A girl, some hairdye, and getting carried away...

One night on a whim, I decided to dye my hair turquoise.
Not just the underneath part (which was once purple, then pink, then red), but the ENTIRE THING.

Step #1 - you gotta get all that pesky brown out, and bleach the shit out of it. For me, this took a while, since I had a lot of dark color to get out. Ugh, the chemicals. The CHEMICALS!

Step #2: Foolishly buy a container of Turquoise Manic Panic hair dye from your local punk-rock store, then slather it on.


Step #3: Wait for a while, wash it out, then feel like an idiot-clown-mermaid.

I'm sure this color works on some people, but I didn't like it. It was just not me! AND I ran out of dye, so I missed a bunch of spots, AND the bleach didn't take to my ends very well so it looked icky and green at the ends... so... moving on to the next step...

Step #4: Dye your hair back to black, and enjoy your new nicely-damaged yet low-maintenance hair.

Sigh.... at least I learned my lesson!

Breakfast at the Market

This week has been insane at work, hence the reason why I haven't been able to post much lately.... mostly the over-work-load has been because I'm LEAVING FOR SOUTH CAROLINA THIS WEEKEND AND WILL BE GONE FOR A WHOLE WEEK!! WHOOOOOOHOO!

Yeah, I might be a little excited about that.

Anyway, the long & short of it is that it's been crazy stressful since I'm trying to get 2 weeks worth of work done in 1-week.

Luckily I had a nice opportunity to relax and catch up a bit with my mom and little sister yesterday morning at the Market.

Yeah, that dollop is real cream cheese whipped topping. It was probably the best top-half of a cherry muffin you could ever have.

My sister is such a goofball. Part of why I love her!

Cwafee Tawlk, anyone? Oh, I'm getting veclempt! Driveways, neither a drive, nor a way. Discuss!!

Mmmmmmm..... cinnamon roll BLISS!

Mumford & Sons - White Blank Page

Why am I only hearing about this amazing band now?? I am totally in love, so I guess it's better late than never! I simply can't get enough - the passion in their lyrics, the beauty of the music... I have been listening to their album non-stop for the past 3 days. This is just one song, and if you don't love it I don't know what to tell ya! Enjoy! :)

Maia Hirasawa = LOVE!

If you love Ingrid Michaelson, Laura Veirs, or any of those lovely singer-songwriter ladies, you're going to love the Swedish-Japanese crooner Maia Hirasawa.

I just found out about her through my music-love-twin Megan (and awesomest Derby wife ever). I've only listened to 2-songs so far, and I love what I've heard!

Definitely check her out.... http://www.maiahirasawa.com/

Julie & Julia VS Julie & Julia

Last month we read the book "Julie & Julia" for our book club.

Personally, I LOVED it! It felt really relevant to what I'm going through in my life right now, and I could really relate to Julie and her struggle to find meaning and motivation. She took a simple idea (albeit not an easy one), and acted on it - and it ended up changing her life. Sure she freaked out sometimes, had meltdowns, and seemed a little nuts - but don't we all go through that from time to time? I really enjoyed the read. It made me super happy, and feel very content upon finishing it.

Last night I decided to watch the movie "Julie & Julia", based on the book.

Let's just say, I didn't like it nearly as much. While reading the book I loved Julie and really related to her. I loved how real she was, and how she didn't try to hide her faults. In the movie I couldn't stand her, and didn't want to rejoice with her when she'd accomplished her goals. She drove me bonkers! She was unlikable and bitchy, and the screenwriters seemed to miss the full theme of the story as she didn't seem changed at ALL by the end of the film. I hate when that happens.

On another hand, I loved Meryl Streep as Julia Child. She was someone I wanted to know and party with. Loud, rambunctious, passionate, daring. She was a very small part in the book, but I loved what they did with her in the movie. It made her look like the most wonderful person you could ever know - and I really enjoyed her part of the story.

In conclusion, read the book first. Of course, I guess that's always my conclusion when there's a book first then a movie later!

Denver Darkroom Meet & Greet

A couple of weekends ago, my photographer friend Dave Wood needed models for a meet & greet he arranged for his fellow shutter-happy pals. Well, I'm no model, but I thought - hey, this could be fun, and I might get some cute photos out of it!

Turns out I was right... they did an amazing job!


I really have no idea what expression I had going on here - I looked like I was laughing and crying at the same time? Ah, well - it is kind of funny!





I LOVE the color contrast in these - they really turned out super cool! Definitely a style that's right up my alley. He seemed to like my overly-expressive nature too. :)




Wanna see more from these amazing Denver photographers? Check 'em out!
http://www.davewoodphotography.com/
http://www.modelmayhem.com/thomastraylor/
http://petalsphotography.weebly.com/
http://joekreydatus.zenfolio.com/

For more info on the event, the photographers, and the models - become a fan of "2010 Denver Darkroom Meet & Greet" on Facebook!

Another long weekend...

It's almost here!
I plan on getting my photos organized and posted soon from the last week or so (and taking even more this weekend).

But in order to send you off to the extended labor day weekend in style, here are some pictures of Koalas!



