The Busy Season

Christmas to New Years is the busiest season of them all. We spent our Christmas eve in Aurora with the Alexanders. The drive over took 8 hours due to snow and traffic, the trip usually takes 3.5-4hrs. We spent a few relaxed days in Aurora playing cards, eating, and playing more cards.

Christmas day were to be in Aspen and when we woke at 5:30am to leave we noticed Santa had brought us a very white christmas day. It was a full on blizzard in Denver, but there was no traffic, and we made it to Aspen in under 5 hours, just in time for coffee and presents! My parents had come up the night before and Megan has just moved to Snowmass so the Maiolo XMAS was in our tiny apartment.

After my family left on the 26th, we had two friends from Seattle come in on the 27th. Nonstop fun now for over a week. Megan and Justin stayed for 4 days and we packed it in during this time. We went skiing, did yoga, snowshoeing, ice climbing, dinner parties, and Aspen movie star watching.

Now it is quiet, just Cara and I, Finn, Rio (my parents dog), and Pecos riding his plastic parakeet. Hopefully we get some new snow to make for some more epic powder days. We have had 9ft in Aspen this month!

Happy New year to all....much love

Be American, read a "banned" book

Our school librarian has passed around an email concerning the books/movie "The Golden Compass." Supposedly it has caused quite an uproar and has even been banned in some schools and public libraries. This notion of banning books/media/art/speech/etc...really bothers me. Isn't the concept of free speech one of America's founding principles? Is America crumbling to pinko-commie dogma? If you want to live in a country that bans books, try China, Venezuela, or maybe Cuba. If not, stand up, be American, and read whatever the hell you want!

The Google image is what the Chinese Government has banned about its own history.

Agua Vivo

Agua Vivo, "Alive Water" is the name sometimes used in Spanish to name the Jelly Fish. Much more descriptive and mythical name than the English version. For some odd reason these little guys have been floating in and out of my subconscious, slipping through the cracks and flowing the tides of my thought. Here is what I have been seeing...

Victoria Christine

Here is the first pic we've been sent of our new niece! We'll have more pictures to come when we arrive in Virginia Beach this Wednesday. She was 20" long, and 7lbs plus. We can't wait to meet her in person!

Thanksgiving

Here are the other pics that didn't post to the previous entry!

Thanksgiving

Here are a couple of pictures from our Thanksgiving weekend celebration this year...well...at least the second half (we didn't have a camara for the Alexander portion of the holiday). We had great food, wine, conversation, rounds of 5 Crowns, and tons of relaxation. Finn seemed to take up most of the space and attention in the room, as usual. Brent showed off his yoga arm balance skills, and Frank and Brent walked around acting the part of the dorks they are! Much love and gratitude to all our friends and family who check in on us from time to time through this blog!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow

Hello everyone!
This is Cara writing today. So-- I know that we have been terrible about updating our blog. No pics, no writing, no political statement artwork from Brent. I am really sorry about that! Today I have no pics to share, but thought I would try to write a little about the goings-on in our lives.

*** STAY TUNED FOR PICS OF OUR NEW NIECE, TO ARRIVE NOV. 26th!! ***

After an amazing month of yoga teacher training (www.forrestyoga.com) in Seattle, I have begun to settle back into life in Aspen.
My time is divided between generating business, counseling patients, and teaching yoga classes (www.aspenintegratedcounseling.com). Oh ya, and also there is Finn. One of the two main men in my life. Finn requires much of my attention, and we have grown accustomed to hiking almost every day together. It seems that Finn suffers from some minor doggy anxiety (for which we give him homeopathic anxiety drops-seriously) and a relentless amount of energy (for which two walks a day seem to manage). I am waiting patiently for snow, along with every other Aspenite. It seems we may not even open for skiing on time this year (we'll see what the next three days bring in). As much as I have enjoyed the temperate weather of late, I am ready for a white Christmas and weekend snowboarding.

Brent has been busy with work, and it seems that he has really found his place as a teacher in Aspen High. He is helping to grow and improve their experiential education program, and is even writing grants for his outdoor educational trip. He has begun to research graduate schools, and is interested in pursuing a Masters in Environmental Management with an emphasis in Fresh Water Chemistry. Hopefully more on that soon to come.

I wanted also to give you all the blog addresses of friends of ours, who are updating regularly and are traveling the world!
http://www.sheilainseattle.blogspot.com/ SHEILA ON THE WESTCOAST
http://mindyexplorations.blogspot.com/ MINDY IN CAMBODIA
http://meandj.blogspot.com/ MEGAN AND JERAD IN ECUADOR
http://www.thelittlestbirdsing.blogspot.com/ KELLI IN SEATTLE

More soon to come, as we will be in Virginia Beach next week for the arrival of our new niece!