Abe Froman

Happy New Year!

2012-01-08T14:02:00.000-08:00

2012 was rung in - in a totally radical way! A bodacious '80's theme party was had at the Joneses. Think neon, karaoke, laser tag, strawberry crush, hot pockets (the homemade gourmet variety), an '80's quiz... and much more. As always, it was a super fun time and we had a blast being together.

We weren't quite ready for the photo here...just thought everyone's faces were funny.

Aren't Jeff & Christine's kids so cute!

Matt was killing everyone with that gorgeous outfit (yes those are my shorts). We ended up taking a stroll through Target and to McDonald's to show of his stunning look. We laughed until our bellies hurt. Yes... that is a def leopard tank top, and no... we did not make any purchases for these costumes (we already had everything)

What a hunk

Cute little '80's fitness gal!

Greg's graduation robe has made an appearance to every costume party for the last ten or so years....
the versatility is amazing.

Hot Pocket filled with sauteed onions, mushrooms, honey baked ham, a few types of cheeses, etc... delish

We had a blast with the karaoke - little Matt getting down to some salt n' pepa

Christine's white elephant gift was this unbelievable photo she had snapped of Ginger on the girls trip to Boston - complete with a noodle frame. Yeah, she won the prize.

Here's to an unbelievable 2012! Here's to health, happiness, contentment and growth.

Christmas Vacay

2011-12-29T15:03:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2011 Rocked... We spent our time in UT snuggling the puppy, eating sugar, mauling baby Dane with kisses, skyping little Patrick in Brazil, and hanging with the fam. We ate well, laughed a lot and enjoyed one anothers company...enjoy.

It's too bad Rocco doesn't get very much attention

Dicing the shallots became too much for my eyes, so out came the snowboarding goggles.

My brothers and cousins kids came together for a jingle bell medley at the Christmas party. Needless to say it was adorable and chaotic.

Meggie didn't put that bear down for a few days

Good lookin' couple

Christmas Eve Dinner - scallops, crab legs, asparagus, salad, creme brulee, beurre blanc sauce = fat + happy

Impromptu prom pose at Jon and Kaylenes

Sweet new board, and even sweeter fake smile

Lauren, Laila, and Megan engrossed in Totoro

We couldn't get enough of cute little baby Dane

Grandma Farrington looking beautiful

Patrick smiling on screen - we sure loved skyping him! Get that little boy home!

Pretty sure Dane gets 5000 kisses a day

Hello my darlin', hello my baby, hello my ragtime gal

Seussian Taxidermy - the goo-goo eyed Tasmanian Wolghast... my dad made this on a whim. Awesome!

Beautiful lights of temple square

Brighton night boarding...pretty sure some bums were sore the next day

The annual cookie exchange was held earlier in December, but deserves to be on the blog. Cookies galore, and many a calorie. This is an annual tradition not to be missed.

The ladies of the exchange

Mickey and Doris getting some Rocco love before we left for UT

2011-12-15T22:00:00.000-08:00

We know we've been slacking in the blogging arena as of late... I blame Matt. No really, this time of year just gets hectic and we've let blogging go by the wayside. We did want to post a few pictures of some of the highlights (at least the ones we photographed). But to sum it all up - December is always fantastic and the 2011 version has not disappointed. Christmas is always special - a time to reflect, think of others, and buy your spouse a lot of stuff.

Rocco by the glow of the Christmas tree

Matt getting Jones love at the Denver Botanic Gardens Blossoms of Light

Our magical tree

On our way to the Broadmoor in CO Springs we stopped at the Garden of the Gods

This was our view out of the Broadmoor hotel room window - a gigantic tree overlooking a lake... seriously?

Dog Friendliness rules - Rocco was treated to a bed, bowls, doggie snacks, and 10% off at the pet boutique

The display of fairy tale Gingerbread houses

Sorry these are out of order. Thanksgiving was spent at Doris and Mickey's- the hat/turkey leg headband inspiration comes from Ali and family (thanks guys, it was a hit). Of course the food was unbelievable

Happy Times!

Happy Halloweeni

2011-10-31T18:06:00.000-07:00

Halloween is one of our favorite holidays - second only to Christmas, and we love celebrating the whole month through. 2011's Halloween has been a little less involved, but celebrated nonetheless. We've watched some new movies (hard to believe there are any horror movies we haven't seen) - some of the new ones being Let The Right One In (we're fans of both the Swedish and English versions), Dog Soldiers, The Descent and Triangle, which was so-so. We have read many Steven King and Edgar Allen Poe short stories, carved jack o'lanterns, and dressed up a few times. All in all, it's been a killer month.

Matt's dia de los muertos face paint

Doris held the annual Jones family Halloween party - even the adults get goodies for winning Halloween bingo. Yay! The party is such a wonderful, looked forward to tradition every year!

Madison looking especially creepy in her ghost costume

His and hers... all of the little boys loved Matt's bullets, and Matt loved his guy liner that lasted a few days

Greg & Joni's family - Greg recycles the beloved graduation gown every year, it has paid for itself time and time again

Christine made her jester hat with a boy scout hat as the base, naturally

Cute little Matty - who doesn't want to tickle those blue legs

Jeff looking rather sexy... er something like that

Nun and crazy cat lady

We made Matt's mariachi pants with medallions and chains intended for jewelery making - I'm pretty sure he's going to wear them regularly - he thinks he's irresistible in them.

We've also scored several sets of great tickets this month. Pictured above is us at Portishead - so
unbelievably awesome. We also saw So You Think You Can Dance which was fabulous, Blind Date an improv theatre performance which was hilarious, Swan Lake (second row) at the Colorado Ballet, a catering event full of all you can eat food, and we had club seats to a Broncos game. Lucky ducks that's for sure.

Our sweet baby Rocco celebrated his second birthday. He consumed a giant steak, and a doggie cake - made out of peanut butter and wheat flour

Devotchka at the Ogden was also quite stellar. Half of the band were zombies and the other half vampires - they consumed a girl at the beginning of the show, and had fabric and ring aerialists perform during the show. To boot - they sounded amazing.

Taken with my iphone

We dressed up for the ward trunk or treat (only made one baby cry), and we won the scariest costume award (though our intention was to be happy). I didn't want to mess with dying my hair black again, so they got the northern european dia de los muertos version. We had dinner at Zengo that night which was fabulous and all of the servers were dressed up, super fun!

busy being adorable

Delicious cupcakes made for Matt's class at church. We made the bats and jack o lanterns out of chocolate

This has got to end...

2011-10-25T16:13:00.000-07:00

So we were gone for a long time on our trip and while it's fun for us to post pics so we can look through them and remember the good times, we've got to finish this up. So I'm going to mash the remaining days into what I hope, will be, a condensed version. And by condensed I mean the 80 picture kind. Enjoy!! Spain was sweet.

Ronda, Spain - yes they used to throw political prisoners off of the bridge during the reign of Franco

Gettin' rowdy at the oldest bull ring in the world

Our room at the Alma Sevilla Hotel, it was extra comfy

Entrance to our Hotel in Seville, it's a converted palace

It's a great book

Chocolate con churros - yes please

Gorg andalucian horse

The Alcazar in Seville

Classic Paella with peach juice... yummy

The streets of Seville

We drove our car down this very street - there was about an inch on each side

Cordoba, Spain - Mosque and Cathedral

Toledo spain - beautiful medieval city famous for it's steel, swords, and marzipan

There was no shortage of armor and swords

Madrid, Spain - Silken Puerta America Hotel, amazing! Each of the floors was designed by a different architect and looked completely different from the others.

The lobby of another floor

and yet another

and another

and ours

Main lobby

We saw a Flamenco Performance in Seville (though this picture was taken in Madrid), it was one of the highlights of the whole trip.

