we carved pumpkins last night. then i toasted pumpkin seeds. i can't stop eating them, they're so yummy.

i feel sick now, though. blech.

Stupidness. I've been trying to upload some pictures on here for a few days now. Bah. Anyway, these are from the big snowfall a couple of days back. Schools in Denver closed, blahblahblah... yeah.

Here they are....

Finally.







These are from tonight. We took the kids up to BC to hang out for HalloweenFest. It was pretty awesome. Sorry, no pics of Ian. I was a bad mom and by the time he was ready we were in such a hurry that I forgot to snap him. :\ I'll get him on Halloween, though.

Matt was dressed up as a Downsized Employee. He's wearing all of Mike's clothes, including his pants and shoes. He had more than one person tell him that he should totally win the costume contest... though he didn't. :) He still looked very cool.

Zach is a zombie... Hannah is a belly-dancer... though it was way too cold for bare bellies. She's wearing a turtle neck under her costume that caused many an unhappy moan while she argued with me about it (and then later a look of gratitude while her fingers were freezing) Ian, though not pictured here, was an alien.

I'm on the computer posting a comment on someone's site...

Mike: "blahblahblahblahblah"
Kyria: "Okay!"
Mike: "that sounded amazingly like 'oh, shit! he's talking'"
Kyria: *giggles*

20 minutes or so go by... We're sitting on the couch watching Frasier. I have just finished eating a 100 calorie pack of fudge stripes and I get up to throw away my wrapper and I look down...

Kyria: "Why are you only wearing one sock?"
I'm looking at him like he's crazy.
Mike: "You are a BAD wife!!"
Kyria: "Why am I a bad wife???"
Mike "Let me replay this for you. "Honey, I have to throw away another sock." you: "Okay!" me: "that sounded amazingly like 'oh, shit! he's talking!'"
Kyria: *laughing hysterically*

This is what I woke up to this morning....


















Stop acting like you're not jealous.

I love my dog. This is Pagan... waiting for me to finish my cereal because he knows I'll give him the rest of my milk. Why is this so cute? Well, because he's figured out he can use my toes as a chin rest. Plus, I love that damn underbite.

I forgot!

Yesterday morning, when I went outside to meet Danielle for work, there was this sweet little girl out there. She was all bundled up in her hat and scarf with little mittens on... it's cold in the morning. Anyway, the geese are migrating now, making a lot of noise as they pass overhead. I'm sitting there I start to hear them. HONK! HONK HONK! and then I look up and there they are. Two flocks of geese, in the classic arrow formation. This little girl starts screaming at them...

"BYE! BYE BIRDS! BYE!!!! I'LL SEE YOU NEXT SUMMER!!!! BYE BIRDS!"

It was the cutest thing ever and I needed to share.

Autumn is drawing to a close. While the snow isn't on the ground yet, the trees have nearly all lost their leaves. Walking through Beaver Creek has a different charm now. Instead of a sea of yellow aspens on the hillsides there are barren branches and evergreens... it's amazing, nonetheless. While you walk all of those fallen yellow leaves pad your feet or, on a breezy day, float around you like so many yellow snowflakes. We don't get the reds here, like in the north east. We just get varying shades of yellow and sometimes you'll catch sight of some tree that wound up with brilliant oranges speckled through its golden branches. When I first moved here I thought I loved spring the best. The greens, after all, are what I missed most while I lived in the desert. Then summer would roll in so fast, and the bright, fresh green of the spring time would fade into the colors of summer. Softer, muted shades. The fall captures me, though. The air turning crisp... bringing out my cardigans and sweaters. The taste of pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks, the smell of apple pie and cinnamon. I love the way the clouds sit low over the mountains and create pockets of mist in the valleys. The water is icy cold now, in the rivers and ponds... and still you see ducks floating around while the steam rises from the water in the morning, giving it the odd appearance of ducks floating in natural hot-tubs. Here the autumn makes the air buzz in preparation for winter. Everyone is talking about the coming season because, no matter how many seasons there are here, there are really only two. I think that autumn, like it was in my childhood, is my favorite season.

I'm baking an apple pie this weekend. And pumpkin spice cookies, I think.

And now... POETRY!

Ay, thou art welcome, heaven's delicious breath!
When woods begin to wear the crimson leaf,
And suns grow meek, and the meek suns grow brief,
And the year smiles as it draws near its death.
Wind of the sunny south! oh, still delay
In the gay woods and in the golden air,
Like to a good old age released from care,
Journeying, in long serenity, away.
In such a bright, late quiet, would that I
Might wear out life like thee, mid bowers and brooks.
And, dearer yet, the sunshine of kind looks,
And music of kind voices ever nigh;
And when my last sand twinkled in the glass,
Pass silently from men, as thou dost pass.

- william cullen bryant

I think that this is amazing, brave... noble. To allow yourself to be exposed in this way to your country for the betterment of women, to be subjected to ridicule and judgment from the very women whose rights you're trying to protect, is remarkably selfless.

Matthew went to a homecoming dance tonight... and danced. :) I'm so proud.

On the way back from dropping Matt off we're talking to Ian about his name again. He says to me, "My name is only supposed to have two letters and it has three..." and I say, "Ian, your name is spelled I A N... it needs three letters." He says, "mom... E N... HELLLOOO!! Two letters."

