The Carriage House : A Love Story

It's been a year. One that brought more hours in the dentist chair (ultimately ending in one less tooth), a dream come true (involving Mickey Mouse), a car accident (totaling my car) and then the one thing that I was least expecting - the purchase of my first home.

We'll get to the rest of it later this year but this post is completely dedicated to the newest member of my little family, a true love - the Carriage House.

Back in July, during a visit with Chloe, I was at the Squire (per usual on a Friday night) when Dustin said to me, "Did you get my email earlier today? I found your house." Now keep in mind, I was not looking for a house. I was getting emails about properties in the city but mostly because my rent had gone up 20 percent in 2014 and I was expecting that to happen again in 2015. Problem was, everything in my price range was a condo, with an HOA attached, and I knew that if I was paying that much $$ for a place, I wanted to be able to let my dog outside without putting pants on. So I figured I would just stay put in my beautiful apartment in the sky until it was yanked from my loving little hands and I was forced to move outside of the city.

Then, the Carriage House answered all of my (unknown) house dreams. Three whiskeys deep, I opened the email and OMG YOU ARE RIGHT IT IS MY HOUSE, as I frantically sent a message to our friend Jill with just the words "UH OH." She answered the next morning asking if I wanted to go see it "just for fun" (genius) so Chloe and I took a walk, about seven blocks up from SummerHouse, and wandered down the pathway to the "secret garden" door of this little house in the middle of Denver's Congress Park neighborhood.

When we walked in, my first thought was "this is a tiny brick house" (given, I was living in 1100 square feet in the sky at the time). But just then, Jill opened up the double french doors and it was what I can only describe as a moment I will never forget, I fell in love. The private patio doubled the living space and created an airy, sun-filled house filled with character and charm. We wandered up the stairs to find a French cottage-type room complete with a claw-foot tub in the middle of the room, an antique clothing rack and Apartment Therapy-approved turquoise barn doors. I thought to myself "this is the most unique space I have ever seen, fit for.....ME."

Thanks to the Denver market and a rockin' realtor (Jill Smith at PorchLight for any of you in the market!) - it was mine in 30 short days. Making this the year that I became a homeowner.

I never thought I could love a house the way that I do the Carriage House, I was never one who felt the need to own property (though I always believed it to be a smart move as I was writing my $1225 rent checks every month) but it has been the best decision I ever made.

Over the past two months that I've been it's smitten little owner, it has been a true labor of love. From cracking a bottle of Veuve the day my offer was accepted (and I totaled my car) to moving my bed and pets in on the day I closed to unpacking with two of my very best friends in the world to hours spent hunting for the couch, the rug, the table to crying in Crate & Barrel with my mother when we found the perfect kitchen island (we're like that) to painting with her a few weeks ago to learning how to use my pellet stove to then truly having a house warmed thanks to 30 wonderful, beautiful, supportive friends (and a few bottles of champagne) on a perfect fall day.

This is home. This is Carriage House.

Q1 2014

January marked my first month of not blogging since this baby was born back in 2008. Then February marked the first time I had gone two months without blogging. And then came March, my first time not posting for three months.

So, let this post mark my very first QUARTER POST! This isn't to say that I'm going to start posting only four times a year, I miss writing, but I was in need of a break. As my last post shared, 2013 was one helluva beating and I just needed to find my footing in 2014.

In January, I got to seal off the nightmare formally known as #19, now known as my gold tooth. I skied, embraced yoga, cheered on the Broncos in the playoffs, drank wine and celebrated Juanuary (before we knew better). I crafted with Pengs. And I told a man that I loved him and said goodbye to a friend of ten years, all in the same conversation.

February forced me to close my eyes during the Super Bowl. Dancing to Lord Huron, brunching, attending the Banff Film Fest in Boulder and shopping at Colorado's first Trader Joe's (cause, snacks) made up for what the Broncos could not. I traveled to NYC for more than 24 hours for the first time and checked something off this list (post to come, told you I wasn't giving up). In NYC I enjoyed a lovely Valentine's Day with my one and only PY and worked some PR magic at Toy Fair. For the day that I spent to myself in the city, I shopped, sat in an Italian cafe where I ate pizza, sipped on wine and read a book as the snow fell outside the cafe window (hello, perfect life moment) then got lost in the Met. It was a perfect afternoon. Two weeks later I was lucky enough to reunite with the Knochs for a weekend filled with laughs, skis, wine and games in Steamboat.

Finally, in March, I was able to catch my breath. I celebrated all the March babies (Andy, Suzy and Linz), experienced Monkey Town 4 with LJ, danced my ass off at our new favorite Friday night in Denver, ate my weights worth at Work + Class, went on some dates, learned that two Scorpion Bowls is two too many, drank Veuve (always worth mentioning), sang-a-long with Beyonce and skied.

April brings happy with a trip from Pep and Sam, Easter (a long-time HSCOOC favorite) and some neon nights with Suzy.

...and more blog posts :D