Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Generalities

Ah, well, a new week has begun. I worked all day on Saturday for our annual Breast Cancer walk - it was a great turnout for only the second annual event in Denver. Chris came with me and got to meet all my coworkers - lots of fun!

On Sunday we had the entire softball team over to celebrate their Boulder Victory!! Yay Champs! There was a great turnout - people were playing cornhole tournaments, eating lots of brats and drinking off the keg we got. Me, I relaxed in the new hammock I bought on Friday and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Later on I got a group to play cribbage, but unfortunately I was not victorious - major bummer. We also watched the Denver Nuggets defeat San Antonio in game one of the playoffs! Go Nugs!

Check out some of the awesome pics from that day:




I took Monday off and spent the day sewing - loved it! Finally figured out zippers too, which I consider a mojor accomplishment. Forgot to upload the pics, but I will get them up in a bit...

Thursday, April 19, 2007

reminising

I've been thinking lately about travel - I miss it. I caught the travel bug back when I was in high school and took an art history/humanities tour of western Europe. I later returned to live in Florence when I was an Italian major in college, and spent two years living in Bulgaria as a Peace Corps volunteer. I have had the chance to see so many incredibly beautiful things in my life - and it makes me want to explore more. Here are some of the things that inspire me:




These are just a few of the beautiful shots I've taken throughout my travels. I have thousands more where those came from and can't wait for the day that I get to sort through everything, and surround myself with those beauties. I've only taken a couple of photography classes, and am by no means great, it's just that the subjects and scenery can't go wrong. There is a history, a story behind every one of those shots, and I love them all for that reason. The shots that are blurry because I was laughing so hard - those are some of the best memories.
I guess I'm thinking about travelling again for many reasons. One being that I finally got copies of all my photographs back in my possession, that I'm in desperate need of a vacation, and that I'm trying to determine what the next step is for grad school. There are two programs I'm looking at locally (I'm just not in a place anymore to move - I'm settling down here and I love it). One is a public health program, which I'm incredibly interested in, but it's a focus of Community Health Education, and I'd prefer to focus on Policy or International issues. I'm also looking at a new program which is a Master of Science in Business Administration that focuses on Global Social and Sustainable Enterprises. It looks like the ideal program and the more I read about it, the more excited I get about it.


Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Life

The shootings at Virginia Tech yesterday got me (and the rest of America, I'm sure), thinking about life - how fragile it is, how little time we really have, making it all count, not sweating the small stuff but making sure that the important things are truly treasured....

I'm shocked and horrified at the tragedy that occured there. Information is still pouring in, and there are many questions; it's overwhelming. My heart goes out to that community as they mourn those lost, begin to pick up the pieces, and attempt to move forward.

It's made me think about the circumstances of my life. I've indicated before that I'm going through a divorce right now. I never thought that at my young age (late 20's) I would be facing this. I know it's absolutely the right decision but that doesn't make it any easier. I am 26 days from it being finalized, but I know even then that he won't be out of my life. Even now, we are arguing over the little petty things, things that don't matter, they're just material things. Something that was a gift to me from his father, an expensive gift, but a gift nonetheless, is now causing so much grief that I'm willing to give it back, just so I don't have to deal with it any longer. I'm also still waiting on copies of all my pictures. Something I've asked for time and time again, but still have not received. Something that means more to me than money; my memories.

The house is still on the market, going to be relisted with a new agent. It's gotta get sold. I want to be done with this person - someone that is so different that who I met 6 years ago. I want to close the last page of that chapter of my life - I want to 100% move forward. I'm so close.

My "pursuit of happyness" I've written about in prior posts makes me unbelievably happy. Someone who has shown me what a give-and-take, quality relationship should be. I don't know what the future holds, but I'm enjoying the time we have together. I'm learning a lot about myself; I'm not sure if it's just that I've grown up, or that I've learned from a bad relationship, or that I'm more mature, or that I know not to worry about the little things - to pick my battles, or it we are just really good together, but this relationship is so different. I'm patient, and giving, and don't hold grudges... I love who I am now. I'm learning everyday, and enjoying every moment we share. Isn't that what life is all about?

Monday, April 9, 2007

spring

Well, spring sorta came, teased us, and left. This past weekend brought more snow, cold gloomy days, and a reminder of the long winter we just got through. Chris and I tried to make the most of it, going to the movies, shopping etc. 300 was a gory but good flick, but to my shock and disappointment, the small flurries that were slowing falling when we went into the theater had turning into a swirling mass of snow. More snow. UGH.

It's beautiful. Really. I love snow. I love my four seasons. I love watching the leaves change color and dropping down to a big pile in the yard, the first snow blanketing the earth and making everying a crystal white; snow angels, snowball fights, and hot chocolate. Then spring, rebirth, new life. Trees budding, flowers blooming; rainfall. The smell of freshly cut grass, crisp cool nights. Then comes summer with the hot, sweaty days. Feeling the sun on your face. Long days, and warm nights. Sounds of kids playing in the park, baseball. It's a beautiful thing. Really. So let's get on with it already!

Wednesday, April 4, 2007

Oklahoma



Wow, whirlwind trip to OK to meet Chris' family, see the sights of Tulsa, and basically get away and relax for a long-weekend. It was an overdue trip for me to get out of dodge, and I truly enjoyed meeting everyone and seeing where he grew up.

We took off on Thursday right after work, and luckily the crazy snow finally died down about an hour or so into the drive. We missed the tornados on the CO/KS border, and made it to just north of Wichita around 1:30am or so.... we stopped to sleep for a few hours since neither of us could keep our eyes open any longer. The next morning we headed out once again for Stillwater. Lunch with Chad (a former college roomate and his girlfriend) at the famous Eskimo Joe's and then off to Owasso to meet Chris' mom and her husband - we spent the night there, and in the morning headed off to "the farm" north of them. Got a chance to tour the land, check out all the new baby cows etc. Fun time...loved it :) Check out the pics:











Then, we headed to his brother's house for a get-together that night, Chris spanked everyone who attempted to play them at horseshoes...which he still talks about. The next day was absolutely beautiful, almost 85 degrees, breezy... so we put a blanket down in the backyard of his brother 2.5 acre property and he snoozed while I read - it was absolute bliss. The rest of the weekend was spent getting to know his dad and his wife, Chris' sister, and basically just hanging out. It was a great time, and the only downfall was the drive home yesterday! We left late so we didn't get in bed til about 10pm last night.