We loved this market in the center of Madrid

Food Matt loved from his mission, peach juice and fruit of the forest yogurt

Don't mind Matt's little head in the middle of the sculpture

Mission area, revisited

2011-10-10T10:49:00.000-07:00

It's been 12 years since I returned from my mission to so Spain. In many ways it's hard for me to believe that so much time has passed by. We started out in Malaga, a place where I labored for 7 months and made some of my dearest friends. Going back, brought back a lot of happy and painful memories. I'm so glad I went on a mission but really would never want to repeat the experience.

We stayed at hotel Barcelo, which was inexpensive and surprisingly stylish.

A demonstration by one of Europe's finest comforts

This little hang out spot in the hotel's lobby deserved a special kind of shot.

The best thing about this hotel is the slide that takes you from the second floor to the first. We totally love slides and took full advantage.

Old town

At the Picasso museum. Little Pablo was born and raised in Malaga. The museum had many of his lesser known works.

From Malaga, we were off to Granada which is one of my favorite towns in Spain. The city is in the Sierra Nevada mountains and is stunningly beautiful.

We stayed at the Casa 1800 hotel which is located in a beautiful 16th century building.

Think bleached white houses with tiled roofs and wrought iron accompaniments

One of Europe's downfalls in the pathetically small drink sizes people are forced to deal with. First, it's small drinks then it's revolution, I say.

Citrus trees are found all over Andalucia, love that

The Alhambra, the last bastion of the Moors in Spain. Another wonder of the world, I believe.

We walked up to the Alhambra at night. It was a really surreal hike that kinda felt like Narnia. Walking up this hill surrounded by forest, the trickling sound of the aqua ducts that surround the path and the faint light emitted by lampposts. Below are more pics of the Alhambra.

The Moors created tons of fountains within the Alhambra. It was amazing to me that they did this using water pressure and primitive plumbing!

Steam vents at the public sauna and bathhouse.

Next stop: Ronda, Sevilla

Morocco

2011-10-07T13:07:00.000-07:00

Holy Crap, Marrakesh is so rad. We had an unforgettable experience in this beautiful north african city. The first thing I will think of is all the smells, such a fragrant place. As you cruise down the street you smell spices, natural bath and beauty treatments and fruit. You will also catch a whiff of two stroke exhaust and tobacco smoke, for good or bad it's very nasally oriented.

We stayed in this palace called Palais Sebban that has since been converted into a riad, which is a traditional hotel in the old Medina. The Medina is this maze like city that reminds one of the neighborhood where Aladdin grew up.

This was our hotel room at Palais Sebban. These pictures don't do it justice.

The above pic gives you a better idea of the old world craftsmanship displayed in our room. Tons of hand carved stone all over the place.

The bathroom door in our room, amazing!!

Outside our front door you can see our private courtyard. There were courtyards within the palace.

Door to the room

The whole hotel smelled of roses thanks to the rose pools that abounded.

Kickin' it by the pool

One of the wonders of Marrakesh is the many fresh squeezed orange juice vendors hawking their large glasses for 50 cents.

Within the Medina, unless you're a local, plan on not being able to find anything. We had to hire this little kid to help us find our riad. This is the outside door of the palace. One would have no idea that behind it, there is a luxurious palace. Outside looks are not always what they seem.

Eating prickly pears

Our first night we had a true moroccan feast. 16 courses of amazing food. There was this little band jammin out local music. These pics really don't do the whole experience justice.

Candice can't resist dancing, ever. Here she is working it moroccan style.

My tagine of beef, grapes and walnuts. Such old world flavors.

Belly dancer having her way with Candice. Thankfully for her, I wasn't invited to the mini dance party.

The second door that leads directly into the riad. After the first, you have to walk down a long hallway, then you go through this second door. How do Moroccans find anything?

The first snake charmer we went to was okay.

I've handled cobras before in Egypt and also seen some in India. The first snake charmer we went to wouldn't let us get that close to the snakes. After walking around a little I met a snake charmer who used to work at Disney's Epcot center as a Moroccan representative. He was a cool guy and I told him that I wanted to be able to handle the cobras myself. He accepted and told me not to be scared, I wasn't. As he was getting me ready and explaining how to hold them etc, his co-snake charmer protested stating that it was too dangerous. People started to gather, you don't get to see a dumb american get killed just any ol' day. The snake charmers argued with voices raised as I knelt down not 3 ft. from the cobra I wanted to handle. Finally, the protesting snake handler walked off and I was free to hold a fully venomous black cobra. The guy who was letting me do it was visibly nervous, he had told me that they can bite you so fast it's not even funny. His friend had a jacked up finger that he showed me as a warning.

"Don't squeeze too hard but also don't be too soft either, those fangs come fast"

They also had puff adders a type of viper.

Kissing the cobra is good for your sex life, an unknown fact that the snake charmer swore by.

After cuddling our venomous compadres we decided to wash off all that reptilian at Le Bains de Marrakech. The nicest traditional bath and spa house in the city. It was an amazing experience, definitely one of the best spas I've ever been to. We had three hours of treatments and it cost us $60 each. Yeah, I'm going to miss that.

Muslim art never depicts anything that has eyes. As God or Allah is the only one who can create things will souls (to have a soul you have to have eyes). If you do create art that involves something with eyes, that particular piece will come to haunt you in the next life. According to that doctrine, the guy who created the care bears will get it from every care bear from rainbow cheer bear down to pink power bear.

We went to Jemma el Fna square for an evening of craziness. Many of the citizens of Marrakech are poor. They don't have a lot in the way of electronics to rot their brains and pass time. For many, evenings are spent in this huge square where you can witness spectacles and imagery straight out of the bible. We saw: professional story tellers, magicians, snake charmers, dudes with trained monkeys, amateur boxing, henna tattoo artists etc... To understand it's wackiness, you have to see it firsthand. There is no one regulating what goes on which really adds to it's appeal.

I love this picture, this monkey is using my wife as a lazyboy and loving it.

Getting all sorts of tatted

Bargaining like a shrewd arab camel trader-there's a lot of really cool things to buy. Moroccans are really into organic and natural products, you can buy really high quality goods there for cheap.

Hotel at night, candles everywhere

Candice wasn't impressed with her henna, oh well, it's temporary right?

The kitties in Morocco are so loving this one followed us around and just wanted tons of love. This wasn't the first time we got some kitty love in Marrakech. The most loving cats in the world? Yes.

Barca

2011-10-03T14:27:00.000-07:00

We finished our cruise and flew to Barcelona. We had heard from many a peeps that Barcelona was among the best cities in the world. We were not disappointed..

Entrance to our hotel

Doors at the our hotel, aren't they beautiful?

The outside of our hotel

Chilling at the lounge of you guess it-our hotel

Barcelona has a distinctive architecture that features flatter ornamentation on buildings. It's really stunning to behold.

Candy!!! Just one of the bounteous displays at La Boqueria market

Like most visitors to Barcelona, we went to check out La Sagrada Familia, a famous cathedral designed by the famous architect Antonio Guadi. As a child Guadi was an invalid and couldn't run and play with kids his age. Instead his mother would take him on extensive nature walks and nature continued to be a great inspiration for him for the rest of his life.

Lizards, snakes ,turtles, flowers and seeds adorn the edifice instead of the traditional gargoyles and spires.

There are unorthodox carvings outside the entrance that depict the last week of Christ's life, the work is magnificent. It's one of the most awe inspiring buildings I've ever been to. The designers use of light made it feel very spiritual.

Scriptures carved into the door as you enter the building.

Guadi designed the columns to be like trees and branches.

Candice and I both felt like Guadi's modernistic design kinda looked like a blend of organic, nature inspired and sci-fi alien aesthetic. Trust me, it totally works.

We went to some ornate public parks and saw masterpieces at the Miro museum.

Pastries were consumed in large quantities.

