I got a job! And a car!

It has been a busy couple of weeks!
Most importantly, I got a job! It is with Mile High Youth Corps, which I mentioned in the last post. I heard back about a week after my interview and went in for a second one on Wednesday. After that interview, I felt very confident about getting the job because I had to fill out paperwork for a background check and go in for a drug test. On Friday I got a call telling me that I was being considered for another position, called ACLC. That stands for AmeriCorps  Leadership & Conservation corpsmember. Basically, it is similar to the regular corpsmember position, except that there is more responsibility and there is more involvement with the organization. That sounded really cool to me because I would get to do the outdoor work and also lead some projects and get more involved! The main concern with this position, however, is that it is filled in Denver already so I would have to work out of the Colorado Springs office, which is about 60 miles away. I had a phone interview on Monday for the ACLC position, and was told I would hear in a few more days. Apparently though, the woman I interviewed with called to get some of my files from the Denver office and they realized there was a decision to be made because both offices wanted to hire me! So I ended up getting a call right away explaining the situation. I ended up deciding to take the position in Colorado Springs because not only is it a more well-rounded program, but it is also a 6 month term rather than a 3 month term (that I would have done in the other position). Accepting this job meant that I was going to be doing a big commute- I wouldn't be able to take the train or bus there. So, we had to do something about that!

On Saturday, we decided to start looking at cars for me. I didn't have the job yet (although I essentially knew that I did), but we wanted to get a head start. We first went to look at Smart Cars! We wanted to find something sensible and with great gas mileage, and Smart cars have the best rate and price for a non-hybrid or electric car. The dealer near us with smart cars is actually a Mercedes-Benz dealer, and it was pretty fancy! We worked with a really nice gal and we got to test drive a smart car. It was pretty fun, cute, and, of course, tiny! We couldn't make a final decision yet, since I didn't for sure have a job yet, so we decided to come back later. Meanwhile, Ben had been doing some research comparing different small and efficient cars. He came across one called the Scion IQ that looked pretty neat! We didn't know much about it as it was just released within the last year, but we decided to check it out. It has the best gas mileage next to the Smart car (it's pretty darn close actually), a comparable price, and has a ton more features, comfort, and is safer. Also, it's just way more cool!

We went to the Toyota/Scion dealer on Monday and worked with a really awesome dude. He was one of the youngest employees there and we were some of the youngest customers they've had, so we got along great. We got to test drive an IQ and we totally loved it! It is small, but slightly larger than the Smart car. There is actually a back seat to it, although we wouldn't put anyone we like back there longer than a few minutes. It handled a lot better and was much more comfortable. It also comes with really cool features like bluetooth phone and music, hd radio, fog lights, and essentially a gazillion airbags. In the Smart car, we would have had to upgrade just to get a radio, air conditioning, and power windows and locks. After getting a quote pretty close to what we got for the Smart car, we were pretty much sold. We deliberated a bit and decided to lease one. We obviously can't afford to buy a new car, and buying used from a dealer or otherwise wouldn't have worked either because we just don't have cash we could have paid upfront. Leasing is more expensive in the long run, but it makes sense for us right now. Anyway, we had a choice of dark purple or silver for the car, but we decided to ask if there were any more colors available, just in case. We were in luck! The sister dealership had a "hot lava" orange one that could be transferred over. So, we did all the paperwork on Monday, and picked up our spicy orange car on Tuesday! This one actually has even more features than the others we had seen, such as 7 colors of interior accent lights! It is pretty silly, but also awesome. I've always wanted a purple light to shine on my feet while driving! Sure.
Ok, so two more things about our awesome car. The main thing is that even though it is only 10 feet long, it is actually quite spacious. I get uncomfortable in cars really easily, but this one has enough space in front that I could even cross my legs in the front seat and not be uncomfortable or in the way of the driver. It is a tiny car, but it doesn't feel too tiny to drive or be in- basically they just chopped off everything behind the front seats. The other sweet thing about it is the turn radius of 12.9 feet. Considering the size of the car and comparing it to the turn radius- there isn't much difference, is there. This means that you can turn on a dime and do awesome doughnuts in the parking lot and feel like you are spinning on a stationary axis. This is way fun, and a little scary when Ben does it really fast! Now, we are just trying to think of a name for it; let me know if you have any ideas!

