God Bless America

We had a great 4th of July! Independence Day has always been one of my favorite holidays. I love any excuse to spend time outdoors, watch a parade and eat good food.


Old Fashioned Patriotic Parade – Aspen, CO

Aspen knows how to throw a 4th of July parade! It was the longest one I’ve ever been to – almost 2 hours from start to finish! We grabbed a front row seat on the patio at Peach’s Cafe and sipped Bloody Marys while watching the floats parade through downtown. Aspen is always hopping on holiday weekends which makes for some really great people watching!


Government Trail – Aspen to Snowmass

After the parade, we decided to go for a long hike on the Government Trail. It’s a scenic 9.8 mile trail that starts in Aspen, ascends up Buttermilk and meanders through aspen groves and wildflower meadows before finally ending in Snowmass. Once you reach Snowmass Village, you can take the free shuttle bus back to Aspen. It took us 3 hours and 45 minutes to hike the trail, including a picnic break about halfway through. The views from the trail are so incredible. It was the perfect way to spend Independence Day – let freedom ring!

June Highlights

I just finished downloading all of the pics off of my camera from the past month. They are literally all over the map! Here are a few of the highlights from June.


First Friday in Carbondale

Carbondale is Basalt’s next door neighbor. When we need a change of pace, we love exploring Carbondale because it has a really cute historic downtown with some great restaurants. They close off Main Street the first Friday of the month and have all sorts of artists, food vendors, street performers, music and shopping. The weather was perfect this particular evening and we had fun just strolling around downtown. First Friday makes for a cheap date night and some great people-watching! Can you spot the kid on the unicycle?


Second Saturday in Basalt

Basalt has a big bash on the Second Saturday of each month during the summer. This month was a classic car show and I volunteered in the Chamber of Commerce’s booth serving frosty beverages. Slinging beer is a great way to make new friends. 😉


Maroon Bells – Aspen, CO

Maroon Bells is our happy place! The park finally opened for the summer, so we packed a picnic lunch and drove up for the day. This time we did a pretty spectacular hike up to Crater Lake and saw lots of wildlife including elk, marmots and a prairie turkey. Yes, a prairie turkey….Google confirmed it.


Eighth Wedding Anniversary – Aspen, CO

We celebrated eight years of wedded bliss on June 11 with dinner at ellina in Aspen. The food definitely lived up to the hype! We loved everything that we ordered, but both agreed that the Kurobuta Pork Belly appetizer was our absolute favorite menu item. The evening was so nice that we dined outside and then went for a long walk around town. We ended up at the John Denver Sanctuary, where this photo was taken.


New Bike – Rio Grande Trail

My anniversary gift was a new bike! I’ve always wanted a retro aqua-colored bike with a wicker basket! My husband knows me well and surprised me with this cutie! We’ve been going on bike rides almost every evening and it’s soooo relaxing. I can’t wait to ride her to the farmer’s market this summer and fill up that basket with fresh flowers.


Jacob's Graduation – San Antonio, TX

I can’t believe my baby brother graduated high school! I mean, not because he’s a dummy or anything, but just because he’s still a little tyke in my mind.  I flew home to Texas to attend his graduation and then spent a couple of days with my family at the beach in Port Aransas. I’m thrilled that Jacob will be attending college in Colorado! Hopefully he never makes any friends at college so he’ll only want to hang out with us on the weekends. That’s my plan.


HOW Design Conference – San Francisco, CA

Last week I traveled to San Francisco for the HOW Design Conference. I heard so many great speakers, met lots of new friends, and came home feeling energized and full of fresh, creative ideas. This trip deserves an entire post of its own, which I plan to write as soon as my brain processes all of the information I learned. My three days in San Fran reminded me why I love that city so much. And also why I have a huge passion for good design!

Eight

Our Wedding – June 11, 2005Today we’re celebrating our eighth wedding anniversary! Yeesh, that sounds like a long time. It many ways it feels like just yesterday that we were standing in the courtyard of the historic Ursuline Academy exchanging our wedding vows. But, at the same time, so much life has happened in the last eight years. Our adventures have taken us from Texas to Oklahoma to Montana and now Colorado….plus many peaks and valleys in between.

