The view from my balcony

I still have to remind myself that I actually get paid to live in Colorado. I love the clear days when the mountains come out and have a crystal clear blue sky behind them. It takes my breath away every time I see them. When I was house shopping I knew that buying a place with a mountain view would be a bit out of my price range. But, somehow, I was lucky enough to get one.

This is the view from my balcony



But so is this



And when I moved in two weeks ago, that was just a pile of dirt. Within a few months, it will look like this.



But until then, I am living in prime real estate.

The kitties even line up to see the view.



The kitties are also very happy that the movers brought their bunk bed.



And I'm happy because I finally finished a pair of socks. I have finished several single socks recently, only to be distracted by another skein of yarn instead of casting on for the twin, so it's nice to have something that I'll actually be able to wear.



This is Cookie A's Monkey pattern, but instead of purling, I knit all the stitches. I stole the idea from someone on Ravelry, and I really like how it looks with the modification. The yarn is my friend Stacy's Tempted Good Grrl in the Twilight colorway. She's a yarn dyeing rock star.

Speaking of Stacy, a surprise arrived in my mailbox the other day. She sent me these absolutely adorable kitty stitch markers. She also sent me some other things, but we'll save that for another day!

A birthday and a move

Life has been a bit busy since my last post. So much to catch up on.

On Feb. 10, I celebrated my 35th birthday. It was a pretty low key celebration, but very fun. My friend Tanya and I decided to take advantage of the amazing weather, and headed to Mount Evans, the home of the worlds highest paved road, to do some snowshoeing.



We weren't able to drive all the way up the road, but we went almost as high as we could. It was a perfect day.



There was a sun dog around the sun that was spectacular. My photography skills are a bit lacking, so try to imagine 3 perfect rainbows circling the sun. I've never seen anything like it.



There were a few risky moments, but I'm happy to say I survived. It was a bit unnerving at times to be walking along a narrow ledge with wide snowshoes on with nothing but rocks so soften my fall, but Tanya kept assuring me she'd never lost a hiking buddy...I don't know if I was reassured, but I did make it out alive.



This picture doesn't do the steepness justice.



One wrong step and I could have spent the rest of my 35th birthday laying at the bottom of this really steep, rocky hill. Ouch.

Then, two days after my birthday I FINALLY was allowed to move into my new house. It was a very happy day. The kitties and I are so happy to to be home. It's a beautiful place. I just wish the boxes could unpack themselves.



I did manage to get a few photos before the boxes took over. I'm hoping by the time my visitors arrive in mid-March, it will look like this again, but with furniture.





This is the oven that I'm pretty sure can cook a gourmet meal while I'm off at work and have it ready for me when I get home. I just need to read the directions...until then, it will be horribly underutilized making chicken breasts and frozen pizzas.

The kitties have settled in and love the new house. Ashford has found her favorite place to sit.

Purl is unhappy

She is seriously offended that my last post was all about Ashford. She insisted that I post a photo of her immediately.



How could I resist?

Are you ready for some football?

Like the rest of the people in the United States, the kitties and I spend Super Bowl Sunday glued to the television. Since there's nothing to watch in between the commercials, I often flip over to Animal Planet to catch the action on the Puppy Bowl.
Ashford is a big fan of the Puppy Bowl. I'm not sure which team she's rooting for, but she is enthralled by the action on the screen.



I just hope we didn't miss the kitty half time show. That's my favorite part.