Holiday newsletter 2021

• Chad and I celebrated 10 years together. 🖤 Crazy!
• We got to travel! San Diego, Durango, Orlando, Gunnison, Denver, and Grand Junction were highlights
• I got COVID and made a full recovery
• We are loving every minute with our cuddly pup Wally

In a very surprising turn of events, Chad and I spent most of our winter skiing and snowboarding at Sunlight Mountain Resort. Nearly every weekend we found ourselves on the slopes, relearning the basics after a nearly 15-year hiatus.

In February, Chad’s mom Patty, sister Anna, and her kiddos Kay and Phillip came to stay with us in New Castle. We had a blast showing them our home and spending a day at Rifle Falls.

Later on, Wally had an unfortunate haircut (trading his shag for a shave) and showed us the importance of pet insurance (the first of a few counter-surfing incidents).

We ended the season by refinancing our home, DIY painting our kitchen countertops, and taking daily walks around New Castle.

A few favorite posts I wrote last winter:

• Home details I’m loving
• An ode to middle of the road love
• Winter trip to Rifle Falls
• Ski trips – day 4

In a stark contrast to last year, this spring was incredibly eventful and near-normal for our household.

In March, I celebrated my 26th birthday. I had two of the best gifts I could’ve asked for: vaccination and time spent with my best friends Alexis and Jessica in Denver for their housewarming party.

Chad and I also went on a small road trip to Durango, where we enjoyed a long weekend. We ate incredible food, explored downtown, drank lots of beer, and soaked in the Durango Hot Springs as a belated birthday gift. (Thank you to our friends Emily and Madi for the wonderful recommendations!)

Wally turned a year old on April 13. We gave him plenty of love and cuddles and treats, hoping to express a fraction of the joy and warmth and wonder he adds to our lives. Chad and I are so lucky to have him. 🖤

In May, we went to Gunnison for the first time in over a year. It was a quick trip back to our hometown, but we enjoyed seeing Laura (my childhood bestie/Chad’s cousin, lol), her daughter Jessa, as well as Chad’s sister and family, parents, grandma, aunt, and uncle. We also got to see my high school softball coach D, and spend some time with our bud Dustin.

In what feels like a blink of an eye, we also celebrated a year of home ownership. It has been incredibly rewarding turning our house into a home and curating a space that has become a sanctuary of many sorts. What an unprecedented year!

Posts from Spring

• Cheers to 26
• A year at home
• Hiking the Rifle Arch
• Durango breweries
• Wally update

Talk about a wild and busy few months! It felt as though we were constantly on the go, with little time to spare.

We kicked off summer with a Memorial Day weekend get-together in Grand Junction, where I instantly fell in love with my parents’ new pool. (It was the beginning of a summer-long affair, where I never wanted to get out.) We spent time with my brother Tyler, his wife Natalie, and their daughter Nora.

In the early days of summer, I celebrated the one-year anniversary of my business Sunshine Creatives. It’s been an amazing year of growth and I’ve worked with so many incredible clients.

Chad turned 27 in June. To celebrate, we whisked away on our first vacation in years to San Diego. We packed a lot into our week trip, from sight-seeing to beaching to brewery-hopping around the city.

A few weeks later, I unexpectedly invited myself to Florida on an American Family trip to Disney World with my parents. We joked that the band was back together, and enjoyed a lot of hot fun in Orlando. My favorite was Universal Studios, seeing my childhood dreams come to life with the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (I drank allllll the butter beer), and making new memories with my mom and dad.

At home, Chad and I worked on a small yard transformation. Chad built us some garden planters and we cleared out space in our yard for a small patio. My dad came over to help us lay some pavers, just in time for us to throw a belated housewarming party. Though the Glenwood Canyon rockslide put a wrench in some of our plans, it was so nice to host at our house (a special shout out to Alexis and Jessica for taking the longest drive ever just to see us 🖤).

Later in the summer, we got to see my brother Spencer, his wife Mary, and their kids Everest and Atlas for a mini reunion in Grand Junction. It was extra special—one last hurrah before they moved to Ankara, Turkey in September. Tyler’s family also joined; it was a blast spending time as one big family unit.

We ended the warm season with a salsa making weekend with my parents, canning a year’s worth of tomato-based deliciousness. Tyler, Natalie, and Nora were able to join this year, which made it even more fun.

Posts from Summer

• The stories of Chad
• A perfect weekend in Grand Junction
• San Diego in photos: Solana Beach, La Jolla, the city
• A year of Sunshine Creatives
• My Orlando vacation

My favorite season of the year came and went, very busily.

In a crazy, whirlwind decision, I took a position as an assistant coach for the Basalt High School softball team. (This is even crazier if you know about the intense rivalry my own team had with BHS during my time in high school. Enemy number one!)

It was a fulfilling but stressful experience (even though I got to see my former Coach D, I’d like to never play Gunnison again, thanks!), and I’m so grateful for the ten players who came to play from Basalt, Glenwood, Carbondale, and New Castle. (Note: Basalt is a 50 minute drive from my house. Yikes!)

In October post-season, Chad and I had at blast at our friends’ wedding; Phil and Megan had a wonderful celebration in Pine, Colorado. Chad was a groomsman and I loved spending time with our college buddies (especially on the dance floor).

Unfortunately for me, I tested positive for COVID in October. It was a truly horrible two weeks, but I am thankful for being vaccinated and having a mild case overall. It kicked my butt, but I made a full recovery. Chad was somehow (luckily) spared!

Chad and I celebrated our four-year wedding anniversary as well as our tenth year being together (holy smokes!). We plan to go somewhere tropical as a bigger trip, but went to Vail for a quick off-season getaway.

We spent Thanksgiving with my parents in Grand Junction, with Tyler, Natalie, Nora, and new friends Chrissy and Joel. We loved meeting Tyler’s new pup, Henrietta.

In early December, Chad and I met up with Patty and Anna and spent a great day in Grand Junction. While we were there, we managed to enjoy some time with local friends at a wonderful brewery.

Wally joined a daycare class twice a week, where he loves romping around and playing with his new friends. 🙂

I’m rounding out the year with several clients, a few projects, a feature in a magazine, and a couple new hobbies (book club and dance classes). I dusted off my freelance cap and contributed several articles to Glenwood Springs Magazine. Be on the lookout for the Winter edition!

For Christmas, we’re looking forward to a trip to Gunnison, spending the holidays with the Georges and hopefully cramming in a few visits with friends as well. We hope to spend a day skiing at Monarch, for old time’s sake.

Posts from Fall

• Four going on forever
• Life update
• 10 whole years
• End of the season slideshow
• Anniversary trip to Vail