Francophile in the West

Happy 2017! 2016 definitely ended with plenty of high notes throughout November and December.  At the end of November, I turned 28 amidst much celebration. First stop on the celebration train: a fancy-pants brunch at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, wahoo! The buffet brunch there is incredible and I went all-out: crab claws, oysters, lamb, prime rib roast, mashed potatoes, grilled veggies, fruit, bread, multiple desserts, on and on! YUM. O, as a vegetarian, was very understanding about my carnivorous streak for my birthday and we both ended the morning, pleasantly full, by enjoying a walk around the hotel grounds, soaking in the beautiful scenery before our drive back to Denver. It was a perfect Sunday morning. Candid cutie I took off of work for my actual birthday on the Wednesday, and thanks to my parents' generous birthday gift of the use of some of their Time Share points, Owen and I drove out to Steamboat Springs for four days of relaxing in the mountain...

I'm officially 27! As with each birthday over the past several years, my birthday was once again an extended, multi-week celebration of life and all the joys of living it. I'm beyond pleased with how my twenties have been going, and why not send my gratitude to the universe by celebrating being alive and being healthy, and by spending excellent time with friends and family?? One of the first pre-birthday adventures was an excursion with my good friend Christy to see The Lion King  musical in downtown Denver. What a fabulous show! The opening scene was pure magic, and the costumes were gorgeous and fantastical. We loved it! I would absolutely go see that show again and highly recommend it! Julie Taymore (the director/costume designer) is a genius. Thanks for the great idea and invitation, Christy! The weekend before my birthday, three of my bestest, oldest friends from high school flew from Portland to Denver to spend the weekend with me! It was great to see them, cat...

Last Sunday was my 26th birthday! Fortunately, I'm still in an era of life where I genuinely enjoy celebrating growing another year older (and wiser, too, theoretically). Twenty-six was the third birthday I've been able to celebrate in Europe ( twenty-one and twenty-four were the other two), and this time, I made my birthday last a whole week long! :) With beautiful late fall weather in Geneva, my birthday week started of wonderfully the Thursday before the big day, with a trip to the wine market after work for vin chaud (mulled wine, or glühwein in German); my first mug of the season! Vin chaud and Christmas time in Europe are among my favorite things ever. After a great treat at the wine market, I went on a solo adventure to Geneva's Park des Bastions, where I enjoyed a sun and space-themed light show played out against one of the University of Geneva's oldest buildings. It was only 15 minutes long, but so fun to watch! It's amazing what you can d...