Paris

Mike and I just got back from the best trip ever: 18 days together in Europe. We had many things to celebrate, including my 30th birthday, our 5th wedding anniversary, and Mike's graduation from University of Wyoming with a master's degree in public administration. We felt like a vacation was the perfect way to mark the occasion(s). We're going to write a few posts to share our favorite pictures and stories from the trip. I'll start with Paris.

The sites:

The food:

This chocolate macaron was the best cookie of my life.

Best parts:

• The wall-sized Monet paintings at Musee de l'Orangerie
• Cruise down the Seine
• Breathtaking stained glass at Ste. Chapelle
• Breakfast at cafes near our hotel where we heard no one speaking English -- felt like we were eating with the locals!

LOEX in Columbus, OH

I recently returned from the LOEX annual conference in Columbus, Ohio. LOEX is the big annual library instruction conference, and I got to give a presentation with my friend Kennedy, who is a political science instructor at UW. Our presentation went really well, and I came away with several new ideas for teaching from other presentations.

Kennedy and me after our presentation

Also, Columbus is more exciting than I expected, with great food, a cool art museum, and a super-funky independent bookstore.

Dinner at Sidebar 122

Ice cream at Jeni's

At the Columbus Art Museum

Yves Saint Laurent at DAM

Mike and I made a trip to Denver on Saturday for two reasons:

1. One of my good friends from high school, Zac, is currently in Denver with the show Wicked and we got to have brunch with him. It was so nice to catch up and hear how things are going for Zac.
2. The Denver Art Museum has the Yves Saint Laurent Retrospective on display right now. It was fantastic! (Mike was not thrilled about going to see haute couture on display, but he admits that he enjoyed it much more than expected.) There were a few themes in the exhibit: 

Women's liberation through pantsuits -- fashion mirroring art -- fashion as art. I loved the exhibit, and recommend that you see it if in Denver between now and July 8.

Master's in Public Administration

Mike is just a week away from completing his (2nd) master's degree, and I'm very proud of him. He's excelled in his classes, even while working full time as an advisor in student success services, and he received an award last week as the Outstanding Graduate in the MPA Program. Way to go, honey!

Dallas, ALA Midwinter 2012

I visited Dallas in January for the American Library Association's Midwinter meeting. The weather was really lovely, and there were a few fun things to do in addition to committee meetings and library exhibits.

The Dallas Art Museum had an exhibit of Gaultier designs that was just amazing. My favorite part was the collection of Madonna costumes from her "Blonde Ambition" tour.

There were lots of parties and meals sponsored by library vendors, but Elsevier really pulled out all the stops: cowboy hats, longhorn cattle, and a mechanical bull!

The farmer's market was lovely (but deserted) and was the site of my first experience with breakfast tacos! (Yummy.)

Here's La Marketa Cafe

Dallas is the city where John F. Kennedy died, and the 6th Floor Museum traces his presidency, death, and legacy. I was surprised at how moving the museum was for me, and highly recommend it if you're ever visiting Dallas. The above photo is the JFK memorial.

Year in Review: 2011

Today Mike and I discussed the highlights of the year that just passed and we agreed that the biggest change for us was buying and moving into our house back in June.

We love our house so much, and look forward to making additional improvements and changes in 2012. Owning a home is pretty fun.

Some other highlights:

Two more nephews! Isaac (born in February) and Seth (born in August).

Trips to Chicago, Vancouver and Philadelphia (for Melissa), Albuquerque and Cache Valley.

Terry family photo from the Albuquerque trip

We enjoyed visits from Mom and Dad, Sheri, and Grandma Hansen. We loved hosting Thanksgiving dinner at our house!

Here's to the new year! We're excited to see what 2012 brings.

Christmas 2011

This year, Mike and I had our first Christmas tree. We loved it, and so did Simone.

This is my beautiful Christmas present -- a used piano, picked up in Utah and delivered by my parents a week before Christmas. I looooove it (and Mike claims to love having music in the house -- I think he'll love it more once the piano has been tuned).

I made several gifts this year, including these six flowered headbands. Cute, huh?

We spent a few days in Idaho with my family. Highlights included:

Getting to know 4-month-old nephew Seth (a truly magical baby)

Snowshoeing in Strawberry Canyon

Bowling at Logan Lanes (Robert is a little bit competitive)

Merry Christmas and a happy new year!