Rocky Mountain Fall (or, Lesson Learned)

Last year, when we sensed the first hints of Fall in Denver, we made a point of driving up to Kenosha Pass to see the fabled Aspens. Unfortunately, what we learned last year was that by the time you feel Fall in Denver, all the trees are barren in the mountains.

Not to be tricked again, we left the 80 degree late-September Denver heat this afternoon and headed up into the mountains for a short hike up at Kenosha Pass. And yay! for us, we timed it correctly. Behold! Fall in Colorado!

Note: This is why we travel with cold weather gear in the trunk of our car. We may have been sweating down in Denver, but we got caught in a downpour of freezing rain at 10,000 feet, shortly before this shot. Hence, my four layers of clothing and gloves.

Find a Happy Place....

I am interrupting our scheduled blog programming (I am sure there is some blogosphere word for that...) because, well, I feel like it. If you would like to see the remainder of our DNC experience-in-pictures, check it out here. I don't want to downplay what an awesome experience it was to be a part of the nomination of the first major-party African American nominee for the Presidency, or for me (Jaimy), the culmination of months of hard work and anticipation of the Convention, generally. But to some degree, that experience seems a long way from where we are right now.

Why? For a lot of reasons. Not the least of which being the fact that BECAUSE I became so invested in the Convention, I'm taking a lot of things personally right now...getting too worked up about politics-as-usual...so that my husband has limited my daily political intake to The Onion, 23/6, and selected CNN articles (but never, I repeat NEVER, the comments section of those articles). There were moments during Convention Week where I considered a future in public office, but I have since realized that I don't have the stomach for it.

Although MAYBE part of the problem is the underlying anxiety quotient in our lives.

For those of you who have never taken a Bar Exam, it is a tough call what is more gut-wrenching: those last two weeks leading up to the exam itself, or the 10 weeks of waiting for results. For the first 2 weeks, I was basking in the glow of being done. Of being able to sleep in a little, finish novels, bake cookies, relax on the couch with my husband, spend time outside with Elsa.... Then, for the next 3 weeks, I kept my mind off of the topic with distractions and the occasional reminder that I studied very, very hard and I most definitely did my best -- which is all you can do, really.

And now, here I am. Something about being back in classes (I PLEDGE THAT THIS IS MY LAST SEMESTER OF CLASSES. EVER. YOU ARE ALL CHARGED WITH THE RESPONSIBILITY OF NOT LETTING ME GO BACK TO SCHOOL [unless it is to learn a foreign language]) and looking for a job (which is interesting, because no one is all too excited about hiring someone as an attorney with a 20% chance that they failed the Bar hanging out there). Throw in waiting for bar results, and ... ACK! STRESS! And with Bret suffering through work stress and "Tax Research & Writing" (2 credits for 20+ hours of effort per week....always a joy), the stress is household-wide (Elsa being stressed because we don't have enough hours in the day to get her the exercise she needs and deserves).

In times of stress, it helps to find a happy place....take a time out and enjoy a nice evening with family or friends, or remember a recent relaxing vacation....

Our most recent vacation was our First Anniversary trip to Colorado Wine Country. Back in the Spring, we came across an advertisement for a trip package where you take an Amtrak from Denver to Grand Junction, CO, land of vineyards and peach orchards and beautiful scenery. This spawned much excitement and trip planning in the Lewis household. Despite being only a 4-hour drive by car, Amtrak takes eight hours to weave through the mountains to GJ. The opportunity to enjoy the scenery, nap, read, and visit the dining car seemed worth the additional 4 hours of travel time. PLUS it would give us an excuse to rent a car...a convertible to be exact! So we booked the train tickets, the rental car, and accomodations at Two Rivers Winery & Chateau, and I spent many bar-studying breaks envisioning this lovely trip.

Finally, our departure day arrived! Unfortunately, we were welcomed at the train station by this sign:

To explain further, we arrived at the train station at 7:20 am, with our 8-hour journey scheduled to begin at 8:05 am. Being lawyers who went to a law school that focused on economic efficiency, and an LLM program that focuses on accounting, we did the math.... a four hour drive vs. an 8-hour train ride with a nearly 3-hour delay... So we hastily obtained a full refund on our train tickets, cancelled our rental car, and taxied back home, where we promptly threw our suitcases into the car and got on the road.

We arrived in Grand Junction, after a lovely drive, at around lunch time. We were greeted by scenery more beautiful than we expected. We came out of the dry canyons of the Western Slope and into a region with lush vineyards on one side and gorgeous, colorful mesas on the other. It was at this point that we decided to apply our train refund to spending an extra night in Grand Junction.