Park Guell, a public park again designed by Antonio Guadi

Attempting to use the hotel's public computer, I ate it another time. This was repeated twice. It really was because the stool sucked.

Having enough of anything cultural, we went to the beach and there we went boob hunting and swam in the warm Mediterranean water. It was relaxing and perfect.

Spaniards have a passion for their ham like you won't believe. In this pic we are enjoying some traditional cured ham with machego cheese and tomato rubbed bread. That was just the beginning. We ate so well in Barcelona.

This is a great pic because it looks like I've gained about 25 lbs in my gut. I love pics that turn out that way.

Barcelona is without a doubt one of the most amazing cities in the world. It's beautiful, has amazing food and feels very cosmopolitan. It was nice being able to speak the language even though it's been 12 years since my mission.

Next stop: Morocco

Posing in Split, Croatia and a bit of cruising with Brett Michaels

2011-10-01T08:20:00.000-07:00

Split Croatia is just another adorable place we discovered along our journey. A long time ago, there was this Roman guy who built this massive palace. Eventually, the peasants began moving in and now a great deal of the city's attractions are located within this huge complex.

This is a door leading into the palace/town area

Dumbledore is huge in Split, there is some legend that if you rub his toe, it brings good fortune

Oh, I'm in!
All the grafitti and occasional smells of urine added to the ambience

Basking in my sweaty grandeur

I'm all out of new poses

Candice is pointing out her boo boo after taking a nasty digger on the way up to her posing position

Rad place to have lunch right?

On the cruise ship ready for a hot evening out. That carpet is full of razzamatazz- cha cha cha

Not sure what I'm doing but the guy in the painting kinda looks like the actor playing the sophisticated Pee Wee, in Pee Wee's feature film.

The goddess Diana

Effin' Brett Michael just showed up out of nowhere. I sweat a lot when I'm in the sun.

Would you like some cranberry sauce for that TURKEY?

2011-09-28T08:49:00.000-07:00

Turkey was really cool. It seemed more european than any other muslim dominated country I've visited. Very few women had their hair or faces covered. Alcohol seemed to be commonly available. I bonded with a waiter as we discussed slayer and skateboards. People were very friendly and the food rocked.

We started out the day by taking a cab to Ephesus which was about an hour away. There, we went by Mary's (the mother of Jesus) house. We don't know for sure but it's speculated that Mary went with John after Christ was crucified to Ephesus to spend her last days. Local legend has it that the house below was indeed the house she lived in.

As you can expect, the house has become a shrine to Mary.

Messages and prayers to Mary

After that we went to explore the ruins of the ancient city of Ephesus which was founded in 6,000 BC. 6,000 BC!!!! Ephesus was once the second largest city in the world. It was established by the greeks but later taken over by the romans. We were impressed at the amenities that the city offered it's citizens. Several gyms with hot tubs, steam areas, cold pools, weights, wrestling areas, library, public restrooms with crude plumbing, several theaters and other stuff I can't remember. The city also had some of the largest and most advanced aqua ducts found in the ancient world.

Library of Celsus, one of the wonders of the world. At one point in housed 12,000 scrolls.

Shortly after taking this pic, I ate it big time as I attempted to walk down the stairs leading to the library. People gasped and an old british guy tried to help me up. I felt like a winner.

Unlike many well curated museums and ancient ruins around the world, in Ephesus you can touch and hang out with the ruins. It's actually rather unfortunate as these artifacts deteriorate much more quickly as a result.

Even their drains were beautiful and ornate

This theater/stadium held 25, 000 people. It was originally used as a theater but then was used for gladiator fights during the roman times. Paul taught here (see Acts 19) and was almost lynched by an angry mob that shouted "Diana is great" for 2 or 3 hours in defiance of his message.

We saw a recreation of a roman spectacle involving dancing and gladiator fights.

The city also houses one of the biggest gladiator graveyards in the world. It is awesome and worth going to.

Next stop: Split

Athens

2011-09-25T21:13:00.000-07:00

We had a lot of preconceived notions about Athens and Greece. For one, we had heard that Athens was extremely dirty. In our own minds, we could picture the famous ruins and grandeur of the Olympic games, but we came in guarded prepared for graffiti, smoke, violence and litter. We definitely found some of those things, but loved the history, great museums, delicious food, and in the end wished we had had another day to explore. We came away completely impressed and moved by this ancient civilization that has formed the foundation for so much of modern-day, western thought/architecture/design/politics/philosophy, etc...

It definitely had tons of graffiti and a lot that wasn't very charming, but we were also standing in places where the concept of democracy was founded, Socrates and the ancient philosophers stood and taught, Paul preached to the people, and the idea of the golden mean originated. Without going into too much detail we came away grateful for the many advances the Greeks have given modern day civilization.

there were piles of ruins and architectural pieces

lego like pieces of new marble are part of the restoration

Standing on the hill where the concept of democracy was founded

waiting for a tasty dish of gyros with extra tziki sauce and some baklava

our favorite pose

sweet friezes (if you look closely) of the centaurs fighting the greek warriors because they tried to steal their women

modern concerts are held here

on off bus tour

Dubrovnik

2011-09-22T10:38:00.000-07:00

From Italy, we jumped on a cruise to see some notable countries around the Adriatic. It was the first time either one of us had been on a large cruise ship before. We have been a little hesitant to do the cruise thing because we weren't sure if you really got enough time in each port. After having cruised, we thought the experience was easy and fun but there are some caveats.

Pros of cruising:

It's very inexpensive (we used NCL)
You get to see a lot of places
You can play and sleep while you travel to new places
You can eat as much as you want, and if you know me, you know I eat a ton
There are fun entertainment options (some are kinda cheesy but you expect that)
Days at sea are relaxing and add variety to the vacation
For the first few days the food was good

Cons of cruising:

Sometimes you feel rushed in port
There is simply not enough time to explore some ports the way we would like to
The food can get a little old by the time you leave unless you opt for the more expensive restaurants which we mostly didn't
There is a bit too much razzle dazzle on most cruise ships

Dubrovnik

What a cute little city. Among the cutest cities we've ever seen. A quaint limestone village built on a cliff and surrounded by the serene adriatic waters. The only downside again was how hot and humid it was.

Hanging by the loophole

This is the main drag that is filled with restaurants, shops and gelato vendors.

The oldest pharmacy in the world is located in Dubrovnik

Luckily, there are little water fountains all over that you can refill your water. I totally wish we had fountains like that in the 80205

Cute tiled roofs as far as you can see

We walked along the old city wall that used to protect the city. The views were awesome.

Shooting some imaginary arrows, how cute

Water Polo is super popular in Croatia

Towards the end of our day in Dubrovnik, we ventured away from where most of the tourists go and found this small rocky beach that had a few natives just kickin' it. We couldn't resist the temptation to strip down to our skivvies and jump in. The water was beautiful and it was a special time.

Next stop: Athens

Vacation: All I ever wanted

2011-09-19T15:55:00.000-07:00

We just got back from Europe and Morocco and let me tell you, we had an amazing time.

We'll start with Italy. We went on our honeymoon to Rome (we went to Italy and France) exactly 10 years ago. It was my second time and Candice's third time visiting the eternal city. We thoroughly enjoyed the stunning monuments and architecture, gelato and homemade cooking. Neither of us had been able to go to the Sistine Chapel on previous trips so we made the most of our time and headed to the Vatican first. As luck would have it, the chapel was open and ready to be seen. Michelangelo was a genius and one of the best artist to ever walk the earth. We both loved it.

During out time in Roma, it was hot. We stayed at a mid level hotel because it was just a quick stop over and we weren't planning on spending too much time in our room. Well, as luck would have it the AC went out. There is more to this story, involving nudity and bad language but we'll save that for another time.

There is something special about the gelato in Italy.

One of the best things about visiting a place you have already been to is not feeling like you need to rush around checking out all the local sites and activities. It was nice taking our time on things because we only had a day before we headed for Venice.

