Free Museums, Warren Miller, and Birthday Recap

November has been a busy month for Erin and I which is one of the reasons I haven't written recently.  Both of us have been battling a cold which has made me even less excited about writing.  As I turn one year older and feel like I'm getting over this cold I feel like it's time to catch up.  Most of my time has been spent programming a new water gate program for local and international distribution.  Fortunately, Erin and I have found time on the weekends for some fun activities.

On the 7th, Denver museums we're having a free night and shuttles to help people get around.  Erin and I started out at the Museum of Contemporary Art around 5pm.  The art was okay, but the best part was that the bar on the roof was open allowing us to get a drink while looking over the city.  Before long our friends, Brian, Cassie, and Neil joined us on the roof and with the Autumn sun set we watched fireworks being shot from a nearby roof.  We ended up getting some dinner at a pub near Neil's place before heading over to the Molly Brown House Museum.  The main draw was to see my aunt Janet dressed up as Margaret Brown in traditional clothes and a bonnet.  Unfortunately, the line was so long to get in the house that by the time we we're finished and had taken photos the museums were closing so we ended up at a nearby bar before heading home.

The following weekend Erin's school was showing the latest Warren Miller film with a lift ticket to one of the ski resorts included in the movie ticket price.  My friend Andres and his friend Joe joined us for the night as we enjoyed the ski film, vied for fabulous door prizes, and finished the night back at our place playing video games.  It was a fun night, but by the next morning I had finally come down with the cold Erin had been battling for a week already and I wasn't feeling like doing anything but staying home on the couch.

Fortunately by Thursday of this week I was feeling better for my birthday.  Erin and I joined our friends at a supper club that we've been holding for the past few months.  This month found us at the Budapest Bistro on Pearl St.  While the food was a little salty it was good and I enjoyed the change.  I especially enjoyed the chocolate crepe my friend Erich got me.  What was really surprising was when we saw Erin's parents walk by the window and waved them in.  We had a nice chat with them before returning to our meal and being pleasantly surprised when the check came to find that they had paid for Erin and my dinner.  Of course, the best gift of my birthday were tickets to the U2 concert this summer that Erin got us.

We were fortunate to see Erin's parents again on Saturday as we went out to lunch at their favorite Vietnamese restaurant.  It reminded me of going to a great Vietnamese place with my friend Matt back in college when we got a whole fish.  Upon hearing this Erin and her parents insisted that we get the same dish.  The food was delicious and it was funny to watch Erin's dad make the fish talk.

Saturday night was when we had planned to celebrate my birthday with some "shady" activities.  We started the night at the Green Mountain Family Shooting Center.  While Erin was hesitant about shooting she soon got the feel of it and we all had a good time.  We followed shooting with dinner at a nearby Chinese restaurant in a sketchy-looking part of Lakewood.  While the neighborhood doesn't look good the food was delicious and we were soon on to our next stop at a nearby bar with billiards tables.

It felt appropriate for the theme of the night that as we were pulling into the parking lot for the bar we were following two police cars that seemed to be heading for the same place.  In the end the cops just seemed to be making sure nothing bad went on and we had a great time drinking, playing pool, and talking.  All in all I had a great time and was glad my friends could come out and share in the activities.