When in Maine...

eat lobster and blueberries. We got Joy's menu in our inbox today to pick our food for the wedding. It is a veritable smorgashboard of New England food. It makes me want to throw out my carrot stick and non dairy veggie dip and demand my lobster dinner. Joy, if you are listening, I want the Maine Blueberry Soup with fresh berries, cream, creme de casis liqueur, and CAKE croutons with a side of lobster and corn on the cob please. Is it too much to say that I'm looking forward to a meal I'll be eating in a month?

Marriage License, CHECK

We walked down to the court house at lunch yesterday and got our Marriage License. It was thrilling and surreal all at the same time. It made me realize how much the government is involved in our affairs. They had an arch in the waiting room, covered in blinking lights which made us realize that we could have saved ourselves a lot of time and just come down to the Justice of the Peace. ::I can hear my mother groaning from here:: Though our pictures would not have been so nice.

The entire process was completely painless, until the woman at the counter asked if we were related. "Um, second cousins don't count do they?" I replied. Then I was gently scolded for making her nervous and doubtful of us. Other than not remembering where my parents were born, we were issued a license. Full throttle ahead to eternity.

And now for something a little less raunchy

My friend Molly went home from the Bachelorette Extravaganza Sunday morning to her two kids Aidan (4) and Ella (9 mos). Upon seeing Molly's t-shirt with me and the dogs on the front, Aidan got very excited and wanted to wear Christy, Gibson, and Tica to church. Yes, he knew our names! Molly laughed about it yet he grew persistent. The shirt, in addition to being too risque for a 4 year and the house of God, also smelled like the BAR. But Aidan wouldn't let up. She had to promise him that he could wear it to bed and the shirt is now in his pj drawer. When I told her that I had extra and that he could have a shirt of his own, Molly's response was, "No Way", he'll end up getting sent to school in it someday.

Peas in a Pod

It's like we are meant to be together, like peanut butter and jelly, salt and pepper, pizza and beer, boobs and wieners.

The Icing on the Cake

WARNING: This post contains some graphic Bachelorette details which may not be suitable for young children or judgers.


Much to my dismay, during the bachelorette party, I became "that girl". That girl who gets so excited being the center of attention, that she drinks too much. That girl that decides to pound 4 martinis to amuse her girls and make them laugh. That girl that rolls around on the bathroom floor in the handicap stall of a fancy hotel performing stripper moves. That girl, thank god, had some wits and cut herself off from drinking early on in the night.

With that, we headed back to the hotel where this lovely little dish was waiting for us. Made for us by our good friends at Le Bakery Sensual. Warning: Clicking on the link is fun, yet graphic.

In case you weren't looking closely enough, that would be me, riding a wiener dog, in the form of a wiener, doing the giddyup, slapping the wiener on his butt, which is really his sac, all the while holding a hot dog. Yeah, picture Lora ordering that over the phone. Priceless. Apparently it was their favorite cake of the day.

Wiener Extravaganza: The beginning of the end

The ladies met at 4 p.m. at the new Hyatt in downtown Denver where we were spending the night. The hotel is beautifully new, trendy, and quite chic. Knowing my appetite and penchant for eating early, Holly and Lora wasted no time in getting the evening started with dinner reservations at 5:15 at my favorite restaurant, Jax Fish house. All the ladies drank their strawberry infused vodka lemonades and ate a great dinner. Holly and I downed almost an entire plate of oysters.


Meaux, Holly, Me (Notice the straws that the ladies were drinking out of, thanks to Jinnie.)


The bride's first drink went down a bit too lickety split.

Christy's Wiener Extravaganza Part One

The saucy ladies got dolled up and hit the town on Saturday night. The theme was "Christy loves Wieners" and came replete with tshirts to celebrate the night.


Details to come.

The greenest my thumb has ever been

In May, when we were planting the entire yard, I experimented and put in 6 Dahlia bulbs and 50 Gladiola bulbs in shades of pink. I was hoping for big things, but since my green thumb has a tendency to be brown sometimes, I wasn't sure if they would sprout or not. Well about 40 of them came up immediately much to my suprise. Just this last week we had our first blooms. They are so perfectly beautiful and I am sure it had nothing to do with me. But now how do I take care of them and made them last another 3 weeks? Me and my thumb need to go type a search into Google.

