denver, i just don't get it.

i like holidays.

i like all the hoopla.

honestly, i do.

but denver, your version of hoopla and my version of hoopla don't seem to be the same.

well, at least when it came to the st. patrick's day parade last saturday.

mr. lesley's parents and aunt and uncle were in town, so we donned our best green attire and headed downtown for the morning parade.

we waited and waited and waited...our anticipation rising with each random person we saw walking down the middle of the street, selling dollar store gems out of a grocery cart.
but no...that was only a foretaste of what was to come.

then finally...it was time for the festivities to begin. 

yes, there were your traditional law enforcement cowboys in attendance...

and there was the occasional float decked out in all things green...

oh, and of course there was a lot of irish pride...

but there were also super creepy clownish "things"...

and juggling leprechauns...

and irish dancers who didn't actually dance but rocked some incredible curls...

{those have to be wigs, right?}

and an irish themed margaritaville because nothing screams st. patrick's day like a dancing parrot...

and star wars characters...

{this is when the confusion really started to set in}

and then there were the pirates...

and the cattle let loose on the street...

but no parade is complete without stuffed animals donning the hood of a toyota.

am i right?

i guess what i'm trying to say is this parade lacked a little thing i like to call cohesion. 

as much as we tried to make sense of the randomness, we just couldn't.

not to say that it wasn't entertaining. 

it just didn't make a whole lot of sense.

now i would be amiss if i didn't also mention some of the parade's other cast of characters, including...

-the pt cruiser club of denver

-a lot of people walking, maybe wearing green, maybe not, possibly waving

-the scotty dog club of denver with four members

- and a whole lotta cars with nothing to identify them except for maybe a shamrock here or there

denver, you know i will always love you. 

but i dare you to try to make less sense.

the good news? 

it can only go up from here.

beer, chocolate, and love.

if you haven't noticed lately, mr. lesley has a slight obsession with beer. 

he can talk brews and hops and flavors and aromas and breweries for hours.

{this is not a hyperbole. last night he literally talked about all these things for hours with some dudes. it was awesome.}

and because he's such a beer aficionado these days, i've learned a few things myself. 

a few days ago i called him to ask what kind of beer i should pick up for him and starting spatting words like "IPA...double IPA...white IPA...amber...lager..."

{all this coming from a girl who used to think coors light was the creme de la creme of beers.}

so with that said, it just made sense for us to spend part of our valentine's day at wit's end brewery for their first annual beer and chocolate pairing event.

this wasn't our first time at wit's end.

we've visited a couple times before because of their super friendly staff, unpretentious environment, and    most importantly, delicious beer.

but this event really hit the nail on the head.

men love beer.

women love chocolate {especially on valentine's day}.

put the two together and you, my friend, are a GENIUS! 

the beer was predictably awesome.

{i even liked the more hoppy varieties.}

the chocolate was rich and flavorful. 

and the pairings were spot on.

initially, i can't say i would have picked to spend part of our "romantic" evening at a local brewery, sitting on a church pew, sharing beers over a plastic table, and admiring the decor of red roses in water bottles. 

but isn't that what love is all about?

sometimes love means letting go of what you think or want and being along for the ride with what makes the other person happy.

and, if you're like me, you may find that what makes the other person happy has a funny way of making you happy too.

while we were sitting there talking, and sampling, and people watching,  and laughing, i realized i was having such a wonderful time.

because even though it was a far cry from a fancy schmancy dinner date {i was wearing my north face fleece for crying out loud}, it was very much us, and i wouldn't have changed a thing.

so with chocolate on my face and beer on my breath, i say to you...

cheers.

to love. 

to romance.

to plastic tables.

and to us.

on love.

dear mr. lesley,

i used to think i knew what love meant. 

and then we got married. 

and even though i'm still learning about this crazy thing called "love," i've realized it's quite different than i thought.

in these last eight months, i've realized it looks a bit more like...

-volunteering to take sir winston out when we get home late

-resisting the urge to throw your dirty socks at you when you leave them in the living room

-giving you space when you are sick

-praying for you every morning on the drive to work

-communicating how i feel, even when i just want to withdraw

-checking out books for you from the library

-admitting that i have no idea how to load the dishwasher

-telling you what i need instead of just expecting you to know

-holding in farts {hey, sometimes the truth is awkward}

-remembering to feed miss louise

-never, under any circumstances, eating cereal while sitting right next to you {the chewing sound will throw you over the edge}

-keeping my elbows in check while we're sleeping

-being forever grateful for your amazing cooking skills

-being forever grateful that you're ok with me not having amazing cooking skills

-visiting all the denver breweries with you

-letting things go, saying sorry, and moving on

-learning the ins and outs of hockey

-getting excited with you when we see a michigan license plate or when you get a really great sale at the grocery store 

...just to name a few.

sometimes love looks like flowers, and cards, and candies, and roses.

but more often than not it looks a lot like a big, fat choice...

that no matter where we are, or how i feel, or what i want...

we're in this together and i'm committed to "us." 

in all the big, little, and somewhere in-between moments of our lives.

and frankly, that kind of love takes the cake.

hands down.

any. day. of. the. week.

a super late christmas post.

i used to dread christmas. 

