Happy New... March?

From Mike: It’s March already?? How did that happen? That means “write a blog” has officially been on my to- do list for over a month now. Whoops! I guess here’s a recap of the past two months in the Nishi household… January: We rang in the New Year at Carter and Ashleigh’s apartment in the Highlands, which gave us exclusive access to their balcony where we got to watch the festive fireworks show light up the downtown Denver cityscape. Our annual celebration of the Japanese New Year moved from Berthoud to Erie this year as we gathered at my parent’s house for the traditional fare of mochi soup and sushi. I really stretched my culinary skills this year by bringing finger jello. I still occasionally feel the pangs of heartache and injustice when I think back to the Broncos’ unbelievable playoff loss to the Ravens, but being a longtime fan, I am no stranger to post-season disappointment. However, I would like to point out that Tim Tebow has more playoff wins with the Broncos than Peyton Manning does. That is all. ;) After months of schedule conflicts, we finally got an opportunity to visit a church in Boulder called The Well. The simple message preached that week (stop trying so hard to become a better person and love Jesus) drew us into this amazing community of believers and before we knew it, we were signing up to help with children’s ministry, and attending what the church terms a “missional community” gathering the following Wednesday in Erie. The purpose of an MC is to engage with their local community through activities that will draw non-believers into a meaningful relationship with Jesus. February: We celebrated Carter’s birthday the first weekend in February by enjoying some delicious (and entertaining) hibachi at Mt. Fuji in Denver. The next day we returned to the Vinson’s house for their annual Super Bowl party. While the Raven’s win was both a national tragedy and a disgrace to professional sports, we nevertheless enjoyed spending time with friends and watching the VW commercial where a father hysterically teaches his son to play “catch.” The following weekend Kelly attended the Zuiker’s baby shower, and we had our first bowling league match. That’s right folks, we joined a bowling league. If any of you have seen me bowl, you’re probably scratching your head right now. Well, rest assured, this is strictly non-competitive. We decided to celebrate Valentine’s Day on Saturday the 16th, and since we’ve had to tighten our fiscal belt with my looming furlough threat and Kelly’s inconsistent income, we treated ourselves to a tasty Mexican food dinner at La Fogata. Kelly’s dad and Crystal drove down from Wyoming that weekend also to spend time with their grandkids…and Kelly and me. Later that week we drove downtown to celebrate Kelly’s mom and her retirement from the Denver Business Journal. Kelly framed an old picture of Sharon when she worked for the Daily Camera and bring it to the party so her friends and colleagues could see what she looked like back in her heyday. It was a huge hit, and a major conversation piece. The last weekend in February Kelly left me and the girls and drove down to South Fork, CO to spend time with a few of her girlfriends. Although she had to get some work done while she was there, and found out the hot tub was busted, she enjoyed the quiet girl time, and eventually returned safely to us. I, on the other hand, did our taxes and shoveled 8 inches of wet snow off the driveway…and played video games…and occasionally spent time caring for Olivia and Sophia. I’ll not burden you with the early March events…yet. But here’s a teaser to keep you on the edge of your seats until then: Kelly and I celebrated our 5-year anniversary and lots of friends had babies...