Hi all!
Well, it's October 6th and day 2 of snow. I wasn't prepared for the sudden and rapid change from blissful 65 degree days and gradually changing leaves to 30 degrees and snowing. I was just beginning to drag my long sleeves out of storage and now I suddenly have on the mattress warmer and the down comforter. While I'm not a cold weather fan by any means, I do kind of enjoy it. I love having an excuse to turn on the fireplace and it all feels so very...Colorado! :)
(To make me even more of a native hipster, I've begun working on my repurposed bike and bottle chandelier)
After a rough day on Thursday I went out with my new best local gal pal and we went to Stingers, a nice upscale diner sort of place that was packed to the gills. Both the food and the cocktails were quite good, and rather inexpensive all things considered. I had chicken in a parmesan sauce with a large amount of leeks, which was closer in actuality to a leek salad, and a coffee infused vodka martini which tasted like heaven.
We then moseyed downtown to Appaloosa Grill which has live music every night and a late night happy hour menu of epic proportions. The band wasn't all that great, but we had fun, chatted with the guys, and they even dedicated a song to us! We continued our potato binge, honoring my people's national vegetable in true style, and split an order of the truffle fries. They were so garlicky we could barely finish them. Still, it was one of the best nights I've had in a long time. There's nothing an open mind, a strong drink, and a good friend can't fix!
About Me
- Sara
- Denver, CO, United States
- Adventurer, wanderer, explorer extraordinaire. I love travel, yoga, photography, and cooking. I often pretend like I'm crafty, have a black rescue cat. This is the chronicling of my life from recent college grad with a degree in my pocket (with honors, thank you very much) and no immediate job prospects on the horizon--That little tidbit could be due to the fact that my boyfriend and I recently decided one day over cereal, "Hey! You know what would be a good idea? How about we uproot our stable lives, quit our jobs and move to Denver?!" And so we did. Just like that. We left the comfort of our 1100sq ft home and all our friends, ceremoniously quit our jobs and hit the road. One U-Haul, two cars, and one storage unit later, here we are! Livin' the dream in a cousin's basement and trolling the interwebs for employment in search for a better life in the Mile High City--To present day where we are living the dream in West Wash Park and planning our wedding after 3 wonderful and eventful years, in the 303.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Slancha!
Happy Fall everyone!
I love fall. It is my absolute favorite season. The leaves changing, the smell of fireplaces burning, football and pumpkin lattes, fall has always held such a sense of renewal and promise for me.
So far, the promise of positive autumn energy is off to a rocking start- the man has an interview! :)
This weekend we made the most of the spectacular whether and went to downtown's Ocktoberfest! It was kind of expensive ($5 a beer) but it was a good time. We walked around, enjoyed some Sam Adams Ocktoberfest, listened to good music. Each booth supported a different cause, so we spent a lot of time at the Feline Rescue booth. The venue itself was rather sparse, the majority of it being blocked out for Living Social, and every other spot was either selling sausage or pretzel or beer. There were yodeling men in leiderhosen! As with any event, it was the company that made everything worth while and the boy and I had a fantastic time laughing and bonding over some good brew.
Right now, the game is on and we are enjoying the remains of a lazy weekend.
We also started subbing in on a sand volleyball team, which has been a great (free!) way to meet people, enjoy the last of the good weather, and get some exercise. We discovered a local sports bar that we like where the games are held and so far everyone we've met has been super cool. It's nice to start building a social network again.
Things may be manifesting a bit differently this fall than they have for me in the past. I have to look a little harder, and in some different places, but there are still good times to be had and great things in the air.. and we are continuing to make the best of it! All in all, things are starting to look up...!
I love fall. It is my absolute favorite season. The leaves changing, the smell of fireplaces burning, football and pumpkin lattes, fall has always held such a sense of renewal and promise for me.
