Chateau del Mulsoff

2011 Retrospective

2012-01-02T12:58:00.000-07:00

2011 meant change for the Mulsoff family out here in Colorado. We went from a petcentric, spendy lifestyle to a Grace-centric frugal lifestyle. What can we say: kids and money (or lack thereof) changes people.

Let's take a look back on our 2011 year:

February: We made a long awaited trip to visit Lori's brother Bryan and Amanda (now fiance) in Charleston, as well as a side trip to visit family friends Mike and Anne Farmer. We had a wonderful time and have since decided that when we win the lottery we'll have a home on the beach over there. We'll send pictures when we make the purchase.

March: Lori's mom, sister Amy, and niece Senna made the trip out here to have a last visit before the permanent addition to the Mulsoff clan made her appearance. There were goats.

April: Dave and Lori were fortunate enough to make the trek back to the Midwest for back-to-back baby showers thrown by both the Schmidt side and the Mulsoff side. It was a whirlwind but incredibly awesome to see everyone. Living out here we don't get to see the whole family a lot, so we're glad we had the opportunity to do so for a happy occasion.

May: We bought a pool for the dogs, and witnessed our Moosey Moose run around like an giddy idiot. It was pretty fun. We also got cracking on our garden. We planted lots and lots of stuff, but only really got jalapeno peppers this year. Still no luck with the tomaters or the bell peppers.

June: Was just waiting. Waiting waiting waiting.

July: And then the world changed with the arrival of Grace Engel Mulsoff, 7 pounds and 11 ounces of pure exhausting awesomeness.

The end of July and through September brought loved ones by, including a couple by Lori's mom, Dave's mom, Amy's family, Lori's friend Jax, Jenny and Shawn Keller, and Lori's brother Bryan and Amanda. Gracie charmed them all. :)

October: Lori went back to work at the State of Colorado. And for the most part, the whole deal went over very well until Grace started to get sick at daycare. As detailed on the Burp After Feeding blog, her illnesses made us re-consider our life choice of remaining a dual-income/daycare family. This led to Lori leaving her beloved job at the State to be with her even more beloved Grace at home in November.

December was Grace's first Christmas, and we're positive she won't remember a lick of it. :) All grandparents came into down in early December to shower Grace with love and kisses and gifts. The end of December it was just us as a family, Dave, Lori, and Grace with their pack of hoodlums (Hailey, Moose, and Fozzie).

We rang in the New Year like rock stars, crashing even before the ball dropped in New York. But we went to sleep happy and feeling blessed. Adding a new member to our family hasn't been easy, but at the same time we've never felt more complete and happy.

Here's to an amazing 2012! Happy New Year!!!

Thank Goodness for Gram Mulsoff!

2011-12-30T15:05:00.000-07:00

Gram Gram sent some photos! Enjoy all! And Happy New Year!!!

A Merry Mulsoff Christmas

2011-12-26T09:45:00.000-07:00

The weekend of December 10th brought in our dear Molly for her annual holiday visit, however the pictures that were taken of the visit were either on Molly's camera or our tablet.

Lori just found out how to download pics to a computer from their tablet...BEHOLD! Miss Molly's visit!

Aw... look at Gracie with her Gram Gram. :)

We had a wonderful visit from Molly; although we didn't go out and have adventures, we had plenty of fun at the Chateau del Mulsoff. Plenty of food, a wonderful Christmas morning for all, and a LOT of snuggles for Hailey. Grams and Hails like to bunk together during her visits.

We do not complain. On a side note, we slept wondferfully!

So thanks Molly for your marvelous visit! We look forwatd to seeing you over Easter.

Merry Christmas everyone!

A Very Merry Schmidty Visit

2011-12-07T11:03:00.000-07:00

Some pictures from Nonnie and Papa's visit...

December? Really?

2011-12-05T11:29:00.000-07:00

Yes. Really. And we haven't posted on this blog since September. Wee Grace is entertaining herself on her playmat, so Lori has a moment to update y'alls on the Life of the Mulsoff in the greater Denver metropolitan area.

Good thing is that nothing that hasn't already been announced (such as Lori's transition into full-time mommyhood) has happened. We've been living in relative peace and quiet (relative to a zoo, that is).

Well, almost nothing.

Something funky is going on with Moose's eyes and he's enduring a round of steroid treatment so it doesn't look like he's bleeding from his eyes anymore.

We also had a Christmas Visit from Lori's parents!

They came in last Thursday night, and the weekend was full of Grace, food, and hockey. Dave has taken up hockey on the weekends and had games on Saturday AND Sunday. Lori's Dad went to go see the man skate, and it sounds like they had a good time doing the whole male bonding thing. Lori and her mom went shopping, much to Lori's delight. For her dad pointed out that Lori was born on a Black Friday... very appropriate. :)

We celebrated Lori's mom's birthday, fed Gracie, and just enjoyed one another. The weather got cold here most of the time they were here, so outdoor activities weren't in the cards, especially with Grace. So good conversation, good meals, and good cheesecake.

They left this morning, and we already miss them. Lori will upload pics from the visit a bit later.

Upcoming visit from Dave's mom this Thursday!

Hopefully we can get on a more regular schedule with the new year approaching.

In the meantime, Merry Christmas!

And thanks, Tim and Chris for flying out and spending time with your wee Gracie, Lori, and Dave. And Hailey and Moose who wouldn't stop trying to show their love through gaseous means. And Fozzie who couldn't stop puking gift ribbon.

Up From Sea Level

2011-09-16T09:55:00.001-07:00

Lori's brother Bryan and his girlfriend Amanda paid a visit to Chateau del Mulsoff over the holiday weekend.

They were an absolute joy to their new niece Grace.

The trip was punctuated by a couple of meals out, and a lot of attempts to do things but never actually doing them.

For example, we attempted to go for a walk at Castlewood Canyon. Usually the stroller would have worked, but we tried the other side of the park this time and all the trails are rather rugged. Since we didn't bring a sling and everyone was in flip flops or other inappropriate hiking foot wear.

We also attempted the Garden of the Gods. On Labor Day. Midmorning. Yeah, we couldn't even find a parking spot. Nuts.

We also spent a ridiculous (and for some of us, sickening) amount of time in the car that day, when our mountain drive that substituted the walk at GOTG turned into a 10 hour debacle. An 18 wheeler flipped on the road we were on and traffic was at a stand still, so we took a "shortcut" that lead to another traffic jam.

*sigh*

On a positive note, we all had a good time anyway. We had an intense trivial pursuit game, plenty of boozy beverages, great weather, and good conversation. Nothing like having family in town.

We just hope that Amanda and Bryan come back sometime. If our desire was to ensure them never ever moving out here, Mission Accomplished!!! ;)

But at least it's nice to visit. Right! ... Right???

8 weeks down, a lifetime to go...

2011-08-28T07:59:00.000-07:00

As of Friday, our little Grace has been outside Lori's womb for 8 whole weeks. 8 whole weeks! In that time, she's gone:

From this on July 1st...

To this 8 weeks later!

She was screaming her head off 8 weeks ago, and now she is smiling up a storm.

The days are still quite a blur for Ms. Grace and her mom. So far, Grace has shown a great liking for the following:
1. Snuggles
2. Her binky
3. Her bouncy chair
4. Moose kisses
5. Daddy's bedtime stories

She's taken to voguing when she is tired and trying to fight off the inevitable draw of sleep. She throws her arms dramatically around, often framing her wee face, or stretching in slow motion and in complicated patterns.

And we thought Queen Bubbles was the resident drama queen.

Anyway, life continues to go well for our little family. This week we'll be readying the house for Lori's brother Bryan and his fiance Amanda for a holiday weekend visit. Very excited to have them come out. You all know what that means... GARDEN OF THE GODS!!! Woo!

Today, we are planning a walk to the farmer's market, doing a bit of landscaping in the backyard, and enjoying a hot day here in Colorado. Yesterday, we moved around our bedroom. And since we all know you are dying to know what that means, we'll upload some pics eventually.

For now, you'll just have to settle for our 8 week photo shoot with Grace, now available at the end of Grace, August 2011. Enjoy!

Holy Crap, it's almost September

2011-08-21T16:06:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the lack of blog posts... we've been rather occupied with the new member of our family:

She's currently sleeping in the kitchen. Don't ask.

August is a busy month! Lots of birthdays an anniversaries... including Dave's birthday AND our anniversary!

This year was our 5 year anniversary. We simply cannot believe that it has been 5 years, 4 homes, 2 dogs and a daughter of a life we've had with each other. What can we say? Time flies when you are having fun!

So what did we do for our 5 year anniversary? Go to the zoo of course!

It was a thrilling day for our Grace.

Giraffes were huge...and horny. Let's just leave that to your imagination. Ew.

For being vicious carnivores, the polar bears were very playful and cute.

We don't know what this was, but thought a freak of nature should be included. Equal opportunity.

Those lawn ornaments are surprisingly accurate.

Lori got to feed a bunch of lorakeets. Very friendly, especially when bribed with nectar.

The chill cheetah.

Wild dogs at feeding time.

It was an absolute gorgeous day and we had a great time. For dinner, we headed out to The Fort for our annual meal there.

Yep, we brought Grace with and she was a sleeping angel. Well, not in this picture where she seems to be trying to locate her ever-present binky.

Ah...and lo! Our sleeping princess awakens in the kitchen. So we must sign off for now.

Enjoy more pictures at Chateau del Mulsoff smugmug!

It's Been One Week

2011-07-08T12:58:00.000-07:00

And the promise that one can't imagine life without your new child rings true for Dave and Lori.

Meet Grace.

First Family Photo

The doctor is in...

Lori's hands look gargantuan in comparison to her melon. A melon that measured in the 90th percentile, mind.

July 1st really didn't feel any different. We got the dogs to the kennel and were at the hospital 15 minutes early. We walked right up to Labor and Delivery, filled out a couple of basic forms, and got set up in our hospital room.

Lori was prepped (no need for the details there), Dave got his scrubs, and we waited. And we waited. Those were the longest 2 hours ever. Waiting for 11:30 to roll around so we could get crackin'. We were checked via ultrasound to confirm the location of our baby: still breech. So the c-section was still a go.

We were visited by nurses, the anaesthesiologist (who, by the way, was absolutely incredible and not because of the drugs), and my OB. Still didn't make the wait go faster.

Fact about the experience:
1. Spinal blocks are not painless. But worth it.
2. Morphine makes Lori scratch like a crackhead. Only now, one week later, is her mouth area healing for the amount of itching she had on morphine.
3. C-sections, no matter how smoothly they go, are still freaking scary. If it weren't for Bonnie the anaesthesiologist, Lori would have had a complete meltdown on the operating table (Dave was tending Grace at the time). Using only soothing words, Bonnie ensured Lori made it through that procedure.
4. Morphine, no matter how itchy it makes a person, is definitely effective for a full 24 hours post-op.
5. Grace came out of the incision butt first.
6. Hearing her cry for the first time was quite possibly the most shocking and awe-inspiring moment of both our lives.
7. Hospital food isn't bad anymore.
8. Grace has been the best baby ever.
9. She is also the most beautiful thing we've ever seen.
10. Moose likes licking her feet.

So our first week has come with Grace in our life and, just as predicted, we can't imagine life without her. We have laughs and tears, and we are still trying to get used to the unpredictable nature of having an infant in the house, but it has been a very satisfying and awesome week.

We'll be posting her 1 week picture soon.

In the meantime, we hope this video of Grace with the hiccups makes you smile.

Enjoy!

Nursery After Shots...

2011-06-12T15:27:00.000-07:00

Bah. So Lori hasn't finished the last curtain panel. Enjoy anyway!

Nursery Before Shots

2011-06-06T06:43:00.000-07:00

We're thisclose to finishing the nursery (one curtain panel away!), so the nursery isn't quite ready for viewing yet. We may change our mind later in the week. However, here are some Before Shots to help put this former computer room into perspective when you finally get to see the final product.

The Ultimate Before Shot...this is just when we were inspecting the place prior to purchase. Note the lovely sports-themed trim at the ceiling. This decor stayed from when we moved in (September 2009) until we started prepping for the nursery (March 2011).

In the middle of priming the bold brown and green theme.

Post wallpaper trim removal.

Primed!

Aw...

Pretty bare bones. Hope our little girl likes the end product... we sure do. Stay tuned!

Pool update: It should come as no surprise that Moose put no less than 4 holes in the blow-up pool last weekend. Fortunately for our waterlogged pup, we purchased a $15 hard kiddie pool from the grocery store this weekend. So far: no holes. But not for a lack of trying of course...

Best $10 spent. Ever.

2011-05-29T07:46:00.000-07:00

Our baby generously gifted her two pups a pool for the summer. A nifty little blow up pool. We thought that was a sweet gesture, but was a little bit nervous considering Moose had never encountered more water than that in a water dish.

Not that he couldn't manufacture his own fun in his bowl. See, Moose has this habit of forgetting that he's thirsty midway through a good slurp and just dunks his head in and blows bubbles.

Aw. Such sweet innocence.

Well, that sweet innocence did not match the sheer joy Moose experienced when he first tested the waters.

Oh, how we wish we had a movie of the antics between these shots. Of Moose diving into this little pool, splashing about, blowing bubbles, jumping out, running madly around the yard, doing barrel rolls in the grass, chasing his tail, and then galavanting back into the pool. All at Ludicrous Speed.

We've seriously never seen such unabashed joy from a single living being before. Best $10 spent. Ever.

He also managed to wear himself out (darn!) and have a very peaceful nap that afternoon.

May you also find such joy and subsequent peace on this holiday weekend.

Spring Update: Preparation for THE ARRIVAL

2011-05-18T05:15:00.000-07:00

Here is a sneak peek at the nursery, mostly because we haven't uploaded a single picture in a couple of months...

We hope that tides you over in an otherwise pictureless update. :)

We've had a hell of a run so far. It seems that our lives have become all about THE ARRIVAL. Preparation. More preparation. Apprehension, excitement, more preparation. Waiting. And as much as it has consumed our lives since we first found out in November, we've found it difficult to "vocalize" it on this blog. Basically, we are ridiculously excited to start this new chapter of our lives. We waited and planned, found a suitable time to try, and were fortunate enough to get pregnant pretty much straight away.

Our little girl arrives in early July (due date of the 8th) and this entire time has been holding our breath. And sleeping as much as we can. And preparation. Have we mentioned preparation?

