release your inner barbie

do i mean barbie, as in THE most famous barbie doll? yup, that would be the one.

apparently this year marks barbie's 50th birthday. damn, she looks good for just turning 50! not only is this a celebratory event for the famous glamour doll, but jonathan adler of jonathan adler designs thinks so, too. he has designed a whole series revolving around everything barbie, which include gorgeous pink furniture, bright pink & black hand embroidered pillows and of course, it wouldn't be complete without a special edition jonathan adler barbie doll to go with this vivacious event. i love it!

imagine my surprise (and sheer pleasure) to see all things pink when i opened up my regular jonathan adler e-mail newsletter. all things pink to go along with his famous modern designs and lacquer accessories. if only i could convince my husband to decorate my bathroom in jonathan's bubble gum pink & black. for now, i can only admire from afar and appreciate jonathan's design sense and modern twist of a popular mid-century icon.

happy birthday, barbie! you look great!

if you're a barbie fan, you will love these glam designs by jonathan adler

new special edition jonathan adler barbie doll - $49.95

then your barbie can recline in this glam-or-ific accessories pack - $49.95

gorgeous bright pink lacquer accessories for your bathroom

check out these gorgeous large barbie plates - $98 set of four

retro barbie needlepoint coin purse - $38

love this funky barbie specs case - $38

or this must-have barbie lipstick case - $28

my addiction to 'joe'

no, not a guy named joe, but my daily cup of 'joe.' yup, i'm talking about coffee. not just regular coffee mind you, but my daily, early morning cappuccino. that's what i'm addicted to.

i purchased a beautiful—and unfortunately expensive—amazing home consumer, semi-professional espresso machine by expobar. i love this machine. it makes me smile every morning as i walk upstairs and turn it on to heat up. i anxiously await for the red light to turn off, indicating it's ready to go. with eager anticipation, i grind my beans fresh every morning into the portafilter and anxiously await the bold smell of freshly ground espresso coffee.

now, keep in mind, i'm no expert barista by any means, but since i have recently become a cappuccino addict, i knew that i could save quite a bit of money by making my own cappuccino at home instead of spending over $4/day for a venti capp from my local starbucks. because of course, i just had to add a danish or apple fritter to my daily venti capp, which inevitably brought my daily cost to exceed $5/day instead. ugh!

not long after i purchased this beauty, it basically paid for itself just from the money i was saving from my daily spenditure at starbucks. so if anything, it was a purchase well justified.

it was either that or a new louis vuitton handbag. nahhh...definitely wouldn't satisfy me as much as my daily cappuccino. thank you very much!

not the best microfoam, but i am definitely learning (too many bubbles)

definitely on my way, but still a ways to go...

nothing beats freshly ground coffee beans in the morning

i only buy freshly roasted beans from my local roaster. they're the best!

not the best coffee grinder, but for now it'll do. i'm hoping to get a better one soon.

look at that crema....i'm in awe!

oh deer...

until last week, i worked in the town of boulder, colorado—only 45 miles south of fort collins—and even though boulder is not necessarily a place i would want to live (or can afford to live, for that matter), i enjoyed working there with the beautiful scenery everywhere you turn, especially with the breathtaking views of the flatirons just west of where i worked.

as i was driving from lunch one day, i came across a side road to avoid the construction on the main roads, so as i was driving down this side road, i looked ahead and saw this deer in somebody's front yard—on a busy road—i kept thinking to myself "that statue looks so realistic"—until of course, it moved.

i couldn't believe my eyes. a gorgeous deer outside in front of somebody's yard just standing there as if there weren't 50+ cars driving by at a continuous pace.

well, after seeing such a beautiful creature out in the open like that, i had to stop and snap some pictures. something like this is a rare treat—even in colorado.

enjoy!

tour de fat - new belgium brewery

every year, local mico-brewer, new belgium, hosts an exciting charitable event throughout the country—tour de fat. i don't know the specifics of this event, but i do know that every year bicyclists around the country ride tandum in this incredible celebratory event in a different city each month. for us this month, it was fort collins, colorado, where new belgium started. what a pleasant surprise to walk out the front door of our loft to see this amazing "parade" right in front of our building.

during this event, cyclists alike can dress up (or dress down) as anything or anyone they wish as they throughout the city on their two-wheeler, but for some, it may even be a 3 or 4 wheeler, depending on the contraption they have created for this lively event.

it's a wonderfully colorful event and knowing that thousands of cyclists are on the road simultaneously is an extreme notion considering in this day and age, where we have become even more reliant on our motor vehicles. it's a pleasant sight, indeed.

you gotta love this homemade "motorcycle" bike

lots of colorful costumes throughout

this guy has it made — sit back and enjoy the ride!

ummm...is that chuckie on the back of that bicycle?

pretty in pink???

now that's the idea...

got milk? (cheesy, i know)

what's the buzz all about?

is that a recumbant bicycle?

surf's up on this bicycle

you say tomato, i say tomato?

how does he get down off of that thing? or how did he climb up?

this was my favorite. army dudes hard at work.

las vegas fun in the sun!

we just got back from a glorious week long vacation in las vegas last week. since it was a much needed vacation for our family, we enjoyed daily lounging (and drinking) at the pool. we stayed at the hard rock hotel, which is just slightly off the strip, and i must say, it was a perfect spot for a vacation.

we rarely dealt with the regular crowds that you occasionally encounter while walking up and down the strip, and believe me, the hotel was nothing short of perfection. the rooms were clean and large (which was a surprise), and the bed was so comfortable, it was a struggle for us to get out of bed every morning. we could have slept all day, but we didn't want to waste our vacation in our hotel room, so every day promptly at 10 a.m., we headed down to the pool. now keep in mind, there isn't just one pool for your lounging pleasure, but two.

these pools made you feel like you were at a tropical resort. the sand beach and cabanas scattered throughout was a visitor's delight. we enjoyed it immensely! oh, and the waitresses serving you cocktails by the pool made you feel as though you were a celebrity! the service was excellent.

since neither my husband or myself are gamblers, we preferred a smaller casino atmosphere which radiated the surrounding perimeter of the hotel as soon as you walked in the front door. we enjoyed the rock paraphernalia on display everywhere you walked—even retro photographs hung on the walls inside our room—it brought you back to the past each time you walked through the door.

overall, our vacation was relaxing and sublime and i highly recommend during your next visit to las vegas, to give the hard rock hotel a shot.

my husband, kirk, and our daughter, emma.

emma rinsing off the sand

emma and her new friends diving for "treasures"

at the "beach"

here she comes...