Wow-worthy
One of the best holidays on the planet is Mother's Day...quickly followed by Father's Day of course! (sorry Dad!) Moms come in different sizes, colors, you might have two moms, and she may not even be exactly 'related' to you -- but no matter we celebrate them all, without them we wouldn't be here and life wouldn't be the same.
The KK team wanted to share a little bit about why our moms are so wow-worthy, please share yours with us in the comments below.
Ellen's mom and mommom during their first visit to Colorado.
I'd just moved to Colorado and my Mom, Mommom (Grandma) and myself on Mother's Day 2015; a.k.a. Denver gets wrecked by a freak ice storm. They luckily made their flights out just before the storm hit and we spent the day stepping over frozen branches, touring the Molly Brown house and brunching at Denver Biscuit Co. It was a blessing to share the special weekend with them and show them around my new city. -- Ellen, Product Development Manager
My favorite memory of my mom is her sewing in our basement growing up. She made wool capes and ponchos as a side business and I have always admired her creativity and entrepreneurial spirit. She worked nights as a nurse and would come home, get my sister and me off to school and sew in her off time so that we could have nice things. Thanks, Mom! Besides looking a lot like her, I've inherited my mom's design style. I love the story behind the things I collect and that eclectic style is apparent in how I dress myself and my home. -- Alison, Customer Service & Showroom Manager
My favorite memories of my mom are of the two of us out searching for wildlife. She always had me out searching for Bullfrogs, birds and snakes. Climbing steep hills to search for baby owls. Sometimes to be attacked by the momma birds. She has such a large curiosity around wild life. All animals were always incredibly curious about her. In another generation she would have been an animal whisperer. I inherited her creative side which has helped me in every aspect of my life she also instilled the belief that I could do anything, and I thank her for that. -- Rhonda, Founder and Creative Director
One day out of the blue, my mom says to me "I wish I had named you Emma". Me: "What!?!" I happen to love my name but I thought it was funny, so I started signing all of my cards and notes to my mom "Love, Emma". Now, my mom, sister, nieces and nephew all call me Emma or "Auntie Emma". The rest of my family and friends call me Eme or Em and have no idea who this Emma person is. My mom is an amazing seamstress and made all of our Halloween costumes and special occasion outfits for years. I can't remember how old I was when she started the tradition of me making homemade Christmas ornaments for the whole extended family, now I have a big box full of ornaments made by me from several years of her mini-sweatshop (haha). I've maintained my crafty/creative side she gave to me and I appreciate the value of hand-made goods because I know how much love goes into them. -- Emelie, Marketing & Communications Director
Emma and her mom
My favorite memory of my mom is when she surprised me at Windy City Smokeout, a country music festival in Chicago, by spontaneously showing up with my dad. I was there already there with a friend and had no idea that they were thinking of coming, so when my mom texted me a picture of the stage and talking about the song that was just performed I was so excited that she was there and I instantly started searching for her and my dad! We have gone to many country music festivals together and every time it’s such a blast. She’s always down to throw on a pair of cowboy boots and have a great time - I’ve got a pretty cool mom. I am like my mom because as stubborn as I can be sometimes, I always put others first and try to make my loved ones happy and I get that directly from my mom. I also luckily got her sense of style and creativity! -- Emma, Public Relations Intern
My Mom is an angel. I know this because, for the last 4 years of my Dad's life, she took care of him morning, noon and evening in the nursing home he was in. He had Alzheimer's, Parkinsons and blood cancer. In 4 years, she did not miss even a handful of days. She never made a big deal about it or complained even once. My Mom the angel. -- Mark, Operations Manager
I inherited my Mum’s competitiveness when it comes to quizzes and puzzles, and this was also instilled in my sister. We make quite the team at pub trivia night! -- Luisa, Director of Sales
Gail's mom, a consummate cheese head.
One of the things that I love and admire about my mom is her wonderful sense of humor. She is quite mischievous and as a child, I loved to listen to her stories about all the crazy things she did with her friends growing up. One of my favorite stories was when she and her best friend Rut, who both attended Catholic school, were on their way to summer camp at the age of 17. They decided it would be a hoot to dress up as nuns, so they tracked down the appropriate costumes and accessories, boarded a train in Milwaukee, and stayed in character for the 3 hours it took to get to their station in Northern Wisconsin. Her camp buddies who were also on the train did not suspect that the two young nuns in the back (one with nail polish, both sneaking cigarettes) were their old friends. 60 years later my Mom still makes me laugh! I only hope that I have instilled in my two boys my mom’s wonderful sense of humor and adventure. -- Gail, Chief Operations Officer (currently the only actual mom in the office, but only for a few more weeks, Alison is about to become a mom soon!)
