ocean blue...

Hey, guess what? Tomorrow I will be on the west coast. My first time ever. Ever. I feel like we're on an adventure. Yippee!

sweep...

I don't really know how to explain this, and although it seems silly, I feel I must write it down as to not forget. Things are so easy to forget sometimes, even when we want to remember. Every evening I am at Matt's house, his roommate Mike comes in, plops on the bed, and talks to us for about fifteen minutes. And although often times it is an interruption to conversation, and we usually lose our train of thought, I truly enjoy - and even look forward to - these little moments. The other night we were curled up and Mike comes home, squeezes beside us, and begins telling his stories. A guitar sitting in the corner catches his eye and he decides to serenade us. It's was a country song, although try as I might the name won't come to mind. Mike starts singing, then Matt starts singing. And as I looked up at Matt, grinning from ear to ear, a feeling of strange joy washed all over me. Literally. It was there for a second - the joy, the contentment - and then it was gone. Like a passing moment of happiness in its purest state.

shimmy shimmy coconut...

Okay, so here I sit with a carton of ice cream in my lap and spoon in hand. What better time is there to blog? I just finished eating dinner with Laura, my red-headed, Kansas-livin', boot-scootin' saving grace since my transplant to CO. On the menu this Thursday evening was pan-seared scallops in a white wine sauce. I think the only reason I even typed that is because it sounds fancy schmancy. Not that it wasn't good. I'd give it a "B". But it sure sounded super delectable. Laura and I started weekly Thursday night dinner time in order halt our crazy lives for a moment and catch up (a.k.a. 3 hours of non-stop girl talk). It also gives me a chance to test my wack-o recipes on a willing subject, which I thoroughly enjoy. And she eats her vegetables. So I'm happy. Anyway, enough about food.

I just wanted to update my life really quick, because, well, as I look back and I realize that hasn't happened recently. So hmm... here we go. Skiing has definitely been a yes. A few weekends ago a group of us day tripped it to Winter Park for some fun in the snow, and last Sunday I went up with a friend from K-State and his wife. And he was good - like knock your socks off, ski up jumps backwards, carve like nobody's business - good. This weekend little Liz is headed my way and we'll be skiing one day too - and taking her out in style in a mountain town. I can't wait! Another fun snow-y thing - my first snowshoe adventure occurred awhile ago. It's not quite like I imagined, floating atop the snow and such. It's more like step - sink - pull out your leg - step - sink - pull out your leg. I broke a sweat by the time we headed back to the car. But it's so beautiful and peaceful to trek around in untouched snow, I can't wait to try it again.

Alright, the post has to be cut terribly short. Three phone calls later it's way past my beddie-bye, and adding that to last night's late hours, I'm going to be snoozing in the cube (work is going great - more on that in the future) if I don't get some sleep quick!

Oh, one more thing... weather update: It was terribly foggy in Denver today, but it was kind of snowing at the same time, and sunny too. We were finally told the fog was freezing before it hit the earth, causing it to hover above the ground, almost as if taunting gravity. Weird, huh?

I'm not even going to proof read this. Please forgive my typos and grammer errors. Thank you and happy Friday.

breakfast dessert...

I attended a retreat this weekend in Colorado Springs. It was an incredible experience. Some major hurdles and hang-ups I've been having finally seem conquerable. And some significant insight was gained. It's amazing the things that can be learned through others. The key is figuring out where you fit in the puzzle, and what you have to offer. Because we all offer something that is solely ours to give. And if we can figure out what that may be... great things are surely in store.

Although I may have a slow learning curve when it comes to some of these things, this concept is finally sinking in... hopefully someday I will wholly understand it.

beauty...

