my mom wanted to bring my dad to see the Avenir exhibit. it’s too far. it won’t be possible to get him to Fort Collins. my dad has been an incredible force. he’s done all the right things in his life’s story arc. i just know he’d have been so proud. and that’s the important part.

my best friend michelle’s middle name is candace. the woman pointing up is said candace, one of her michelle’s mom’s lifelong best friends. michelle’s mom, katie, brought her friends to the Avenir.

so imagine the surprise when candace looks up, and sees a cross-stitch pattern she designed in the collection.

WHAT?!

1. who does cross-stitch.

2. who even makes cross-stitch patterns.

3. how can the worlds of my best friend, *her namesake, and christmas stockings intersect.

it’s so delightful and coincidental, can’t stop thinking about it how cool.

i bought the pattern years ago, maybe even long before i knew michelle. idk. it was years ago.

thanks for making something so cool, candy.

just wish i would have seen the moment when you realized your pattern was one of the the things i sewed. that would have been great. :-)

excited to teach a class at the Avenir tomorrow. made all the posters and sarah lillis is helping organize. we’ll make mini-stockings and attach embroidery scissors. i think it will be so fun. can hardly wait to be with other creatives and see what happens. fun!

many of the people i love were able to make it to the Avenir exhibit opening, “Deck the Hall: Julie Rieken’s Art Stockings” on my actual birthday. so special! then we went to dinner at the Rio. a great celebration. thanks all, for the support and love!

oct. 7th, 2025 - dec. 20th, 2025. it’s a little exciting to have an exhibit of my work at the Avenir Museum. thanks, christy, for being a lifelong friend and supporter, and for reaching out to them. here i am dropping the stockings off. one might be surprised how heavy each suitcase is.

escape. isn’t quieting the mind, but still excellent.

1. art class on lino block printing at museum of contemporary art.

2. rooftops.

3. water.

4. michelin stars in dark, hidden alleys with cardboard signs. 100% real.

5. hockey, baseball, and national open tennis.

6. beads. more beads.

creative fuel. ready to finish.

christy is the best of the best. we’ve been friends since college and this year, we’ve had many reasons and time to get together, more than usual. special. she just left teaching, and was an inspiring and accomplished professional. now she will pursue new things. can hardly wait to see how she’ll succeed in new ways. because that’s what christy does.

this weekend she had a party, and i was lucky enough to go. her friends and family came, and we had drinks and coffee and cake and laughs. also i got to run the Incline. basically it’s steep.

getting to see cotton growing in the fields, then transformed into beautiful fabrics was an inspiration. what will i do with the pieces we brought home?

mom and i took the trip of a lifetime to Uzbekistan. people, cities, food, mosques, history. the place was magic, but the time with mom was even more magical. how lucky are we!

had the best time with LZ in DC for parent’s weekend. visiting him is the best of the best. the time, the adventures, the city. thanks, LZ.

this year i’m going to enjoy a favorite thing, trailing running. taking a break from road running for a few weekends. this is me and Roo on mt. bierstadt. what a great day.

road. music.

trail running is like beading - being completely immersed in the path, or in the placement of the bead on the fabric. it’s a creative space like no other, clearing everything.

ruth gifted me the cross with charms for my birthday. for good luck, protection, happiness. she picked it. i love it. the picture is an original landscape i picked up at a street art fair. and the sticks are twisted roots, exposed by the elements, from the land in NM. i liked them. i think they’ll be the basis of the next project.

mom, me, ruth. santa fe. beads, runs, food, museums, shopping, wine, tequila, spa, perfect weather, a beautiful drive, and the best company. a weekend we’ll never forget. thanks, mom.

me and the girls. and the elk. at the flagpole run at chief hosa this weekend. michelle and laurie, grateful for you and every.single.mile.even.uphill.

christy is my lifelong friend. we were college roommates. the gift of her friendship over the years and the adventures we’ve had have provided countless moments of inspiration - for creative endeavors and other things. she’s just that good. thanks christy. you mean the world to me. and, for the latest inspiration, a beautiful weekend together in Washington DC, doing exactly what we do best, tour and dink around.