Summertime Wedding

This weekend was our second wedding of the summer and we enjoyed celebrating my colleague Joanna and her new husband, Justin. The weather was beautiful and we got to see a breathtaking Colorado sunset from a rooftop patio during the reception. And, we like that weddings give us an excuse to have a date night too! 

Enjoying July wedding #2 with my colleagues

Our First 9 Hour Night! And Month 3 Photo Update

Amelia is sleeping great, we're so proud of her! We've had several 12 hour nights, and we're averaging about a 9-10 hour night regularly. Something happened around the 12 week mark, and she suddenly decided to sleep straight thru the night. We're so thrilled, she's our little sleeper. Below are some photos from month 3, she's getting big and strong, and interacting a lot. She smiles all the time and is a very happy baby! Her favorite things are walks in the frontpack with mommy or in the stroller with Nana, baths with dad before bedtime, and putting anything in her mouth she can get ahold of. We moved her from sleeping in her carseat to sleeping in her crib, and she nuzzles her left cheek on her fuzzy lamb blanket to get cozy. Amelia also loves holding Sophie the Giraffe, looking at her balloon (we received when she was born and it's still floating!), kicking and moving her arms, and watching Jeopardy with dad.

Virginia Trip

We took our first trip without the babe, since she was born, and made a long weekend out of a trip to Virginia for my colleague Katie's wedding. My mom took care of Amelia so we could enjoy some quality time away together, and so much needed sleep!

We spent 4 days in rural Virginia, and had a wonderful time exploring the local wineries, breweries and cideries. Virginia has earned a place in our hearts, and we're hoping to be able to get back there sometime for vacation. The green, rolling hills were absolutely beautiful, and the people were so hospitable and welcoming. We stayed in Bridgewater, Virginia so we explored the Shenandoah Valley American Venticultural Area (AVA), and we also took a day trip to Charlottesville, where we met up with our Denver friend Treece and explored the University of Virginia campus.

Katie and Jeff, the newlyweds! Their wedding was absolutely beautiful and had such a relaxed, intimate feel. The wedding was outdoors and the reception in a rustic barn, decorated with hanging lights that twinkled under the stars. It was magical, and their families were so welcoming. 

We had a delicious breakfast at The Pigeon Hole, located near the University of Virginia in an area called "The Corner." We had breakfast with our friend Treece, who we met in Denver and now lives in Virginia, and his friend Phil, who is the man behind Cutaway cycling gear. Like most college campus areas, there were lots of great places to eat and grab coffee, and we really enjoyed exploring.

And of course, we had to go find the Zeta Tau Alpha house so I could snap a photo!

The beautiful Shenandoah Valley

This is a photo of the winery we went to, Pollak Vineyards

I have to admit, I'm a bit of a cider aficionado. I try to never buy the same brand at the store, and I enjoy tasting different styles from parts of the country and the world. So, when we spotted cideries on the map, naturally we bee-lined to the nearest to check it out. We ended up at Bold Rock cidery and brewpub, a brand we had picked up a 6-pack of the night before (before realizing we would be stopping there the next day!) It was delicious, and possibly my new favorite. Unfortunately they don't distribute beyond the Virginia/DC area. The cider is a partnership between a guy named John, who bought the land in Virginia, and Brian Shanks, a world renown cider maker from New Zealand. The rest is history - they're expanding rapidly and becoming a local (and Denverite) favorite!

Breakfast at The Pigeon Hole

The Rotunda at University of Virginia. Set in the middle of campus, this is the site for their annual graduation ceremony. The path up the middle has to be re-sodded every summer because the thousands of footsteps of graduates destroys the grass every year. The campus was rich with history and stories about the founder Thomas Jefferson. We also drove to Monticello, TJ's homestead. We didn't have enough time to take in everything, and would love to plan a trip back to see more of Virginia's history as well as to tour DC.

Mom is Back to Work

Well, three months flew by and now I'm back to work. I spent my last days at home wondering if I was making the right decision, and thinking thru how the next years of Amelia's life would look. I'm sure all working mom's go thru this, and I'm sure it takes time to adjust. 

Within a few days of being back, I realized how much I really had missed what I do. I love what I do. I love the challenges and learning new things. I love this time of year and planning for our annual conference. I love who I work with. I really do have the best colleagues in the world, and we are more than just people that work together, we're friends. 

I'm happy I felt this way when I returned - it was the needed confirmation that I had made the right decision. And I'm excited to see what the coming months and years bring, and the new challenges that I'll get to experience. It will take time to adjust - everything about being a new parent does take time to figure out. But I am certainly excited!

I know I will miss spending all day, everyday with my munchkin, but being back at work doesn't change how much I love her - it just means I will have to be that much more intentional about spending nights and weekends together.

Here are a couple photos from Amelia at school, doesn't she look like she's having so much fun?!

Mom and Amelia came to visit me at work - Amelia obviously found what I do to be very boring :)

July Visitors

July has been busy, but fun, and we're enjoying our month with Nana in town! It's been so wonderful having her here and having an extra set of hands around the house while I head back to work. She and Amelia have become quite the best friends, and I think she's loving having Nana all to herself. 

We also got to see our good friends, The Madsens, from Tulsa, Oklahoma. They were passing thru Denver to fly out after a concert at Red Rocks, so we met up with them for breakfast at the Pearl Street Farmer's Market. It was wonderful to get to see them again - twice in one summer, we're so lucky!

Lots of coffee, and lots of walks enjoying the Colorado sunshine!