one of my company's latest successes

FOX FLASH - BIG TEN NETWORK - PRESS RELEASE

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.

Mom Visits!

My mom has been visiting the past two days. I took her to Golden, and some of the other places I've learned to love here. Last night we went up to Boulder and met up with Zane for a while. He took us to the Pearl Street Mall, which is very much like the 16th street mall in that it is a series of outdoor shops and eateries on a pedestrian street. There are many great street performers and the atmosphere was definitely buzzing on a Saturday night.

Today my mom and I did some shopping for things around the house - we picked up some great outdoor furniture so now Lauren and I can fully enjoy our outdoor patio for the last few weeks of summer. We definitely want to break in our new grill, soon!

Tonight I dragged mom along to the D-Note for some salsa. Though she was reluctant to dance, I think she enjoyed watching. Or at least, she took enough pictures that I'm sure she can watch it flip-book style again later.





Lauren has been hard at work educating the youth of America. Or at least the youth of Denver. Though it feels like she is teaching this whole country's ninth graders with her crazy class sizes. Even though she's coping really well and doing an amazing job, she's usually too exhausted to go out dancing after work and so the dance crowd is missing her a ton!


Tomorrow's mom-agenda includes a trip out to Littleton, initiation into the ever exclusive Costco card holders club, and possibly cell phone investigation. I need a texting plan almost as much as that texting plan needs me. And mom has been vulture-hovering over my current phone for about a year now. Might be time to fork over the damaged goods and invest in a new toy :)

Superduper Cuts

Namaste hair salon.
It's affordable.
It's air conditioned.
They give you a hand, neck and head massage while you wait.

Oh and hersheys kisses at the front desk.



Today the owners came in while I was getting my hair dyed and it was one of the owners' birthday. So naturally, the manager pulls out a cake bought at the local dirty cakes shop, and the entire salon was treated to birthday yumliciousness.

Need I say more?
http://www.namastehair.com/

Ask for Maggie from MN. She's the adorable girl with the pixie cut who massaged me into a coma from which I awoke with amazing hair.

Colorado Girl

Went to the DMV today to get my Colorado drivers license! 2 hours and 21 dollars later, I now have a hole punched in my Cali license and a paper temp license until they mail me my shiny new Colorado license. I guess this means I'm no longer entitled to proudly sing along to Katy Perry's "California Girls"...

Book Worm

On my wish list:

Le Parfum (French, translated from German), by Patrick Süskind
Du reve pour les oufs by Faïza Guène
Salt by Mark Kurlansky

Wedding Photography

I need to update my old flickr account and start doing some portfolio building. I'm thinking of donating time as wedding photographer and maybe doing some side work with that once I get a few weddings under my belt.



In other news, I bought a bird cage...

As I bought it.

With my stuff in it.

Employed!

Quick update: I just got a really exciting job offer and hope to be working shortly!

Love Birds

I trailed some birds on the lake yesterday morning.

Antiques, Flea Markets, and Treasure Hunts

Ever since I got here, I've been collecting various items with which to build up a fairly coordinated room. With help from my Aunt Vickie and the book she gave me, I've learned about the art of Shabby Chic - a very affordable decorating style that incorporates antiques and used items. Here's an example of a Shabby Chic-ed room, decorated by Rachel Ashwell (the reining goddess of the style):


I am not a designer and my room is no where near that level yet, but I have been frequenting some local antiques shops, thrift stores, flea markets, and garage sales in hopes of eventually coming up with something along these lines.

If you're in the market for some great antiques in Denver, I'd recommend the Lafayette Flea Market, located just northwest of the city. I don't know how many of the pieces are antiques and how much is just second hand, but there are some great finds among the endless maze of stalls. In some stalls, there is a definite theme and you can tell someone put a great deal of work into fitting their pieces into a style. Other stalls are sort of a treasure hunt, and you have to dig deeper. If you can't find something here, though, you're not looking hard enough. My first addition to my room was a white-painted wood bench I picked up on sale for 10 dollars.

If you're willing to put in the work, I'd say head to the Goodwill on South Broadway. Its two stories and had a huge collection of furniture. It's a bit more pricey than your normal goodwill, but the items are clean, organized, and they even help you load items into your car. I picked up my desk and chair there for a little over 100 dollars total, and I've been really pleased.

On Monday, I went to Downtown Littleton for an art show and was surprised to find that the place is crawling in antique stores and little boutiques. I would suggest picking up a cupcake at Lola's Sugar Rush while you parouse the antique stores. Tres Jolie boutique also boasts a confectioner's counter, so you can satisfy your sweet tooth while looking at their Rachel Ashwell and Ashwell-inspired designs. Next door to Tres Jolie, is Details, a girly paradise with a huge pink sign on the storefront.

