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Weddings!

I'll be photographing a wedding on Friday!

Sakura Square and David

Rob Visits, Dance, and Hockey

This past weekend, our friend Rob came to visit us! He arrived on Thursday with just enough time to find his bed in our little house.

On Friday, Rob came downtown with me. He roamed around by himself before we met up for lunch at the local argentinian place for some yummy empanadas and gelato! So delicious and so filling! That night we returned to the casa de Emily and Lauren for some dancing in the kitchen while Rob made us authentic Pad Thai! It was num-eee. The music was cooking and the food was delish - somehow when dancers get together in a kitchen, magic happens.

On Saturday morning, I went to go do some errands while Rob and Lauren went to North High School where Lauren works.

Oktoberfest, E-Sesh, Tennis, and Dancing

Last weekend started Denver's celebration of Oktoberfest, right outside the Double Encore office. For two weekends, Larimer street gets shut down and vendors come to sell their best brews, brats and brezen. My co-worker, Mark, and I took some pictures holding oversized beer and pretzels for our office fridge.

On Saturday, I took to Washington Park to photograph a young engaged couple who was looking for a wedding photographer. I gave them a free E-Session to see if they liked me since I've had no wedding experience yet. It was SO fun and the pictures turned out really well, but finding the time to edit them has proved trying. Where has all my time gone?!

On Saturday night I went to a dance event south of Denver. It was a fundraiser for a local line dance legend - Jo Thompson - who needed to raise money to get treatment for Aplastic Anemia. She certainly raised some money and some spirits that night - the whole West Coast Swing community came out in numbers. It was really inspiring to see how tight-nit the community here is - everyone supports each other and it's really like a family. Even 2 of my favorite dancers from California (Jordan Frisbee and Jessica Cox) showed up to support Jo and danced some amazing West Coast for everyone.

On Sunday, I met up with Brian and Zane who played some tennis by the lake. I brought my camera and snagged some cool action shots. Then we went to a local diner where I got to get my first eggs benedict fix since the move. It was SO delicious - going to have to make it soon!

The afternoon brought me to the Denver Turverein where Jordan Frisbee and Tatiana Mollmann were teaching West Coast Swing workshops. It was so fun to dance and learn from these amazing dancers who are rarely in Colorado.

That night, Lauren and I returned to the Turn where we were welcomed with open arms by the entire Denver Swing Club, including Trevor and Chelsea Spika who are my new West Coast Swing teachers. Everyone was so welcoming and so fun - it's hard to believe there are dance communities that aren't like this. We made insta friends with people our age and couldn't wait for the next Sunday.

Working and Lurking

So I've been a busy girl at work and haven't had lots of time to update. Luckily, I've been doing a lot so I have some good material for you.

On Tuesday of last week, Lauren and I threw a surprise party for our friend and former classmate, Zane. It was a ton of fun planning what we hope is the first in a series of awesome parties at the casa on conejos place, and there was a great turn out. Guests ranged from friends, to family members, to dance buddies - the works! We got to break in the new grill and covered our hard wood floors in over 120 balloons.

The theme was "star wars" and so we had some nice inflatable lightsabers floating around. Eventually we turned up some salsa music and took a spin about the living room. The night ended with some amazing carrot cake that Zane's mom made and the whacking of a Darth Vader pinata by the lake.

We should have never let Zane take the first swing, because he broke Darth Vader into two pieces easily. I guess the force was strong with him.

Later that week, after many many hours at work, I went out to Hapa Sushi with some friends in Boulder. After staring at the kanji on the menu for a little while, I was getting very confused. It was only when I got home that I realized that the restaurant was actually called Happa and not Hapa, as they've decided to write it in roman letters. The characters for Happa literally mean 8 waves (the 'pa' part is the same character as 'nami,' which most English speakers will recognize in the word 'tsunami'). But Happa is actually a common Japanese family name for which I'm assuming the restaurant was named. /end Japanese digression

Anyway, the food was delicious! Hapa boasts some fascinating rolls, including jalapenio hamachi, tempura-ed asparagus, quail egg on top of salmon roe, and - my new favorite treat - the multiple orgasm roll. It's basically a salmon and cream cheese maki, completely tempura-ed, and then dripping in hot spicy japanese mayo (very much like that takoyaki mayo with an added little kick). The sushi all comes on a large surf board that stretches across the table. With Hapa's great location right on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, some amazing sushi, and great company, I can easily say I had a great night.



Sunday brought Sasha, one of the most wonderful people I met in college, back into our lives. She's been in NY since she graduated in May with Lauren and I, but was visiting Denver for the weekend. She found a little time to hang with us at Coldstones before dancing the night away at the D-Note. Sash looked just as gorgeous as ever and it was so nice to see her smiling and dancing again. I know she's going to have an amazing time in her grad program at Cambridge, and I'll link all her blog info when she starts one up.

As of Monday, I've returned to being a work slave, though I'm very much enjoying it. The work I'm doing is fantastically rewarding and innovative - I really feel like I have an impact on the company and that the work I do is contributing to the company's success. And with a 15 minute commute during rush hour that gives me the chance to see some of the most spectacular sunsets, I'm constantly in awe of how wonderful this place is for me.

Here comes the sun.