Denver -- part 1

I have no idea what this paper proclaims the best of Denver to be -- I just thought it was a funny picture. For me, the best of Denver is just hanging out with my family. We never actually go downtown!

I arrived on my mom's birthday, and she was hard at work (with my dad and Denise) transforming Denise's powder room -- this was her birthday gift to Denise. Of course, the project blossomed (as these things tend to do with my mom) and grew from a small-ish paint/window treatment kind of job to an entire makeover.

They repainted, with beautiful two-tone stripes; Denise made a silk valance; Dad tore out the old sink and vanity and replaced it with a new one; they painted over the linoleum floor (!); Dad framed and hung six botanical prints that he had previously photographed; they got a new light fixture and a new medicine cabinet; and then Mom accessorized. (Seriously, who paints in cute clothes and accessories, and in full hair and makeup??)

We are all in love with the new sink/vanity. (Home Depot!)

I couldn't get a shot of the whole room, but trust me when I tell you that it is gorgeous. Denise said she just wants to sit in there and gaze around.

The work crew.
Leave it to my parents to work their heads off the whole time they are on "vacation," or as Emily calls it, a "family reunion!"

We did get a little shopping in.

I love this picture of Grandma clasping her hands in the car. It's a Petersen thing.

She may be 82, but she still gets stopped in stores so that young women can ask her where she got her shoes!

This was the damage from just one store! Man, I love Hobby Lobby.

(post-shopping self-portrait)

We realized the night before my parents had to leave that we hadn't taken any self-portraits, so we had to rectify the situation, even though it was indoors at night, with bad lighting. I love that I don't have to talk them into it! Now that we have multiple bloggers in the family, we're all eager to document.

Speaking of blogging, a friend of Denise's stopped by one evening. I opened the door and said, "Oh, you must be April! I recognize you from your profile pic on Denise's comments!" It turns out she reads my blog, so we felt like we already kind of knew each other. Also, when we went to church, I met darling Miranda, who recently left me a comment saying that we need to be blog friends. (They happen to be Grandma's Wednesday baking friends.) I love blogging!

mom & denise

mom & me

dad & me

mom, denise and me

I was sad that I only got to overlap with my parents for two days, but happy for the time we did have together. And very happy that I still got to stay for 3 1/2 more days!