One Day in Ouray

Ouray, Silverton, Durango, and back.

the PERFECT day!

Mr. & Mrs. Jonathan William Nelson

5.14.2009

We couldn't ask for more - thanks for all of your love & support!

WEDDING PRESENT

So, last week Jon and I went to Denver to help his brother move…well that is what I thought we were going to do, but as usual Jon surprised me with a wedding present! A couple of months ago I sold my road bike because I wanted to get a mountain bike so that Jon and I could ride together, but I thought I would work after the wedding and save up for a bike that would hopefully help me keep up with Jonny. On our ride over Jon threw a bike rack in the car (telling me it was for his brother so he could bring bikes over to SLC) and I didn’t think anything of it. We had talked a lot about bikes and even went to REI here in SLC to try some out, but the closest ones that would fit were in Boise or, you guessed it – DENVER!

So I had to go to the bathroom all the way from Vail to Denver but for some reason Jon really wanted to get to the REI store in Denver. Once again I didn’t think anything of it—the Denver REI is their flagship store and pretty famous so I was “holding” it so we could make it by 9pm and walk through the store. We pulled in just in time and ran into the bathroom and then walked each floor of the store. In the basement is the bike shop and I wanted to look at bikes, contemplating our future purchase, but Jon walked right up to the counter and asked if he could pick up a bike he had ordered. My first thought was, I hope he got a new bike (he was having his fixed and I thought maybe he needed the whole makeover and not just a few parts) but as soon as I looked at his face I knew the bike was for me!

In typical fashion I started to cry and couldn’t even speak, Jon hugged me and whispered “Please just wait until we get in the car!” With all the tough guys in REI it was quite a site to see me with tears, standing next to a bike watching Jon sign the receipt. What a SURPRISE! We took it right outside and I hoped on to try it out – it is PERFECT! The best part of the whole thing is that Jon got it for me so that we can spend time together riding this summer in Park City (we are moving there after the wedding for a few months) and continue to develop our relationship by doing the things we both love, together!

Thanks JONNY! My parent’s living room is full of beautiful glasses, pans, bowls, all sorts of amazing gifts but my very favorite is propped up against the wall – my new BIKE!

A Sneek PEEK!

17 days and counting...FINALLY!

So, we had our engagement photos taken and you will see "the ONE" we picked but there were a lot of others that show our personalities much more than the traditional pose! We laughed, felt totally unnatural, tried to look serious in a few, but mostly just enjoyed being together - like always!

As the days get closer and closer I cannot believe how LUCKY I am to be with Jon and how amazed I am that it just keeps getting better! He does it ALL - plays with my nieces and nephews (they love him more than me but I am OK with that), cooks dinner, calls during the day, texts me when he gets home, fixes my car, enhances the relationships I have with my family members, love me for me, understands me better than I do myself and even comes to WEDDING SHOWERS and charms all the ladies! LOVE YOU JONNY - THANKS for the time of my life, and we have only just begun!

Rocky Mountain Skies

One of the things I love most about my relationship with McCall is the time spent talking. It seams to me that when we go places the radio stays off and we talk about things that are most important in our collective and individual lives. Not all conversations are deep or life-changing--they are often free and easy. Like when she told me about her dad bringing home a dog for her when her mom was out of town--McCall got a dog and Hooper got a horse(s).

We drove to Colorado to visit my brother's family. We left early on Friday, April 3rd through Wyoming. The clouds sat low on the vast prairies and snow salted the landscape. Although the snow fell , the roads were clear making our travel time from Salt Lake City to Denver only 7 hours. I think we listened to one song.

We spent the weekend in a spring freeze so a lot of our time was indoors. My nieces, Isabel and Sophia, immediately took to McCall and McCall found them in her bed snuggling with her early in the mornings. Every time McCall sat down Sophia would quickly stake her claim on her lap. Children can quickly identify the authenticity of a person and my nephews and nieces have immediately taken to McCall because of her genuine love and happiness.

We went to several restaurants, a chocolate bar and the 2009 auto show. We had other plans but since it was 24 degrees with 60 MPH winds, an indoor event like the auto show was perfect. What's more, both McCall and I like cars so that was cool enough.

