Sunday morning we went down to Civic Center Park in downtown Denver for the Obama rally. The “doors” opened at 10am, and we arrived before 11 to find thousands of people already there. There were many different speakers before Obama arrived to address the crowd estimated at well over 100,000 people. Multiple streets were closed due to the overwhelming crowd, including some of the busiest in town, and it’s been said this was the largest rally that has been held. It was crazy to see that many people gathered in one place, and I was glad that I attended even though I could barely see a thing, though hearing the speech was not a problem.

Yesterday I dropped off my mail in ballot (along with Kim’s) at a designated early voting location. Though I’m sure it doesn’t need to be said, don’t forget to vote! Even though my vote is already in, I may head out during lunch next Tuesday to a local polling location just to take in the vibe for awhile. I’ll be sure to wear the “I Voted” sticker that they gave to me yesterday proudly.

Saturday afternoon we went out to Red Rocks for the Red Bull Soapbox Race. The pits opened at 10am, and the races started at noon. We had wanted to get there before race time, but didn’t get out there until shortly after it started. However, we ran into all sorts of problems getting in. As I expected, the parking lots in the park were closed. So we headed out toward the nearby speedway, where a shuttle was supposed to take people to the race. However, after sitting in traffic for an hour or so we found out the exit for the speedway had been closed and a sign said that the entire event was full. After stopping for some gas I was determined to get in, so I found a way to get into the town of Morrison via some small roads (one of which was dirt), we then parked on the side of the street and walked a couple miles into the park. It was worth all of the frustration, and we had a great time watching over half of the competition.

I took lots of pictures over the weekend, and here’s the first batch. As many already know, Kim got her hair chopped off on Friday. She had over ten inches cut off and donated to Locks of Love.

Last night I took Kim and Cari out to an Avalanche game. Through some hockey newsletter I am on, I was able to get half price tickets into the club level for this game. Having never been on the club level before I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I must now say that it is really nice. Unlike the other levels, the interior is all carpeted, with lots of concession stands serving various items, and a huge bar that wasn’t too far from our seats. Though I’m not sure, it seems like they have items available for purchase that aren’t anywhere else in the arena. And to top it all off, there are servers in the aisles who will take orders for food and drink. Though we didn’t use them, as we had already eaten, it seemed like a very convenient thing to have access to. I’m not sure if I’ll ever get back into the club level, but if I have access to discounted tickets again you can be sure that I will definitely consider it. Oh yeah, the game was good too! After a slow start the Avs pulled out the 4-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers.

Last night I did something that I haven’t done in a long time, I designed a website (or at least I started to). As many of you know, my mother has made dozens of DVDs for family and friends for various events and even made some for our wedding for people to take home with them. She’s often considered starting a little business doing this for others, and my dad and I both think she needs a website to do so. So after registering a domain name months ago, I finally started to work on a layout for the site. After spending the entire night working on various ideas, I finally arrived at something that I liked. So check out memoriesbyclaire.com and let me know what you think. We still have lots of work to do, but at least it’s a start.

Since my last report I’m sad to say that my adult hockey league team has still not won a game. I thought last night would be night as we faced off with the then last past team. Our team had one point from an overtime shootout loss, so we were ahead in the standings even though both teams were 0-5. Unfortunately we could not put the puck in the net and loss 3-0, and thus fell to 0-6 and now the outright winner of the last place position. We have the second lowest goals for average, and I really think that is losing some games for us.

I’m also sad to report that my fantasy football team is equally as bad, though I almost squeaked out a win this win. It was not the case though and my team has fallen to 1-6 with a five game losing streak. I haven’t won a game since week two, when I was on our honeymoon and not paying attention to my team at all. Perhaps I should just stop paying attention to my team again and see what happens?

As far as the Bengals, I won’t even go there…

Last night Kim and I headed to the Paramount Theatre for our first concert there. We had been there one time before, but that was for a Warren Miller movie. Last nights entertainment consisted of Sara Bareilles, Marc Broussard, and Raining Jane. We had seen a similar show a couple of years ago when Bareilles opened up for Broussard at The Granada in Lawrence, Kansas. This time it was vice versa, with Broussard opening for Bareilles. Crazy to see what a couple of years can do.

We arrived as Raining Jane was finishing up their set, but were able to catch a few numbers from this all female group. The most interesting part of their band and show was the percussionist who mostly played what I’m thinking is called a cajón. If nothing else, the crowd really seemed into this band, who I was not at all familiar with prior to last night.

Broussard played second, a fairly quick set with the usual Calvin Turner and Chad Gilmore, but he also had a guy played keyboards and an electric guitarist with him. I was honestly shocked to find out that he had just released another album, as I hadn’t heard anything about it at all. From the few new tracks he played, it didn’t sound nearly as good as the old stuff, which the crowd clearly enjoyed more as well. Also, the performance wasn’t as full of energy as I remember from years past, but I guess that can be hard to do in a opening slot. I really hope we didn’t hear the best from Mr. Broussard years ago. I’ll have to check out the new stuff a little further.

On the flip side, Sara Bareilles was much better than I remember her being from a couple of years ago. I do recall liking what I had heard before, but I was amazed at how good she really was last night. She had a pretty talented band assembled with her, including the gentleman on electric guitar that we had seen her with years ago. Typically Kim is ready to leave a show anytime it gets after 10pm, but she actually wanted to stay and watch everything last night, and that was on less than six hours of sleep. It really was that good.

Over the weekend we traveled to Baltimore, Maryland for the wedding of two longtime friends of mine, Mike and Carrie. I met Mike many years ago through O.A.R. and we’ve kept in touch for the years following. He’s the founder of OARfans.com, and because of the website he eventually met Carrie, moved to Baltimore, and the rest is history.

Their wedding ceremony and reception took place at the American Visionary Art Museum in the Federal Hill neighborhood of Baltimore. The museum is very funky place and was the perfect backdrop for their big day. They had a short ceremony on the central staircase of the museum. And from there, we had a cocktail hour, followed by dinner, drinks, and entertainment provided by a band that we’ve loved for years, Virginia Coalition. Needless to say, we had an amazing time and wish nothing but the best for the newly married couple.

I have some pictures that I’d like to share, but I’m having a problem with the gallery section of the site once again. Just as I was considering switching everything back to the old way, I have nothing but trouble today. Oh well, I’m sick of messing with it today, I’ll post them tomorrow.

Update: I’ve added the pictures directly inside of this post. Enjoy.

My dad has been in town (well Boulder and Broomfield actually) for the past week. Last night Kim and I took a trip to meet with him for dinner and beers at Gordon Biersch in Broomfield. We accidentally left the house without the GPS, so it took a bit of searching, but we eventually found the restaurant tucked away in the back of the shopping mall area. I swear that I’ve been to another Gordon Biersch location before, but Kim doesn’t think so. Anyway, the food and drinks were great. In a city with so many brewpubs, it’s hard to go to a national chain, but this one is an exception. Another exception to the rule would be Rock Bottom, but they are headquartered nearby, making it even more acceptable. With some good beers, it’s hard to go wrong.

Temperatures in the Denver area have definitely taken a downswing in the last couple of weeks. Though it may not be a welcome change for everyone, I’m loving it! There are few things more refreshing than the cold crisp air. It’s been so chilly that we actually had to kick on the heat over the weekend. Another thing the change brings is the ski/snowboard season! In fact two resorts opened up this morning with about a foot and a half base of snow. These two (A-Basin and Loveland) are the same ones that compete nearly every year for the first opening day, and this year it was a tie. I cannot wait to get out and make some turns, though I may still wait a couple of weeks before heading out.