I call it my Lunch Lady

I received this in my inbox today from my Dad and thought it worthy of a Thursday funny. Though that dangly flab under my arm is fondly referred to as My Lunch Lady.

Quite honestly with all the planning and work going on around here, I am having a hard time blogging. But I would like to say that Nordstrom is having a sale on the Hanky Panky panties. I just can't let it go. Go git some.


For my own amusement here is a photo that I recently found from the first month of DG and I dating. The summer we met, we went hiking every Saturday morning with Mr. Gibson. This one was taken on a particularly good day, from the top of some mountain with breathtaking views.

Got My Hairs Did

Saturday I had my hair trial for my wedding day. What you didn't know you had to practice? Oooh the details.

She didn't actually do it the exact way it will be with hot rollers and all. Instead she pinned it back and sprayed the heck out of it. It's going to look something like this.

Sleeping Bag Hog

Saturday evening, after getting home at 10:00pm from wine club (it was Malbec night) I decided I wanted to sleep out under the stars in the backyard. It had reached 104 degrees that day and it felt really nice out there. Ok, maybe I was a little tipsy. *burp*


So I put out a tarp, got out the sleeping bags and pillows and DG and I fell asleep staring at the night sky. Going to bed, I was totally comfortable and ready to sac out. About every 5 minutes into our rest, the dogs would bark each time they heard a noise in the alley. Then I sat up talking in my sleep, repeating over and over again to DG, "Where is David? Where is he? Where is David?" He usually doesn't respond to me in my sleep which is a pretty good rule, but this night he responded, "He's right here" in a dead pan tone. I woke up around 2:00 am to see the moon had risen and was acting as a night light. Around 3:00 I heard DG say the words "I Xeroxed my ass" which he had been saying all the previous day in reference to a SNL skit where Jimmy Falon was using a David Grey song to talk about his work Christmas party. Then finally at 5:30 we were woken up by the birds chirping and eating out of the feeders. I looked above us at an electric line, to see one bird in particular chatting away directly above us. Needless to say, DGs sleeping bag took a hit, but not our faces.



Mister Gibson totally hogged my sleeping bag all night, but since it's in a mummy shape he was hard pressed to find room in there by my feet. But he sure is a good heater. It was great fun, but the sleepover ended when I got up at 6:30 and went to pick up Erica to run the stairs at Red Rocks. Weeee. ::oy my aching calves::

Scaring the squirrels

Last weekend, when I sat in my pajamas on the back porch watching it rain all day, we were mezmerized by the birds eating and getting wet all morning. And then the squirrels, hearing there was a party, crashed it for the free food.

So the bouncers, looking very threatening in their oversized fleece tops and pink pj's had to step in. They escorted the squirrels out the back door. I believe something was said to the effect of "...and never come back!" ::aarf aarf::

One of the bouncers stayed behind to guard the food.

Then the birds came back to play.

A Tour of Our Location

We had our final walk through last night to cement some of the final details for our wedding day. Here's the 5 cent tour:

The ceremony will take place on the rooftop facing City Park. 80% of the guests will be sheltered from the 90 degree sun. ::keeping fingers crossed for sun::


Following the ceremony, we will invite the entire wedding over to City Park to take a group photo. Mmmm, pretty green park.


After photos, we will retire to the ballroom for brunch. We will have larger tables than the ones shown here. And following brunch we will drink mimosas and listen to Cocktail Revolution until we are kicked out.

It's getting to be that time. Need to go check things off my list.

The Countdown Begins

It's official. We are one month away.

My alter ego, the Avatar is ready and waiting. See you at the altar DG.

While the Boys are Away...

The ladies will go out and eat deviled eggs!


A couple of weeks ago, while the boys were downtown having their bachelor fun, Erin (DGs cubemate) invited me out to dinner. We tried a brand new restaurant near our house called Steuben's. A bit retro, old school menu, but very ritzy. We had their $4 deviled eggs appetizer.

That week-end was good practice for my own bachelorette party. The old grey mare, she ain't what she used to be, but she's still pretty damn good.

