Home Sweet Home!

It's been a long road to get here, but the drive was beautiful and now I'm finally in my beautiful Denver home with my house- (and probably soul-) mate, Lauren. After a few days of unpacking, panicking at the lack of internet, frantic cleaning and bed buying, we've finally gotten all unpacked, online, and in the kitchen.

Our kitchen is the best part of the house, by far. Granite countertops offset the light wood cabinets and stainless steel appliances in a spacious, airy room. After a giant groceries run, we've gotten ourselves some good staples. Two nights ago we made quesadillas and yesterday morning we made our own granola. Lauren's Aunt donated to our food supply, thouroughly filling up our cabinet space with lots of stock essentials - canned soups, pasta sauses, peanut butter, and even delicious homemade banana bread!

My other favorite thing about our house right now is the lake, about a 3 minute walk from our front door. It's surrounded by a beautiful park and looks out over the mountains! Lauren and I walked the entire thing yesterday (it took us about 1 hour) and marveled at the beautiful geese, water, and skies. Waterskiiers and wakeboarders are out daily, dodging the fishing lines from people pearched along the edges or on one of the two bridges on each end of the lake. Apparently, it freezes over in the winter and the skiiers will soon turn into skaters.

Last night I went into downtown denver (barely a 5 min drive from the front door) and met up with my friend Sam who lives as central as you can live. I think he might actually be listed as living on top of Union Station, according to google maps. His flat is situated right near all of the light rail and provides a gorgeous view to all of denver. He took me around, explaining the history and neighborhoods of this interesting city while I marveled again and again at its beauty.

There is a great old bookstore that seems to have risen from the ashes of a great abandoned warehouse. All the shelving is a great solid wood and the labels are hand written caligraphy.

We also passed by the 16th street mall, which really isn't a mall at all, but a largely pedestrian street where many great bars, restaurants, and local shops have lined up. You can take a free bus up and down the mall - they run every two minutes or so, are clean, fast, and friendly. Sam and I stopped at many local places, such as The Market (1445 Larimer Street, Denver, CO 80202-1704) which reminded me of a great european café, gelateria, patisserie and farmer's market all in one. The chairbacks look like hearts and ivy lines the walls covered in olive oils and local honey displayed on wood shelving. A truely beautiful place.

We stopped for dinner at a local burrito hole called, Illegal Petes. The only thing illegal about this place is perhaps their dangerous mixing of cuisines - like the Chicken Pesto Burrito, for example. Open until 2 am, the place is a late night hot spot, much like a more local looking chipolte with a bar atmosphere. You can get your choice of burrito made to order and sit with the local crowd for about 7 bucks. The music is good and the beer is cheap - I can see why the college crowd would frequent this place.

Now I'm back at the house and I MUST get back to resumé writing and submitting. Look out for more entries on the Denver flea markets, house adventures, the local dance scene, and Lauren's experience working for Denver Public Schools.