365 Denver: 251-260

Day 251

Friday, April 11

Relaxing evening doing work, misc. chores, and preparing for the arrival of Heather!!

Day 252

Saturday, April 12

Heather and I at a birthday bbq!  A relaxed, fun backyard day.

Day 253

Sunday, April 13

Crappy snowy weather brought us bar-hopping with friends.

Day 254

Monday, April 14

Heather and I checked out Red Rocks, Breck, and other Colorado fun.

Day 255

Tuesday, April 15

Heather left. :(  It is always SO nice to have such wonderful friends visit!

Sally is severely out of shape!  I'm putting her on a running schedule.

Day 256

Wednesday, April 16

Regular work day turned amazing weekday by rock climbing with Joe & Preston after work!

I recently bought a harness and shoes so I'm looking forward to getting into a new hobby.

Day 257

Thursday, April 17

Preparing jello-egg-shots for the weekend.

Day 258

Friday, April 18

80 degrees + Friday + bubbles = best day ever.

Day 259

Saturday, April 19

Weekend trip to Pueblo, CO!

We woke up (after a night at the bars until 2am) and randomly decided to run a 5k/10k... and then we all placed!  I was first in my age group... but I'll admit the competition was weak.

The rest of the day was spent eating a Pueblo-famous "slopper" at Coors Tavern, boating at Lake Pueblo, and frolicking near the river walk.

The day was absolutely full of smiles and laughter.

Day 260

Sunday, April 20

Easter brunch with Joe's family.  My friendship with Joe has been so warm, welcoming, and fun - my experience with his family was no different.  35 people gathered around delicious food (including home-made green chili), games, and joy.

Spring Break: Moab

To kick off spring break, we headed to Moab for the weekend to enjoy the sun, rocks, and freedom.

Saturday was spent hiking, belaying, and rock climbing... and then a lot of drinking by the fire.

Sunday was spent swinging the Corona Arch - an absolutely amazing experience!

Truly an awesome weekend!

Here's a video that captures some of the highlights:

I was reminded of the immense power of human connection while being humbled in awe of nature. We can build grand homes, cities, etc., but they pale in comparison to what nature does and provides.  At the same time, the bulk of the joy from this weekend was derived from the people - those I knew and those we met.  Life is a shared experience, and I couldn't be luckier to share this one with them.

365 Denver: 91-100

Day 91

Saturday, November 2

Watched a soccer game, checked out a new brewery - Jagged Mountain (pictured) - with delicious beers and fun games, house party, and ended the night dancing the night away to celebrate Kirsten's birthday! Fun fun fun.

Day 92

Sunday, November 3

Park!  Beautiful fall day!  Found my favorite tree by the lake with the mountains in the background. Read some HP with Sal Pal - then she chased a million squirrels and was once again adored by all.  J met me and we lounged, played bananagrams, and tossed the football.  Then sushi dinner and skyping with Heather, Carolyn, and Misty.  Perfect!

Day 93

Monday, November 4

Boggle and delicious soup on a chilly day.

I dominated in boggle, btw.

Day 94

Tuesday, November 5

Just too cold to run outside... so checked out the apartment gym for the first time!  Happily surprised to find TVs on every machine!

Day 95

Wednesday, November 6

Skyping with Brad!  We had some technical difficulties, but the love was there all the same. 

Day 96

Thursday, November 7

Horrible day at work... made better by a fun evening with Kirsten, Preston, J, and Lauren watching OU (get demolished) play football!

Day 97

Friday, November 8

Decided to buy a ski pass! Excitement.  Went to the ski expo for some seriously discounted gear, met up for a beer and games with friends, and had a delicious dinner at an Ethiopian place called Arada (pictured) with Sarah who was visiting in town again!

Day 98

Saturday, November 9

1st day on the slopes... fail.

Wipe out turned into 4 stitches... but remained in good spirits and excited, albeit nervous to go again soon!

Despite the setback, I had a great day with Kirsten and Preston!

Day 99

Sunday, November 10

Girls on the Run 5K!

Every little girl is paired with a teacher/adult mentor to run with them on this 5k promoting girl empowerment.  Followed by brunch (yum - Denver Biscuit Company!) and a day of errands. 

Day 100

Monday, November 11

100 Days!!!! Crazy.

Ski Day!

No school for Veteran's Day = day 2 on the slopes and no injuries! haha It was a really fun day hanging out with friends, getting in lots of runs, and regaining some confidence. 

