A Year of Change

Thanks all for the birthday wishes and presents! Much appreciated.

Last night, after prepping most of the day, Davy, Abby, Marty and Mel, Ben and Eleni and Castor, James’s son, came over for my mini birthday party. James had to go to Summit County as Addy committed to something for them a few weeks ago. Castor was up at Davy’s doing something with drums, (he’s a drummer in his own band as you should remember), so I texted him and told him to come on over and hang with us. He was super excited to join us as his mom and two sisters are in Argentina. I sent him home with a bunch of extra ribs. We know each other really well from when he was in school with the boys and then from when he’d go hunting with us.

The party was so much fun. I think with less people than our cigar party, everyone got to hang out and tell more stories and laugh more. The food was amazing and so was Lori’s homemade German Chocolate Cake with homemade Butter Brickle Ice Cream. She even made the butter brickle that went into the ice cream, (some kind of toffee) from scratch. I am a very very lucky guy.

Earlier in the day, around 1:30, I ran Jagger over to Eagle Airport for his flight to Orange County. He said he’d change it and stay for the party, but it costs three times as much to fly today, so I told him that was silly and to go. He and Castor are buddies as they were one year apart in school and played basketball and volleyball together throughout high school. Ty worked really late and was going to come over but was super tired, so I told him it was no big deal if he wanted to go get some rest. Besides, we celebrated the night before as a family.

Lori has a few high rollers coming in today who flew in from Mexico for surgery. Then she has a lunch with the daughter of another surgeon Dr. Braxton knows that she might hire for her team. She’s from somewhere but her dad has a house in Breckenridge. Ty is working today, and Jag will probably be on the beach later today. Vail Pass is closed right now but we don’t have any new snow down here, maybe just a dusting on our windshields.

Here’s a few pics. Ben and Eleni and me, and then our group with Abby and Davy on the far right and Castor next to me with Marty and Melanie in the middle above Eleni who is crouching down. Ben’s dad was the Ambassador to Denmark and South Africa and one of the founders of Vail. He met Eleni through our group 5 years or so ago. They’re a really good fit for each other. I’m really lucky to have such great friends.

Have a great day and get ready for 2025! Won’t be long now, God Bless.

Happy 68th Birthday, Doug!

What a milestone today is! My sweet husband turns 68—wow, time flies! We had a lovely start with a simple dinner last night with Jagger and Ty. Nothing fancy, just a cozy meal of wedge salads with chili. It’s always so nice to have the boys around, especially on a special day like today.

Of course, Doug was hoping for a birthday miracle with the Broncos and Buffs, but unfortunately, neither team gave him the win he was hoping for. There’s still hope, though—he’s holding out for the Broncos’ last chance against Kansas City (and the referees, of course). We’ll see what happens!

Today, we’ll be saying see you in a week to Jagger, who’s heading off to California at 3 p.m. to spend time with Ava and her family for New Years. We’ll drop him off at the Eagle Airport around 2:30 for his flight.

Tonight, the celebration continues…Marty and Melanie, Davy and Abbey, and Ben and Eleni will all join us for a bigger dinner to celebrate Doug’s big day. I’m cooking ribs, filets, potato krack (Doug’s favorite), green beans, and a fresh salad. For dessert, we’ll have German chocolate cake with either homemade butter brickle ice cream or vanilla. Hopefully, it’s going to be a delicious evening!

Of course, Ty will be back by to celebrate his dad as well. We are truly blessed to have such a wonderful family.

We are all so grateful for your kindness, strength, and love. You make our lives better in every way, and I feel so lucky to spend my life with you. Here’s a picture of a 1-year-old Doug—how adorable is he?

If you talk to Doug today, please wish him a very happy birthday! We love you so much, sweetheart. Here’s to many more years of happiness, health, and love. XOXO L

Annette texted asking what happened to the blog today! Well, it’s trash and recycling day, so I’ve been busy. Not only did I have to deal with all our Christmas and Cigar Party stuff, but I had the neighbors, who are in California, trash too. When I went down to their house and opened the garage, there were over a dozen bags of thawing food strewn all over their garage. The cleaners cleaned out their fridge and freezer and threw away all the expired food. We think the cleaners also threw some of their own stuff away. Anyway, I had to bag up all their crap and put that out, as well as ours. Then we rushed off to the gym before doing today’s post.

Yesterday Lori and I ran up to Edwards and then Costco and City Market for stuff for my b-day dinner tomorrow. James texted he was headed to Eagle and asked if I wanted to meet him at the new Gentlemens Barbershop for a cigar. He was getting a haircut and said they have a patio where we can hang out. The place is new, as the husband-and-wife team moved down here from Edwards. Really nice couple, and I had no idea it was there. We hung out for an hour and caught up on all kinds of shit as we don’t get as much one-on-one time as we used too before he met Addy. It gave us some time to talk about crap we wouldn’t talk about in front of the cigar group or wives, ha.

Then it was off to home. Lori made chili which was great. We have two big games today. The Broncos at 2:30 and CU at 5:30. I need to run to Costco for some ribs that Alex (the meat dept manager), is cutting up for me for tomorrow. It’s hard to get beef ribs anywhere.