We received a thoughtful anniversary card from my grandmother today and I love the sweet sentiment inside which says:

Look back with thanks for all the dreams you’ve shared
and the way the Lord has guided you to their fulfillment.

Look forward with joy and faith
to all the blessings He will bring your way as the future unfolds.


Our Wedding – June 11, 2005Our Wedding Album
June 11, 2005 | San Antonio, Texas


Our Wedding – June 11, 2005


Our Wedding – June 11, 2005


Our Wedding – June 11, 2005


Our Wedding – June 11, 2005


Our Wedding – June 11, 2005


Our Wedding – June 11, 2005


Our Wedding – June 11, 2005


Our Wedding – June 11, 2005


Our Wedding – June 11, 2005


Our Wedding – June 11, 2005


Our Wedding – June 11, 2005


Our Wedding – June 11, 2005


Our Wedding – June 11, 2005


Our Wedding – June 11, 2005


Our Wedding – June 11, 2005


Our Wedding – June 11, 2005


Today we look back and we look forward in celebration…. with hearts full of love, thanks, joy and faith!

May Flowers

You know what they say about April showers.

Around here it’s more like April snows bring May flowers, but whatever. This spring I was so jealous to see my Texas friends posting precious photos of their kiddos playing in the bluebonnets when we still had several feet of snow on the ground. Over the past couple of weeks, though, the mountains have really come alive with color. Every single day I notice that something else has bloomed. All of these photos were snapped on my walks around town within the past couple of weeks!


May Flowers – Basalt, CO


May Flowers – Basalt, CO


May Flowers – Basalt, CO


May Flowers – Basalt, CO


The landscape sure looks a lot different now than it did when we moved to Basalt this winter. I’m really enjoying seeing the mountains change with each season. Summer is going to be ah-mazing, I can already tell. Welcome, June!

Memorial Day Weekend

Three day weekends are the best! There is plenty of time to catch up – on chores, on sleep and on life in general – and squeeze in a few fun adventures. Here are the highlights from my holiday weekend.

Friday
A delicious 90-minute Vinyasa Flow class at Le Cercle to celebrate the full moon, followed by tapas and wine around the fire pit at Tempranillo.


Swimming in the Frying Pan River – Basalt, CO

Saturday
Watching Denver & Ollie fetch rocks in the (frigid!) river in our backyard.


 Hiking to Elk Camp – Snowmass Village, CO

Sunday
A beautiful hike from the base of Snowmass Village up to Elk Camp
where we enjoyed a picnic lunch and naps on the sun deck.
Dinner date at Town, a yummy new restaurant in downtown Carbondale.


Hiking Basalt Mountain – Basalt, CO

Monday
Hiking up Basalt Mountain to take in panormaic views of our little town
with majestic Mt. Sopris in the background.

There’s nothing like a long weekend and some fresh air to leave you feeling rejuvenated. Wishing that it didn’t have to end!

Law School Graduation

The big day finally arrived – Jason’s law school graduation! We’ve been looking forward to this milestone since embarking on this journey 3 years ago. We traveled back to Tulsa to celebrate the momentous occasion with friends, family and classmates.

Law School Graduation Save the Date

A few months prior, I emailed save the dates to our family through Paperless Post. I had some free credits in my account, so this cost approximately ZILCH American dollars. It was super easy and efficient, plus I saved a tree or two in the process.


Law School Graduation Invitation

Instead of purchasing the generic invitations offered by the university, I designed custom graduation announcements for Jason. I was sneaky and scanned most of his long-lost school photos when he wasn’t watching so that I could include them on the brunch invite. I was surprised that I was able to find all except 9th and 11th grades. What a cutie pie Jason was then….and still is! More than 25 years later, he looks exactly like he did in his Kindergarten pic!


