Hello Blizzard!

So I have now experienced my first official Colorado snow storm! The flurries started overnight Wednesday and continued all day yesterday, all night last night, and all day today. I think we got about 7 or 8 inches in all. Basically as much snow as we get in a Richmond winter combined. And Boulder didn't even flinch. A snowstorm like this would have shut down schools and offices back home for days, but everything continued as usual around here. Which meant I had to drive in the snow for the first time ever! I know, I don't really see how that's possible either but it's true. Needless to say, I was a little nervous but I took it slow and everything was fine. Once I scraped the piles of snow off the car it was all good.

This was during my lunch break after the initial 4 inch scraping in the morning. Followed by another 2 inches before the drive home.


























Beautiful snow covering everything.
























Footsteps down the snowy sidewalk.





















Sorry this post is so weather heavy but I'm new to all this real winter stuff and it's pretty exciting! This weekend I'm hoping to head downtown for the annual "Boulder Parade of Lights" which should be fun and festive. Less than 3 weeks til I'm home for Christmas! I love this time of year : )

Oh Christmas Tree!

So I thought that I was done buying Christmas decorations after last night, but after further deliberation I really couldn't bear the idea of having a holiday season in this apartment without a tree- so I bought little guy, 3 feet and artificial but hey, now that I've got him all decked out with lights and ornaments, he's pretty darn presh I gotta say. Especially with little Ned camping out underneath.













I'm such a Christmas nerd.

When the Weather Outside is Frightful...

As most of you probably know by now, I traveled home last weekend to surprise Dad for his big 60th birthday. Mom and I pulled it off without a hitch and Dad was legit surprised and had no clue that I was coming. It was a wonderful weekend and I was able to squeeze in everything I had wanted to do and still get back in time for work on Tuesday. I'm getting a lot more comfortable with traveling by myself and I'm still amazed at how you can wake up one morning on one side of the country and be having dinner that same night some 1500 miles away. Needless to say, I hope to do a lot more traveling in the future : )

But, since I'm here in Boulder for now, I am managing to have a little fun every now and then-- in fact, last Friday was one of the most enjoyable nights I've had in Boulder so far. To start it off, we got our first real snow- which was beautiful to wake up to. Not any huge accumulation but enough to coat the ground and make everything a little more exciting.







































After a long week of work-- perhaps the craziest and crankiest yet-- it seemed increasingly necessary to have a night out on the town with some of my more enjoyable co-workers. We went out to dinner at Old Chicago on Pearl Street, a very popular pizza/burger/bar joint that is perpetually busy. It was so nice to kick back and laugh with some new friends-- plus that night happened to feature the CU marching band's annual downtown parade in anticipation of their last home game and the whole band actually came into our restaurant and played a few songs right next to our table.





























It was so festive and exciting, everybody was into it. It left our ears seriously ringing but it was worth it. I stayed out a little late considering I had to wake up at 4am to catch my flight home but again, worth it.

So yeah, the weekend home was great- Saturday night the folks and I met Billy and Sandy for dinner downtown and then to see Robert Earl Keen at Toad's. A good time was had by all.























Sunday I got to spend some time with Katie and Erin which was really nice. Always good to catch up with buddies, though it definitely made it harder to leave! Sunday night Joe came over for a family dinner and Monday I was headed outta town. Counting down to the days to Christmas when I'll be home again and will hopefully be able to see more family and more friends! : )

Speaking of Christmas, Heidi and I went shopping for holiday decorations tonight after work because I've been dying for a little Christmas spirit around my apartment. I found a few cute things that I just couldn't resist.






















This seemed appropriate since I do live across the street from a trailer park. Plus really though, it's super cute.



























And this is just pretty and sparkly and looks great hanging from my balcony door.

Getting in the holiday spirit! Hope you are too : )

Habla Espanol?

Hola! So today I had a training for work (we're required to get 15 hours of training, unpaid, in order to be up for raises...kind of intense) and while I was a little upset to have to do work related things on my precious weekend time, this one ended up being really interesting.

It was a cross-cultural brokering workshop to help Latinos and Anglos better understand each other. Pretty important in this part of the country since there are certainly a lot of Latinos in the area, many of whom immigrated straight from Mexico and don't speak any English. Needless to say, there were several interpreters on hand to help overcome the language barrier. It was a really enlightening experience for me- we were each paired up with a Latino person and had a chance to share our cultural backgrounds and beliefs with each other. My partner was born in Texas to Mexican parents and moved to Chicago when she was 5, speaking only Spanish. The schools in Chicago forced her to stop speaking Spanish completely because "You are an American now. You must speak English." When she was 13, she dropped out of school to take care of her younger siblings, a sort of family obligation that her working parents placed on her. Her story was filled with interesting details and I really enjoyed being able to talk to her and compare our experiences.

