Bathroom Remodel: Pics and Costs

We’ve wanted to remodel our bathroom for some time now. Well, actually, all we wanted to do was replace the vanity. When we bought the house, there were some mysterious orange-brown stains on the vanity top. The only thing I can think these are from is an adventure in home hair dying gone awry by the previous owner. It didn’t bother us too much, but it was always on the ever-growing list of things to replace and repair. Other than one coat of white paint and some stick-on vinyl floor tiles, we hadn’t really done any work to the bathroom. Then one day, Evan says let’s take the plunge and do some work on the house. Getting the bathroom re-done seemed like the most feasible project to take on. And of course, why just replace the vanity when you can get a complete, shiny, new bathroom. Millie is still bathed in the kitchen sink and we have a second bathroom with a shower that we could move into while the main one was remodeled. So, off we went.

We hired the same friend who tiled our kitchen floor to retile the bathroom shower, the floor, and the floor to the downstairs bathroom. We also “hired” our dads to help rip out the old vanity and to put the new one in. We retained our same toilet, but got a new seat. We kept our same tub, but replaced the faucet and hardware (just the decorative pieces, we didn’t change the plumbing). We also hired my sister-in-law to paint because we hate painting. The mirror also stayed and the light fixture we replaced a few years ago, so that also stayed.

We took down the shower door and discovered all sorts of disgusting muck underneath it. Then the walls of the shower came down, the vanity was removed, the toilet was uprooted, and the floor ripped out. At one point there was nothing in the bathroom, but the tub. Then, our friend got to do all the hard work.



Once the tile was in, it was our turn to put in the vanity. Naturally, nothing works like it’s supposed to. For whatever reason, the plumbing was not centered on the wall so the vanity drawer was hitting a pipe and wouldn’t close. So we had to cut a notch into the drawer so the vanity would fit. Then it was time to replace the towel bars, heat register, hang a new shower curtain and rod, and put all the pretty things in it. 



 

 

After all was said and done, it took about 10 days and 547,458,669 trips to Lowes to complete and here is the breakdown of the cost.

• Tile for floor and shower (Floor and Décor): $512.45
• Tile Pencil Liner/Trim and Soap Dish (Home Depot): $107.53
• Vanity (Home Depot): $435.76
• Tile Supplies (Lowes): $187.28
• Paint (Lowes): $26.97
• Misc. Supplies (toilet rings, toilet and sink supply lines, liquid nails, paint brushes, etc.): $201.94
• Decorative Supplies: $175.30
• Tile Labor: $900.00
• Paint Labor: $125.00
• I cashed in some credit card rewards: -$100.00

GRAND TOTAL: $2,572.23





BEFORE







AFTER





 

Two Months of Millie

In case you missed it, I had a baby! And now it’s been 9 weeks since she was born, so I figured it was about dang time for a blog post about her.

Millie was due on April 25^th, but of course that day came and went without her making an appearance. My blood pressure had been pretty normal and consistent until 38 weeks when it started to rise. It was still within the normal range, but the doctor started to worry about it. There were no other signs of pre-eclampsia so I wasn’t too concerned and did think that they were freaking out about nothing. I had to go in to the office twice a week for monitoring and they finally decided to induce. I REALLY wanted to go into labor on my own. In fact, it was the only thing I felt passionate about in regard to any type of “birth plan.” Since I had absolutely no signs of going into labor on my own, was so over being pregnant, and with the doctors getting antsy, I decided to agree to an induction.

On Sunday, April 28^th, we checked into the hospital to get the induction started. By the next morning the contractions were coming steadily – well actually right on top of one another. It suuuuuuucked. And it took all damn day to dilate to 3 cm. At that point I could have the epidural, so I ordered that sucker right away. It helped me go to sleep (well, if it wasn’t for the nurses coming in every hour. Grr), but it also slowed my contractions. The next morning they started Pitocin and the contractions started up again. By this point Millie was jammed up all on my left side and must have been lying on some nerve because there was excruciating pain on my left side that would not let up even after pushing the epidural button repeatedly.  The doctor came in to adjust the epidural and put some extra special kind of drug in there (clearly I knew exactly what was going on :) ). It would take the pain away for a little bit, but it didn’t last. I was really annoyed that the epidural wasn’t working fully.  The first time in my life doing drugs and they didn’t work! What a letdown.