Venice is precious. Pretty much anywhere you look, you'll find cuteness and adorability. Again, it was killer hot, so we drank a ton of beverages and ate more gelato.

TV in the mirror, awesome

We stayed at Hotel Grand Canal, it was splendid and elegant.

Candice directed me in an inpromptu photo shoot at St. Marks

Mostly we got lost a lot and ate more gelato. Oh yeah, we shopped and made some awesome purchases. Next stop Croatia....

Changing my body: A natural bodybuilder's memoir

2011-08-21T19:33:00.000-07:00

It's common on blogs, to see blogger's achievements running marathons or dashing through the finishing line during a hot summer triathlon. I respect and applaud people who enjoy and participate in endurance sports or any form of activity for that matter. Specifically, endurance sports are difficult both mentally and physically. Immersing yourself in a sport you're passionate about is a wonderful part of life.

I hate endurance sports for a lot of reasons.

What I do is called power-bodybuilding, and I do it the old fashioned way, without steriods. I'm often asked "why do you do that to yourself?" or "what's the appeal?" I'll try to answer this question as well as outline some of what my training entails. I am not an expert or guru in any shape or form!! This is just my experience with years of training.

What is power-bodybuilding? It's an exercise philosophy that focuses on the gradual progression of strength. The general idea is that the stronger you are the bigger your muscles will become. This isn't always true but often times the biggest guys in the gym are also the strongest. Every workout I try and beat my previous poundages lifted or number of reps performed. Progress is tracked and recorded every single training session. I played no part in the foundation of this philosophy.

Why do I like power-bodybuilding? I am a very goal-oriented person. I like working towards goals and achieving a new personal record in my poundages lifted or physique changes (fat loss or new muscle) is exciting. Another reason I love to train this way is that it's one of the fastest protocols for achieving rapid physique transformation. I can be a little OCD and I hate waiting for changes to happen.

I love the peace and calm that I feel everyday as I finish a session of training. Problems are put into perspective and I feel like I reset my mind so that it's ready to face the struggles that will inevitably come the next day.

As I grow stronger or begin to look better, my confidence and self esteem are also fortified. Some may call this superficial and it very well may be. At the same time I feel like we are more likely to be happy the more we take care of and respect ourselves. We show appreciation for what we've been given. In addition, it's probably easier for couples to keep the spark alive if they invest time into keeping themselves looking their best for their respective partners.

Another reason I love training is what is known as the "pump." When muscles are working, they gradually become engorged with blood. Your muscles become bigger and harder, this sensation feels amazing. This state is temporary but it really feels exquisite, like instant results.

Another differenciating factor between power bodybuilding and regular bodybuilding is the focus on the big three exercises: squats, dead-lifts and bench press. The idea is that you will gain more muscle and strength focusing on these three exercises than any others. In addition to the focus on the "big three" I also do isolation exercises to augment weak spots in the physique. In short, I do free weights and machines but mostly free weights.

So why is it that sometimes you can't fit into your suit and other times you are fairly lean, why not just stay the same year-round? For most people losing fat and building muscle is not going to happen at the same time. Gym novices are the exception or someone who is just starting a new exercise protocol. For the rest of us the fastest way to put on muscle is to eat 1-1.5 grams of protein per lb. of bodyweight, start by eating 500 cals above maintenance. Make sure you eat plenty of carbs and fats with that. Go very heavy and keep each set intense (except warm ups). If you start putting on fat don't change your diet but workout longer or start to do a little light cardio. Getting a little soft (not a lot) but adding strength will result in the gain of muscle and strength. If you're not getting bigger or stronger add more calories. Play with it, each body is different.

After you've added some good muscle and fat, it's time to work on getting lean. You may ask yourself " why not get lean first and then add muscle?" For most people adding muscle takes a lot longer than stripping fat. For example, last year I lost about 10-12 lbs of muscle due to a severe illness. It has taken me close to 8 months of pounding the weights and food to put on the muscle I lost. After 8 months I did put on a little bit of fat as expected. I lost enough fat to see my abs in 3 weeks of dieting! Build muscle first, the fat will come off much faster.

I lose fat by creating caloric deficits. So to add muscle you need to add more calories than you are taking in and to lose fat you need to take in less calories than you are expending (not a universal rule but it's what I do). Converse relationship. The trick is to not create such a deficit that you start to loose muscle, usually, the faster the fat lose the more likely you will lose that hard earned muscle you just added. Many people like to shoot for 1-3 lbs/ of fat loss per week to avoid going catabolic (losing muscle). I actually lose anywhere from 5-8 lbs a week with minimal muscle loss. I have a few tricks for this that I'm not going to discuss right now. Not going catabolic is the key to a good cut, if not you will look like a prisoner of war, a mistake I have made more than one time.

So after you've bulked and cut, why not just maintain? You totally can but be aware that for people who aren't ectomorphs (naturally skinny people who usually have a hard time putting on size) it can be tough to maintain a sub 10% bodyfat level. It will require that you mostly eat clean (not a lot of sugar or carbs depending on how well one tolerates carbs). You will have cheat days or refeed days but mostly clean. I love food and I also love to cook and bake. I believe in working out all year but I think it's okay to add a few lbs during this season or that and live a little. I love training and living life but it's important to me to stop and smell the roses or down a plate of gravy cheese fries and a coconut cake once in a while. Depending on your social situation, it can also be awkward and annoying to always miss out because you are always dieting. It's totally you're call how you want to progress after a full cycle. I also never get in bad enough shape that I couldn't get fairly lean in 2-4 weeks time.

This cycle of adding muscle and losing fat is called "bulking or cutting" or" "off season and on season". From my experience it's the most efficient way to add muscle and lose fat, people who tell you you can do a lot of both at the same time are usually trying to sell you something.

Do you compete? No, I have not yet but it doesn't mean I won't in the future. For now, I do this for myself. Also, natural competitor's can't really compete with our drug using brethren. I would have to compete in a natural show.

Finally, I am not posting these pics because I'm trying to come off as a douche. I hope that I can inspire others to stick with their fitness goals and also to push myself to work on my flaws. I still have a lot of work to do to get to where I want to go but I'm mostly enjoying the journey. If there's anyone who wants any help or direction as it relates to fitness, do not hesitate to hit me up.

We Love Sharks!

2011-08-04T12:21:00.000-07:00

You should know that there are people in this world who's whole job is making documentaries. Not just any documentaries but documentaries about sharks. Yes, they get paid to film sharks. These people are jerks. Why, because I am not one of them, that's why.

Watching great white sharks breach is an activity I never tire of. Inspired by shark week, I thought I would post some of our past experiences with our large fishy friends.

Several years ago, Candice and I were lucky enough to explore Southern Africa. I was by far the best trip we have ever or will ever go on (for oh so many reasons). One of the highlights was going to this little fishing village called Hermanus and from there, to Gansbaii to cage dive with the great whites, which we did a few times. It wasn't scary or adrenaline inducing at all. Mostly, it was a privilege to see these rare and beautiful creatures up close. They are incredibly powerful. Occasionally, the sharks would slam the cage as they devoured huge hunks of fish, that the crew used as bait. You got the feeling that if you were being attacked, you would be rag dolled and helpless. Good times. Mostly, the sharks seemed curious of humans but didn't seem to want to eat us or maybe they did, I'm still not clear.

I don't swear too often but at one point while I was filming, our boat hit some big waves. Candice, in a poor attempt to balance herself almost pushed me overboard while a large female with a killer smile was swimming underneath the boat. Yeah, there was swearing involved.

Here is a video that captures a little bit of our experiences. The quality kinda sucks but you get the idea. Also, you should know that there is a flute solo in the vid. A serious flute cameo. There was nothing I could do.

