BIRTHDAYS

birthdays have always been special in the lane house. from the time when we were little, mom would have a 'birthday chair' when we woke up, with a special select gifts, a sweet sign, and always flowers! 

this year (yesterday) my baby sister turned a quarter of a century old. and we celebrated in great lane family style for her special day!

from brunch (post to follow soon!), to back yard festivities, family and friends, yummy food and outdoor games! 

Happy Birthday Little Lane- the first 25 years together have been a blessing beyond measures. Here's to many more birthdays together!!

loff you olly!

TEQUILA

while in mexico, tequila is not a question, but more like a necessity. especially if you plan on drinking all day, go for the tequila to save some calories!
my sister was the instigator behind most every shot we took on the beach last week. so i had to document just how fun it is to watch her endure taking a shot... classic! 

THE THRILL:THE FILL:THE SPILL

while i was away for a few weeks, a friend of mine watched over my humble abode, picked up my mail and watered my plants for me. 
a bottle of tequila from mexico, or bucket of beer would have done the trick too- but i thought something that would last longer would say thank you in a more meaningful way. so off to the local nursery i went this morning to put together two pots to say thank you!

i'm no master gardener by any stretch of the imagination (i've managed to kill the most durable plants in the past) but there is one things i alway remember when planting pots: 

'the thrill, the fill, the spill'

the thrill: the tall green in the back is a 'foxtail fern'. 

the fill: two different while flowers. one of which is called 'alyssum' the other i cant remember

the spill: the ivy, it will start to grow heavy and fall over the side of the pots

DATE NIGHT ON THE RANCH

while spending time with sp last week, we had the chance to catch up on our date nights and one on one time. one of our dates included a 4-wheeler, treasure hunting, armadillo hunting, walking the land together hand in hand, and covering as much land as possible to find as many deer sheds as possible before the sunset over the hill!
we have been deer shed hunting before and found not-a-one. but this must have been our lucky day- we found 5! 
fun fact: if you didn't know, deer shed (loose) their antlers every year naturally, and grow new, bigger antlers throughout the year. they normally don't loose both at the same time or place, so when you luck out to find a matching set its a big deal. and on this particular quest we found a matching set! 
we also found countless turtle shells, but i only save the one (see above) that was different from the rest, with two dark spots. another cool thing we found (sorry forgot to get a picture of it) was an old milk-glass mentholatum jar. they don't make them in glass jars anymore- so it was a fun find. the jar now holds the dead flower buds i plucked - i will fill it with fresh flowers when spring arrives at the ranch! 
loved this date night- it was just the two of us, hand in hand, enjoying the land, each others company and several hours without distractions or any kind of schedule- it was perfect. 

SNOGA

note to anyone headed out to hit the slopes: if you can, make your reservations during the week you will be in for a great surprise. 

while we were in winter park last week there were times we would be the only four on a run and there were no lines for the lifts. it was pure slope bliss!

since we had a few of the runs to ourselves, there were a few times we would 'pull over' un-bind and have a good time! trying to to get a little sno-ga in was one of those fun stops. 

sp and i decided to do handstands together and it turns out handstands are so much harder in full winter-gear, gloves and at 10,700 elevation. but it was also a great way to get in a good solid laugh, good times and unforgettable memories!

COLORFUL COLORADO

as promised i'm back!

part of my down time with sp included an amazing week on the slopes of colorful colorado with our good friends, and the soon to be married: brett and megan. 

We loaded up (way) before the sun and headed north/west for 10 hours until we arrived covered in new powder snow at winter park, co!

in short: it was a blast! and we managed (without planning) to have perfect timing for our stay. there were countless times we were the only 4 on the run, no lift lines and mid-week slope bliss. could not have asked for a better time and week together!