365 Denver: 71-80

Day 71

Sunday, October 13

Family dinner!  Gathered with some friends for a delightful meal and some chill time.  I meant to take a picture of the food (chili, salad, cookies etc.) but forgot... so I captured the shenanigans that followed.

Day 72

Monday, October 14

When your boss asks you "Do you have any plans tonight?" sometimes it pays off to say no!  Free tickets to watch a preseason Nuggets game. :)

Day 73

Tuesday, October 15

WE LOVE FALL!

Day 74

Wednesday, October 16

We won the "Spirit Stick" this week.  Good job kiddos.

Day 75

Thursday, October 17

Dinner with Kirsten!!! We ate a Pho on 6th - a place nearby I've been wanting to try.  Delicious and I love Kirsten!

Day 76

Friday, October 18

Date with the ladies.  We decided to go get our nails done and go out for dinner.  It was so nice to be pampered and I said treat-yo-self and went for some gel nails!

Day 77

Saturday, October 19

Wonderful day! Slept in, run with Sally, dog park action, and an afternoon/evening with friends enjoying fall time festivities!  Spaghetti squash dinner, pumpkin pie from scratch, pumpkin carving, spiked cider, and Harry Potter.  Perfection. (My pumpkin is 2nd from the left - a witch!)

Day 78

Sunday, October 20

Brunch at Lucilles - a delicious and adorable Creole restaurant in Denver.

Day 79

Monday, October 21

Costume crafting + watching Great Gatsby w/Lauren.

I'm going to be a bird.  Lots of feathers...

Day 80

Tuesday, October 22

Best part of my day? Going to the mailbox and getting this!  Generally, it was just mail that was sent to my former address - but a reminder of home and a funny little note made my day! 

Great American Beer Festival!

Last Saturday Lauren, Pam, and I went to the Great American Beer Festival.  Basically heaven for beer lovers... and I love beer.  Hundreds of breweries with thousands of delicious beers from all over the country come for this competition/festival!  You just stroll around with your 1oz tasting glass and try beers all night long.  We made pretzel necklaces (a common and popular item) to snack on.  Also, picked up some sweet SWAG.

We had a BLAST.

Had a friend-making "competition"... and made tons of friends. 

Tried too many beers to count and loved about 90% of them. 

Here are some highlights.

 Excited!  Also, I love the bear peeking in the convention center.  Somebody give that bear a beer.

 I thought I'd take a picture of my favorite breweries... but then they were pretty much all my favorite so I stopped.  But I was excited to try beers near and far - here's a new place to try in Golden!

 Some people dress up in weird outfits.  Why?  Who's to say.  But it's fun.

 We watched a family feud game between some brewers.  He is a brewer at a bar near my house! Made friends with him and tried on his hat.  It was sweaty.  Good shot of my pretzel necklace and accumulating SWAG too!

 Made friends with the Alaskan Brewing Company.  Spent a long time at their booth.  They were fun. And had mascots.

Shenanigans.

Love beer.

Love friends.

Love Colorado.

Tour De Fat

New Belgium Brewery (maker of Fat Tire) hosts a biking and beer festival called Tour De Fat.

10+ thousand people came out to Fort Collins to dress up in costumes, ride some bikes, and drink some beers.

Molly, her friends Ray and Kim, and I went and had a blast!!

The tour is a one mile parade route.  Its beyond packed, so you more walk your bike than ride it... but it makes for excellent people watching.  Streets are lined with onlookers and house parties.

The weirdest thing I brought with me to CO was my ugly Christmas sweater so I happily (and hotly) rocked it.  Kim and Ray went the "wear a weird combo of weird things from a thrift shop" route - which I appreciated greatly. 

Some people were really creative - there was a man who dressed up as "Up" and made his bicycle into a house, dressed as an old man, and had balloons over him. 

 After the parade, all gather for beer, music, food, etc.  A sea of happy, weird people.  Got some beer tokens, made friends with some Oompa Loompas, and enjoyed some day drinking.

Best costume: Miley Cyrus at the VMAs. Hilarious.

Ray and Kim (and everybody else we met) were sooo nice/welcoming/inviting/etc.  A common theme I've found in people here.

I love bikes.

I love beer.

I love costumes.

I love Colorado.

365 Denver 21-30

Day 21

Saturday, August 24

Worked all day... then went out with some work friends AND SARAH! I love how many people come visit Denver. 

Day 22

Sunday, August 25

Yoga therapy - mountain therapy - friend therapy.

