photos by the tree

We had a snow day again today- can you believe it? I suddenly feel like I've been on vacation for weeks already and my real vacation has barely just begun. We did manage to shake off the cabin fever by heading to Target today. Our normal 15 minute drive was probably more like 45 minutes due to the gigantic mounds of snow piled up- some normal 3-lane streets were down to two lanes due to the poor snow removal here. None of the side streets were touched and many small cars along the street were literally buried and looked like they wouldn't be driving anywhere for a long while.

I baked today! Made some banana bread, Special K bars and peanut butter fudge which I plan on giving to Brandon's family tomorrow.

snow day in the city

Here's a snow day scene from the city as taken from the apartment courtyard. The Wells Fargo building with the unique-shaped curved rooftop is the building on the left.



You often hear and read stories about crazy snowstorms- well, this one lives up to the hype! I really can't believe the two feet of snow accumulated outside. My workplace actually let us know they were planning on closing the office as of 7 p.m. last night. These photos were taken around 8:30 this morning and it's STILL snowing outside.



The photo below is Brandon standing next to a pine tree that usually stands around 9 feet tall. It tipped over on its side from the weight of all the snow.

Here's another view from our porch. The pine tree is to the left of the round doorway, and is normally several feet taller than the apartment windows.

let it snow!

It's going to be a white Christmas in Colorado, whether us holiday travelers like it or not! In spite of the big, beautiful snowflakes, lots of our friends and family are not so happy that we've accumulated nearly a foot of snow here in the Denver metro area already. Luckily my flight to South Dakota is on Sunday, so hopefully we'll have dug ourselves out by then.

Here is a picture of our courtyard taken from our porch door. Look at the snow carefully balancing on our railing! The nearest little fence area is an urban garden during the summertime. They grow green peppers, zucchini and cucumbers here. The second fenced in area off in the distance is the dog run, where we take Koda every night. It's nice because the courtyard has tall walls and fences and you can only gain entrance with a key, so I feel safe taking the dog out at night by myself if needed. There's also a grill and tables with canopys out here, so we enjoy grilling out here when there's not 13 inches of snow on the ground.

Koda loves the snow and apparently thinks he's a sled dog. Whenever we hit a part of the sidewalk with a few inches of snow, he starts running full force. If only I had a sled! I wasn't able to make it into work today, so Koda and I went through a walk to meet Brandon in downtown Denver. He got off early and it's only about 7 blocks, so it was fun walking through the heart of the snow storm. Koda was wearing a bright blue bandana and looked so happy running through the snow that we got lots of smiles from the businessmen and women trudging through the snow. I even saw some ladies in heels, pantyhose and skirts- ouch! Let's hope they didn't have 7 blocks to walk.

Chef Brandon

It's stove top Jiffy Pop! This stuff always reminds me of my friends Sarah and Andy. Can you get this in NYC, guys?

It's days like today that make me love living in Colorado. It was warm enough that my hoodie was enough to keep me warm and the sun was shining just a little too much- we like those kinds of problems. I had to pinch myself and think, "It's DECEMBER!"

I went to Kinko's to make some copies for a few custom charm orders then went to my favorite neighborhood shop. This place has everything colorful and sparkly and whimsical. It was all I could do to resist from buying the $30 pack of mini silver glitter snowflake tree decorations. It would have been a bit much, considering we have a 3.5 foot tall silver tinsel Christmas tree, but some times too much is just not enough. That's my new motto as I look forward to making a new sugar cookie recipe tonight with two sticks of butter and a healthy amount of real whipping cream.

We went to see our favorite comedian Brian Regan this evening. He's been around since the late 90's but has never had a sitcom or anything, so is not as visible as other comedians, but he's been a regular on late night talk shows and you may have seen him on Comedy Central. He's a great comedian if you haven't heard of him! Anyway, he's got this skit he does about how lazy one must be to have to purchase one jar with a mix of peanut butter and jelly. My sister and Brandon's sister were both going to the comedy show as well, so I thought it would be funny- based on one of his most well-known jokes- to present them each with a jar of peanut butter and jelly in the same jar after the show.