Six months ago. I packed my things, said goodbyes and a few more see you laters, then headed to a strange, unknown world that eventually became my sanctuary. The discovery, joy, humility, and kindness I have experienced in the last 184 days is enough to often take my breath away. And for that I am forever grateful. Through this I have realized we all share a common thread. No one really knows what may happen next year, or even what tomorrow holds. We can't predict the future, we can't be sure of what is yet to come. This can be scary. Life is easier when it's planned. It feels safer. But it is in the unknown that life becomes so beautiful. It is absolutely overwhelming how beautiful this life is.

and if you wonder...

"Dancing in the dark. Middle of the night."




--Tim McGraw

fences...

It took awhile for her to figure out that she could run. But when she did she was gone. Long gone.





--Keith Urban

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!

for thought...

"Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exist. A baby feels hunger - well, there is such thing as food. A duckling wants to swim - well, there is such thing as water. Men feel sexual desire - well, there is such thing as sex. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

loud noises!...

Let's just say some neighbors are definitely gettin' busy this lazy Sunday afternoon. Can anyone lend me their earmuffs? Anyone? Earmuffs... pretty-please?

dude...

Check out the beach wear - long johns under a K-State tee and suede kicks. Florida was beautiful albeit the crazy winds - I was just happy a hurricane didn't stop by. The trip was awesome, the seafood INCREDIBLE, and the wine...delicious (It's official - three glasses and I'm out).
Upon return I headed to a costume party themed "Saints and Angels" with friends. Some of the get-ups were hilarious, others quite ingenious (did anyone know you could "sew" a whole dress using some sort of magic fabric tape? Me either). Pictured with me is Kate, one of my KS buddies born and raised in Wichita. Small world.
So, Halloween at work was a little ridiculous. You should have seen the looks surfer dude (Jon) received while walking downtown for lunch in a full wetsuit - surfboard in tow. Awesome.
I opted for an easy out - Go Boston! - my costume had yet to arrive in the mail... you could say I procrastinated this Holiday a little too long. Devin tried to escape the chaos but some employees brought extra supplies, leaving him with a rocker wig and boa. Mardi gras anyone?

baby blues...

Here's a view from my cubicle of the "blizzard" we had last Thursday. The foothills received 16 to 20 inches... downtown only about five. The sun is so bright here the snow melts very quickly and by Saturday everyone was walking around in t-shirts. Weird.
And now, (drumroll please)I am proud to introduce the new addition to my family (other members including all plants currently keeping warm in the living room) - skis, poles, boots, and helmet. Yes, I know this is completely dorky, but I can't help it. It's like a dream come true. Cheesy you say? I fully agree. But it's true none the less. So, I may be over my head in debt thanks to the little suckers, but they are still mine and I promise to give them a good home. Although a great snuggle buddy they are not - I'm working on it.

fame...

Happy Daylight Savings! Yay - one extra hour of sleep we could all use. So, anyway I wanted to let everyone know about an advertising contest being put on by Chipotle - select universities from around the country were invited and given pretty much free range to participate in creating 30 second t.v. spots. There are two different ways to win. First, the big champion receives $20,000 - split between the school and the student (sweet!). But it doesn't stop there - the commercials are also uploaded on youtube.com at Chipotle Ad Contest and are available for your viewing pleasure. The spot with the most views or best rating, (something like that - I can't remember which) also wins $5,000. Friday during lunch we all gathered 'round for the priemere viewing. Some aren't so great. Othres are terrible. But some are pretty hilarious, as well as a few that are mighty impressive.

I included some of my favorites to check out if interested. It's great internet entertainment... and I know we all have time to burn anyway (honestly, who isn't plugged into myspace or facebook as we speak - mmhmmm). Don't worry, this isn't a shameless plug - although it may appear to be - I simply wanted to spread the word. If you find one you like, feel free to vote!

The Wall
Dryer
Burrito Rocket
Locally Raised

Side note, I keep forgetting to mention I will be in Florida part of next week/weekend. Yes, so I shaved my "groomed for winter" legs (go ahead and eww... but ladies you know we all do it) and will hopefully be enjoying warm weather soon!