SSFDenver

Hey, Denver - could you feel the ground shake a little bit last week? Yeah that was from Eener and I shakin' it to Watch the Throne. Could you hear the giggles coming from Apartment 17 in Capitol Hill? Yeah that was Eener and I dying over the latest episode of The Soup. And could you hear my heart break Sunday around 6 when I had to return Eener to the airport so she could get back to Vegas and being a mommy to Max?

It was a great weekend - full of eating, drinking, laughing and catching up as two girlfriends who haven't had one-on-one time in months usually do. We took it easy with Gordon - had brunch filled with mimosas and Bloody Mary's - visited Morrison - and caught a Rockies game. All in less than 48 hours.

Leaving Vegas was easy in lots of ways - but it was hard in a lot of ways, too - and Eener, you were one of those hard ways. Thank you so much for taking your first "Mommy-Free" weekend to come and visit your Knochers.

I miss you already.

Discovering Denver #32: AQUA GOLF!

Much to my (pleasent) surprise, I was told by my date on Monday that we would be heading to Aqua Golf for our Tuesday night outing. You mean the place where the driving range is located over a giant lake and you just hit balls in to the water?!? Once he confirmed, that yes, that was indeed the idea of Aqua Golf - I think my response was something along the lines of....

SO. EXCITED.

I'd been to a driving range once before - and I'm pretty sure that once before was some time in high school. Now my put-put skills are pretty much on lock but um actual golfing skills - eh, not so much.

As my date was trying to show me that there was a tab bit more to golf than just swinging at the ball and trying to hit it as far as possible - I started to think that Old Fashioned (or two) I'd had over dinner may have not been the best idea. I could not remember to not swing my arms or my hips, letting my upper body do the work all while keeping my left foot firmly on the ground.

Luckily, I had a very patient teacher and eventually - about 100 balls and likely 132 swings in (I may have missed the mark a few times)- I got the hang of it**.

*Kind of. *And am still so incredibly sore two days later.


Watch out, Tiger. Or maybe this means I can finally play in JT's Shriners Open. Hey, a girl can dream.

Discovering Denver #25: Brunch at Jonesy's

Every once in awhile, I have to go back to either my 100 post or my Discovering Denver post and most of the time - I realize that I have since completed something on the list that I can now cross off and share with you.

Since my last visit - I've realized that thanks to my shiny new dating life - I've not only done one thing on my Discovering Denver list but I am going to be able to mark off another come tonight.

I had brunch at Jonesy's a few weekends back. I had the French Toast that is served with maple syrup (dad would be proud) and vanilla bean whipped cream (which I would have eaten as an entire plate itself). Unfortunately, I was heading up to Pine that afternoon so I was unable to take advantage of the bottomless mimosa offer but the coffee was superb. As was the company. So overall - Jonesy's gets a five-star rating from me and I am sure it won't be long until I return.

Afterall - I've got to get back for those bottomless mimosas.

Denver Cruiser Ride

Last night was my first experience of the Denver Cruiser Ride. And let me tell you, it will not be my last.

Even before I moved here, I had heard about this gathering of bike riders every Wednesday night throughout the summer in Denver. From what I gathered, it was some kind of bar crawl with a route map that people followed and each week had a theme. So I thought it would just be some kind of fun community get-together that got people out and active and drunk in the middle of the week. Well I am here to say - it is much, much more than that.

I had marked my calendar months ago for the Circus themed week, knowing that it would be a carnival of sorts and seemed much more me than the Rave theme that is next week. There are three start bars to choose from - Linzi and I picked the Skylark which is about a 3 mile ride from my house. We were slightly afraid that we were going to pass it but as we pulled up on our bikes - we quickly realized there was no way in hell that could ever happen. Hundreds of people, along with hundreds of bikes, were out front of the bar and I'd say 50% of them were in some kind of circus getup.

Pumped and ready - I went to pull my i.d. out of my fanny pack (some things never change and/or go out of style, my babies) and realized that I LEFT IT AT HOME. 3 MILES AWAY. In typical Linz and Kate style - we decide not to bike back but instead call a cab, have him run us back to my place, grab my i.d. and get a ride back in time to ride with everyone to the second stop of the evening. Well, (our) luck would have it and by the time the cab got us back to Skylark - the masses had departed. Making lemons in to lemonade - or rather jager into jagerbombs - we took this opportunity to take advantage of the empty bar and drink in peace before biking the 3 miles to the next stop.

By the time Linzi and I arrived to the C.O.D. (Circle of Death) in Civic Center Park - a crowd of oh, I'd say 3,000 (not an exaggeration) had gathered. I am being totally serious when I tell you that I have never quite see anything like it in my life. There were guys dressed as clowns, people half-naked running around with balloons tied to them, girls in spandex and then a giant circle of people just riding bikes around - I am sure - intoxicated (hence the C.O.D.). There were unicycles and carts and lit-up bikes and the best people watching experience you can imagine.




If you think your city has a bike scene - I challenge you to come experience a summer Wednesday night in Denver. This city made me proud last night - while also, blowing my mind.

I cannot believe that this has been happening five blocks from my house for the entire summer and I had no idea. It is truly, truly something to see. I've checked the theme schedule for the remainder of the season (rides happen through September 28th) and you can bet your front wheel that we will be back.

