She lifts her skirt up to her knees, walks through the garden rows with her bare feet, laughing.

I've been meaning to blog for a few days now. Last Wednesday Luke, Angie and I attended the Ray Lamontagne concert at the Denver Performing Arts Center, Opera House. It was beautiful. Ray played by himself and he sounded so amazing. Seeing an artist like him live really makes you truly appreciate the raw foundation of music. Just a voice and a guitar. It ended all too quickly but it was such a wonderful show. Makes me want to pick up my guitar and actually learn to play it well. I'm heading back to Kansas for the Thanksgiving Holiday tomorrow morning. My flight is at 6am!! I'm excited to see my family and friends and perhaps a certain guy too :) I'm sure you're reading so I can write that to boost your ego a bit Deech. The snow continues to fall on the mountain peaks and I'm so excited to start to have visitors to come ski with. I haven't been out again since last week but I plan to be back out there soon. For now I'm enjoying the sunny days which are many and getting back to painting a little more. Something about Colorado makes me feel very creative and artistic and in touch with the world around me. Happiness is infectious here and I like it very very much. Happy Holidays to all!!

Livin' Large at 12,000 feet.

Today marks my official start to the ski season. Being a Tuesday it was a bit difficult to find company to hit the slopes but I couldn't wait any longer I had to get out and try out the skis. Headed to A-Basin this morning. Amazing drive, you know besides the nauseating winding of mountain driving in general. Loveland pass is absolutely beautiful. The sun was shining warm today and made everything even brigher. So I get to the mountain, gear up and start to head up to the first lift. As if walking in ski boots isn't difficult enough on level ground the only route to the first lift and lodge is a steep packed snow hill of which I chose to charge. As I was walking carefully and trying to dig the toe of my boot in with each step I 'mis-stepped' fell face first into the hill, gashing my hand with my ski bindings. I laid there for a minute laughing at myself before a couple snowboarders walking behind me helped me back to my feet and we all shared a laugh. So now I'm REALLY ready, dealing with a little bloody glove but no big deal. As soon as I got on the first lift all my troubles were gone. There weren't a lot of runs open but what was open was nice and packed powder just added to my happiness!! I wasn't sure how the day would start off. It had been a few years since I last visited the slopes, but like they say its like riding a bike and I fell back into it in no time, plus the Volkl skis rode amazingly well. It's kinda nice riding as a single on the lifts, you end up meeting some interesting people, including the snowboard dead heads who offer to share their pot with you haha. I only put in a short day, about 3 1/2 hours, but really that seemed enough when there aren't that many runs open. I did love A-Basin though, gorgeous area. I'm excited to go back when the Montezuma bowl is open and all the cliffs are snow covered. I got a kick out of all the ski and boarders in the backcountry hitch-hiking rides back up the mountain. Was tempted to pick a few up but was too excited to get up the mountain myself so I let the pickup following me take care of them. I'm so excited to be so close to the mountains!!! Here's hoping for more fresh powder in the days to come and many more ski adventures to write about!

It's time to hit the slopes!

I ventured out yesterday to get my first pair of skis, after much consideration I went with the Volkl R1's. I'm very very excited to hit the slopes. Snow in the city again today. Not much but enough to dust the ground and make me so happy to be here. I love the snow so much and the great thin about snow here is that it's beautiful and then gone. The sun shines almost everyday and you just can't help but be happy, plus being able to see the mountains from my bedroom window doesn't hurt either. I'm missing home a little bit and so excited to get to travel home for a few days for Thanksgiving. Mom and I are going to see Wicked day after thanksgiving and I'm SO EXCITED!!! And food and shopping of course. Thinking about hitting the slopes this weekend but I'm making a game time decision based on how much fresh pow pow they get tonight. Breck opened yesterday and I love it there so much. The town is great to hang out in. Amazing Micro Brews!
Happy Friday the 13th everyone. I woke up this morning and was a bit hesitant to leave the house, sometimes it just gives me an uneasy feeling, the stigma of Friday the 13th but then I always remember what my best friends Mom Kathy Jardon used to say that Friday the 13th was good luck not bad and so I got out and enjoyed the beautiful sunshine and snow in her honor. I'm missing my friends but the roommates are doing a great job of keeping me entertained. This past weekend after a few festivities and cocktails I got to put my nursing skills to work as Chris "mis-stepped" as he calls it and fell down the stairs. I walked out of my door to see him on all fours in the landing. He had a nice little softball sized knot on his tailbone and a bloddied up nose. Upon examination I thought he might have chipped his front tooth and well lets be honest that would have been kinda funny for him to wake up sober the next day and look in the mirror "WHAT THE?". But after rinsing the blood from his teeth they were all there pretty as ever. We put him to bed and he survived the night.
Beverages with Angie last night at Wynkoop Brewery. She is such a fun gal. I am lucky to have her here. I anticipate many adventures with her this ski season. We're going to try to do some boarding hahaha. You can be sure i'll be blogging on that one after the fact.
Well anyway I must be getting along now. Friday night calls! I'm attaching pictures of the big snow we had a few weeks back. 18 inches downtown. Let's hope that is just a preview of all the fresh pow pow to come!!

Curtis St. Chaos

1015 Curtis St. was filled with Ghouls, Goblins, Athletes and Sassy gals. The roommates hosted a Halloween party. Some friends of ours have a Halloween party every year so they brought all their stuff over and decorated our entire place. It was amazing. Orange lights, coffins, rubber bats, skeletons, and to top it all off a smoke machine. I broke out the good ole' go to pumpkin costume from last year which I spent much time and dedication making, and of course it was still a hit. Kelly went at Lt. Dangle from Reno 911 and Chris as Robert Downy Jr's character from Tropic Thunder. Great time had by all and tonight (real Halloween) we all snuggle into our beds early for some quality sleep. Happy Daylight Savings. Don't forget to turn your clocks back.

Pumpkin Patch Birthday!

Today my baby sister turned 25...well my adopted Colorado baby sister. Amy (my best friend from high school)'s little sister Sara Jean. This afternoon Sara, Stefan and I embarked on the journey to find the perfect pumpkin at the Boulder Pumpkin Patch. It's been a few years since I've been to a real pumpkin patch and had forgot the happiness that can come from browsing through a field full of happy bright orange pumpkins just waiting to be picked. After much comparison we each picked out one perfect pumpkin for our respective personalities. We returned to Boulder and went to continue the birthday celebration at 'The Kitchen'. Delicious apps and a hefty beer list made for an enjoyable afternoon in this adorable restaurant. The weather is amazing 70's today and sunshining as usual. I really love this Colorado sunshine. A day filled with tasty food, cold beverages and happy orange pumpkins. It was a great day. Happy Birthday Sara!

I know this is a tardy posting as I have been here for nearly three months but here are a few photos of the place that I now call home.

Rock Chalk meets the Rockies.

I was so happy to have so many friends and my entire family in town for the KU/CU football game in Boulder at Folsom field that the possibility of us actually not winning never crossed my mind. We spent the whole day Saturday on campus in Boulder tailgating and having a great time with friends from near and far. We walked into the stadium with nothing but confidence only to have one of the toughest first halves. The poor Jayhawks look beat up but they emerged from the locker room for the second half with a burst of new energy and the crimson and blue fans once again had lots to cheer about but we just couldn't come all the way back. Valiant effort. While we may not be undefeated anymore we're still my favorite dang team ever. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!!!