So far, the promise of positive autumn energy is off to a rocking start- the man has an interview! :)
This weekend we made the most of the spectacular whether and went to downtown's Ocktoberfest! It was kind of expensive ($5 a beer) but it was a good time. We walked around, enjoyed some Sam Adams Ocktoberfest, listened to good music. Each booth supported a different cause, so we spent a lot of time at the Feline Rescue booth. The venue itself was rather sparse, the majority of it being blocked out for Living Social, and every other spot was either selling sausage or pretzel or beer. There were yodeling men in leiderhosen! As with any event, it was the company that made everything worth while and the boy and I had a fantastic time laughing and bonding over some good brew.
Right now, the game is on and we are enjoying the remains of a lazy weekend.
We also started subbing in on a sand volleyball team, which has been a great (free!) way to meet people, enjoy the last of the good weather, and get some exercise. We discovered a local sports bar that we like where the games are held and so far everyone we've met has been super cool. It's nice to start building a social network again.
Things may be manifesting a bit differently this fall than they have for me in the past. I have to look a little harder, and in some different places, but there are still good times to be had and great things in the air.. and we are continuing to make the best of it! All in all, things are starting to look up...!
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Hello again, old friend...
Hello there!
It's been a while. I know you've missed me-my legions of adoring fans! hah.
Adventures have abounded! First up: Aspen.
Weekend before last, I drove up to Aspen for the weekend to see some family. I wussed out on taking Independence pass, so that's a drive I still really want to take. It was a pretty hefty 4hour drive, not including the times where my GPS decided to have schizophrenic episodes due to dropped signal while traveling through the mountains. LEFT! RIGHT! RECALCULATING ROUTE: DRIVE OFF CLIFF, THEN PROCEED LEFT!
Aspen itself was very lovely, though too small for me. Quaint is a good word. It seemed a very Stepford town...the fancy cars, the designer shops, the inhabitants literally dripping with money weren't really my scene, but I loved the outdoor European style restaurants/cafe's and the beautiful rolling hills. And, we were able to walk around, enjoy happy hour cocktails, take-out crepes, and Shakespeare in the park, all for under $100! The next day we went for a fantastic 10 mile hike and ended up at a surprise costume party. The next morning, it became clear that I had a case of altitude sickness. Too many martinis + not enough sleep+ 10,000ft = owie. Aspen is a wonderful retreat, but not a place I could live year round.
Next up: The Denver Zoo
I had never been to the zoo here before, so this was a treat. The zoo itself is ginormous! We walked and walked and walked. And, walked. I got to finally see the Toyota Elephant passage and we saw the elephant show with Bodie, which was awesome! It was so cool to see an elephant up close, though I would have preferred to have had the experience in the midst of an Asian jungle rather than surrounded by sugar addled 4yr olds. I gave myself major bonus points for finding the sloth hidden in the tropical birds exhibit, as he was perched high atop a tree doing his best imitation of bark. The boy and I shared an ice cream cone, enjoyed the beautiful day, and overall agreed that giraffes smell.
Adventure numero three: First Friday on Santa Fe and El Noa Noa
I had been to Santa Fe before on a Sunday morning when it was next to deserted. Friday night, it was entirely transformed! I couldn't believe it! There were musicians and food trucks and people of all kinds spilling over into the streets. All the galleries were bursting and bustling with life. We went to a repurposed church to see the debut exhibition of paintings by the boy's cousin. My only complaint really is that it was so crowded that it made meandering kind of difficult unless you knew exactly were you were going. I loved the vibrancy and youth and creative counter culture pulsing all around me though! I will definitely go back again. Our art adventure left us a bit peckish and we walked over to El Noa Noa, which was voted by Westword and others as having the best Mexican food in the city. We had a delicious margarita and some Fajitas. It was expensive for what it was, but it was still an enjoyable affair. The sounds and smells...it was a city and a culture alive, and I was part of it!
The final frontier: Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark in IMAX.
Another experience you could only have in an amazing city like Denver. The theatre was neat-a knock off of the famous Grumman's Chinese Theatre in LA. I must say, I didn't get any deeper of an appreciation seeing the film in IMAX. In fact, the best part was probably seeing the trailer for the new Hobbit movie and the Life of Pi (one of my favorite books) on such a large scale and with such amazing sound. Today we are going for a bike ride and going to a sports bar to watch the first Bronco's game of the season like the true Denverites we are becoming! :)
Let the adventures continue!...
