change is happening!

photo via Just be spLendid

Not only have I just recently (and finally) moved into my new, darling house with my darling boyfriend, but I've also accepted a new job!  Wow.  The house is not yet organized, but it is slowly starting to feel like home.  As for the job(!!), it has a much more stable schedule, and I can't wait to start it!  Just knowing that I won't be going in the field anymore makes me sigh in relief.  I'm sure I'll miss my little excursions a bit, but I'll have free time (and energy) to take fun trips, rather than work trips.  Yay!

what the cuss.

                                                                                                                                              Have you all seen Fantastic Mr. Fox?  What a treat it was!  I have a huge spot in my heart for children's movies, but something about this one made me not very interested in seeing it.  That is until a bunch of friends that I never imagined would like it, did in fact, like it.  Wait, I mean love it.  They loved it!  And so, I rented and watched it last night with the boyfriend.  The only regret I have about the movie is that I didn't watch it earlier!  Oh my, it was so charming and clever.  I don't buy many movies, but I feel this is one I must own.  What do you all think.  Have you seen it?  Did you love it too?

oh.my.goodness.

 photo by *Cinnamon

You guys. I don't know how many of you already have a stand mixer, but up until last Wednesday, I did not.   And as I'm sure you've guessed, now I do!  This is amazing.  I've joined the club!  No, I didn't buy it.  I didn't win it either.  My mom sent me her old one, because somehow she'd acquired two kitchenaid mixers.   Gift, gladly taken! 

I used to try to make recipes that called for a stand mixer, without a stand mixer.  My thought process went something like this, "My grandmother didn't have a stand mixer, and she made all sorts of amazing goodies! So there."  Maybe my arm isn't strong enough, maybe my whip isn't fast enough, but the recipes never turn out!  Never, ever.  So I began to pass on any recipes needing a mixer (which is a ton of recipes!).  But no longer!  Now, I'll be a mixer extraordinaire.  Just you watch! :)  Any suggestions for recipes I must try?

I've been working in the field a bunch lately, and am heading out again on Monday (have I told you I'm an archaeologist?  Well, I am.) so I won't have time to use it just yet, but soon.  Very soon.  And I'll surely show pictures. 

photo by yoshiart.com

P.S. June 5, Mario Kart Pub Crawl.  I'm going to be Yoshi.  I can't wait to show you my costume.

 

photo by netmen!

P.P.S. The Lost Series Finale is on tonight.  Goodbye friend.  You were a good one, and a super confusing one, too.

amazing weekend recap.

photo via On a High Note

This weekend was chock full of good stuff!  Let me first start off by saying that the weather did not cooperate completely (so rude, when I asked so nicely) but it did give me the opportunity to wear my bright green puddle jumpers!  Score.  Okay, it's best to discuss this weekend in bullet form.  At least, that's what I hear.

Friday

• The boyfriend and I met up with a group of pals at a great new bar downtown.  They have a bunch of local beer on tap, including a delicious Irish Red.  Be careful though; it's more than 8% alcohol!  Ooeee.
• We ended up dancing at a bar called The Parlor.  It's not often we make our way there, but when we do, we get our groove on...or at least I and my lady friend do.  The boys weren't really into it.  Boring. ;)

Saturday

• Yummy bagel sandwiches for breakfast with the boyfriend.  
• Flea market shopping with a lady friend.  I found some beautiful plates.  $18 for the set of 8.  What a steal!  They'll be perfect for a lovely outdoor meal.  I'm envisioning it now...
• Met up with the boyfriend again and some other pals for the University of Wyoming's Biennial Keepers of the Fire Powwow.  The outfits, the singing, the dancing: it was all amazing.  It's inspiring to see how much preparation goes into an event like this and to witness a part of their culture.
• RAIN
• Later that night, we attended the House of Joy BBQ in town.  It was a fundraiser for the Laramie Plains Museum.  10 dollars for all the beer and food you could handle, plus 6 live bands all night.  It was so cool.  I don't think I've been to a better event in Laramie before.  We all had such a blast.  Aaaaaand you can't really go wrong with free beer. :)

Sunday

• From dawn til dusk, the entire day was beautiful.  Sunny, some clouds, blue skies.  Perfect! 
• The boyfriend and I had tea in a downtown coffee shop.  
• He organized a picnic, so we met our friends at a local park in the afternoon for sandwiches and frisbee.  It was the best day for a picnic and it was the first time I've been barefoot in the grass this season!  Ooh, and I took some shots with the Diana.  We had a lot of fun.
• After the picnic, we saw the movie Kick-Ass.  Loved it.  Violence isn't usually my thing (and let's be honest, I closed my eyes during the bad stuff), but the story was really good!  I recommend it.
• And what's the best way to top off an already perfect weekend?  With sushi of course!  It was delicious, as usual. 

I hope you had a great weekend too!  I might not be posting very often this week.  It's going to be a busy one.  Have a great week!

happy weekend.

photo via Just be spLendid

What are your plans for the weekend?