PINteresting

The inspiration continues....

Anne sent me an invite yesterday to a new(ish) site called Pinterest and I am just giddy over pinning things now. Basically, you create mood boards of things you like. You can create as many boards as you wish in different categories and pin as many items on the internet as your little heart can desire!!

I played around with it for a bit today and am just getting started on my boards but you should check it out! And make boards - I promise to like and share your pins...build away!

Find me here.....http://pinterest.com/knochers/

Writer's Block

Well hey there, my babies! My apologies for being absent from the blogosphere for a few weeks now. I've been suffering from something they call writer's block - luckily though, I have not been suffering from life block.

As summer has progressed, so have the experiences, friendships, travels and memories. I took a little trip back to the Home Sweet Neon for Pep's 60th birthday, I traveled to Salt Lake City for the Summer Outdoor Retailer show where I got to spend a few hours with Miss Ann Westlake (Ann, how in the world did we not take one single photo together?!), I was involved in a hit-and-run car accident, I met Sebastian Evan (pictured below!), I threw a Meet and Greet at my apartment complex where I encouraged my neighbors to come down and enjoy a cold one with me and my curly dog, I finished up another season of Waka Kickball, I caught up with friends, I visited SK+G, I went to see Fleet Foxes at the Filmore, I house-sat up at the Wicklers while they went to visit the Schumachers up in Oregon, I went to WaterWorld with Andy - where we were two cousins, at age 28, acting like a bunch of 8-year-olds running around a water park on a Saturday morning, I crashed my bike, I got my car registered in Colorado (so official!), I ate empanadas for the first time, I watched thunderstorms, and today brings my first trip to Colorado's Ikea with Anne.

So, you see, it's not that I've been lacking in life - it's just that looking back on my last few posts I felt like this blog had become very "This is what we did and here are some photos." What kind of creative writing is that? Not that I don't love sharing all experiences with you guys - it's just this blog is not to recap my life - it's to be an experience all on it's own.

I've been reading a lot lately - trying to get some inspiration through others. So as I work that out, I've put together this little recommended reading list for you - and I'll even throw in some pictures so you know this isn't some kind of an impostor but just a girl getting wrapped up in life.

Read:
Freedom by Jonathan Frazen
This article from the New Yorker
The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman
This new column from Benneton's very own Xazmin Garza
About Ryan Gosling from Esquire
Any current copy of Entertainment Weekly

Look:

+ Mores in CO

Over the 4th of July, I was not just celebrating the Independence of America but also, the arrival of my +more.

Wait...have I ever explained the whole +more thing to you guys? Because if not, you're probably WTF'ing right now. A couple years back (2 maybe?), Lauren and I were shopping at Patty's Closet in Vegas. There was a man there, who seemed a little light in his loafers but was certainly following Lauren around the store as if that wasn't the case - but I digress. We tend to get the sister question a lot. Gee, I have no idea why.


So, the man, who was an employee of Patty's Closet, asked us if we were sisters. Lauren answered that no, we were just best friends and I felt the need to chime in "and more!" - because, apparently, I just didn't feel that the term BEST FRIENDS really captured us and what we have. It still doesn't. You know what does though? +more.

Moving on.....+more came in on a Friday night and in our typical style, we decided to scratch going out for a drink and just pick up a (Sexy!) pizza, enjoy some wine, exchange some gifts and spend the next 3 hours catching up as if we don't talk on the phone 6 times a week.

Saturday brought Dazbog and bagels in the Cheesman with Gordon, followed by meeting Andy for lunch at Parisi in the Highlands. Yes, we like to eat, OK? It's like our thing.

We then headed to DAM to check out their newest exhibit - Marvelous Mud. And you know what was truly marvelous about this particular trip? It was FREE. Yeah, thanks to my shiny new Colorado license, we were officially residents and got to roam the museum for free. Which was especially good since we got there at 4:15 and the museum closed at 5 (really DAM, on a Saturday?!).






Saturday night brought more eating - this time at City O City, a vegetarian restaurant in my neighborhood that makes the best Moscow Mule in the city. Then bars bars and more bars and stump stump stump



We, appropriately, coined it 'redneck golf' as you basically take turns hammering a nail in to a tree stump - this quickly became Lauren's favorite discovery of the trip. ...Before sleep sleep and then eat eat (yum Steuben's for breakfast) before heading to Morrison for a little...oh, what's that.....DOG THE BOUNTY HUNTER ACTION?


Oh yes, my friends, that is not Sasquatch much to man's belief, but Dog himself. In the flesh. At the Morrison Inn.

I know, we couldn't believe it either so we had no choice but to burn off some of our excitement by a few games of good 'ol Big Buck Hunter. Which, as you know, and is evident below, we take very very seriously.




We stayed up in Pine that night where Michael, Lauren and I took Linzi and Josh for everything they had (or just their pride for that night) in an intense (or just really fun) game of Cranium (and of course) - SHOTSKIS!



Monday brought grill time followed by a last hurrah dinner and a movie for +mores.



As always, having a piece of home in my new home made this for a highlighted weekend of the summer.


Love you +more! Can't wait for our next reunion (3 weeks!).