Hi. Friday some friends and I headed to Summit County to crash for the evening and get a head start on the fresh snow that fell at Copper through the night. We skiied until our legs could take no more, then cut out at 2pm and enjoyed the (rarely) unclogged traffic on I-70. Later that night I went to see a movie with friends. It was a theatre I hadn't been to - small and eclectic; we had to wait in a long outside to get tickets. Upstairs they served mixed drinks and brews. If you haven't seen Juno yet, I recommend it. A lot.
Today I ran errands in shorts and flip-flops. For lunch I walked to my friendly neighborhood burrito joint. I washed and vacuumed my car. (A dorky reason that I love Colorado - everyone's vehicles are covered from head to toe with grayish-brown road sludge caused by all the junk they dump on the roads to melt snow; also a sign that people have been playing in the mountains - ahh). A friend made me chili for dinner. Complete with cornbread muffins.
Denver is a great city. Sometimes it's hard to take it all in. Breathe it, absorb it.
I'm going to miss it.
vroom boom...
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Tuesday was one of those amazing days. It seemed as though everything that day kept getting better and better. We were working on a big investigation at work, which usually wouldn't be something to look forward to, but it's my first one - and I have a lot to learn before I'm on my own conducting them. So I had to work late, got home around 7:30, and headed for the computer. I'm on the hunt for a place to live and I'd gotten a great response from a potential roommate. I called Bridget R. to celebrate the almost perfect living situation - an extra living room, den/office, and only a few miles from work (and her house). Woo-hoo.
Next it was off to the rec for a quick workout, followed by a trip to the little grocery store/farmer-like market for some grub. This week was my turn to make house dinner and I needed soup ingredients. On the way home I was chatting on the phone with Laura, excitedly explaining the potential house setup. I paused for a moment, thinking I heard a strange noise coming from my car. After nothing happened, I assumed it must have been something on the radio.
Then I tried to make a right-hand turn. My power-steering, unfortunately, did not assist me in this maneuver. Oh crap. Car trouble here we come.
I pulled over (using all my strength) right away, as I'd always been instructed in situations such as these. My battery light was on, and I'm on the verge of tears. So I call dad - he fixes everything. He tells me to drive it home but watch the temp gauge in case the car decides to overheat. My roommate's boyfriend helped me push it into our half-driveway. He found a large belt lying loose in the nose of my car. Yep, that must be the problem. Where is there a mechanic available at 10pm?
Thankfully we live close to the lightrail, which I took to work the next morning. A sure perk of living in the city - public transportation can be fairly convenient. I wasn't sure how I was going to get home that evening though, because I forgot to bring my keys, and it was over a mile from the station to the lightrail (temperature highs in the 3 degree range). Well, simply put, God works in amazing ways. My other roommate called at the end of the day and had free Nuggets tickets. Perfecto. The stadium is only a few blocks from my building. I walked to the basketball game, and got a warm ride home.
So I was still super stressed out today. It's miserable not having a car, and relying on others for rides, putting them out, not knowing how to even get your car fixed. I took the morning off and drove my power-steeringless vehicle to my cousin Kenny's shop. He instructed me not to use anything that would require battery juice. That meant no heat, no wipers... not even a blinker if I could help it. If anyone's ever up for a challenge, you should try driving without the steering boost, and a twice frosted windshield. Shwew.
He told me I was incredibly lucky this hadn't happened on the highway or freeway. I thought of all the trips I'd taken up to the mountains, to KS and back, and to work on the over-crowded roads every single day. For all places for my car to malfunction, 10pm on a weeknight side street sure seemed like a lucky spot. Two hours later he had me all fixed up and ready to go. My serpentine belt (or however you spell it) had fallen off because the ball bearings in a pulley thing had fallen out. I learned more about cars today than probably ever in my life - okay, which probably isn't saying much...
Anyway, the point of this long, over-elaborated story, is that even when things are uber-stressful and crazy and you feel you can't handle the things much longer, most likely things will work out; they will get better. The way things simply fell into place with my breakdown and while I was out of a ride was incredible. Things like that don't happen on accident. They just don't.
Next it was off to the rec for a quick workout, followed by a trip to the little grocery store/farmer-like market for some grub. This week was my turn to make house dinner and I needed soup ingredients. On the way home I was chatting on the phone with Laura, excitedly explaining the potential house setup. I paused for a moment, thinking I heard a strange noise coming from my car. After nothing happened, I assumed it must have been something on the radio.
Then I tried to make a right-hand turn. My power-steering, unfortunately, did not assist me in this maneuver. Oh crap. Car trouble here we come.
I pulled over (using all my strength) right away, as I'd always been instructed in situations such as these. My battery light was on, and I'm on the verge of tears. So I call dad - he fixes everything. He tells me to drive it home but watch the temp gauge in case the car decides to overheat. My roommate's boyfriend helped me push it into our half-driveway. He found a large belt lying loose in the nose of my car. Yep, that must be the problem. Where is there a mechanic available at 10pm?
Thankfully we live close to the lightrail, which I took to work the next morning. A sure perk of living in the city - public transportation can be fairly convenient. I wasn't sure how I was going to get home that evening though, because I forgot to bring my keys, and it was over a mile from the station to the lightrail (temperature highs in the 3 degree range). Well, simply put, God works in amazing ways. My other roommate called at the end of the day and had free Nuggets tickets. Perfecto. The stadium is only a few blocks from my building. I walked to the basketball game, and got a warm ride home.
