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pancake fun!
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If only...
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Between Merida and Cancun, Mexico
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Salmon BLT Sliders with Chipotle Mayo by howsweeteats #Salmon #Bacon #Chipotle #Sliders #howsweeteats
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Lamb Sliders with Tzatziki by fotocuisine #Lamb #Sliders #fotocuisine
My Erratic October
…Because that is the only way to describe it. I have been trying to do posts along the way but it has been one thing after another and finally I feel like I can come up for air. I thought a list would be the best way to go because well, that is pretty much how my month went. The saddest part – I actually had to check my calendar to remember some of these items.
o Started off the month with Gino Velardi’s fashion show (OK-1 day before October) but what a blast, his new line as absolutely stunning that if I had the money and a place to wear it I would purchase 80% of it! Besides promising him that I would finally walk in his next show, I was also asked to model for a new Denver magazine, DeVelo!
o Birthday came and went with a blur. Wednesday started off with a beautiful sunrise, my midterm finished, work and then 2.5 hours of school
o Birthday weekend started off with moving day filled with pouring rain that took longer than I hoped but finished with enough time to unpack most of it. I have even started decorating more than the last apartment; my favorite piece is the chandelier wall décor above my bed
o That Sunday my friend Luisa treated me to a candy bouquet and dinner at Ale House at Amatos. Worst service ever but after writing a letter to management, we are willing to go back and try with the $100 gift card they sent me
o Celebrated a belated birthday with Michael up in Estes Park. We rode horses in the morning, which wasn’t as fun as I thought it was going to be (slowest.trail.ride.ever) but I am glad we did it. I was just happy to be in the mountains as I hadn’t really had the chance to that summer
o School has been keeping me busy. I realized that I am not doing as well as I thought but now is the time to move it up a notch. I even spent 2 hours in the library just trying to figure out a topic for my 5 page comparison paper. (I decided on comparing the difference between Jewish and Hindu marriage ceremonies and traditions)
o Spent time with my bar family at Salty Rita’s watching them carve pumpkins. I should have jumped in but I wasn’t dressed for it and was too exhausted from work and school to operate a knife after having a glass of wine
o I absolutely love my new car! While the big 4-valve V8 engine has increased the charge at the gas pump, I still have no regrets. From the simplest of things like being able to roll down my window to the luxuries like the most amazing seat warmers ever. I honestly love those butt warmers so much that I am worried that I will have to replace them in the next few years
o We had our first dump of snow in the city. 4-6 inches by my house. It seems to be a tradition in Denver that it has to snow around Halloween. Poor trees took a beating from the heavy wet snow but more so in Northern Colorado. It is a beautiful site but by Sunday there will be very little evidence that it ever snowed at all. In fact, 2 days later my lawn is already 20% green grass!
o This weekend is Halloween weekend and instead of playing dress up and hitting the town, I will be spending my time finishing my apartment and writing my paper that requires more reading material then my brain is capable of handling
I have a new personal project that started brewing last weekend and while I can’t talk about it now, I will be an open book when I get some more answers but that will many weeks and maybe months. Also thinking my blog is due for a big makeover – something with a more personal touch….and I know just where to go! If you are in the mood for a blog change and haven’t checked out Munchkinland Designs yet, you are missing out! She does an amazing work and luckily for me she now offers options for WordPress users. That’s about it for this month but next month I am going to attempt a blog challenge as I have never participated in one and thinking now is the time. Anybody have any ideas? If so, let me know!
End of summer fun
So many things have happened over the summer of 2011 and even though there are a few days left, last night was the perfect way to end it.
As most of you know who follow me on Twitter, I have had some recent car trouble lately and this week was the final straw. In the past 3 weeks my poor VW has had some issues, the first week the starter died while downtown at my friend Ariel’s wedding. It was an issue that I had procrastinated on fixing until it was too late. The following week as I was driving to work, my tailpipe fell off. And the icing on the cake was last Sunday, while on my way to view the last apartment, my clutch blew out. Pushed the pedal in to shift to second and it just never came up. I had to “Flintstone” my car into the nearest parking lot until the tow truck came. Luckily that car was really light and I had no issues pushing it by myself.
I had been shopping for a car for awhile but I hadn’t expected to buy one so quickly, as I was still trying to find a new place to live before my lease was up in October. After researching, test driving, re-working my budget and lots and lots of frustration I surprised myself by buying a car just 1 day after my car died I never thought I would make such a wild purchase and even though I felt I made a quick decision the first day, I am looking forward to taking care of this car for a minimum of the next 10-15 years. It is my newest car I have ever purchased and I honestly think I fall in love as I get this warm fuzzy feeling every time I get inside (or maybe that is just the butt warmers, I really love the butt warmers).