I grabbed one of the jars of pb & j and stuck it in my ginormous purse right before we headed out the door for the evening. Picture me in my wedge heels lugging my 6-pounds heavier purse 'o peanut butter as we walk the 16 blocks into downtown Denver. We are getting ready to go in the comedy show venue, the historic Paramount Theater, when the door guy says, "Can you please open your purse for me, miss?" So I oblige, partially embarassed at this point as I think about this guy seeing that I have a full-sized jar of peanut butter grape jelly mixture in my purse. He looks at me incredulously and says, "Oh- you can't bring FOOD in here." I look at him wide-eyed and ask what I'm supposed to do. He tells me that I can set the peanut butter jar on the counter behind the ticket guy. So I place the jar of grape jelly & peanut butter mixed together on the counter, meanwhile the dink of a ticket taker says to me, "Hey- ya got some peanut butter for me. Thanks." I told him to enjoy.

So I definitely just got my peanut butter and jelly mix in a jar confiscated tonight. I feel like such a bad ass. In light of this story, I share with you the original comedy skit by Brian Regan:

We used to love peanut butter… still do. I saw something in the store the other day that I don’t understand, that peanut butter and jelly in the same jar. Is there a point to that? I mean… I mean I’m lazy, but… I wanna meet the guy who needs that. Some guy going, “You know I could go for a sandwich, but uh, I’m not gonna open TWO jars! I can’t be opening and closing all kinds of jars… cleaning, who KNOWS how many knives!?!” If you’re that lazy, why not put croutons in there and get the whole sandwich on a spoon. You know, just scoopin’ it out… “Mmm…Oh, scrumptious!! I think I’m gonna have another one. Uh, mmmmm… DELECTABLE!! As was the first!” Or if you don’t wanna clean the spoon, you put it all in a squeeze bottle. “Mmmm! Lunch and no clean up!! Can life get better? I submit that it CANNOT!!”

It's peanut butter-jelly time.

Feeling busy with the holidays coming up. I've got holiday shopping and baking to parktake in, but also have been fulfilling a few custom jewelry orders and making things to send to shops! My workplace has an auction each year to raise money for a few charities in town- a local high school raising money to restore the beautiful but worn library built in the 1920's and an organization in town that helps provide shelter and assistance for pregnant teenagers who want to continue their education- so I plan on making and donating a few things to the auction. Deadline being this week. It's no wonder I went to bed past midnight last night! Remind me again- is this time of year supposed to be fun or stressful? Has anyone out there found the secret to finding a good balance during the holidays or is the joy found in realizing you're done with the stressful parts?

It snowed last night in Denver. Koda just loves tumbling around in the snow so he stood at our door gazing out at the snow which was accumulating on the ground for a few hours after work yesterday. At first it was kind of cute, watching him gaze wistfully outside at the snowfall. Then he started to get restless, alternating running from the living room window to the bedroom then back to the living room (over and over and over and over), so I threw on my shoes and heaviest winter jacket, the warmest hat I own and I borrowed a pair of Brandon's huge snowboarding gloves. I hooked up Koda to his leash and we headed out into the snow.

It was about 8:00 p.m. and there were very few people outside. Although the last thing I felt like was going for a walk in the cold and snow, I must admit- it was beautiful! There was an inch or two of snow on the ground and not a single footprint (or pawprint) came before ours. We ran for a while, big snow flakes hitting my cheeks. Running down the sidewalk with my arm outstretched with my dog pulling the leash in front of me, I tried my best not to slip and fall. Imagining a) me slipping and falling since my dog was running super fast combined with b) running like crazy people through the falling snow while all the sane people were inside their heated homes resulted in a huge grin across my face. I was exhilrating and unexpected and I think I smiled for a block straight.

In any case, we brought a camera along with us, because you just never know when a mundane walk might turn into a creative adventure.

Strange! I envisioned a weekend of non-stop creating this weekend, but instead have been feeling just enough under the weather to result in me sitting in a chair watching bad reality TV marathons.

For the last 3 weekends I've had this dull headache that just hangs around. Sometimes I notice it (although more infrequently) during the week, too, but it seems to be a weekend thing. After last weekend's headache, I thought it was for sure a caffeine thing, but I haven't had any coffee today! I did go jogging yesterday, just days after a huge snowstorm, it was sunny and VERY warm outside.

I drank some water last night, and had a bit again this morning, which usually helps if it's a headache due to dehydration. When I started thinking about how icky I feel, however, I recalled that I was just talking to Brandon last week about how I've been having recurring headaches. We were discussing whether living at 5003 feet in Fort Collins versus 5280 in Denver REALLY makes that much more of a difference.