So I was still super stressed out today. It's miserable not having a car, and relying on others for rides, putting them out, not knowing how to even get your car fixed. I took the morning off and drove my power-steeringless vehicle to my cousin Kenny's shop. He instructed me not to use anything that would require battery juice. That meant no heat, no wipers... not even a blinker if I could help it. If anyone's ever up for a challenge, you should try driving without the steering boost, and a twice frosted windshield. Shwew.
He told me I was incredibly lucky this hadn't happened on the highway or freeway. I thought of all the trips I'd taken up to the mountains, to KS and back, and to work on the over-crowded roads every single day. For all places for my car to malfunction, 10pm on a weeknight side street sure seemed like a lucky spot. Two hours later he had me all fixed up and ready to go. My serpentine belt (or however you spell it) had fallen off because the ball bearings in a pulley thing had fallen out. I learned more about cars today than probably ever in my life - okay, which probably isn't saying much...
Anyway, the point of this long, over-elaborated story, is that even when things are uber-stressful and crazy and you feel you can't handle the things much longer, most likely things will work out; they will get better. The way things simply fell into place with my breakdown and while I was out of a ride was incredible. Things like that don't happen on accident. They just don't.
semi-sweet...
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I don't have much to say. Just playing around on the computer and chowing down on a bag of Nestle chocolate chips, my new food addiction (unfortunately). When instead I should be cleaning my chaos-induced living space once known as a bedroom.
I guess I wanted to write because I'm excited. Excited for the weekend I had with an amazing group of girls; excited for the true friendships I've been blessed with in Denver, that came comletely unexpectedly. Excited for what is to come in the next few months. Hopeful. Scared. Anxious. The kind of holy-cow-I-have-no-idea-what's-ahead, hang-on-to-your-seats excited, because some changes are a'coming. I know not yet what they will bring.
I guess I wanted to write because I'm excited. Excited for the weekend I had with an amazing group of girls; excited for the true friendships I've been blessed with in Denver, that came comletely unexpectedly. Excited for what is to come in the next few months. Hopeful. Scared. Anxious. The kind of holy-cow-I-have-no-idea-what's-ahead, hang-on-to-your-seats excited, because some changes are a'coming. I know not yet what they will bring.
family ties...
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Family. What would you do without them? Probably get into less leg wrestling contests with brothers, have a freezer stuffed with absolutely zero homemade chicken noodle soup dishes from mom, and have a car that's broken down without dad's constant TLC. So, I'm definitely better-off with them, as most of us grow to realize more as the years fly by. And my family is awesome - incredibly supportive, easy to hang out with, and I actually look forward to spending time with them over the holidays. But probably one of the best parts...? We're all a little borderline crazy. See for yourself. Above: Our family Christmas photo...
Left: Christmas Eve's Eve. Jumping off a hay bailer thingy (I'll just call it a farm implement, because really I have no idea), onto a rope that has enough momentum to smack you into a tree trunk if you don't use super dodging-power skills (and a little brother for protection). I had to crawl my way up that thing four times before a successful landing. And for some reason it was seriously one of the scariest things I've done lately. Maybe it doesn't look very high-up from here, but trusting a small knot and fraying rope to protect you from a broken leg... believe me, it will give you a new perspective.
Other left: My Uncle Leon and second-cousin-in-law at our glamorous Breck condo. The owners skimped on nothing. Why is this crazy, you might ask? This photo was taken the day Dad and I almost lost our noses to frostbite just to get some runs in (okay, slight exaggeration, but pretty much almost true nonetheless) and this is all I have to show for it.Aren't they the best?
tis the season...
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Jeepers. It's been a long time. I've had lots of blog ideas before and during the Christmas season, but kept forgetting to post them. I had a great holiday. Went to SC for a week, visited lots of family and friends. Goofed off with my brother and enjoyed spending time with his gf, Amber, who made the trip down as well.
I recently also experienced two of the most coldest skiing days of my life. Ever. Ever-ever. My first time up this season was to Loveland with my cousins Adam and Brendan. We knew we were cold. We knew it was windy. Only later did we find out it was 0 degrees that day, with a -20 degree windchill. Yikes! I knew the wind had been whipping through my clothing and sneaking into any zipper I had sticking out, but we had no idea it was that cold.
Round 2 was at Breckenridge last Sunday. My dad and his brother and wife had come out to stay with friends who have a condo up there. It was a beautiful place, and I enjoyed reading by the fireplace on the bear rug. Not kidding there was a bear rug, and it was amazing. Anyway, we went up despite warnings that it would be a cold day. This day beat the run at Loveland hands down. It was so cold and windy that multiple times we experienced complete white-outs, either on the chair-lift or on the slope. At one point I freaked out because we were supposed to unload and I couldn't see a thing. Nadda. Just whiteness all around. Luckily the wind died down long enough for me to hop off. But wow, that was intense skiing.
Dad and I agreed that if we wouldn't have paid so much for our passes, we would have quit, but by golly we were going to get our moneys worth. Due to the high winds (35mph with 65mph gusts), only three lifts stayed open. About 2pm that day one of the guys we were with noticed something white on my nose. I used my glove to brush it off, assuming it was snow. He said nope, it's still there (and told me later he was embarrassed because he thought it must have been snot). I wiped it again, and then his face looked panicky. Just then my dad skied up and I noticed the same thing on his nose. Both of us had frostbite! Our poor noses had been the only things sticking out that day, and apparently they had become so numb with cold that we didn't even notice how brutal it really was. We tucked our honkers in and kept on going. I had a date the next night and was not looking forward to black flaky skin chunks falling off my nose into my dinner plate. Luckily we caught it soon enough and no permanent damage was caused. Phew!