Luckily, we've had a few things to distract us lately. After Lori's sister and mom and niece zoomed into town and zoomed back out, the next big THANG was the Week O' Baby Showers.

In short, Dave and Lori had a blast. After a very brief blip in Oak Creek to cozy up to some friends, we busted up to the Fox Lake area for the Schmidt side baby shower. Behold! We will have pics available soon...

Then we all drove up to Chetek for a few days immersed in Wisconsin's northern woods at Lori's parents house. THEN Dave and Lori flew from Minneapolis to Chicago on the 6th for the remainder of their trip, spent at Dave's mom's house. The Mulsoff shower was that Saturday, and again it was lovely.

All thank you notes have been sent, so if you haven't received one, let us know!

We have a laundry list of things to get done before THE ARRIVAL, but really nothing major. Everything is here and set up for the most part. We just have to polish everything. Get sheets on the crib. Straighten up the room. Pick up last minute items off the registry. Things of that nature.

From here on out, we're afraid that it's going to be largely about baby, just like it's been about Queen Bubbles and Moosey Moose. So we hope you like diapers and babies and pictures of dogs with babies and gardens. Although most of the garden stuff will be reserved for Home Grown Nibbles. Maybe you can make a drinking game out of it, like take a shot each time Dave and Lori post about baby's poopy diapers. A sip when they post a picture of her. Waterfall when both the pups AND the baby are in a picture together! Woo!

Stay tuned for our first post of the year on HGN as well as nursery pics right here in the coming weeks. Garden is planted... we just have to take some pics. But first we have to find that camera...

Girl's Weekend!

2011-03-13T18:42:00.000-07:00

There were goats.

Lori's mom, sister Amy, and niece Senna all came out to Colorado to visit the Chateau before the baby arrives in July. Despite it being a bit nippy out here, we still managed to go out and see the sights!

First up: the Blue Barn goat farm. Lori found out from the owners that one of the goats just gave birth. What more fun for little Senna to see and pet some itty bitty goatlets?

Look at how tiny those things were! They were less than a week old when we stopped by to visit. Our tour included helping gather the eggs from the chickens and petting a few friendly cats.

Later on in the day, we decided to hit up Castlewood Canyon, for sights that Lori and Dave haven't even seen.

Our hike was cut a bit short by a stream crossing that Lori wasn't too keen on, followed shortly by a hail storm with hail the size of large peas. Perhaps grape-sized. We're not sure, but they sure hurt when they pelted us in the face.

Saturday brought a day at the Denver Art Museum for their Native American exhibit and to the Butterfly Pavilion. The pavilion held more than just the pretty butterflies; plenty of spiders, crustaeans, and other creepy crawlies were available for us to view through thick glass windows. Thank goodness.

Senna even got to play in their little flower and butterfly playyard.

Sunday was a calmer day with lunch and an afternoon spent walking around the Idaho Springs area. We were going to do the drive up past Mt. Evans, but a local warned us of some of the bad weather expected, so we decided to save that little drive for another time.

Monday, there they were: GONE. Hot dog, does the time pass fast! Regardless, it was absolutely wonderful to have Lori's female contingent descend up on our household. Plenty of good food, good laughs, and baby clothes (!!! some that Lori once fit into!).

Thanks so much for coming on out, ladies. We miss you already! ... but then again, we'll be back to the Midwest at the beginning of April. Until then!

Southeastern Adventure

2011-02-26T09:48:00.001-07:00

1. We needed a vacation.
2. We needed something a bit warmer.
3. We haven't seen Lori's brother Bryan in a *really* long time.

Solution: Visit Bryan!
Bryan moved to Charleston about a year ago. Dave hadn't seen Bryan since we moved out here, about Christmas 2007. Lori hadn't seen her brother since her grandfather's funeral in July 2009.

It was a perfect scenario. PLUS, Mulsoff family friends, the Farmer's, live also in the area!

So we planned the 4 day trip. And it was wonderful. The weather couldn't have been more beautiful and the visit couldn't have been more relaxing. True, we did our fair share of sightseeing, but there was never any sense of urgency.

We ate at Yo Burrito! on Thursday night and got to do a bit of trivia with some friends of Bryan's. Seriously huge burritos, fantastic guacamole. It was a great night.

On Friday we walked out to Waterfront Park and over to the aquarium. For lunch we at at the Rooftop restaurant. Later on, we met up with Bryan's girlfriend Amanda for dinner at a great little Italian restaurant and dessert at Kaminsky's. Apple spiced cake for the table. Lori had a Chocolate Monkey to wash it down... mmmmmm.

The next day, we nabbed some local coffee and walked the City Market and bought an awesome piece of Labradorite from a local rock shop. Then we hoofed it back over to the aquarium area to visit Fort Sumter.

We did fit in BBQ pork sandwiches in there... neat restaurant near Bryan's place. For dinner we went to a pub/bar place and had hamburgers (Amanda had grilled cheese... a wise choice). Bryan wasn't so happy about his ungodly hot burger, but we all iced down with buckets of frozen yogurt at 32 Below. You pay by the weight and so we all left very very happy.

Sunday was goodbye to Bryan (LOVE YOU AND THANKS!!) But it was a hello to Mike and Anne Farmer out on Daniel Island. After touring their lovely abode, we headed over to Brian (Mike and Anne's son) and Maggie's (Brian's fiance) place for drinks and appetizers, then back to the main house for steaks, baked potatoes, and unreal key lime pie.

Monday was the day of departure, but we were determined to squeeze in just a bit more. Mrs. Farmer took us out to the ocean for a walk and then over to Boone's Plantation for a tour. Farmer's sent us off well! Thanks to the Farmer's for your hospitality! :)

Then, it was back to good ol' Colorado and to the pups and to dear Fozzie. It was a short vacation, but it was memorable and relaxing.

For more pictures, head on over to the smugmug page. Lori went nuts with the camera.

Next trip: a week in the Midwest in April. But even before, then we are expecting Lori's mom, sister, and niece to trek out here for a long weekend. That'll guarantee a quicker update, we promise!

Remembering December

2011-01-16T07:45:00.000-07:00

We've been offline for awhile, but we've kept busy.

November we discovered that we were going to be parents for the first time. Lori decided to take Dave out to a fancy-pants hotel in downtown Denver for a night of celebration. Steak dinner, whiskey, and cigars for Dave; orange juice for Lori. The pups spent the day and night getting their tails exercised off at the doggie day care, and by the weekend we were all together, digesting the news.

We uploaded the photos of that night to our smugmug page.

By Thanksgiving, Lori got hit with the brick of exhaustion, and two weeks later the family started rolling in. Hence: the lack of posts.

So now we will recap our whirlwind of a December, complete with two back-to-back visits from our beloved parents.

First: A Very Schmidty ChristmasLori's parents came into town the 2nd weekend of December. We were much more active during these visits because of the rather lovely weather. We hoofed up (actually rode up in a cog railroad car) to the top of Pike's Peak where we promptly all fell ill and braved ridiculous high winds and freezing temperatures. When our eyes weren't iced over, the views were quite spectacular! Lori's dad, quite possibly the only visitor who hasn't been brought to Garden of the Gods, finally got a peek of the big red rock garden from atop the mountain.

Later in the weekend, we went to go see the King Tut exhibit at the Denver Art Museum, where we are now proud owners of a year membership. Overall, it was a good exhibit. Downside? It was an art exhibit, not a science exhibit. So no dead bodies. We were looking forward to seeing THEE King Tut. But instead, we got to see a nifty little container that housed his organs at least. We sang Christmas carols, played oodles and oodles of poker, and ate some good food.

Thanks for coming out, Mom and Dad!

Next: A Merry Mulsoff HolidayMolly blew into town the next weekend for the Mulsoff Christmas. We decided to bundle up and go to the Zoo to see the entire place decked out in an incredible Christmas light display. It's almost indescribable. (We're having some techinical difficulties with the DVD Molly sent us; stay tuned for more photos on that when we get that squared away.) Plus they opened up some of the indoor exhibits for people to warm up as they walked around. We saw giraffes, snakes, lions, taipir, rhinos... No monkeys though. Perhaps next time!

Then, the next day we decided to check out the Denver Museum of Science and Nature where we saw the COOLEST mineral exhibit (some of the kids were commenting that some of the specimens were worth a kabillion gillion dollars... impressive!). Plus we saw outerspace exhibits, watched a film on the solar system (updated to exclude Pluto as a planet... Screw that! PLUTO FOREVER!), and didn't even get through half of the exhibits. We also celebrated a great Christmas and Jerry's birthday at our favorite restaurant, The Fort. Another great visit!

Post Visitors:
We passed out.

Ever since, we've been relaxing and enjoying unseasonably warm weather until somebody decided to suck all that is warm out of the atmosphere and drop temperatures from the 50's and 60's to.. 1. 1 degree above freezing. We thought we moved away from the frozen tundra!

We hope to post more as the year progresses. In the meantime, check out all our new pics over at the smugmug page. Pics of the house, visitors, etc await!

Happy New Year everyone!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T14:44:00.000-07:00

By day, two normal labs. Obedient. Kind. Look how they lay.

Observe them also in their daytime pen. Look how well they sit.

Then, one day a year, they turn into some thing much more sinister...

Behold! The Devil!

And her side kick... Weird Blue Alien Puppy!

For the record, they both got treats for being such a good lil' devil and alien.

This year, Lori forgot the pumpkin at the farmer's market and didn't realize it until she got home. So... no pumpkin this year. (insert sad face)

On the upside, Lori tried her hand at making candy apples!

While admittedly an extraordinary science experiment where Lori wondered at the marvels of making actual candy, Dave and Lori shared an apple and were not impressed.

The kids should be starting to stop by shortly, and with oodles of candy (not homemade, assuredly) to hand out to all the kids of Parker they will come away from Chateau del Mulsoff with sugar in their veins! BWAHAHAHAHAHA! Fools!

Happy Halloween!

Morning Love With Fozzie

2010-10-27T19:43:00.000-07:00

Have a good day!

Calling Private Mulsoff!

2010-10-17T20:02:00.000-07:00

Reporting for duty, SIR!

Let's hear it for our men and women in the military! Lori's cousin Josh is stationed part-time in Colorado. As luck would have it, he's in charge of an entire fleet of Blackhawk helicopters. Perks of being family? Getting a personal tour of his hanger. Rock on.

This is Lori, getting the vest and helmet a good gussyin' up (note the scarf!):

Roger roger, Big Mama.

A major thanks to my cous in camo: Josh. That was an amazing visit!

We followed up stomping through the hanger with a delicious dinner at Jack Quinn's, a great restaurant in downtown Colorado Springs. :)

We'll leave you with a movie of Josh getting Lori suited up. Enjoy!

Oktoberfest: Let's Get Schmidt-faced

2010-10-04T18:45:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, Lori is a bona fide mutt. She boasts an array of European backgrounds. The most obvious stems from her maiden name of Schmidt.

Hellllooooo German! What does that mean for the Proprietors of Chateau del Mulsoff?

Why, an excuse to eat lots and lots of food, locality and health be damned!

We bring to you our Oktoberfest menu, complete with butter and flour and butter and more flour!

Jagerschnitzel:

Spaetzle:

Jagerschnitzle AND spaetzle... together with gravy..... ooooh.....:

And black cherry chocolate cake....

Happy Oktober, Ya!

It's beginning to feel a lot like...

2010-10-03T09:27:00.000-07:00

Decorating season!

Gotta have turkeys. We mean: HELLO.

Plus the obligatory creepy woman hanging on the wall...

Dried rose petals and gourds...

A cornucopia on the bar...

Pumpkins on the mantel...

More gourds in a basket...

Kitchen peninsula covered in the fall table cloth with Halloween bowl and candle in the background...

And drying fall orange roses from the window...

It's autumn at the Chateau del Mulsoff!

The End of September: random updates

2010-09-26T11:06:00.000-07:00

September has been a pretty uneventful month, for the most part. Lori had the priviledge to head back to Wisconsin over Labor Day to see her parents'/brother's cabin while in the area for her 10 year college reunion at Bay Beach in Green Bay.

Last weekend, we got a surprise visit from Lori's cousin Josh. We had tacos. It was awesome. :D

Other than that, we've just been hanging low. The kennel is working out alright for the pups. Lori is readying to plant the fall bulbs in the front to compliment the irises and tulips already there.

Yesterday, Moose and Hails alerted us to the presence of a herd of deer stomping through the green belt in the back; Lori didn't have her camera ready so all we got were pics of their lovely rear ends:

This morning we walked to the downtown Parker area's farmer's market to get some fresh veggies and order some milk. Here is Dave with his Moosey Moose:

Thankfully: life is pretty uneventful. :)

Solution

2010-09-19T19:28:00.003-07:00

We would like to make the following confession: Moose and Queen B have substance abuse problems. Yes, yes, we know: all too shocking. We thought that QB's compulsion to eat library books and photographs were simply a cry for help, a cry for attention. But despite daily walks and engaging her in her favorite passtime "fetch", she has now graduated to more substantial materials, like measuring cups and spatulas.

And Moose... aw Moose. Second day out of his cage during the day and he ripped up some of the carpet in the dining room.

Therefore, we've created a safe place for our kids to hang out during the day. We present Hail's Corner (those familiar with Milwaukee would appreciate that name):

We took the pictures in the evening hours, so the window is dark at the moment. But during the day, light floods in. The astroturf carpet is underlain with padding to keep the pups paws from getting cold on the concrete floor. They'll also have their beds in the fenced area for their sleeping enjoyment.

We fully plan on decorating it all out with a street sign, a mailbox, and maybe even a potted plant.

Why? Because we're the kind of people who put decorative trim on a glorified litter box, that's why. :)

We hope our pups will love their new little day care.

Simple Pleasures: Vistas and Hotdogs

2010-09-11T20:55:00.005-07:00

We decided to take a long overdue trip into the mountains today, followed up with a camping-inspired dinner 'round the fire pit.

This is the road around Mt. Evans...

Then at the firepit, we roasted hotdogs old school style: over a fire on sticks Dave fashioned into ...well... what are they called... Poker sticks? Those fork thingies made out of metal. You know what we're talking about. We didn't have any, so Dave ... Ok, simply put we shoved the hotdogs on sticks and put them in the fire.

Regardless of the tools used, itsa was good:

And coveted by all...

What is a camping dinner without S'mores, we ask? A tragedy. Luckily, we had all ingredients in hand.

