Monthly Archives: January 2012

Fun Find

Memory Lane

I think I used to be a better writer.

I spent the better portion of my day yesterday going through an old blog and all its posts. I did this with great trepidation, expecting to be a little embarrassed, but mostly because I was truly nervous to revisit those days and the painful feelings that filled them up.

I was surprised to find how many posts I actually wrote and how many of them were quite positive. I was surprised at how much time has passed since then (2008 to early 2010) and how many things have both changed and stayed the same. But what really surprised me is how much I enjoyed reading what I wrote. I’m not sure if it’s because I was reading things that I had experienced and it was an interesting experiment to go back, or because the writing was actually pretty good. It’s probably both.

I think what made it compelling for me was how raw and honest and real everything I said was. I wasn’t putting up any airs. I wasn’t trying to be anything I wasn’t. I wrote about the bad AND the good with equal emotion. It seemed like I was feeling more. Or at least I wasn’t afraid to tell everyone what I was feeling, no matter what it was.

It was cathartic to go back. I cried a lot reading the thoughts of my formerly scared and sad self.

I was fresh out of college and had just finished four years of professionally writing papers (or so it felt) so my writing skills were a bit more honed. I’m going to try and be better at that in this new blog.

I think the biggest thing I took away from re-reading those posts was how not real I have been in this new blog so far. I’ve been honest, sure. I just haven’t really posted anything with any passion yet. I’ve been intentionally very self restrained. I quit writing that blog because I thought it represented a part in my life I wasn’t proud of. I had just moved to Denver, I was immeasurably sad and felt very very alone. I moved on from those feelings and left them behind me along with the writing of the blog.

I wanted this new blog to be a fresh start, maybe a gateway to a photography business, and definitely less of a diary. What I didn’t want it to be was a bunch of fluff. I am bounds happier now so clearly that will be reflected in the snippets of my life I put on here, but I have posted a fair amount of fluff. I realize it’s early on, and I do want this blog to fit more in the ‘lifestyle’ genre, but I’m going to try and be less self-conscious about what I write from now on. Lucky you : )

I’m also going to include some posts from that old blog, here and there. You have to look back sometimes to see how far you’ve come in certain areas and stayed stuck in others. But don’t worry, there will still be plenty of good old fashioned guilty pleasure fluff.

Better than coffee.

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I’m sitting at my computer doing my morning rounds on the internet which consist of e-mail, blogs, calendar and news when I notice I’ve added a new daily viewing to my list. It’s a video that I came across a couple weeks back and bookmarked because I knew I had to share it. I’ve found myself watching it daily, mostly in the morning, and it has this strange little jumpstart/caffeine effect for me. Besides that, it’s just so beautiful. I recommend making it as big as you can on whatever screen you’re watching on.

First, here’s what the creator had to say about it:

This was filmed between 4th and 11th April 2011. I had the pleasure of visiting El Teide. Spain´s highest mountain is one of the best places in the world to photograph the stars and is also the location of Teide Observatories, considered to be one of the world´s best observatories. The goal was to capture the beautiful Milky Way galaxy along with one of the most amazing mountains I know El Teide. I have to say this was one of the most exhausting trips I have done. There was a lot of hiking at high altitudes and probably less than 10 hours of sleep in total for the whole week. Having been here 10-11 times before I had a long list of must-see locations I wanted to capture for this movie, but I am still not 100% used to carrying around so much gear required for time-lapse movies. A large sandstorm hit the Sahara Desert on the 9th April and at approx 3am in the night the sandstorm hit me, making it nearly impossible to see the sky with my own eyes. Interestingly enough my camera was set for a 5 hour sequence of the milky way during this time and I was sure my whole scene was ruined. To my surprise, my camera had managed to capture the sandstorm which was backlit by Grand Canary Island making it look like golden clouds. The Milky Way was shining through the clouds, making the stars sparkle in an interesting way. So if you ever wondered how the Milky Way would look through a Sahara sandstorm, look at 00:32.