More plans to hit the slopes this Saturday with Brendan and Adam. The fam and I were at Copper last weekend and we had great weather - sunshine and six inches of powder, which I'm finally learning to maneuver in. Man were we absolutely worn out by the end of the day. Our legs were a jelloed mess. It's hard work cutting back and forth in that deep snow!
Just an additional random note - we played two full games of Monopoly in less than three hours, which has to be some sort of family record. And my brother won both of them - how crazy is that?!
That's all the news for now. Thanks to you all for your Christmas wishes, phone calls, and visits. It's been great to hear from everyone!
I'm hoping the next entry is a Year in Review - 2007. At least that's my plan. Time will tell.
I recently also experienced two of the most coldest skiing days of my life. Ever. Ever-ever. My first time up this season was to Loveland with my cousins Adam and Brendan. We knew we were cold. We knew it was windy. Only later did we find out it was 0 degrees that day, with a -20 degree windchill. Yikes! I knew the wind had been whipping through my clothing and sneaking into any zipper I had sticking out, but we had no idea it was that cold.
Round 2 was at Breckenridge last Sunday. My dad and his brother and wife had come out to stay with friends who have a condo up there. It was a beautiful place, and I enjoyed reading by the fireplace on the bear rug. Not kidding there was a bear rug, and it was amazing. Anyway, we went up despite warnings that it would be a cold day. This day beat the run at Loveland hands down. It was so cold and windy that multiple times we experienced complete white-outs, either on the chair-lift or on the slope. At one point I freaked out because we were supposed to unload and I couldn't see a thing. Nadda. Just whiteness all around. Luckily the wind died down long enough for me to hop off. But wow, that was intense skiing.
Dad and I agreed that if we wouldn't have paid so much for our passes, we would have quit, but by golly we were going to get our moneys worth. Due to the high winds (35mph with 65mph gusts), only three lifts stayed open. About 2pm that day one of the guys we were with noticed something white on my nose. I used my glove to brush it off, assuming it was snow. He said nope, it's still there (and told me later he was embarrassed because he thought it must have been snot). I wiped it again, and then his face looked panicky. Just then my dad skied up and I noticed the same thing on his nose. Both of us had frostbite! Our poor noses had been the only things sticking out that day, and apparently they had become so numb with cold that we didn't even notice how brutal it really was. We tucked our honkers in and kept on going. I had a date the next night and was not looking forward to black flaky skin chunks falling off my nose into my dinner plate. Luckily we caught it soon enough and no permanent damage was caused. Phew!
More plans to hit the slopes this Saturday with Brendan and Adam. The fam and I were at Copper last weekend and we had great weather - sunshine and six inches of powder, which I'm finally learning to maneuver in. Man were we absolutely worn out by the end of the day. Our legs were a jelloed mess. It's hard work cutting back and forth in that deep snow!
Just an additional random note - we played two full games of Monopoly in less than three hours, which has to be some sort of family record. And my brother won both of them - how crazy is that?!
That's all the news for now. Thanks to you all for your Christmas wishes, phone calls, and visits. It's been great to hear from everyone!
I'm hoping the next entry is a Year in Review - 2007. At least that's my plan. Time will tell.
remember...
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It snowed most of the weekend and most of today. The kind of dark cloudy snowfall that makes you want to hunker down in piles of blankets and snuggle the day away. I guess having a job sort of prevents the ever-so-coveted snow days. I miss snow days.
happy holliday!...
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I saw Matt Holliday at Chipotle today. I actually didn't believe it at first and did a double when I saw him in line. He's the 27 year old Rockies left fielder who has the leading League batting average, was the NL MVP, and, well, he's gorgeous. Of all Rockies players, Holliday is the one who has all the ladies drooling. Uh... except he's already married. With two kids.
So, I didn't know what to do in this situations. I don't run into people I see on TV very often, and I didn't want to bombard and bugger him, but I wanted to do something. I was nervous. My heart was pounding and my right leg started quivering - seriously. I felt like a twelve year-old with a school crush.
I congratulated him on his season and stuck out my hand so he had to shake it. He said thanks with a huge smile. He has great teeth.
Then I called all my friends, and we screamed like hormone-laden teenagers.
So, I didn't know what to do in this situations. I don't run into people I see on TV very often, and I didn't want to bombard and bugger him, but I wanted to do something. I was nervous. My heart was pounding and my right leg started quivering - seriously. I felt like a twelve year-old with a school crush.
I congratulated him on his season and stuck out my hand so he had to shake it. He said thanks with a huge smile. He has great teeth.
Then I called all my friends, and we screamed like hormone-laden teenagers.
rocktober...
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Sorry Rockies - what an awesome run while it lasted. And we loved watching amazing game followed by amazing game, leading to the World Series. The loss tonight was a bummer. We were crossing our fingers that it wouldn't be a sweep. For many reasons. One of them being the many many hours consumed trying to score WS tickets. Which was basically two straight days of complete unproductivity as employees around the state hit refresh for hours (literally) in hopes of ticket success. Out of everyone I knew (which was basically everyone I know) trying, the only person to succeed was my mom. My mom! She took time during work to order tickets for baseball history. Trust me, this was no easy feat, and now my friends here think she's even more awesome than before. The sad part of the story? We had tickets to Monday's game. But Monday's game is no more. The Sox walloped us 4-0 in the series, so it's bye-bye Monday baseball game, bye-bye Rockies World Series.That's okay. There's always next year. And by then I think we'll have all the kinks worked out.