You can see me briefly reach my hand out of the cage to touch one of the shark's fins. In the video, it's right after one of sharks puts it's head against the cage (1:10). As the shark turned away, I couldn't control myself. Have you touched a living great white? I didn't think so. Having touched one of man's greatest fears, I felt more or less bad ass. Interrupting my moment of triumph, one of crew asked me not to do that again while he showed me his hand that was conspicuously missing a finger. No lie.

Another sweet experience we had was swimming sans cage with whale sharks in Mexico. Whale sharks being the biggest fish in the world are gentle and majestic. We were lucky enough to swim up to them and basically ride them. Yeah, it was incredible. I still remember it's jet like gills pulsing as it took us for a ride. When I first dove in, I didn't know that a whale shark was about 3 ft. from my legs, coming at me. It was scary but luckily my ninja swimming skills kicked in and I evaded the giant with ease. Or it moved itself from crushing/eating me. I'll let you decide.

I managed to take a pic, not 3 feet away. It was freaky but when am I going to be able to take a pic in front of a whale shark again? Sorry, these pics suck as they are the fruit of our very expensive, disposable 1987 camera.

In the high quality image above, you can see how massive that Leviathan really was. That's Candice swimming on the other side of the dorsal fin.

You can kinda see it's cute quasi anime face in these pics. Riding whale sharks is a special experience not to be missed.

Finally, we dove with captured sharks at Denver's aquarium. They have a decent variety of sand tigers, browns, bamboo and these sweet sharks with saws for noses. There are times that I wish I had a saw for a nose, just sometimes.

Finally, there was the cage diving done in Hawaii several posts ago. Save the sharks and the planet.

Birthdays and other such gaiety in the CO Mountains

2011-07-31T14:46:00.000-07:00

The last two weekends have been spent in the mountains soaking up the beauty and enjoying some cooler temperatures. We spent two weekends ago in Aspen celebrating my 25th (31st) birthday. We laid our heads at the Viceroy hotel in Snowmass Village, which was quite stylish and fun.

Matt enjoying our beautiful hike - which overlooked the masdedon dig.

Sweet glass wall separating the bedroom and the bathroom of our room

Keeping warm in July by one of the hotels beautiful fireplaces

Now you see where gaiety in the title of this blog comes from

We had one of the best meals that ever was at elina in downtown Aspen. If you haven't been there before, go... and go now. Truly couldn't have been better. The whole weekend was quite lovely!! And we almost hit a porcupine in the road - don't worry, didn't happen. We ate delicious food, hiked, went to the ballet, explored Aspen, etc... And on my actual birthday which was the Tuesday before I received a sweet new cannondale road bike (among other things:). I know, I know... I'm a lucky girl!

This weekend we thought we'd escape to the high country again... but on foot with our packs on our back. We brought the dog and went just above Nederland for an overnight trip.

Rocco packed his own food, water, and sleeping bag. He is zonked out downstairs as I'm writing this... completely spent!

Voila! Our new tent that weighs a good 40 lbs less than our last one, which made much more sense for backpacking. Matt's back is thanking us for this purchase!

My two boys hiking with their gear. Cute as can be!

Sweaty backs can indeed happen. Just saying.

Can you believe Rocco can jump so high for such a big dog. It's effortless.

4th Fun

2011-07-05T16:42:00.000-07:00

We just got back from an absolutely splendid time in Steamboat Springs. We: stayed in a luxe house that was decked out with fine appointments and a polarizing wooden goat head, played in the pool, went on gorgeous hikes to ragin' waterfalls, played games until the wee hours of the morning, watched scary movies, went to a rodeo and saw awesome fireworks, laughed our guts out.

As always, we ate the best food that God has given his children. I gained 10lbs in 3 days, mostly water and glycogen but still.

The Shirley mobile at the parade

Dancin' at the rodeo. I got a standing ovation from the people sitting behind us. I was feeling it.

Chicken fighting

Jeff ever one to mold his flocks, made a wolverine appearance.

He calls this one, the "Donovan"- My personal favorite. Also, in this pic you can see the polarizing goat head in the background.

Grateful to have an amazing family and also to be an American. God bless.

Hot Rocks

2011-06-28T11:41:00.000-07:00

Hot Rocks was a few weeks ago, you should have come. 16 of Denver's best chefs compete in a slider competition that is decided by the popular vote of the patrons. As usual, Candice made this into one of the best events ever.

Here were your options, I omitted the sides because I'm too lazy to type them in. The watermelon jicama salad with goat cheese was the best though.

Sketch- cascabel braised beef brisket with rajas queso enchilada and tomatillo chuney

Solera- Mcdonald ranch buffalo with chorizo aioli & Jumpin' Good Goat cheddar cheese

Elways- (downtown) Chicken and waffle

Panzano- Chicken leek sausage with rasberry preserves & creme faiche on a potato bun

Encore- North African lamb sausage with harissa and cilantro cucumber yogurt on a za'atar bun

Steuben's and Vesta dipping Grill- Lobster roll

Steve's snappin' dogs- Hot dog with ketchup/mustard

Elways- Crispy pork bahn mi with shrimp cilantro slaw

Lola- Pork albondigas with grilled tomato bacon jam & pineapple de arbol chile kimchee

Rioja-Achiote rubbed Colorado lamb on rosemary goat cheese biscuit

The squeaky bean- Grilled mortadella with spicy giardiniera chicken livers and mostarda

TAG-Kangaroo with piquillo pepper remoulade spinach and pickled cipollini onions

Barolo Grill-Pulled pork with tomato basil pesto, pickled red cipollini onions on brioche bun

The kangaroo won but most likely because the chef's father-in-law paid a lot of money to ensure his victory. I tried 9 sliders (wasn't too hungry) and my favs were the chicken and waffles, bahn mi and the braised beef brisket. Very talented cooks represented across the board.

My role was to coax, humiliate and prod elite businessmen and drunken cougars into playing hoops. The highest scoring man and woman each won these sweet watches. You could also hire former Denver Nugget Ervin Johnson to shoot for you. He is a really cool guy.

There was live music, silent auctions and other fun stuff going on all night. Awesome time had by all.

We also decided to hike our first 14,000 ft. mountain a few weeks ago. Colorado has 53 14ers, so you have quite the selection. We chose one of the "easier" hikes in Mt. Bierstadt. I was super tired hiking that beast. It took us 5 hours round trip but as expected, the air is so thin.

Sinking into snow up to your waist was pleasant. I ran out of sunscreen, that's why I look like more of a tool than is usual in this pic.

As you can see from the pics, our little Rocco loves the mountains. For being a big strong guy, he has awesome endurance. He climbed many boulders on his way to the summit. He's such a great athlete.

Rocco is less of a man now than he used to be. It was time to see if we could make him less dominant. He has fought a bulldog, a boxer and a mutt-dog since that time. So much for that theory. He will always be a dog killer.

He still loves people and cuddling. I pretty much make-out with him all the time. Yes, his head is huge.

We went to the Polo classic last weekend. Good food again and fun to see the beautiful horses in action.

what we've been up to

2011-06-09T10:47:00.000-07:00

Be sure to pre-order Sins of Angels and sequels to follow. Candice looks so hot brandishing weaponry.

She also ran the Bolder Boulder this last memorial day. She decided to run it like 4 days in advance, so didn't have time to train apart from her usual workouts. She rocked the 10k in 59:35, beating pretty much everyone that we know who ran it. Way to go girl.

Fun with the guns

After a long battle with cancer, Candice's grandma Cornwall finally passed away. We went to Utah for the funeral. It was the best funeral we've ever been to, just how she would have wanted it.

While it Utah, we did some rock climbing with the family. I'd like to say that Candice and I represented but in reality, we sucked.

Juanito, showing off his timbers

Ryan is an amazing climber, that guy is all sorts of spidey.

We also saw Thor, entertaining as it featured battles between ice giants and hammer wielding vikings. It was also kinda cheesy and formulaic which is surprising for a summer blockbuster.