Finally at about 3pm on Tuesday, April 30^th, I was able to start pushing. I was determined to get her out by 5pm. So I pushed for about an hour and at 4:41 pm I pushed out an 8 lbs. 14 oz, 22 inch long gooey, beautiful baby. To this day, I look at her and I think, “Holy hell. I pushed that out of my body. Weird.” But man, the feeling after giving birth, not being pregnant anymore, and still having some numbing drugs in your system is amazeballs. 

Now, 2 months later, I have a fabulous little girl whom I love to pieces. We’ve had many sleepless nights and days where all she does is nap. Times when she will suck down 2 bottles and still be hungry and others when she just can’t be bothered to eat. Too many diaper changes to count, and yes the occasional poopsplosion and pee fountain. Hours upon hours getting her to smile and coo, and even more spent rocking her to sleep.  She consumes all our time and we wouldn’t have it any other way. I look forward to hearing her laugh, learning how to roll over and crawl, and feeding her solid foods. I am also looking forward to going back to work in 2 weeks even though it means Millie will be in daycare full time.

It’s funny how a baby will turn your world upside down and crazy how soon it becomes the new normal. Millie is pretty awesome and it’s pretty awesome that I get to be her mom. It’s also pretty amazing that I get to have Evan as my baby daddy. He is pretty much the best dad in the whole world and Millie has no idea how much fun she is going to have with him. 

Nursery

Well, it's been about 7 months since my last post. Apparently nothing is going on. Oh, so you see that "nursery" is the title of this blog? Ok, so something has been going on. During the last 7 months I have been growing another human being inside my body. Sounds cool, right? It totally is, but it will be cooler once this little person comes flying out of my nether regions and is a real-live baby. So to prepare for our new roommate, Evan and I have been busy with all sorts of parenting classes, buying supplies, and of course, preparing the nursery. Even though the nursery won't be fully utilized for several months after the baby is born, we have it all set up and ready to go for your viewing pleasure.

It's actually been about 98% finished for some time now, but we just had our baby shower this weekend and now it is full with all sorts of fun stuff. Let the picture parade begin!

Here is the first view of the room from the door. Gray wall color with pink accents.

The next view is from another corner facing the closet and the rocking chair.  To toot my own horn, I sewed the rocking chair pads after I couldn't find anything I liked in the store/online. The rocking chair was a hand-me-down from Evan's parents.

 

Here is a close-up view of one of my favorite things about the room. The shelf above the closet is full of "vintage" toys. And by "vintage" I mean toys that my siblings and I used to play with when we were little. :) Basically a bunch of Fisher-Price toys from the 60s and 70s.  There are a few older pieces mixed in - the stacked blocks are part of a set my mom and perhaps even her mother used to play with as children. Some are falling apart and very fragile, but they have actually held up pretty well over the years.

The next pic is of our bookshelves which is an idea that I totally stole from Pinterest. These are actually $4 spice rack shelves from IKEA stained black. We don't have a lot of space in this room for more pieces of furniture, so we thought shelves on the wall would do the trick.

Here is our crib with a bunch of vintage Disneyland posters on the wall. We have all the different lands represented as well as Mainstreet and the Disneyland train route. 

 

Here is the view from the window of the dresser/changing table. Horn tooting again - I made the lamp shade because, once again, I couldn't find anything I liked. Above the dresser is a vintage Disneyland map. Oh, you can also see our baby spy-cam mounted above the picture. :)

Finally, because we received a mountain of the cutest baby clothes at our shower, here is picture of our closet.  6 weeks from her due date and her wardrobe is already exploding. 

Well that's it! We just need a little human and we are all set!!

Support our Teachers!

There are few teachers who I can look back on now and remember their classes vividly, even though I'm sure they were great teachers and the subject was enlightening. I was fortunate to have 2 teachers that made such an impact on my life that I still recall going to their classes and I consider them to be my friends to this very day. One is my high school drama teacher, Lynn, and the other is my high school choir teacher, Alison. Both teachers made profound impacts on my development and I have such fond memories of both of them. I recently had the pleasure of hosting a farewell party/concert for Alison.