Pictured above are ten girls (well nine, the tenth is taking the picture and, for obvious reasons, not technically pictured) smashed on our couches, cheering the Rocks on for a victory tonight. Perhaps we didn't cheer loud enough...
gone...
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We had our first snow of the season this morning. It was incredibly. Even a bit surreal. Yesterday my face was sunburned while we were at the park paddling around on the lake... and today big white fluffy snowflakes were floating all around.
The change in weather reminds me that life is always changing. Like it or not, ready or not - here it comes. Recently I've been thinking back to about year ago. My last summer in Manhattan. I had no idea what was ahead. None of us did. Everyone was graduating, moving, testing their wings. What would happen, where would we go, who would we meet, who would we become? We made promises to keep in touch. We made promises to write, to visit, to not let life get too far away. The weeks before I left I would lock myself in my room with tears pouring down my cheeks. I didn't cry for what was ahead. I wasn't worried about what was to come. I would cry for what I was losing. From what I was leaving. The familiar faces. The familiar conversations. The annoying yet comforting drama of college relationships. The friendships that had grown into family.
Now it's rare that I cry for what is lost. I guess it's a part of leaving you have to get used to. So I'm trying. But no matter how much I know things change as time marches on, some of the changes aren't very easy understand, and very hard to accept. Some of the changes don't make sense - some of the things I expected to stay the same, wanted to stay the same, didn't. And I guess those are the hardest to swallow. Like a big lump that gets stuck right in the middle of your throat, and no amount of water seems to wash it down.
I wish when we talked it didn't feel like we were strangers. I hate that it's awkward, that I don't know what to say. I hate that we didn't keep in better touch. I just want to know how you are. How you really are. Just like we used to do.
The change in weather reminds me that life is always changing. Like it or not, ready or not - here it comes. Recently I've been thinking back to about year ago. My last summer in Manhattan. I had no idea what was ahead. None of us did. Everyone was graduating, moving, testing their wings. What would happen, where would we go, who would we meet, who would we become? We made promises to keep in touch. We made promises to write, to visit, to not let life get too far away. The weeks before I left I would lock myself in my room with tears pouring down my cheeks. I didn't cry for what was ahead. I wasn't worried about what was to come. I would cry for what I was losing. From what I was leaving. The familiar faces. The familiar conversations. The annoying yet comforting drama of college relationships. The friendships that had grown into family.
Now it's rare that I cry for what is lost. I guess it's a part of leaving you have to get used to. So I'm trying. But no matter how much I know things change as time marches on, some of the changes aren't very easy understand, and very hard to accept. Some of the changes don't make sense - some of the things I expected to stay the same, wanted to stay the same, didn't. And I guess those are the hardest to swallow. Like a big lump that gets stuck right in the middle of your throat, and no amount of water seems to wash it down.
I wish when we talked it didn't feel like we were strangers. I hate that it's awkward, that I don't know what to say. I hate that we didn't keep in better touch. I just want to know how you are. How you really are. Just like we used to do.
vindicated...
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I got the internet on my computer today! Yep, I finally ponied up, admitted there was no nerdy boyfriend around to figure it out for me, and bought a wireless router. Turns out there's instructional software included that walks you right through the process. And this whole time I've been dragging my feet and putting it off because I feared the installation process. I'd never had to do it before - there was always my brother or a neighbor to hook me up - and all these technology doo-hickies make me nervous.
Turns out I'm not as dependent as originally thought. And I uh... only had to call IT support once.
Turns out I'm not as dependent as originally thought. And I uh... only had to call IT support once.
caught the bug...
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So today was a beautiful day, followed by a lovely endorphin kick. I attended a cheesy motivation speaker before lunch, who encouraged us to be fully engaged and unique in our jobs, and to serve others instead of seeking self-interest. And he kept mentioning how we all run around 100 mph with our hair on fire. That kind of made me giggle. My boss took us out for lunch to Spicy Pickle afterward (which is my absolute favorite deli) and the rest of the day flew by. Work was followed by an hour of hot yoga, where I sweated out possibly all the liquids I'd consumed throughout the day, and maybe even the day before. Seriously, water completely running down my chin, bangs all crazy because my forehead was liquefied... you get the picture.
Our last fall frisbee game was tonight too, and we were playing against a team with all our friends on it. Which can be a little awkward defending someone you know, wheezing on them because you're so gosh darn winded from running back and forth across the field, wishing you had some Scope to swish around... anyway we really wanted to win because they'd had a great season and we'd, well, had a losing season. So, moral of the story, we played really strong, held them until the last 15 minutes, but lost in the end. I was really proud of us though. And I finally played well too - first assist to a touchdown of the evening. Yesssss.
So awhile ago I was just driving home, smiling like a nerd. I really like it here. I really, really do.
Our last fall frisbee game was tonight too, and we were playing against a team with all our friends on it. Which can be a little awkward defending someone you know, wheezing on them because you're so gosh darn winded from running back and forth across the field, wishing you had some Scope to swish around... anyway we really wanted to win because they'd had a great season and we'd, well, had a losing season. So, moral of the story, we played really strong, held them until the last 15 minutes, but lost in the end. I was really proud of us though. And I finally played well too - first assist to a touchdown of the evening. Yesssss.
So awhile ago I was just driving home, smiling like a nerd. I really like it here. I really, really do.
freeze frame...