In other news, our neighbor took us for a ride in his client's lamborghini. I'm pretty sure we were going over a hundred miles an hour within the distance of a city block. I'm not really a car guy but after experiencing what a car could be, I was a little sad that I don't own such a fine Italian automobile. Italians are the best designers.

Speaking of Italians, Rocco, continues to fight like a prizefighter every chance he gets. While we were climbing, he roughed up a boxer that came too close to our wall. It was awkward, the owner came back after a few minutes to exchange information as his dog had a messed up ear and a few puncture wounds.

How could something be this cute and also so evil at the same time? Hopefully, getting him fixed will curb his "one dog to rule them all" mentality.

Also, while in Utah we went mini golfing with the family. Candice and I continued the tradition of sucking wholeheartedly. It was ugly. At one point Denise tried to cheer me up by telling me that I was too strong for mini golf, she's so sweet. I unintentionally snapped the golf club in half, my frustration was palpable.

It was great spending time with the family, we don't get to see them enough. Much love to our Utah brethren.

It helps to have a Lionel

2011-05-23T08:42:00.000-07:00

Another year another gala. Here are pics of Candice's latest opus, starring sir Lionel Richie.

So many people helped pull this baby off. A huge thanks to the friends and family that volunteered and flew in to help. Unfortunately, we only have a few pics of your beautiful selves. We know who you are and we won't forget it. Many thanks.

This year it was all about the orb.

For a solid 70 minutes, the Lionel espoused the virtues of open shirts, gold chains and dancin' on the ceiling.

Lionel looks great, period.

Who wants a special Lionel high five? I do, that's who.

It was cool to see Candice back him up during a special acoustic rendition of "Say you say me."

Lionel is happiest when he's doing his thang and we all know it.

We brought our "A" games that night.

Finally I'd like to leave you with an image that has brought me lasting joy since the late 90's.

Lionel works the pole like only a Lionel can. Gorgeous.

10 of the best years

2011-05-17T09:50:00.000-07:00

Warning: If you aren't offended by people who are lacking any sort of pigment in their skin, please read on. If you've seen the movie Powder, you'll be better prepared for the "powdery" white people portrayed in this post.

We've been married for a decade. It's really hard to believe that time could move so quickly. To celebrate we were going to New Orleans. Expedia basically screwed up our reservation and we were no longer able to get this killer deal, that I had originally booked. So where are you to go with 1 day's notice? Hawaii. It didn't seem to matter if we booked this trip a day in advance or 6 months, it was always the same price which I found comforting.

People are quite often surprised that I have never been to Hawaii. When I was a kid my mom said she was reserving Hawaii for my honeymoon. Well, we chose France and Italy instead. Maybe it was because everyone else was going to Hawaii that made me less motivated to go there. I'm a swim against the stream kind of guy. Anyway, after being there, I get it. It's beautiful, exotic and perfect for romance. I should have gone there years earlier.

We went to Oahu because it seemed like the island that had the most to do. I love the beach but I'm not a sun tanner or lay on the beach all day kind of guy. The drawback of Oahu seemed to be that the beaches are crowded and Honolulu is a fairly charmless place. We found this amazing hotel named Kahala that had it's own private beach and is far enough removed from the city to make it feel secluded but also close enough that you have access to great restaurants. The hotel is a swank mid century building that has been totally renovated. It has hosted every president since Nixon and even Queen Elizabeth, lady Di and Pat Sajak. If it's good enough for Sajak, it's good enough for anyone.

The hotel featured it's own dolphin lagoon, sting ray and sea turtle pools. Who doesn't love watching dolphins? They were so cute it hurt. Seeing them play reaffirmed my belief that there is a special place in hell for people who abuse dolphins.

One of the main staircases is surrounded by a living wall of orchids. Bliss my friends, freakin' bliss.

Requisite underwater photo shoot

We went spear fishing which had nothing to do with those sweet James Bond looking spear guns but rather a spear attached to a bungee cord thing. Very primitive. We were told spearfishing is an atypical hoalie behavior and generally considered to be "hardcore." Being of the hardcore variety ourselves, naturally we took to it like bullets take to guns.

All killer no filler, full time suckaz

We went to the Polynesian cultural center. I wasn't really excited about going but Candice thought it would be a good idea. We had a great time there and I would totally recommend going to anyone who loves having a good time and seeing huge men wearing little clothing. Seriously, Hawaii is the only place that I've felt small physically. Huge, beautiful people.

I wish I could say that I wove these fish I'm holding but I didn't. I'm too busy making testosterone and thinking about sharks and stuff.

Hula hotness

A little cliff jumpin'

Went to a pineapple plantation and learned about one of my favorite fruits.

Pineapple float: Fresh pineapple soft serve combined with fresh pineapple juice. The synergy created by these two ingredients is something special.

Speaking of fruits, we're dorks

Since it was our tenth anniversary we basically told anyone who would listen in hopes that they would hook us up with free crap. It worked.

The hotel switched the Champagne to sparkling juice in a matter of minutes, what a great hotel.

We were on the menu, very cool

We went shark diving, it was as bitchin' as it sounds

The sharks were beautiful and big. 9-12 ft. long 200-350lbs.

Watch that the toes don't slip through the cage-someone's nighmare is realized in this picture

We wanted to dive but the diving in Hawaii isn't supposed to be great. We snorkeled at 4 different places instead and it was rad.

Even when I snorkel, I still like to go deep. Candice told me I shouldn't go so deep.

We also went to swim with wild spinner dophins. It took a while to find them but eventually we did. We even saw some humpback whales.

We saw a pod of maybe 50-60 dolphins. They were so cute and small. Jumping, spinning and frolicking in a way that only dolphins can.

When we went to get in the water with them, our captain got nervous because they were moving out to deep water. He said that there could be tiger sharks in the area and refused to let us get in the water. Tiger sharks would have been an added bonus for me, so I was disappointed. It was cool to see wild dolphins though.

Finally, we gorged on high end food the entire week. We ignored the fact that we were mostly wearing nothing but swimwear all day, everyday. This morning I weighed in at 215lbs. You know it was wonderful when you gained 8lbs in one week. Here's some food porn for the sickos out there.

The best food we had was at a place called Alan Wongs, if you're in Oahu, you must go. Also, good to know that there is a Morimoto there now, get the spicy king crab legs-orgasmic.

Rollin' in the open top Jeep, seemed like the right thing to do.

Finally, thanks to my girl for making me the happiest man in the world for the last ten years and running. Here's to us.

Egg Fights, Sugar Consumption, and Uncontrollable Laughter

2011-04-24T21:34:00.000-07:00

Easter 2011 was a success! Spiritually it's such an incredible holiday - and we had plenty of time to reflect on Christ's resurrection and the atonement. For blog purposes... we're documenting the less spiritual side that consisted of - family, food, sugar, more food, egg dying, egg fighting, and games. Happy times.

Christine dazzled with these bunny shaped napkins... seriously... no one wanted to use their napkins, they were fabulous.

But really... what does the double rainbow mean?

Plotting out egg designs

Sophia showing off her artwork

Matt thought it might be a great idea to represent the scene from Miracle of Forgiveness, where the apostle discovers that Cain is actually a sasquatch - aka big foot. What a dork.

"Singin' in the rain"

Just Adam is pictured - from the "Adam and Eve" egg

This must've been before the egg fight.

Dreamy

2011-04-06T12:07:00.000-07:00

Wolves in wolf's clothing

2011-03-07T10:53:00.000-08:00

Every birthday past the age of 26 has become a depressing sign that I'm one step closer to the end. I'm not sure why it bothers me so much but I guess it has something to do with a gnawing sense that I haven't done everything that I want/need to do in this life. I also question whether I'm living up to my true potential.