We took I70 home. I think one of the most beautiful stretches of Interstate is from Eisenhower Tunnel to Glenwood Springs. From Denver to the Eisenhower Tunnel the sky clear and sunny, we flew up the canyon with ease in the 4.2L twin turbo.

We honked as we entered the 1.6 mile long tunnel that sits at 11K feet above sea level expecting to be blinded by the sun as we exited. Not so. There are two weather systems when you're that high--one is the system on the east side of a mountain and the other is on the west. Since systems generally travel from the west to the east with an occasional SW to SE or NW to NE the weather can be drastically different as a storm gets pent up against the high mountain peaks. This was the case. There was several inches of new snowfall on the western exit of the Eisenhower Tunnel and instead if being blinded by the glare of the sun, we were blinded by heavy snowfall.

We were lucky, not only did the Allroad's massive engine motor up the mountain with great ease, the Quatro drive kept all four wheels gripping tightly to the slippery roads as we careened past cars that had stopped to wait the storm out. My brother Josh called us about an hour after exiting the tunnel to check if we were OK. Turns out, minutes after we shot out of the hole in the mountain, a 21 car pile-up ensued. We must have missed it by minutes...maybe even seconds.

Our adventure once again confirmed my love for McCall. Spending that much time in a closed metal box that's only 7'x15' doesn't give you much space for solitude...and thank goodness. When you're with a woman like McCall, you want to be as close as possible--even smooshed.

WE went to PARIS...The Paris!

DATE NIGHT - switched to WEDNESDAY

WOW, what a sweet surprise! Jonny called me yesterday morning and told me it was “date night!” We have been busy wedding planning and he has been working nonstop on CropChocolate (and is doing an awesome job by the way!) So…anyway, he still wanted us to have OUR time and gave me some special gifts: his undivided attention, a special feeling all day (weekend anticipation only on Wednesday instead), an amazing dinner at the perfect restaurant (see picture and our menu selections for the details) and most of all an added measure of the feelings that have come to defy our relationship, PEACE & JOY!

THANKS JON – Love YOU!

Tour De Marze Brie

(Garnished: Mesclun, Assorted Nuts, Fruit, Olives, Cornichon)

Butternut Squash Ravioli

(Sage Beurre Blanc, Pan Roasted Hazelnuts, Parmigiano Reggiano)

Rôtisserie Fresh All Natural Chicken

(Provençal Vegetable Fricassée with Olives Mélange, CousCous)

Warm Molten Chocolate Cake

(Served with Hazelnut Gelato & Candied Orange)

And my DIET COKE – of course!

25 things I LOVE about JON (25 is such a limiting number…)

With a few pictures to illustrate!

*In no particular order:

1. He is my best friend


2. He has special relationships with his mom and sisters


3. He knows how to laugh, be silly and have fun


4. The man can SKI (I have always said you can tell a lot about someone just by watching them ski and this could not be more true of Jon – adventurous, passionate, a pro – I love to watch you ski Jonny, and to ski with you!)


5. He has a heart of gold


6. He tells me he loves me all the time, and isn’t afraid to show it


7. He is BUFF


8. People are drawn to him


9. His nieces and nephews adore him and have special memories with “Uncle Jonny”


10. He has close/lifelong friends


11. He wants to have a big family


12. He anticipates people’s needs


13. He is such a MAN


14. We talk about anything and everything – we don’t even listen to the radio or ipod


15. He loves film and I love to watch movies with him


16. He studies the gospel and puts into action the things he learns and believes


17. He loves good jeans


18. He can’t wait to be a DAD – especially to have that special father/daughter bond


19. He understands people’s situations


20. He deeply respects and loves his parents


21. He has made my family his own – and they LOVE him


22. He is simple


23. I can be myself with him and wherever he is that is where I feel most at home


24. He can do all sorts of impersonations


25. He always says what I need to hear

Some things I love about McCall

1. She smiles...a lot
2. More than anything, she wants to be a mom
3. She gives and gives and gives
4. She loves her parents and talks about them in gratitude
5. She loves her family (so do I)
6. She loves my family (so do I doy)
7. My family loves her
8. She loves God
9. She has a foundation in Christ
10. She's all about touching
12. Her hands
13. She has a great laugh and uses it
14. I love her face and body of course
15. She can talk in depth or about the weather
16. She's felt pain
17. She skis like a dood but walks like a woman
18. She loves Beamer
19. We're equals but she's better
20. She finds nice things to say to people
21. Her style
22. We counsel together
23. She doesn't make excuses
24. Her warmth
25. We're friends

To be continued:

COOKING 101

This week I had the chance to go to a cooking class with some of Jon’s sisters & Mom at Sur La Table at the Gateway. The food…was AWESOME and I really want to make the soup at home, and the dessert was the perfect mix between being just sweet enough but not over the top (I will include the menu below – all from the Barefoot Contessa’s newest cookbook Back to Basics)!