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Still no Internet, so blogging has been far and few between. Actually, the problem is no wireless router and no wireless card. So, while we do have Internet on one centrally located computer, for now mine is only useful for viewing photos and typing word documents.
So, the summer is over. Okay, let's all take a moment. I don't like it when summer is over! There are still things I want to do and see. Still things on the list I haven't checked off. Still many more sunny days I'd like to soak up.
I guess now it's time for fall foliage hikes, when all the aspens are changing crazy colors and the evergreens are, well, still green. Everyone teases me when I say fall foliage. I get it from my dad. He likes foliage tours.
And then there's skiing. Yippeeeee!I'm ready to go for the season. Well, all except my mountain passes. Minor details. A few weeks ago Sara and I (the awesome girl I work with that took Devin's place) went to Sniagrab, which is bargains spelled backwards. It's this once-a-year sale at a sporting goods store on all their last season sports equipment, and you can find some great discounts (up to 70% I think). This store smashes racks upon racks of coats, pants, gloves, hats, and any other item you can imagine, along with skis, boards, and boots into a huge covered parking lot. People camp outside in tents for days (not kidding - some people had been there for over three) and when the flood gates open the first day of the sale, it is pure mania inside.
Well, lucky for us we received a pre-sale entrance from work the day before all craziness, so our supervisor Allison, who is absolutely amazing, p.s., let us leave work to hit up some good bargains. I was looking for ski pants and a coat because I'd been using mine since high school, and they were both looking pretty worn. I ended up with a coat and some sweet goggles, and still spent way too much moolah, so I'm holding off on the pants for now.
Making our way around even that day was a little crazy. The dressing rooms are makeshift and we were both sweating as we pulled on pair after pair of pants and coats. And there are people everywhere! So we had an adventure. It's kind of one of those things you have to try at least once, just for the experience. Now I'm itching to try out my new gear - hopefully Nov. 2. That's opening day on the slopes, so I figure, why not. My roommate's brother lives in WinterPark so we're hoping to crash there for the weekend. Hopefully the mountains will have snow by then!
A few other things that have happened recently...
- I finally got to hang out with family and friends at Wilson Lake in KS. It was a-w-e-s-o-m-e. Great weather, great skiing and knee boarding, and an excellent time just relaxing with everyone in the water. The thing I miss most while in Colorado is easy access to numerous lakes like there are in Kansas. I was so happy to even go once this year, but if I had my way I'd be on the water every other weekend. We camped in tents and barbecued for dinner. Mom even spoiled us by bringing all the ingredients for homemade ice cream. There is nothing better on a warm Kansas night.
- My to-do list has had "attend a Red Rocks concert" on it for quite some time now, and the weekend my parents came up to help me move, we headed there with a group of my friends to see "1964 the Tribute". They are a world famous Beatles cover band, who dress and talk just like them. Red Rocks is an outdoor concert venue with a natural amphitheatre. The scene is breathtaking, and as night falls you can watch the city lights of Denver come alive from afar. The concert was a blast, and it was great to see my mom and dad come alive as music from their past was relived. (They were a little too young for the real Beatles craze, but since the music is timeless...)
- Last weekend was back to KS for my Grandpa's farm sale. Grandpa's been gone for over a year now, and Grandma decided it would be best to take care of the things she could no longer use. It was fun to be back. My brother came down too, and I'm always super thankful for any time I can spend with him. We dug through boxes of Grandpa's tools and treasures, bid on a few items, and goofed off. I won an old metal bucket that was used to store coal the family had for the old stove in the wash house. It even had two large chunks of real coal inside! Next spring I'll plant it with flowers. Among other things, Justin got an ah-oogah horn. I have no idea how to spell it, but it makes that ah-oogah noise when you beep it - pretty cool! It was weird to see all the old tractors being sold off the farm, but it was also pretty cool to look at all the stuff my Grandpa had. My mom and her sisters found things in the barn they hadn't thought about for years, and it was so fun to see their faces light up as they remembered stories from their childhood from the old toys and such.
- Last night I went to a wedding here of some friends of mine. It was a blast. Five of us girls went together and we giggled the entire car ride to and from (it ended up being quite far from where anyone lived). The ceremony was beautiful - most likely because the couple is incredible. Both of them are amazing people. And the reception was a blast. It was dancing from the very first song to the last, and the dance floor was packed. At most times through the night no one was even in their seats. The air conditioning was either not on or broken, so we were all sweaty and sopping wet, but having a ball. This morning my arms ache from swing dancing. Hey, every girl loves a good twirl.
That sort of sums up what's been going on as of late. Life has been great with my new roommates, and I'm hoping today I can unpack and organize the last couple of boxes I've been hiding. The job is good too. The HR Director, as in big deal Director of the entire company's HR, got in a mini tug-of-war with my supervisor (and my arms) as she tried to win me over to their side of the working world. A new position was posted for and she wanted me in that spot, which is a flattering but awkward place to be in!
I'll keep you posted on how it turns out. So until next time...
So, the summer is over. Okay, let's all take a moment. I don't like it when summer is over! There are still things I want to do and see. Still things on the list I haven't checked off. Still many more sunny days I'd like to soak up.
I guess now it's time for fall foliage hikes, when all the aspens are changing crazy colors and the evergreens are, well, still green. Everyone teases me when I say fall foliage. I get it from my dad. He likes foliage tours.
