The Gang's All Here: Part One

Six weeks of living in Colorado, and we had our first visitors. Go big or go home, right? Matt, Misha, Torie, Del, Caroline, McB and Luke (you counted right, seven...seven people) arrived on a Saturday...and my heart nearly exploded.

The whole weekend can be explained in a quote from Misha. After commenting on how many emails and texts I had sent prior to the trip Mish said, "I learned that it can be getting 200 people to camp or 7 people to Colorado, and the level of planning is the same for Ryanne." What? I like agendas.

The best kind of visitors are the ones that like to explore as much as they want to just eat good food as much as they want to hang out on the couch. And this group definitely fell into that category.

I like to start my vacations with a lot of activity up front, and then slow it down towards the end. So of course we started with my one of my favorite restaurants in Colorado, Jack N Grill, and then headed home to rest up for a full day on Sunday.

Sunday I had a full day planned for everyone. First we headed to Dino Ridge. Dino Ridge is in Morrison, and has 1.5 mile trail where you can see fossils and dinosaur tracks. No one had ever been there, but it we knew it wouldn't take very long and it was cheap, so it was a low risk option for our first adventure.

Macy's first time in the Baby Bjorn. She really loved it.

I know you don't believe me, but you would be making that face too 

if you were sitting next to that beard.

Since none of us had been to Dino Ridge before, and 100% of us are from California (which is also known as "doesn't do great in altitude")

we decided to spend the whopping $5 and take the shuttle up the 1.5 mile hill to the dino tracks.

Just one big, happy family. 

 Colorado, I love you.

In case you needed proof, here is a dinosaur bone.

Convinced?

 Delia is a die hard dinosaur fan, so she probably enjoyed the one hour adventure the most.

She was totally nerding out at all the information our tour guide shared with us,  who we fondly took to calling Dino-Thor (His real name is Thor. Nothing more needed here).

Look at all those dinosaur tracks behind them. This the real deal, people.

This guy.

Matching vests are always necessary.

After Dino Ridge, we headed into Golden for lunch.
If you are visiting the Denver area, I would highly recommend taking a trip into Golden. It is an adorable mining town that is home to the delicious food, the Coors Brewing Factory, and Buffalo Bill's Grave. I didn't take very many pictures, because I was too busy eating the most delicious sandwich in the world.

After lunch we decided to take a quick drive into Downtown Denver, but everyone was pretty tired and ready to do nothing, so we headed home. But all in all it was a GREAT day.

The Problem With Moving To A New State

I need my hair cut, like...bad.
But how does one go about choosing a new hairstylist?
Have you ever thought about that?

Usually I would go by word of mouth. I would even ask someone who I think has good cut and color. I'm not opposed to approaching a stranger for the sake of my hair. But, you see, that would require me going out in public. And seeing how I haven't left my house in about 72 hours (I have showered, and I actually put jeans on today...baby steps) it is making it difficult to track down good hair.

So this time I am going to have to rely on Yelp, and the recommendation of the receptionist at whatever salon I choose. Which, if I am being honest, terrifies me. Because here is a confession for you, I have a little hair obsession. My hair is something I think about often, and one of my favorite features. Oh gosh...could I be more vain?
I guess that is the point of a blog, right? To talk about myself.

Anyway, I'll let you know how it goes.
Wish me luck.

Read Any Good Books Lately?

Because I haven't.

I usually set a yearly goal of reading 30 books (2.5 books a month), but seeing how it is February and the only thing I have read this year is my DVR list and articles that I have Google searched on "Uses For Coconut Oil" I am not sure if I am going to make it. Which is funny, because today my kid laid on the ground for 35 minutes playing by herself {read: prime book reading time} and all I was compelled to do was check Instagram, Vine (so I ditched Keek, and jumped on the Vine bandwagon...so sue me), and then Instagram two more times (Why am I obsessed with Instagram?). Then all of a sudden it was like...this baby needs to eat...or this baby just pooped...or this baby needs to take a nap.