OUPS chats fill my heart with so much joy!!  I love that we're still silly and play with the special effect features on Google hangouts and giggle so much.

Day 23

Monday, August 26

First full day with students.

By the numbers:

hours worked - 14

number of students - 29

number of students who didn't have a clue what I said all day long - 8

number of tantrums - 4... at once.

number of meltdowns - 10

In a word? Sigh.

Day 24

Tuesday, August 27

Day 2 with students... in a word? Progress!

I was beyond excited when they remembered what I meant when I asked them to stand up... I couldn't go through another day teaching that ten times. Fewer meltdowns, more excitements... nowhere near perfect, but getting better.

I was also able to finally catch up with my planning (pictured) - all prepared until next Wednesday.  Feels good to be almost caught up. 

Best part? Going home after 12 hours of work and not bringing any work home.  So I could clean my apartment for my first house guest who arrives this weekend!!!

Day 25

Wednesday, August 28

Music festival in Evergreen with Kirsten & Preston!! Going to the mountains after work was like entering a completely different world.  A much more relaxing and fun and wonderful world. 

Day 26

Thursday, August 29

I can't believe that I've already checked off two of my big ticket items for Denver: concert at Red Rocks and going to a Broncos game!!  Preston couldn't use his tickets to that night's game so my friend Lauren and I got to go!!!! (thank yooooou!)  I love how much cheering and enthusiasm Broncos fans have.  I consider myself officially converted to a fan.  

Day 27

Friday, August 30

Feeling very overwhelmed by the task before me with these children.  But then I see the play on the playground or work in these centers together and they show such strong qualities in friendship and exploration and I feel hopeful again. 

Today MOLLY came!! We had a chill night in to gear up for the weekend ahead.

Day 28

Saturday, August 31

In the morning we went to Fort Collins to see some of Molly's friends and go to Tour de Fat... this needs its own post - stay tuned.

OU season opener!! Met up with K/P & Friends at the Denver OU Alumni bar - there are soo many OU fans here!  I love it.

Shenanigans until 3am followed.

I'd say that was a day well lived.

Day 29

Sunday, September 1

Jeep trails!!!  A group of 9 of use went out on some crazy jeep trails.  Legit.

It was the best mountain adventure day.  I can't wait for so many more!!! 

We all camped out at a lake off the jeep trail that night.  I forgot how luxurious car camping could be.  

Good people.  Good nature.  Good adventure.  Good life.

I love Colorado.

Day 30

Monday, September 2

Preston taught me how to shoot a gun!  I used to think I would never so much as hold a gun, but I've changed a bit since then.  And I was surprised at how much fun it was!  

Molly left today :(

And I ended Labor Day weekend with a barbecue at a friend's place.  

Labor day weekend = success x10.

I and Love and You

Living in New York was a profound experience – it shaped my life more so than any other time or place.  No other city in the world quite compares, and I developed a strong love-hate relationship with the way of life here.  I’m glad that now I not only visit the city with ease, having more interest in friends and memories than in museums and sights – but in my visits, I can soak in only the great love, leaving the hate behind.  I can look at an overcrowded intersection and appreciate the hustle and bustle, the diversity, the chaos, and the benefit of public transportation without being annoyed, exhausted, and focused on the potential interruptions to my busied afternoon.  I can reminisce and relive and relove. 

I came to NYC to celebrate the amazing union of two of my favorite people in the world – Emilie and Lyndsey.  Their relationship should be a case study for kindness, compassion, and love. 

Reasons why weddings are my favorite:

•  It is truly amazing to watch two people vow to love each other through thick and thin till the day they die.  I am overjoyed to see people I care so deeply about celebrate in such happiness and love – a moment unlike any other. 
• The timeline and story of their life is told by the significant players from all different phases and aspects of their life are gathered together to celebrate them.  It is a joy to meet these people and it allows you to gain a greater understanding of your friend.
•  Lately, for me, attending weddings has also been an opportunity for reunions. This wedding reminded me of the amazing friendships I made in NYC.   And outside of the wedding I was also able to see Terry and some friends from work!  I have always been blessed by wonderful people, and NYC gave me some damn good ones.
•  Good food – good drinks – good music – good people – party dress on – can’t go wrong.

This trip to NYC was a fantastic reunion.  A reunion and places and people.  And since I had to cut the trip short, it didn’t even scratch the surface… so I’ll just have to visit again soon!  J