This weekend Sunday was Mother’s Day so Britton and I decided to take both of our moms out to lunch. We went to our favorite restaurant, Bisetti’s in Fort Collins. We had a great meal and then took a little walk around downtown Fort Collins afterward. It was nice to take a moment to appreciate our mamas. Without our parents, none of this could have been possible. Thank you, we love you!
Category Archives: Love
The Stars Are Aligning
I don’t know about anyone else, but for me and Britton, at least from our perspective, it seems that when we are going on the right path, we know it. We get signs that encourage us along the way. These can be simple, small things, or large statements. I know it sounds super superstitious, but it’s just been the way my life has always been. I get these serendipitous events that speak to an ever greater web of connections.
This is where one decision or choice or desire impacts another and so on and so forth down the line like a ripple. It’s where Karma and Coincidence meet. Much of these we can’t see too far off in the distance, but we might understand them to be occuring even if we can’t see them. Like the idea of six degrees of separation, or that Kevin Bacon game, or It’s a Wonderful Life -how many people could we track back to us? How many people and things have we impacted? What is our butterfly effect?
Britton and I often talk about the fact that on his and my Dad’s shared birthday when we were just little kids, we were probably in the same restaurant at the same time. Who knows why, but usually you are exactly where you need to be, right now.
Lately, Britton and I have been having all sorts of good signs coming our way. The rental being rented the same day -practically the same moment- it was vacated. The application being turned in just as we were walking out the door to walk Schnoodle. (We even joked that we should go on a walk just to have it happen sooner. ) The citrus trees arriving just as we were about to call the plant company to make sure they’d get there. (I’ll have to write about these new trees!) That we have managed to arrange JUST enough money to cover buying the place in Rincon. That we have been having the most awesome vivid dreams of living in Puerto Rico. That we have had some advertising interest on our websites. That we have already had about three people who want to rent the place in Rincon from us! That we stumbled upon a really inexpensive management company for our properties here in Colorado.
The more credence we give to these “signs”, the more we seem to receive. We even get signs when we are doing the wrong thing. For example: We had to make some minor repairs in the walls of the rental after the previous tenants gouged them moving the couch out. We patched it and painted it. The color wasn’t quite right. Being perfectionists, we tried to get a closer color. Still not right. Then we found a paint chip for the hardware store to try and match. The person behind the counter had us wait around for like 20 minutes then disappeared. Someone else finally came to help, but the computer gave an error that it couldn’t read it. He tried about 5 more times. We thought, well we could go to the next store and try again. Just at that moment, the paint clerk accidently drops the paint chip into a dark void beneath the counter, never to be seen again. Britton then exclamed “Okay, universe, we got the message. We don’t need to worry about the paint.”
I think since we are nearing our goal and after working so hard and struggling to get here, we are finally given some slack. Maybe it’s my dad watching out for us. Maybe we’re just being silly and reading into things that aren’t there. But I don’t think it hurts to hope and feel the magic. We never know what’s going on just under the surface. Who knows what might be in the works for us, if we just let it and ask for it. So, we thank you, our Lucky Stars, Dad, Karma, Determination, Serendipity and anything else we don’t quite fully understand! And we thank all the people whose lives have intersected with ours for the better good. We do appreciate it and look forward to more in the future unknown.
Reception at Dicken’s Tavern plus Pan Loco!
Me and Britton outside Dicken’s Tavern in Longmont
Last night we went to Dicken’s Tavern/Opera House in Longmont to celebrate our friends Troy and Lori’s recent marriage. Britton has been friends with Troy for a long time. Britton and Troy’s brother, Kelly, even went to elementary school together! But they really all became good friends when they worked together at IBM and had the great idea to put a band together.
Troy, Kelly, Dave, Britton and Jimmy -and lots of pizza circa 2003/2004 at Scooters I believe
This band was known as Pan Loco for all the pizza and crazy bread they would eat when they would practice together. They were really a pretty good cover band. Britton played bass guitar, Jimmy played guitar, Troy played guitar and keyboards, Kelly played drums and Dave sang. It was fun. They got gigs on what we call the “8th Ave Circuit”. Basically they are the kind of seedy bars in Garden City like Scooters and Bears. But it was a blast. We invited all our friends out and we rocked out all together.
The band sort of just stopped playing together. Nothing major happened, just life. Everyone was busy and it was difficult to schedule practice times around everyone’s calendars. But for that moment in time, it was great. I was dating a guy in a band! haha
Some of the band looking sharp: Kelly, Troy and Britton
The best thing though, is that we all became good friends and so it was nice to see Troy and Lori and Kelly and Jimmy all together again for the reception. We had a lovely meal at Dicken’s Tavern and then got to watch a live band upstairs in the Opera House. It was only fitting.
Congratulations Troy and Lori!
Of Birthdays Past
Yesterday was Britton’s birthday. But it was also my dad’s. And my aunt’s! A lot of people were born on 1-23 apparently. We almost always would go out with whomever wanted to come out for Britton and my dad’s shared birthday. Usually we’d go to Farmer’s Inn, the local restaurant that has been in La Salle forever. I say forever, but it’s been around since before I was born because my parent’s brought me there on the way home from the hospital!
Happy Birthday Boys with Balloons
We go there because it’s good, inexpensive Mexican food, but also because they give you a free meal on your birthday. And with both Britton and my dad having the same birthday it was, as my dad would put it, a helluva a deal. Plus it gave us an excuse to get everyone all together. And sometimes at Farmer’s, they’d even give them each a balloon.
At Farmer’s with Britton’s family too
So, this year was hard. Quieter. Not as cheery as birthdays past. Britton and I went to Farmer’s with my mom for lunch on Saturday for Britton’s birthday since they are closed on Sunday, but it wasn’t the same without Dad. It’s these moments that still make it so difficult to realize he’s really gone. No more shared meals at Farmer’s. No more shared birthday cake. No more shared memories with him.
And, you know, Britton never acted jealous or resentful to share his birthday with Dad or vice versa. They both got along so well and were happy to be able to spend their birthdays together. There was no place they’d rather be.
Dad, my brother and Britton (look how young BK looks!) sharing a pie cake
Last night I was having a hard time reckoning with myself the fact that those days are gone. Life’s just a little flatter without my dad. A little less vibrant. Just missing that little lively something that only Dad could bring.
I hope Britton and my aunt Laura had a lovely time on their birthdays. And on what would have been my dad’s 63rd birthday, I hope he knows I was thinking of him too.