And then there's skiing. Yippeeeee!I'm ready to go for the season. Well, all except my mountain passes. Minor details. A few weeks ago Sara and I (the awesome girl I work with that took Devin's place) went to Sniagrab, which is bargains spelled backwards. It's this once-a-year sale at a sporting goods store on all their last season sports equipment, and you can find some great discounts (up to 70% I think). This store smashes racks upon racks of coats, pants, gloves, hats, and any other item you can imagine, along with skis, boards, and boots into a huge covered parking lot. People camp outside in tents for days (not kidding - some people had been there for over three) and when the flood gates open the first day of the sale, it is pure mania inside.
Well, lucky for us we received a pre-sale entrance from work the day before all craziness, so our supervisor Allison, who is absolutely amazing, p.s., let us leave work to hit up some good bargains. I was looking for ski pants and a coat because I'd been using mine since high school, and they were both looking pretty worn. I ended up with a coat and some sweet goggles, and still spent way too much moolah, so I'm holding off on the pants for now.
Making our way around even that day was a little crazy. The dressing rooms are makeshift and we were both sweating as we pulled on pair after pair of pants and coats. And there are people everywhere! So we had an adventure. It's kind of one of those things you have to try at least once, just for the experience. Now I'm itching to try out my new gear - hopefully Nov. 2. That's opening day on the slopes, so I figure, why not. My roommate's brother lives in WinterPark so we're hoping to crash there for the weekend. Hopefully the mountains will have snow by then!
A few other things that have happened recently...
- I finally got to hang out with family and friends at Wilson Lake in KS. It was a-w-e-s-o-m-e. Great weather, great skiing and knee boarding, and an excellent time just relaxing with everyone in the water. The thing I miss most while in Colorado is easy access to numerous lakes like there are in Kansas. I was so happy to even go once this year, but if I had my way I'd be on the water every other weekend. We camped in tents and barbecued for dinner. Mom even spoiled us by bringing all the ingredients for homemade ice cream. There is nothing better on a warm Kansas night.
- My to-do list has had "attend a Red Rocks concert" on it for quite some time now, and the weekend my parents came up to help me move, we headed there with a group of my friends to see "1964 the Tribute". They are a world famous Beatles cover band, who dress and talk just like them. Red Rocks is an outdoor concert venue with a natural amphitheatre. The scene is breathtaking, and as night falls you can watch the city lights of Denver come alive from afar. The concert was a blast, and it was great to see my mom and dad come alive as music from their past was relived. (They were a little too young for the real Beatles craze, but since the music is timeless...)
- Last weekend was back to KS for my Grandpa's farm sale. Grandpa's been gone for over a year now, and Grandma decided it would be best to take care of the things she could no longer use. It was fun to be back. My brother came down too, and I'm always super thankful for any time I can spend with him. We dug through boxes of Grandpa's tools and treasures, bid on a few items, and goofed off. I won an old metal bucket that was used to store coal the family had for the old stove in the wash house. It even had two large chunks of real coal inside! Next spring I'll plant it with flowers. Among other things, Justin got an ah-oogah horn. I have no idea how to spell it, but it makes that ah-oogah noise when you beep it - pretty cool! It was weird to see all the old tractors being sold off the farm, but it was also pretty cool to look at all the stuff my Grandpa had. My mom and her sisters found things in the barn they hadn't thought about for years, and it was so fun to see their faces light up as they remembered stories from their childhood from the old toys and such.
- Last night I went to a wedding here of some friends of mine. It was a blast. Five of us girls went together and we giggled the entire car ride to and from (it ended up being quite far from where anyone lived). The ceremony was beautiful - most likely because the couple is incredible. Both of them are amazing people. And the reception was a blast. It was dancing from the very first song to the last, and the dance floor was packed. At most times through the night no one was even in their seats. The air conditioning was either not on or broken, so we were all sweaty and sopping wet, but having a ball. This morning my arms ache from swing dancing. Hey, every girl loves a good twirl.
That sort of sums up what's been going on as of late. Life has been great with my new roommates, and I'm hoping today I can unpack and organize the last couple of boxes I've been hiding. The job is good too. The HR Director, as in big deal Director of the entire company's HR, got in a mini tug-of-war with my supervisor (and my arms) as she tried to win me over to their side of the working world. A new position was posted for and she wanted me in that spot, which is a flattering but awkward place to be in!
I'll keep you posted on how it turns out. So until next time...
get around...
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Hi. I still don't have Internet. Well, not technically. My computer pieces are still in a box. Actually most of my life is in a box at the moment. Which has been quite chaotic the past few days. Monday morning I dug around for ten minutes trying to find a bra (which is precious time when your sometimes - cough - running a tight schedule anyway), grabbed a tank top out of the dirty clothes hamper, and tried to pull myself together with shiny lip gloss (maybe it would detract from my smooshed together ensemble). I drove to a new office space to unpack more boxes (seriously, I should be having nightmares about cardboard by now), and have yet to settle into either space yet.
The great news is I have three awesome roommates. And so far I'm adjusting back to community life pretty well... haven't even left my pajamas in the bathroom yet. The great thing is I'm remembering all the wonderful reasons having roommates is so, well, wonderful. For example, Bridgette knocked quietly on my door this morning to wake me up in time for the lunar eclipse. We ran out in the dark in our bare feet through the wet grass to get a peek. I felt like a kid again. It was great.
So anyway, until sometime - maybe next week hopefully - my boxes will be put away (that sounded confident... right?), I will have Internet again, and my life will be somewhat back to normal.
Side note - I miss my Kansas friends (and those temporarily in IL). We'll talk soon when things aren't so hectic! And I'll be in KS soon - just not far enough east. But I finally finally get to go to the lake and play in the water this weekend!