{geeze, that sounds really bad. sorry jesus.} 

 some interesting family dynamics mixed with the anniversary of my mom's death early in december...

well, it made it less than a happy time. 

 and i just felt like there was too much pressure. 

that all that's wrong in the world should be instantly made right, and if it wasn't then you should basically scrap the whole holiday season altogether and just wait for it all to blow over. 

 pessimistic much? 

 but sometime over the years, i realized that christmas centers in the birth of jesus who came to redeem all that is broken, messed up, and generally imperfect in the world. 

 and if we wait until our own ridiculous idea of "perfection" is realized, then we will be waiting a
very. long. time. 

 so it's better to just get over myself and enjoy all the big and small moments that are rich with goodness and love and life. 

 so without further adieu, the best of the "good stuff" from christmas break 2012...

the third annual sisters' christmas

sometimes you are lucky enough to have family who feel more like friends.

and other times you are lucky enough to have friends who feel more like family.

i feel like the luckiest one of all to get to have both.

hence the start of our sisters' christmas...

a tradition that started 3 years ago with myself, kari, and calley and has been going strong ever since.

two sisters and an honorary sister drinking mimosas, eating quiche and sticky buns, and exchanging gifts together.

it's one of my favorite parts of christmas.

words fail to express how much these two women mean to me. 

it's very simple really.

they just get it.

and to find people that really understand you, in all your crazy, is so rare and amazing.

i hope that during all the hustle and bustle of this season, you have time to celebrate with your "family" and feel known and loved too.

{oh, and it's always fun to get some presents, right?

new jammies, heart sunglasses, two beautiful ornaments, and a subscription to "real simple" were the icing on the cake.}

help our family!

{via}

in approximately 28 days {but who's counting?}, mr. lesley and i will be celebrating our first christmas as the lesleys.

and that's a pretty big deal, right? 

they make ornaments to celebrate the occasion after all.

anywho...

because of this milestone, i've been thinking a lot about traditions and how we need to get some.

and fast.

now, i tried to institute our first holiday season tradition of walking to starbucks in our jammies the wednesday before thanksgiving.

but apparently mr. lesley is too cool for that, and it didn't matter how much i wined {but it's for our tttrrrraaadddiiittiiiooonnn, pppplllleeeaaassseee!}, he put on his jeans and i carried the torch in my sweatpants.

so i'm coming here to get some holiday tradition ideas. 

what do you do with your family to celebrate the holidays and make it extra special? 

the fate of our family is at stake, so please let your voice be heard! 

happy birthday 'merica!

in honor of this day amongst days, i thought i would pull this photo out of the archives.

it just shows that even a midwestern girl with little coordination can be an olympic hopeful.

and that is one of a thousand reasons why i love our country so much.

happy birthday 'merica.

in the words of tina turner, you're simply the best.

{p.s. wedding updates are coming, so don't you worry! mr. lesley and i just got back to denver a couple of days ago, and i've been cleaning and organizing like the domestic goddess that i obviously am!

i appreciate your patience.}

easter weekend.

this weekend, i...

:: reveled in how much i love cereal.

::cuddled with sir winston (i mean, this is pretty much a daily occurrence)

::went over to the keith's house with mr. lesley for one fabulous meal. one day i will cook like nancy! 

::helped coach two soccer games looking like an eskimo.

and we won both games! go spartans.

::painted over the atrocious green paint in my dining room and kitchen.

it looks so. much. better in white. 

::shopped till i dropped with my sister. i was literally in a comatose state when we got home.

and i loved every second.

::loved everything about easter.

the beautiful day, church, easter brunch, my long afternoon nap.

it was fab.

::did a little decorating and thought about how much i love my honey.

good times.

p.s. only 68 days until the wedding! 

(being engaged is kinda overrated. i'm ready to be married already!)

hope your weekend was fun, productive, and relaxing too! 

happy easter!

i hope your easter was...

as fun as matching your older sister.

as comfortable as a new pair of fold over fancy socks.

as lovely as the most pastel pink you can imagine.

and

as festive as a brand new white bonnet.