The thing is, I have a little problem with buying books, both real and digital. And I am notorious for not actually reading those books. And yet I keep purchasing. Oh gosh I just love books. So I have decided this year I am not going to buy any books, which is really hard for me, because what if the next big thing comes out and I don't have it?

But the thing is I have a Kindle full of downloaded books that I haven't read yet, and even though I packed most of our books to put in storage (6 boxes of them) I still kept out about twenty books to read. More than enough available at my finger tips to help me reach my 30 book goal. Now I just need to read three books in two days to catch up. Totally doable.

So, here's the point, if you have a must read to suggest to me I don't want to hear it.

OK, yes I do.

But I am not going to buy it.

But I will add it to my "Kindle Books I Want" wish list on Amazon.

Five New Ways To Waste Your Time

Let's be honest, my favorite app and my lifeline is Instagram. I basically check it every three minutes.

But in case you have missed it I have a lot of free time these days. So I have done a lot of soul searching in the form of iPhone apps.

I have found some fun new apps, and since I have nothing else to do I proceed to tell everyone I know about my new find. Which brings us to this...what you should be downloading to your iPhone. Right. Now.

TIMEHOP
They call it time traveling, but my extensive sci fi knowledge can tell you that time traveling isn't just going back in time, but forward as well. But even with that small flaw this is one of my new favorite apps. Timehop goes back in time and pulls your tweets, Facebook posts, iphone pictures, and Instagrams from one, two, three, four (you get the gist) years ago. It's been a blast from the past. {Thank you Allison for introducing me to this.}

KEEK
Ok...fine...I heard about this one from the Kardashians (on Instagram of course). It is basically Instagram, but videos. I downloaded it and signed in and searched for my friends. ZERO. That's how many of my friends were using Keek (well besides the Kardashians, but who is counting?). Based on this fact, I then proceeded to invite all of my friends through the app. I have never done this before, but let's be honest - a social media app is not really fun unless you have some people to be social with. I got ten people to sign up for the app. Now if only I can get them to do the media part.

APPGRATIS
Each day they offer a free app that usually costs money. It is such a fun little surprise to see what is going to be offered.

SWIRL
A girl can dream, and this is the best way to do it. I hate to compare, but if I had to choose an app that this is similar to I would say Pinterest. You follow people and subscribe stores. You create boards with items of your choice, and if something really tickles your fancy you can buy it from the app. I love that it has cheaper options like H&M, but you can also peruse the newest items from pricey Christian Louboutin.

WIMP
I didn't find this one on my own. Luke introduced it to Jonathan and Jonathan is obsessed with it.
Every day wimp.com posts five family friendly videos. It's the perfect way to see a taste of the newest videos from the interwebs, with out going down the black hole that is YouTube or even worst getting sucked into a car commercial only to find out it is really a freaking screeching zombie.
Here is one of my favorites that I have seen on Wimp so far:

You can thank me later.

I Hate To Be Rash

Ok...so...I have a rash.
I will spare you all the gory details and I didn't take any pictures so you are safe there. But just know it isn't what we would call pleasant.
If you are like my friend, Katie, and you throw up at the thought of someone having a rash...I'm sorry.
But if you are like the rest of America and it just kind of grosses you out, then bare with me.

So through deductive reasoning and a small amount of Internet research I think I am allergic to fabric softener. Not too scary, and easy to fix.

Since everything is so dry here and the static is off the charts I thought it would be a good idea to start using fabric softener. I don't know why I thought this would be a good idea considering the last time we used fabric softener it put purple stains on all of our clothes. But I ignored my gut, and went with it any way. And where did it get me? With a rash rewashing all of my clothes. Super fun. Laundry is so fun any way, so you can imagine how fun it is to wash clean clothes.

