Best of 2008

Best Movie: Ghost Town. If you haven't seen it, you should. Its very funny and has a great message.

Best Concert: David Crowder Band. Warren and I went with another couple from church who are more than a decade younger than us. It was fun to 'be young' again and to walk out of the building with throbbing ears!

Best Song: It has to be the duet by Josh Groban and Brian McKnight "Angels We Have Heard On High". The blend of the 2 voices is stunning and I think I listened to that song over 100 times during the Christmas season.

Best Computer: The Apple Mac! Nothing can touch it!

Best Gadget: Cell phone - its the only gadget I own.

Best Department Store: Target - its affordable and trendy.

Best Clothes Store: Old Navy. Best fitting t-shirts.

Best New Hobby: Sketching burlesque dancers & other models at Dr Sketchys with Naomi every 3rd Sunday evening (when I can make it).

Best Food Making Experience: I cooked the Christmas turkey using my friend's herb butter (under the skin), stuffed with oranges and lemons and served with the best turkey gravy I've ever tasted (it has apple brandy in it). Best Christmas dinner to date!

Best Holiday: Thanksgiving in Pagosa Springs. (To my SA friends, 'holiday' here means a public holiday like Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc.)

Best Website I Found: www.schoolexpress.com - found it when trying to create workbooks for my kids for the summer - the reason why I love this is because it has a great online marble game which I am addicted to.

Best Item I Found Online: Steve Green's "Hide 'Em In Your Heart" praise songs for kids. Most of the praise songs CDs are pretty naffy but Steve Green has done a good job of combining song with Scripture.

Best Networking Site: Facebook - its the only one I use.

Best New Discovery: Smarties Mini-Eggs. My sister sent these to me from SA for my birthday and they are my new favorite candy. (Smarties are a much nicer version of MnM's).

Best Book: The Lost Son by Bernard B. Kerik. He was the former NY Police Commissioner and has an amazing story to tell about crime and justice in NY. (He went to SA to try and help eliminate the crime there - without much success I might add).

Best Accomplishment: I ran my 3rd marathon (Thats All Folks) before I turned 40.

Best Pizza: Sarah Frasier's buffalo pizza with banana peppers and white sauce.

Best Drink: Chai tea (especially the one from the India's Clay Oven, in Lone Tree).

Best Restaurant Meal: My 40th birthday meal (Happy Birthday To Me) at The Melting Pot (fondue restaurant).

Best God Moment: God providing for Warren's sister Cheryl and her 3 kids (Keenan, Lauren and Jarred) to fly to Denver for Christmas and New Year.

New Year's Eve

We headed to downtown Denver on New Year's Eve and watched the 9 pm (family time) fireworks.

Downtown was packed and there were all sorts of crazies roaming the streets. We made sure we each had a small child in hand because it was so crowded and I have a fear of losing my children in a crowd or being abducted in the 5 seconds I turn around to do something like tie my shoe or read an ad in the store window.

The fireworks weren't amazing - I guess they keep that for midnight - and it didn't compare with the 4th July fireworks which are amazing and go on for 20-30 minutes. But it was still a nice way to see the new year in.

The small kids fell asleep in the car on the way home and we put them to bed and then watched the crystal ball in New York drop which was hardly spectacular. I guess you have to be there!

You can see how thrilled they are to wear the 2009 headbands I bought for them.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

AFA & Garden of the Gods

Another popular visiting spot is the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs and the Garden of the Gods (or as my Dad calls it: God's Garden).

It was a beautiful day to be outside and Cheryl and the kids kept raving about how much sunshine there was and how warm it was compared to England.

The AFA was closed to visitors after September 11th and its been a while since we've taken anyone back to visit. Its a very different university to the others because of the military/air force emphasis & its very impressive but its not without its scandals and short-comings.