Mine will likely consist of some local beer at a local bar, bread baking, flea market browsing, and catching up on some work.  Ooh, the last one doesn't sound too good, does it?  Nope.  But alas, it is necessary.  Hopefully I can make up for having the bore of work in my weekend with all of the other fun stuff that will go on!  And please, oh please, let us have sunshine!

Have a great weekend!

girl's night.

photo by ginnerobot

Last night, six lovely ladies and I got together for a girl's night.  We drank wine, ordered chinese, and played games.  It was the perfect escape for the middle of the week!

i cook like this.

The boyfriend sent me this video yesterday with the message: I'm not gonna lie...this is kind of like cooking with you.

Well folks, he's right.  There are many things that this little cook and I have in common when we're in the kitchen.  Enjoy!

weekend recap.

photo of Old Town Fort Collins by David Kingham

How was your weekend?  I hope it was filled with sunny days and blue skies.  Here are some highlights from mine:

• The boyfriend and I checked out Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado.  The campus is beautiful.  Awesome.
• Went to an information session for a program I'm interested in at CSU.  Tons of information, mostly good, very overwhelming.
• Met up with our good friends and went to FOCOMX, a music festival in Fort Collins.
• Saw The Dovekins and Stella Luce.  Both killed it. They're so good. 
• Witnessed a strange drunk fight.  A mustache and super wasted man were involved.
• ATE A HOTDOG.  Delicious.
• Stole a cab from someone else.  Maybe that sounds not nice, but it was late.
• Woke up the next day and ate at Lucile's (best breakfast in town).
• Shopped at Target, and other lovely shops downtown.
• Had lunch (complete with a blood orange, yum) at Whole Foods.
• Headed back to Laramie.

The rest of the weekend was pretty relaxed and normal.  It was a good weekend.  I hope your weekend was too!

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?

home, sweet home.

photo via on a high note

I'm so happy to be back.

art projects.

photo by -mrsraggle-

Creativity has been flowing through my veins lately.  Unfortunately, I've been too busy to put any of the ideas to the test.  Time!  I need time!  Hopefully in the upcoming weekends, I'll finally be able to get creative outside of my brain.  Not this weekend though...this weekend the bf and I are going to Vail to visit my cousin (and do some awesome skiing)! 

Back to the ideas.  Here are a few that I've been tossing around.

Photo series with the Diana

I've finally got an idea for a photo series (which I'll tell you about after I flesh it out a bit more) but I want Spring/Summer light instead of flat Winter light.  That means this project has to wait a little while longer.  Sad...but when it's finally time, I'll be ready!  I also want to try some basic portraits of individuals or couples, but again, I'd rather do it in Spring/Summer light.  Till then!

Painting Project

I've seen this done a couple times, and I'm ready to attempt something similar myself.  Here are the two links I've seen (here and here), both with a different take on the how-to bit.  Cute, non?  We'll see how it comes out!

P.S.  I just found this diy project and it looks so fun!  Maybe I'll do both!

Baking Bread

Some may say that baking bread is not a creative expression, but I say it is!  I'm of the opinion that baking and cooking are both artistic endeavors (or at least, they can be) and in the case of baking bread, for me it will be.  I have found the perfect no knead recipe but can't seem to find the time for the two rises it calls for.  Perhaps I should do the main rise on a Sunday and then the shorter rise the next day.  Hmmm...I think I'm on to something!

Those are the ideas I've been playing with lately.  Once I've completed them, I'll be sure to show them here!

live music.

photo by jesse.millan

I'm a conditional fan of live music.  I don't love being in a huge arena and so far back that you're essentially listening to their (muffled) cd while being jostled by giants that somehow only come out of the woodworks when I actually want to see something. 

What I do love is going to an intimate show with pretty close seats (or the kind of place where everyone can see) and having a real experience with the band.  Some bands that I've seen this way are Stella Luce, Murder by Death and the Dovekins.  All awesome.  All even more awesome because they play in smallish venues.  I'm a short person.  Really short.  And quite often when I'm at a larger show, I can't see a dang thing because giant mcgianter always stands right in front of me.  It never fails.  But smaller venues seem to either have better viewing all around, or there is more room to move around and get a better view.  And the sound quality in small venues?  While some of these bands may not have the most up to date sound equipment, because you're close to them, the sound is raw and amazing. 

