Greetings from Aspen!

[diamondfan]

We have been here most of the week, it is lovely, but the weather is so odd...the first few days it was in the 60''s and I saw people in bikinis swimming and sunning at the pool...and skiers coming down the hill adjacent to the pool area! Today and yesterday it has been in the mid 20''s! I do not ski so I am just chillin, my kids are loving the long runs, but the snow conditions were not great when we got here. Thanfully it has snowed a bit since we got here and I think the conditions are much better now! Anyway, I have had my laptop so I am able to check in, but just wanted to say hi from the West...I am so rarely in this time zone!!

 

[Kaleigh]

Hey, are you guys having fun??? How is the shopping?? Is it crowded, and how are the restaurants?? I haven''t been to Aspen. Lucky you!!! It''s pretty empty around here, everyone is gone!!!

 

[diamondfan]

it is fun...the town is cool, very old silver mining feel, no tall buildings, good shops...Dior, Prada, LV, Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Lush Cosmetics, used to be a Chanel but no longer. If I tell you how many amazing jewelry stores and art galleries there are...tried on earrings that put Oprah''s to SHAME...every street has at least two jewelry stores,, a gallery and a sunglass shop...the restaurants are great too, ate at Matsuhisa last night..Kaleigh, there are FOUR families from the Main Line here right now in our resort...how odd is that?!

 

[Lorelei]

Glad you are having a great time!

What was the caratage on the earrings?????

 

[diamondfan]

rounds at the top, 1.7 carats each, pear drops, 5.5 carats each...gorgeous...! Any news on the brushes?!

 

[Lorelei]

HOLY SHCNEIKIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I bet they were ultra fabulous!

No news on the brushes yet, been having a few animal issues, will fill you in with email.

 

[widget]

Date: 3/30/2007 12:57:07 PM
Author: diamondfan
it is fun...the town is cool, very old silver mining feel, no tall buildings, good shops...Dior, Prada, LV, Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Lush Cosmetics, used to be a Chanel but no longer. If I tell you how many amazing jewelry stores and art galleries there are...tried on earrings that put Oprah''s to SHAME...every street has at least two jewelry stores,, a gallery and a sunglass shop...the restaurants are great too, ate at Matsuhisa last night..Kaleigh, there are FOUR families from the Main Line here right now in our resort...how odd is that?!

Ooooh DF! Have you visited this one.... http://pierrefamille.com/default.aspx ??? If you do, PLEASE come back and tell me all about it!!

I''d LOVE to see this shop!!! They''ve got some of the most fabulous antique Deco jewelry I''ve ever seen. For example, this li''l bauble: 6ct asscher ring, c. 1920:

widget

 

[Ann]

Oh gosh, I love Aspen.
The shopping is great. I remember a little home decor store that
was jam packed with goodies. Yeah, I also remember the jewelry
stores - who could forget them!

My ex business partner (still best of friends) sold his
plumbing business he had in Aspen 4 yrs. ago and moved back
to Texas. The stories he can tell will make your jaw drop.

 

[diamondfan]

Widget, did not see names except Hochfields in the Little Nell and a store that started with an M and had 5 carat each diamond studs in the window...unreal. I tried on the Oprah earrings and hubby said, I think they are too big...NEVER...but I might actually say the bottom pears seemed too big for the stone on top...but boy were they nice!!!! (just a little something for everyday!!!)

I can imagine your friend has stories Ann! This is at heart a pretty small town and seems like it would be tough to be anonymous...but it was fun to see it...

 

[diamondfan]

Just got back, it was a great trip overall with the exception of the mother in law and her normal crap. Aspen really grew on me, I loved the small town feel mixed with amazing shops and restaurants. I do not ski, but Snowmass is awesome for families, my kids had a ball and learned to ski on powder and literally did 5 mile long runs, which were amazing. I had fun with spa, working out, relaxing, hot tubbing... a bit of shopping and a lot of eating. I would go back for sure. Flying out to Denver was a bit bumpy and scary though...the mountains make it a bit tough, but we loved it.

I did see the Pierre something jewelers, they were the ones with the huge studs in the window!!

 

[Kaleigh]

Welcome home!!!! I missed you!!! Glad the kids had fun, sounds like you got some great spa treatments. And sooo not surprised about MIL. But such is life!!! We have to meet up soon and catch up.

 

[diamondfan]

Hey! Check your email! Hope we can get together, maybe also plan a Philly GTG now that break is over!

I have a funny mother in law story though I am not really laughing!