No new snow since I shoveled yesterday morning at 7. Lori is making homemade butter brickle ice cream right now. Not sure how she does it but I’m sure it’ll be great. Ty is slammed at work. Yesterday was super busy too. Some regular customer came in, and brought Ty a card with $50, that said how much they appreciate his smiling face and friendship whenever they come in. That happens to him all the time! He’s a great kid that everyone loves. And he knows everyone, everywhere!

That’s it, Jag is still in bed. All I want for my birthday is a Bronco win and if possible, a CU win too! Time for the Costco run. Have a great day, GB, and Go Broncos!

We made it to Tom’s around 10:45. He and Holly had a great Christmas, so it seems. We hung out and visited for a few hours and opened some gifts before heading home. On the way home, Davy called and said he was at the shop and to come in and exchange Lori’s coat. With traffic, we made it there by 3.

I had bought Lori the black Moncler puffy jacket with the fur collar. These coats are not cheap (Davy really took care of me), but are one of the coolest jackets out there, and women love them! When we arrived, she tried on an extra small, but it was too small. Alexandra, who works for Davy and has helped us out before, had her try on an ivory colored one with a brown fur collar. It looked much better than the black one (which everyone has) and so she decided to get that one. Little did I know it was $300ish dollar more, ha. Lori loves it though, so all good.

We made it home and I turned around and headed back to the cabin to meet up with James, Andres, Clark, Mark and Ken for a cigar and to watch some football. Fun time with the guys.

This morning, about 30 minutes ago, Ty frantically called as someone put a boot on the wheel of his truck. We don’t know why as he has a parking permit so we’ll fight it, but he had to pay $140 to get it off so he could get to work. We had more snow last night and more is on the way today. Not much though, by our standards.

Jag is sleeping right now. He flies out of Eagle at 1 on the 29th for California. He and Ava will get back I think the 6th or the 7th.

That’s it for today. Lots of football tomorrow. Hope the Broncos and Buffs both get it done. Have a great day. With Christmas on a Wednesday, the days seem all mixed up. Yesterday felt like a Saturday and I don’t know what today feels like, maybe a Monday, ha. Be well, stay safe and God Bless.

6:20am now, no way we’re out of here at 7. The boys are still sleeping and we just got up. Hoping to be on the road by 8am.

Yesterday was a great day. We had a nice leisurely morning and day. Jag and Lori cooked the ducks, and we ended up having dinner around 7pm. Not sure what all he does, but it’s like eating in a fine Chinese restaurant. He even makes the hoisin sauce and little pancakes from scratch.

Santa was good as everyone ended up with a bunch of nice things. Of course, a few need to be exchanged for another size, but it was a good Christmas. Jag and I shoveled the snow around 4 and cleared off the cars. Not everywhere ended up with snow, but we had about 4 inches.

I’m done with all the holiday food. We had quite a run this year with our party and then Christmas. Time to get back on that workout routine and diet.

Christmas came and went in the blink of an eye. We’re already focused on 2025 and yes, Spring. We have a lot going on in January and it’ll be here in no time.

Have a great last few days of December and God Bless.

Here’s our duck and the boys!

Well, it’s here, Christmas Day 2024. Today we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We’re all blessed beyond belief and today is a day to enjoy with all those you love.

Yesterday was a busy day. We were here and there and everywhere. By 8am, Hovey was packed and ended up having its busiest day ever. Ty worked his butt off. Meanwhile, in the afternoon, Lori put the turkey in and for the second time in less than a month, she nailed it. The boys and I loved it, and we had a really nice, some would say perfect, dinner.

It’s 7:30 am now and the boys are still sleeping. We’ll have a lazy morning and just chill today. Presents, food and football. Jag has been prepping two ducks for a couple of days now. Not sure what all he does, but he has it down.

It’s really nice outside, the kind of day that makes you glad to be alive. The sun is shinning and the sky is blue. Time to go fill the bird feeders as they’re looking for their breakfast!

Tomorrow morning we’re headed down to Denver to go see Tom and Holly. First up we need to be at the AT&T store at 9am to pick up Lori’s new phone. Then we’ll head up to his house to celebrate.

Today, may you all have a great day and remember to cherish the blessings we all have. Now go open some presents and have a cookie or two, or a Bloody Mary, or both! From our family to all of you, Merry Christmas and God Bless.

Well, we’re here. Santa is somewhere over Russia, according to the Santa Tracker, and is already working his way east. Remember, with the time difference, it’s almost Christmas Day in some parts of the World.

Jag and I made it down to Denver in Ty’s truck by a little before 9am. After dropping the truck, we headed right to the AT&T store for new phones. I wasn’t getting one but for $7, why not. After that, we ran a few more errands, grabbed some food and then headed home. We went to Hovey (Ty’s work) to drop his truck, had some lunch, grabbed my truck and headed home.

Meanwhile, Lori was with Addy, Eleni, and Jen, for Jen’s birthday. They had a girl’s pajama party from 2 until about 6. Ty made it home before Lori and he and Jag hung out. Ty’s in the shower now as he works at 7.