I feel like as adults we don’t get or take the chance to wonder at things all that often. That’s what this seems to do for me and it really kickstarts my day with positivity and appreciation.

Here is the link to the artists vimeo page where he has several other incredible videos as well as short and informative commentary. I hope you enjoy!

Things I don’t understand.

Weekend Recap.

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This past weekend was deliciously indulgent for Jon and I in more ways than one. The main reason being that my weekends are usually filled with something that could be called the opposite of indulgent…work. Problems are created where having fun is concerned because nearly everyone else on the planet has the opposite schedule. However, this past weekend I was blissfully free.

I did have to work Friday afternoon/night but, I finished up early and went to see a late movie with my girlfriend Ashley.

We indulged in some popcorn and chose to see one of our favorite books that the movies chose to ruin. Alright not ruin, but change. For several years now, when anybody asks me for a book recommendation, I excitedly push them towards Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer.

The book is wonderful and one of my all time favorites, though i’ve heard from others that it’s tough to get started. I believe that’s because the narration of the book comes from inside the mind of Oskar Shell, who is a smart, funny and sometimes heartbreaking nine year old boy. It’s a unique point of view for a book, but surely not the strangest. Well they went ahead and made a movie of the book (of course) and Ashley and I went to see it.

It’s got a big name cast, centers around a big event in history, and is sure to be a big success in theaters. It’s just not as big as the book. Read the book.

Saturday morning Jon and I got up bright and early to walk down the street and meet friends for brunch at Lola. We were celebrating our friend Ryan’s 30th birthday with delicious food and even more delicious flavored mimosa’s. Brunch turned into neighborhood bar crawl which naturally turned into beer pong. It was a gorgeous 58 degree sunny January day, so indulge in it we did.

My skills in beer pong proved once again to be pathetic, so I bowed out gracefully and let the real champs go to work.

It would be tragic if I left out Nick and Leah’s adorable dogs who are one of the main reasons I want the kind of dog I want. A mini poodle. NOT a toy poodle. A mini one.

This is Remy. He posed nicely (by nicely I mean for 1/4 second) for a few photo’s.

This is Mojo. He had zero interest.

It was a great afternoon. Happy Birthday RyGuy!

Jon and I got home starving so we decided to walk 1/2 a block (I love our neighborhood) to one of the most popular and well reviewed restaurants in Denver, Z Cuisine.

Jon had been there before with a client, but this was my first time. Don’t get me wrong, he has tried to take me numerous times, but they don’t take reservations and it is ALWAYS packed. It’s described as a French Bistrot and Parisian Wine Bar and it’s about as authentic as you can get. If you live in Denver and are reading this…GO – but please call and invite me first. It’s incredibly cozy and romantic, the waiters are intimidatingly knowledgeable, and the food is to die for. We indulged happily in a beautiful cocktail, delicious wine, and the fact that even on the website they encourage you to linger. No rushing through this experience allowed.

I can’t wait to bring my dad the next time he visits. It just might be the place to finally convince them to move here.

Finally on Sunday Jon and I indulged in some lazy alone time at home of which I will spare you any boring photo’s. We lounged around, did some Hawaii research, I blogged/facebooked and of course we watched about 45 hours of football.

I wish every weekend could be just like this one.

Happy Sunday!

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Like I said last weekend, Sunday is my favorite day of the week so today I’m posting some favorite finds of mine from around the web:

Some of these comparisons are so creative.

This kid is either going to love or hate his dad when he grows up.

A funny reminder of how nice it is to NOT have to date anymore.

C’mon. Ada is totally better than you’re lame hometown.

I wish I were creative enough to make a video like this.

Mesmerizing, terrifying and insane.

Lastly, I realize these videos have been making their rounds on the internet over the last few weeks but it would be tragic if somebody missed them. Mom I’m looking at you. There are probably 100 different parody’s on the original, which is the first video here, but the following are my personal favorites so far.

Midwest Mountainess

Musings from a Minnesota girl living in Colorado.