Due to budget cuts, the choir program at Northglenn High School has been whittled down to almost nothing, and in order to stay employed full-time, Alison had to transfer to an elementary school. She had spent the past 15 years at Northglenn High School building the choir program into something extraordinary. When she started, there were 4 choirs available. At the peak of the NGHS choir program, there were at least 6 choirs offered (possibly 7 – I’m not sure of the overlap after I graduated). Now, after budget cuts, there will be only ::gulp:: 2 choirs remaining. (According to a parent I spoke with at Alison’s party.)


When I was little, I watched my sister go through the NGHS choir program and I couldn’t wait for the day when I could sing with all those choirs. During my 4 years in high school, I had the privilege of singing in every choir available at the time, including the 2 vocal jazz ensembles. In my senior year, I sang in 3 choirs and even went to lunch nearly every day with Alison and Lynn (Yes, I was THAT student). So, that was 4 hours a day spent with Alison and honestly, I enjoyed every single minute of it. I worked my tail off in every one of those classes. Not being born with a natural talent for singing, I had to focus extremely hard on staying in key, sight reading, and blending with the group. Alison shared her passion for music through her teaching and it made all of us passionate about too. She inspired us to be better musicians and better people, and “good enough” was never acceptable.


I have seen so many exceptionally talented kids come out of the NGHS choir program, and these voices were all on display at the party/concert we held for Alison earlier in August. There were tons of A-MAH-ZING singers that owe a little, if not A LOT, of their success to our amazing choir teacher. Close to 200 people showed up to honor Alison, some of them driving or flying in from across the country. It’s obvious that Alison impacted her student’s lives on so many levels – I just wish the district could have been there to witness it.


A group of us singing at Alison's farewell party/concert



It’s heartbreaking to watch a program you loved and cherished so much go down the tubes simply because there is no money. It’s beyond frustrating to see talented, dedicated, and passionate teachers being tossed around the district just so they can remain employed. In fact, it’s sickening. So many kids are now missing out on an opportunity that I believe would make them more well-rounded, harder working, and just overall better people. Kids deserve GREAT teachers and opportunities to express themselves. But, we treat teachers like second class citizens and force them to do arguably one of THE MOST important jobs with little to no resources, support, or compensation.


I try not to get too political on my blog, but please, for the love of god, support our schools! The next time there is a ballot measure asking you to pay a small percentage more in taxes to support your local school district, VOTE YES, DAMNIT! We can’t expect our children to be well educated and have access to opportunities when we keep voting down measures because we are too cheap to pay our share. Every kid deserves to have fabulous teachers like Alison and Lynn in their lives, but if we keep screwing over our teachers and schools, amazing people will stop choosing teaching as a profession and amazing programs like choir will be a thing of the past.

How I Made Eye Contact with Eric Northman: A Comic Con Experience

This past weekend was the world's most popular convention, San Diego Comic Con. What started out as a tiny comic book convention many years ago is now a giant cluster-fluck of pop culture madness. This convention draws in over 100,000 people from around the globe and this year, Evan, his sister, Megan, and I were part of it. So here is my Comic Con wrap-up.

  

The Facts
Comic Con started last Wednesday night and went through Sunday evening.  We arrived on Thursday morning and we had tickets for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (we left Sunday evening). We stayed at the Hotel Salomar in downtown San Diego which was about 4 blocks away from the convention center.

Thursday

Once we arrived in San Diego, we headed down to the convention center to scope out the crowd and to figure out where we needed to go to pick up our badges the next day.  The crowds weren't too bad around the convention center so we got around pretty easily.  The next thing we did was go look at the Batmobile exhibit outside the convention center.  All the Batmobiles from every movie were on display. It was pretty awesome! After that, we took the ferry across to Coronado Island and had lunch...then we came right back.  There wasn't much to do there, but it was pretty I suppose.

We killed some time hanging in our hotel room, getting groceries for breakfast, and just relaxing until my friend, Erin, picked us up for dinner.  We went to Old Town and ate some great Mexican food. It was so awesome to see her since she moved to San Diego in December.