After checking in at Two Rivers, and grabbing lunch in the quaint Main Street area of Grand Junction, we began our weekend of vineyard-touring. Somewhere along the way, we found out that we serendipidously scheduled our trip to coincide with the Annual Peach Festival. Hallelujah! (Palisade, Grand Junction's neighbor and fellow vineyard hot-spot, has famously juicy and delicious peaches.)

Some shots from various vineyards in Grand Junction & Palisade:

Overall, our expectations for the weekend were blown away. The wines were delicious and affordable. The area has amazing reds (Syrah & Cab Sav), and whites (Chardonnay & Riesling), as well as dessert wines (Ice Wine at Garfield Estates). And, in typical Bret & Jaimy style, we hunted down some of the best eats in the area: most notably, Il Bistro, Bin 707, and Moulin Rouge.

AND what we hadn't realized or anticipated was that the region butts up against the Colorado National Monument. Here are some shots from the roughly 25-mile drive through the Monument:

So really, just sitting here and recounting the tale of that relaxing and wonderful weekend not so long ago has improved my disposition immensely. (By October, at this rate, I will most likely have to share with you our entire 2 week trip to Europe, complete with all 530 pictures, in order to retain my sanity.)

Madame Secretary

And now, for my most awesome moment of the 2008 Democratic National Convention:

Yes, I ever-so-briefly met Madeline Albright in the hallway of the Pepsi Center. On Day 2 (speeches by Mark Warner & Senator Clinton), as we were wandering the halls, I caught a glimpse of Gov. Bill Richardson. As I was contemplating a handshake and photo-op, I witnessed him embracing the former Secretary. And while I was momentarily paralyzed by the excitement of the possibility that I might meet her (and thereby missing the fact that she was moving to continue her walk down the hall), my fellow Host-Committee-er Mattia yelled, "Madeline!," and we were able to squeeze in this photo. (Luckily, the impropriety of addressing her by her first name while chasing after her was ignored.) One of many unforgettable moments of last week! (Thanks to my travelling photographer/husband for capturing the moment!)

DNC 2008 in Denver: Pre-Convention & Monday Night

As you all know, the recently (as in 14 hours ago) concluded Democratic National Convention was right here in Denver, CO. And as you may or may not know, I (Jaimy) spent a lot of time this spring interning for the Host Committee for the DNC. The Host Committee is the organization charged, essentially, with making the Convention happen in the host city (= raising the $60 million necessary to pay for it). I left my post there to study for the Bar Exam. About two weeks after the Bar, I started getting (frantic-sounding) e-mails from the folks in the Host Committee Finance Department asking if I could come back and help them with the home stretch and through Convention Week. Needless to say, I was more than happy to pitch in.

I won't get into the work itself, but needless to say, "pitching in" has entailed working no less than 10 hours a day for the past eight days. While you COULD say I worked for free, I would say I was overpaid. The experience was certainly exhausting, but more than that, it was awe-inspiring. Not only did we witness the nomination of the first major party African American candidate for President of the United States, but Bret and I were both able to attend all of the awesome events connected with the Convention. I also experienced personal satisfaction from dealing with all the folks from our local area and from around the country who crossed my path. For every donor who thought they deserved "more for their money," there was one who was just so excited to be a part of the process and a part of Denver's historical week. Several times I was hugged by complete strangers when they received their tickets to Obama's acceptance speech, or to the various events we were fortunate to plan or be a part of this week. Rest assured, it was eight days I will never forget.

I can't fit the whole week in one post, so I'll discuss the Pre-Convention events and Day One of the DNC first, and then blog the rest over the next week or so (including our trip to Colorado Wine Country, and the introduction of a new four-legged member of our family).

Last Saturday, we attended the kick-off event of the Convention at Elitch Gardens (an amusement park) -- the Media Party. About 15,000 members of the media, delegates, and Convention sponsors were in attendance for delicious food, free amusement park games, rides, and concerts. Bret and I were able to attend a show by the Flobots, a hip-hop band with a classical twist that originated in Denver last year and has since become a national act with its socially conscious album. The show was only attended by about 300 people, so we were right up front....Great Show!