But I learned something. When the temperature doesn't get above 50 degrees during the day, and you only leave your house every two days you really limit how many outfits you wear. So rewashing all my clothes wasn't all bad.

I don't know why I am telling you this, besides the fact that this is what has been happening in my life the past few days. And to warn you against the use of fabric softener.

Like always...you're welcome.

Lions, Polar Bear, Komodo Dragons...Oh My.

Since we are on the topic of me being an explorer it only felt right to hit up the Denver Zoo on free zoo day. Which just so happened to be the day after the National Western Stock Show Parade. Seemed like an easy decision, until the wind started blowing at 30 mph the night before. But we held out, and luckily by noon the wind had died down, but the snow flurries had begun. And yet I somehow convinced Jonathan, Ange and Josh that it would should at least try it...I mean hello...it was free. And I was feeling like the parade the day before had been such a success, that the zoo had to be totally worth it. AND IT WAS. Oh my gosh, you guys...it totally was.

Here is the thing about free zoo day, it's the best. We literally {literally} walked through an open gate, and there was NO ONE there. Which is weird, because did I mention it was free? Don't get me wrong...it was cold, real cold...but it was worth it. It was just perfect. We walked through the zoo and most of the animals were inside, but luckily we could go to those inside places and see all those adorable animals. And then half way through our visit it started to snow ever so lightly. As I walked through the zoo, pushing my baby in a stroller, holding my husband's hand, looking at animals, in the snow...it was like I was in a movie, but alas I wasn't, it was actually my life.

The Denver Zoo is awesome.
Here is proof...the very first animals you see are lions.

Like you walk in the gate, and straight ahead are lions. Lions!

Trying to keep the warm in and the cold out.

Based on the fact that she slept the whole time, I think we were successful.

They just happened to be standing like this when I walked up to them, weird.

It was too cold outside to feed Macy, so we took a bottle break in the giraffe house.

View during bottle break.

Jonathan: Let's go see the polar bears.

Me:What? Really?

Jonathan: Just kidding, there aren't any polar bears.

Me: You're rude.

But then there was polar bears, well there was one - and my day was made complete.

Happy baby.

Floating turtle.

As we walked through the last exhibit I thought,
"This day was wonderful, but would truly be made complete if I got to see Komodo Dragons." 

And like a Denver Zoo Miracle, I walked around a corner and there they were.

 Please notice the location of my baby.
This love for Komodo Dragons runs deep, people.

"Take a picture of me being a Colorado mom."

You're welcome.

The end.

Grab The Bull By The Horns

When we decided to move to Colorado one of the things I vowed to do was explore Colorado. I had really good intentions to get out there and see new things, and discover tasty food, and make myself a well educated local. But you know? There is something easier than exploring. Know what that is? Not exploring. It is way easier to sit on my couch and watch Netflix. Especially when you are carting a three month around who is on an eat-every-three-hours schedule. Especially when the high for the day is 33 degrees, but it really feels like it is 25 degrees.

{I never understood that...how can it feel a certain temperature if it is really another temperature, and how do they determine that. I know there is some scientific answer, but if you know it there is no need to share with me...those are what we call rhetorical questions.}

So when Ange mentioned that the National Western Stock Show was coming to town for the weekend, and they were kicking it off with a parade of the animals through downtown, my first reaction was, "Cool." As I fed Macy a bottle, started another episode of Parenthood on Netflix and checked my weather.com app on my phone.

But something inside me was pushing me to be more adventurous (it could have been Ange's persistent "we really should go this" texts), and I decided that I like animals and I like parades and I want to like Denver, so I needed to be there.

So Ange and I packed up my baby and some snacks and headed to Downtown Denver. We made it there with plenty of time to spare even though the GPS told us to get off and on the freeway at least six times.
Literally.
It would tell me to exit and then it would tell me to get back on going the opposite way. And I kept doing it because I felt like the ridiculousness of it all had to end us at a final destination  But I ended up having to go rogue, because I couldn't get on the freeway, go one exit, get off the freeway, and get back on the freeway one more time with out freaking out. And because that is what you do when you are an explorer....you go rogue, and you find your own freaking way to Seventeenth Street and Union Station.