Jon’s Mom is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to cooking (and lots of other stuff as well) and we spent the night talking all about how cooking is a tradition in the Nelson home and has been passed down for generations, we also laughed ourselves sick…kidney stones dude, added herbs, knife skills, and a teenage chef! I have so much to learn when it comes to cooking and luckily these great Nelson women are experts and can tutor me along the way. I can’t wait to cook for and with Jon and our family – like his Mom said, “it is one of the best ways to show love!”

But, the best part of all, “the sisters!” Next to loving and being loved by Jon, being a part of them is the best feeling! I share such a special relationship with my mom (and Knowlton family members) and I never thought I would duplicate that with other women but I see that same love and potential in the relationships I share with The Nelson Women. Jon and I are not even married yet (see the countdown to the side of this post) and I feel so incredibly honored to be counted among them, I can’t wait for what it will be like to officially be a NELSON woman! Jon told me from the very beginning, “my family is my greatest asset,” and as I have spent time with each of them I now know they are OUR greatest asset as well, The Knowlton Group included as well! I so admire the relationships they share as sisters, mothers, daughters and friends!

Thanks JON for the class, creating an opportunity for me to be with your family and build such meaningful relationships with them, and most of all…thanks for being YOU and being the most important, special, amazing and guiding person in my life!

PS - I have to brag about Jon for just a minute, checkout http://www.cropchocolate.com/ to see what he has been working on nonstop so he can provide for ME and our future family!
MENU: Savory Palmiers - Pappa al Pomodoro - French Bistro Steaks with Provencal Butter - Oven Roasted Vegetables - Honey Vanilla Fromage Blanc with Raspberry sauce

“The ring so worn, as you behold, So thin, so pale, is yet of gold”

I’m sure at some point in our marriage I’ll give McCall a Glock G21 .45 handgun or a pair of 191 Volkl Mantras—and I’ll most likely “borrow” them. That’s just how us doods are I guess. So it’s rare when a dood like me can give a gift of significance.

As soon as McCall and I started talking about marriage I started gathering ideas for a ring. First stop—Tiffany.com. It was there that I found the perfect ring for McCall. I’m sure I skewed Tiffany’s web analytics as I parked on the site for hours looking at that ring.

A few days later McCall pulled out a binder with pictures of wedding stuff that she’s seen in magazines, pictures of gowns she’s made, ideas for her future date and more. Inside was a section of rings that she liked. To my surprise, the same ring I found on Tiffany.com was torn from a Tiffany catalog and circled in the book. I knew.

For the next few weeks we went from shop to shop—looking for the perfect setting and size. Ring size was my only interest—somewhere between a six and six and a quarter. I had already found the one…girl and ring.

Aesthetically it is more pleasing to see things in odd quantities—one, three, five, etc.—so why three? The three diamond ring signifies past, present, future or yesterday, today, forever. It also has a holy meaning of God—being the center stone—and the bride and groom—being the side stones. McCall’s the one on the right hand side.

After seeing the actual Tiffany ring in person, I decided to have one made. As beautiful as the Tiffany ring is, it just wasn’t quite right—the three stones were only .15 carat each. I went to a jeweler in SLC with pictures and renderings in hand. I showed him the ring with three inset diamonds and 40 round cuts. It’s significant to note that all 40 stones are round cuts and not chips because of the way they reflect light. It also had to be platinum. He sent it to New York to have it made then he would set the three stones himself. We looked at several stones and narrowed it down to the 3—all D or E FL.

It took about two and a half weeks to make the ring. Two and a half weeks of waiting for a phone call. Two and a half weeks of planning. Two and a half weeks of skiing with McCall.