These were also coveted.

Bellies full, life serene and uneventful. Best kind of September evening.

I once had a chocolate lab...

2010-08-26T19:30:00.006-07:00

And he was THIIIIIIS Big!

No, Queen Bubbles ain't slouchin' folks. Moose is living up to his name. At less than a year old (and 5 more months of growing according to the vet), he already outweighs QB.

We're sorta proud of the big lug. :)

Anyway! No major news as of late, but here are some updates:

We went to a wedding that Dave was standing up in and got to see a great many good friends that we haven't seen in a very long time.

A dear friend's mother passed away and Lori was fortunate enough to be able to attend the services. (Jax: I love you.)

We have some travelling coming up this fall, but nothing too earthshattering.

We *are* expecting our replacement dining room table this weekend. Anyone was to place bets as to whether or not they get it right? *sigh* Gosh, we hope they do. You can sorta see the table in this picture, but I think it is more important to focus on wee Evie and Moose conspiring together.

Den also seems to be sweet talkin' the sammich. Gooooooood sammich...

Anyway, we'll be sure to take lots of pictures of our table. Cuz we all know you want to see it as much as we do. If we get it.

Home Grown Nibbles

2010-08-24T11:30:00.001-07:00

We've just launched a sister-blog to track our adventures in trying to eat a bit more locally. This is being done for a variety of reasons, but mostly because it's the newest fad Lori's trying out.

Enjoy!

http://homegrownnibbles.blogspot.com/

Schmidt Invasion!

2010-08-08T07:18:00.006-07:00

July came to a close and August began with the visit of Lori's eldest brother, his wife Laura, and their beautiful daughter Evie.

The trip began simply enough: a car ride from the airport on Thursday. Lori hadn't seen Evie since she was a mere month old; imagine her surprise when this pumpkin came to visit!

Peekabo!

We came home, showed off the house a bit, and let the pups meet Evie. Just like with Princess Hailey, Evie was welcomed with open arms ...err... paws by Queen Bubbles and Moosey Moose. Moose even offered to let Evie check out his crib:

She dug his digs. Moose was pleased.

Friday, whilst Dave worked, Lori took the Guests of Honor to the Garden of the Gods: an absolute must by all who frequent Chateau del Mulsoff.

This time the whole trip was under the ominous threat of rain at every turn! Made for some pretty pictures:

Dinner was steak at Chateau del Mulsoff's favorite steak restaurant: the Warhorse Inn. Dennis does not recommend the sirloin; however everyone was pleased with their dishes, including Evie who dined off the kiddie menu.

Saturday was a lovely day trip to the Idaho Springs area where we shopped the little boutiques and ate at another favorite of CDM: Tommyknockers Brewery.

Then Sunday we went to Castlewood Canyon. Here is Den and Laura prepping Evie for her stroll. The mosquitoes were surprisingly bad, but then again Colorado has had a very wet year. And CDM failed to negotiate a contract with the Mosquito Union this season, so they've been particularly nasty. Keep your fingers crossed for next summer!

Then the Schmidt Gang opted for the "Go It Alone" package where Dave and Lori go to work and guests fend for themselves. It offers plenty of flexibility, with an all access pass to our pantry and bug spray. So for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, the Gang went to the Botanical Gardens, an aviation museum, Rocky Mountain National Park, AND the Georgetown Railroad. Evie scored this nifty hat from the latter:

All in all: a great visit! Many laughs, games on the Wii, walks, cake for Laura (birthday is fast approaching!) AND..... *drumroll*

EVIE TOOK HER FIRST STEPS!

Stalk Dennis on Facebook; he posted them there. The very night before they left, we bribed Evie with a kitchen magnet and the little pumpkin took her first steps. It was awesome!!!

For more pictures from this trip, click the link to the right for Chateau del Mulsoff smugmug. Pics are under Visitations, then Schmidt Invasion! Colfax Chapter, 2010.

Colfax Chapter of the Schmidt Clan: thanks so much for taking a week to come out here, see our new state, our new house, our new puppy, and letting us get to know our niece. :) Love love!

Did we post about the fence yet?

2010-07-21T05:21:00.003-07:00

No, we don't think so.
Dave and his friends built a fence in our backyard. BEHOLD!

Before:

Dave doing his cutting stuff with this thingy:

Post placement:

Almost done:

After!

We'll start posting some of the 2010 improvements, including the garden, the moving of the furniture, and the Ballad of Can We Please Have Our Complete Dining Room Set Already It Has Been Eight Months Already. Oh ho ho, THAT is a fun story. But we don't know the ending yet. So that'll have to wait.

Hope your day is sunnier than Colorado today!

Chateau del Mulsoff Welcomes: Illinois Clan!

2010-07-17T20:49:00.004-07:00

The Proprietors of Chateau del Mulsoff are pleased to announce the first successful visit to our humble abode by Miss Molly, Sir Robert, Lady Leslie, and Princess Hailey.

Much fun was had by all by this little visit.

Highlights of the trip:

Dave and Rob challenged Mother Nature Herself by strapping themselves into a rubber boat the throwing it down a mountain stream. All documentation of the event proved that Mother Nature was amused by this attempt and allowed them to survive their rafting adventure unscathed. Afterwards, they were pooped. Here we see Dave and Rob and Queen Bubbles frolicking on the air mattress.
Whilst the boys played, the women shopped. First, a lovely brunch in the morning followed by some pretty serious shopping at the nearby mall afterwards. Turns out Princess Hailey is quite the fashionista and helped Auntie Lulu pick out a very pretty dress.
Princess Hailey and Moosey Moose discovered that they were long lost friends from past lives and immediately began reacquainting themselves with each other. Here we see Moose trying to "reacquaint" himself with Princess Hailey's face.
A half day trip to the quaint little mountain town of Manitou Springs led to the necessity that the Princess Hailey must have her own Moose to bring back to Chicago with her. Here is Princess Hailey acquainting herself with the voodoo version of Moose. She named her new moose: Moose.
We also discovered that Princess Hailey is in a perpetual state of "chill", her arms almost always thrown behind her head with nary-a-care in the world. Unless Moose or Hailey are around. Then she sits up and squeals. They understand her, we're sure. :)

In sum: to our beloved Illinois Mulsoff Clan, thank you so much for coming on out! We miss you already, and Mr. Moose is already mourning the absence of his sweet Princess.

Until October when the two reunite... Cheers!

Complete documentation of the trip can be found on our smugmug site (link at right) in the Visitations folder.

Ah, Gunnison

2010-06-28T20:42:00.003-07:00

36 hours.

No dogs.

No cat.

Couple hundred miles away from all responsibility.

Best. Weekend.

EVER.

Schmidts: Westward, ho!

2010-06-02T19:46:00.002-07:00

Tim and Chris Schmidt (fearless parents of Lori Mulsoff) braved the bright blue yonder to venture westward to the Chateau del Mulsoff in Colorado, where their daughter and dauntless son-in-law, Dave, sped into the night to pick them up at....arrivals!

What does one do, in Colorado, one may ask oneself on occasion. And we say to you, we Proprietors of the Chateau del Mulsoff: if the weather is favorable and you have the will, we say...EXPLORE!

Dare to see the unknown to make the unknowable known!

Behold: our first adventure the very day after The Stupendous Schmidt Duo landed in this topographically varied State of the US...

The Cave of the Winds!

Conveniently located approximately one hour south of Denver and slightly east in Colorado Springs is...

The Cave of the Winds!

This is a stalagmite that we took a picture of. Ain't it dandy?

In truth it was sort of expensive for what you get, but still it is really neat to walk around a cave and be told the history if you've never spelunked before.

THE NEXT DAY (Saturday, as it were) was: Put your parents/in-laws to work day!

Graciously, the Stupendous Schmidt Duo conquered the Chateau del Mulsoff Vegetable Garden, in that they created one where no vegetable garden had been before.... Dad Schmidt and Dave suffered under the weight of a plethora of dirt and more dirt, hammered and nailed, rebarred where rebar should be rebarred, and thusly from the ground arose two great raised beds!

Mom Schmidt and Lori then performed the gruesome task of poking holes in the dirt, dropping seeds into the holes, covering them up, then watering. Believe it: very tasking. NOTHING in comparison with slaving all day to create the beds. At ALL.

Ahem.

Pictures aren't included. Cuz we haven't photographed them yet. Stay tuned for the GRIPPING TALE of the Plight of the Tomatoes! and other assorted vegetables in a later entry.

SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY

Brought a trip to Golden and Goldengate Canyon where our explorers decided not to enslave the parents/in-laws by instead exposing them to the SPLENDOR that also happened to be a bootleggers paradise.

What is this? Is this a harmless vista, with nary a sordid tale to be told?

NO! It is the view near this seemingly harmless shack... Which was used to break the law back when booze was banned. The shame of it still astounds.

(we can't wait to go back)

On our way back from the shocking revelations in Goldengate Canyon and a pleasant lunch at a local eatery, we passed this former armory-turned-apartment complex.

OR IS IT STILL AN ARMORY....? One may never know...

Lastly, the Stupendous Schmidt Duo at our favorite steak eatery where they - unbeknownst to the Proprietors of Chateau del Mulsoff - do NOT serve the beloved Prime Rib on Sundays. Note that they still smile in anticipation of the one day they return to sample such fine meats of marvel at a later date.

Thanks for making the trip, braves ones.

To dirt, tomatoes, and poker!

Ballad of the Foz Box

2010-05-02T13:15:00.005-07:00

Once upon a time there

Was a lab named Moose.

He was a beautiful lab

Who liked to goose.

Of our family one

Did not like that fact.

That member was

Our family cat.

Try as he might to

Get at Foz's butt,

He continued to be thwarted;

Foz was one hard nut.

Different strategies

Needed to be had.

Moose turned his attention

To piss off Dad.

After the cat's litter

He decided to go.

And a chunk of Foz's

Feces he had in tow.

Dad was not so pleased

By this and the rest.

So he spent the next

Sunday making this chest:

Behold our glorified litterbox! As they say, necessity is the mother of invention. And we desperately needed Moose's breath NOT to smell like cat crap.

Easter, belated!

2010-04-17T11:17:00.002-07:00

We did, of course, get to speak with family on the Big Holy Weekend, but we put off the glitsy bunny stuff until Dave's mom, Molly, came out for a visit. This included dying eggs (only 5, one broke):

Finding your Easter baskets:

And having a themed table set up.

Easter bunny also gave Moose a stuffed dinosaur (who is already eaten) and the Queen two tennis balls. Easter bunny did not give anything to Fozzie this year as he's been a loudmouth brat. That and Lori already spent a forture with toys the week before to figure out a way to tire the little bugger out so we can sleep past 5 am. Sigh...

Here is a shout out to Molly who flew the 1000 miles to stay with us for a few days last weekend! She survive a day drive into the mountains, past Mt. Evans, landscaping the yard, AND the forces of nature that are Moose and Hails.

Coming up... our first stabs at landscaping. :)

Happy Graduation!

2010-04-17T10:57:00.006-07:00

Moose graduates puppy school!

Check out the nifty hat.

Now he can sit, punch you in the face, hi-five/tackle, AND lay down. Sometimes he "stays" and sometimes he "leaves it". Actually, he really does a great job with those but he's just so excited that he just can't help but disobey! And he's so cute that we can't help but let him have what he wants. Especially the punch you in the face trick; we didn't teach him that one but he's just so cute when you are holding your nose and blinking back the tears...

Yeah, we are going to be AWESOME parents someday. Not someday soon, mind, but eventually. Maybe.

We're also trying to get him to roll over. This particular trick is taking a bit more concentration on our dear pup's part, but he's making progress!

He is growing big. And strong. Let's juxtapose Moose a couple of months ago. Mind you, Moose is only 7 months old. Hailey is 6.5 years.

Before:

After:

And he's not even done growing... Easter is coming up next!

Oh my, how pathetic

2010-04-15T19:59:00.001-07:00

Two whole months. Give us a day or two to organize some photos and get crackin' on some updates.

Manana!

Visitation: Schmidt side!

2010-02-14T17:35:00.003-07:00

Dave with his firefighter's mug

Queen Bubbles making Mom/Chris and Lori giggle

Lab wrangling at the Chateau's Christmas tree

Dad/Tim snugglin' with Moose

Lori's parents came the second weekend in December for a Schmidt Christmas celebration! We sang Christmas carols, Mom and Lori went to a spa, and Dad and Dave played Fix It at the house. The spa was a little shady, but it was a great time. And the fellas fixed an outdoor light, the dishwasher, and finagled a fix for the dining room light fixture.

Lori likes the division of labor.

Thanks for a wonderful Christmas trip! :)

Visitations: Mulsoff in December

2010-02-14T16:35:00.003-07:00

Mulsoff Tradition: Poppers with paper hats!

Dave and Lori: The Christmas Tree Shot

HOLY COW. Moose did NOT stay that size. Indeed no.

And the whole family in front of the fire place.

Molly came down the first weekend in December to celebrate Christmas with us.

Highlights:

We had a fantastic Italian dinner out after having a drink at a Mexican restaurant, which we originally thought was the Italian restaurant until we sat down and realized we were looking at a Mexican food menu.
We also went for a nice walk at Castlewood Canyon, however due to the bitter cold that walk was very brief.

Thanks for a very lovely Christmas celebration at the Chateau Del Mulsoff, Molly!

Long overdue congrats: Hailey Mulsoff!

2010-02-14T16:31:00.003-07:00

Rob and Leslie Mulsoff proudly welcomed their new daughter, Hailey, on October 15, 2009. We've done a lot of meeting over Skype, although it may be as late as July before we get to hold the new little one. :)

As you can see, Dave and Lori were triply blessed this year with three new nieces... We can't wait to meet you in person Princess Hailey!

Love,

Dave and Lori

Moosey Christmas!

2010-01-16T10:41:00.007-07:00

Happy Post-Christmas Greetings!

Let us bring you all into November in the Chateau del Mulsoff, when we finally had a huge change in our lives.

Lori and Dave had been talking for a long time about getting another dog. Debates raged over whether to get a Anatolian Shepard or a Corgi. (Obviously, Lori and Dave have wildly different ideas of the perfect sized dog.)

Then came November when the dog itch started creeping up. So Lori said, hey, maybe we could look at some dogs. And Dave said, sure why not. Let's look online at the newspaper clippings. Oh, imagine that, a new litter was just born in September of chocolate labs and are ready to take home this very weekend. Oh, Lori should go and take a look.