• 1st Car – Purchased 1998 – 1987 Chevy Celebrity– 11 yrs old
• 2nd Car – Purchased 2000 – 1985 VW Rabbit Convertible –15 yrs old
• 3rd Car – Purchased 2002 – 1975 Mercedes Diesel 300D – 27 yrs old
• 4th Car – Purchased 2007 – 1997 VW Jetta – 10 yrs old
• 5th Car – Purchased 2011 – 2005 Mercedes ML 500 – 6 yrs old
My VW being loaded onto the tow truck, a Smart car I test drove for fun and my NEW Mercedes!
As for last night, I got to go to my first Rockies game since July 4th weekend with my ex. Despite the fact he insists the invite didn’t stem from my recent blog post and he said that I he was planning on asking me beforehand, I am glad that Michael invited me to join him. Up until the game, I was worried on how the night would go due to the way we left our relationship just two months earlier even though I had forgiven him and moved forward with my life. Would the time spent together bring up old issues or feelings? Would I get angry again for what he did? And the answer is no. I guess it really surprised me how comfortable it was that it was just two friends hanging out and catching up. I forgot how much we laugh when we are together and I am sure that we could have talked on into the night except I had a second date waiting for me, Luisa.
(pardon the older and blury photos but it was all I could find)
It was Luisa’s (30th) birthday last night and while we never go all out for her birthday, I was hoping to give her a nice break from reality. The poor girl had a crazy busy week with work, between events, the CU vs. CSU game and a Bronco game right after. To top it off, her good friend was having her bachelorette party yesterday, so after an early morning wake up for the college game, she was participating in wedding activities afterward. Fortunately I was able to steal her away around 11pm and take her to La Rumba for salsa dancing (per her request). I can’t salsa dance to save my life, but Luisa never judges my white girl dance moves and I enjoy watching her have fun and shaking her curves like I only dream I could. I forgot how much of a workout it is, I am sure that I burned off my consumed beer calories with in the first half hour! I was proud of myself for finally getting up the nerve to dance with a man. Ok ok, more like I had been asked several times and this one wouldn’t give up, plus Luisa had a dancing partner at the time and I felt slightly silly standing there dancing by myself. Maybe I should start taking salsa lessons as a weight loss routine? I bet my waistline would lose inches pretty quickly. After ending the night soaked with sweat and swollen blistered feet it was totally worth it. I hope Luisa had as much fun on her birthday as I did, and if not, at least she gets to have a relaxing couple of days in Steamboat after working today’s Bronco game. HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUISA!!!! I am so lucky to have you in my life!
What a wonderful way to end the week! Since tomorrow is a work day, I need to back to work on homework as well as gutting out some items in my house before having to pack and move. With summer coming to a close I look forward to the next season, my favorite, autumn. And I can’t think of a better way to start it off right than with my nieces’ wedding next weekend; so excited for her and the family!
Relationship Leftovers
Here it is, another weekend and I have found myself with an interesting reoccurring weekend routine since I left my job at the bar; two new habits that I didn’t have a year ago. You see, I have picked them up from my ex and didn’t realize it until today. Isn’t it amazing where you gain habits?
Habit: noun a behavior pattern acquired by frequent repetition or physiologic exposure that shows itself in regularity; an acquired mode of behavior that has become nearly or completely involuntary
This year I have lost two good men in my life, my ex and my best guy friend, and lately I have been thinking about them and wondering how their life is going. I lost my best guy friend to his new girlfriend and found out our friendship was not as strong as I thought it was. While I don’t know the specifics, I believe the separation was due to girlfriend insecurities but as long as he is happy, that’s what matters.
My ex on the other hand, was afraid of commitment and was still discovering himself which I can completely identify with as I went through it after calling off my engagement 3 years ago. When he did participate in the relationship, it was a beautiful friendship with learning and growing between both parties. One of the things that I learned to love was baseball. I always loved the game but I preferred playing it to watching it. My ex had season tickets to the Rockies and while I went to only a handful of games over the past two seasons, I now find my remote stopping on Root Sports or driving off to the sports bar to catch the end of the game. Not to mention if I am not able to watch, I make sure to check my Android app for game highlights or the current score. Who would have thought?
My other habit that I have continued since the break up is coffee cream and HGTV. When I spent the night (gasp! I know, but that’s what adults in monogamous relationships do) we would wake up, make coffee and watch do it yourself shows like Yard Crashers and House Crashers. Always a lukewarm black coffee drinker, he had fun flavored coffee creamers (my favorite being Cinnamon Vanilla Crème) and now find myself pouring it in every cup of Joe at work and at home. The only place I still drink black coffee is when I go out to breakfast. As for HGTV, it wouldn’t feel like Saturday morning without it. They are my constant reminder of him and how he is not around.