To add to the confusion in figuring out why I'm feeling this way, I rarely EVER drank water when I lived in Fort Collins. And although I don't drink as much as I should, I now drink several glasses of water each day here in Denver.

My eating habits have probably improved, I walk and jog more, drink less beer and now drink water. Hmm. I know stress can do crazy things to you, so not sure if my stressful commute and work could result in me decompressing via headache each weekend? I guess I have been experiencing neck and back pain lately, too, which I attribute to the commute. Not only am I changing lanes frequently, but I know there's a certain tension that I feel every morning and night as I try to be a defensive driver and find myself cussing the rude drivers in this city.

As I realize what I've wrote, I think it's interesting how we sometimes don't pay attention to our bodies when they're obviously trying to tell us something. My neck and back and hip have all felt "off" within the last few weeks. It comes one day and goes the next, though.

it's not easy being green

Me and the pup on a Saturday afternoon. He's getting bigger!

Brandon and I went out for breakfast at a lovely French restaurant this morning. We then discovered a new mall, where we found a number of delicious finds: jeans that actually fit Brandon, a fashionable hat that actually fits him as well and a pair of brown shoes so my sweetie doesn't have to wear black shoes with a brown belt anymore. Brandon's got a 38 inch inseam, so picture going into every store imaginable only to discover that they DO have pants in your waist size, but they're unfortunately 4 inches too short and may or may not shrink in the wash = man capris. Not pretty. And you know those big and tall stores? They mostly cater to the big and not so much the tall. It's frustrating, so when he finds a pair that fits, it's like a holiday around here. We just might have to play the lottery or something.

And suddenly I don't feel so bad about my blemishes.

This is a good video: http://www.boardsmag.com/screeningroom/commercials/3421/

Meet our lap dog, Koda. He thinks he's a chihuaha.

And now I leave you with a little vintage Koda, when he still weighed 4 times as much as your average chihuahua:

Studies show that there seems to be a direct correlation between finger lengths and the amount of the male sex hormone testosterone that a baby is exposed to in the womb.

In women, the two fingers are usually almost equal in length, as measured from the crease nearest the palm to the fingertip. In men, the ring finger tends to be much longer than the index.

Other studies looking at finger length ratio have suggested that, in men, a long ring finger and symmetrical hands are an indication of fertility, and that women are more likely to be fertile if they have a longer index finger. A long ring finger can also indicate the degree to which you may be more assertive than a typical woman.

In some of the articles I've read, it states you should look at your right hand- that's for all of you who seem to see one thing on one hand and another on your opposite hand.

It was listening to a podcast on my way home from work today, and heard about a correlation between finger length and the amount of testosterone a baby is exposed to in the womb. Seems like there are quite a few studies out there which support this interesting theory.

In women, the ring finger and pointer finger are usually almost equal in length, while in men, the ring finger tends to be much longer than the index. Take a look at your hands, leave a comment indicating if your ring finger is longer than your pointer finger, if they're the same size or if your ring finger is shorter. Then I'll reveal what your finger length says about you. Kind of like reading your palm, only not.

Edited to Add:

If your ring finger is longer than your pointer finger, it doesn't mean you're a man! :)

Koda(k) Moments

Okay, friends- you asked for it, you got it! Here's a picture of my new haircut, taken this weekend at Chatfield State Park. The wind-blown look really suits me well, don't you think? I didn't think so. :P



Koda was in heaven running through the wide open space. Sure beats being on a leash walking through downtown Denver.


Brandon was in heaven running through the wide open space. Sure beats being in a tie walking through downtown Denver.


Here's me. We brought a portable fan with us so we could get this sweet shot.

take that, GreatClips!

I just spent the last hour giving myself a haircut, an act which usually results in me feeling super cool. Or not. I actually tried to add in more layers, which is almost as interesting an endeavor as trying to cut the back, middle section of my hair on my own. Where's that third arm when you need it?

My last haircut & color was right after we moved to Denver, so just about 4 months ago. I used to spend $40 on a cut and tip, and let's just say I spent somewhere around 3-4 times that amount going to a fancy salon a 1/2 block down the street. Let's just also say I'm really not sure how much it was mostly because I've tried to block it out of my memory. I have perfected the art of home highlights, so having spent $100 on something that normally costs me $12 hit me like a ton of bricks a month later when I discovered that my life really wasn't 8 times better having spent 8 times as much on my hair.

