Another Beautiful Blog Discovery!

Sigh - I love finding new amazing bloggers! My favorite ones tend to lean towards biking, fashion, and food (big surprise there)....

I just randomly came across The Freelancer's Fashionblog today, and totally fell in love with her pin-up girl style, and her AMAZING photos! She's cute, stylish and fun, and I just adore the posts that I've read so far.

Here is a photo of her that I would absolutely love to recreate someday: So go check her out - here is the link: http://freelancersfashion.blogspot.com/

(photo courtesy of the Freelancer's Fashionblog)

A Perfect Morning

One of my favorite things to do in the morning (when I have time to dilly-dally) is to stand out on my modest little balcony, enjoy the warm rising sun, look out at the amazing view of the mountains, and spy on my neighbors.

Haha! Okay, I don't really spy on them, but I do have a look-see if they're out in the yards, or walking their dogs. Nothing creepy with binoculars or anything.

I'm in love with this white & green mug too. I have an issue with buying mugs - I love finding them at the thrift store (where I found this one), and collecting them. This one is the perfect size, for drinks or soup, and something about the bright green interior makes me happy.

Don't tell my landlord, but I think I'm paying WAY less than I should for a beautiful view like this. Golly, I love living in Denver!

Thai Dinner with Daddy

My dad had a little break in his busy schedule this evening to take me out to dinner at a Thai restaurant called "Spicy Basil" on South Broadway. It has always been one of my favorite places for it's delicious Thai Fusion menu, and it's ridiculously large portion sizes (that usually get me 2 meals for the price of one)!

I usually get the Tofu Pineapple Curry as it's drowning in that wonderful coconutty sauce, but tonight I dared to get the Sesame Scallops. They were an awesome bet, and absolutely scrumptious.

I filled my daddy-o in on my derby stuff, and he filled me in on his work stuff. The usual father/daughter conversation! :)

Oh, my aching backside...

Last night we had another "Derby Days" session, as tryouts for the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls are a mere 3 weeks away.

It was one of our most challenging training sessions yet, as we focused a lot on form (crossovers around the track), falling correctly (single knee falls, double knee falls, full body falls), and plow stops (where you slide your legs out in a V-shape and press your skates out to stop). We also really tried to keep in the low squat position, as that's the basic stance that we'll be in during a game.

I borrowed this photo from galieshinie's photostream on Flickr, as it illustrates the crouched stance pretty darn well.

And since I'm a lazy butt and have only been using these Derby Days as my workouts - I am seriously hurtin' today! I'm happy that I'm sore in all the right places (the back of my legs, and my butt), as I would certainly love to tone up that area. Only problem is I'm walking like I just got off a horse, and every time I go to the bathroom I wince when I have to get up! Eh, it'll be worth the temporary pain....eventually....

... I'd better start doing squats more regularly!

Book Club Brunch at Root Down

This morning we had our monthly book club meeting at a wonderful restaurant called "Root Down" in the Highlands (just North West of Denver). We usually do a potluck, where everyone brings a dish to share - but this time we did something a little different & went out! No dishes to clean, eh?

Root Down is a sustainable restaurant - they are 100% wind powered, they have a rooftop garden where they grow their own herbs & vegetables, um.... and a bunch of other stuff that you can read about on their website: http://www.rootdowndenver.com/

Oh, and you know what? The food was DELICIOUS!

The book we read was "The Unit" by Ninni Holmqvist - a Swedish author. It was a very interesting critique on what is important in life, and I liked it a lot. The story follows Dorritt - a 40-something year-old woman who hasn't had any children, and therefore gets placed into The Unit - a place where people are used as human test subjects, experimented on, and where they donate their organs to people on the outside. They get free gourmet meals, workout facilities, an indoor garden, everything they could ever want - but as her friend appropriately puts it, it's still a "luxury slaughterhouse". We had some really interesting discussions about it!

