I don’t have any photographs but I do have this lasting image in my mind. It is of being carried over a threshold into a Victorian room, the golden threads of my wedding dress trailing behind me. Wade and I were spending our wedding night at the historic Hotel Jerome. As a gift the then General Manager, Tony DiLucia, left for us chocolate covered strawberries and a bucket of chilled champagne. Closing the door the world faded away as we slipped into silky sheets. Trickling champagne into each other’s lips we celebrated the beginning...
read moreI introduced myself to Chef Dava Parr at the Willitts Farmer’s Market. She was selling meats, eggs and cheeses and organic produce from her vegetable garden in Paonia. Claiming to be “An Ever Expanding Spirit Junkie,” I believe Dava to be just that with a wholesome smile and a low-key voice that leaves me thinking of Humphrey Bogart. Her wise cornflower blue eyes, golden ochre hair and creamy rosy skin glow with the spirit of a woman one with the earth. A reputable Chef and a leading force in bringing organic and local food to nearby...
read moreI’ve found another hotel that reaches high on my list of favorites. Winner of the 2010 Conde Nast Traveler Award for Readers Choice as #1 Resort in the United States, this Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa is nestled into the town of Avon, Colorado at the foot of Beaver Creek Mountain. We arrived at the hotel this past Saturday, just in time for my massage with Matthew. The relaxation began as soon as I exited the elevator and took in the deliciously clean scent of the 23,000 square foot Spa Anjali (which means divine offering in...
read moreAfter our stay at the dude ranch, the final leg of our trip was spent in Colorado Springs at The Broadmoor. “European Elegance meets Western Hospitality”: The hotel boasts 744 rooms and suites located on sprawling manicured grounds. Guests can entertain themselves on the 13 tennis courts, in the three swimming pools, the health spa and the three high altitude golf courses designed by two iconic golf course designers, Donald Ross and Robert Trent Jones, Sr. It was opened in 1919 by the cunning businessman with a vision, Spencer “Spec”...
read moreThe boys were all hyped up the night before we departed for our big trip, quelle surprise? I myself was a bit nervous. What was I thinking, taking four boys under the age of twelve to upscale resorts around Denver? Picking up Preston, we held hands and jumped up and down. He has three sisters. “I don’t know about you, but I am so excited for this,” he said, his sweet, big brown eyes shyly looking into mine. We’re still getting to know each other. With an incredibly patient and loving mother, he sometimes does not know...
read moreWe rode our horses through the fields, the sweet scent of Sage and Pinion Pine infiltrating the crisp Colorado air and a feeling came over me that I had never felt before, complete elation. “This is it,” our counselor announced helping to steer our horses into the secluded spot he had found. Quietly we waited, giggling with anticipation while keeping on the alert for the signal. Hearing the voices and the clip clopping of hooves from afar, we held our breath. His arm came down and we were off. Maneuvering our horses like cowboys we...
read moreThe boys were excited to once again head out to Denver this past weekend and participate in The Warrior Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Jamboree, one of the largest youth lacrosse events in the country, and the fifth largest lacrosse event in the world. Best Lacrosse Hotel in Denver: We hit the road late Friday night with massive complaints by the boys that they were going to miss the dive in movie and late night play with their friends at the The Omni, a Four-Diamond award-winning hotel that bravely welcomes over two hundred lacrosse...
read moreOnce again, Wade had to brave a long drive through a blinding snowstorm to take us to the Hotel Madeline, a luxury mountain hotel located in the Mountain Village of Telluride. Photo Courtesy of Hotel Madeline Visiting Telluride: We were visiting Telluride for a slopestyle event that the boys were in the next morning. We arrived late at night, a motley crew. The boys desperately in need of new clothes have resorted to wearing their X-Large homie sweatshirts and soft colorful sweatpants, lovingly crafted by my incredible mother-in-law. But...
read more(Photo courtesy of The Little Nell) The Little Nell Hotel personifies my belief that Aspen should be known not for its glitz and glamor but for its elegant and sporty. Not that the glitz and glamor doesn’t exist, it just doesn’t prevail. Aspen’s top, five star, ski-in, ski-out hotel: One only has to enjoy a stay at this hotel, as I did with my family this past Friday over Winterskol, to catch a glimpse of what I’m talking about. I had it all mapped out. I was going to take advantage of an early check-in and write, alone, by the...
read more(view out of the front door of our hotel, taken with my iPhone) Do you ever miss your spouse, even though he/she is right there, brushing by you in the kitchen as you pour your coffee or entering your dreams after wrapping you in a warm embrace as you sleep? Well, I miss Wade and worry that soon we will be so disconnected that our relationship will become nothing more than a hazy institutionalized blend of promises and hopes. Last year I won a night’s stay at the Residence Hotel. As life would have it, we couldn’t fit it into our...
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