So Lori did, expecting the trip to be as all the visitations to the Wisconsin Humane Society before: full of cuteness but fruitless.

That is how we met Moose.

Lori isn't a big dog person by any stretch of the imagination, but Moose immediately won over her cat-loving heart.

Dave came out to the farm to see this super cute, super chill lab puppy.

Imagine his surprise when he found out that not only the father of the litter clocked in at over 110 pounds (eep!), but he was - by far - the largest puppy of the lot. This... this inevitable MONSTER is his large-breed-fearing-wife's voluntary choice?

SOLD!

It is now 2.5 months later and, even though it has been a bit challenging with a super cute super chill puppy (puppies are - no matter the disposition - incredibly energetic and mouthy), our family is whole.

Hailey's take on Moose: At first, well, to be honest, I hated the little turd. He was so hyper and wanted to play all the time and took time away from MY daddy and MY mommy. So unfair. That was until I realized that I, too, was hyper and wanted to play all the time. I now love the little turd and how he bites my neck and jumps on me and runs around like a little cute turd. He is a lot of fun and I, Queen Bubbles, accept my little Prince Turd.

Note Hailey sticking out her tongue... perfect siblings!

Fozzie's take on Moose: I hate everyone.

Ok, so it hasn't been a universal success yet. While Moose and Fozzie have yet to establish a treaty of peace, Fozzie has been content to remain almost exclusively upstairs in the master bedroom and be all lovely dovey at night. He's just happy he gets some time with us.

All in all, our new addition has been great. It is true that Moose's paw are already way bigger than Hailey's. In fact, the most common comment when meeting Moose for the first time has been: Look at the size of those paws!

Yes, yes we know. We will have a giant in the house. But that just means there is more of him to love... :)

Next up: Visitations from the Midwest and Christmas AND our new niece!

Back to Update! August, Part Deux, and into September

2009-11-29T16:55:00.004-07:00

We must interrupt our interruption to continue with the summer/fall update. Or we'll never get to it.

Capping both ends of our trip to Minnesota with the Schmidt's was a surprise visit to Molly's for her birthday! We also had the opportunity to attend a couple baby showers for Rob and Leslie and the now born HAILEY.

Not to be confused with our Hailey. Henceforth, in this blog OUR Hailey will be referred to as Queen Bubbles or Queen B or QB. Our new Hailey Mulsoff will be referred to as... Hailey Mulsoff. Or Hails. Or Hailey Girl. Sweet Pea. You get the idea.

It was a wonderful visit, and it was so nice to see Rob and Les before Rob and Les begat Hailey. And it was nice to wish Molly a happy birthday in person with her favorite lab giving her lots of kisses. :)

Next up: October!

We interrupt this update...

2009-11-16T19:48:00.003-07:00

Suddenly, we didn't have any time to do any updates.

Suddenly, we found ourselves with our hands full of chocolate.

LAB that is.

Meet Moose, everyone.

Sometimes...things just sort of happen. Like moving to Colorado.

More to come!

August: The first 1600 miles

2009-11-06T04:41:00.005-07:00

For people who have never been to the gorgeous lakes of northern Minnesota and/or never been on a houseboat, we highly recommend it. Split four ways, it was a relatively inexpensive family vacation. The inside was cozy but understandably small; the point is to enjoy the outside and use the inside for sleeping and hiding from the mosquitos at night. With slide off the back, places to tie motor boats to the houseboat, and a plank to (somewhat) safely go on and off shore, the vacation can be anything you want it to be. It was almost like camping, but with better beds, a stove and oven, and even a shower.

The entire roof was accessible, so while we were searching for another island to sidle up to for the evening, we would sit on the roof and watch the water and land slip quietly by.

We got to spend some quality time with the new nieces, Evie...

and Senna....

Can't forget Degen...

Here is the inside of the boat, with babies everywhere:

We fished, we played cards, we at good meals, and kept good company: the hallmarks of a wonderful trip.

August, September, and October

2009-11-02T04:29:00.002-07:00

Hello everyone. As you can see, it has been quite some time since we last posted. We've been plenty busy over the last few months, and over the course of several posts we plan to tell you all about it!

First things first: the pictures. According to the camera,we have 156 new photos to share with you, starting from before we bought our humble abode. They are all uploaded to our Chateau del Mulsoff smugmug, including:

Pets, Hailey
Travel, Houseboat Trip 2009
Travel, Molly's Surprise 2009
Photography
Life In Colorado
Visitations, Schmidt/Strupp Visit Oct 2009
Houses, Edinborough
Holiday, Halloween 2009 (this one just has one; ah well!)

The next few posts will go through the major highlights over the last few months, including our crazy roadtrip to Illinois and Wisconsin at the end of August, Momma Schmidt and Amy Strupp & Kiddies trip in early October, and a Life In Colorado update (including our snowstorm that shut down Denver for two solid days).

Lori must now end this post and head off to work. Stay tuned!

The Move!

2009-09-21T03:45:00.002-07:00

We have many pictures to share, including ones from our whirlwind trip back to the Midwest (twice) PLUS our new abode.

Pictures later. Talk now.

Lori writes this brief update from the cozy confines of the family room, also called the fireplace room because it is more descriptive than "family room" or "living room". Lori supposes that once the other fireplace room furniture arrives, we can put our more formal sofa and chair in the living room and if one considers that the living room might be considered the more formal of the two - sans fireplace - it may be easier to tell the difference.

Anyway, the move went smoothly. It was also vastly different than the one we had to move out here. First, the cross-country movers were paid by the pound, not by the hour. So we didn't really mind if they took their time. The cross-town movers were paid by the hour. So Dave helped with the clearing of the apartment, and Lori's mighty hands joined the fray once at the new house. End result: we are pooped. On a personal note, out of all the aches and pains of the weekend, it is her toe that is the stand out. Right foot, the big one. How odd.

Second difference is the status of our place. Our apartment was wee by comparison, and so having 100 boxes crammed into the space required immediate unpacking and careful placement.
Here, having so much more space, we have taken our time with the unpacking. We have enough room now to have a mess and still be able to walk reasonably well around the piles.

Anyway, it is time for Lori to drive to her job for the first time from her new home. :)

More updates coming!

Moving Locations!

2009-08-20T19:22:00.002-07:00

The Chateau del Mulsoff is pleased to announce the upgrade of our accomodations from a two bedroom apartment to a larger home in a quiet neighborhood.

Let the pictures speak for themselves, and if they don't, read the captions. Go to our smugmug page (link at right!).

Anniversary AND Birthday!

2009-08-20T03:27:00.005-07:00

We are pleased to announce that the proprietors of Chateau del Mulsoff have celebrated their third year of marriage on the 19th of August! Happy Anniversary, honey!

(enthusiastic applause)

But for those of you who recall, what comes after the Anniversary? Mmmmhmmm: the Patriarch of Chateau del Mulsoff turns another year older on the 20th! Dave is 32 today!

(massive enthusiastic applause)

Yes yes, thank you for your massive enthusiastic applause. Dave has much to celebrate this year, including a great promotion at his company AND we just bought a house (more details to follow in next post...).

Happy Birthday, honey!

Oh ho, Hailey! Yes? Is there something you want to say to Dad?

Queen Bubbles: Yes. Daddy, hallo. I wish you lots of kisses from your favorite blonde girlie girl at home. You love me. Happy Birthdays!

Well said, Queen B.

And Foz, would you like to say anything?

Foz: No.

Nothing?

Foz: Fine. Let me lick your arm and I'll say something.

Fine.

Foz: (lick, lick) mmm, tasty. Alright, Dad person, Happy Birthday. I'll try not to hairball into your sneakers next time. I swear it was an accident. Your shoes just came right up to me while I was in the throes...

OK! Great! Thanks Foz.

Summary: Dave is 32. Huzzah! Hope your day is awesome!

The Upside

2009-08-09T17:11:00.003-07:00

Lori went back to Wisconsin for another whirlwind trip to see family under less-than-ideal circumstances. The funeral for her grandfather was special and somber, with many of his grandchildren participating, just like 7 months ago when we said goodbye to Grandma Aggie.

The upside of heading home was the opportunity to meet her new nieces, Senna and Evie. They were, in short, positively adorable. Lori is close in age with her cousin Jenny, and as a result has found a lifelong friendship and sisterhood in that relationship. Lori hopes that Senna and Evie find the same thing. :)

Meet Senna, born May 2:

and Evangeline, "Evie" (pronounced "eee-vee"), born July 3:

Lori is actually a little tired and is not trying to give "sexy eyes" for the camera.

In Colorado news, Lori has found another 8+ months of employment through her contract, giving the Mulsoff Clan the opportunity to start house shopping! Dave and Lori started yesterday and have found three houses that they love that are, one way or another, relatively unattainable. However, the Mulsoff Clan remains undaunted! It is, after all, only the first weekend.

Who finds their dream house on the first weekend? The Proprietors of Chateau del Mulsoff certainly don't. Pssht, please.

We're sure we will find adventures to share during this exciting time in our Colorado life. Stay tuned!

Kismet

2009-07-29T20:00:00.004-07:00

Lori's Diary Entry

5-18-1991

Dear Diary,

Today we are at my Grandparents house. Strange because the caravan konked on us + we all piled into Dads car. SQUISH! Amy + I are sharing the front bedroom. AGAIN! Aahh, the sounds of the shuffling of cards with the adults + Dennis. BJ is in the living room on the hide-a-bed. Tomorrow is church + fishing. Speaking, actually writing of "fish", we had Grammas Fox Lake fish for supper. Delicious! You know whats really neat? Grumpa gave his 4 grand daughters each 1 silver dollar. I'll treasure it always. So much for waterskiing; the temps dropped. Bummer. Well, I'm getting in trouble for keepin' the light on, so Adios! ~Lori

I'm not sure why, but last week I struck by the need to pull out my old diary and begin reading it. I smiled noting that even as far back as 1991 one we were already calling him Grumpa.

I thought about that entry when my mom called on Friday to say that Grumpa took a turn for the worse the day before. Through Saturday's update saying that he wasn't really doing any better. Through Sunday evening when I couldn't sleep for some reason. I think it's because I knew I'd get the phone call, and I did.

I can't bring myself to go into details over the last few years of his life, mostly because of the guilt I feel at being afraid to face his dementia and how I chose to express that emotion.

What I will say is this: William Schmidt, my Grumpa, was one of the most wonderful individuals I have been priviledged to have ever known. He has, throughout my life, given me much joy, love, laughter, and understanding. Even through those awful teenage years where I didn't like anybody very much, including myself.

I love him and, as expected, I wish I could have found the courage to say that to him just one more time, even if he didn't realize it was coming from his Lawrence.

Someday maybe I'll be giving that silver dollar, which has lived in my jewelry boxes and night stand drawers for the last 18 years, to my own grandchild some day. And I'll get to tell him or her all about you, my Grumpa, and all the great memories I'll have of you for the rest of my life.

I love you, Grumpa, and I'll continue to miss you. Thank you for being such a kick ass grandfather.

With love,
Your Lawrence

To Tim and Jerry

2009-06-21T12:07:00.002-07:00

And to all Dads, new and old or soon to be:

Happy Father's Day!

Love,

Dave and Lori

A Break From Vacation

2009-06-17T04:09:00.005-07:00

So...enough about Hawaii for the time being. We know you are all dying to hear about how freaking expensive Hawaii is, but for today, let us focus on what we've been up to lately.

1. Fozzie and Hailey: ... This pretty much says it all...

2. First road trip of the year! Dave took Lori on a wonderful drive through the mountains all the way out to Aspen, over Independence Pass... Lori must be getting comfy with the awesome sights because this is the only picture she took:

Crazy pretty.

3. June 5th through the 8th brought out Molly-Mom to help get her Hailey-fix. We took a nice drive up to Steamboat Springs and met some of our famous countrymen. And got pretty comfy with them, apparently...

3, continued: We tried to go see Night At The Museum, but was thwarted by the raging tornado. We were sent to another theater with other people before even the previews started. Over an hour and one very close funnel cloud later, we were allowed to risk our lives in the comfort of our own homes. Lori made a very flat blueberry pie, but by all accounts it was still tasty. It appears taste is not exponentially related to the flatness of a dessert.

We all had a wonderful time; a lot of goofiness, laughter, reminiscing, movie watching, and food-eating. And wine consumption (Lori still working on that liter, Mol...mmmm). Thanks Molly for coming out to see Hails! And us and Foz. :D

No other news to report. We are still in our apartment, still waiting to hear about where we can buy a house, and still hoping that direction comes sooner than later.

Love to all!
-Dave and Lori

Hawaii Series: Big Honkin' Island

2009-06-02T03:50:00.003-07:00

We were, quite frankly, spoiled by Kauai. Considering we spend our weekends in Colorado driving for hours on end (yay global warming!), the wee island of Kauai was easy to finish in 2 days. It took us a half day to get up to the Na Pali Coast and Waimea Canyon (that's one half of the island):And another half day to get breakfast on the north shore (other half of the island):

The BI, however... it took us a half hour just to get from the Kona Airport to Hapuna Beach! And what a difference in landscape... Kauai was nothing but green green green. The west side of the BI by the airport is nothing but old a'a lava fields for miles (and, apparently, wild roaming donkeys. They had warning signs.).

It took us ... 2-3 hours to get to Green Sand Beach, at the very southern tip of the BI:

We thought Green Sand Beach would be a half day trip, including the hike. ALL DAY, more like. A good day, a long day, a holy-man-we-should-have-put-on-sunscreen-earlier day, but ALL day.

It took us 2-2.5 hours just to get to Hilo (a drive somewhat across the northernish part of the island), where the helicopter waited to fly us over a volcano:

That wasn't even the whole of it. We never went to the northern coast nor did we go to the Volcano National Park in the southeast part of the island (why, when we flew over a VOLCANO!).

All in all, the BI, whilst huge, was a ton of fun and we would recommend this big honker to anyone. Host to over 11 of the 13 possible climates, boasting that you can ski in the morning (you really can, there is snow atop Mauna Kea) and surf in the afternoon, you can get your fill of everything right here on the BI.

Rent a car, bring sunscreen, buy simple snorkel gear, bring good walking shoes, bring sunscreen, and get groceries for some of your lunches and breakfasts (explained in next post: Hawaii Series: Food is Freakin' Expensive), and bring sunscreen.