Cooper, Gail's oldest son
Miles, Gail's youngest son
We wish all the moms out there an awesome mother's day, and thank you for all you do for us!
The first thing I always make sure to pack is stuff for our hot springs visit. Steamboat Springs lies against the western ridge of the Continental Divide and is surrounded by national forest and wilderness area. Evidently, there are 150 natural mineral springs in the area! There are two popular soaking hot springs one in downtown with a water slide and then there is Strawberry Hot Springs just out of town. I've been to both and a nice soak in the hot springs is always so welcomed at the end of a great ski day. For this trip, I've packed my new Krimson Klover Leia Sweater, shorts, bikini and flip-flops. If going to the Strawberry Hot Springs, you'll also want to bring a headlamp (as there is no electricity after dark) and if it's been warm and melty maybe footwear that you're OK getting muddy...and don't forget your towel! (p.s. the Leia sweater is sold out on krimsonklover.com but you can find it at our Boulder Showroom and local retailers! A great back-up online is our Harbor Hoody)
Strawberry Hot Springs
The steam is so inviting in cold temperatures!
Old Town Hot Springs, perfect if you want to get in a workout too!
The Sonora Sherpani bag is large enough to carry my iPad mini, Kindle, toiletries and an extra bottle of water. It's made from a coated cotton which looks like leather and has great pockets everywhere to stash all your important things. It's super sturdy and the coating on the cotton makes it stain resistant, perfect for whatever you throw at it. The tassels are a cute bonus. I love that Sherpani is a local Boulder company, and I usually fall for their new bags every season.
Après Anyone? Base Layer and Socks
Krimson Klover Lightweight Base Layers and the girls at Four Points Lodge
The view from Four Points Lodge
After a full day of skiing and before we hit the hot springs, it's time for a little après cocktails and dinner. Our favorite places for happy hour in town are Laundry and Salt and Lime. Both have a great happy hour, great food and delicious cocktails!
My other outfit was the Krimson Klover Classical Beauty dress -- it's made from a plant-based viscose yarn that is super yummy and flattering.
Ski Lift Selfie
View of the Continental Divide
Lunch!
The 
Good Friends
On our way out of town, we had breakfast at 
Curious to know how she got into the apparel industry and where her passion stems from, we asked when she got into the fashion world and how she knew it was what she wanted to do after school. Ellen told us that she started sewing in high school while participating in her town’s youth service club called Keep It Wild. This club had annual fashion shows that Ellen took part in for two years and during her senior year she created a collection based on Alice in Wonderland with her best friend. After being a part of those events, Ellen knew right away that fashion was her calling and she decided to go to school to study fashion design so she could confidently go into the industry afterwards.
Though she loves being in Colorado and takes advantage of everything it has to offer, Ellen also loves to travel. Her favorite place to go is South America, specifically Guatemala. “The culture is so interesting and colorful there. They also have amazing mountains”, Ellen said explaining her love for the destination. She is inspired by places she goes and people she surrounds herself with but, specifically, she is inspired by her mom. Ellen’s mom is hard working and made Ellen into the focused and driven woman she is today. Her mom is also a traveling connoisseur, she is a flight attendant, so they share that special love together. “She is pretty classic. It’s funny because she claims that she isn’t trendy or on top of what is the new thing, but she is usually the first one to come out with the trends. She seems to be really hitting the trends before anyone else is, which always inspires and impresses me”, Ellen said about her mother.
On that note, we wanted to dive into what she is most excited about when it comes to working for Krimson Klover and being a part of the team. “I’m super excited about knits. I see so many interesting pieces being designed for Spring ’19 and some interesting [knit] techniques as well. The possibilities with the colors, materials and unique designs are getting me very excited”.
You've heard us speak about her before, Rhonda Swenson, our founder, and creative director is the woman behind the brand. For more than 15 years she's been a designer and business owner with four successful outdoor knitwear brands: Chompas, Eir, Neve Designs, and launched Krimson Klover in 2010.
Gail is our COO or Chief Operations Optimist. Gail has been in the outdoor industry for years working for many of the large and small equipment and apparel brands we love. Gail fits perfectly in her role not only for the voodoo she can do in Excel, but she has a graceful way of mediating meetings when we all get a little too passionate about our own point of view.