 

Friday

Ta DA! Comic Con day! Badges were available for pick-up at 830am, so we got there early and surprisingly got right in.  That process was smooth and breezy and pretty soon we were officially Comic Con attendees! Too bad we didn't know that the exhibit hall didn't open till 930am and the Comic Con staff were (needlessly) blocking off other main areas of the hall so we couldn't even wait in line. So we were quickly engulfed in people that were swarming in to the convention center at alarming rates with no where to go. Finally we got in to a room to watch our first panel.  Oh! I forgot to mention, we had intentions of getting in line for the huge Hall H to see some popular panels like the Big Bang Theory, but the line was so freaking long we said the hell with it.  Here is what we DID see though:

-How to break into TV writing
-Marvel: Ultimate Comics
-DC Comics: Justice League and Green Lantern
-DC Comics: The New 52
-The Making of Kaijudo (totally on accident waiting for another panel)
-The Totally Rad Show (My pick for best panel!!)


In between some of these panels, we ventured down to the TOTALLY INSANE exhibitor floor.  It is astoundingly large and completely full of people.  It was a mad house, but some of the stuff was cool to see - like the Lego Hulk. 

Saturday

Since we knew that things didn't open till 930, we took our time in the morning and didn't get to the convention center till around 10. Here are the panels we saw on Saturday:







-Marvel Television Presents
-Quick Draw! (My pick for second best panel!)














-Alphas
-Being Human (My pick for most entertaining celebrities!)
-Shameless












-Glee

After the Glee panel, we all headed down to the exhibit hall once again.  Ok so, we did NOT go to the True Blood panel because 1) Alexander Skarsgard (Eric Northman) wasn't slated to attend according to the program and 2) I just started watching the show and didn't want it to get spoiled.  However, as we are traipsing through the floor, we see on a big screen that the True Blood cast will be doing a signing at the Warner Brothers Booth.  So we head over there...and lo and behold...there is Alexander in all his excruciatingly handsome glory! Yeah, Megan and I were pissed we missed the panel where we could have stared at him for a whole hour, but there he was on the second level of the WB booth.  Of course a giant crowd was gathering.  Then a bunch of girls yelled "Alex!" and he turned around and we totally locked eyes, fell in love, and had 100 babies. Ok well, at least the first thing happened.  This poor picture doesn't do him justice at all.  He is startlingly good looking in real life.

After my brief, but magical encounter with Alex Skarsgard, we left the floor and headed to dinner. So I should back up...across the street from our hotel, people were setting up something that looked like a concert for two days.  Well on Saturday, we walked by and discovered that they were setting up for a fancy hollywood party...the True Blood/Playboy Party!!! Of course, after dinner we went to the roof top patio/pool area to watch the party from across the street.  Unfortunately, nobody showed up for hours so we stared at normal people getting drunk for a long time.  Finally, at about 1145pm, the beautiful Alex showed up to his party.  We watched him walk the red carpet (hastily) and then enter the party and take lots of pictures with people.  It was at this point I recognized what a big stalker I was, but I think I'm ok with it.

Sunday
We didn't have any plans to see any panels this day, instead we planned on roaming the exhibitor floor to shop the Sunday deals.  Unfortunately, 98, 234 other people had the same plan.  Ugh, at this point I couldn't handle the crowds anymore and was totally over it.  There were so many people that you could barely move and you certainly couldn't take time to look at things and actually shop.  It sucked. Evan left Comic Con without buying a single comic book.  Pretty depressing. After the floor debacle, we decided to go upstairs and wander into a panel.  We went to:
-Star Wars Galaxies
-DC Nation with guest moderator, Kevin Smith

Then we went to lunch and headed to the airport.  And so ended our first (and probably my last) Comic Con experience. We all decided that a smaller convention would probably be far more enjoyable. They simply sell way too many tickets because that many people should never be in the same place at once. Ugh! But I'm glad I got to experience it because it truly is an experience like no other. Oh and Alex Skarsgard is now my boyfriend.  Don't tell Evan.

This photoshop masterpiece is what was waiting at my desk when I got back to work!

Backstage to Centerstage: A Dirty Rotten Retrospective

This past Saturday, we had the 10th and final performance of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. I’ve blogged about the show from the auditions, so it’s only fitting that I wrap things up with one final blog. Below is a quick (ok, really damn long and boring) summary of my leading lady experience and some little backstage stories and mishaps because who doesn’t like bloopers?!

