crash course...

I just got in from another round of sledding behind a vehicle down the streets of Denver. My toes are trying to defrost - but everything else stayed pretty warm. There's something childishly exhilarating about flying around on snow packed roads (I even ramped a snow bank once... and landed it. Yay for me). Everyone - you should try it. Really.

So apparently a bunch of snow dumped on us the past week - thankfully the second storm didn't hit as hard expected - it would have been rough on top of all the other fluffy stuff. Western Kansas, however, was not so lucky. A terrible ice storm/blizzard hit the plains and has caused large amounts of damage. My grandparents have been out of electricity for almost twenty-four hours, and their indoor temp was fifty degrees (repairs to power lines may not be completed for two weeks!). They were finally rescued tonight by a family who has a generator. Thank goodness!

And lastly, but very importantly, my dad made it through surgery today. His rotator cuff was torn and the doctor made a lot of repairs to his shoulder. It will be a slow recovery but we're so happy that he's awake and well. Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers. I received many phone calls from concerned friends, and that meant a lot. He'll be celebrating the New Year in a sling, mostly bed-ridden. I told him I'd take him to the clubs downtown. I don't think he was overly thrilled. Guess I will have to party for two - Happy 2007!

fancy pants...

Bridgie came to visit this weekend! Her trip came with perfect timing, as Saturady was my first company Christmas party, or as the inviation stated, "Generic, Non-Offensive, End-of-Calendar Year, Office Party Invitation." And I knew she'd be the best date because I wouldn't have to entertain her and make sure she was comfortable, not wasted, etc. (because that girl can hold a conversation and shake her tail feathers without me worrying). We had a BLAST. The place was amazing - a swanky warehouse complete with a lounge, long white sheets hanging from the ceiling, and hor devours everywhere we turned. Rumor has it there was a line-up waiting to dance with us. Ah rubbish. Okay, well maybe we did remain on the dance floor a majority of the night, with plenty of people to whirl and twirl with. Note to self - it's probably not wise to teach a co-worker new moves that consist of them pulling you through their legs. Whoops!
Here is some of the entertaining crew, John and Vince - these boys were not afraid to spank the planks!
While giving Bridge the tour of my neck of the woods, we couldn't help stopping in front of a gorgeous Christmas tree beckoning us to take a photo. So we took lots. 'Twas bit of a winter wonderland there. Sadly, Bridge didn't get to see any snow during her visit... and luckily she didn't - another day and she'd have been stuck at the DIA with about 4,000 other people. Thanks for coming Bridge - it was so great to see you. And also wonderful to have the roomie heart to hearts I've been missing. Come back again soon!

sticky...

Folks, I do believe we have ourselves a blizzard! A BIG one - I have snow sitting on my porch ledge two feet straight up (and I'm really not exaggerating - really). It's been pretty entertaining to watch it accumulate throughout the day - and I can't wait to see what it will look like in the morning. My car is stuck with a big ol' snow drift behind it that will most likely be impassable tomorrow morning. Ack - I need four-wheel drive! Today was great - I was able to work on reports from home and get things organized after my absence from the mini-vaca. Who knows what Thursday will bring (we're suppose to go dancing - I hope it stops by then!)... tonight I baked homemade cookies (they look a little gourmet-like) to give to friends and take home to family (since the work cookie-exchange thing was cancelled).

Anyway... my digital camera is in my car - doh! - so I'm trying to take some pics with my phone, but it isn't doing much justice to the amount of snow we've received. (Did I mention that I love it?) It's getting crazy - hang onto your hats!

puckadaylee...

Hi! It's probably too early on a Saturday morning to be awake, but I'm so darn excited I can't really sleep. Kind of like ski trip weekend. 4am rolled around and I was wide awake, ready to go. So here I am, with all sorts of good things to share (in no particular order of wonderfulness). Wednesday I went to my first hockey game - it's an awesome sport. The first time two players slammed each other into the wall Laura and I about jumped out of our seats! I don't know if it's the aggressiveness of the players, their "hockey hair", or what... ahem... but let's just say I will be returning to see more action. Whew. AND to top it off the Avs won! They beat the St. Louis Blues 4-1. Yippee! I'll post some pictures when I get them from Laura. Yeah - me of all people forgot my camera that night.

Hmm... in other news I am now officially full-timely em-ploy-ed. Can anyone else hear the choirs of angels singing? Oh... sorry - that was probably just my parents shouting with glee that they no longer have to help support their twenty-something daughter. So that's been a wonderful Christmas gift to me this year - I suppose all that schooling finally paid off. Thanks again to everyone who was thinking of me and encouraging me - your support means a LOT! The internship was supposed to end January 31st, so I figured my full-time benefits wouldn't start until then - but I'll actually be official at the end of December. Pretty cool. Warning - cheese factor ahead... I really sometimes do feel like the luckiest girl in the world. It never ever ceases to amaze me when I think of how our lives are formed and how various events shape our future. And how little things can turn into pretty big things when you least expect it. It's quite refreshing really - what happens when you take the time listen to your insides.

Okay... cheese factor is over. The last (but definitely not least) awesome thing this week is that Bridget is here visiting! Yay! Yay! (I'm doing a little dance in my PJs... lucky for you that you can't see it.) We're going to cruise the town and introduce her to "Denver: My Side of the Story" (that just means we'll probably get lost a lot - already have actually - but we'll have a lot of flipping fun in the process). I will update later on how things went. There may or may not be photos of us in cute dresses - you'll have to wait and see. But I must go - biscuits and gravy are on the menu and it's wakie wakie time for Bridgie!

please describe yourself briefly...