Needless to say, I've blown my haircut budget for the next 4 years and I guess it's home salon for me for a while. Take that, $12 SuperCuts haircut!

Doesn't Koda look so happy in that first photo below? I think he likes his new city dog flava. He's been spotted wearing Harley Davidson bandanas around his neck, insists we call him K-Rad and was recently doing a happy dance when he heard that Jay-Z is coming out of retirement.

So if you look closely at the second photo, you can see the Wells Fargo Center in the background- or the tall building with the unique top that looks like a cash register if you see it from a certain angle up close. This building is one of the most recognized in the downtown Denver skyline. Apparently, until special heating coils were installed, the roof would dump accumulated snow onto the sidewalks below the building. Being only 6 blocks away from us, and something we pass as we head downtown on foot on the weekends, let me tell you we're certainly glad to know we won't have to duck for cover this winter.

Have any of you seen The Illusionist or Hollywoodland? We're thinking of catching a late movie tonight and I can't decide.Ended up staying home last night and laying low, so I feel like we should take advantage of our Saturday night by doing something fun.

It feels very much like Fall here today. I was just outside in my sweatshirt and shorts, and it was COLD! I miss summer warm weather already. I just feel like curling up on my nonexistent couch under a heavy blanket and watching movies all night. There's just something that is less romantic about pulling two chairs together and holding hands over the arm rests in an attempt to have a romantic movie night, so I guess that's why we go to the movies. We can lift up our arm rest and presto- it's a movie theater version sofa love seat! Since it's so windy outside and the nearest movie theater is only about 8 blocks away, I'll be bundling up tonight in my warm clothes. If you see a girl with a stocking cap, gloves, scarf and winter jacket walking down Broadway, that will be me.

Homemade chili and beers, anyone?

New Etsy Shop

I just placed a number of necklaces here! Since I didn't do any art fairs this summer, I'm thinking of it as an end-of-summer virtual art fair of sorts.

Thanks for the questions, ladies! I'm going to post all the questions here and answer them one by one as inspiration strikes. Or perhaps all at once.

What do you want to be when you grow up?
An artist! Someone who remembers my passion and incorporates it into my life no matter what my other circumstances may be.

If you died at a ripe old age of 100+ what what you want your obituary to read?
Having worked with obituaries for a while, I feel like I should write out a full-fledged proper obit. In an effort to instead provide the Cliff's Notes version... I would want my obituary to express that I lived a creative life, saw art in everything and truly believed that we are all creative beings.

If you could meet anyone on earth, who would it be and why?
I would like to meet someone like Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates or Martha Stewart. I am fascinated by people who have not only achieved extraordinary power and success, but especially so by those who are able to maintain it on a long-term basis through staying relevant and one step ahead at all times. Although I would not deem any of these people my hero, per se, I would love to get an opportunity to sit down over a long dinner and ask any of these individuals questions. Find out who they are, what they attribute their successes to and what, if anything, they feel they've missed out on having lived such extraordinary lives.

If you could trade places with someone for a week who would it be and why?
A full week- yeowza! I guess it would be interesting to trade places with my boyfriend Brandon. Assuming this is a full-fledged Freaky Friday exchange of bodies, I would love to know what it's like to be him for a week. Not only for the logistics of having my feet dangle off the edge of any bed, having to duck under all doorways and experiencing clothes shopping from hell like I've never known, but also to learn how life differs for a man. Is it really easier to be a guy? Would I instead gain a new appreciation about being a woman? I really wonder.

When is the last time you performed a random act of kindess for a stranger?
Does letting someone sneak their car in when nobody else is "giving them a break" count? The day after my car broke down, I think I gave people the universal hand wave signal for "go ahead, no really..." a record number of times.

KODA
Here's a picture of Koda from this weekend. When we went to Arizona in March, Becki weighed Koda and he was around 60 pounds. Ever since, I've been weighing him once or twice per month, and he seemingly stopped growing somewhere around 62.5 lbs. I've heard that big dogs grow well through their second year, so knew he was supposed to continue growing but just hadn't seen it- until tonight.