A Night in the Life of Christine Colgate

Actors are required to arrive at the theatre an hour before showtime. But let’s back up, first it takes me about an hour to curl my hair, do my make-up, and squeeze into panty hose and spanx at home. Ugh, I really loathe curling my hair because it takes forever and no matter how much hairspray I use, my hair has gone flat by intermission. Grr. Then, we hit the road and it takes roughly 30 minutes to get to Longmont. So even though the call time is 630pm for evening performances, my preparation starts at 445pm.

Evan and I show up, sign the call sheet, and I start preparing. The first thing I do is take my final costume and set it up in the stairwell to the light booth in the lobby. Then, I go about setting my props. I don’t have many, but I’m kind of OCD and I have to check them about 5 times to ensure that they are actually where I think they are. After that, I place my costumes on stage (well, in a hallway) as all my costume changes are super fast and take place just behind a curtain. They have to be in the proper order with buttons, zippers and belts un-done for easy changing. I then check these about 5 more times before curtain.

  

Now it’s time for vocal warm-ups. To this day, I have no idea what the complete lyrics are to the Oscar Mayer theme song (it was a common warm-up finale). Must be my aversion to bologna.

  

Next...I do nothing for about 30 minutes. Since my hair and make-up are already done, I just hang out and do nothing until curtain. Once we are underway, I help move a bench on and off stage, but that is all I do for the 40 minutes after the show starts. Then, during one of the big numbers when everyone else is on stage and not in the dressing room, I go and change into costume. And then…I sit for another 20 minutes.

Finally, FINALLY, after about 40 minutes into the first act, it is time for Christine’s grand entrance. I stand in the wings, trying really hard to not be nervous…and not to be seen by the audience through the awful sightlines. “She’s here!” And that’s my cue and away we go. One tiny line and then starts the song with which I have a problematic past. After huffing and puffing through the song, smacking people way harder than I was supposed to (Christine and Linda are quite clumsy), the song is done and I’m in full show mode. No more nerves, all business.

  

After another song, one I can actually sing(!), it is time for intermission. At this point, I relax even further. All my songs in Act II are duets or little interjections here and there – the hard stuff is done. Well, except for the 3 really fast costume changes. Thank goodness I had the help of a cast mate because they would have been impossible otherwise. Some more songs, a tango, fake crying, and then comes my favorite part. The part that I’ve been keeping secret from all of you that don’t know the show. SPOILER ALERT: It is revealed that I am the Jackal and have managed to con $50,000 from the best two conmen in the French Riviera. It’s quite empowering actually. :) Sometimes I was even applauded as I dashed out of the theatre with my briefcase full of money. By far, my favorite part of the show.

 

Then I come back with a whole new persona and all three of us dirty rotten scoundrels are reunited for the finale. By this point my hair is flat, I’m sweating through my panty hose, my make-up is pretty much all sweated off, and there’s a sense of accomplishment that we made it through another show.

  

All in all, playing Christine was fun! It was also time-consuming, stressful, challenging, and at times, terrifying. I’m glad that I auditioned, I’m glad I got the part, and I’m glad to be done. Lots of people will jump from show to show, but I will be taking a break. It had been 3 years since I last performed on stage, and it may very well be that long again. It’s hard work! In the meantime, I will be seeing lots of fabulous shows and getting my theatre fix from the audience. Phew! All done…and now…

Tales from the Wings:

• Every night while waiting for the show to start, a few of us would be huddled in the stage left entry way (right by the band). The overture starts with a big bang/pop/drum hit/whatever, and every night, without fail, I would have a heart attack and jump on that first beat.
• There are several crosses by hotel staff during the course of the play. Each time they are carrying something interesting. One night, an actress was scooting a large clothes steamer across the stage when the top popped off and water went everywhere. Luckily, another actress was passing by and just magically happened to be carrying a roll of paper towels. Divine intervention.
• Acting in the dark is really fun, you should try it sometime. We did, several times, but most notably on Industry Night when the light board decided to stop working. Some scenes were totally in the dark and others had light coming off and on and I started playing a game called “try to run into the light before it goes off.”
• What does Beauty and the Beast have to do with Dirty Rotten Scoundrels? Nothing, except this most awesome video we viewed one day in the dressing room. Hey girl!
• Boob money. Sadly, I never got to have any.
• You see that weird piece of foam with green painted sea-shells glued to it? Oh, that’s escargot. No, really, it looks great.
• What’s that? You can’t hear us? Oh you mean, you can't hear 1 person singing over a 9 piece band? Oh, you can’t hear us over the extremely loud scene changes? Well, shut up, we’re creating theatrical magic here people!
• Finally, you know you have one heck of a funny show when the biggest laugh of night is a re-written joke about Fort Collins.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels: 6 Performances Down, 4 to Go

Tonight is Industry Night. Theatres starting doing industry nights on Mondays to attract other theatre/industry folks who are busy doing their own shows on the weekends, but are free on weeknights. However, with people so busy with rehearsals, performing in their on industry nights on the same day, or just busy with life in general, attendance on Industry Night can be a bit light. But the great thing about Industry Night is that sometimes a crowd of 15 “theatre people” can out-laugh and out-applaud an audience of 200.

Let’s be honest, one of the biggest draws, if not THE biggest, to doing live theatre is the immediate feedback of an audience. Yeah yeah, actors like to develop characters and delve into the complicated nuances of a play, but really, we do it to entertain people. An audience can have a huge impact on a performance depending on how they react. It’s not supposed to - we are supposed to give the same great show every night regardless - but when an audience is falling into the aisles with laughter, you can’t help milking the really funny bits or pumping up things here and there because you know they will love it.

Conversely, a timid and unresponsive audience makes an actor wonder what the heck he or she is doing wrong. So we might deliver a line differently to test the waters, but usually it doesn’t help. Or we just feel like the show is dragging and cross our fingers that at the curtain call, the audience really did enjoy the show, but were afraid to audibly express it.

No matter whether the audience is quiet or raucous, really, we are all just super excited that they showed up in the first place! Without an audience, well there wouldn’t be much theatre happening. Not only because community theatres depend on the generosity of their patrons to stay afloat, but because without an audience, we might as well just be singing into our hairbrushes in front of a mirror. I am deeply appreciative to all my friends and family that have taken time out of their busy schedules to come and support me and what I do. It means a great deal to me and I can’t ever fully express my gratitude. I know it’s not cheap to come to the theatre and it takes time and planning. Yet, many of you have come to every show I’ve ever been in and some of you come multiple times. You are all amazing and I thank you for your continuous love and support!

Opening Night!!

The time has finally come, here we are, opening night of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.  What started out as a dirty rotten audition nearly 11 weeks ago is now a full-fledged piece of musical comedy artistry. The set is painted, the lights are beaming, the band is jammin', the costumes are sparkling, and a cast of 19 is poised to take the stage.  This past week was long and arduous and amidst the feelings of "damn, this is a butt-ton of work" there is an energy in the air. We are ready to entertain you!

Our director spoke to us last night about how musical theatre is this magical thing that exists no where else. Where else do you get to burst into song in the middle of a conversation, or start dancing with a group of people who all know the same steps? When is it ever appropriate to sing a song about "fresh shaved testicles on Christmas Day" or "playing naked Twister" or "praying you look good in shorts."  Ok, well maybe I sing about the last one each time summer rolls around. You get swept away in the absurdness of it all and find that you get to do all this crazy stuff on stage and it is totally acceptable.  Oh, and people come and watch and laugh and clap for you. It's pretty freaking amazing.

I'm glad that I get to partake in such a wonderful bit of magic. It's fulfilling to be surrounded by people who are not only wickedly talented, but also so dedicated and committed to making something great. Will it be perfect? Probably not.  Will it be entertaining? You bet your ass it will. So buy a dang ticket already and come watch us perform a bit of magic for you. And if magic isn't your thing, well then, come for all the hot chicks that are in the show.

Hey look, that's me!