Charlotte's Rustic Rose is an antique shop on Prince St., situtated conveniently amoung a few others. What I enjoyed about their selection was the variety - they definitely were big on the western pieces but had a quite a few Shabby Chic and Shabby Chic-able treasures as well. I would also recommend checking out the Colorado Frame Company, which looks nothing as drab as their website. The place is a craft heaven - a place I know I could leave my mother and not hear back from her for hours. They also have great furniture pieces and accessories and are definitely worth a peak inside.

Soccer in Arvada

On Sunday, I went to Arvada to watch Brian and Kalli's final indoor soccer game of the season. The team played a fierce game against some really tough opponents, scoring an amazing goal via header in the 2nd half. Their team ended up placing 3rd in the league.






After the game, everyone gathered at the park outside for a nice picnic. After a few quick bites, the dancers took to the DNote for a night of salsa and mayhem.

Freckled Skies

Last night I saw a meteor shower because you can actually see more than 3 stars in Colorado. It's kind of amazing.

"This particular meteor shower is called the Perseids because they appear to radiate from the constellation Perseus, and these are typically one of the fastest moving showers, with meteors ripping into the atmosphere at 60 kilometers per second." (the examiner)

(Cool Fact: This is my 13th post on the 13th of August, which is unfortunately not the 13th month of the year. OCD much?)

Fajitas and Frames

Tonight Lauren and I made fajitas for ourselves and our friend, Krystal, who Lauren met through Teach for America. They turned out pretty yummy and Krystal is always amazing company!


I also hung up some photos above my bed. Originally I was planning to do them above my desk, but I thought the space would be too cluttered. Basically I arranged and rearranged some frames that I painted white until I found a good set up. Then I filled the frames with some B&W photos I got printed for free at Wallgreens as part of a promotion. Finally, with some quick measuring and some nice nails and hooks, I have a photo cluster. The frames are hung a bit high right now since I anticipated that my bed would rise if I got a frame for it.




Pictures in the frames include: B&W prints from Paris, London, and Venice, old photos of my grandma doing awesome things like scaling clifs, some 1950s style parisian adverts. I'm still trying to figure out what will go in that big frame off to the side, though.

Chili Rellenos in Littleton

Last night I went over to Kalli's place in Littleton, where she made us some delicious chili rellenos. She just got back from a month long nutritional post grad program in Mexico where she learned many delicious traditional mexican recipes.


Along with the Rellenos were some awesome bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers and grilled veggies and pinneapple. Everyone helped make the food and definitely helped eat the food while sharing in the good company of friends.

In the Kitchen

On Sunday, In n Out burger came to Denver...


Sort of.

Zane found a double double recipe that seemed pretty credible and so we decided to try it out. The results were... legendary. The sauce: divine. The mustard cooked onto the burger: mouthwatering. The grilled onions: drool worthy. After two burgers each, we couldn't manage to even sit up, but our tummys were happy campers.


They said Denver lacked In n Out, and maybe they were right. But when you can make an In n Out burger yourself and eat it under the rocky mountains at sunset, it doesn't feel like you're missing out at all.

Golden Farmers' Market

This Saturday, I headed down to the Golden Farmers' Market with some friends. We started the day with a little tennis and walked around the market stands. There are lots of produce stands, but also some great local vendors. A favorite is White Girl Salsa who makes a mean Cranberry Mango Salsa. You can also grab some artisan cheeses, a delicious crêpe, mexican fare and some smoothies at some of the many other booths.


There is live music and the place is covered in cute little rainbow umbrellas to keep you from baking in the heat. Dogs walk around on their tip toes to avoid the burning concrete and kids run in and out of the local library.






After grabbing a lemonade, crêpe, and some peaches, we headed down to the river to soak in the cool mountain runoff.

Golden

On Sunday I went up to Golden, CO, which is just west of Denver. There are billboards all over Denver claiming that Golden is a "two hour vacation," but of course you'd want to spend more than 2 hours there.

The river, or creek, or rapids that run through the town were bustling with people trying to stay afloat on whatever they could find; inflatable tubes were popular, there were a few kayaks and even a guy on an inflatable mattress.

After a quick hike around the river, you'll notice many people parasailing from the nearby mountains and a giant 'M' on one mountainside, which stands for the Colorado School of Mines.

You can also stop by the side of the river to watch people get eaten by the rapids on their way down.

Golden also boasts an amazing farmers' market on Saturdays, so we're looking to go back for that, soon!

White Fence Farm

In a lot of ways Denver feels very metropolitan, very progressive, and very international - not at all the image I would have conjured up as a child. I'm pretty sure that I thought there was virtually nothing between LA and New England except for maybe some farmland, and - oh yeah - Chicago was somewhere in there, too. But as I grew older, I learned that Colorado is indeed a very different place from Kansas and that Michigan is no Montana. Colorado is certainly not farmland, and Denver is about as far away from the farm as you could get, but tonight we did go to a farm: White Fence Farm and Family Restaurant in Lakewood.