It's been a while. I know you've missed me-my legions of adoring fans! hah.
Adventures have abounded! First up: Aspen.
Weekend before last, I drove up to Aspen for the weekend to see some family. I wussed out on taking Independence pass, so that's a drive I still really want to take. It was a pretty hefty 4hour drive, not including the times where my GPS decided to have schizophrenic episodes due to dropped signal while traveling through the mountains. LEFT! RIGHT! RECALCULATING ROUTE: DRIVE OFF CLIFF, THEN PROCEED LEFT!
Aspen itself was very lovely, though too small for me. Quaint is a good word. It seemed a very Stepford town...the fancy cars, the designer shops, the inhabitants literally dripping with money weren't really my scene, but I loved the outdoor European style restaurants/cafe's and the beautiful rolling hills. And, we were able to walk around, enjoy happy hour cocktails, take-out crepes, and Shakespeare in the park, all for under $100! The next day we went for a fantastic 10 mile hike and ended up at a surprise costume party. The next morning, it became clear that I had a case of altitude sickness. Too many martinis + not enough sleep+ 10,000ft = owie. Aspen is a wonderful retreat, but not a place I could live year round.
Next up: The Denver Zoo
I had never been to the zoo here before, so this was a treat. The zoo itself is ginormous! We walked and walked and walked. And, walked. I got to finally see the Toyota Elephant passage and we saw the elephant show with Bodie, which was awesome! It was so cool to see an elephant up close, though I would have preferred to have had the experience in the midst of an Asian jungle rather than surrounded by sugar addled 4yr olds. I gave myself major bonus points for finding the sloth hidden in the tropical birds exhibit, as he was perched high atop a tree doing his best imitation of bark. The boy and I shared an ice cream cone, enjoyed the beautiful day, and overall agreed that giraffes smell.
Adventure numero three: First Friday on Santa Fe and El Noa Noa
I had been to Santa Fe before on a Sunday morning when it was next to deserted. Friday night, it was entirely transformed! I couldn't believe it! There were musicians and food trucks and people of all kinds spilling over into the streets. All the galleries were bursting and bustling with life. We went to a repurposed church to see the debut exhibition of paintings by the boy's cousin. My only complaint really is that it was so crowded that it made meandering kind of difficult unless you knew exactly were you were going. I loved the vibrancy and youth and creative counter culture pulsing all around me though! I will definitely go back again. Our art adventure left us a bit peckish and we walked over to El Noa Noa, which was voted by Westword and others as having the best Mexican food in the city. We had a delicious margarita and some Fajitas. It was expensive for what it was, but it was still an enjoyable affair. The sounds and smells...it was a city and a culture alive, and I was part of it!
The final frontier: Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark in IMAX.
Another experience you could only have in an amazing city like Denver. The theatre was neat-a knock off of the famous Grumman's Chinese Theatre in LA. I must say, I didn't get any deeper of an appreciation seeing the film in IMAX. In fact, the best part was probably seeing the trailer for the new Hobbit movie and the Life of Pi (one of my favorite books) on such a large scale and with such amazing sound. Today we are going for a bike ride and going to a sports bar to watch the first Bronco's game of the season like the true Denverites we are becoming! :)
Let the adventures continue!...
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Gratitude is the name of the game
Hello again friends!
My adventures of late have been more of a culinary nature (leave it to a non-meat eater to make pork chops into hockey pucks)... However, big news on the headlines these days is that I snagged me a job!
Yours truly is now a part time receptionist at a veterinary clinic , and possibly a soon to be part time personal assistant as well! Please don't let me stand in your way, while visions of Renne Zelwiger as the pouty yet plucky blond heroine, down on her luck when suddenly she lands a job in an adorable local animal hospital surrounded by puppies and kittens and an assorted cast of oddball yet well-meaning doctors (possibly played by Owen Wilson and Meryl Streep) in the Lifetime movie adaptation of my life play out before you. Not that I've given this any thought or anything. While I'll still be struggling to pay the bills and make ends meet, I am eternally grateful not to have to wake up every morning and stalk the job boards. It is a welcome and wonderful reprieve and I am delighted to have the opportunity. Right now I'm enjoying the flexibility of a part time schedule, seeing as how the BF also landed a very exciting gig of his own which will have him shipping off to Antarctica for a month in just a few short weeks!