Our Director of Sales, Luisa, is our resident Briton along with her dog Oscar who is very much an English gentleman. Before joining the Krimson Klover team, Luisa spent time in the outdoor industry as a sales rep for several apparel brands. Her keen sense of style, business savvy, and cheerful demeanor has been an incredible addition to the crew. She’s involved every step of the way from the design of the collections to the production and final sale. She’s a busy gal who balances work and play beautifully.
Andrea started at Krimson Klover as an intern in her final year of design school at CSU. After completing her coursework and receiving a degree in Apparel Design and Merchandising she was hired on full time at Krimson Klover and now works as Rhonda’s right-hand woman managing the technical side of design, production and product development. She a native Coloradan with an incredible eye for fashion paired with organizational skills that are invaluable in keeping us on track and in style. Recently Andrea decided to leave her home here in the Rocky Mountains for a new start in Los Angeles, California where she’ll trade in her sweaters for some Golden State Style. We’re going to miss her terribly when she leaves (Oscar especially), but we wish her all kinds of success in her next chapter.
Our Jane-of-all-Trades-Customer Service Maven-Sales Assistant-Showroom Manager-Web Digital Content Master-Email Maven-Whatever Else Needs to be Done-Angel is Alison. That's Alison with one L from Bangor, Maine.
Another vital part of this girl gang is Emelie, our Director of Marketing. Emelie and her little dog Koa have been with Krimson Klover almost a year and in that time they have heightened the brand and lifted our spirits. Emelie has reworked the look and feel of our catalogs, transformed our trade show booth and helped to spread the sweater love through our presence online. She’s basically our fairy godmother, always making sure we’re ready for our close up.
Emma is our Public Relations intern, she's a friend of the Krimson Klover family and has been around helping us out while she studies up at CU-Boulder. Emma comes to CU from Chicago and has been excited to get some "real world" experience under her belt.
We know this is international women's day, but we can't tell you about the Krimson Klover team and leave out the only guy in the office. Mark and his rescue dog Josie take care of our wholesale customers and he provides endless entertainment when he answers the many robo-calls we get every day. Mark knows when to ignore our "passionate exchanges" and when to pipe in with his point of view.
We already miss watching the Winter Olympic Games every night. Today's #WCW are all of the women who lived their dreams in PyeongChang! All of the women who competed (no matter what country they're competing) are inspiring us to #liveboldy! We're over the top proud of the USA women in particular, who for the first time in 20 years out medaled their male counterparts!
17-year old Chloe Kim made a gold medal performance in the women's snowboarding halfpipe competition. She is the youngest gold medalist in that event and the first female to land consecutive 1080s in the halfpipe at the Olympics.
Jessica Diggins and Kikkan Randall win the first American gold medal in the women's team spring freestyle cross-country skiing final. Not only is this America's first gold medal in this race, but the first medal of any kind in women's cross -country.
We may actually love them more for fighting USA Hockey for better pay and work conditions...which they did receive pretty good pay raises. These women are definitely changing the game for all of us.
Heather Bergsma, Brittany Bowe, Mia Mangenello, and Carlijn Schoutens were the only medalists for the US in speedskating. They took home the bronze in the team pursuit event. They won the first women's speed skating medal for the US in 16 years, beating the Canadians by only 0.45 seconds. They skated their hearts out and made us proud.
Elana Meyers Taylor and Lauren Gibbs had a silver medal performance in the two-woman bobsled, marking the fifth time in as many winter gams the US has medaled in this event. A second US team piloted by Jamie Greubel Poser finished fifth. The US Women's bobsled team is a celebration of women athletes of all shapes, sizes, and color.
Jamie Anderson became the first female snowboarder to take home two medals from one winter games. She took home gold in the slopestyle finals. Three days later in a new event, Jamie landed a front-side 1080, one of the sport's toughest maneuvers, giving her enough points for a silver medal behind Austria. Jamie joins Shawn White and Kelly Clark as the only athletes to take home three Olympic medals in snowboarding.
Mikaela Shiffrin was the big medal winner from our home state of Colorado, She won gold in the giant slalom and won a silver medal in the alpine combined. She's 22 now, and at 18 she became the youngest Olympic slalom gold meldalist.
Lindsey Vonn, came back from injury, won bronze in the women's downhill skiing competition. Not only is she a four-time Olympian and World Champion, but at 33 she is the oldest female Alpine skiing medalist in Olympic history.