The next book we'll be reading is "UnSweetined" - by the girl who was in Full House (Jody Sweetin), and her overcoming her drug addictions. It should be interesting - it's certainly a topic we haven't tackled before!

As far as brunch goes, I had the Root Down Benedict (as did my mom), and it was amazingly delicious. I can't remember the last time I had a properly poached egg - and these were done perfectly. We had butter biscuits too, with real butter and fig spread. They were melt-in-your mouth good... and the coffee was perfectly brewed, rich, and yummy.

It was a wonderful way to start the weekend!

Jump-Roping Crazy Awesome

This has to be one of the coolest videos I've seen in a while! What an awesome way to boost confidence in young girls. And to stay pretty darn FIT too! Wowza!

Enjoy the video - it's totally worth watching the whole way through. I love the guys' reactions too (it was performed at halftime at a Army VS Navy basketball game)!

"Best Compliments Ever"

After the silly boy thing that happened last night, I decided that I needed a bit of a pick-me-up for my soul - so I turned to my trusty "Best Compliments Ever" sheet.

I started copy & pasting nice things that my friends and/or random people said about me into a Word document about a year ago. It may sound egotistical, but I've found that I only open it up when I am in desperate need to be reminded that I'm a pretty rad chick, and that I am surrounded by love every day.

You should totally start one of your own! Everyone needs a lift to their spirits ever now and then, and this silly little Word document always manages to warm my heart.

Special thanks to Wes, Nathaniel, Nikki P, Nicole, Helen R, Leigh G, Grimes, my mom, Deb, and Phil O - whose compliments all made the list. Thank you guys.

Quasi Show & A Realization

Last night some friends and I braved the crazy freak Denver snowstorm to see the Quasi show at Larimer Lounge.

The opening band was okay, but I think I found them interesting simply because I thought the two lead guys were cute. The first couple of songs were good, but when the lead guitarist attempted a solo - it sounded more like a 17-year-old trying to rock out on a guitar without ever picking one up before. So they need some work, but there's definitely potential!

Quasi kicked some major ass, and I really really enjoyed watching the drummer rock her shit out. She's also the drummer for Sleater Kinney - one of my favorite chick rock bands ever! She was pretty freakin' awesome to watch.

I thought the whole freakin' time we were watching this awesome band play that one of the cute boys from the opening band was makin' eyes at me. Turns out he was actually makin' eyes at my friend standing next to me. Ugh - that's a disappointment. He literally RAN up to her as we were leaving to introduce himself, which she promptly shook off as she just started dating our other friend that was there too. I don't think I've ever had a boy run up to me after making eye contact with me at a show to try & talk to me before I left! Although it seems silly, I felt utterly invisible, and a little sad that he didn't pick me.

After trudging home after the show, I got to thinking about things through my hazy ego bruise. I realized that all of my frustration with dating and all of that junk stems from the feeling that I truly desire something amazing. Even with all of the heartbreak and disappointment and all that crap - I do want somebody special in my life, and I'm frustrated that it just hasn't happened yet. I guess I knew it all along, I just didn't want to admit it.

I can imagine that the best feeling in the world would be waking up beside someone you love that loves you right back wholeheartedly. Sometimes when I'm making breakfast I imagine making it for two, and the guy that I love coming up behind me, putting his arms around me, kissing my neck, and telling me I'm beautiful....

God BLESS the Asian Market!

Katy & I took our "after" pictures this evening, and although the photos didn't show too much of a difference, I managed to drop 13 pounds. I was totally SHOCKED! But it felt pretty rad. I know I'll gain some of it back with normal food, but dang!

Afterward we took a little trip to one of my favorite places on the planet: H-Mart. It's an Asian market about 20 minutes SW of downtown Denver, and right near Katy's place. We took advantage of their vast produce department, as everything looked delicious after 7 days of just lemonade. (Except the lemons). :)

On the weekends this grocery is a bustling marketplace, where you're lucky to wade through everyone with a shopping cart. Luckily since we hit it on a Monday night, it was easy gettin' around.

