Moving towards the goal

This week has proved to be a wild one. It all started with my return from North Carolina on Monday. From there I was whisked right back into the hectic-ness that is my life: ate something, walked dogs, rode bike to bar for Nuggets game, returned home to find 2 missed calls from family (which is never a good sign), listened to messages about how my father was in an accident but is alive and fine- just a little bashed up, tried to return calls with no luck, tried to sleep. That's just Monday evening.

On Tuesday I had the great pleasure of reuniting with my best friend from college whom I haven't really spoken to in 7ish years. We shared laughs and stories over drinks with another friend of ours. I can honestly say the time has definitely allowed us both to grow. We parted ways and I headed over to another friend's house for a bbq and some business chat. Our logo is coming along nicely and I cannot wait to unveil it to the world!

Wednesday I spent every free moment loading old pictures onto flickr in the hopes that I will someday have my collection online (my way of backing up files). I read an email from my beautiful sister who has this amazing ability to lift your spirits just right (her emails are always filled with inspirational quotes, thoughts, pictures, etc). Amongst the quotes was a picture that I thought would be perfect for our wedding invites, except I needed to add a personal touch; I spent the afternoon painting my idea and came up with something great (which will have to wait to post until after the invites are sent). Ended the day listening to the Nuggets win the second round of playoffs and jumping around wildly. First time in 24 years that the Nuggs have made it this far. Woo!

Today I tried to mow the lawn but Mig had the gas can in his truck, so no go. Decided to weed-eat but failed due to mechanical difficulties. Wound up driving to Miguel's work and hung out there for a bit. Talked to my dad; he is doing just fine. Mig and I went to the grocery store for his lunch break and then I came home. We are headed out this evening to check out our possible new home and I am pumped. Here are some pics:

Here's to an even more productive weekend!

New Home

It seems like most of my friends are buying their first homes. Well, Mig and I are no different except one tiny detail: we want our first home purchase to be one on wheels. Last week we went and looked at a potential 'house', a 1978 Chevy Van Motorhome. She's a beauty and runs like a dream.

We are still on the lookout for other options but we are sticking to a few criteria:

a) Must be a classic

b) Don't want to spend more than $3000

c) Has to have character, but be in good shape

d) Can't need a ton of work (unless it is less than $1000)

Not too much to ask, I think. This vehicle/house needs to be able to accomodate myself, Miguel and the two dogs for at least a year as we travel the entire U.S. We plan on making some modifications in order to gain better mpg and overall energy efficiency. I hope to purchase our dream home very soon and get this adventure underway.

One of those

Last Monday I returned home from North Carolina and have attempted blogging since but internet/computer issues have left me with nothing more than frustration. The last week could be classified as 'one of those weeks'. While in NC, I was offered a temp job working as performance coordinator for a music/arts festival. I was really excited for this offer and then after a few days of tasks, some family drama, and the realization that the job was going to be a ton of work for very little compensation, I turned the position down.

Much of this decision came when I was helping my parents this weekend and I found myself really enjoying our time together. With getting married and leaving CO, I had to step back and look at what is most important in my life right now. The conclusion: Family/friends, marriage and moving forward to the ultimate goal (living in an RV with Mig and dogs for at least a year all around America). I plan to write about all of our adventures in another blog and maybe even a book! Haha.

So, back to square one: looking for a part-time job. I have faith that the perfect position will present itself very soon. Keep your fingers crossed ;) Best wishes for a wonderful week!!!

The Biltmore

Here I sit in the Asheville airport and I finally have a consistent enough internet connection to post this.

On Wednesday, my friend Kim and I went to the famous Biltmore Estate (Kim had 2 free passes, which is great because admission is around $45 otherwise). The Biltmore is promoted as the largest house in America. Although the entire house is utterly amazing there was one room that took our breath away: the library. Filled with over 10,000 books on two levels, this may be the most beautiful room I have ever seen. I highly recommend a visit to this estate which is also home to an amazing garden and fantastic views along the driveway to/from the house (about a 15 min drive in either direction).