Once we found a parking spot, we loaded up the stroller and bundled up that baby and made our way to the parade. But the thing is it was cold. Because even though I live in Colorado now, and I want to be all, "It's 30 degrees, is that all?"...I can't. So first I had to get myself a hot drink, and then I could watch a parade.

You know what guys? It was totally worth it. It was more than worth it. It was awesome, people.
From the very beginning with the hundreds of long horn cattle to the real cowboys on beautiful horses, and all the rodeo queens in between - I am not sure what that is, all I know is they have curled hair and wear cowboy hats with tiaras on them while riding horses.

That little girl was obsessed with Macy. She couldn't stop staring at her.

 It could have started and ended with the long horn cattle,

and it still would have been the best parade I have ever seen.

 Then there were hundreds of REAL cowboys on beautiful horses.

We're talking people who rope 'em and tie 'em when they aren't riding in a parade on Thursday at noon.

And of course the Witt girls' favorite - mini horses.

See...those rodeo queens are serious business. That is right. Perfectly curled hair, a cowboy hat with a tiara on it AND a fur coat. They are not messing around when it comes to mixing country with glam.

And that people is how you become an explorer.

Let's Talk About Poop, Shall We

Here's the thing...when you become a mom you have to start being OK with poop. Not all poop - just baby poop, which is different. And this might be an obvious statement, but the truth is my husband is most definitely not OK with poop.

On more than one occasion Macy has had a blow out that no baby wipes could handle, and they required a rinsing off in the sink. To which my husband has exclaimed, "You're going to rinse her off in there? That's where the dishes go!" Yes, you are right my dear husband the dishes do go in there...the dirty dishes, and I wasn't planning on letting the poop just sit in the sink after I rinsed it off her. But my friends, this is where the line is drawn between moms and dads. I don't think about the poop, I just want to get rid of the poop as soon as possible 

But it is never that easy, right?

It starts with the pushing and the grunting. And the cute faces. I am convinced God made my kid look cute when she poops, to save me from my own reactions.

Then there is the question of wanting to know if she is finished or not, but she doesn't talk yet so it is just a cool conversation of me saying over and over again, "Are you done?"

Once I determine she is done the diaper changing begins. This requires me determining whether or not the poop has escaped the diaper or has stayed in tact. If all is well and in the diaper then this is easy peasy, but usually we are dealing with a spill over. First, I do the puzzle that is getting a onesie over my baby's head with out spreading poop all over her, and then I have to figure out how to figure out getting the diaper off and the butt wiped with out any spreadage happening. Because some times frantic movements, and flailing limbs can make for some fun clean up. Once all has been accomplished it is time to make sure there isn't left over poop on anything. Macy, the changing pad, and of course me.

Ahh, but that is the question...do I have poop on me?

I will never forget the time when Macy had a blow out at Pei Wei and I was so proud of the fact that both Macy and I had come away unscathed.

Or so I thought. 

Thirty minutes later we were walking through Total Wine and Jonathan pointed to me and said, "You have poop on you." He was right...there it was on the stomach of my hoodie, and I couldn't do one thing about it. 

Gross I know...but that's motherhood people. Walking around Total Wine with poop on your hoodie.

And now I leave you with some pictures of some blow outs brought to you by Macy. You have been warned.

May the poop be with you.

Watching TV Can Be Hard

I have been trying to watch the same episode of Doctor Who for the last four days.

That might be an exaggeration, but I am pretty sure it is not. But the thing is, like I said before, free time with a three month old comes in about 45 minute spurts. Also, I am very sensitive about my TV watching environment when it comes to Doctor Who (or any other show that I love). If people around me are being too loud or I can feel myself not paying close enough attention or I am thirsty or most likely hungry then the deal is off.

