Move to Denver - Dec 2011

Move from Raleigh House

Well, time for the big move to our new house in Denver (Wash Park area).  Since Shawna was knee-deep in the new job, Keith got to babysit the house as the movers packed and loaded the trucks.  We really did not have much to prepare for the move: just do laundry (after the Xmas party and slumber party on Dec 3rd) and empty the fridge by donating everything to John and JoAnna.

In Raleigh, everything worked like clockwork on Monday Dec 5th: Keith dropped Shawna at the airport for Hartford, picked up the rental car, Budd Van Lines showed up at 7:30am, the car movers showed up at 8am, and the specialty packers (for washer/dryer, TV, and pool table) arrived at 10am.  The house quickly went from immaculate to a war zone within an hour as the floors were prepped and boxes brought in.  Thank goodness Shawna was not at home to witness the packing - with paper used instead of Shawna's preferred bubble wrap, it could have been an argument!

It took the movers two days to pack up the whole house - longer than expected considering we don't have any children!  Wednesday was spent packing the truck though it flowed over to a few hours Thursday morning - the rain on Wed slowed the team down.  Keith stayed at the house Monday night but freeloaded off John/Jo on Tues and Wed nights.

With the remaining few days in Raleigh, Keith made the most of it.  On Tuesday night, Keith/John/Jo went to Sullivan's Steakhouse and on Wed night, Keith/Keith A/John/Jo went to Satisfactions to watch the Duke game.  Thursday was a quick breakfast with Jen at Starbucks and lunch with Steph at Pei Wei before heading to the airport for the weekend in Louisiana.

Purple Bedroom - Unhappy Shawna!

On Monday, December 12th, we arrived at the new house in Denver at 6:30am - Shawna had only spent 15 minutes in the house when we bought it, so it was fun for her to see it again.  The new interior paint job was done while we were in Bhutan, so neither of us had seen the finished product.  We had arranged for the paint to generally be the same color scheme as in Raleigh - so imagine our surprise when we saw that our bedroom was painted purple!  And...not some cool color of purple, but instead some bright, princess-purple.  Yuck!  Eventually we realized that we had given the painter the wrong number.  To save money on a re-paint, Keith tried to convince Shawna that the color would grow on her - but Shawna would have none of it!

The movers showed up at 8am ready to go.  It only took 1 day to unload the truck, with Shawna working from home on her cell.  On Monday night, we got the bedroom and office set up, and on Tuesday, the movers came back to unpack - meaning take stuff out of boxes and put everything on a flat surface.  The house looked like a tornado hit it.  At the same time, we had coordinated all the vendors to arrive: Comcast cable/telephone/internet, ADT security alarm, Geek Squad to set up the stereo, and the guy to shut down the sprinkler system.  In addition, the cars showed up - so a LOT was accomplished.

Move into New House in Denver

We spent the rest of the nights that week setting up the house (we still had to work during the day), but by Saturday morning we were generally unpacked.  That meant that we could spend the weekend working on the details - and were 100% complete with the move by Sunday at 10pm.  Hooray!

For pictures of the new house:

Xmas Party - Dec 2011

Twins - Kate and JoAnna

Wow - our last Christmas Party in Raleigh!  We have held a Christmas Party every year for the last 6 years with our friends - it was fantastic to have over Kim/Jonathan, Keith/Kate (plus Phoebe/Ruby), John/JoAnna, Phil/Joyce, Steve/Amy, Brandon (Teresa was away at work), Julie, Steph/Jason and Kim/Tom (plus Kaley/Ryan/Riley).

Kim and Tom drove up from Charlotte with the kids, getting to Durham at about 1pm.  We met them there for a run around the WaDuke before grabbing lunch at Fosters.  It was great to do that a final time before we leave - and we also had to blow some time since we had a couple of house showings that afternoon.

Riley, Phoebe, Ryan

For our Christmas parties, we usually bring out the good china and crystal (when else would we ever use it) and do all the dishes ourselves.  This year we decided to admit defeat at the hands of the pending move so asked everyone to bring side dishes and also used paper plates and plastic-ware (our moms would be embarrassed).  In retrospect, these were both great moves - there was no way we could have done everything that day.  It was also a huge help to have Tom around to help get a few things ready in the house.

Dinner was delicious: Keith roasted a turkey that ended up quite juicy - we did this the "upside down" version with the breast down to keep it moist.  Shawna made the stuffed pork tenderloin like the year before, and we also made a huge pitcher of red sangria.  Kim made a sweet potato dish, John made the scalloped potatoes with mushrooms, Kate brought a salad, Kim/Jonathan brought their technicolor jello salad (served as a side, salad, OR dessert!), Brandon brought chips and a dip, Steve brought shrimp, Steph brought stuffed meat and cheeses, and Joyce brought a fantastic apple crisp with ice cream.