Let Me Towel Off

I don't want to be so mundane as to talk about the weather, but sit back and let me go on a bit about rain. We live in the west. It is so dry here, it's like being in the dessert. We are constantly in a drought. Denver boasts 300 days of sun a year. We barely even get snow. When rain does come, it is usually falls hard and fast, and 15 minutes later the sun is back out.

It started raining last Friday and it did not stop until late last night. Constant, beautiful, drizzling, falling rain drops. It felt like we were in Seattle or the Northeast. It is such a change from the norm here, that it was quite enjoyable.

Yesterday, I did not get out of my pjs until 8:00 pm, when we went out to celebrate Erin's birthday. In my pjs, I threw on socks, shoes, a fleece, and a winter hat. I sat on the back porch, watched birds, drank coffee, looked through the binoculars, weeded the garden, picked vegetables, watched movies, cooked, baked, and cuddled with the dogs.

Maine, Here We Come!

A little known fact about me: I lived in Bangor, Maine between 1979 and 1983 during the time in which my mom went to the Bangor Theological Seminar. I went back for one visit in around 1985 and beyond travelling to the outlets in Kittery, Maine, have not been back since. So I am very excited that my BFITWWW, Joy is getting married on Monhegan Island this summer.

I just made our reservation for the above pictured Bed and Breakfast called the Gosnold Arms located on the water just North of Portland. As it happens, the ferry to take us to Monhegan is located across the street!!! How lucky for us to find this. Oh, the power of the internet. After being on island for 2 days staying at the Island Inn we will drive back to Portland along the coast and stay in another Bed and Breakfast in downtown Portland called The Wild Iris. All the rooms had flower names and we chose the Iris room pictured below.


I just can't wait. Vacations are awesome.

Damien Rice is Nice

Well, I don't know him personally, but his music gives me the goose bumps. His albums Live from Union Chapel and O have not left my car since I got them in 2003. In 2004, I was able to see him in Boulder where the huge Irish band The Frames opened up for him.

DG and I went out Wednesday night to see Damien open up for Fiona Apple. He was just as amazing as ever. I think I may like him because he is the male version of Sinead O'Connor. His voice is emotional, romantic and at times chilling. Oh, and we didn't stay for Fiona.

The Bad Girls Guide to the Open Road

Years ago, I took my first all girl road trip with Lora. The destination was unknown, but we knew that we were headed to Indiana first to say Bon Voyage to my little brother as he was taking off to teach in South Korea. We had a car full of food, a road map, and the above mentioned book. The Bad Girls Guide to the Open Road is one of the cutest most clever how-to books I've ever read. It's all about leaving your troubles behind and becoming a "Road Sister". It encourages you to make road trip names for yourself, meet strangers, honk at truckers, and chew tobacco.

Somewhere along the way Granola Kanorado and Sweet Meat, found that the one destination calling to them was Dollywood. This was due to a Dolly Parton cd Sweet Meat had played throughout much of Kansas. Somewhere in Oklahoma, on our way home, we bought a pack of mint flavored chew. We didn't pussy foot around getting the girly pouches, we got the real deal. All along the way, people we met were convinced that if we chewed tobacco our delicate lady stomachs would become ill. This made me all the more determined to do it right. Open range, bright blue skies, the windows down, the music blaring with that feeling of nowhere to be, and we threw in our first chew and created Euphoria. From that day on, every morning in the car was chew time. Though when we got back to civilization we vowed to give it up, and not talk about it less it *gross* people out.

Years later, after dating for a month, DG and I hit the road to go to Omaha, NE. On our way home, I suggested we buy some chew, and even though it was a risky move I felt confident that I could pull it off. After hemming and hawing a bit, DG bought the pouches. *awww man* Well since then we make it a part of every road trip. It's a nice 20 minute break-up of the day. My favorite chew experience with DG was driving through Minnesota at 10:00pm trying to go a few more hours to get to a hotel, blaring Led Zeppelin and watching the bugs smash against the windshield.

Ruminations on Yankton

Yankton, South Dakota is a town of approximately 13,600 people located in the extreme Southeast corner of the state. It is really quite a beautiful little city, with two main attractions, 1) The River and 2) The Lake. The Missouri River is on the border of South Dakota and Nebraska and has a great little park where you can have a stroll or a BBQ. According to DGs dad, The Lake was created years ago, when the Mayor of Yankton pushed to create a dam in the city. The dam created the lake, which created a great tourist attraction for the area. The waters were beautifully blue and the vacationers thick with glee this weekend.