I gleefully grabbed 2 ginormous Korean Pears too (the big yellow mounds at the bottom of my photo), as they are my new favorite fruit. They are basically a cross between an apple and a pear - they're kind of crunchy, kind of textured, super juicy, with a mild sweetness. I highly recommend trying them!

And yes, I did splurge and buy a bag of vegetable potstickers. Eh, nobody's perfect!

The best part of the whole thing? Everything pictured came to $30 and some change. Yowza.

So definitely be sure and check to see if you have one of these stores in your area! OH - and be sure to try something new while you're there. They carry a really wide variety of produce - some of which I'm pretty darn scared of. But I wouldn't have fallen in love with Korean Pears if I hadn't taken a chance!

Day 7 - Master Cleanse

Well, today is day 7 - and my last official day of the Master Cleanse!

Yes, I know I'm supposed to go for at least 10 days, but eh... I did pretty damn well for my first try. I'm super proud of myself for making it this far and I really don't think I could have done it without Katy - my partner in crime. Today is her day 8, so she made it even longer than I did! If any of you do try this cleanse, I highly recommend you do it with a friend.

The reason why I'm quitting a few days early is not because I don't think I could make it 10 days - I actually think that I could! It's mostly because I have my Book Club Brunch on Saturday, and I really want to be able to eat a real meal by then because we're going to an awesome restaurant that I've been wanting to try for ages. You're supposed to spend at least 3 days coming off the cleanse & weaning yourself back onto food, so that meant stopping early for me.

SO - I'm down a good amount of weight, but I won't know the final number until Katy & I take our "after" photos tomorrow night (yes, we're nerds like that, and did "before" pics as well). I'm feeling pretty good, but I definitely can't wait to start eating food again. I really miss cooking, and poured over my cookbooks last night figuring out what I want to make to celebrate my healthy eating again! I can't wait!

If I have the balls, I'll post my before & after pics on here. I guess it just depends on how good the "after" photos look.... ;)

The Master Cleanse - Day 4

Whooooops!

Forgot to tell you all that I started the Master Cleanse this week. Ha! My bad.

Anyhew, I decided it would be a good way to jump-start my system before spring hit full force, and so that I could get back into eating healthier. I really hope it works!

Monday I just had raw fruits & veggies to get my body ready, then Tuesday began cleanse day #1. On the Master Cleanse, all you consume for 10-days is a lemonade "drink", which consists of purified water, organic lemon juice, organic maple syrup, and a dash of cayenne pepper. It doesn't taste too bad - just like lemonade with a slight maple flavor. You can barely taste the cayenne at all, (unless you use too much, like I did the first day).

Day 2 was definitely the hardest by FAR, and now that I'm at day 4 I've come to a realization. It's not so much being hungry that makes me want food so badly, it's more so the pleasure of eating it and enjoying it that I miss! The lemonade drink satisfies all of the body's basic needs - and certainly curbs my hunger. But I truly miss the taste of food, the daily meals, cooking, a cup of coffee, dinner out with friends, etc. I have realized through all of this that food is not just there for our basic needs - it is there for our enjoyment! I know that when we eat something pleasurable, our brains release the same happy sensation (endorphins) that is released during sex. How could we not look forward to meals, and find eating enjoyable?

I realize that I'm doing fine without the alcohol, and see it as more of a social thing than anything. My body doesn't crave it or miss it. I do miss coffee, but since I only had it maybe 2-3 times / week I don't think it's the caffeine that I crave - but maybe the enjoyment and comfort I feel from it?

So that's what I'm going through in a nutshell. The cleanse has been quite an interesting test in self-control, and so far I've definitely dropped a few pounds. I hope I can make it through the whole thing - wish me luck!

I borrowed this photo from another blog, but these are the basic ingredients of the cleanse!

Smitten Kitchen - YUM!

You must, absolutely MUST check out this wonderful blog:
http://smittenkitchen.com/

Not only are the recipes creative, but the step-by-step photographs are absolutely beautiful, and I just love the little stories that go along with each.