One of my complaints is she is VERY forgetful. She arrives having forgotten tons of things which of course we cannot find, but spend most of our trip searching for, or while she is with us she loses things and thinks they were stolen and wants to get housekeepers fired in hotels. LOVELY. Well, she left yesterday and we stayed over til today, and she KNOWS we sleep late and planned to sleep in since we were all packed and ready and had a long day ahead of us. AT 7:15 this morning, SUNDAY, she calls hubby''s cell phone. She is on the way to the airport to go on another trip, 6:15 L.A. time, this time with her daughter and son in law and their kids, and she tells my hubby that she FORGOT HER NIGHLIGHT IN THE BATHROOM and we have to bring it home and send it to her...a cheap plastic nightlight that could not have cost more than a couple of dollars. I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO SCREAM. We were so exhausted and we had even told her we were sleeping in, a morning the kids were not getting up early to ski and we were rolling out of bed to check out, wanted to have a relaxing morning...and we were up late plus I could not fall asleep til 4 am..I wanted to tell her the night light was stolen by someone I was so pissed off.

 

[Skippy123]

DiamondFan,
Cool; Aspen. I just stumbled onto this thread. I laughed because your MIL sounds a teny tiny bit like a drama queen.; hopefully you don't have to see her often!!! She just needs you guys to give her attention. Mother in laws are funny that way. Glad you are back home safe and sound

 

[diamondfan]

Skippy, you have no idea...she is the original drama queen. She demands to be the center of attention, even over her own grandkids. She is frankly an ass. Rude, treats people horribly (which is embarrassing since I have to tell my kids why NANA is allowed to be rude and disrespectful) and is just in general a know it all PITA. Even hubby got greatly annoyed this trip...she asked if I was mad at her, had she done something, and he told her, NOTHING NEW, same old same old in terms of her behavior etc...

 

[Linda W]

OMG Diamondfan,

You took your MIL on your Aspen trip???? You must be a Saint!!!!! LOL


Linda

 

[diamondfan]

I got my just "reward"

but she is the WORST. She does not ski either of course so guess who got stuck with her?!!!

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 4/6/2007 9:54:40 PM
Author: diamondfan
I got my just ''reward''

but she is the WORST. She does not ski either of course so guess who got stuck with her?!!!

OMG. She must sort of sense that she is bad or else she would not call asking you.

 

[Linda W]

Caroline,

I don''t mean to be rude, but...... why do you have to take this woman on your trips???? If she is so rude and miserable to you, can''t you just leave her at home????? My rude MIL is back east, and we don''t take her anywhere, ha ha ha.

Linda

 

[diamondfan]

I know, but it is almost worse to have her here when the kids are gone all day in school and hubby is at work. Then I am really stuck with her. At least on vacation we all are around and so it diffuses it somewhat. BUT IT STINKS EITHER WAY!!!!!

 

[Linda W]

You are still a saint to even have her there when the kids are at school. Geez, I couldn''t do that. She would drive me nutso. I don''t know how you do it. She must drive you crazy all day when she is there. As long as she respects you in your house, I guess it is ok. My MIL doesn''t even do that, so she is no longer welcome in our house.

Linda

 

[diamondfan]

Mine does not, really, but she is also afraid of me. She knows I do not like her and that I am on to her, so she tries to act like she is not doing anything but I see through it. I only tolerate it at all for my hubby''s sake. And even that takes a toll on me.

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 4/7/2007 12:12:38 PM
Author: diamondfan
Mine does not, really, but she is also afraid of me. She knows I do not like her and that I am on to her, so she tries to act like she is not doing anything but I see through it. I only tolerate it at all for my hubby''s sake. And even that takes a toll on me.

That is good. I feel like you. For Christmas my In-Laws rented a large beach house for all of us. The moment we got to the beach house my mother in law asked if we were hungry. We both said yes. She put one plate together and gave it to my husband first. I asked him if we could share it; she said "Oh Skippy I didn''t know you were hungry." She took a while to put my plate together and said why don''t you eat off your own plate. What a wonderful beginning to our trip. I am glad we only see them once a every year or two.

Hopefully you see yours only once in a blue moon.

 

[diamondfan]

I see her a bit more, but boy it seems like too much. I know what type yours is too, no one is good enough for her son, you are in the way. Mine thinks many things about me, I am sure, that I spend too much or am mean to her...mean is defined as not giving her her way all the time, and telling her no. Therefore, yes, I am mean. She is a total trouble maker as well. Likes to stir the pot, say things she should not, and sit back and watch the drama unfold. I can only say I take a lot less than I used to, took me years, but I can look her right in the eye and tell her to watch herself. I think she is a bit afraid of me, won''t admit it, but when I make it clear this is not gonna fly, she backs down a bit, to go plot her next bit of trouble...it''s like having a kid in a 70 year old''s body!

 

[cnspotts]

OMG! I was sooo excited for you Diamonds and Skiiing....then I read through the rest of the thread. Oh nooo, I''m sorry you have to endure all that but thankfully the stores there can be a wonderful distraction if the mountains aren''t.