Jonny 5 & Brer Rabbit of the Flobots

Sunday, after another long day of preparation for Denver's big week, we headed up to Red Rocks (only the most amazing outdoor concert venue on the planet) for the Green Concert. Fortunately, I was able to get four tickets to the event, which featured Sheryl Crow, Sugarland, and a Dave Matthews acoustic performance with Tim Reynolds (along with various politicos), and we invited our Dave Matthews-loving friends Mark & Kristin Whitney to join us. The entire evening was nothing short of amazing. They called it the Green Concert because of the commitment by all organizations involved in planning this year's convention to make it the greenest convention in history and a footprint for future political conventions. Here are some shots of the night (along with a video clip): (And by the way, we were 5th row center!)

The crowd at Red Rocks.

Mayor Hickenlooper: Laid-off Geologist, turned Barkeep (Wynkoop Brewery here in Denver), turned Mayor of the "Capitol of the Creative West"

Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, our neighbor in the 5th row (and my vote for Governor in my days as a VA resident).

Sheryl Crow's dedication to Barack Obama -- "Strong Enough"

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., speaking on the importance of environmental issues in this election and the experience of being his father's son.

Dave and Tim

Finally, it was Monday. We moved our office and core personnel downtown for the Convention itself. After a long day of trouble-shooting and getting our credentials out to the deserving donors who allowed us to make this Convention happen, I was handed two credentials to the first night of the Convention, where Michelle Obama was slated to speak. Shots from Day One:

The Floor of the Convention, with Michelle Obama at the Podium.

Tyler from our Operations team. This is more or less a picture of how we all felt with the Convention underway....a little giddy, a little exhausted, maybe the slightest bit just-plain-crazy.

So, that was everything up to the end of Day One. As promised, I'll deliver the rest of the week over the next few days. For now, I need to go prepare for Alyssa, my friend and my roommate from my freshman year at Florida State, who is visiting for Labor Day weekend!

Domestic Blissfulness

Having finished the Bar Exam and not yet (a) started my last semester of classes, or (b) started working, I have been immersing myself in life's simpler pleasures....taking Elsa for walks, sleeping in a little, drinking my coffee more slowly in the morning, keeping the house in order, cooking, watching the Olympics with Bret, and, most deliciously, baking cookies.

Every time I bake, as an adult, I am taken back to the many many days when, as a little girl, I baked with my Gram. Those are some of my earliest and most fond memories. I can't stir cookie dough without thinking of myself and Gram doubled over in laughter in her kitchen over the fact that her old wooden spoon finally broke in half, mid-stir in a batch of toll house chocolate chip cookies. And I never fail to think of the giant yellow tupperware bowl she had, and hearing the story about Gram taking dough in that bowl to my mom, who was pregnant with me at the time, so that they could make cut-out cookies together. She placed the bowl atop her car, got in, and, having left it there, sped off. By the time she realized it, the dough was rolled out across the road.

Gram & Me, circa 1983

Though I may not be very good at it, I've always felt that baking is the one activity (or one of the very few) that calms and grounds me. And so, when my friend Heather clued me in to the Neiman Marcus chocolate chip cookie recipe, I bookmarked it for after the Bar. LUCKILY, I got a KitchenAid 9-speed Handmixer for my Birthday for such occasions! (Thanks, Mom & Dad Lewis!)

The Result: Deliciousness!

The recipe calls for instant espresso powder, so I e-mailed Heather to find out what she used to fulfill that ingredient. She responded that a certain brand of instant espresso powder should be RIGHT IN MY GROCERY AISLE! Yay!

This is the part where I miss the D.C. metro area and its grocery stores containing all of the grocery items one could ever desire.

Two grocery stores and no espresso powder after I set out on my search, I opted to brew espresso and add 2 teaspoons of espresso instead of the 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of instant powder. Honestly, as Heather warned me might happen, there was not enough espresso taste (read: none) in the cookies, and when I make these again, I'll step it up. I suggest other coffee lovers do the same.

Next Baking Feat: Janey Lewis' World Famous Cheesecake. I can't promise I'll produce the recipe here (or that it will taste quite as good as it does in Skiatook, OK), but I'm looking forward to trying!

The First of Many, Many, Many, Many, Many (You Get the Idea) to Come...

Yesterday was our very first wedding Anniversary. One year ago yesterday, we gathered atop a mountain in front of our closest family, and pledged to spend the rest of our days together, in good times and in bad, for richer and for poorer, ...well you know. While we have had a little of every extreme in the past 12 months, it has truly been the best year of my (Jaimy's) life and I can't wait to see what the rest of our life together brings.

Chowing Down: One of our favorite activities.