As most people know, I simply adore food. Especially recipes made from pure & simple ingredients & a whole lotta love. That basically wraps up how I feel about the food in this blog!

Be sure to click the "Surprise Me" tab to the left side too. You get surprised with a random recipe, and it's my favorite way to discover all of the wonderful mouthwatering ideas!
Photo from smittenkitchen.com

Who doesn't love Rube Goldberg machines?

The whole idea spurs thoughts of child-like excitement and anticipation of what will happen next. I am not the biggest fan of "OK GO", but they make the most creative & fun music videos! And on a very VERY small budget - which just goes to show, it doesn't take money to make something interesting, fun, and entertaining.

So enjoy - another masterpiece by OK GO!

Hip Hop Rollerskating

Last night Katy & I met up with some new roller derby friends to hit up the Roller Skating Rink for "Adult Skate" night since the derby practice was canceled.

What we found were all of these hip young adults pretty much practicing what was once referred to as "Roller Disco" - but updated to hip-hop standards of fashion, music, and style!

We were totally surprised at how many people came out to do this type of roller-dancing, and how much of an underground culture it is. Us punk-looking rollergirls were kind of the odd ones out! It was really cool to watch the roller break-dancers though - they were my favorites. People would even do coordinated dance moves around the rink as though they'd been practicing them for weeks.

So if you ever hear of an Adult Skate night, be sure to check it out! Oh, and show up early because it gets pretty crowded. Half the fun is just watching the rest of the skaters do their thing!

Not really interested...

Last night I went out with a dude that was really nice, but that I'm really not interested in.

Honestly the whole thing felt exhausting. I knew that I wasn't attracted to him, but also knew that he was very sweet and a good dude - so why not give him a shot? I gave a deeeeep sigh before leaving my apartment (as I just didn't feel like making the effort), but still went into it thinking positively.

And I was right. He was very nice, but I'm definitely not attracted to him, and I found myself pretty darn bored with our waning conversations and awkward silences. I did not let him pay for my dinner (not that he offered), and afterward we hit up a Karaoke place which turned out to be the most fun part of the evening. Although we didn't really talk much through that part (just sung along to the songs).... so what does that say?

I just kind of feel annoyed with dating in general right now, and honestly don't feel like making the effort! Maybe it's lazy, but after a certain amount of time it's difficult to get up the energy. I love the time I spend with my friends and family - they are SO awesome. It's just hard for me to throw away time on someone I hardly know, who 99% of the time ends up not panning out! I always thought of myself as an optimist, and I feel like I am definitely that way about life in general. Maybe just at this point in my "dating" life the glass is looking more half-empty....

Good Golly, I might fall in love with Derby....

Just got back from NYC yesterday, and jumped right back into the game again! My friend Katy & I decided to hit up the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls' "Open Skate" last night - a mere hour and a half after I dropped my luggage at my apartment.

And I'll tell you what. It was SO MUCH FUN!

I was quite a bit wobbly on my brand new black & purple birthday rollerskates (thanks friends!), but after only an hour we were doing crossovers around the rink, and even tomahawk stops! It was insanely fun, and I had a huge grin on my face the entire time. I have a blister on my ankle from the new skates, but luckily not much else (I did take a few tumbles, but all of the girls did at one point or another).

Tryouts are in April, and I'm thinkin' this could be something I fall in love with really fast.... I even caught Katy giggling at me while I was excitedly listening to a rollergirl telling us the story of how she got started. I couldn't stop thinking about the next time I could go skating after I got home!

Fun in New York (with Amber!)

We've been having a total blast here in NYC. We've been on the move SO much that I literally have a blister on my left foot.

My birthday was wonderful, and started off with a red velvet cupcake & champagne. In a nutshell, we just shopped all day long then had an awesome sushi dinner.

Yesterday we hit up MOMA for the Tim Burton exhibit which was ROCKIN'! My little sister is going to be so freakin' jealous... she is the biggest fan, and would've totally loved it.