Whoops, Lori is going to be late for work. Until next time!

Hawaii Series: Strange First Day and End on the BI

2009-05-21T03:50:00.005-07:00

Ahhh... would you look at that.... When we arrived at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel on the west coast of The Big Island (or the BI, as Lori will hitherto refer to it as thus), we were greeted by a great many things. The hotel is this open concept, in that the lobby is open to the outdoors and therefore to the ocean. The hotel staff greeted us with warm damp towels to wash the rigors of travel off of us (Fancy Pantsy!), offered us some passion fruit juice, and fresh slices of pineapple.

Our evening, however, got weird as the hours passed. The weirdness began when we expected a quiet, romantic walk on the beach, just like in the movies. But no... not quite for us:
1. No more than a minute on the beach we met an old, skinny man, balding with a full beard, running around in tiny circles on the beach in a bright orange speedo. At some point in time he jogged out of his tiny circular pattern and shuffled up to us (still sort of mini-jogging) and asked if we wanted him to take a picture of us for us. We politely declined, and he waved and went back off to his tiny circular jogging pattern down the beach. Hm.
2. We continued our walk - away from the strange speedo man - and what comes down the beach but a 20 something TOTALLY ROCKING OUT to his headphones with a serene smile on his undoubtedly drugged up face. When we say rockin' out, we're saying arms flying all over the place, legs kicking out randomly like Elaine from Seinfeld. Needless to say, we gave him a very wide berth...

After these two strange encounters, we figure Hollywood must shuffle these dudes off the beach when filming those gloriously romantic scenes. We eat dinner (stay tuned for the Hawaii Series: Food is Freakin' Expensive post) and then have a drink at the Reef Lounge, where a barely intelligible but still entertaining Hawaiian lounge singer is serenading whoever cares to listen. Lori orders The Tropical Itch, the same price as all the rest of the tropical drinks, and got this monstrosity:

Yep, that is a backscratcher in Lori's drink. It. Was. HUGE. Note the 3:1 ratio to the Bailey's on the rocks. Also note the lounge singer in the background. We're certain that at some point he was talking softly to the crowd and we heard this:

Hummawumma hmmmawmma Tuesday wwwmmma hummmmma lay.

What? What about Tuesday? Alas...we never found out.

Continuing on our bizarro first night: we go back to our wonderful hotel room.

Our hotel room is spacious, beautiful, and we even have a large balcony with a table, chairs, and a lounge chair where we think, "hey, why don't we snuggle on this lounge chair, listen to the ocean, and drift off to sleep." What a wonderful idea! So we snuggle in, five glorious minutes pass, and then we hear what we think - although we aren't certain - is something viciously murdering a small rodent or bird. The screams and the squawks are so unbelievable. And it continues... so it may have been just the call of a very scary bird or whatever, but regardless we toss in the towel and go to bed, shutting our patio doors firmly shut. (It sort of reminded us of the Simpsons episode where Homer was trying to soothe Marge to sleep with one of those noise generators that projects soothing sounds of the ocean but is paired with squawking birds and pirates in the background. )

On our last day, we were unsettled to hear some pretty loud gobbling.

Lori: What is that... is that...?
Dave: Is that a turkey? On this island? Seriously?

*loud gobbling* We exchange a bewildered look and walk out to our balcony. Behold, one of several resident turkeys:

Hrm. Nice bookends to our stay on the BI, eh? :)

Next up: Hawaii Series: Big Honkin' Island

Hawaii Series: In The Beginning...

2009-05-10T09:55:00.006-07:00

Why did the chicken cross the road?

Because it could, biznacho. They were EVERYWHERE, and they strutted without fear. Apparently in 1992, a hurricane distributed the domesticated chickens throughout the island and the residents couldn't gather them all up. After 17 years, they've gone native and haven't looked back.

Now that the chicken punchline has been revealed, let us go over some highlights of Kauai:

We left for Hawaii on April 25, 2009 at around noon. We had a brief layover in Los Angeles, and a six hour flight over the ocean. We arrived in Lihue Airport (Leh-who-ee, emphasis on the "who") in the late afternoon absolutely famished. We decided that dinner the night before should consist of guacamole and guacamole alone, with chips soley used as a vehicle for the guacamole. Delish? Yes. Stomach filling? Not in the long term.
As soon as we got to our hotel, a mere 5 minute drive from the airport, we sat down to dinner. Dave had steak, Lori had a seafood alfredo penne thingy. We both had mai tai's. Everything was wonderful.
Oddly, not a single drink we had contained an umbrella.
In comparison to Colorado, we immediately noticed the humidity stepping off the plane in LA and Kauai. Not like we swam in the air like in Louisiana, but there was a distinct difference.
The weather on Kauai was occasionally overcast; in fact our entire last day was cloudy. But it still couldn't take away the beauty.
We expected loads and loads of color and flowers. Unfortunately, we didn't. Don't get us wrong: it was LUSH. Green green green green green. But not the floral overload we were expecting.
On the plus side, our awesome hotel had a huge garden in the courtyard and we got our fill of tropical plants and animals all in one shot.
Lori went snorkeling for the first time on Kauai. It was AWESOME!
Kauai is home to the Grand Canyon of the Pacific: Waimea Canyon. It was the most impressive feature of this island... vistas are beyond comparison.
Kauai is also home to a bunch of film sets, including Indiana Jones movies and the Jurassic Park series. We could have taken a tour, but decided against it. We got to see a lot on our own in our rental car.

Here are a few of our favorite photos from Kauai. Also we've posted all of our photos on our smugmug site (see right hand side of the blog), under Travel, Hawaii 2009. The only things we haven't developed yet would be the photos from snorkeling.

Spouting Horn

Waimea Canyon

Kauai Marriott, the view from our room

Na Pali Coast

Na Pali Coast

Waterfall in our hotel courtyard garden

Coconut weather station... heh heh...

Kalapaki Grille sign. "Open Until We're Closed."

Kauai Marriott courtyard gardens

Don't Drink the Water

2009-05-10T08:52:00.003-07:00

Goodness, the Mulsoff's and the Schmidt's are a fertile bunch this year. And no, Lori isn't pregnant.

BUT: Rob and Leslie are! Congratulations you two crazy love birds! Remember, "Davey Junior" or "Lori Isawesome" are two fabulous names that we think you should consider. Just sayin'.

And on the other side of the family, Lori's sister Amy gave birth on May 2nd to teeny weeny Senna Lynn, their first daughter. Here is proud Big Brother, Degen, and Proud Daddy, Todd welcoming Senna into the world... aw....

Next up: Dennis and Laura are expecting their first kiddo June 24th! Good luck all! :)

Happy Mother's Day!!!

2009-05-10T07:32:00.002-07:00

To Chris and Molly (Mom and Mom):

We hope your day is beautiful and restful. We love you, appreciate you, and miss you dearly.

Mom Haiku, 2009

Enjoy the flowers!
Sorry we cannot be there.
You are Awesomeness.

Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road?

2009-05-10T07:30:00.002-07:00

FIND OUT...in our Hawaii Post series.

But before that, please stay tuned to some informational posts...

Futility

2009-04-20T03:35:00.003-07:00

How to make a snowman with a yellow lab:

You don't.

Greetings! Another snowstorm, but this time it was worthy of the Midwest. Heavy wet snow, slush, everything. Of course here, the next day it was in the 50's and the snow should be entirely gone by Wednesday.

We took advantage of the snow this last Saturday. We bundled up and took out Hailey to play in the snow. Everytime we tried to start a snowman, Yellow Thunder came through and thought it was time to play with snowballs. It didn't take us long to apply Labrador Math:

Snow+Lab = Happy Crazy Lab

therefore

Snowman + Hailey = Highly Improbable

As you can see, we got kind of far, but then Dave called Hails and she subsequently tackled the snowman.

We head to Hawaii this weekend! EEE! Lori is terribly excited and has been subject to random squeals of excitement (EEE!). Dave is also looking forward to the trip, if only to get a couple of drinks in Lori to cease the squealing.

Lori welcomes his attempt. She can't wait to try as many fruity, tropical drinks with little umbrellas while baking in the warm sun as she can.

Cheers!

In the beginning...

2009-03-27T12:08:00.004-07:00

FIRST: There was a Blizzard. The Blizzard passed. Then...

There was Queen Bubbles!!!

{insert tremendous music here, like that Valkyrie tune}

Da da da daaa da, da da da DAAA da, da da da DAAAAA!

The snows were not so bad, but Lori is working from home and decided to play with The Hails in the unbelievable sunshine. She loves the snow. Hails does. Lori is "eh-eh" about snow. But it was kinda cool having a snow day or two.

Almost Spring

2009-03-24T03:37:00.006-07:00

For the last two weeks, the weather in Colorado has been outstanding. And we were not idle. We took our first drives of the season for the last two weekends, exploring the west side of I-25 between here and the Springs and driving around the Golden area. We were even able to get Q. Bubbles to the dog park on the weekends too.

Here is what our dog park walk yielded in terms of vistas on this last Sunday morning:

From last week: Lori cannot express to you all how unbelievably joyful it is to witness Hailey run unabashedly toward her when she calls her at the dog park. The freedom Hails gets there makes Hailey so ridiculously happy and it is for that reason alone that Q. Bee hasn't been dethroned. :) Just take a look at that mug....Gosh...where is the zoom on this blog?
During the same hike, Hails met up with the tiniest dog Lori has ever seen. It was full grown at 4 pounds and that tennis ball the owner is taunting it with was as big as its head. SO CUTE. Lori wants one. Hails wants one for dinner.

That is all for now. Dave and Lori are gearing up for their Hawaiian adventure at the end of April, looking forward to being an aunt around that time (Lori's sister Amy is about ready to pop...), and sorta disappointed that the great weather didn't last. Back to the 30's and 40's this week. Ah... at least we had a warm first part of March.

Here are some photos of the kiddies. Lori was just playing around with the camera again. Enjoy!

Introducing ... Queen Bubbles....

2009-03-15T18:31:00.003-07:00

Yes. This:

is... "Queen Bubbles." (note her henchmen, still known as "The Foz", in the background)

Why? Interesting story. For the last several months, Queen Bubbles (formerly Hailey Mulsoff) has expressed her discontent with being left alone all day as her "servants" go off to make the money needed to sustain her Royal Butt. She's taken a liking to paper products and the occasional CD, as well as other miscellaneous bits. Photographs, letters, chapstick, tin cans.... BOOKS...If you look closely, you may note that this WAS a library book. We say "was" because now we own it. Little Miss Queen Bubbles actually broke into a plastic tote to nab this gem.

THEN, all of a sudden, she announced to the household that she will no longer be answering to the name, "Hailey." Too common, for Her Majestic Pain in the Butt. No... "Queen Bubbles."

We aren't sure where she came up with this name. We think it may come from her delusion that she is a small, delicate flower (or in this case, a bubble...whatever).

We've been calling her this ridiculous name in an effort to appease the ... monarchy. We've also rearranged the apartment to consolidate edibles into the bedrooms and then ban Queen Bubbles to the main room while we are away (we told her that the bedrooms were much too lowly for Her Highness). The transition was completed today, and tomorrow we will be able to see the fruits of our labor... by not seeing chewed plastic or anything strewn on the floor when we get home.

Hopefully. Otherwise, pray for Queen Bubbles. We may have to pop her.

Final Birthday Entry... ON TIME!!!

2009-03-15T18:27:00.003-07:00

And so we conclude our Birthday Series with a Non-Belated Birthday Wish to Lori's sister Amy!

Beautiful Amerz... We hope that you had a wonderful birthday, shared with the men in your life, The Todd and wee Degen, and the ever wee-er babe sitting in your belly awaiting birth at the end of April.

We love you very much, dear sister. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

Layout Change, Part Deux!

2009-02-28T11:47:00.002-07:00

Something bothered Lori about the previous layout, and it finally dawned on her what was the problem: too monotone.

Enjoy.

Upcoming post: Houdini Hailey. Stay tuned!

Content Change!

2009-02-17T05:35:00.002-07:00

Turns out this little blog is becoming no more than a virtual blanket birthday card.

Not that there is anything wrong with sending out the birthday wishes and all, but we're sure you would like to read a little bit more about the happenings at the Chateau Del Mulsoff.

We promise to deliver. Soon.

We have but ONE more birthday wish (March 15) to deliver before we conclude the Belated Birthday series. One year of announcing to all who care to read that we are rarely able to relay a birthday wish of happiness and long life actually on time is humbling enough.

ANYWAY! Stay tuned! Posts should pick up soon!

1 Year Anniversary

2009-02-12T20:09:00.003-07:00

February 13, 2008, David Mulsoff made a choice.

He made a choice to live... or die.

He made a choice to cough... or breathe easier.

He made a choice...to stop being a butthead.

David Mulsoff quit smoking.

Today, I, Lori, honor my husband who has given up his most beloved crutch, his sacred smoke, for the well being of our family as it is and as we hope it shall someday be.

As you may recall, we celebrated in true Mulsoff Style: we went to a hockey game. Let us go back to January 10, 2009:

Here is the Man of the Hour, Le David, standing in front of the venue, the Pepsi Center. While he is extremely happy about being at the game, he did not want me following him around like a paparazzi. I, personally, thought that would have been cool. But, eh, that's just me.

Behold: the Mighty Cube that hovers above the ice, complete with a Pepsi Ball on the bottom.
And the players warming up. If you squint, you can see Sid the Kid (the next Wayne Gretzky...whatever that means.)(just kidding; I remember seeing the fellow on a Wheaties Box)

Yes. A floating can of beer.

And we two non-smokers, pleased that the Av's beat the Penguins (sorry Molly).
To Le Dave, Best Husband Ever, He Who Quitteth the Smoketh:

Thank you.

From the bottom of my heart and the very depths of my lungs. I'm so very proud of you.

UBER Belated Birthday Series: The Todd

2009-01-26T20:09:00.002-07:00

Dear Todd,

Hi. Its Lori. I am here to confess that I completely flaked on your birthday. For some reason I thought it was FEBRUARY 9, not JANUARY 9th. We should have called or something, and we feel simply terrible.

Because, ladies and gentlemen, I, Lori, normally flake on birthdays on this blog but at least I get the card out within the week.

Sigh.

SO HERE's TO YOU, oh Todd of the North, Todd - Dad of Degen, Todd - Husband 'o' Amy.

We love you. Very much. :) We hope that you had a good one!

