Champagneloe

 Mid-June, I was able to reunite with Miss Chloe Urban as I picked her up from DIA. It had been 18 months since we last saw each other and it had been since this weekend that we truly got to spend the quality time together that both of us enjoy so much.

She arrived on a Friday evening and true to ourselves, we stopped at the liquor store on our way to my place to pick up not one but two bottle of champagne, one of those being Veuve Clicquot Rose that she was kind enough to purchase to toast to my 29th birthday. Which was a blessing and a curse all on it's own as now that I've had the best champagne ever - the rest pales in comparison (and we all know how much this girl loves the bubbly).

The rest of the weekend consisted of walks around Denver, Jazz in the Park, Brunches, French + Forest Room 5, more toasts, more champagne and really, really good conversation. And maybe a few naps.

Chloe is considering a move to Denver and I can't tell you how happy that would make me. She has always been a voice of reason for me, with thousands of emails and texts and calls exchanged over the years since we first met at SK+G when she was still an accountant (now a nurse) and I was just a girl out of college. To think of how much we've grown since those days and how much we've got to go - including London and Paris this Fall - the idea of all the possibilities puts a smile on my face.

In the meantime, she'll be back in three short weeks to experience Florence + the Machine at Red Rocks with me, along with a camping trip and (you guessed it) - more champagne.

Almost 30.

I turned 29 on June 7. Newsflash, right? Which, basically - is almost 30.

28 was supposed to be a magical year. And to be fair, there was plenty of magic to go around. 28 allowed me to get my feet sturdy on the ground in Denver, be a maid-of-honor, learn to ride my bike in the city, introduced me to a ton of new friends, got me back on a pair of skis and most of all, brought plenty of love in (and out) of my life.

I was happy to see 29 knockin' on my door and celebrated in true KK fashion (aka a week's worth of events). It started with wine flights at Cru in Larimer Square on Monday with the Scream team. Tuesday, my two dads took me to a delicious dipping dinner at Vesta. Wednesday, Langhorne Slim at the Bluebird to end 28 on a tambourine bangin' note and I rang in 29 with a mimosa brunch with Linz at Steuben's. June 7 carried on to a cheese/champagne picnic in the Botanic Gardens and wrapped with a group dinner with my new Denver family at Stella's and a stumble home from Streets of London.

 Oh, and then - we danced. Friday night, my Den girls and I hit up Lipgloss at Beauty Bar. Club Monster Katie would be proud to know that I am 29 and still dancin' until closing time.

Also, back on Memorial Day week - right after my last post, I saw Bon Iver at Red Rocks. You guys, I had joked about going to Red Rocks to see Bon Iver and crying and then I went to Red Rocks to see Bon Iver and cried.

 

 

Seriously, best performance I've ever seen. Hands down. If you ever have the opportunity to see him live - do it. And I know what you're thinking - Bon Iver = nap time but he doesn't. He had at least a 12 piece band with him and rocked. the. place. out. And apparently, the tears. Seriously, I've never been so moved.

And I hope to look back on 29 and be able to say the same. I want this to be the year that moves me. The year that moves me boldly and confidently in to 30. And also, I'd like to keep all the love IN the door this year.

Here's to movin'.....

The Month of May

HELLO!

My apologies for neglecting you, my HSCOOC, but the month of May has been a totes cray cray obv. 

There's been dating, a Quinceanera celebrating 15 years of Scream Agency, the finale of the Voice, the premiere of the Bachelorette and then a Bachelorette party IRL for my +more who wed her now husband, Scott, on May 19 in Las Vegas.

There's been the beach, a reunion with four of my best girlfriends, kayaking the La Jolla caves in the Pacific, grilling out, eating out, eating In-N-Out, driving from CA to LV, eating blue crabs with Dad and Anne, Cracked Egg with Pep, Sammy's with Benneton (wait, is there an eating theme here?), a night of karaoke at Dino's with Kid Sis, drinks with Austin and Andi, SSFS with Eener and Anika and, of course, a rehearsal dinner and a wedding.

Which was one of the most beautiful days of my life thus far. My +more did an amazing job putting together the wedding of dreams. She looks simply breathtaking in her dress, the groom so handsome, Christopher Walken did a great job marrying them, the kids in the wedding were adorbs, the food delish, the dance floor a ton of fun and then there were the Nothing Bundt Cakes to top it all off.