Plus, we were served authentic Mexican food-- tamales, chips and salsa, and a cactus dish. It was all delicious, and a nice treat! Who can resist free homemade food? I'm enjoying all the interesting things I'm doing here in Boulder.

Then after the training I went to see High School Musical 3. I guess I'm still a teenybopper at heart : )

Belated Relaying of the Hike

So it's been about two weeks since Davis was here and I have yet to write about / post pictures of our beautiful hike in Eldorado Canyon State Park. So here I am! And here they are. Still thinking about all the lovely memories and gorgeous vistas.

It was a perfect day, temps in the 70's, sunny and peak fall colors. Here's what we saw as we first entered the park, a few miles south of Boulder.
























































The winding trail continued up and into the Flatirons, eventually rewarding us with amazing views of the larger snowcapped Rockies in the distance. And of course we couldn't resist a few photo ops along the way.


Happy hiking kids.

















Davis pondering the scenery.



















Aaaand me similarly pondering : )




















The mountains at their finest.

























































Almost to the top!





































Made it! If you look closely you can see those snowy mountains in the distance.




















There's a train on that ridge. Coal!




















Back down in the canyon.


























Climbers were all over the place. Intense stuff!



























Beautiful fall colors.





















And on the way out, through the tiny town of Eldorado Springs, a little taste of Americana I couldn't help but capture.





















In other news, congrats to Joe and Beth AND Tori and Jake on their recent engagements. I'm very excited for all of you and can't wait til the big day(s)!

Pumpkin Mania!

So this weekend was easily my best weekend in Boulder so far, due to the fact that Davis was in town and we did lots of fun fall activities! Yeah yeah I'm a season nerd...what can I say. But it was so nice having Davis around to explore the town with me, he loves it here almost as much as I do so we had a good time.

Saturday we set out for Rock Creek Farm, renowned for its sprawling pumpkin patches and 5 mile long weaving corn maze. And being a Saturday near Halloween, the farm was thoroughly packed with people of all ages in search of their perfect pumpkins.

















One of the best parts of the pumpkin patch experience was absolutely the view. The farm is a few miles east of the mountains and the distance allows a much broader view of the mountain range. Basically 180 degrees of mountains with rolling farmland in the foreground. Not to mention the weather was perfect, sunny and 70s all weekend. Sigh, I was a happy camper.
















Davis and I took our time foraging through the pumpkin fields, finding all sorts of interesting and bizarre examples of pumpkindom.

The pulverized.
















The pumpkin that thought it was an apple.


















The hourglass figure.


















And braille pumpkin.

















But we were not satisfied with these pumpkin freaks, we had our sights set on bigger and better. Davis finally found his ultimate large pumpkin, capitalizing on the bargain flat rate of $6 for any pumpkin any size.





















I wasn't looking for anything quite as large, and after getting acquainted with several presh pumpkins...




































I decided to "go green" (I do live in Boulder, after all) and select a pumpkin of a more verdant persuasion, which I will reveal in its carved state momentarily.
Overall, we had a lovely time at the pumpkin patch, despite the nearly hour long wait to get out of the parking lot at the end of our visit.

















Of course we couldn't leave our purchases unscathed, we had to carve them into glowing masterpieces. So several hours and many handfuls of pumpkin goop later...






















we proudly displayed these guys on my balcony.


















Who, in the daylight, look a lot like this.

















Pretty wicked awesome right?

So now that I've given you a probably excessively detailed narrative of Davis' and my day of pumpkins, I'll quit the typing. There will be a new post full of pictures of our gorgeous Sunday hike coming soon so stay tuned : )

Brrrrrrr!

Oh my, sorry for the lack of updates lately. I've been pretty tied up with work and various social activities- it's pretty fun being an adult these days. Nerdy and weird yes, but I actually look forward to getting bills and buying groceries so I can write all of my costs down and figure out a budget. I love being organized.

Things at work are going well for the most part, the kids are just adorable. I've already gotten so attached to them and look forward to seeing them every day I go into work. I am thankful to have a job that I enjoy and to know that I am making a difference in children's lives. To walk into the school in the morning and have kids shouting hellos and giving me hugs is such a wonderful feeling.

In other news, there is snow in the forecast tonight! I know...early October? Snow? Pretty much. This whole weekend has been in the 40s, cold precip, basically fogged in. It's as if the mountains have disappeared into the clouds! I haven't seen them in days. The fall colors are waning but I still have a festive mix as my balcony view.















I'm very much looking forward to this weekend because Davis is coming to visit! It will have been about 2 months since we've seen each other so it will be nice to catch up and have a familiar face around. I already have lots of plans for us to hike the Mount Sanitas trail and go to the Rock Creek Farm for pumpkins and a corn maze! I love this time of year and I'm excited to have him here soon to share it with : )

I hope you all are doing well and that those near Richmond went to the Folk Festival this weekend! I heard it was awesome. Stay in touch! Have a great week and get out there and enjoy the season.

Fight Hunger By Eating Panera?