The great news is I have three awesome roommates. And so far I'm adjusting back to community life pretty well... haven't even left my pajamas in the bathroom yet. The great thing is I'm remembering all the wonderful reasons having roommates is so, well, wonderful. For example, Bridgette knocked quietly on my door this morning to wake me up in time for the lunar eclipse. We ran out in the dark in our bare feet through the wet grass to get a peek. I felt like a kid again. It was great.
So anyway, until sometime - maybe next week hopefully - my boxes will be put away (that sounded confident... right?), I will have Internet again, and my life will be somewhat back to normal.
Side note - I miss my Kansas friends (and those temporarily in IL). We'll talk soon when things aren't so hectic! And I'll be in KS soon - just not far enough east. But I finally finally get to go to the lake and play in the water this weekend!
i've got sunshine...
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Hi. I'm supposed to be packing, but... it's not happening. So here's the scoop on our vacation instead. It was awesome. We ended up traveling over 3000 miles, through eight states, and had lots of bonding-time in the car. It was a bit nuts. There are many stories, but I'll give you a quick run down. The trip started with a four-hour delayed plane ride back from Phoenix. Poor Maggie and Laura waited in the airport parking lot for hours, all packed up and ready to go. I thought I would never get there. We left Denver on Thursday at 10pm, drove in three-hour shifts through the night, and made it to Portland by 7pm on Saturday. ...And only ran over one deer in the process. Yikes.
In the next few days we worked our way through Oregon and California along the Pacific Coast Highway (my first time to CA and the Pacific), stopping in the Redwood Forest, driving through a tree, and ending up at a campground 30 miles north of San Francisco. The next day was full of all-out tourist attractions, with rides on the street car, cable car, and over the Golden Gate Bridge. It is such a cool city! Along the way we picked up another friend at the San Jose airport and stopped at a friend's house in Carmel. Another first - riding a yellow banana tandem bike. Let me tell you - not as easy as it looks!
On our way back home we stayed on the strip in Las Vegas - New York, New York - and, being the big spender of the group, I gambled away $2. Maggie did actually make twenty dollars playing Roulette... a win that I claim partial ownership of because I (very convincingly) talked her into quitting while she was ahead.The last leg of the trip through Nevada, Utah, and Colorado was beautiful (well, minus the Mojave desert) but our hineys were ready to be home. At one point Laura looked over at me and said, "Rachelle, I think you know absolutely everything about me. I've talked about everything. I don't know if I have anything left to say." So we cranked up the NOW 5 CD, listened to the whole thing three more times, and counted mile markers until we were safely home.
And home sweet home it is.
r-e-l-a-x...
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Tomorrow starts my big summer traveling extravaganza. Monday through Thursday we're having a work retreat in Scottsdale, AZ (think lots of time at the pool, pedicure, scrumptious food... aahhhh. Okay, and some meetings in-between). Then Laura and Mags are picking me up from the airport Thursday evening, which kicks off our 10-day road trip through the West Coast. Up to Oregon, down the PCH Highway (with a quick stop at the Red Woods), then to San Francisco, and further south to Carmel. We'll meet a Denver friend there who's visiting her parents back home, and eventually mosey our way back to Denver through Las Vegas and Utah. If my calculations are correct, the trip will total more than 3000 miles. Go little car, go!
I will be journaling our travel adventures and experiences along the way, then post them upon our return.
I love vacation.
I will be journaling our travel adventures and experiences along the way, then post them upon our return.
I love vacation.
freedom...
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It has been an incredible past couple of days. Saturday evening I went on a police ride-along. Leading up to the adventure I was nervous, but really had no idea what I was getting myself into. The experience was intense - it went from 9pm until 7am Sunday morning. I spent almost ten hours that night with Officer Mike. He works the downtown district, one of the crazier locations, especially on the weekends at Lodo, the bar scene nearby. When I got in the car he said, "Okay, you're going to stick right by me through everything. You can either be behind me or beside me, but stay close, and never get in front of me. If a situation is an extreme safety hazard I'll have you stay in the car, but I doubt that will happen - you can pretty much stick with me the entire time. And I did.Eye-opening does not begin to describe what I took from that night... the things the police force do to keep us safe is seriously amazing. Sometimes it's easy to get a bad taste in your mouth when the word cops or police are said, but the work they do and the crap they deal with is insane-o. And it's a job that you're constantly on, 100% alert, all the time. There is no slacking, no down time. We didn't stop for coffee. We didn't stop for snacks. We hardly stopped to pee. They work hard, often with little recognition or reward.
I truly encourage everyone to go on a ride-along sometime. See what it's all about. Witness a day (or preferably night) in the life of a cop. I guarantee the experience will leave an impact. A big one.
Another highly anticipated event was Laura's Birthday BBQ Bash yesterday. It was western themed, complete with cornbread, baked beans, cowboy hats and belt buckles. That night we had a bon fire... followed by dancing in the living room. There was a great turn out, and it was a beautiful evening for a party on the lawn.
Today's Fourth of July celebration was awesome too! Laura, Jen, and I drug ourselves out of bed this morning and headed to the park for a game of pick-up ultimate frisbee. In all my modesty I'll proudly note that I scored a few touchdowns, and some assists too. It just feels so good to finally be catching on! Okay, maybe not so humble of me to mention...Tonight a bunch of us met at another park. There was a symphony orchestra playing until dark, and everyone was welcome to bring a picnic and blankets. We had plenty of food left from the party, so there were burgers and brats for all. Of course before chowing down we played more frisbee. And after the concert we played frisbee again. We played past dark, past the point of really even being able to see the frisbee. But no one wanted to quit. Until an unlucky player suffered a sprained ankle from an unmarked sprinkler head. Youch!