I think we’ll roast a turkey today after the gym. Not sure what all else we’ll do today. Probably run some last-minute errands. Jag and I had a fun day and had a chance to catch up on a lot of stuff. Time to go get Ty’s truck started so that’s it for today. Happy Christmas Eve and God Bless.

48 hours and it’ll be here! Today Ty works and Jag and I are taking his truck down for its first oil change. While down in Denver, we’re getting Jag a new phone. Hope to be back around noon. Lori works in Vail today and I think Edwards tomorrow.

Ty was off but with him missing three days he asked to work so I said I’d take his truck down. He had a bad cold but is on the mend. Madi is off to California today for 4 or 5 days.

I picked up a turkey for leftovers that we’ll cook tomorrow and then I think the boys are doing a hot pot for Christmas Eve. Jag is then making Peking Duck for us for Christmas.

Tom’s power went out yesterday. Luckily he bought a generator that automatically kicks on when the power goes out. Good investment.

Time to get moving, 5:45am now. Have a great day, be well, stay safe and God Bless.

Last night was a blast. Everything, as always, was perfect. I didn’t think Lori could ever top any of her previous parties. but she did it again. Shultz and his son Agustus arrived around 5:15 as they drove up from Denver and were anticipating more traffic. Everyone else showed up right on time about 6.

We’re lucky as we have such a great group of friends. You couldn’t find a better fit of people if you tried. A lot of that is because we’ve been together for so long. With us all getting together once a week, almost every week, for years, you really get to know each other. The girls all get together with us a bunch too as we always do things throughout the year to include them. Carla, when leaving, thanked Lori and said, see you at the Super Bowl party, ha! Lori is unquestionably the best hostess and throws the best parties! This is the fourth year for our Fellowship Christmas party.

This was the first year for Davy and Abby who couldn’t believe what a great time it was and were so thankful to now be our neighbors and be part of the group. They’ve become really good friends in a short amount of time. We’ve known them for years but were never that close. They of course knew most of our group already. Abby and Lori were talking and Lori later told me Abby said, here comes your Ralph Lauren model husband, ha ha! That’s quite the statement coming from the owners of Gorsuch! I was teasing Lori later that night that now I’m a Ralph Lauren model, funny.

Jagger knew everyone and was a joy to have here. He had a fun time too. He played bartender and made the girls all Green Gardners, which is the signature drink from Nobu. The food was fantastic as well. Shultz brought ten cigars back from Barcelona, when he was there in September. Now these weren’t just any cigar, these were some special Cuban that was only made for Fidel Castro. Clark told me they had to be like $1500 for the box of ten. Mark said you can’t get these anywhere and kept asking Shultz how he not only got one, but got ten! I forget the actual name, but they were super smooth and really good. We all enjoyed them. I haven’t been smoking much with this being just the second cigar since the Halloween party on October 6th, so it gave me a huge buzz. Davy doesn’t smoke much either and we were saying, we felt like we just smoked a huge joint.

James was telling us all about the benefit show in L.A. a week ago. Funny to get all the back stories about all the so-called celebs. James always says, why do these people think anyone wants to hear their opinion on anything. As you know, he’s just one of us, and that’s why we all hang together, as we all see him like that too. Us, James and Addy and Ben and Eleni are going to this couple’s house for New Years. I told them last night that if dinner is at 7, we’d better be celebrating on East Coast time as no way I’m lasting until midnight, anywhere.

Ty called in sick again today as he has a really bad cold. He’ll be coming home today as I think Madi’s family leaves for California today. I’m picking up a turkey today from Casey who owns the meat markets up here. He had a couple left over from Thanksgiving and Lori did such a great job, I said I’d take another one. We’ll cook it up just for the leftovers.

Great weather up here. Wasn’t even really that cold last night. 8am now. Shultz and his son are still sleeping downstairs. His wife wasn’t feeling well so that’s why he brought his son instead of Jane.

Three days left! Enjoy. God Bless.

Tonight is our annual Christmas party. Lori has been working away for days. We still have a lot to do but should be ready for when our crew shows up at 6pm.

Ty is still sick. He went home from work yesterday morning. We brought him a Z-pak on the way to the gym. Then the rest of the day was spent doing things around the house, going to Costco twice, picking up the homemade tamales, getting flowers, and a few other things. He called me at 6 this morning saying he thinks he was going to call in sick. Poor guy sounded terrible.

Jag showed up around 6 last night. We were going to grab some sushi to go from Matsu but after eating a tamale or two, we were full.

I need to run to La Perla in Silverthorne this morning to get the rice and beans and homemade guacamole. Also need to clean up out back at the cigar lounge but first need to go get ice and get the drinks chilling. We did buy a countertop ice maker at Costco yesterday for $169 bucks that works great. Joey, our appliance repair guy said they work great and are well worth the money.

Davy dropped by on the way home from work to bring Lori another glass decoration she wanted to go with some she has. Michelle, our neighbor a few doors down, wrapped a bunch of presents for me for Lori which she does every year. She loves to wrap and is really good at it.

Almost 7am now so I need to get moving. Have a great Saturday and Merry Christmas to you and God Bless.