Just waiting for Amber to finish getting ready now, then we're on our way out again! Not much time for bloggin', but I wanted to post a bit of an update! :)

NYC BABY!

Well, it's officially my 29th birthday!
Honestly kids, the only reason why I'm bloggin' this morning is 'cause my sister is in the shower, and I'm bored. More fun for you! WOOT!

I arrived late last night, and this was pretty much the view from the highway as I rode in (although I did not snap this shot). It was pretty darn rad, and although maybe I should be annoyed at the amount of energy being used for lights, the amount of pollution being created by everything, etc, etc.... It never fails, I am awestruck every time. It's the big city! The big apple! The city that never sleeps! How can you not fall in love with it?


This morning I awoke to a birthday cupcake (with 3 little candles) and champagne! It was such a lovely surprise from my big sis. Not sure what else is in store for us today, but I'm definitely looking forward to it.

So yep, I'm officially 29. Weird & awesome. :)

Early Birthday Dinner (at LaLa's!)

Last night I had a wonderful early birthday dinner with the family at LaLa's Wine Bar & Pizzeria.
www.lalaswinebar.com
It was SO ridiculously delicious!

The waitress was bubbly and had amazing taste - she recommended their Malbec, which was one of the best glasses of red wine I've ever had! I ordered the Salmon sandwich (which came with fresh greens, apples, brie, and apple butter - to DIE for!), and a side of the soup of the day. I pretty much had a food-gasm with the soup as well - it was a white bean soup (pureed so that it seemed more like a cream), sprinkled with some kind of tart cheese which was a lovely compliment, and drizzled with rosemary oil. I would've licked the bowl if I wasn't in public.

Everyone gave me some really lovely gifts.... Deb got me a gift card to Ulta (which I ALWAYS need!), Taryn got me a gift card to Illegal Pete's (which she gave to me while we were having lunch at Illegal Pete's - hilarious), and my parents got me "Wristcutters" on DVD (one of the best movies ever), two shirts, a bunch of gift cards (too many if you ask me!), a couple of bottles of red wine (my fav), and they took care of the amazing dinner. They are so awesome. Seriously. To top it all off, I had the yummiest dessert ever - homemade shortbread with basil gelato & strawberries (in picture). WOWZA. Our waitress even had the staff all sign a birthday card for me! I was totally impressed.

A big BIG thank you to my family & my wonderful friends for already making this birthday an awesome one! Ugh - I'm so freakin' lucky I could just barf. LOVE YOU GUYS!

Leeeavin' on a jet plane....

....for NYC! WOOT!
My 29th birthday is Thursday (yes, 29th - hard to believe, eh?), and I'm celebrating with a weekend trip to the balmy beaches of New York City. Well, as balmy as it can be in March.

I leave tomorrow, so I'll be bloggin' from the big apple! See you kids on the flip side...

Ski Condo Weekend - Ryan's Birthday

My friend Ryan & I share a birthday, but this past weekend was just for him. His wonderful girlfriend booked us a condo up in the mountains where we spent all weekend snowboarding, hot tubbing, drinking, playing games and all kinds of shenanigans.

Apparently on Friday I enjoyed the booze a bit too much, as I don't remember part of the evening and apparently kept saying "My Spoon is Too Big!" over & over again (I posted a video of this last year if you want to reference it, and my ridiculousness).

This pic was of our day at Keystone on Sunday - we had such a blast! The boarding wasn't the best of the season, but it really didn't matter. It was all about friends & fun! And yes, Amanda's pants match my jacket - and no, we didn't plan that. We're just awesome that way.

Only down note was that it seems as though a few of us wound up with a rash from the lack of cleanliness with regards to the hot tub... that may have been partly our fault though, as we didn't exactly add more chlorine or sanitizer (even though we dumped huge pots full of water in there to refill it). Yah, we're pretty dern smart, y'all.

Rash & all, it was a wonderful weekend. Thanks to Amanda for setting it all up!