The picture above is of all those who are wearing matching shorts. We thought this was hilarious. There's just something about long, greenish-gray cargo shorts that screams Colorado. In fact, I can't wait to buy another pair. They're good for anything - a weekend hike, lazy days around town... shoot, you wouldn't even get a second look if you wore them to the bars. So versatile. Just another reason I love this beautiful state.
kick it...
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This summer is off to a bang. I'm sure most of us were out the gates at a full sprint. But it has brought about good things. New things. And old things. Changes. Colorado is beautiful in the spring. Everyone is outside. Running and hiking and biking and then running some more. It's incredible. Here are some highlights so far.
- Ryan came out to visit. We camped. We hiked. We ran. We attended strange parties. Okay, only one, but just ask him - it was weird. We went to a yard sale and found four awesome chairs. Two wooden. Two for the lawn. I must get pictures posted of the hike. Pretty incredible. Even though we never found that pesky waterfall, I'm 87% sure we saw bear scat. So then we got the heck outta there. But it was a great weekend.
- I'm running my first 5k tomorrow. I realize that to avid runners this is baby stuff. But to me, not so much. I'm hoping it's not blistering hot (102 today!) and that I don't weenie out and walk. More details on that later.
- My living situation is about to change. Soon I will have three new roommates. It's going to be weird having roommates again. I've just gotten so comfortable eating breakfast in my underpants...
- Today was my second real game of ultimate Frisbee (spell-checker said Frisbee should be capitalized. Who knew?). A group of us joined a summer league. We've uh... lost the last two games, but we're showing much improvement. And the guys finally believe I can catch. It's a lot of fun, but holy cow has my respect for soccer players vastly increased. Three runs up and down the field and I'm shot. Can't even breathe. Whew.
- Two new sort-of records in my world were set this week. I watched my car turn over to 100,000 miles yesterday. Everyone keeps asking when I'll get an SUV. And granted, it would be a lot easier to haul lots of gear in a bigger rig, I just can't give up what I've got. She's been so good to me - through mountains, snow and many close calls on the freeways. Plus, I'm possibly a little cheap and would rather not fork over my hard earned dollar on a shiny toy. Which brings me to my second record of sorts. I rarely run my air conditioner. It gets expensive, and I'm hardly home anyway, so I opt for economy over comfort. Tonight I walked in, tossed down my bags, and noticed it was a little stuffy inside. Official thermometer reading? Eighty-nine degrees. Eighty-nine degrees?!. I took a cold shower and kicked on the A/C. Dang.
Okay, so there's lots of other stuff I want to share. But it can be spared for a later date. Enjoy your summer, because it's just not the same with an 8-5. I sure miss lazy afternoons by the pool.
- Ryan came out to visit. We camped. We hiked. We ran. We attended strange parties. Okay, only one, but just ask him - it was weird. We went to a yard sale and found four awesome chairs. Two wooden. Two for the lawn. I must get pictures posted of the hike. Pretty incredible. Even though we never found that pesky waterfall, I'm 87% sure we saw bear scat. So then we got the heck outta there. But it was a great weekend.
- I'm running my first 5k tomorrow. I realize that to avid runners this is baby stuff. But to me, not so much. I'm hoping it's not blistering hot (102 today!) and that I don't weenie out and walk. More details on that later.
- My living situation is about to change. Soon I will have three new roommates. It's going to be weird having roommates again. I've just gotten so comfortable eating breakfast in my underpants...
- Today was my second real game of ultimate Frisbee (spell-checker said Frisbee should be capitalized. Who knew?). A group of us joined a summer league. We've uh... lost the last two games, but we're showing much improvement. And the guys finally believe I can catch. It's a lot of fun, but holy cow has my respect for soccer players vastly increased. Three runs up and down the field and I'm shot. Can't even breathe. Whew.
- Two new sort-of records in my world were set this week. I watched my car turn over to 100,000 miles yesterday. Everyone keeps asking when I'll get an SUV. And granted, it would be a lot easier to haul lots of gear in a bigger rig, I just can't give up what I've got. She's been so good to me - through mountains, snow and many close calls on the freeways. Plus, I'm possibly a little cheap and would rather not fork over my hard earned dollar on a shiny toy. Which brings me to my second record of sorts. I rarely run my air conditioner. It gets expensive, and I'm hardly home anyway, so I opt for economy over comfort. Tonight I walked in, tossed down my bags, and noticed it was a little stuffy inside. Official thermometer reading? Eighty-nine degrees. Eighty-nine degrees?!. I took a cold shower and kicked on the A/C. Dang.
Okay, so there's lots of other stuff I want to share. But it can be spared for a later date. Enjoy your summer, because it's just not the same with an 8-5. I sure miss lazy afternoons by the pool.
niner...
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We went bowling today. In pre-celebration of Laura B.'s birthday. We had sweet shoes, noise makers, hats, and pita-stacked cake with hummus frosting. What more could a girl ask for? There was only one rule - after any strike, spare, or gutterball, the bowler had to bust a dance move. Or cheerleader jump. Laura Z. and I even attempted SNL's "Indian in my Tipi" stunt. Whoops. We'll keep practicing.
Anyway, it was good ol' fashion fun. And I kept consistent with my usual scoring, once again managing not to break 100. Bah! But that's all right. Hopefully my moves made up for it.
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