CitySolve Urban Race Denver - 2012

This past Saturday, Evan, Megan, and I once again participated in the CitySolve Urban Race Denver. You may remember that we did this same race last year and our team, The Flux Capacitors, placed 57th out of 310 teams. CitySolve Urban Race is a scavenger hunt race all around downtown Denver. You must solve clues that lead you to different locations around the city and you are only allowed to walk/run and take the bus (no bikes, skateboards, cars, taxis, etc.). 

After last year's race, I was so sore that I could barely walk for several days.  So in preparation for this year...uh, I didn't do anything different. Well, the night before I stretched extensively and then I stretched again the next morning.  Then, about 15 minutes before the race started, I took 2 advil and hoped for the best.

Since we had done the race before, we had an idea of what to expect from the clues. We knew that they like to have people go to places with interesting names and places that are easy to write questions about.  Since I now work downtown, I was making mental notes of every interesting sounding restaurant and bar that I drove by. We also researched the 5280 best restaurants/bar list to try to commit to memory as many places as we could.

At noon, the first clue gets unfurled at Stoney's Bar and Grill (11th and Lincoln) to give us the first checkpoint.

It's hard to read from this picture, but it says: "Which actor was born in Denver?"
>>I don't remember what the other multiple choice answers were, but once I saw "Tim Allen," I knew that was it. After each multiple choice answer there was a location.  That's where you go to get the packet of 10 clues to solve and start the race. The Tim Allen location was at 14th and Broadway, Civic Center Park.
Note: Last year, the first place was at the Capitol. We knew the first clue has to be a place where lots of people can gather and sit and solve the other 10 clues. So I was thinking it would be Civic Center Park and that just confirmed that Tim Allen was the correct answer.

So, we ran (yes, RAN!) from Stoney's to Civic Center Park, grabbed the clue packet, found a bench, and got to work. We started figuring out the clues and quickly discovered that 200 people all in the same place, accessing the same internet was bogging down everyone's service.  It was extremely frustrating! It took 15 minutes for one page to load. Grrr!! Anyway, we had most of the clues figured out and just decided that the ones we still had to look up could wait till we were on our way and got better cell service.

Here was our route:

Q4: Are these really cheaper? Unscramble the following words, and identify the serving size they often share.  Add one to that number get the Avenue this checkpoint is located on.  You'll find your destination on the 200 block, with the help of the numerical theme.  Words: SHOTMN, SOERS, GESG, SELGAB, ROJSUR, SUNDOT.

>>After "MONTHS" and "ROSES", I knew the answer was dozen and the place was Dozens Cafe.  Oddly enough, this was one of the places I drove by and thought, "I'm gonna remember this place just in case it's one of the clues." Ta da!  Dozens on 13th was our first checkpoint.

Q8: Now that's what I call music. The Dave Matthews Band and The Counting Crows have songs with the same celestial body in the title.  Find a pub near Grant and E Colfax whose name shares the subject of the song.

>>We didn't really know what this one was.  But we knew Grant and Colfax was nearby so we figured we would just go there and find it.  And we did: Satellite Bar.

Q10: Go directly to jail, do not pass go...This checkpoint is a cafe at the intersection of two streets. 1) One street is known for a railroad sandwiched between a block of magenta properties and a block of orange properties. 2) The cross street is a numbered Eastern Avenue.  To find this correct avenue, you must know how many spaces needed to travel on the Monopoly board - starting on GO - to get to New York Avenue. When you find this locale, locate the Yelp staff and they'll take you through a fun activity.

>> Megan knew the railroad was Pennsylvania so at least we could start there. I was trying to find a monopoly board picture on my phone, but it was taking 500 years. So I had to look this up while we were walking to the Satellite Bar.  Finally, it came up and the answer to the second part of the question was 19 - So 19th and Pennsylvania was our next stop (a place I drive by everyday). It was a coffee shop and once we got there, we had to find a menu item that was inspired by a cookie.  We found that it was snickerdoodle, told the Yelp person, got our picture taken and away we went.

Q2: Mural mural on the wall...Find this public art, it's located very close to a lounge whose name is the logo on the helmet of Peyton Manning's former team. (It gave a picture of the mural).

>>Ok, so of course we knew immediately that it was a horseshoe.  Last year, we had trouble finding the Horseshoe Lounge, but thought that had to be it again.  And that lounge was right by the coffee shop above.  We literally turned the corner and the mural was right there.  Hooray!