Hola amigos. I have an interview tomorrow (1st round) so if any of you need a break from studying, partying, finals, or even a boring work day in the office cubicle, go ahead and send some thoughts my way. Because as most of you know, I become a nervous mess in situations such as these, and I don't see that behavior changing anytime soon. Thank you again for your prayers. Hopefully by December this will all be over with. I'll keep you posted. Mwah!

do these ten layers make me look fat?

So I've had a hectic life lately (I won't use the busy excuse, but really, life's been a little crazy). Actually, I think in the last three weeks I've only worked 2.5 days. Which is kind of like a really long vacation, but parts of it weren't so much vacation-like. But anyway, I've grounded myself from the internet for awhile to be productive. And I guess it's worked. Because I had today off and probably spent five hours glued to my leather seat. And accomplished little but some photo editing and blog posts. Bleh. At least I was able to rest my sore skiing muscles. Which basically means my entire body. So I wanted to fill in the details of this weekend's adventures, if you care to know. And maybe so when I get old I'll be able to look back and remember those good ol' days.

Shawndra flew in late Friday afternoon. She came to visit, but she was also on a mission - quality girl time (no bf's allowed) and a chance to conquer the mountain. I couldn't have been happier. To top it off my cousins had also planned a trip and were getting here late that night. We all cozied around the fireplace, drank wine, and laughed our hineys off, because you put those two boys together... so much for making it to bed early. We rose at 4am bushy tailed to shower and pack. I really was bright eyed. Possibly more than a kid at Christmas. We made it out by 6am (there was a LOT to get ready, especially since we stayed the night in Summit County) and to the slopes before they opened. Day one was a learning experience, as Shawndra put up with a not-so-good ski instructor (me), the afternoon got windy and cold, and we headed to the hotel to warm up.

A friend of mine joined us for dinner out on the town. The food was expensive, but really not so delicious. It didn't really matter because the atmosphere was so darn happy. I can't really describe it any other way. I was surrounded by people I love who were chatting and laughing and sharing stories. And I was just happy - like a big hole was being filled up. Of course after eating we were ready to get our party on so we headed down the road, destination unknown. Sometimes life is more fun when you fly by the seat of your pants. Maybe most of the time I even prefer it that way.

Breckenridge was nine miles out and has a reputation for an awesome after slope hours entertainment, so off we went. En route I remembered I actually knew someone from there and he would know which places to hit. Commercial: On my flight to Florida last month I sat by a guy my age who was incredibly nice and had an intense zest for life, meaning party, ski, party, party, ski, work, party, etc. He was a spoiled, pampered frat boy flying to visit his parents and old friends, and he couldn't have been nicer. Incredibly friendly and down to earth. At the end of the flight he gave me his card and invited me and any friends to crash at his place if we were ever in the area. I knew I'd never call him , but I kept the card anyway. I suppose sometimes you never know... so that night we called him.

We ended up at a bar with a band playing live music, and they were awesome. I could have listened for hours, but eventually we started back to the hotel (much to the boy's disappointment). I was not looking forward to waking the next morning. Yikes.

Sunday skiing was more than perfect. The weather was ridiculously gorgeous, and runs were wide open. I skied with Kate, and Shawndra took professional lessons (with much more success than my teaching skills provided). Besides some cold feet (mine... big surprise) we were happy, and by the end of the day, absolutely exhausted. The drive home was long, with all the day's skiers and boarders from numerous mountains filtering onto I-70, and of course about halfway home I had to pee like, well, like me, like I always do. I refused to exit in order not lose our spot in the traffic jam, but I'm pretty sure my bladder hates me now. If it could only stretch out a little...

Anyway, Shawndra left Monday morning and has officially made it back to KC safely. Yay! We had a wonderful time (despite some bumps and bruises) and I'm so happy that she gave the sport a whirl! She's a very determined girl, of which I am extremely proud, and can't wait to bring her up the mountain again someday.

Thanks Shawndra! And the cousins and Kate! 'Twas an excellent weekend journey.

If you want to see some photos of the trip check out a couple of posts ago. The pic here is Shawndra and I re-enacting how I helped her up after a fall. It's down to an art.

muchas muchas gracias...

Hi. Me again. I wanted to give everyone a B-I-G thank you to all who were praying and thinking of me in my preparation for the big darn deal test. It was because of you that I PASSED (yes, I still feel like shouting it from the rooftops)! I appreciate your support - really really really. And for those of you that have finals coming up, know that I am happily returning the favor. Much love!

adventure mountain...

It was finally time to hit the slopes this weekend. Shawndra journeyed to CO and we attempted to ski it up bunny style. Kate, a friend from Denver (well, technically Wichita) also joined us.
The day turned out to be, well, gorgeous. The sun was warm, the wind didn't blow, the lifts were line free, and snow from the night before made it just about the best skiing you could ever ask for.
My cousins Adam and Brendan made the trip too - we sardined ourselves into the Alpine Inn Saturday and loved us some Mexican food and margs to wash away our aching muscles.
I finally had to say goodbye to my roomie at the DIA. She's going back with a few bruises (particularly on the posterior) but many fun memories. I miss her already!