So, here we go! Off on new adventures! I will keep you updated as the job develops, the plot thickens, and the heroine escapes with her hero to exotic new locales where her Barbie dream house awaits!
My adventures of late have been more of a culinary nature (leave it to a non-meat eater to make pork chops into hockey pucks)... However, big news on the headlines these days is that I snagged me a job!
Yours truly is now a part time receptionist at a veterinary clinic , and possibly a soon to be part time personal assistant as well! Please don't let me stand in your way, while visions of Renne Zelwiger as the pouty yet plucky blond heroine, down on her luck when suddenly she lands a job in an adorable local animal hospital surrounded by puppies and kittens and an assorted cast of oddball yet well-meaning doctors (possibly played by Owen Wilson and Meryl Streep) in the Lifetime movie adaptation of my life play out before you. Not that I've given this any thought or anything. While I'll still be struggling to pay the bills and make ends meet, I am eternally grateful not to have to wake up every morning and stalk the job boards. It is a welcome and wonderful reprieve and I am delighted to have the opportunity. Right now I'm enjoying the flexibility of a part time schedule, seeing as how the BF also landed a very exciting gig of his own which will have him shipping off to Antarctica for a month in just a few short weeks!
So, here we go! Off on new adventures! I will keep you updated as the job develops, the plot thickens, and the heroine escapes with her hero to exotic new locales where her Barbie dream house awaits!
Monday, July 2, 2012
Summertime and the livin' is...hot
Ok, I know I'm overdue, but I've been trotting around a bit. I never thought it would be cooler in New Mexico than in Denver! While I can't quite be friends with rum again yet, I can tell you about my pre-trip adventures and my sun soaked summer nights in the good old 303.
A week or so ago, at the start of this lovely heatwave is when I believe we became true Denverites. Not because we've been here nearly 6 months, or for any date derived reason, but because we (mainly I) decided that heat wave be damned! We were going to go ride our bikes around Wash Park!... during peak heat. FYI for those meteorological newbies like myself this does not occur at noon as it does in the East but rather between 3-4pm. And, we were not alone! Like other bike loving Denver hipsterites, we hit the paths surrounded by other like-minded maniacs. We even bought ice cream from the shady ice cream stand by the boathouse, and ate cherries in the shade while the grass tickled our toes....
Later that evening, we went to the infamous Rock Bar on Colfax. The best little dive bar in Denver. It's inside a super sketch motel (we took bets on what the rooms looked like: Quater massaging beds? Round Beds? Mirrors on the ceilings? Water beds?) where there was even a special appearance by McLovin' himself in all his tube sock glory! But-lest I disparage this little gem too much, let me tell you, it has the BEST dancing anywhere I've been so far (thanks in part to my new friend DJ Gatsby). No cover charge, and the best booty shakin' tunes you could ask for 'till 2 AM. The drink selection is...limited, but the people watching is gold. That is, if you can take a break from dancing long enough to look around. I highly recommend you check it out and bring your dancing shoes!
Until next time,
xo
A week or so ago, at the start of this lovely heatwave is when I believe we became true Denverites. Not because we've been here nearly 6 months, or for any date derived reason, but because we (mainly I) decided that heat wave be damned! We were going to go ride our bikes around Wash Park!... during peak heat. FYI for those meteorological newbies like myself this does not occur at noon as it does in the East but rather between 3-4pm. And, we were not alone! Like other bike loving Denver hipsterites, we hit the paths surrounded by other like-minded maniacs. We even bought ice cream from the shady ice cream stand by the boathouse, and ate cherries in the shade while the grass tickled our toes....