Belated Birthday Series: Happy Birthday Jesus!

2009-01-14T19:31:00.005-07:00

Behold: our pictures of the Christmas season. Molly (Dave's mom) came the week or so before to celebrate an early Christmas.

Here we are at Christmas Dinner. Its Mulsoff Tradition to pop poppers and wear the hats that come out of them. Its not normally tradition to wear the fake moustaches that one is occasionally given as a small token out of the poppers. But he looks so tough!

Here is the cookie and gingerbread house spread with Hails awaiting any morsel that happens to fall to our floor...

We gave Molly the aforementioned gingerbread house kit, another Mulsoff Tradition (well, a newer one). We're not sure why Hails looks possessed.

And of course, the Man of the House with Santa's little helper...

Dave had off the whole time so he and Molly had a lot of Mother/Son time. No one was injured in the making of this holiday.

Merry Christmas, Molly! Thanks for coming out!

And for those of you who want to see how we decorated our wee apartment....

So concludes our Belated Birthday Wishes to a Mr. Jesus Christ. We did, indeed, sing the traditional Happy Birthday Jesus song (a strong Schmidt Tradition) and Lori savored a nice portion of the Schmidt Traditional Stollen, compliments to her mom and her sister Amy.

Out here, in the Wild West, two families and their traditions continue to merge: the Mulsoffs and the Schmidts. Or "Schmulsoffs" for short.

Sorta.

We hope that you, too, had a very Schmulsoff Christmas. We did!

2008: Year in Review!

2009-01-12T19:13:00.003-07:00

We can't say that 2008 was an easy year. Moving 1000 miles away from all of you was the least of our stresses. As you all remember, Dave's dad Jerry passed away February 23, 2008, and as you may not know, Lori's Grandma Aggie died Christmas Eve.

Death is never an easy thing, and our heart goes out to anyone who lost someone special this last year. Our only consolation is that we think Jerry and Grandma Aggie are getting along fabulously up there. They both loved easy chairs and the quiet. And their families. You both will be extremely missed.

On the bright side of things...
So many people went off and got themselves hitched! Or had babies! Or decided to get busy and have babies due THIS year, 2009! We had visitations from both sides of the family. Dave got to go home for a bit in September and Lori was home over New Year's for Grandma Aggie's funeral. Not exactly ideal, but hey, she got to see all of her family and some friends along the way.

SO.

You must wondering what we've been up to.

Answer: .... Nothing! Seriously, we just have been busy working and such. We don't drive much now that winter has set in and driving in the mountains isn't really the best idea. We play games, clean the house, play with Hailey and Fozzie, and just try to enjoy ourselves.

Now that the holidays have passed and the new year is bright, we've started to "do" stuff. This last weekend, we prematurely celebrated Dave's 1 Year Anniversary of not smoking with a trip to the Pepsi Center to see the Colorado Avalanche whoop the butt's of the Pittsburg Penguins (hockey teams, for y'all who don't know). It was a ton of fun (especially since the Av's won...Dave was very happy). Lori is ridiculously proud: quitting smoking isn't easy.

With that, we have to give a shout out to Lori's parents too, who have been off the butts for a year now as well!

Congratulations, all you former smokers!!! Keep it up. These kind of quitters always win. Write that down.

Watch for coming posts: we'll put up pictures from Christmas (Molly, Dave's mom, paid us a visit right before Christmas!) and the hockey game.

Until then, ciao!

Belated Birthday Series: Tim/Dad!

2009-01-11T09:09:00.003-07:00

Dad brought in another year of life on December 28th! Huzzah! As usual and expected, the obligatory birthday card was sent out this last week - a wee bit late.

But we hope your day was filled with poppyseed stollen, love, hugs, kisses, back scratches, a small glass of whiskey, some popcorn, a few John Wayne war movies or westerns, Degen snuggling, and since it was a Sunday, a good visit to church to commune with the Lord.

That's just a few of Dad/Tim's favorite things. :)

Happy Belated Birthday, DAD!!!!

Belated Birthday Series Strikes Again!

2008-12-03T05:44:00.006-07:00

Lori's mom turned another year younger on November 30th. So Happy Belated Birthday, Mama Mia! We hope you had a good one (according to the annual Birthday phone call, she was a little under the weather and was subjected to terrible shrimp BUT it still was a good birthday!)!

Here is the birthday girl with her one and only Degen:

Aw....ain't she purty? :)

Pre-Thanksgiving Post!

2008-11-19T18:18:00.003-07:00

We know, we know: its been over a month. But we have a couple of visitations to report!

First, Lori's Dad and brother Dennis blew into town after a long hunt in the wilds of southeastern Colorado for the apparently elusive Great Elk. No meat was had, but it sounds like the Schmidt Trio (Lori's younger brother Bryan flew straight into Durango from Georgia) had a blast. Congratulations on a safe hunt!

While we are thinking on it, everyone who is going deer hunting this season, a mighty "be safe and shoot straight" salute to you too.

And whilst we are thinking on THAT, congratulations to the Traveling Nimrods for a great hunt this fall for various water fowl!

And all this talk of wild game gets us onto the topic of Mom "Chris" Schmidt: Lori's mom came into town less than 6 hours after Lori's Dad and Dennis took off for home. Her four night stay at the Chateau Del Mulsoff was a delight, as she was treated to the finest the Chateau hat do offer: a pet-free room, ample amounts of hot water for tea, a sampling of the two best breweries in America, home fried chicken complete with a trying-not-to-curse Chef Dave who burnt himself rather badly with the oil, and plenty of entertainment and touring.

Here is Lori and her mom at the obligatory stop at Garden of the Gods:

Later on in the week, Lori and Mom went to Boulder to take the tour of the Celestial Seasonings factory:

Unfortunately, Lori's allergies and unfortunate hairnets prevented Lori and Mom from fully enjoying the tour. It was an hour of having tea dust particles everywhere and we didn't even get to see the actual making of the tea; we only got to see the packaging of it. It was still interesting and we got some serious shopping done. Lori received the perfect mug that says: Born To Shop, Forced To Work. Ah, my mother knows Lori so well. She even let her daughter drag her to many retail facilities. We also went to see Castlewood Canyon, took a drive up through the area around Mt. Evans, visited Tommyknockers Brewery and Rockyard Brewery, and 3-Margaritas for Mexican.

To top it all off, while her husband and sons couldn't seem to find any elk in the southwest, Lori and Mom witnessed an entire herd galavanting through ranches along HWY 83 on our way back from Castlewood Canyon. It was incredible.

Fellas: we wish you were there. ;)

We promise to post more over the holidays! Check out our updated photos when you get the chance!

Belated Birthday Wishes: Uncle Robbie Edition

2008-10-11T11:33:00.002-07:00

Here is Dave's beloved older brother, who Hailey calls, "Rrar rar raaar," or loosely translated, "Uncle Robbie."

Uncle Robbie rang in another year of life on October the 7th, and from what we heard it was a great day for the good ol' Rob.

So here's to you, you slinger of Jack: Happy Belated Birthday! May your next year be full of love with your lovely wife Lesley and may your bromance with Horace blossom like tulips after a cool spring rain.

Triumphant Return!

2008-09-28T19:15:00.005-07:00

First things first:

BELATED BIRTHDAY SERIES:

The Jacky Addition!
Jacky's birthday was on September 10th. We've confirmed that she did, indeed, have a good first birthday in her new home with her newish husband (Bryan the Bold, 1 year anniversary July 21st) and her new cute and adorably psychotic addition to the family, Gwynn. By the way, her favorite color is pink. We've also switched to the Georgia font for the typing of this announcement.

Our beloved Jacky is on the right (y'all should recognize sister-in-law Laura, the beauty on the left).

Happy Belated Birthday!

Now, for news: ...nothing much! It has been wonderfully quiet this last month or so. Lori is settling in nicely at her new job at Schriever Airforce Base outside of Colorado Springs. She is a government contractor hired to support the Environmental Flight while they undergo some major staffing changes. So far, so good!

Dave also continues to do well as a Product Manager Arrow Electronics. Business seems to be doing well and he's rockin' it. Like a hurricane. But without the destruction. Or FEMA involvement.

We haven't done much travelling other than visiting the Mt. Evans region twice since the middle of August. First, we went to the actual Mt. Evans (there is a road all the way up to the summit) and the climate is so unique at a certain spot on the slope that pines have been living there over 1000 years. Check out these bad boys:

Ok. So Lori got a little artsy with the above photograph. How about this one:
1000 years old. Dang.

Next, some spectacular photos of the rest of the drive up to the summit:

Then, this last weekend in order to celebrate the coming of fall for the first time without the traditional Midwestern leaves changing or fresh apple picking, we took a drive for a Coloradoan Changing Of Leaves. Here, the mountains are dominated by pine trees (which, of course, do not change color unless infested with pine beetles - whole other story) and aspens. The aspens turn primarily one color in the fall: YELLOW. As you can see from the following photos, one can deduce two things. First, the view, while different from the Midwestern autumn scenery, is still absolutely breathtaking. Second, with the colors being primarily green and gold, Lori thinks we all can assume what football team God obviously loves (even if they suck at the moment)...

And so life continues forward! Dave and Lori are especially proud of their latest creation: The Mulsoff 5 Pepper Chili. The Colorado Branch of the Mulsoff Clan will subsequently be making wonderful music for the rest of the week.

To Hailey's delight, we're sure.

Until next time!

Love,

Dave and Lori

P.S. To see more of our month of September, check out the Smugmug. We finally dumped all our pictures into Colorado: September 2008 folder.

Belated Birthday Series: Molly!

2008-09-07T19:28:00.005-07:00

Wonderful Molly-Mom turned another year younger on August 31st! As always, we hope life is going well for you, and that your special day was indeed special.

Haiku for Molly:

Kick-ass Molly-Mom!

Awesome Pajama Connes-

Ieur...and sweet woman.

Happy Birthday... a week late!

Belated Birthday Series: The Bryan Chapter

2008-09-07T19:17:00.005-07:00

Lori's handsome brother Bryan with his beautiful wife Jacky at our wedding.

He turned another year older on August 26th, a mere few days before closing on his first home.

Congratulations on everything that you have been blessed with. We hope you had a wonderful day!

Bryan's Haiku:

Brother Bryan, yo!

We're wishing you happiness

In Georgia. Stay cool.

Prelude

2008-09-07T19:15:00.002-07:00

Before we get into LONG overdue birthday wishes (coughbryanandmollycough), we'd like to offer up a good reason why:

Not sure if we posted this yet, but Lori got herself a job. A job at an airforce base near Colorado Springs, and a job she likes so far!

The downside of this is that she is still getting used to the schedule and the commute, and therefore we haven't had any updates

Many apologies...

So without further ado, our birthday wishes to Bryan and Molly...

Can't Be Late With This One...

2008-08-20T04:51:00.004-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO DAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(YES! ONTIME!)

Here is to our hero of the house, the man of all men, the creme de la creme del Mulsoff: David.

Some call him Superman. Some call him Dad. Some call him "hey you."

I call him "the best husband in the world" and "pretty hot."

Here is our man of the day with his gorgeous blonde...

...and with his trademark BGRRRR Frowny Cup.

So raise your glasses to Dave The Bestest. :)

Love you, babe. Have a wonderful day!!!!

2 Years And Counting...

2008-08-20T04:35:00.002-07:00

Happy Anniversary to you, my dear. I hope we never stop laughing. :)

Belated Birthday Series: Happy Birthday Laura!!!

2008-08-14T06:53:00.003-07:00

It was yesterday, the 13th***! Every other hour Lori thought, "Gotta call Laura. Oops, too early; she's likely at work. Just remember for later..." Then at 10 PM, Lori finally remember, rendering all her remembering useless!

We love you Laura, and hope your day was wonderful! We'll call earlier tonight!

***Lori's an idiot. As Lori's mother guessed correctly, Lori was dead wrong on the date. Laura's birthday was on the 12th, not the 13th, and we've had it down wrong all these years. Many apologies Laura! :)

Postcards From The West

2008-08-12T08:00:00.005-07:00

Molly sent us a bunch of her photos from her trip out here. They are posted on our Photo Website Extravaganza!... but here are a few select images from the Mulsoff Clan Visitation of July/August 2008.

On our way out to Rocky Mountain National Park, we stopped in Estes Park to see The Shining hotel. Its actually quite beautous. Behold.

The Mulsoff Boys Snuggling Their Favorite Yellow Lab. Ah... Hailey... always the lady... (Hails, honey, close your legs...)

Whilst in the Gunnison Area, Dave and Lori took the Mulsoff Clan to Blue Mesa Reservoir, the place where Dave proposed to Lori. Aw....

If you squint, you can see Hails at her Doggie Day Camp.

Molly and Lori at the famed Tajikistan Teahouse. Nifty menu, eh?

Again, Hails, with the very unladylike position of her legs. Even Foz looks a little disgruntled. Of course that just could be because he's a cat.

Brothers and Mother at Garden of the Gods

The Whole Mulsoff Clan at Garden of the Gods...

And at the Palisades, Jeromey's fav steak joint....

Jerry's Fav Colorado Spot: Taylor Canyon. Lori doesn't really have anything terribly clever to say about it, so just soak in the views and quietly utter Jerry's Mantra: onward and upward...onward and upward...oooohhhhhmmmmmmmm

Lori lied. Jerry's mantra would have likely involved drinking scotch and/or the following, which we happened to imbibe in memory of him. Damn good beer.

So there you have it! For more pictures, but without captions of any sort, see the Photo Website Extraordinaire!

Belated Birthday Series: Happy Birthday Leslie!

2008-08-12T07:56:00.002-07:00

Lovely Leslie turned another year older this past Sunday, August 10th!

We hope your day was an undending bucket of freshly popped popcorn!

Mulsoff Clan (Illinois Chapter) Visit, plus a New Photo Page!

2008-08-08T07:48:00.003-07:00

How exciting! :D

From July 26 through August 4, Dave and Lori hosted Molly, Rob, and Leslie (Dave's mom, brother, and sister-in-law). Molly flew in on the 26th and Rob and Leslie followed suit the evening of July 31st.

Highlights from the trip!

