Charina and I met when we worked together at a woman's magazine. It was my first marketing job, I didn't know anything, and it was the sort of work environment where you had to fend for yourself and figure it out. Charina is the person who took me under her wing and taught me everything I know. Even now, I consider her my mentor. She is crazy-smart and super-talented, with a wicked sense of humor and a love of fun that makes people just gravitate toward her. Charina is married to Jim, a sweet and friendly guy that compliments her in every way.
Charina took the day off from work to introduce us to Boulder and show us the lay of the land. Our first day went as one would expect:
Walking down Pearl Street, the main drag, with Cha and Dan.
Record shopping at Bart's CD Cellar on Pearl Street.
Munching on lemon meringue and strawberry milkshake cupcakes and a cookie at Tee & Cakes.
Later, we met up with Jim and the four of us drove to Denver for a Rockies game. It was fun, but I was too busy talking to Cha to notice there was a baseball game going on. (And that's the way I like it).
Here's Jim, Dan and me at the baseball game.
Can I just state for the record that Charina and Jim are the most gracious hosts ever? We were only planning to stay with them for a day or two and then go to a hotel, but the two insisted that we stay at their condo for the duration of our vacation--even though they were away for part of it. They gave us one of their cars to use the entire time. They lent us their bike, their water bottles, their backpacks, anything we needed for our trip. Every morning, we'd wake to find a plate of baked goodies from a local bakery waiting for us on the table along with pages of detailed instructions of places to go and things to see. Dan and I were blown away by their kindness and they were a huge part of making this vacation so awesome. We love Cha and Jimbo.
The icing on the cake was the third member of their household, a labradoodle named Chewy. From the moment we saw his shaggy coat, wet, grey beard and happy smile, Dan and I were completely smitten by the dog. We conjured up ways of taking the dog home with us without Charina and Jim noticing (unfortunately, we never came up with a solid plan that would work without affecting our friendship).
Dan plays with Chewy.
I foresee the day we move out of New York City, we'll have a Chewy-dog of our own.
2 comments:
I told you you need a doodle!
Wow. I'm honored that we've remained friends throughout the years and I am so tremendously lucky to have had you and Dan here during such a tumultuous time. I don't think you'll ever know how grateful I am to have had you here and to have you both in my life.
Looking forward to New Orleans, where I can celebrate two of the most wonderful people I have the pleasure of calling my friends.
Post a Comment