Later that evening, we went to the infamous Rock Bar on Colfax. The best little dive bar in Denver. It's inside a super sketch motel (we took bets on what the rooms looked like: Quater massaging beds? Round Beds? Mirrors on the ceilings? Water beds?) where there was even a special appearance by McLovin' himself in all his tube sock glory! But-lest I disparage this little gem too much, let me tell you, it has the BEST dancing anywhere I've been so far (thanks in part to my new friend DJ Gatsby). No cover charge, and the best booty shakin' tunes you could ask for 'till 2 AM. The drink selection is...limited, but the people watching is gold. That is, if you can take a break from dancing long enough to look around. I highly recommend you check it out and bring your dancing shoes!
Until next time,
xo
Monday, June 18, 2012
Museum Madness
Father's Day Edition...
We went to the Museum of Science and Nature aka the Natural History Museum on Sunday for their free day. Bad idea as this was also father's day and the place was absolutely slammed! You couldn't walk 10 feet without hitting a stroller or stray child, but, it was still a good museum! 3 floors of solid exhibits, even if some of them weren't in working order. I am apparently clinically dead, as I didn't register on any of the Health/Body exhibit scanners. Good to know. Stealth Ninja level 10 achieved! While boyfriend thoroughly enjoyed all the gross googly bits, I quietly wandered off to look at the buffalo and try and keep my lunch down.
Afterwards, to atone for forcing the man friend to enjoy several hours of cultural enrichment, I brought him to the famous Biker Jim's Gourmet Dogs to enjoy a bacon dog with bacon on top. One thing I have learned since living in Denver is that food that is supposed to be cheap, is not. After a grand total of $12 we parted ways with our hostess and I sat down to gawk at all the Ludo Le Fevre posters and Food Network accolades. I got the Cilantro Duck Dog wtih cream cheese and caramelized onions and a side of grilled cauliflower. It was sweeter than expected-the cream cheese a definite win. But overall, the duck wasn't as creamy as I had expected, and our chocolate milkshake was merely lukewarm. Man friend's fries were good though, and the cauliflower scored high. Although the experience was a bit mared by the stress of having to parallell park between a Triumph and Minivan while being approached by 2 separate pan handlers at once.
Overall, I give Biker Jim's a 4 and the DMSN a 6 on the scale of suck to awesome.
Onward and forward to other Denver adventures!
We went to the Museum of Science and Nature aka the Natural History Museum on Sunday for their free day. Bad idea as this was also father's day and the place was absolutely slammed! You couldn't walk 10 feet without hitting a stroller or stray child, but, it was still a good museum! 3 floors of solid exhibits, even if some of them weren't in working order. I am apparently clinically dead, as I didn't register on any of the Health/Body exhibit scanners. Good to know. Stealth Ninja level 10 achieved! While boyfriend thoroughly enjoyed all the gross googly bits, I quietly wandered off to look at the buffalo and try and keep my lunch down.
Afterwards, to atone for forcing the man friend to enjoy several hours of cultural enrichment, I brought him to the famous Biker Jim's Gourmet Dogs to enjoy a bacon dog with bacon on top. One thing I have learned since living in Denver is that food that is supposed to be cheap, is not. After a grand total of $12 we parted ways with our hostess and I sat down to gawk at all the Ludo Le Fevre posters and Food Network accolades. I got the Cilantro Duck Dog wtih cream cheese and caramelized onions and a side of grilled cauliflower. It was sweeter than expected-the cream cheese a definite win. But overall, the duck wasn't as creamy as I had expected, and our chocolate milkshake was merely lukewarm. Man friend's fries were good though, and the cauliflower scored high. Although the experience was a bit mared by the stress of having to parallell park between a Triumph and Minivan while being approached by 2 separate pan handlers at once.
Overall, I give Biker Jim's a 4 and the DMSN a 6 on the scale of suck to awesome.
Onward and forward to other Denver adventures!
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Follow my creative meanderings on Polyvore!
I am now on Polyvore.com! You can follow my creative endeavors there!
Here is a sample of what you can find...
Here is a sample of what you can find...
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