I debated texting either one of them today just to check in; to see how Tim’s relationship with Kate is going or see if Michael ever got consent to have the surgery on his hand. But since I was the one that was rejected… it seems almost silly to reach out. Being friends with an ex has always been a controversial topic, most people taking one side or the other or saying it depended on the circumstances. Here are articles on the subject from The Frisky and Ask Men.
With my birthday next month I am curious to see if I get the standard birthday text, with the additional possibility of being able to start those friendships back up again. There is a place in my heart that misses them and I wonder if they ever think about me too.
Front and Back of a shirt from T-ShirtHell.com
A Perfect Way To End The Week
While I do have a post coming soon about my biopsy results (not bad nor good) I just wanted to boast about how wonderful my weekend was and how thankful I am for friends and family! It was like every person and situation was the building block to getting me back into one piece.
It started off with Thursday night spent with Ms Gretchen who I haven’t seen in forever, and bar friend Eric. We had dinner at 8 Rivers and ended the night at our old bar IceHouse, reminding me of the good times we used to have working together. Friday night Michael and I did a lot of laughing, even though he ruined Skeeball for me (damn those natural athletes), whether he knew it or not he was the right balance of laughs (plus tickle wars) and hugs. What is it about a friends embrace that melt away any concerns? While Saturday day was rushed quickly I still got to attend my niece’s baby shower and get in some serious baby holding time with my 3 month old great niece. And after rushing back to Denver from Fort Collins, I got to see the Mrs. Colorado pageant with my boys Frank, Wesley and Gino followed by all night dancing (with some serious foot swelling). And Sunday morning breakfast with Luisa to catch up on this week’s events with an awesome Greek omelet and to top it all off… Kristen time plus an afternoon nap!
It was exactly what I needed to get my mind off such a stressful week, between the new job and biopsy results. Thank you to everyone who participated in it! I am SO thankful to have you in my life being there when I need it! Below are just a few pictures from the weekend. Should have another post here soon with the results along with more information that should be useful to everyone.
Witches, Pumpkins and Ghosts. Oh My!
It has come that time again… a night when ghouls and goblins roam the night. The first holiday that starts the string of big ones and the next thing you know its March! What a wonderful night for children, exploring all the things that you want to be! Whether you wanted to be an astronaut or a coyboy or someone famous at that time, it was a chance pretend to be that for one full day/night. I remember as a child going to school that day, always excited for the Halloween parade to see what else everyone as going to be! A time when the holiday was innocent and fun; yet as an adult I am not a fan… Ugh… nights fill with crazy drunks in disguise running around downtown causing mayhem. The one night that women believe they can get away with dressing as skanky as possible. Just because the holiday grants you to be anything you want, doesn’t mean you should go gallivanting around town in an outfit that you would be embarrassed to be caught in by your mother! Seriously ladies, why can’t you show yourself a little respect? I’m not going to lie, in high school I wore some smaller costumes but nothing like what 21+ are donning now a day.
It’s funny, I was out with my friend Michael and we started talking about past dates that we went out on and it got me thinking about past Halloweens. I remember one about 3 or 4 years ago where I actually gave my number out to a male that I met on Halloween night. My girlfriends and I ended up at a singles event, one that I didn’t really want to attend but I figured I would play wing-woman to my girls yet I was the only one that was asked for a phone number. I will tell you it was probably because I was one of the few ladies there who were fully dressed. A man isn’t going to take you seriously when your butt cheeks are hanging out of your skirt, but he will think you are available “for a good time” that night. It upsets me to see women do this to themselves which is another reason I can’t stand being out on this holiday. In fact, I think one of my favorite Halloween nights was 2008 in Illinois. I had the house to myself and spent the night in, handing out Halloween candy to all the little trick-or-treaters. Watching the thrill on the childrens faces as they explained what they were in their homemade costumes was so much better than watching drunks make fools of themselves, stumbling down the street and making out with strangers in the corner of the bar.
Here’s the thing, I am not saying that you need to dress up as a nun to be covered from head to toe, but maybe think about your outfit before you go out. Would you be embarrassed to see people from work in that outfit? I am sure a more creative costume will get you more attention than dressing as a “sexy” whatever. Let your confidence shine through instead of your insecurity like every other girl and you’ll be destined to stand out.
I will be spending this holiday at work tonight, just like I did last year however I plan on going home and going to bed instead of going out for “fun” and the only sober one amongst masses. No matter what you decided to do or wear this evening, whether it is bar hoping or house parties, corn mazes and haunted houses or just staying at home to hand out candy and watch scary movies, I do want to wish everyone a danger free and spook-tacular Halloween! May the candy calories not stick to your thighs, your costume come out the way that you wanted, and you go to bed smiling from the fun you had, safe and sound, ready for work day ahead.