{but only slightly less awkward.}

here's to a day dedicated to redemption, hope, and peace.

(and eating candy until your stomach hurts)

14 things i love about my valentine.

1. he writes the best love letters ever. 

2. whenever there is even the slightest thing wrong, he knows it immediately. i am convinced he knows me better than i know myself.

3. he is working so hard in grad school, and i am so, so proud.

4. he calls his turtle louise "babe."

5. he loves dawson's creek even more than i do.

6. during the whole wedding planning process, he has been really great. yes, we've had disagreements and misunderstandings and maybe i've cried a few times, but overall, i'm just so thankful for his support.

7. he rubs my feet and never mentions how weird my toes are.

8. he is one of the most empathetic people i know.

9. he doesn't let me feel sorry for myself or throw temper tantrums, but he knows when i'm down and just need some extra  love.

10. he is smart with his money but knows when it's important to shell out some cash to bless someone or make a memory.

11. he likes to cuddle (but, shhh, don't tell anyone:)

12. he makes me laugh all. the. time. he is so quick-witted it's kinda unbelievable.

13. he loves me so well that i want to love him well in return (perfect example, cooking. a labor of love in the beginning that is starting to feel like a joy).

14. his confidence in us makes me feel so hopeful about our future together.

he is not a perfect man.
and i am definitely not a perfect woman.

but everyday we're trying to learn what it means to love each other unselfishly.
and i wouldn't trade our journey for anything in the world.

home is wherever i'm with you.

mr. lesley and i spent a fabulous time back in illinois seeing a lot of people that make my heart so very happy.

as soon as we got off the train in chicago, kristin (one of my favorite people on the planet) met us for a generous ride back to rocktown and a lunch stop at portillos.

the italian beef is life changing.

mr. lesley just had to have a hot dog. 

if he had it his way, we would be eating hot dogs smothered in ketchup for the rest of our lives.

we spent that evening with the fam (minus my broskie who had to work),
even meeting up with my step-broskie for drinks.
my parents are becoming quite the party animals in their old age.

for new years eve, lele, chrissy, and i decided to take the boys out.
they don't get out much, obviously.
(and maybe we ate in a construction zone, but the food was definitely tasty.)

we pretty much had the perfect new year's group.

after dinner, we went to matt and chrissy's house for some perfectly cut cheese, jello shots in strawberries (chrissy is definitely the hostess with the most-ess)...

rock band (lele and i dominated "don't stop believing", but i guess you could have assumed that, given my history with journey). 

and texas hold 'em.
i pretty much won, or they just stopped the game after an hour and a half because i just kept folding.
you choose.
and in case you were wondering, crackers and m&ms are perfectly reasonable chip substitutes.

then it was time to ring in the new year...

we kissed our honies...

and then lele attacked everyone on the couch.

oh leels...

we passed out soon after the ball dropped and woke up ready to bring in the new year with a side of swedish pancakes at johnny pamcakes. 

one of rockford's finest.

on monday, mr. lesley, my dear friend christina, and i drove to the little gem that is galena, il. to meet up with some of my favorite college girlies, char and mandy.

lunch at dirty gurts has become something of a tradition for us.

the burgers are good.

there are good photo opps.

and the decor is somewhat nontraditional.

after mr. lesley retreated to a book store and coffee shop, we strolled the cute little streets, window shopped, drank coffee, and caught up on life. 

moments like these make me wish i lived back in the dorms. 

you know these girls must be pretty amazing if they make me miss those dorms.

after getting back to rockford, mr. lesley and i joined lele, zack, chrissy, matt, jenelle, and joe to celebrate our engagement over sushi.

i am so lucky to have friends from both college and high school (well, elementary school for most of them) that  i am still so close with. 

i love these girlies. a lot.

speaking of high school friends, tuesday morning i got to meet the amazing marci for coffee and good conversation. 

it was so good to catch up on life and laugh a lot.

and marci said she loves my blog (hi marci!!!!) 

finally, we just had to spend more time with our niece and nephew, fiona and jayden.

and, if you can't tell from the pics, mr. lesley is pretty popular with the kiddos (and dogs if you look closely).

jayden taught us to shoot deer...

(he is such a pro, and i definitely struggled).

then it was time to meet his gecko roger.

yes, jayden named his gecko roger.

gosh, i love that kid.

and we finished the night off with a little tea party with princess fiona.

(the picture of mr. lesley fixing fiona's crown makes me melt.seriously. so, so adorable).

once again rocktown did not disappoint.

thank you to everyone who made this trip so great for us.

until next time...