In a strange twist in weather events, Colorado had 24 straight days of 90-degree weather, many of which topped 100 whilst the Mulsoff Clan - Illinois Chapter visited. Lori and Molly didn't venture out too much with Hails during these brutally hot days. A lot of quality reading time was had by all.
Molly received the grand tour of Hailey's Favorite Stomping Grounds, including the wonderous Cherry Creek Dog Park AND the small but fabu Quincy Dog Park. In addition, walking around the apartment complex was a good alternative when it was too friggin' late or too friggin' hot to go anywhere.
Lori and Molly visited the Denver Art Museum, a relatively inexpensive venture that was more than worth it. A good portion had many paintings, but a larger portion seemed to have artistic artifacts including the biggest Native American exhibit either Lori or Molly had ever seen. If you ever find yourself in town, even if you aren't the artsy fartsy type, we can vouch that this art museum is worth an afternoon.
Molly and Lori also took a trip up to the Boulder area to have lunch at the famed Teahouse. At first Lori believed it was brought over from Asia piece by piece, but after a little bit of research, the building was presented to Boulder from Tajikistan as a sort of gift between sister cities. Read more about this fantastic story here.
We also walked along Pearl Street, sort of reminicent of State Street in Madison. The pedestrian walkway is lined with all sorts of shops, from chocolatiers to art galleries to boutiques to restaurants... For those who like a leisurely walk and some great window shopping, Pearl Street in Boulder is a fantastic little trip.
Friday saw all of us piled into Dave's Rav-4 (minus Hailey who was lovin' life at Doggie Day Camp, and Fozzie, who would rather die than ride in a car again) for the four hour journey to Gunnison. It was near Gunnison that Dave proposed to Lori (Blue Mesa Reservoir), and where Dave went to school (Western State). The main purpose of this trip was to honor Jerry by visiting Taylor Canyon, Jerry's favorite place in Colorado, and to eat at Jerry's favorite steak restaurant, the Palisades. We certainly accomplished our goal.
Saturday we arrived home and relaxed. The day was again brutally hot so no more outdoor activities were done. Rob and Les went out to dinner with some friends, and Molly, Dave, and Lori stayed in to watch movies and mow down on pizza.
Sunday we all woke up early to head down to the Garden of the Gods. We hiked for an hour or so, drove through the cute community of Manitou Springs, and headed up to Dave and Lori's favorite restaurant: the Rockyard Brewery. It has the best beer, best burgers, and the best desserts. Molly, taken there twice in one week, opted for the Wedge both times, a unique iceberg salad with lots of delicious fixings. Rob chose the Cajun burger, a delightful meaty plate with sausage ON the burger. Leslie had the chicken quesadillas and many of Rob's fries, both of which pleased her palate immensely. Dave and Lori decided on Dave's classic standby: the Colorado Burger, an uber burger that is topped with spicy guacamole. Best burger ever.
This meal, as mentioned above, was polished off with dessert, something Lori and Dave never tried at this restaurant. We ordered the Avalanche and the Rock for all to taste. ...
All we can say is that if you so choose to visit Dave and Lori, you WILL eat at this restaurant, and you SHALL try one of these ungodly desserts. No objections! No diets! Besides, you'll have previously burned off all the calories on the hike, so put on a bib and get crackin'.

We can't express how awesome it was to have them come all the way out here to visit. We really enjoyed the time, and so thank you Rob, Les, and Molly for the good times had. :)

Before we sign off, we'd like to invite everyone to periodically check in on our new photo website,

http://chateaudelmulsoff.smugmug.com.

You do not need to sign up for anything; just point, click, and enjoy the galleries we've put together. Lori is still in the process of adding old and new photos to it, so the site will be in a state of change until everything is up-to-date. So far we have holidays and events from back in 2005!

We will post when everything is uploaded, and then periodically post when new pictures have been added. Enjoy!

Two Blind Mice...

2008-07-14T18:17:00.004-07:00

Both our nephew Degen and our own Hailey had birthdays on Sunday. Please refer to previous post for our belated well wishes!

Our weekend was quite awesome, although our forays out into the Colorado wilderness is getting into the pattern of being preceded by a pet-related event. Don't worry: we didn't have cause to break out the SpotBot this time.

Its Friday night: Date night. Dave and Lori tend to have takeout of some sort. This latest Friday we had Chick-Filet, which on the sign looks like Chickaflick. So Chickaflick is this chicken fast food restaurant that cooks its fried chicken in peanut oil. Lori's not sure why she is going into such fine detail about the chicken when it really has nothing to do with the story at all.

Moving on.

SO. We're eating dinner and watching The Neverending Story. Awesome movie.

We notice Fozzie acting a little odd in front of the doors that lead to the furnace. And then to the coat closet. And finally to the storage closet near the front door. We look at each other and come to the same conclusion almost immediately: Sonuvabizzo, we've got a mouse.

For those of you unawares, Fozzie is a supreme mouser, despite having no claws. Teenage years and early 20's aside, we are not filthy people. We clean, we don't leave food out or throw it on the ground or anything. However, we do have the habit of opening up doors for the pets to enjoy the outdoors and we think that this could be the source of our occasional mouse encounter. In our first place in Oak Creek, Fozzie stood vigil in front of our refrigerator for days (or weeks; whatever, it was a LONG time) for reasons unbeknownst to us. Then one Saturday, we woke up to Fozzie trotting through the living room with a live, wriggling mouse in his mouth. His dedication should be an inspiration to all. After we released it into the wild, Fozzie slept the sleep of the dead for 2 solid days. Good kitty.

In Wauwatosa, Fozzie again caught another live mouse upstairs. It was hiding in Hailey's toys.

By now, we recognize the sign: the constant vigil in one abnormal spot. Foz occupies normal human furniture but only deigns to grace the actual floor with his presence when he is in desperate demand of a belly rub. When he lies down and stares at a door/fridge/bookshelf, there MUST be a mouse there. MUST.

For this instance Dave got out his walking stick and opened the front storage closet to poke around when he started and then looked up at Lori:

"Holy crap. Lori. Its a baby."

After moving around the suitcases, we found another one. Both alive. Plus the mother nearby.

They were so tiny. Probably half the length of a thumb. Blind. Moving.

Considering Lori can't stand killing things for reasons other than hunting for breakfast and neither Dave nor Lori felt like the family of mice would be much of a meal, we gently scooped the babies into a small dust pan with a paper towel and got the mom into a tall container and walked them all outside.

We aren't sure if the babies lived or not, but at least we gave the family a fair shot at survive since we didn't kill them outright. And Dave wouldn't let Lori keep them. Phooey.

Saturday we went to Garden of the Gods near Colorado Springs. And so we will close with some pictures we took of us obeying the signs and never EVER veering from the designated pathways. Because we are law abiding citizens.

More Additions to the Belated Birthday Series...

2008-07-14T18:02:00.003-07:00

We had a few birthdays this weekend!

First, a very merry 2nd birthday to the one... the only:
Degen Daniel!!!

Degen enjoys the outdoors, picking things up and setting them down in different places, and Papa and Nani. We believe he is still petrified of our first Christmas gift to him of a Tickle Me Elmo, however...really, who can blame the little man?

Secondly, the Queen of All She Surveys... Hailey the Yellow Lab turned 5!

Please note that even her new chew toy is Hailey-friendly, as our pup still cannot have beef, chicken, or turkey. She can, however, have a lot of pork.

Stayin' Alive!

2008-07-07T08:23:00.002-07:00

Happy Belated 4th, people!

Dave and Lori thankfully lead a relatively peaceful existence with the occasional butt hiccup provided by Hailey. Hence, the lack of posts. But in honor of this fine, explosive holiday, why not give a brief update?

The long weekend was quiet, and the lack of pictures proves it. On Friday we did nothing of exceptional note, with exceptional note being we didn't travel or did anything that would wildly amuse anyone else but ourselves, like singing songs to each other and playing video games. We think these are things of exceptional note, but you, the reader, not so much.

One thing of minor note: we did watch three or four cities fireworks from a great distance, standing on a soccer field at twilight. During our quiet observance of the fireworks, we were almost ravaged by a trio of toy poodles, but disaster was averted: the owners had most of them on leashes.

Saturday we also did nothing of exceptional note.

Sunday, we concocted a giant plate of restaurant-worthy nachos. We feel this is of significant note, although perhaps not exceptional note. In any event, certainly worth mentioning. Otherwise, nothing of exceptional note occurred.

Dave is still working hard, Lori is still not working hard, Hailey is still regular, and Fozzie still sighs muscially in his sleep.

On a final uber note, we would like to congratulate the following sets of parents out there, who all gave birth within the last month or so: Maureen and Jeff (hello Josh!), Mandie and John (hello Evan!), Sam and Lisa (hello Annika!), and Mel and Shawn (hello Ella!). All were healthy and happy. :) Congratulations, people!

Tagged: I'm It

2008-06-27T11:11:00.002-07:00

I've been tagged by Amanda!

Here are the New Rules:
1.Link to the person who tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
2.Share 5 songs you are embarrassed to admit to others that you like and tell why.
3.Tag random people at the end of post and include links to their blogs.
4. Let each person know they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

5 songs... 5 songs... Gosh, couldn't have asked a less musical individual, Amanda dear. But I, Lori, will give it a shot. I will say upfront and with pride that I still love Van Halen and Bon Jovi. They rock. They roll. They're awesome. No embarassment there. However, I do have some skeletons in my small closet...

1. "Say What You Need To Say" by John Mayer. Not sure why I still think its still uncool to listen to this floppy haired, freakishly eyed crooner, but his stuff lately that's been playing on the radio I've been finding myself singing along. Your body, Hailey, is a wonderland of hair.

2. I still heart Kenny Rogers. Still.

3. Along the lines of country... gah, I'm horrified to admit I love the Dixie Chicks. My Republican relatives are shaking their heads in angst and horror, I know.... Many Fleetwood Mac lovers (forgive me Jerry) would also gasp and subsequently lynch me for loving their version of "Landslide." The shame...

4. While she has turned from quite the...uh...experimental popstar in desperate need of a sandwich to a caraciture of Marilyn Monroe with huge... assets, Christina Aguilera had me with "Beautiful" and kept it going with all her dirrrty, poppy, kitchy numbers. Nothing gets you into a workout on the treadmill more than, "I want to be dirty." Well, maybe not you. Maybe not me. But darn, its a catchy song.

5. Buffy the Musical. So what if its the musical with singing vampires and dancing demons? I'm mostly not embarassed by this admission! Only by the fact that when I belt out, "THEY GOT... THE MUSTARD......... OOOOOOOUT!!!", Hailey whimpers a bit.

So let's get a little personal, people.

I'm tagging Den, Bry and Jacky, Ruth and Jake, and Skipper.

Our Home

2008-06-25T17:08:00.003-07:00

...prior to Hailey's blessings.

The kitchen:

Spare bedroom floor:
Spare Bedroom:

The Master Bedroom:

Living Room:
Dining Area
Kitchen:
Fireplace:

A Few Of Our Favorite Things: Brought to you by the letter E, Sponsored by the number 2.

2008-06-22T09:11:00.001-07:00

Life is full of small, simple things that make one smile and appreciate life. We love looking out at the mountain range from our bedroom. We enjoy the low humidity that Colorado brings. We appreciate our home, as small as it is, and we adore our pets, Fozzie and Hailey.

Since we are on the topic of pets, its worth to mention that they do so much to enrich our lives. Let's focus today on, let's say... Hailey. Our adorable Hailey.

Hailey, Hailey, Hailey. Ah… our sweet brown-eyed girl.

Let’s do a little word association exercise, shall we? Just for fun?

Ok. Sit back. Relax. Let your mind be free, and tell me what the first word that comes into your mind when you see the word: Epic.

Epic. Ok, epic. We used to think “Lord of the Rings”, or “the expanse of the Rocky Mountains.”

Next word: Explosive.

Explosive. We used to think, “4th of July” or perhaps “C-4”. Like normal people would.

Except our world has now changed, thanks to our pretty, delicate flower of a yellow lab. And thanks to today’s sponsor.

Imagine, if you will, a beautiful Saturday morning. Sun is shining, no one and no animal is waking you up at all. Even at 8 a.m. When usually something is waking you up at 7 a.m. to go outside. Its days like this you know, in perfectly clear hindsight, that perhaps staying in bed would have been an easier choice, even if you were putting off the inevitable.

What did Lori find in the living room? And the hallway? And at the front door?
Let’s just make you guess so we don’t have to go into exquisite detail.

Explosive.
Epic.
#2.

Ah, so many new word associations that can be easily summed up with the name, “Hailey.” We can honestly say that this dog has prepared us thoroughly for the less glamorous activities performed whilst taking care of an infant’s bodily functions. A 10 pound baby has NOTHING on a sick 80 pound lab**. TRUST US.

Which transitions nicely into a few of our favorite things:

-Triple-ply paper towels.
-Rubber gloves.
-Oust Air Freshener.
-Our new SpotBot.

Of course, we decided not to include any photographic evidence of the events that occurred at our apartment this weekend.

You're welcome.

**Hailey has rebounded nicely and has gotten whatever was lubricating her system out. She's back to being a happy, solid poopy lab. :)

Belated. Again.

2008-06-15T10:50:00.000-07:00

Due to technical difficulties, we were unable to pay tribute to our daddies on National Daddy Day until today.

Without further ado:

To Tim and Jerry, our fathers. We will always love you, no matter where you are.

Tim, hope your day ruled! Jerry, hope you are at peace up there!

Love,
Dave and Lori

The Fozzinator Turns 7!!!

2008-06-13T12:59:00.000-07:00

Despite having a sneezy cold the last 2 days, our brave and undaunted Fozzie clocked in another year on fair planet Earth.

Happy Birthday Foz!!!

Stop and Smell the Roses

2008-06-11T14:25:00.000-07:00

Hailey: Stopping and smelling...something. Its a start.

Nothing much to report over here in Colorado. Dave and Lori drove around Pueblo this past weekend and saw small waterfalls in the Cheyenne Mountain area. Other than that, nothing much else!

Lori and Hailey went, as always, to the dog park this morning and Lori brought the trusty family camera to capture some of the flowers blooming.

The apartment complex can knock you over with how beautifully fragrant it is. Roses and lilacs perfume the air, making chores such as taking out the garbage or letting Hailey do her business pleasant and refreshing.

That's all for now!

SNAKE BITE!

2008-06-04T07:32:00.000-07:00

Nah, just kidding. Ol' Hails got a little rambuctious whilst galavanting through the fields of the dog park.