These pictures have nothing to do with Yankton. David was playing with a filter on his camera and we got the first one Saturday evening at his reunion. Well HELLO Mrs. Gannon. I used my new name a bit prematurely rather than have to explain who I was. (i.e. I'm with him.)

This picture was taken to show that the Starbuck's empire leaves no state unmarked, as Yankton got it's first bucks at the grocery store. It's like a mirage. I'm really just a ghost in the picture.


In my past 2 trips to Yankton, I was not given a tour of the Lake, the River, OR the Barn which is the house that DG grew up in. This time however, I got the full $.25 tour and was really impressed.

As great as it is to spend time with David's family and see his hometown, the one downfall to Yankton, as with most towns in the midwest are the lack of restaurants to eat in. Most are chains or greasy spoons which makes you wonder why half of America is overweight. The majority of restaurants that Yankton has to offer are a who's who of fast food: McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Quiznos, Taco Johns (anything from Mexico thrown in the fryer), Bonanza (Who knew these still existed - the All you can eat buffet), JoDean's (another fried buffet), The Waterfront, Fryn' Pan (American Cheese all the time and deep fried anything), and The Lighthouse (Anything out of the ocean thrown in the fryer). Needless to say, after two days and a couple of pounds, I was ready for a fruit bowl and an enema.

Happy Birthday to America

and to my MOM! Happy Birthday mom. Those fireworks are for you.

Roadtrip Highlights

We pulled out of Denver at 5:30 a.m. Saturday morning to head to Yankton, SD. I had packed us a full car of food including fresh fruit, air popped pop corn, and egg salad sandwiches. After putting the dogs in their seatbelts, we were on the road for just over 8 hours when we got to DGs parents house. Some of the highlights were:

Hour 1 Talk to my parents on the phone, spot a hawk and a coyote in the median. That took up a good 15 minutes.
Hour 1.5 Eat 1/2 of the food we brought.
Hour 2 Eat the rest of the food we brought. *crap*
Hour 3 The part where I'm so bored I stare at my legs and start jiggling the fat announcing it was the fat jiggling portion of our road trip.
Hour 3.5 Crawl in the back seat with the dogs for a cuddle, but dog who has had excessive bad gas the whole trip chases me back to the front seat.
Hour 4 While filling the tank, bought DG his favorite road trip food, sunflower seeds, cheddar cheese nips, and a Twin Bing. (Rare candy from IA which consists of chocolate and crushed peanuts over a cherry nougat.)
Hour 5 Started watching Tommy Boy on the Video Ipod.
Hour 5.5 Pull down my tank top and see how long it takes for DG to notice that I've exposed myself.
Hour 6 Pass a sign for a town in Nebraska called Worms.
Hour 7 Go through the drive through Dairy Queen in Central City, NE, where they gave the dogs their own soft serve
Hour 8.5 Finally arrive DGs parents, ahhhh.



And on the return
Hour 1 painfully slow - Keep turning around to stare at the dogs and see if they are doing anything cute.
Hour 1.5 - Pout that the latte that I got leaving Yankton tastes like dirty dishwater. I accuse the coffee shop of using Folgers, whine a bit, taste the coffee again to see if it's gotten any better.
Hour 2 Turn down Dairy Queen annoucing that DG has to choose between Dairy Queen and Dunkin' Donuts
Hour 3 80's Hair metal hour dj'd by yours truly on the Ipod
Hour 4 Grabbed lunch in Grand Isle, NE and threw out entire latte from the morning.
Hour 5 Bad Navigator takes a 20 minute snooze
Hour 6 Stopped in North Platte, NE only to find that the only Dunkin' Donuts in the midwest has been shut down a year before. In desperation, DG buys a bag of smart food, diet coke and some Skoal chewing tobacco.
Hour 7 Find spit cups and throw in some chew, talk about having children. (I'll explain this one later this week.)
Hour 7.5 DJ all chick rock hour
Hour 8 A front piece of the car windshield rips off during a wind storm in Eastern Colorado, causing a bit of a scare.
Hour 9 Pull into home and give a great collective sigh of relief.

More observations on South Dakota to come...