While still feeling like I need to do more, I was able to cross a few things off the old bucket list during this last birthday's festivities.

1. Play with wolves. We headed up to a wolf sanctuary near Divide Colorado to take a tour of the sanctuary and to spend some time in the wolf's cages to get a little more intimate with the animals. We played with timber wolves which are the largest breed of wolf in the world. They were very large, even compared to Rocco.

Candice aka "little red riding hood" with the big,bad wolf known as Navi. Yes, unfortunately the sanctuary decided to name this magnificent creature after the indigenous people from Avatar.

Most of our interaction with the animals was done while we were sitting. I guess when you stand up it intimidates the wolves or causes them to not want to come close to you. Also, they prefer women over men. While facial hair is commonly known to increase a mans pain tolerance and ability to chop wood, it is also a wolf repellent, who knew?

We were also able to play with the cutest little foxes. These little guys were rescued from a fur farm. Please don't wear fur, there's just no need.

I'll revisit the whole crossing things off the bucket list for next time. For now just digest the awesomeness that are Timber wolves.

My Grandma Jody rules!

2011-03-01T21:53:00.000-08:00

I had the fortunate opportunity this last weekend to fly home to UT to spend some time with my Grandma Cornwall. Just take a look at the picture below and try to tell me that she wasn't the cutest little thing. The cool part was that we had time to just talk and hear so many of her life stories. She has some really interesting tales and has not forgotten one detail. It is amazing how she can remember such specific details. Plus she's a crack up!

Here she is with her mother Virginia (who was referred to as Virginia, not mother) and two of her three brothers. She only lived with her mom until she was 6 when she then went to live with her grandparents on a Citrus farm in So. California.

Here she is pictured with her father who passed away at 34. He and his wife Virginia had moved to Hollywood to pursue careers. He was a musician, a writer and arranger of music. My grandma found a large record of sorts recently of his big band music from the '40's and they put it on disc. Pretty sweet!

The lovely bride (coast maid) - who remembers sewing on these buttons right before the wedding. What a cutie. My grandpa's mother wanted to go to ZCMI to pick out a pattern (china), and my grandma had no idea what she was talking about.

The happy couple - Grandma & Grandpa Cornwall

Aren't they so cute!

My grandpa was in a singing group that resembled the moderaires sound, isn't this great? All his love!

Here are the ladies of last week. My mom, grandma, and me. We had a great time just talking with her about her life. What a happy, fun soul! Sure love her!!

"Oh...the burning fires of love"

2011-02-17T20:48:00.001-08:00

Valentine's Day was something else. Who's surprised. I mean honestly, put Matt in charge of anything and every detail is going to be way over the top, more than you expect, and unbelievably wonderful. I woke up to breakfast in bed which consisted of pineapple upside down pancakes with creme anglaise, cherry lemon pancakes with whipped cream and a blueberry compote, bacon, tator tots, and fresh squeezed orange juice. When I say fresh squeezed I mean he was in our kitchen with our juicer and some oranges taking care of business. Needless to say it was incredibly tasty and thoughtful.

That night we went to Gumbo's for a lovely dinner, came home to a romantic foreign film that he had read all the reviews on to be sure was exceptional, chocolate truffles with flavors like pommegranite and salted caramel, love songs playing on pandora... I mean is this guy for real? I think he should coach guys on how to win ladies. who's with me?

Other delightful happenings this month include two family visits. My mom came out from UT to play the piano at a fundraiser we had for Denver Health. of course she was fabulous. and Ryan came out last weekend to interview for a pharmacy residency in Fort Collins. Good times were had by all. I can't believe how quickly 2011 is happening - but things seem to be going okay... such is the battle.

Bring it on 2011

2011-01-17T19:46:00.000-08:00

The new year came in with a bang and a ton of style during our annual party up at Doris and Mickey's. We had an Olympic theme and many athletes were represented. There were fireworks, the national anthem was sung (who knew Nancy Kerrigan could sing), we shot off the potato gun, played dodge ball, had refueling smoothies, and many, many more games... It was a ball and we're ready to face 2011.

Dana Torres made an appearance along with an injured Nancy Kerrigan

A sweet (unnamed) 70's track star showed off his agility on the limestone tiles

Tanya Harding and track star carried the torches triumphantly

Bryan Boitano had a few too many Izze's and split his teal leopard pants.

The American referee posing with one of the Olympics many victors

Caught on camera Nancy Kerrigan and Tanya Harding "chatting" before the short program.

A boisterous national anthem.

The "javelin" throw

The thumb war competition

As tradition - we always have a white elephant game. Mickey landed this sweet - terrifying "baby tony"

Ahh a pepper planter - something he's always wanted

That luscious green box "art" has been passed around for years.

Matty came home with the "bear butt"

I received the Russian dolls all with Russian leaders painted on them. Truly a treat.

A chocolate champagne bottle and a giant candy cane - what more could they want?

Happy New Year!

2010: An honest recap of our experiences in 2010

2011-01-06T09:43:00.000-08:00

Many times blogs and our blog in particular are vehicles which portray a life that is void of hardship or life's gray subjects. These subjects are either too personal or impolite to address.

This isn't one of those blog posts. This is a post for us/me to remember how I felt about things and what was my honest impression of the experiences I've collected in 2010. If you want to read it, great. If you don't that's great too. I'm bad at keeping a journal and so this is my best attempt to document my experience with the past year. I'm going to be as honest as I can or feel comfortable with. Many repeat pics, sorry about that. So, here it goes...

Travel: Like most people, we love to experience the world. We feel very blessed to live in a time where you don't have to be rich to experience all the wonders this planet offers. The bad economy made us a little more reluctant to spend money and thus, negatively impacted our usual worldly adventures. That said, we still did a few international trips as well as some domestic excursions.

We've over documented our experiences in Quebec but again, we were blown away at how wonderful that place is.

You only turn 30 once and it's a big deal. For Candice's big day we said to the heck with the economy and we celebrated it with panache in lush Costa Rica. It was just what we needed and making Candice feel special is always something I treasure, you can throw up now.

A few local trips proved to be awesome as well. Boston, ID, UT, Breckinridge, Aspen.

Candice snaps some pics as I exit the shower. Some people sing in the shower, others may dance in their cubicles. I flex in the mirror. Embarrassing? Yes but I'm trying to keep it real.

Physical: We crushed physical goals we had set for ourselves this last year. I set personal bests in bench press, squat and deadlifts in 2010. I feel like I'm finally at a point where I know consistently how to manipulate my body to get where I want to go.

On the negative front, I got Dengue fever. I lost a ton of weight and have never been so miserable in my life. I feel fortunate as this disease killed pro surfer Andy Irons not long after I received it.

Candice completed her first triathlon. She liked it a lot, so much so, that she's planning on competing in a few races this next summer. She has also really gotten into yoga. Blowing minds is the norm when she shows up for class. Work it girl!

Financial: This last year my business has been kinda crappy. Being self employed is awesome but it also means there is not a safety net should things slow down. I'm not going to lie, my ego has been shaken and my self confidence has been cracked. I've thought about finding other work but it's been hard for a lot of reasons. Luckily, we've saved a lot. I need to figure out where my passion lies and step forward but it seems despite my efforts that I've struggled with this. It's been good in some ways. I needed to be humbled and even though I don't want to repeat any of life's hurdles, they are potent teachers. I just wish I was smart enough to remember their lessons so I wouldn't have to go through them as much.

Garth and Trisha playing with our niece Avery

Candice has dominated and truly come into her own. She made her gala look easy, managing wealthy patrons, celebrities and staff with ease. Her gala raised millions and was nominated by the trade organization for event planners as one of the best events in the city last year. She's a rock star that one.

She's been modeling for years but has gotten a lot of cool jobs this year. She's modeled for Under Armor, Cabelas, Marriott, Smart wool, Wrangler, 5280 magazine, Crocs, Saks 5th Ave., HDNET, Sports Authority and other companies that I can't remember. It's been so fun for her and the cash is really good.