Q7: You're beautiful...People Magazine recently came out with its Most Beautiful issue, but CitySolve ain't gonna make you find Beyonce. Instead, you'll need to find things CitySolve thinks is beautiful..FOOD! Find someone taking a bite of a cupcake, taco, or donut. The person must be a non-racer.

>>We thought we were gonna skip this one as our free skip.  But one of the other clues (VooDoo Comedy Club) was kind of far out from all the other clues, so we decided to skip that one instead.  Luckily, we decided this just as we were passing a convenient store.  We rushed inside and asked the clerk if he'd be willing to eat a donut for us (after we purchased it of course).  He was a little confused, but he agreed.  We bought a pack of donuts and he took a bite. Just as we were taking this photo, a few other teams came in and probably had the same idea.  We were glad we got there first because this guy probably had to start turning people down as the day went on.

Q9: You call that a range....This checkpoint is a shop where you can find home on the range, where the deer and the antelope play. You may also remember the name from a 1980 Gonzo bio-pic. You'll find this checkpoint on 16th Street.

>>I was kinda clueless about this one, but Megan thought pretty quickly of the store, Where the Buffalo Roam. After some quick searching of the 1980 movie hint, we confirmed that was right.

Q5: Everything's better down where it's wetter...Solve the poem below.  You'll find it on Champa Street. Poem: Once mistook for manatees, they rose up from the sea. Investing wealth from Disney fame, begot this bakery.

>>Duh..the little mermaid.  Evan searched Mermaid Bakery and bam the next checkpoint was easy to find.

Q3: Hold the anchovies...This checkpoint will take you just about as far up the 16th st mall as you can go without walking into the river. To find the block number, multiply Julius Thomas's jersey by Wilin Rosario's jersey. You're looking for a place that might make a clover cobbler and a rabbit's foot pizza.  When you arrive, you'll meet the official charity and they will take you through a challenge.

>>This one really confused us. We knew we were headed to north 16th street mall, but could not think of what pizza place this was referencing. We tried searching menus and even called a few places to see if they made clover cobbler.  Nothing was coming up.  Then, as we were walking to the 3rd checkpoint, it dawned on me- we were being too literal. Clover and rabbit's foot were both good luck charms...it had to do something with luck or lucky.  Then it hit me Lucky Pie!! I knew there was one in Louisville, so Evan searched it and they also had a location on 16th street. Woohoo!  We got there and the "challenge" was to donate $5 to the charity.  Good thing we had cash...



Q1: Why isn't there a queen of beers? To find this checkpoint, fill in the following clues. Then, unscramble the parenthesized letters to spell the name of a thematic destination located 1/3 mile of Coors Field.

-Source of bitterness in brewing H(O)PS

-Home of Coors: G(O)LDE(N)

-Amber Lager brewed by Coors: (I didn't know this one)

-Not Bottled by on _____: TA(P)

-2 hydrogen + 1 oxygen: (W)ATER

-Fermentation ingredient: (Y)EAST

>>So I had the letters OON?PWY. I didn't need the "K" to know this was Wynkoop.

And that's it!! We were done!! Now all we had to do was take the 16th street bus back up to Civic Center Park and make our way back to the finish line at Stoney's. We kept checking and double checking our list to make sure we didn't forget a clue (other than our 1 intentional skip). And we didn't, we were done! Once we got off the bus, we ran a little to get to Stoney's and ended up beating one other group by a few seconds.

They marked down our time and we go inside to get our photos checked.  We notice that there are not too many teams hanging about the restaurant. We start thinking that maybe we are one of the first few finishers. The top 3 teams win prizes and the top 25 teams earn entry into the national race in Miami in November. The results were posted yesterday...with a time of 1 hour 38 minutes and 41 seconds....we placed 14th!!!!! There were 130 teams this year. We are stoked!!

Whether or not we will actually do the Miami race is yet to be determined. And maybe the best part of the whole thing is that I felt great afterward! No soreness, no blisters, nothing.  (Well, the next day my foot started hurting really badly, but on Saturday I was fine!) It's important to note that the checkpoints were much closer together than last year and we didn't lose time trying to find a clue. Overall, a super success and another fun day running around Denver!