The second you hop onto their website, the country music starts to play and, Toto, I don't think we're in Denver anymore. The truth is, quite a bit of it is very Denverish. The people are friendly, the waitresses crack jokes like they've known you forever, and people feel comfortable bringing their families to dinner. But the fried chicken, corn poppers, petting zoo, and abundance of americana scream something much much farther east. In many ways it was like New England Farm with some southern cooking - the architecture looked like something you'd find on a farm in Massachussets or Connecticut while the cuisine could have been designed by Paula Dean herself.


Lauren's family informed me that, while they would probably never go to White Fence Farm on their own, it is a family tradition that brings them back every visit. We weren't alone - most tables seated 10+ and children were everywhere. The food, though covered in grease, was undeniably delicious and filling. And while we did not go to the petting zoo, gift shop, or on the horse drawn carriage ride, I could tell this was more than a restaurant for a lot of people.

It's definitely another side of Denver and seems to offer a bit of campy country to a city so used to the eco-friendly, hipster, modern, and metropolitan.

Paint the Town Red

Or yellow, as we've decided to paint our kitchen and bathroom. It's a very light yellow, much lighter than the dirty paint left behind by the house's previous tenants (we happen to think our house likes us much more than it ever liked them).

We've moved our renovation train out of the bedrooms and on to the big rooms: kitchen, bathroom, dining room. Lauren and I picked up some furniture before we started slapping paint on the walls: a small wood kitchen table for just a couple of us, 3 chairs, and a dining room table. The kitchen table was a must - we picked it up right away at target for 60 bucks. A bit pricey, but we couldn't eat on the floor, could we? It's very convenient, collapsible, and wood - so we picked it up along with 3 folding chairs the other day.

Our dining table, however, was a true find. In one of our Goodwill excursions, we saw this beautiful white painted wood table on display. Walking up to it, we realized that the top was covered in white tile with an unpainted wood edge. For 40 bucks, we thought we found a steal - we could bleach the grout around the tile and repaint the white legs for mere pennies. Then, as we handed over the ticket to the cashier, we found out that our table was actually 50 percent off! So we landed a great dining table for only 20 bucks.

Today we completed the puzzle, painting the kitchen and bathroom. What a transformation. Once we start to hang our art on the walls, these rooms should really come together. Next stop on the renovation train: living room.

Dance the Weekend Away

I've been doing quite a bit of dancing since I arrived, but I did a TON of dancing this weekend. On Thursday night, I headed out to the kick off dance for Swingtime in the Rockies, located in Westminster, just north of us. The event was fantastic. Starting on Friday, a weekend pass bought you all the workshops you could hope for, great open dancing, and amazing showcases and competitions.


The workshops were fantastic, lead by some of my favorite couples (Ben and Melina & Jordan and Tatiana). During the day I got to social dance with a lot of great people from all around the country. I met people from Kansas, Utah, Minnesota, and, of course, Colorado. At night, the "classic" competition took off and my favorite couples hit the stage. Jordan and Tatiana's routine was a great crowd pleaser, as was a really high energy performance from Ben and Melina.

Later that night we met up with Ben to say hi and I even snagged a dance with him during the open dancing. Even though he's originally from Colorado, he only comes back here about once or twice a year, so it was a really great treat to have one last dance with my favorite swing teacher from LA.

Today there was more dancing and I eventually ended up at salsa night at the D-note in Arvada with one of the West Coast Swing dancers I had met at Swingtime. The D-note is a fun salsa bar with a live band in downtown Arvada. Street parking is free but can be a little tough.

Other places on my dance list:
Avalon Ballroom on Thursday nights - Salsa
The Highland House on Monday nights - Blues
The HIghland House on Tuesday nights - West Coast Swing
The Denver Turnverein on Sunday nights - West Coast Swing

Home Improvements

Today I added some new pieces to my bedroom. This is what they looked like when I first bought them at the good will:

I got the table (black painted pine) for 70 dollars and the chair (some sort of heavy metal with a crappy upholstery) for about 40. The chair was a real find but I didn't know what I'd find when I tore up the gross fabric on the seat. The table required some light sanding and repainting with an eggshell finish.






Here's the finished product in my room next to a bench I bought earlier at a flea market for 10 bucks:

Right now I've just covered the cushion of the chair in a white pillow case and I've put a white throw pillow on the back. I'm hoping to do some more permanent and more elegant covering soon.









Here's what was under all that gross upholstery:

Clearly sundamaged and stained, but a much better look. Finding something to cover this blue velvet shouldn't be too tough, and the cushion still has it's spring so that's an added plus.














Side view

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.

How to up and move to Denver

My formula:












A Great Car (Mine is a black Civic 2010 that I've named, "Baby")

+













A Great GPS (I've chosen the 5" Garmin 1490T as my weapon)

+

















An amazing friend who keeps you laughing all the way.

2 days until I put my formula to the test.

New Address, New Adventures

Here is where I'll be living for the next year with my wonderful friend, Lauren:
3245 W Conejos Pl, Denver, CO 80204

I leave Santa Monica for Denver on July 12th, planning to arrive on the 13th or 14th with the rest of my life in tow. Updates to come!