How can you argue with that? I mean, really.

1. The phone rings. Who do you want it to be?
someone i love
2. When shopping at the grocery store, do you return your cart?
Yes
3. In a social setting, are you more of a talker or a listener?
Some of both
4. Do you take compliments well?
Mostly
5. Are you an active person?
Now I am
6. If abandoned alone in the wilderness, would you survive?
Depends on how wild the wilderness is.
7. Do you like to ride horses?:
YES
8. Did you ever go to camp as a kid?
with our school in 6th grade.
9. What was your favorite game as a kid?
Hand-ball, I think.
10. If a sexy person was pursuing you, but you knew he/she was married, would you get involved with him/her?
I don't think so, no.
11. Are you judgmental?:
I try not to be.
12. Could you date someone with different religious beliefs than yourself?
Yes.
13. Do you like to pursue or be pursued?:
Pursue... but that isn't to say that I don't like it be pursued. Just that I prefer to be the pursuer.
14. Use three words to describe yourself:
Spoiled, Bright, Open
15. If you had to choose, would you rather be deaf or blind?
Deaf. I'm horribly afraid of the dark.
16. Are you continuing your education?:
working on it for the coming year.
17. Do you know how to shoot a gun?
nope
18. If your house was on fire, what would be the first thing you grabbed?
My kids. :)
19. How often do you read books?
As often as I can..
20. Do you think more about the past, present or future?:
I daydream about the future.... but I live for now.
21. What is your favorite children's book?
Harry Potter
22. What are you listening to?
Some crazy jazz from the lobby.
23. How tall are you?:
5'... mebbe a little shorter.
24. Where is your ideal house located?:
In CO
25. Boxers,Briefs,Thongs,Or Grannies?:
I like bikinis, personally.
26. Last person you talked to?
In person? Jeff.
27. Have you ever taken pictures in a photo booth?:
Yes.
28. When was the last time you were at Olive Garden?
*smiles* just a few days ago.
29. What are your keys on your key chain for?
House, car, storage, mail.
30. Where was the furthest place you traveled today?:
to work
31. Where is your current pain at?
I keep randomly crying over something I think I've lost or given up.... so I suppose it's my heart. But my shoulder hurts, too.
32. Do you like mustard?:
yes
33. Do you prefer to sleep or eat?:
Depends on how hungry or tired I am.
34. Do you look like your mom or dad?
I think I'm a blend. Everyone says I look like my mother... but I think it's because of my skin and my nose. Everything else is my father.
35. How long does it take you in the shower?:
20 - 30 min.
36. Can you do splits?:
Not anymore. Pretty close, though.
37. What movie do you want to see right now?
Open Season.
38. Do you put lotion on your dog or cats?:
Um... no.
39. What did you do for New Year's?:
I honestly don't remember.
40. Do you think The Grudge was scary?
Creepy.
41. What was the cause of your last accident?:
I stepped on my pant-leg on the stairs because they were sitting too low... which is good. I want my pants to eventually just fall off of my body. But I think I did something awful to one of the bones in my foot.
42. Do you own a camera phone
Yes.
43. What are you drinking?:
Water.
44. Was your mom a cheerleader?:
No.
45. What's the last letter of your middle name?
E
46. Who did you vote for on American Idol?
Can't get into that show.
47. How many hours of sleep do you get a night?:
7 - 8
48. Do you like care bears?
I know this GREAT knock-knock joke...
49. What do you buy at the movies?:
A large water, a small popcorn... and stuff for the kids.
50. Do you know how to play poker?
Yes.
51. Do you wear your seatbelt?:
If I'm driving I put it on before the car ever starts. I'm less religious about it as a passenger.
52. What do you wear to sleep?
mostly nothing... but sometimes a tank and pajama bottoms.
53. Anything big ever happen in your hometown?:
I never had a "home town"
54. How many meals do you eat a day?:
usually 3.
55. Is your tongue pierced?:
No
56. Do you always read MySpace bulletins?
Nope.
58. Do you like funny or serious people better?:
I like funny people... but they need to be smart funny. Able to be serious funny.
59. Ever been to LA?:
Yes
60. Did you eat a cookie today?:
no
61. Do you use cuss words in other languages?
nope
62. Do you steal or pay for your music downloads?
*looks guilty* what music downloads?
63. Do you hate chocolate?:
No... but I've found I'm not as fond of it as I am of vanilla.
64. What do you and your parents fight about the most?
I don't fight with my parents now that they mind their own beeznas
65. Is your cell usually on vibrate or ring?:
Ring
66. Are you a gullible person?
I can be if I trust you
67. Do you need a boyfriend/girlfriend to be happy?:
No.
68. If you could have any job (assuming you have the skills) what would it be?:
Eh... depends on my mood.
69. Are you easy to get along with?:
I think it depends on if I like you or not.

So, Vegas last weekend was great. I got to hang out, eat great food and spend time with amazing people. I love my friends. This visit was right after my birthday, too, so I got PRESENTS. :) presents = awesome. I was sad to leave this time. Not that I'd want to move back there... just to have left them.

Next visit isn't until February... which seems like such a long time from now.
(Sorry, Jamie... I thought it would be closer to December.)