it's time for an update.

via On a High Note

Since I've last written, so many things have happened! 

I dressed as Yoshi for the 1st Annual Mario Kart Pub Crawl!  It was so much fun.  About 12 people dressed up, and we made it to 9 out of the 10 bars we planned to go to.  All characters were represented except Mario and Luigi! Funny, right? 

photo by the boyfriend

The mixer was used yesterday to make a delicious lemon cake.  The recipe I used is called "1, 2, 3, 4 cake"  and I got it out of my new cookbook "Pie in the Sky".  It's a cookbook specially designed for those that bake at high altitude.  For each recipe, it gives different proportions based on your altitude and breaks it down by sea level, 3K, 5K, 7K and 10K.  I'm at 7,200 feet, and I've tried making other recipes that are typically baked at sea level.  My cakes always come out deflated and way too dense.  But not with this new cookbook!  The cake turned out perfect.  I couldn't be happier! 

Pie in the Sky    Susan G. Purdy

This past weekend, the boyfriend and I celebrated the big ol' one year anniversary!  We spent the day in Denver checking out the Science Museum, eating at awesome restaurants, and shopping (because Laramie is void of decent stores).  We also decided to move in together!  It's true.  And, as luck had it, the place where I had already signed a lease (the one with the split kitchen apartment) was really flexible about letting me out of the first apartment.  As more luck would have it, they told us that they also manage a few houses around town.  And as even more luck would have it, they had one house available.  And it was perfect.  And we took it!  It is red with white trim (and lovingly called the gingerbread house), has two bedrooms upstairs, one bathroom, a large kitchen with a gas stove AND a washer and dryer (my favorite part) and a huge yard.  Oh! And it has a balcony off the bedroom upstairs, and a front porch.  It really is exactly what I wanted.

photo by yours truly

I can't wait to show you all the projects I have planned for the new house.  We don't move in till August 1, which means the growing season will be nearly over so no planting this year, but next year a garden is definitely going in. :)

this day will be big.

 

photo via a violent yet flammable world

Today is the day!  Which day, you ask?  It's the long awaited meeting for the program I'm looking at at Colorado State.  I'm anxious to see what they have to say and ask some questions.  I'll give a total fill in on Monday.  I'll also get to check out the campus in general.  I've been on campus once, and it's lovely, but I haven't really explored.

After all of that, some friends are meeting the boyfriend and I to attend a music festival called focomx!  It's not your typical fest.  This one is 15 dollars, 15 bars, 150 bands, over two days.  Lots of music overlap, but I don't know many of the bands so that's not a big problem.  One of the bands we do know and are going to see is The Dovekins, of course!  Golly, I love them.  I'm super pumped to introduce our friends to them.  Stella Luce is also playing, as is Fierce Bad Rabbit.  The latter band of the two is one I haven't seen live, but the violinist from Stella Luce is in it, and they sound pretty rockin' on their myspace.  Another band I just found that will be playing sometime tonight is The Tanukis.  They've got a real gypsy sound to them and I think the boyfriend will really dig it.  A fill in on this part of the adventure will come Monday too.  Yay! 

Have a great weekend!

it's nearly here.

photo by Tender Letters via Just be spLendid

There's magic in the air.  The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is set to open in June of this year.  If you're a Harry Potter lover then this will certainly be a must see for you!  I know it will be for me.  Just a few of the delights they have in store:  Hogsmeade Village full of shops you'll recognize from the stories, butterbeer at the Hogshead Pub, the Hogwarts Express, rides based on exciting parts from the books AND Hogwarts Castle complete with talking paintings and recreations of Dumbledores office, the Room of Requirement, the Gryffindor Common Room and more.  Read more here and see pics here.  Amazing.  It will be AMAZING.  Are you planning to go?

wandering.

photo by lauren {elycerose} via Just be spLendid

I'm a wanderer by nature.  Because of this, I'm always daydreaming of places I'll someday visit, and adventures I'll one day have.  And while that's all good and fun, sometimes I need to remember to stop daydreaming and just be here.  Because really, there is no place I'd rather be. :)

peace and quiet.

photo by ~brrb via just be splendid

How lovely would it be to hang out in a tree for a while?  I'd bring a thermos of hot tea and a couple books.  And a wonderful dress like the one above just in case any passerbys want to capture the moment.  :)

dream series: my dream home

 photo by linda yvonne

Okay, so you know a little about my apartment.  But I suppose eventually I'll want to settle down into a home (settle down?! ME? Yep, it's true.  One day it will happen).  When I do take decide to make one town, one home, my home, these are the bits I hope I hope the home has:

• Charming architecture-It doesn't have to be old, but it should have a little character.  
• Large kitchen-Oh boy, this will be awesome.  Space to store lots of appliance goodies, space to chop lots of ingredients, space to have more than one person in the kitchen! 
• Garage-I've got a ton of large crafty ideas that are possible with a garage.  Not so possible with an apartment.  And with a garage, I wouldn't have to warm up my car or scrape ice and snow off!  Yes, please!
• Front porch-It doesn't have to be a big porch, but it'd be so nice to sit on a front porch in good weather.  Sweet tea optional.  
• Stained glass-Is there anything more magical than colored light shining in from stained glass windows?  I say not!
• Garden area-I'd love to have a small area to grow a little bit of produce for myself.  Co-workers bring in homegrown tomatoes in the summer and my oh my, they taste like sunshine!  I want to grow some sunshine too!
• Location-I'm not sure if this exists, but I'd love a little garden alcove within a city.  Ah, perfection.

Oh and it'd be nice if there were some mountains and water nearby.

What are you dream home desires?  And isn't that home at the top adorable? 

summer on the brain.

Woah!  Slooooooow down lady, it's not even Spring!  I know, I know...but I can't stop daydreaming about lovely summer activities.  Of course, all of the things I'd love to do right now wouldn't even be possible where I live at the best of times.  I suppose that means that I'm free to daydream since I'd have to travel somewhere warm and near water anyways!  What are the desired adventures, you ask?  Well, I'll tell you.

Scuba Diving

photo by Ilse Reijs and Jan-Noud Hutten

Sail in a little Sunfish

photo by Simonds

Sea Kayaking

photo by adrimcm

Visit Mackinac Island (my favorite place ever)

photo by humbertomoreno

What adventures are you dreaming of?

but I thought it was green.

photo by jbrownell

I hail from all over the place.  I'm an Army brat and being one means that there are many places I call (or have called) home.  My most recent, and longest, is Arizona.  I'd had the itch to move on for a while, but education called so I stuck around.  After I graduated college, I decided it was time to hightail it out of there.  I got a job in Wyoming, found it on a map, and drove north to start my new life.  Upon entering the state that is now my home, I was struck with how brown it was.  Wait.  I just left brown.  Arizona is brown.  But this is brown too! I expected green.  Sadly, I naïvely assumed that everywhere outside of Arizona was some lush oasis.  But all that means, is that Wyoming certainly isn't the last stop in finding the place to lay down some roots.  And I'm sure that whatever that place may be, it'll definitely be green.

Why do I need green so much?  There's something about a green, wet, lush landscape that makes everyday feel magical.  You can smell the life in the air.  It makes me feel alive.  I think Washington/Oregon/Vancouver B.C. would be perfect.  You have the ocean, the green dense forests and mountains to ski.  That sounds pretty perfect to me.