladies choose to enjoy the rest of our wine and relaxed in the living room. It was great to catch up with everyone and we definitely look forward to seeing Bill and Peg down in the Keys in March when we visit my parents. We’re also hoping to catch up with Jessica and Chris after the New Year as they both work downtown. They are avid outdoors people, so I think there is a lot we can learn from them. Especially if we end up getting snow shoes one day!

I do have to say that the highlight of the day was Bill’s innovative Christmas present that he openly admits is from Big Lots. We noticed it when we pulled up to the house as it was visible from the front window, but didn’t want to immediately compare it to the infamous leg lamp from everyone’s favorite movie The Christmas Story. Also, I should tell you that the Santa climbs up and down the ladder accompanied by Christmas music. Judge for yourself…

Also, I should mention that Bill is an accomplished glass blower. I am fortunate to have a couple of his pieces displayed in my home here in CO. For those of you who have yet to see our new house and my pieces, you can always take a look at Bill’s site to see examples of his beautiful work.

Thank you again to the Poceta’s for letting us spend time with your family. We enjoyed our first Christmas in Colorado and look forward to celebrating many more here!

For those of you who know me, you know that I like to take pictures. What’s funny is that Mike is sometimes, more often then not, embarrassed by the fact that I like to take pictures at social gatherings. That’s why it was so surprising that he bought me a new camera for Christmas.

As you can see from the blog, we’ve had a digital camera for some time now, however the technology has gotten so good over the last few years, that the size of my new camera is almost 1/3 or our Cannon PowerShot A610 that I bought for Mike two years ago.

Here’s a visual demonstration to help you see the difference in the width of the cameras:

I can now look forward to sticking my new Cannon PowerShot SD1000 in my pocket or purse and Mike doesn’t have to hear me complain about lugging the big camera around all night. Or better yet, he doesn’t have to hold it for me!

Whatever the reason, I am thankful that I have a loving and thoughtful husband that knows me better than anyone else!

The kitties didn’t participate in the opening of the presents, however after the wrapping paper had been torn off and the boxes were sitting out on the floor, they had a field day. At one point both Kali and Karmel were inside of a box together. Who knew it was so easy to amuse a cat at Christmas?

Both Kali and Karmel did receive presents from Mom and Dad in Michigan. While they are still a little unsure of the self-warming cat cushion, Karmel took advantage of his new gift and immediately took a nap.

Overall it was a good Christmas for the kitties. They can’t wait until next year! Oh…in case you are wondering, Karmel is in more pictures then Kali because she’s a diva and doesn’t like to have her picture taken.

“Snow. Areas of blowing snow. Much colder. Snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches. Highs in the upper 20s. North winds 15 to 25 mph.”

I could be wrong but it seems as though they don’t really have a good sense of what the weather is going to do here. Pretty much all the way up through yesterday they have been calling for an inch or less of snow for today. I wake up this morning and it looks like the North Pole here in Denver.

I do love snow and snowstorms even if it is a surprise, especially on Christmas. Hopefully though it does not disrupt the kids travel plans from Sacramento this evening. According to the forecast it will taper off this afternoon. We are also traveling about 30 miles north of here for Christmas dinner with some other Michigan ex-pats but this little bit of snow won’t affect that.

Update (9:21 PM MST): By my measurement we ended up with 8 inches of snow. I snow blowed the driveway twice today. And yes, the kids plane is now scheduled to be two hours late for a nice 0130 arrival.

The FedEx man stopped at the office today and delivered three boxes of Christmas presents from Michigan. While we have no idea what’s in the boxes and won’t until we open them on Christmas Eve, we recognize and appreciate the fact that we are fortunate enough to have families that love and support us.

We’re also looking forward to the kids visit as it’s been a couple of years since we’ve celebrated Christmas with them. They fly in the night of the 25th and will be with us through New Years. Cross your fingers that the weather is good while the kids are here as we’re hoping to get them out of the house so that they can explore the greater Denver area. If you have any suggestions on where we should take them, let us know as we’re open to all ideas.

We love snowmen. The centerpiece of our holiday decorating is above the fireplace/TV area with an assortment of snowmen that we have chosen to adorn our home. They all make me smile but here are three of my favorites.

How can these three snowmen not make you smile?