Oh and did I mention I caught the bouquet?

Nothing could beat the company though, to be surrounded and completely submerged in my nearest and dearest for nine days in May was more than I could have ever asked for.

All to come home to my life in Denver - Sir Gordon and Sienna, work, the Yves Saint Laurent exhibit and brunch date with the girls (complete with dress up), Josh Wickler's birthday, dinner at Linger with Lindsey Jones and Anne and one of two concerts at Red Rocks for this week.

And there ain't no stopping because you know what's next?

June!

Spring Fever

It's spring fever.  That is what the name of it is.  And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!  ~Mark Twain

I came across that quote a few days ago and it just perfectly sums up spring 2012 for me. Pep and Sam came for a visit over Easter weekend. It was complete with full tummies, laughs with the aroma of wine, trips to the Nursery and, of course, an egg hunt.

With two parent weekends back-to-back, I was definitely feeling like a Denver tour guide but was also feeling the love. Spring is such a beautiful time of year in Denver and now that I feel like I really know my city, I am so happy to show it off to those that mean the most to me.

And as the quote says : spring is here and I don't know exactly it is that I do want but whatever it is, I want it so! 

So let's just have fun with it, shall we? Maybe we'll even get a little personal...

Introducing a little side project of HSCOOC and Co. : 100 Percent Match.

A Girl + Her Dad

Last weekend, Carl Knoch came in to town for what was supposed to be a weekend filled with skiing. Thanks to the 80 degree spring days, our weekend turned in to a few hours of skiing and a lot of beer drinking on patios.

We started Friday with a trip to Steuben's followed by a tour and a round of hellos at Scream on our way to REI to pick up some bike supplies. After that, we were mountain bound.

The conditions were what most would refer to as "mashed potatoes" but let me tell you that this girl loved every second of it. Spring skiing takes everything that I hate (see: cold) out of the equation and leaves you with sunshine, beautiful clear skies and views to gasp over.

Andy had come up to meet us for the first part of the day and he was right, by about 2 p.m. - they mountain was no longer "mashed potatoes" and was just straight slush (we actually skied through water on our last run) so we found a deck, loosened our boots and planted our butts with a few Coors Lights (which we both decided, tastes way better at 10,000 feet).

Since nothing but slush welcomed us the next day, we headed back to Denver to enjoy the 80 degree weather how it was meant to be enjoyed - outside, riding bikes to a picnic in a garden. The Denver Botanic Gardens are in bloom a little earlier this year and we took full advantage by enjoying some sandwiches from Snarf's under a shaded tree.

Note to self : Don't go cactus shopping when you need to B-Cycle home.

After somehow surviving that ride home, prick-free, we went to meet the cousins for some dinner before the dreaded drive out to DIA to say goodbye to Dad.

As I've pulled myself up from the mess that was March, I was reminded during this particular visit that, sometimes, we need to just let it go and enjoy some quality time - just a girl and her dad. 

Colorado

Words to live by today and every day for that matter?

"Waiting is the opposite of living." 

Watch the below to see why I moved here. And why I plan to stay.

And why you, you and you should come visit this summer.

London/Paris

This past week I did something that I've always wanted to do.

I booked a trip to London with Chloe. 

We had talked about going for years, always knowing that we would make the best of travel companions (i.e. let's see this and this and this and then drink wine, wait, make that champagne). This spring was supposed to be it, but my +more got engaged and my MOH duties took over traveling abroad.

So we had it set - April 13, 2013. But then, as if the TravelZoo Gods were watching down on me - knowing that I needed something just like this to come through my inbox - I got a SALE announcing Denver to Heathrow, nonstop, roundtrip for $775.

All it took was three emails and one call exchanged for us to have it booked.

November 6 - 14, 2012 I will be in London - oh, and Paris, too! 

I am so ecstatic - this will be my first big travel and it was my goal to do so before age 30.

From the Louvre to Catacombs to Westminster Abbey to Flea Markets to Moulin Rouge to the Eiffel Tower to a night in Soho - the planning has begun.

Google doc and all.

Here's to making it happen!