There is also the matter of distractions, because by the time I sit down, turn the TV on, queue up the DVR and rewind back three minutes to remind myself what is happening...it's about time for me to look at Instagram or watch a video of my niece being the cutest thing on the planet or look up who that person in that commercial is on IMDB (Why am I even watching commercials? It's a freaking recorded program!)

There is also the matter of needing to feed my wee little one and burp her and stare at her and make her smile and sing songs to her and most likely change her poopy diaper{Oh gosh...baby poop...we'll get to that another time}.

And before I know it my 45 minutes are up, and I need to move on to the next activity (read: eat).

So the Doctor will have to wait, but I am sure I can just put something on in the background...oh wait I think House Hunters is on.

Ok...Let's Go

You can find me sitting in my bedroom, with a baby sleeping in a crib next to me, in the finished and furnished basement of my in-laws house in Castle Rock, Colorado.

Because I live here now.
And I am a mom now.

Woah.

2012 was one for the books...a banner year...crazy. More than one big change took place, and it finally feels like I have slowed down enough to take it all in.

2013 sits ahead of me so fresh. So new. So open and ready for anything. And it is all going down in a new state with a new title. New, new new.

For the first time in fifteen years I don't have a job, and dare I even call myself {gulp} a stay-at-home-mom? And the thing about being a stay-at-home-mom is you have a lot of free time...kind of. When you have a three month old your free time comes in the form of 45 minutes slots, because that is about how often you have until you need to change a diaper, make a bottle, or make sure the proper tummy time is happening...but it is free time none the less. So I have been asking myself, "What do I want 2013 to look like?" And this question has just brought on so many other questions that need to be answered.

So I sit in this basement (which is probably 400 square feet bigger than my one-bedroom-Irvine apartment was...for your information) with my baby and my husband and my free time staring 2013 in the face with a "Go ahead and bring it" look on my face, because I think I am ready for whatever 2013 wants to swing at me...I think.

Thankful. {Day 1}

{Day 1} My Husband.

My beginning and my end.
The most humble, caring, selfless person in my life.
The funniest person I know.
An amazing friend. An incredible dad.
My best friend.

Cross That Off the List

Just days after posting my must-do in California list, we headed up to LA for an adventure and I got to cross three...THREE...three things off of the list.

1. LACMA

2. La Brea Tarpits

3. Movie at the Arclight

To say the day was full to the brim would be a total understatement. 

Ca-li-for-ni-a

It has recently come to my attention that there is a chance I may not live in California for the rest of my life. Thinking about this makes me sad, excited and anxious all at once. I am a California girl to the bone. I was born and have only lived in California for all of my 29 years. Thinking about this also makes me stressed. I want to make sure I take full advantage of California while I still have it at my beck and call.So I decided to make a list
A list of things I would really LOVE to do before I bid California adieu {one day}.
A list of things I have done before, but not since I was a wee one.
A list of things I have done before, but husband hasn't experienced yet.
A list of things that I would like to do one more time.
A list of things that I probably wouldn't get on an airplane to come and do - when I could be spending that time visiting all my favorite people.


Here is what I came up with so far...
Whale Watching

Catalina

Stay at the Grand Californian
Stay at the Montage

The Beachcomber

Big Sur
Movie at Arclight

Movie in the cemetery

Concert at the Hollywood Bowl

Sing-A-Long Concert at the Hollywood Bowl
Salvation Mountain & Salton Sea
Queen Mary

Camp at Leo Carillo
Hearst Castle
Neighborhood

See the Sequoias & Kings National Park

San Francisco
Napa

Palm Springs Aerial Tram

La Brea Tarpits

Hike to Hollywood Sign

Ride beach cruisers from Balboa to Huntington
Santa Barbara
Mammoth & Yosemite
San Diego Zoo

Getty Museum

Griffith Observatory

Museum of Tolerance

Ronald Reagan Library

LACMA
 
What am I missing?
What would you add?
What do you think I should skip?