Law School Graduation Brunch Placemats

I also designed custom placemats to decorate the tables at the brunch I hosted in honor of Jason’s graduation. Everyone enjoyed seeing his old school portraits from Pre-K all the way through law school. The brunch was at La Villa in the Philbrook Museum of Art, which is such a beautiful venue that it doesn’t require much decor at all. The placemats were perfect because they were easy to transport in my suitcase from Colorado to Oklahoma without Jason even noticing. I’m not sure if he was more embarrassed or surprised that I was able to dig up all of those school pics!

We were fortunate to have so many of our favorite people join us for brunch and graduation. It was such a memorable weekend! If Jason and I have learned anything at all over the past 3 years, it’s that we are blessed beyond measure with supportive family and friends. I don’t know how we would have made it through law school without them!

Law School Tuition: $96,168

Graduation Brunch at Philbrook

Books: $9,300

Graduation Brunch at Philbrook

Hours Spent in the Library: 8,760

Graduation Brunch at Philbrook

Doctoral Graduation Tam: $60

Law School Graduation Ceremony

Watching Husband Fulfill His Dream: Priceless

Cinco Things

¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo! As is design finch tradition, today I’m sharing five of my most favoritest things. I’m writing this as I sit here sipping a margarita, so consider yourself warned.


design finch's Cinco Things: Compression Active Wear

Uno. Old Navy Compression Active Wear

Lululemon vs. Old NavyI first learned about the awesomeness of Old Navy’s compression active wear from one of my favorite blogs, Big Mama, when she featured it on a Fashion Friday post. Since then, I’ve acquired two pairs of yoga pants, a pair of capris leggings and a jacket. Surprisingly, the quality is really great which typically isn’t the case with Old Navy. In fact, it looks and feels like Lululemon but at a fraction of the cost. Case in point, earlier this week I happened to be wearing my Old Navy gear (and while I’d like to pretend that I was coming from yoga class, in reality I had just been to Starbuck’s for coffee) when I realized that the mannequin in the Lululemon window happened to be wearing my same outfit. The only difference was the price tag – Lulu wanted $108 for her jacket and I only paid $30 for mine. I win.


Dos. Citizen Cope

Let’s talk about my latest music crush for a second. I wouldn’t say that I’m really all that into music to begin with, but when I find a new musician that I love, I fall hard. Then I proceed to listen to everything by that artist on replay until I absolutely wear. it. out. and can’t stand the thought of listening to one more song. Fortunately for Citizen Cope, I’m still in the crush phase. My current favorite tracks are “Sideways”, “Son’s Gonna Rise”, and “One Lovely Day”. I know there are more, but I can’t remember the titles right now. Blame it on the margarita.


design finch's Cinco Things: Physicians Formula Bronzer

Tres. Physician’s Formula Bronzer

I’ve never been able to achieve much of a tan to begin with, but after a long, cold winter my skin is more pale than ever. The other day while grocery shopping I was perusing the beauty aisle and spotted this fun, shimmery bronzer. It’s super versatile – there are five different strips of color that you can blend together or use individually as highlighter, blush or eye shadow. With the simple sweep of a brush, I feel like I’ve been kissed by the sun!


design finch's Cinco Things: Organic Coconut Oil
Quatro.
Organic Coconut Oil

Talk about multi-tasking, coconut oil can be used for everything from frying chicken to shaving your legs! I’ve shared before that I even use coconut oil to make natural homemade toothpaste. Most recently, though, I’ve been using it as my facial moisturizer. All winter long my skin has been so dry and this is seriously the best thing I’ve found to combat feeling like an alligator. I’ve read that coconut oil is also a great conditioner for hair, so that’s my next experiment. If I smell like the tropics next time you see me, you’ll know why.


design finch's Cinco Things: Busy Buddy Treat Dispensers

Cinco. Busy Buddy Food Puzzle Toys

Oliver GrovesThis last one is for the fur babies. When we consulted a dog trainer about Oliver’s obnoxious tendency to lick everything in sight, she suggested that we start making Ollie “work” for his food instead of giving it to him for “free” in a bowl. She explained that in nature dogs have to hunt, forage, and scavenge for their food. And that often domestic dogs will develop behavioral issues when their problem solving skills aren’t challenged. At first I was skeptical that the food puzzle toys she recommended would have much impact, but I’ve noticed that Oliver seems much calmer now that he has to work so hard to earn his kibbles – he’s using up all that energy that is usually reserved for naughtiness!