Yummo - Dinner!

We did the normal white elephant gift exchange (both gifts and re-gifts) once Julie arrived from a previous party, and spent the night chatting.  Thankfully only one of the shake weights from last year made a repeat showing.  This year the theme seemed to be clothing items or kitchen ware.

Steve, Amy, Brandon

The Snarrs and Artins stayed the night and it was a bit of a slumber party with the kids.  The next morning, we had coffee and bagels together before everyone headed off to go home.

It was a great way to spend our last evening with such amazing friends.  We will miss hosting in NC but know that we will still share many memories with them on trips, coming back to visit and of course hosting them in CO!

For more photos of this event:

Supper Club - Nov 2011

The Suppa Club Crew

Wow - our last official Suppa Club in Raleigh.  While no one could quite figure out how many years we have been doing this (maybe 4?), the last one that we attended as official residents of North Carolina was held at Joyce and Phil's.

Appetizers

The idea of this one was to reprise the favorite meal we had in all the years: Cuban night at Phil and Joyce's, complete with home-made roast sucking pig.  We had very little to contribute to this one: only the sangria (white and red) - which was very helpful as we had a lot of work to do to prepare for Bhutan and moving.  Kim and Jonathan brought two yummy appetizers: one made of a taro root shredded and fried like hash browns and the other was a pastry with guava paste (the primary ingredient was butter)!  We all chatted for an hour or so before eating - kicking off with beer, mojitos, and the sangria.  Joanna was the non-drinker for the night because she was still under the weather - very sad for her, but good for us as we had a designated driver!

Keith and Joanna

Main Course

Sitting down, our first course was Cuban salad brought by Natalie: very tasty.  That was followed by the self-served main course, including lime rice (brought by John/Jo), black beans (via Steve/Amy), plantains (courtesy of Keith/Kate) and the suckling pig and roast chicken with mojo sauce (all created by Phil/Joyce).  The meal was slammin'!!  Dessert was rum cake with either dolce leche or vanilla ice cream, accompanied by Cuban coffee. 

It was a fantastic final Suppa Club for the two of us - though we do plan on heading back to Raleigh every once in a while to participate in some of them in the future.

Keith, Keith and Kim

Supper Club - Oct 2011

October was Julie's turn for Suppa Club.  The theme was Halloween, with most people wearing orange and black.  We arrived at Julie's to be served orange and black pasta, with plenty of wine at the ready.  This was a bit of a lighter one with a few people at other events, but we had a great time with Julie/Blake, Kim, Kate, Teresa/Brandon, and Steve/Amy.  We brought pork tenderloin with spicy marmalade, and others brought vegetarian lasagna, a chicken dish, cheeses & crackers, and a carrot souffle that was fantastic - it did not taste of carrots at all!  We also brought some homemade bread for John as he and Jo were too sick to make it (still recovering from Aruba).  One of the highlights was when Amy gave us all some of her Smart Socks (she owns the company) - very cool!  Once we put on the socks, we decided to have a sliding contest to see who could slide the furthest -- we knew the game needed to end when Julie fell - thankfully, she didn't break anything this time!

Supper Club - Sept 2011

We were supposed to host "suppa club" on the weekend of the 24th, but a trip to San Francisco with Keith's work forced us to change the date at the last minute.  As a result, it was lightest attended supper club - with John, Joyce, Jonathan, Kim, and Keith/Shawna the only participants.  Jonathan mentioned he had never seen our house so empty!

The theme was Mediterranean.  John showed up with two types of hummus and pita.  The hummus was homemade and was excellent - one was super-spicy and the other was spicy with lemon.  The pita was store bought, but not for lack of John trying - unfortunately the draft version was a bit hard for his taste.

Our contribution (OK, let's be honest - Shawna's contribution) was moussaka and beef/pork kebabs.  Joyce brought a salad (along with grilled bread) and baklava.  Jonathan brought a delicious side dish (can't remember the name) as well as tzatziki.  He and Kim also brought a surprise dessert - baklava.  It was an incredibly happy surprise to have a double dose of baklava - and this meant that we could have a baklava taste-off.  Since Shawna, John, and Keith did not know who brought which, we were treated to 2 baklava each and had to decide which was the best.  Of course this required multiple tastings of each before anyone could make a decision.  Shawna and John agreed that the "diamond" shaped one was best, while Keith went for the triangle one.  We all came up with lots of reasons why, but the biggest shocker of all was that Keith voted for the smaller piece - very out of character!

The night ended with everyone taking home some of the leftovers - thank goodness or we'd gain 10 pounds this week just trying to get through what was left!

Supper Club - July 2011

John and JoAnna organized this event with a 2 hour canoe trip north of Raleigh.  It was a beautiful afternoon and we had a leisurely paddle down the river.