Next month Ani DiFranco is coming to Laramie and we have 4th row tickets!  It's going to be amazing!  What's even more awesome is that the venue she'll be playing at isn't very large so I know already, I'll love her show.  I can't wait!

grab your cup. it's time for tea.

photo by visualdensity

What's so great about tea?  Besides being awesome, there's not too much caffeine, plenty of flavor, and choices(!), so many choices!  My go-to tea is Good Earth Original.  It's robust and spicy and it doesn't need any sweetening whatsoever.  Some may say that tea doesn't need ever need sweetening (hmm, the bf might say that...) but I disagree.  Sometimes teas need a little sugar to bring out the full flavor.  What do you think?  Are you a tea drinker?  If so, to sweeten or not to sweeten?  What say you?

bubbles, bubbles.

photo by grazie, davvero

One of my favorite blogs to read is Not That Kind of Girl.  The writer is "on a quest to do 250 completely uncharacteristic things before August 23, 2010" and it's so fun to read about her journey.  I love all of her posts, but her post yesterday (link here) had the most magical effect on me!  After reading it, I was filled with glee and couldn't wait to follow in her footsteps. 

What did she do you ask?  To help her quit smoking, she's taken to blowing bubbles.  Now, I'm not a smoker, but blowing bubbles is certainly a habit I'd like to pick up!  Everywhere she went, hundreds of bubbles flowed after her and the people she came across on the streets all had positive reactions.  Bubbles are so cheery and magical; people can't help but smile around them!  I am in love with this.  How often do you come across such a simple (and unconventional) idea that can warm the hearts of so many? 

If you see bubbles on the streets of Laramie this Spring, I'll surely be close by!

weekend update.

follow link for tickets

Oh. My. Goodness.
My weekend was chock full of goodies (and one epic moment of not so good. Let's just say that the bday girl, me, had a bit too much to drink on Saturday night).  Here's the rundown:

Friday.

A very low key night. The bf and I walked through a warm snowstorm (it happened) to meet another couple at a local bar. We played good music and not so good pool. Let me rephrase that. The boys played good pool. The girls didn't do much to contribute...unless chatting, drinking beer, and occasionally hitting a ball is contributing. Hmmm, I feel like it is.

Saturday.

The bf and I woke early to attend the local Gear Swap. We weren't looking for anything in particular but would've bought something had it jumped out. My wallet thanked me that nothing jumped out. After the gear swap we walked around the now warm and sunny town (with boatloads of melting snow, slush, rivers of water). We had a yummy lunch at a little bakery downtown and then popped over to the grocery store to pick up my eagerly anticipated, (and early ordered) tall, pink cake that only this store makes.

I informed the baker that I was scheduled to pick up the cake at 3pm. She stared. Only stared. Once she snapped out of her trance, she walked around the immense baking area for twenty minutes, looking in their seemingly endless amounts of refrigerators. She found the order slip for the cake, but no cake. No cake? "The party is tonight" I told her. She stared (again) at me and simply stated, "Well we ordered the cake, so we did our part". Ugh. Apparently all cakes are shipped in from Denver. They don't bake them in house. I don't even know if they bake anything in house. What is the purpose of the HUGE baking area then? To make you feel as though they bake it there? They said that they had no idea where the cake was, and I could pick out another cake for free. While kind of nice, it wasn't the same. I ended up picking out some weird generic cake and as I walked out of the store, I vowed to only order from the local bakery from now on.

After the cake fiasco and the miles of walking, I needed a nap, so a nap I took. Of course I slept too long, so after awaking, I scrambled around to get ready for the "80s & Gangsta" party. That's right. I dressed as a Cyndi Lauper wanna be. And most of the other partygoers dressed up too! I love theme parties, but when everyone else gets into it, it is so much more fun. I don't have pictures yet, but soon...very soon. All in all, the party was a success and fun was had by all.

Sunday.

The next morning, after my epic moment of drunkenness, the bf and I headed to Fort Collins for breakfast at one of our favorite places: Lucile's. So good. Can't even tell you how good. Go there. We had "breakfast" at 1:30 (a bit of a late start). Afterwards, we headed to Denver to walk around and then see "Mary Poppins" the musical! Again, SO GOOD. We were in the 6th row, had a perfect view, and watched an incredibly talented bunch put on a magical show.  The set design, the lighting, the caliber of singing and acting…it was all amazing.  I loved every minute of it.

The weekend was so good, and everyone was so good to me. I can't ask for a better bf or group of friends and love how familial it feels when we're all together. Thank you everyone.

I'm 26!

*update*
After realizing that my pink cake never arrived and the store offered me a different one, I asked what would happen to the cake I originally ordered when it did finally reach the store.  Her response was that they would of course sell it to someone else.  Fine.  Two days ago I was at the same store grabbing some salmon so I stopped by the bakery cooler to see if my cake was actually there.  Sure enough, there it was.  And it was the ugliest cake I've ever seen!  The icing wasn't thoroughly mixed and it was globbed on like a 2 year old had done it.  What a mess.  Here's a picture I took with my phone.  The glare obstructs part of the view but you can still see the strange globs of icing on the top and the unmixed icing. 

UGLY.

photo by me

!!!

photo by tharainbow.

My 26th birthday is this Sunday.  I'm so excited for this weekend as there are many fun things happening!  Check back on Monday to hear about the festivities!

the sun is shining.

photo by stephanie ★

It's a new and beautiful day.