It's quite the sight. First, I step on the scale. It's an electronic scale, so you have to tap your toe on it then wait a few seconds, then hop on it when it says "0." So it makes it a bit tricky when trying to hop up then pick up Koda. Luckily, he's a sweetie and never really squirms when I pick him up, instead just hangs there patiently for a good 12 seconds with his 4 big paws dangling in the air. And the 12 seconds feel like 3 minutes, I tell you. I really need to take a short video of this sometime, as I'm sure I look rediculous.

Anyway, I knew he'd been growing taller lately. Everyone we've seen in the past few weeks (Becki, Jennifer, Cara and Justin) have all seen Koda throughout his various stages over the past year and all said, "Oh my goodness- he's getting bigger!" on seperate occasions.

So I tapped my toe on the scale, waited the necessary 5 seconds and hopped on. Only this time, instead of dangling paws, they were actually grazing the floor. Uh-oh. It turns out that seemingly overnight, Clifford Koda has gone from eternally 62.5 to suddenly weighing nearly 70 lbs.

new necklaces

river stone necklace

broken china necklace

Concerned Artist

Here's a picture of me and Koda from this past weekend. I had my art mess out on the table and Koda sat on a nearby chair to observe and offer his creative input.

tonight. in a nutshell.

+ Jogging with my homie Koda.
+ Making cupcakes.
+ Researching local colleges.
+ Trying to figure out whether the jogging and cupcakes cancel each other out, and thinking that perhaps I could have saved 2 hours of my life by just effing relaxing for once.

Hot in the City

When it's hot in the city, you find things to occupy yourself while you're stuck inside your lovely air conditioned apartment. Next, you venture out once the sun starts setting and you go out for delcious Chinese food. Then you stick your hand out, as if to say, "See how much fun I'm having in my new city?" Then you take a picture of your cute boyfriend.

Because he * is huge in Japan

I think my boyfriend needs this shirt.

oh, silly butt

I was sitting on the chair watching TV on this rainy Sunday, looked over, and saw this. Koda sat with his butt on the chair and his head on the foot rest. He sat like this for about 5 minutes, which made me giggle. For a few minutes, he looked like he was actually going to fall asleep this way!

Wouldn't you know... later on in the evening, this happens:

Mom and Kelli- you totally inspired me today! I haven't been running since pre-vacation. Read your sweet comments, and within minutes had changed into my running shoes and was out the door. I feel like I've been working hard for over a month- running around 4 times a week- and am not consciously seeing any difference. I know this takes time, but I'm impatient! Anyway, you gave me the needed arse kicking to get myself out the door tonight.

viva las vegas

Las Vegas was exhausting, and we're still recovering. It was fun being in Vegas this weekend, but my birthday didn't really feel like my birthday- it felt like another day in Las Vegas. Am I really 30?
*pinching myself*

great minds think alike

Keep an eye out for this guy this weekend...


After a busy week, Bran and I are enjoying a relaxing night at home tonight. We both had the same idea and stopped to get dinner and dessert on our way home from work, so we ended up eating his dinner, freezing mine and indulging in an array of desserts!

Koda will be staying at an overnight kennel this weekend, where he'll get to run around all day, playing on a dog mountain and swimming in the pool. There's a web cam on the website, so tune in this weekend and check out Koda TV.

Luckily we have an early afternoon flight tomorrow, so we're heading to Fort Collins late morning to meet up with all our friends then we'll leave from the smaller Fort Collins airport.

Go Koda-- it's your birthday. To celebrate, Koda took his first trip to the groomer where he got the full doggie spa treatment and came home with the world's biggest bone. Who says dogs don't smile?



Brandon and I are gearing up for our trip to Las Vegas this weekend. We were talking last weekend and realized that we've taken only around 3-4 vacations together over the past 6 years. We determined that we need to go on more trips, for sure. Looking forward to going back to Las Vegas-- it's been around 8 years, I believe, since my friends and I visited. I've been working out over the past month on a consistent basis and am thrilled that I've actually dropped a few pounds. Viva Las Vegas!

Brandon and I went downtown to the La Piazza dell’Arte chalk art festival today. There were so many amazing chalk drawings. It wa super hot here today, so I definitely felt for the artists as I know what it feels like when you spend 8 hours in the sun.

We walked into a nearby restaurant after, and I realize it's a place Becki told me about months ago. She said I'd really like it, and she was right on! My only wish is that we were a big group and could have reserved the Pope table.




The sherbet ice cream scoop on the right-hand side of our dessert most definitely matched the green and pink decor. Didn't really notice this until I downloaded these pictures, however.