Today has been a good day : )
Despite still being sick (seriously, it's been over a week now!) I heard about a 5k run nearby to fight hunger in the Rockies and was dying to take part. I've almost completely adjusted to the altitude and can breathe pretty normally in this thin air, so I thought a race for a good cause would be a worthwhile way to spend my Sunday morning. One of my new friends from work, Sarah, wanted to come along so we got up super early and drove out to Westminster, CO to register and get ready for the race. People brought their dogs and their kids, all ages- it was refreshing to see so many people out supporting the fight for hunger!














Sarah's a big runner so she went ahead of my sickly self and ended up running the whole 10k while I half ran/half walked the 5. I did the best I could under the circumstances and finished in 38 minutes which I'm not too ashamed of. The scenery was quite pretty though, we were a bit distanced from the mountains but it's been such a clear day that you could see the whole range from where we were. And early morning sun gives everything a certain glow.














There are so many trails in this part of the country, I love how outdoor-friendly everything is. Even where there are strip mall developments (like where our race began and ended, at the Panera) there are walking/jogging trails weaving all through to encourage people to get out and get exercise. That's so much harder to find on the east coast.





























So after the 3 (or 6) miles everyone completed, we ended up back at the Panera for a post-race feast! There were bagels, pastries, and sandwiches galore. And for a tightly-budgeted gal like myself it's always nice to get some free grub, especially when it's delicious Panera. Plus the leaves are turning and I'm getting to experience the glory of fall in Colorado for the first time. Those aspens sure are pretty against a blue sky.




















Anyway, Sarah's from up in the CO mountains and wants to show me around so hopefully I'll get to do some traveling around the state and hiking around while the leaves are still gorgeous and colorful. Until then, it's back for another long work week for this girl. Enjoy yours!

Oh the Joys of Working in Childcare

So I had my first (and hopefully last!) official sick day today. I had to leave work early yesterday because those germy kiddies gave me a fabulous case of the stomach flu. Yeah the throwing up, fever, ache, all the good stuff. I even threw up at work! What fun. I knew having to constantly wipe runny noses and deal with slobbery kid hands would eventually catch up with me. But after a day of drinking Pedialyte and eating Saltines, I'm feeling much better and will be clocking in tomorrow morning.

I don't want to sound so down on work though, I'm enjoying my job for the most part. My co-workers are becoming my new friends and the kids are *usually* adorable and cuddly. I certainly have my favorites but working with children in general is proving to be a rewarding use of my time. Sure, the pay is bad and the benefits are pretty weak but it's nice to know you're making an impact on kids' lives and helping to create well-rounded individuals.

Ah and there's this adorable little dude named Tresor who I've totally fallen for. He's almost 2, has a fabulous curly fro and always greets me when I walk into the room with an excited hand wave and a smiley "hi." He makes me melt! I'm trying not to play favorites but when there are guys like Tre in the classroom, it's hard to resist.

Otherwise, I don't think I want to spend the rest of my life in childcare but it's definitely an acceptable job for now and a pretty fun way to spend my time. So! There's a brief update, sorry there are no exciting pictures to post but I'm pretty sure nobody wants any graphic illustrations of my sick days.

What A Beautiful Town

As I'm about three weeks into my residence in Boulder, I am coming to know and absolutely love this town. I've found myself compelled on many an evening to take a drive around town and marvel in the charming houses, beautiful landscaping, and general wholesome and happy vibe that comes from young couples taking strolls down the sidewalks with new babies, students walking their dogs, and families taking evening bike rides together. Pretty much picture perfect.

In fact, I thought I'd try to capture some of these lovely houses I've discovered and share them with you guys. I will admit, walking around and snapping photos of houses looked a bit sketchy and in order to not look like a complete creep, I had to bypass capturing some of my favorites so this posting may be first of a series. But! I did snap a few beauties, so here goes!

We'll start with the historic monsters.

















And the new, but tasteful, money.

















































The quaint but fabulously charming.



























































And a personal favorite of mom's and mine.















Essentially, the only thing that could make this town better is for everyone I know and love to move here! Have I convinced you yet? I mean, how could you not want this mountain view as you're taking an evening stroll?
So if anyone is itching for a change of scenery, I'll happily be your personal house hunter : )
Hope everyone has a wonderful rest of your weekends! I'm missing all of you a lot but trying to stay distracted so I won't think about it too much! I worked all week so that has kept me pretty busy, it's hard getting used to the full-time work gig but I'm definitely taking advantage of my weekends and loving them more than ever.

This morning for instance, I biked down to the Boulder Farmer's Market which was insane! Beautiful produce, flowers, baked goods- it was heavenly and full of all kinds of people. I also ventured down the street to the fabulous public library and got myself a Boulder library card. Legit stuff, people. Here's a lovely evening picture of the library. That's right, bridging the creek. Amazing. I'm very much enjoying this town and crazily wishing that you all will move out here too. I promise you'll love it!