Adventures: Cool new things we've tried include Dog sledding (driving the sled ourselves), surfing, wake boarding, trapeze (ing?). In general, we made it a priority to experience all the beauty that Colorado affords. We did a lot of hiking, backpacking and camping.

Family: Well we wanted to have a baby in 2010, we gave it a decent effort although there is always room for more sexin.' I've only recently felt mentally ready to be a father. Candice has been ready for a much longer time and is really anxious to take our family to the next level. After 12 months we still aren't pregnant but the truth is we have the best marriage ever. This next May will mark our friggin' 10 year anniversary. It's hard to believe that 10 years have come and gone. We have so much fun every single day and every night is a sleepover.

We also added our dear little mastiff last January. He's grown into a 120lb ball of love and dog aggression. He is far from easy but we love him so much. If I had to assess our love, I would say we're just above the weird dog lady who thinks her dog is a child. Thankfully, we aren't there yet. He snuggles us everyday and cries if we don't give him enough attention. He excels at delivering quality beat downs to only the toughest dogs at the park. What a guy!! We don't go to the dog park anymore. He also makes gangstas and mailmen act like screaming school girls at his mere glance. I'm actually not exaggerating. When he graces the public with his presence we are bombarded with questions. Here is Rocco's daily FAQ.

1. "That mother------r is tight" not so much a question, I realize but it's become such a common statement that I'm considering filing some sort of trademark.

2. "Is that a pitbull?" This is frequent and astonishingly enough, asked by actual pitbull owners. Pitbulls are max 70lbs unless they are an American bully, in which case they aren't pitbulls but an offshoot of the breed. Also, pitbulls are short. For the record, no he is not a pitbull, shar pei, or bull mastiff but a Cane Corso or Italian Mastiff.

3. "How much you pay for em?" or "How much you want for em?" or "Does he have any pups?" Many Michael Vick wannabes inquire about Rocco because of his badassity. Most are wearing some sort of Tapout t-shirt or other equally menacing/retarded line of clothing. He's not a fighting dog and we would never sell you one of his offspring because you'd probably end up making some sweet rap video or dog fighting venture.

4. "That's a big ass dog" Are you recognizing the pattern? Rocco is a magnet for this and other scholarly questions. Yes, I know this isn't a question. I may sound a little bitter or pretentious but then again how many times have you been interrupted from a good run so that Mr. OG can tell you that you have a big ass dog? Exactly.

Cooking: I've cooked a lot. Probably more than any other time in my life. I've expanded my skills and have come to realize that onions, garlic and wine are pretty much the keys to life and a happy tongue. Also, baking is not longer ethereal. You want cupcakes? You got em'. You want sugar cookies? Comin' up sucka! Coconut cake? Loosen your pants, homeboy.

Candice is the best sous-chef a guy could ask for. She is also the real baker in our family, not to mention, you've never seen hot unless you've seen her pulling warm cookies out of the oven. A vision.

Spirituality: Hmmmm...This is a tough one for me. Being honest, I have always felt a bit out of place at my place of worship and with my relationship with God in general. I'm not sure I've made too much progress but to say I've remained stagnant wouldn't be accurate. Constant battle but that's okay.

Socially: Candice is the social one in our family. She has made some new friends, I think but I can't think of who at the moment. I'm actually quite unsocial/anti-social. I wasn't always like this but I'm becoming more like my dad as I age, content to spend my time with Candice or myself. That's not totally true, I do like friends but find that it's harder to connect with people in my mid-life state. It seems like adults have less in common than we did when we were young. I'm probably alone on this one.

Entertainment: Thanks to Candice, we get hooked up with free tickets to concerts, sporting events, restaurant openings and exclusive parties all the freakin' time. For me, the best concerts we went to last year were: Paul McCartney-pretty much the last time to see a Beatle perform live. Amazing. I also saw Social Distortion for the first time. They are the only punk band I like that I haven't seen live, with the exception of the Misfits. Mike Ness is a legend for good reason. Also, at Candice's gala Garth Brooks put on an amazing show. It was just he and his guitar for like 3 hours. He told a lot of stories and it just felt very intimate. I'm not really into modern country music but it's hard not to like a man who is just killing it in every which way.

So, I think that's it. 2010 like most experiences has been a blend of good and bad but mostly good. 2011 will rock, I'm confident of that.

It's the most wonderful time of the year! TRULY!!

2010-12-30T15:49:00.000-08:00

christmas was amazing. shocker I know. the festivities and family bonding were all spent at doris & mickey's in CO. we had delicious food, did some service, watched old home movies, and had a wonderful time.

no, this is not our house pictured below - can you imagine the electric bill?

rocco has a thing for mickey

pear with creme anglaise, mmmmm

look at those thunder thighs, that little boy is getting strong

happy place

doris and mickey gave us this sweet grill for christmas - we can't wait to get to work on it! Does the balcony overlooking the ocean come with it? yes please.

Christmas Festivities

2010-12-21T21:22:00.000-08:00

Christmas has been in full swing all of December and we've managed to capture a few pictures of some of the fun. Our advent calendar is nearly all open and we're giddy with excitement! Merry Christmas to all!!

Course one and two for our annual Christmas meal with Doris & Mickey are pictured above. Matt did an outstanding job with pea puree, scallops and bacon as an appetizer, braised short ribs w/red wine reduction, cheddar and sun dried tomato polenta, and asparagus as the main course. Dessert was bread pudding with bananas foster and a smidge of ice cream. That guy is so talented and continues to outdo himself! Pretty sure we all gained a few that night but it was well worth it.

Broncos Alumni Christmas party - so fun!

An old fashioned Georgetown Christmas - where it was basically freezing... but we did get to meet Dancer, so it was worth it.

The cookie exchange was a treat of course and we mixed it up this year by making Ginger bread houses (and town houses). Good times!

Christmas on Display

2010-12-18T15:00:00.000-08:00

In December of last year, Matt and I spent some time doing all things Christmasy in NYC. I know we posted thoroughly about the incredible time we had, but didn't include the UNBELIEVABLE shots that were Bergdrof's window displays. Our pictures don't do justice, but they were fabulous, fashionable, detailed and all around wonderful. ENJOY!!

Thanksgiving in UTAH - Yeah!

2010-12-09T13:23:00.000-08:00

I know we're a little late on this post - but December is hectic, what can I say? Thanksgiving was incredible, we spent it in UT with my family (minus baby Patrick who's on his mission).

A brined turkey was the way to go for the bird - but perhaps not for the gravy. The blackberry/cranberry sauce was successful, and the Henniger special drink took the cake. Delicious food all around, a beautiful new kitchen, and good conversation to boot - what more could you ask for?

I'm hungry just looking at it.

The Motley Crew

Ryan and Ali - Happy and Full!

My grandma Farrington and I happy as clams

Jonny playing with little Meggie while Laila checks out the cars

Rocco got a lot of cuddle time with all members of the family. Thanks to my mom and dad for being so 'laxed with him.

Jungle Book is quite captivating

Rocco hoping Laila will share her toast with him

One of many booty shots I have of Matt. Jon threw a sweet surprise b-day party for Kaylene - he rented out Classic roller skating/blow up obstacle course land, and we all acted like we were 12 again and threw each other around. It was great!

This is Jon going off of the jump, he was going so fast it's a little blurry.

Ryan's sweet moves

Happy Birthday Kaylene!!

Saturday after Thanksgiving we went to BYU to see the Carl Bloch exhibit - it was beautiful and we loved learning more about the paintings through the exhibit ipads. After the exhibit we sailed on the black pearl to pirate island. My cute grandma Cornwall is pictured above with her pirate boyfriend.

My mommy, and two grandma's. We had a blast in UT and can't wait to come out again soon.