Arent' they cute?
Have a great Labor Day weekend!!

Swim-A-Pooloza 2010

Every year I participate in the Swim-A-Pooloza with my friends to benefit the Molly Bloom Foundation. It's a wonderful organization that helps disabled young athletes get back to what they love doing - and provide them with the equipment to do it!

It's a 24-hour swim-a-thon (although I only swam for about 2-hours total), and we usually camp out and eat tons of food in the process. It's a wonderful way to spend a summer day / evening, and we had a fantastic time!

Me swimmin' for the cause!

Jump everyone - JUMP!


The best slide photo EVER! (on the end)
I don't think I've ever laughed so hard at a photo!!


The newly engaged George & Katy - aren't they cute? Katy's sister is the reason why the whole Molly Bloom Foundation was started. She was in a terrible accident that caused the loss of her leg and part of her hip.

Tyson wearing my sun hat. Ain't he cute?

And Molly - in her AWESOME swim cap!!
She really is the most amazing girl - and such a blast. :) She can always find the bright side of things, and I just adore her.

Breakfast for Dinner!

Last night I came home from my 2-hour derby practice STARVING. I stumbled into my apartment like a zombie searching for brains....MUST...EAT...FOOD! Upon looking into my fridge, I realized I had to make something, 'cause there was nothing quick to just zap.

Suddenly it dawned on me that I had all of the ingredients to make huevos rancheros! YEAH!! So I cooked up some breakfast for dinner.

First I sauteed up some purple pepper strips. I got this purple pepper (it's as fun to say as it is to type!) at the Farmer's market last weekend. Kind of a cross between a red and a green pepper, and really freakin' yummers.

Next, I took some refried beans (Amy's Organic brand) and smeared 'em on a few corn tortillas. These babies I scored at the Farmer's Market too - they're chipotle flavored!

Next, I topped them with some enchilada sauce (just canned stuff), and zapped everything in the microwave for a minute or so. Don't you just love this step-by-step photo documentary?

I thinly sliced a tomato, then topped everything with the peppers.... lookin' good already, eh?

Well, huevos are eggs, so you gotta have those! These are cage-free organic eggs, and I seasoned them with a little salt, cayenne pepper, and cumin.

I cut up a 1/4 an avocado, and sprinkled the pieces over top. I cooked the eggs over-easy, FYI...

Lastly, get yerself some good green chili. I LOVE green chili SOOooooo much! This is a local brand I got from Whole Foods. Just so you know, the "medium" is my version of "spicy" - as a warning!

This is my last photo dumping the chili on top.... I immediately dove in after that. I plopped down on the couch and gorged myself on the Mexican-style goodness, while watching the last of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Season 1). Yes, I'm a nerd and I love it that way.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

Yep, Another Farmer's Market post... (and an awesome salad recipe!)

So big surprise! I went to the Farmer's Market on Saturday! Got to get in all my goodies before the season is over... ugh - can't believe fall is coming already! I do adore fall, but I will surely miss the wonders of the Farmer's Market.

I had to stop at my favorite place for an arepas (pictured above) - my new favorite thing EVER! Not only are they gluten-free (yippee!), but they are scrumptious to boot. I promised them that I'd pitch them on my blog, so here goes! They're called El Caribe, and everyone who works the booth is super awesome. My favorite is their Queso w/ Sweet Plantains... I just love the salty/sweet combo. And the sauce is the best friggin' thing ever. I lika da sauce. :) They let me know that they just got a truck too so that they can drive around Denver & serve up their delicious creations all over the place. Best. News. Ever!

I always love how my fridge looks after hitting the Farmer's Market!! So full of color and beautiful healthy foods. I never know where to begin!

There was a lady at Whole Foods giving out samples of this Edamame dip, and I was shocked at how yummy it was. Kinda like hummus but different. OK that doesn't make sense, but trust me it was creamy and delicious, and perfect with carrot sticks.

Treated myself to the olive bar too, which I NEVER do because it's $9.99/pound! Yikes. But it was a wonderful treat - those bright green olives are my favorites. They're so creamy and decadent.

NOTHING beats Farmer's Market peaches. Perfect!

I made a new salad creation with some of my purchases too! It's the most delicious thing ever, and a nice twist if you're getting bored with your usual salads. Really yummy, and really easy to make (especially since I used store-bought dressing). :)

Not Your Boring Old Salad

Farmer's Market Mixed Greens
Asparagus spears (frozen or fresh)
Swiss cheese (cut into cubes or shredded)
Unsalted sunflower seeds (unshelled)
Dried cranberries
Annie's Papaya Poppyseed dressing
Salt & pepper
1 tbsp Butter

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Roughly chop asparagus, and cook in butter in a large pan on medium-high heat until tender. Season with salt & pepper. Set aside & let cool.

Meanwhile, toss together the rest of the ingredients (except dressing) in a large bowl (eyeball the amounts - use more or less of whatever you like the best)! Add asparagus, and serve with Annie's Papaya Poppyseed dressing. A perfect balance of sweet / tart / savory / salty. YUM!