North Carolina is beautiful in a way that Colorado cannot even compare. There are rolling hills covered with trees of green and blooming bursts of flowers everywhere. I suppose it helps that it is spring. My only complaint on this trip is that there has been rain everyday; which usually stops in the afternoon but leaves the air thick with humidity. In all honesty, I have been overly lazy on this visit (partially because I am alone while Kim is in Vegas for four days) and have been working on getting my mind in the right place.

Headache Concluded

I have concluded that a hormonal imbalance was the headache culprit for the following reasons:

1) Sex cured it, and
2) I keep having hot flashes

That is all.

Basketball and headaches

I am not sure if my allergies are to blame or dehydration or hormones, but I have had a headache going on three days! Therefore, I don't feel much like writing but wanted to give a quick shoutout to my Denver Nuggets!! Way to make it past the first round..... Mig and I rode our bikes down to the tavern and watched the awesomeness last night. Although we got home late, it was well worth it! Sorry New Orleans. Better luck next time and probably with a new coach ;)

What a Weekend!

This past weekend proved to be a solid balance of productivity and fun! Here's how it went:

Friday:

I was pleasantly surprised by an early phone call from Miguel; he giddily announced that he had won tickets to the Opera (his very first) and a $25 gift certificate (to a pub) from a local radio station. Woo woo! Miguel has been on a winning streak as of late, but this is the best prize yet! He was given the choice of 4 different dates for the Opera "Cosi fan tutte," a work by Mozart; he chose Saturday night/Opening night.

The rest of the day:

Did yard work, posted free furniture on craigslist,set up pick-up times for items, Mig arrived home, dashed off to claim his prize from a tall building downtown, bought new brake pads for my car, arrived home, Miguel installed new brake pads, lady came and picked up free stuff, ran around with dogs, took car for a test drive, stopped by friend's house, another friend called, left first friend's house, went to second friend's house, watched hockey game, laughed, went home, ate a late dinner, watched half a movie, went to bed.

Saturday:

Woke up early to a very chilly morning and set out for a long walk (almost 2 hours) with the dogs, decided we were hungry, wanted to use our gift certificate for lunch, went down to the pub, discovered that it is a booze only (besides the bags of chips behind the bar) bar and is one of the last in Colorado where you can smoke cigars and cigarettes, liked the atmosphere, pulled up a table, sat down to watch the Nuggets vs. Hornets-Game 3, enjoyed ourselves $20 worth of beer and chips, Nuggets lose by one point a few hours later, had plenty to drink (we didn't end up using the whole $25 and the bartender was able to keep the rest as a cash tip, win/win), made our way home, made/ate a batch of afternoon/after beer pancakes, got ready for our fancy night on the town.

The Opera:

Got a little lost downtown, became late, found (what we thought was) a sweet parking spot, wandered aimlessly in parking garage trying to find stairs/elevator, found stairs, got confused with all the different theaters in the Performing Arts Complex, asked lady for directions, arrived just in time to be seated, found our seats to be awesome, realized the person sitting directly behind us (in the box) is Ellie Caulkins herself (the theater is named The Ellie Caulkins Opera House), suddenly sat up straighter, show began, watched, laughed, Intermission, grabbed a cup of coffee and water, returned to seats, made speculations about the ending, watched the rest of the Opera, talked about the ending, left the theater, drove home continuously rehashing the experience, arrived home still wired, ripped off fancy clothes and replaced with pajamas, played with dogs, talked a little more, watched half a movie, fell asleep.

Sunday:

Rode bikes to the library and grocery store, found killer deal on pork chops, rode home, Mig's chain fell off, he walked the rest of the way (it was a super short distance and I had the groceries in the basket on my bike), made/ate lunch, did dishes, picked up house, cleaned out the closets, separated clothes into give away and a cut up for quilt piles, made painting/gift for friend's birthday, Mig played bass, Mig fixed computer cord, made/ate snacks, laughed, half watched movie while doing other things, read for an hour before bed, slept.

These shirts were in the 'give-away' pile, I just had to see Mig in them first! Ha Ha.