Lori didn't even notice it right away. While they were walking Lori noticed this HUGE ant nest that was swarming the surface and, being who she is, stooped to get a closer look. They were such small ants but there were thousands and thousands covering a square foot of dirt and it sort of looked like a soft pelt of fur moving in the wind on the ground. Very cool; Lori wishes she brought the camera. On a side note, this was the second surface swarm of ants going about their business. First set were larger red ants, these were black.

Ok. Enough about the ants.

So Lori was stooping there and Hailey came bounding over and Lori blocked her from stomping all over the ants (who knows what kind of ants those were). In her blocking, Lori noticed there was a little blood on her front right paw. Lori had her sit and she did a quick examination of her and didn't notice anything. She wasn't limping and Lori didn't see any dripping blood as they walked back to the car.

They get into the car and finally Lori is at an angle to notice she somehow managed to rip off a nub just above her paw in the back. The nub is calloused like the paw and this bit of flesh was about the size of 2 dimes stacked together. It was weeping blood a bit, so when they got back to the apartment Lori cleaned the wound, applied some Neosporin, and cut up one of Lori's tank tops and wrapped it around her paw like a bandage, as shown.

Lori ran her pretty hard yesterday and she thinks while Hailey skidded to get the ball or something she tore the nub off.

Anyway, she's doing fine. She milked it pretty well yesterday. Lotsa puppy eyes and oh-woe-is-me-gimme-a-treat kind of attitude. Which we both indulged, just because she is so good at looking cute and pathetic. :)

Poor baby girl.

ARISE YOUNG AMAZONS!

2008-06-02T12:58:00.001-07:00

And proclaim "Happy Birthday!" to Lori's older brother, Dennis!You rule, my brother. Have a wonderful birthday!!!

Driving On Top Of The World

2008-06-02T11:35:00.001-07:00

For a little while. :)

Let's start with the weekend activities, and then finish with some bizarre instances that occurred last week at the dog park.

First: Rocky Mountain National Park! We drove 3/4ths of the perimeter, coming in through Estes Park, driving across on 34 and 36. It was stunning and beautiful and scary. Although we would advise some of our loved ones who have just a wee bit of a fear of heights to maybe skip this particular drive.

Our first stop was a glorious rock shop in Estes Park. Lori. Was. In Heaven.

Yes. Those are vast buckets of rocks. We picked up a choice piece of selenite, a kind of gypsum that Lori will indeed photograph and post on this blog at a later date. Because that's the sort of thing Lori would photograph under the delusion that y'all would care. Immensely.

The drive into the national park was beautiful and majestic, as mountains tend to be:

Wow. That really doesn't do it much justice. Well, trust us: purty pictures. Maybe bigger pics?

Eventually we got up so high that snow was not only common, but ridiculously deep. We would have stopped to take a photo of ourselves beside a snowdrift, but why do that when some other schmuck does the work for you, right? Right.

Lori has to go through and edit all the rest of the photographs due to the overly bright nature of said photographs. Plus, when one takes a pic of something so huge and expansive as the views available at this park, well, the image recorded doesn't do the image any justice. How about visiting this link for some photos. Oh, heck, here are a couple of our own. The second picture is, if you squint, a herd of elk. Really.
In sum, it was a long, gorgeous drive through some of the most spectacular and humbling environments we've ever been to.

As for the dog park, we'll skip over most of the bizarre instances, including Hailey feasting on fields of horsey poo and Lori getting peed on by Lassie. Instead, enjoy these pics of the Hailey and the horses who were making a daring escape from the horsey corral:
Two quick, final questions, as Chandler would ask:

Could Hailey LOOK any happier?

and

Could her tongue BE any longer?

A-Travelling

2008-05-22T15:11:00.000-07:00

The last couple of weekends were spent visiting our former roommate: Scoot.
Behold: Scoot and Mr. Mulsoff at the local Irish pub in Dillon.

It was good times. Lori had Shepard's Pie, Dave had... um... s ome sausages or something. Lori can't remember anymore, but Lori does remember pie. MMM. Pie. But that was just the first weekend.

The second weekend Scoot grilled out and we had chicken, salmon, asparagus, veggies... Scoot went all out for his Adios Party. He's heading back the way we came. Actually, he should be there; he left Wednesday. Here's hoping he had a good trip.

Here is Dave and Hails cuddling. Lori is not sure why she took it nor why she's posting it on this blog other than to showcase out sickeningly cute our family can be. Feel free to gag.

And here are some photos from our Sunday excursion to Castlewood Canyon just south of Parker and Franksville (Lori thinks its Franksville anyway...something Frank-ish). We are trying to get there first thing in the morning to avoid most of the midday sun and the crowds. We were the first people there this last Sunday and boy it was worth it. Quiet, cool, and the wildlife was out in force. Nothing close enough to photograph anyway. Well, except the heron-like bird in the last pic.

Lori is still applying for jobs, Dave is still working hard and loving his job out here, Hailey is finally getting tuckered out by her daily morning exercise at the dog park, and Fozzie is still inexplicably waking up at 5:45 AM just to see what we are up to.

We are sleeping, Captain Observant. Now go chirp at the birds or something.

Its Never Too Late

2008-05-13T08:05:00.000-07:00

To tell a mom "I love you."

So, to our Moms: We Love You. :)

Greetings from the Wild West!

2008-05-07T11:41:00.000-07:00

Rawhide!

As you already know, we are safe and sound in our snuggly apartment here in Colorado. We are just a mite bit east of the mountains, but our abode offers some stellar views.

When we first arrived, the mountains weren't visible at all. That tends to happen when you drive into the Denver area during a snow storm.

Thursday we came in and just sorta vegged out. We hooked up the TV and XBox to watch some movies we brought along. By the way: Plant Earth DVD's are so awesome, even if you aren't gigantic geeks like us. Richard Attenborough is quite the narrator, especially in these where he isn't being chased down by velociraptors.

ANYWAY.

We took the opportunity to leave our apartment and take a drive up to Boulder, Golden, Castle Rock, and Colorado Springs. We discovered the a tasty brewery (Dave forbad Lori to take pictures of us in the restaurant... phooey) in Castle Rock, but Lori can't remember the name. Rockland? Lori'll have to look that up later.

Here are some views from the Boulder area:

This last Monday Dave started his job and Lori received the movers. Lori is unpacking and applying for all sorts of jobs.

The apartment, being semi-unpacked, will not be shown in photos at this time. In fact, the only pictures we have are of the Foz who decided to burrow in the blankets on the couch and take a snooze. Unfortunately, Lori left the landscape focus on so its a bit blurry. But still cute.

Both Hails and Foz have adjusted well to the new apartment. We should take a pic of Hails snoozing on the bed. That queen has such a tough life.

Lastly, for those of you who are eagerly waiting for word on whether or not the flowers bloomed for Lori back at the Tosa homestead... only the daffodils did. Stupid tulips. :)

T Minus One Week

2008-04-20T19:26:00.000-07:00

The last week or so has gone really fast. We're getting close to being 100% ready to shove off to the New Frontier, and we still have a week to go!

This last weekend brought Den, Laura, and Robbie to the Chateau del Mulsoff for a one night stay in paradise. The Eau Claire branch of the Schmidt Clan enjoyed hamburgers for lunch with strawberry shortcake for dessert on Saturday, followed by a feisty game of trivia over chicken wings at BW3's Saturday night, and a complimentary breakfast of Dave McNoobie's, freshly made coffee, and ice cold milk.

Only the best for our guests here at Chateau del Mulsoff. We couldn't have asked for better weather. Lori has the funky sunburn to prove it. But don't take our word for it! Check out the pic's from this weekend!

Thank you so much, Den and Laura, for coming all the way down to finally see the home and see us off. :) We had an awesome time. Robbie and Hailey got along famously; Hails had a bit of a memory problem Sunday morning when she forgot we had guests and started barking at Den through the bathroom door. She also didn't like the happy go lucky spirit that is Glorious Robbie, a spot a sunshine for anyone's morning. Hails growled a lot before her morning coffee, but as the pics depict (what a fun phrase), the two were all chummy after Hailey woke up a bit.

In some quick other news, Lori planted daffodils and tulips last fall, before she realized she'd be gone before they'd bloom...Or will she?!?! Behold! The front garden earlier last week:

See those green things? THOSE are possibilities as of April 7th!

Now, observe April 19th's photos of the same spot:

Will the daffodils bloom, or the tulips? Or both? Or neither...?

Only time will tell... on this blog and this blog alone! Stay tuned!

Until next time,

Dave, Lori, Hails, and the Foz.

Westward, ho!

2008-04-07T06:50:00.001-07:00

Hello ladies and gentlemen!

Colorado, here we come! WOOOOOO!

You, faithful reader, may have oodles of questions regarding the life and times of the soon-to-be Colorado Chapter of Family Mulsoff. Please refer to the Q & A below for information:

Why on earth are you moving?
Dave got a transfer out to Denver.
Well, did you HAVE to take it?
Well, yes, we think so. It was an offer that couldn't be refused. That, and we are a sucker for the mountains.
What about all the friends and family left behind?
Please don't bring that up yet. Lori isn't ready to sob and sob and sob about that.
Are you going to buy a house?
Nope. We don't want to jump into another mortgage and have that bite us in the ass one way or another. So we have secured an apartment (we will email that information this week!). In a year or so when we get to know the area, we'll look into a house.
What about your CURRENT house?
We sold it. Thank god. We've had it on the market since mid-January and it got an accepted offer last week and the buyers had a house inspection this last Saturday (the 5th). It passed; we only need to replace the garbage disposal! Woo! We close on May 9th, but we'll be in Denver by then.
How are you going about the moving process?
We are in the process of securing movers. Its going to come down to just how much more money will it cost us to have people load/unload the moving truck versus having us load/unload the moving truck. In any case, we will definitely have someone else drive that moving truck out to the Denver area. We have to drive out our cars AND mobilize the pets.
Oooh, yeah. Forgot about Hailey and Fozzie for a sec. How are you going to handle driving pets half way across the country?
Easy. We're just going to stop periodically for Hailey to run around. For Fozzie, we think kitty valium will be the ticket.
Hey, how is Hailey doing with her allergy crap?
Quite well, quite well. Thank you for asking. We've changed her diet to be 95% Hailey Friendly and she hasn't had a rash since she was diagnosed.
So I'm looking about this blog you have here. Where are all those pictures you said you were going to post this weekend?
Yeah. About that. Lori failed. It happens. Ask Dave about her many attempts to make alfredo sauce. He'll laugh. Or cry, not sure.
Umm... I think I don't have any more questions.
Oh, ok. We should stop this list thing then.

So there you go!

As the plan develops and shenanigans start to occur, look to the Chateau del Mulsoff for all your gossip needs.

Until next time!

Hero

2008-03-02T15:16:00.000-07:00

When I was a boy my junior high school teacher told the class to write a report about their hero. The kids in my class chose famous sports figures, great politicians, and world-renowned inventors. I on the other hand chose Billy the Kid. Not sure why I chose him. I think it was partly due to the fact that he was a famous out law in the old west. Which for a young boy was pretty darn cool. But more importantly I got to wear a cowboy hat and six shooters when I gave the report so that was a definite bonus.

About a week ago I thought about that report and wondered why I didn’t write about my real hero. This man gave so much to the community, his family, and friends it would be insulting to think of him as anything less than a hero. But this man also had a saying every time I brought up the fact he might be a hero.

“Dave” he would start, then he would take a swig out of his scotch and a drag off his smoke.

“Heroes are in the grave. I just do my job the best I can and try to be a good person.”

How the heck do you argue that? Can you possibly refute that statement coming from a military man and fire fighter? Can you refute that statement coming from your real life role model? Can you refute that statement coming from your own dad?

The answer to all those questions is a resounding no. You learn to deal with the fact that he is your dad and the toughest SOB on this earth. You learn that everyone in this world has the responsibility to look out for one another in any way they can. It doesn’t matter if you get drafted and fight for your country. It doesn’t matter if you rush into burning buildings and save countless lives. Every time you help somebody no matter how big or how small it makes the world a better place. No labels, no thanks, it is just your civic duty. That is what he taught me. Heck, that is what he taught all of us. And that truly is his legacy.

Today is a somber day for all of us in this church. We are dealing with this loss in all different ways. But on this day I think my dad would want you all to smile and think about the good he gave this world. Think about the jokes and stories he told. Think about the smiles he put on your faces. And think about all the life lessons he taught you. The best way you can honor him is to make sure you live life to it’s fullest and be a good person. The rest as he would say is gravy.

Today is a sad day, however I’m going to be smiling this day. I finally get to announce to the world that today my dad became a hero. I’ll miss ya man.

-Dave

Jerry Mulsoff

December 19, 1946 - February 23, 2008

Hailey: Allergic to the World

2008-01-30T09:08:00.000-07:00

Our little Hailey has been having skin problems for a long time now. She's red, raw, lotsa scabs.

For the last couple of years, we've tried steroid treatment (which lead to epic consumption of water and therefore epic evacuating of bladder every hour). We've tried shots (which I had to administer biweekly). We've tried ignoring it.

Oh, vets were sure that her skin problems were due to allergies, but we didn't want to fork over the money to test for what actually she was allergic to. We just assumed it was her own skin and tried to treat that. Finally, Dave got sick and tired of treating her mystery allergies and finallya agreed to the big allergy test.

Thank god we did. Behold: what our dog is allergic to:

Grasses include: Bluegrass/June grass, Fescue, Burmuda, Redtop, and Johnson.
Weeds include: Ragweed, Lamb's Quarters, Marsh Elder/Poverty Weed, English Plantain, Waterhemp, Russian Thistle, and Kochia/Firebush.
Trees include: Cottonwood/Aspen, Juniper/Cedar, Box Elder/Maple, Walnut, Hazelnut.
Fungi include: Alternaria, Smut Mix, Stemphylium, Pullularia, Fusarium.
Foods include: Beef, Poultry, Eggs, Milk, Wheat, Oat, Barley, Brewer's Yeast, and, oddly, Green Peas.
Indoor include: Orris root (apparently in some furniture fabrics? in perfumes?), dust/mites.
Plus Staph and Malassezia, which she has inherently on her skin.

I think its the food allergies that really throw us for a loop. Anyway, no more table scraps. No more cheaper dog food. No more Greenies.

The only other things that will change will be when she goes outside for extensive play. We are clear to give her a couple of Claritin to help her fend off the welts she gets from the grasses and trees.

Otherwise, life goes on as normal. Hope everyone is doing well!