To celebrate, we went to brunch at one of our favorite restaurants in Denver, Bistro Vendome on Larimer Square, after church. We took our time and thoroughly enjoyed every moment and every bite of the roasted yellow beet salad with Haystack Mountain goat cheese dressing and the Asparagus and Eggs on Brioche with Bernaise Sauce. Literally one of my favorite meals in this world, and certainly my favorite in Denver.

After brunch, we wandered the shops on Larimer and commandeered a bench from which to people watch. Since cooking is one of our favorite activities to enjoy together, we planned our evening meal from our new cookbook, the classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Ms. Julia Child.

Though I forgot to snap the pictures to prove it, we cooked an awesome meal-- Veal in a Brown Mushroom Sauce (Julia's recipe), Potatoes Au Gratin (also from Julia), and Belgian Endive a la Meuniere (from the Professional Chef, 8th Ed. Cookbook). I'd love to tell you that we enjoyed it by candlelight, but the truth of the matter is that we enjoyed our delightful French meal while we watched the U.S. men's relay team pull out their amazing win over the French for the Gold Medal. All in all, I couldn't have asked for a more perfect way to spend our first Anniversary.

This week, after Bret completes his dreaded Tax Accounting final, we will be taking an Amtrak to the Colorado Wine Country in Grand Valley for two days of relaxation and proper celebration of my completion of the Colorado Bar (even though I won't know whether I passed until October), our birthdays, and our Anniversary.

Side Note: Having had my head in the books for the summer, I had missed the city's preparations for the Democratic National Convention that will be held here in August. Not only are there banners on every lightpost downtown and tents covering the majority of the Pepsi Center grounds, but Larimer Square is decked out in flags from every U.S. state and territory and the shops are buzzing with preparations for the crowds. It promises to be an exciting time to be a Denver resident!

Wind + Sand =

This past weekend we trekked down to Great Sand Dunes National Park with four other couples from church-- Erik & Missy Jo Fisk, Jarrod & Amy Hanson, KC & Meg Leppke, and Mark & Kristin Whitney. Bret & I bolted out of Denver as early as we could on Friday (which is, of course, not that early once we got Elsa dropped off at the vet and got the car packed up with everything but the kitchen sink), and arrived to the campsite in time to enjoy a leisurely lunch before the rest of the crew trickled into the park.

I must say, the word I think best describes the Dunes is "surreal". Pictures do not do justice to the awesomeness of what looks like a chunk of the Sahara, dropped down into southern Colorado, amongst ten 14,000 foot peaks. One of the first orders of business when everyone arrived (and after a delicious spaghetti dinner) was to walk down to the Dunes and stick our toes in the sand. (Luckily, it was late enough in the day that the sand had cooled from its afternoon temperature of 140 degrees!)

Unfortunately, we didn't realize what a hike it was from our campsite down to the foot of the Dunes, so Erik sought the help of some random folks in the parking lot to take him back to our site, where he could grab his car and come back for us. Except that he didn't tell us. So we thought he might be missing. (Could he be hiding in the tourist van full of very old asian men? Did he catch a ride on the back of a deer?) Survivor-style, Mark made use of the tools at our disposal in an effort to find our lost friend.....

Eriiiiiiiiiiiik!

Needless to say, we were "rescued". And for the rest of the weekend, Erik was under strict orders to tell us specifically where he was going to be at all times.

The next morning, after a yummy breakfast of pancakes, sausage and bacon, the crew headed out for a short hike while I stayed behind with my flashcards. While Friday had been hot and sticky, Saturday was the complete opposite...quite chilly for the first part of the day and WINDY. The strong winds came through to remind us how the Dunes were formed in the first place, I suppose. At any rate, it made eating a challenge for those who are not fond of the taste of sand, and left us feeling exfoliated.

In the evening, I joined the crew for a hike up to Zapata Falls, just outside the park. The hike itself was nothing to write home about, but 1/2 a mile in, we hit a very chilly, quickly flowing stream. For those who didn't mind numb toes (all of us), it was a quick hike up stream and into a little cave to catch a glimpse of the gorgeous Falls.

Bret, Jarrod and Amy headed into the cave.

Zapata Falls

Of course, not everyone wanted to take a dip in the freezing cold water. That would just be my adventurous husband.....

After carefully navigating our way back to the trail, we headed back to the campsite to bundle up by the fire, have another delicious meal (followed by the necessary s'mores) and play some games (boys against girls catchphrase and Battle of the Sexes).

Overall it was an awesome trip with some great new friends. We look forward to doing some more camping before the weather chills in the mountains....but I think it will wait until after the Bar.