John and JoAnn

After this, we all returned to Raleigh, showered and then went to Trali, an Irish restaurant in Brier Creek, for dinner.  We also celebrated Steve and Amy's wedding - we surprised them with a gift and a homemade gluten-free red velvet cake for dessert.

Steve and Amy at Trali

MS 150 Bike Ride, CO - June 2011

This was my (Keith's) 3rd year doing the MS150 bike ride (a fundraiser for Multiple Sclerosis) - cycling from Front Range Community College in Westminster up to Ft Collins - 75 miles each way.  I was actually unsure if I was going to even do the ride because the weekend before, while in Napa, I pulled a hamstring in my left leg and got some kind of flesh-eating virus on my right leg (aka poison ivy).  I went ahead and rented the bike on Monday from Bicycle Village (3rd time - probably better to have bought one by now) but did not ride it until the Friday morning - just to see if I could even pedal a bike.  It wasn't pretty, but I could do it - and I was slow enough that no one would be behind me to see the disgusting poison ivy thing on my right leg.

I spent the Saturday riding out with Christine's husband Jack part of the way and Cal for another few miles.  It took about 5 hours of riding to get to Ft Collins - longer than previous years.  Our overnight was at the Best Western University Inn - not exactly luxury accommodation but it was across the road from campus so super-easy to get to.  We did our traditional dinner at Paninos followed by bed by 8pm.

Most of the team left Ft Collins on Sunday just after 6am.  I drafted off Jodi for 70 of the 75 miles on the way back, which meant that I made it back in 4:25 by freeloading off her work.

Yet another good ride: I was able to raise $1K toward the team contribution of $22K - and I am ready to be a cyclist - once I actually buy a street bike....

Supper Club - May 2011

Our friend Charlie has taken a year off from being a doctor and is traveling around the world.  Africa, Bali, South America...and Raleigh/Durham.  Which does not fit?  Anyway, we were lucky that his layover in NYC included 4 days in North Carolina.

Charlie was scheduled to show up on Thursday in time for dinner which Shawna had arranged to have at our house.  We then got an email from Charlie that...surprise....he missed his flight in NYC, was being routed through Minneapolis, and would now get in after 10pm.  So, we promptly called John and Joanna and asked them to be our back-up dates for dinner.  Not surprisingly, they quickly accepted!

Friday morning, Keith introduced Charlie to the WaDuke trail.  We met John/JoAnna at our house on the Friday night for drinks, followed by drinks at the Wine Bar, followed by dinner at The Lantern. 

Fried Turkey

On Saturday, we hung out at the pool, got in a workout, and prepared to host (in conjunction with Keith/Kate) our Suppa Club, with the theme of "Thanksgiving in May".  This was a good way to introduce a pom to local cuisine - including deep friend turkey, jello salad, and all the fixin's.  It was gorgeous weather so we all ate outside on the deck.

Sunday we ran the golf course again to work off 5% of the weight from the night before, then met Steph at Fosters for a quick lunch.  That afternoon Keith had to fly to Denver and Charlie back to NYC for his flight to Caracas the next day, so we said our goodbyes.

Suppa Club Crew

Charlie Enjoying Thanksgiving in May

Owls Roost Rumble, NC - April 2011

This year Keith decided to run the Owls Roost Rumble again along with Keith and Kim.  Keith and I had been ever so slightly training for this the preceding couple of months.  The run is a 1/2 marathon in Greensboro, NC.  Keith and I drove out in his car quite early and Shawna was to meet us after the race.  Kim drove up from Charlotte to meet us so the 3 of us could do the trail run together.  Kim decided that she wanted to run with the boys and not behind with the girls, which ultimately meant that within 5 minutes of the run Kim pulled ahead of the Keiths and was not seen again until the end! 

Keith and I stayed together for the first few miles, then I pushed ahead - which in retrospect was a poor idea.  I was feeling good so started pounding the hills...the downside of which was that at mile 12 I could barely walk (never mind run) and limped/hobbled the last mile.  Of course 500 feet from the finish I picked it up a little bit so that I was not too embarrassing running over the finish line.  There, I saw Shawna chatting with Kim who had by this time already cooled down, stretched, and was busy chatting away.  Our friend Keith arrived later, in time for some of the freebie pizza and snacks.

Keith, Kim and Keith - Finished at Last!

Shawna jumped in Kim's van and I followed behind as we headed to Charlotte while Keith went back to Durham.  A couple of hours later we were at Kim and Tom's house.  Keith had a nap while Shawna chatted with Kim and Tom.  We headed out to dinner at Roosters, preceded by drinks (Kim and Tom had a sitter for the night).  Breakfast on the Sunday was on the patio, then Shawna and I headed home to catch up on some errands in the afternoon.