I heart Buffalo Plaid

I am really in to buffalo plaid.Don't know what that is? Here let me show you with some help from Google images:

{come. on. too cute.}

I know what you are thinking (or saying out loud if you are verbal processor), "Ooooh...plaid. Like what lumberjacks wear."
Nope, not just plaid. Buffalo plaid.

I don't know what it is about that red and black pattern, but I find myself drawn to it.
So much so that when I stare at it for so long, and then look at other plaid I get physically ill at the amount of cuteness it does NOT have.
So much so that I bought three yards of it on sale at the fabric store, with the hopes of every project I make for the next month having some buffalo plaid on it in some way.

If I could...I would cover my husband in buffalo plaid.

Ryanne Witt Literary Society

I didn't read nearly as many books as last year, but I still think I did pretty good.
I know you are dieing to know what I have been reading {who isn't} so here is the list:

1. Water for Elephants Sara Gruen
2. Madame Tussaud Michelle Moran
3. The Hangman's Daughter Oliver Potzsch
4. Hector and the Search for Happiness Francis Lelord
5. Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble H.P. Mallory
6. Toil and Trouble, a Paranormal Romance H.P. Mallory
7. Bossypants Tina Fey
8. Always the Baker, Never the Bride Sandra D. Bricker
9. Patched Together: A Story of My Story Brennan Manning
10. The Family Man Elinor Lipman
11. The Help Kathrynn Stockett
12. Twilight Stephanie Meyer
13. My Horizontal Life Chelsea Handler
14. Redeeming Love Francine Rivers

I joined/formed a book club this year. We like to call ourselves a literary society.  None of us (read: the three of us) really knows what a book club does, so usually we spend about ten minutes talking about the book, and twenty to thirty minutes talking about how awesome our book club is. It is really broadening my horizons when it comes to literature.

Who am I kidding? If I learned anything this year it is that I am sucker for ninety-nine cent and free novels on my Kindle, and sometimes I need a little comfort in my life {Twilight}.

Oh well...here is to another 30 Book Goal for 2012. I am thinking I might revisit Harry Potter and Hunger Games. Just for fun.

Get At Me 2012

I loved 2011. LOVED.
What an amazing life I have. I am so blessed.
But true to form I am ready for the new year to begin. I love a fresh start. I love a fresh perspective. I love a fresh look on life.

For those of you who know me - this is probably comical to you. Because even though I love all those things. What I don't love is...change. So even though the new year always arrives like a breath of fresh air, it also causes some unwarranted anxiety. Am I alone in this?

I have decided this year to welcome the new year anxiety with open arms {Get over here, you}. So...get at me 2012. Let's see what you got.

My Latest Fem Crush

Oh Kristen Wiig...how I like to dream about us lunching together as BFF for hours laughing hysterically with each other - mostly me laughing at your jokes - because you are clearly the funnier one, which I am ok with.

And that adorable haircut. I haven't thought of cutting my hair short in a long time, and I have never thought about going blond. However, after two hours of Bridesmaids you had me thinking. What? Too Single White Female for you?

I clearly have a thing for making blonds my best friend, because you have been added to the list with Kristen Bell and Rachel McAdams. Maybe we should all get together and go on a girl's weekend to Palm Springs. I'll drive.

I hate crows.

Hate them.
They are SO disgusting.

Oh and they are apparently stupid, because when I was driving back from lunch the other day a crow flew into my windshield. It flew into my windshield, rolled over the top of my car, and landed on the ground. Directly into my windshield.

It scared the crap out of me. To all you animal activists out there you should know the crow lived - not like I would have cared...because as you know...I hate crows.

Not only is it March...there are only 10 days left in March. Wow!

See that?

Oh that is just 2011 passing me by.