I could keep on going, but unfortunately I can’t count much higher than cinco en Español. Fortunately, you can always find more design finch faves in my Amazon store.

Harry Gates Hut Trip

This past weekend we went on a new adventure. Jason and I were invited to join four other couples for an overnight excursion to a backcountry hut. Believe it or not, even in late April there is still enough snow at the higher elevations for snow shoeing. The weather could not have been more perfect – sunshine, blue skies and highs in the upper 50’s.


Colorado Backcountry Snow Shoe Excursion – Montgomery Flats Trail

It’s only a 6.6 mile trek from the trailhead to the hut, but it feels like an eternity when lugging a heavy pack full of food and supplies uphill through the snow. The entire time I felt like Cheryl Strayed in her memoir Wild. Except that I snow shoed 13.2 miles in one weekend amongst friends while Cheryl hiked more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail (from the Mojave Desert in California, through Oregon, all the way to Washington) over the course of 3 months…..completely alone at the age of 26.

But, otherwise, pretty much the same thing.

Sidenote: If you haven’t read Wild yet, I highly recommend it. I loved it so much that I read the entire book cover-to-cover within a day of picking it up. At first glance, Wild appears to be a book about hiking, but it’s actually so much more. You can watch the book trailer or listen to Oprah’s interview with Cheryl Strayed to learn more about her journey. Earlier this month I had the pleasure of hearing Cheryl speak in Aspen at Winter Words. I was thrilled to learn that Reese Witherspoon has signed on to bring her adventure to life on the big screen!

Ok, back to my weekend….


Harry Gates Hut Trip – 10th Mountain Division

There are dozens of backcountry huts in the mountains between Aspen, Vail and Leadville that were built by a group of cross-country ski enthusiasts. The cool thing is that anyone who is willing to make the trek can stay at these huts (although reservations are required in advance and often hard to come by). On this trip, our group stayed at the Harry Gates Hut which is nestled at the foothills of Sawatch Mountain at an elevation of 9,700 feet. Completed in 1986, it is the largest of the huts in the system and has gorgeous views of Avalanche Ridge to the east. We had a great time lounging on the deck, playing games, drinking wine and making new friends. Hopefully this was just the first of many hut trips to come!

22 Ways to Celebrate Earth Day

22 Ways to Celebrate Earth Day on April 22Happy Earth Day, earthlings! Today is one of my favorite holidays because it provides an opportunity to give thanks to Mother Earth for her abundant blessings (fresh air! clean water!) and demonstrate support for environmental protection. It’s a perfect time to reevaluate your habits and consider making changes to become more eco-friendly. Don’t forget to take some time out of your day to enjoy God’s magnificent creation! Here are 22 ways to celebrate Earth Day 2013:


Celebrate Earth Day: Take a Stroll on the Beach

Isle of Palms, South Carolina


Celebrate Earth Day: Ride in a Hot Air Balloon

Snowmass Village, Colorado


Celebrate Earth Day: Root for the Home Team

Denver, Colorado


Celebrate Earth Day: Watch the Clouds Float By

Glacier National Park, Montana


Celebrate Earth Day: Camp Under the Stars

Glacier National Park, Montana


Celebrate Earth Day: Stroll Through a Cemetery

Charleston, South Carolina


Celebrate Earth Day: Take Photos of Wildflowers

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming


Celebrate Earth Day: Take Silly Family Photos

San Antonio, Texas


Celebrate Earth Day: Go Fishing

Guadalupe River, Texas


Celebrate Earth Day: Go for a Bike Ride

Charleston, South Carolina


Celebrate Earth Day: Play Fetch in the Park

Basalt, Colorado


Celebrate Earth Day: Take a Hike

Glacier National Park, Montana


Celebrate Earth Day: Take a Nap in a Hammock

Los Cabos, Mexico


Celebrate Earth Day: Have a Picnic

University of Tulsa – Tulsa, Oklahoma


Celebrate Earth Day: Climb a Rock

Enchanted Rock, Texas


Celebrate Earth Day: Go Whitewater Rafting

Yellowstone River, Montana


Celebrate Earth Day: Stop and Smell the Roses

Boston Public Garden – Boston, Massachusetts


Celebrate Earth Day: Soak Up Some Sun

Keystone Lake, Oklahoma


Celebrate Earth Day: Dip Your Toes in the Water

Vail, Colorado


Celebrate Earth Day: Go for a Long Walk

Beavers Bend State Park, Oklahoma


Celebrate Earth Day: Practice Yoga Outdoors

Aspen, Colorado


Celebrate Earth Day: Watch the Sunset

Siesta Key, Florida

Now ask yourself, how have your favorite places been impacted by pollution and climate change? What are you doing to be part of the solution? Commit to celebrate and protect the environment! For more ideas on making every day Earth Day, read these previous posts: reduce : reuse : recycle : reTHINK and Clean Green.

Favorite Podcasts

I enjoy listening to podcasts while I’m working, cooking, or cleaning. They feed my brain while my hands are busy with mundane tasks. These are my favorite podcasts at the moment:


Radiolab PodcastRadiolab

Radiolab is a podcast that weaves scientific curiosities into sound-rich documentaries. Each episode investigates people, stories and experiences centered around One Big Idea. Sounds pretty boring, huh? Actually, the topics are quite fascinating and presented in such a light-hearted, engaging way. Give it a listen – I promise you’ll be entertained even if you’re not a science nerd!


Satellite Sisters PodcastSatellite Sisters

The Satellite Sisters are five real-life sisters (Julie, Liz, Sheila, Monica and Lian) living very different lives in different cities. The premise of the show is that the sisters “get together” via satellite to talk as if they are meeting for coffee or talking on the phone. They discuss the sorts of topics that sisters really talk about – current events, fashion, family, celebrities…..you name it, nothing is off-limits. Their knack for finding humor in everyday life keeps me laughing out loud.


TED Radio Hour PodcastTED Radio Hour

If you love TEDTalks, then you’ll love this podcast! Based on riveting 18 minute talks from the world’s most remarkable minds, the TED Radio Hour interviews the speakers to further explore fascinating ideas, astonishing inventions, and new ways to think and create. Sometimes only portions of the original TEDTalk are played; other times you hear them almost in their entirety. I always feel a tiny bit smarter after listening to these talks.


The Dave Ramsey Show PodcastThe Dave Ramsey Show

The Dave Ramsey Show is about real life and how it revolves around money. Dave takes calls from listeners and, in the process, gives advice on how to manage and budget your money, get out of debt, build wealth, and live in financial peace. Jason and I were fortunate to go through Financial Peace University at our church early in our marriage and it drastically impacted the way we manage our money today. If you want to learn more about Dave’s financial principles, the free podcasts are a great place to start.


The Big Boo PodcastThe Big Boo Cast

Two Southern mama-bloggers, Big Mama and BooMama, talk about all the important stuff in life: faith, family, friends, fashion, food and football. Plus, of course, their hair. They rarely record new podcasts, but when they do they are hilariously funny! If I’m having a bad day, I fire up The Big Boo Cast and feel like I’m having a conversation with friends that I’ve known forever (although, in reality, I just regularly stalk their blogs).


This American Life PodcastThis American Life

This is my favorite podcast of all. Each week the producers choose a theme and put together a variety of stories on that theme. Mostly they are true stories that are touching, funny, and surprising – often all at the same time.


Vicky and Jen PodcastVicky & Jen

Co-hosts Vicky and Jen are two busy moms committed to helping families make life simple in order to enjoy what really matters. They interview experts in parenting, health, nutrition, self-care, organization, relationships and more. This is another one of those podcasts where I feel like I’m having a good conversation with girlfriends over a cup of coffee. I especially enjoy their series of shows featuring professional organizer Monica Ricci.

Now it’s your turn. I’m so curious to know about your favorite podcasts! Which ones should I add to my iPod?

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