We have also been up to other, slightly less exciting things, too.
Before I found out about my job (and for many months before), we had been working on getting a dog. We have gone to the shelter a few times and met a few cute ones! We almost took one home in April, but it was right before Bill left on his work trip to Hawaii, so he didn't want to get a dog and then just ditch it. I almost talked Ben into getting a different dog more recently, but we knew we didn't have the funds to take care of it and for the increase in rent. Unfortunately, now we are realizing that a dog is even less feasible that we previously thought. Once I start working, I'll be working long days on top of a long commute and might be doing some travel and be gone for up to a week at a time. Meanwhile, Bill has been gone and may often be gone/ working long hours over the summer and Ben has also been working a ton and even overnight as well. There might be days at a time where there wouldn't be anyone in the house to take care of a dog :( Now, I am thinking I might be able to talk them into getting a cat at least! We'll see...

I had another fun shopping trip with Ashley a couple weekends ago! She had done some shopping on her own and returned the cowboy boots (aww), but bought the final pair of wedding shoes (yay)! I met up with her downtown where she was at a bridal shop trying on her entire wedding ensemble- she had just gotten her veil and now she could finally see the pieces all together! It looked great and she looked beautiful! We then proceeded to have a great time shopping and wandering around down town and then at the mall. Ben had been working that weekend, but once he got off, he called us and said he was heading over to a coworker's house for a crawfish boil and that we were invited! It was a fun party even though we didn't know anyone and the food was delicious once you got over the creepiness!

In between car shopping, Ben and I finally got to go hiking this weekend! We have been itching to go for months now, but Ben has just been so busy with work! We ended up going to a beautiful place called Roxborough State Park. It is about 45 minutes south of us, and it is sort of at the base of the mountains. There were amazing, huge, red rock formations all over, and we hiked up the big peak in the park and only made it back to the car right after the park had closed! The ranger actually had to let us out, oops! It was a very fast but still very fun hike. I want to go back again soon- it was so beautiful! It also showed me that I should work out some more to get in better shape for my job! If you'd like to see some more pictures I put some on my facebook and deviantart pages.

Well, I have a few days before my job starts on the 9th. I think I'll spend it driving around in my new car, and also taking care of the house before I start work and won't have time to anymore or I'll be too exhausted to do it! Bill is still in Hawaii and will be for a while yet. Ben might be going back to California soon, but I'm hoping he'll be able to stay (or come back before) til I get settled into my job!
Thanks for reading!

Finally, some good news!

Ben ended up being gone over two weeks on his work trip! He worked 12-14 hour days, and had terrible phone reception so we weren't able to talk much. And, whenever I did get to talk to him, he was so tired that we couldn't have too much of a conversation.

While he was gone, Bill and I kept pretty busy so I didn't end up getting too lonely! We went shopping a few times just for something to do. We went to places like Sprouts, Dick's sporting goods, and we even ventured to the Cherry Creek mall. Bill bought swim trunks for Hawaii and we also ended up buying a fun garlic chopper that is a little car and a cheese grater at Williams Sonoma. We also tried Chik-fil-a for the first time on one of these trips and we really liked it! It was strange eating fast food because we never do, but the food was a lot better than we thought it was going to be so it was a nice surprise.

Over the weekend, it was so beautiful that Bill, Justin, Ashley, myself, and another coworker of the guys' and his girlfriend all met up at the Cherry Creek state park for a cookout. We had a ton of fun and just as much food! We also played frisbee and ball on the beach a bit too. I had ridden my bike there but found out that I couldn't ride it home because the tires had gone flat! I must have ridden over something sharp! That was a downer, but over all the day was beautiful and fun! Another fun thing that weekend was that Ashley and I got our hair done together! We made appointments at a salon at the same time and went together. We both got cuts that were not too different than what we normally have, but they are cleaned up and spiced up a bit!

In addition to all that, we still had time for more fun that weekend! Ashley and I went to a western store and she bought a pair of cowboy (cowgirl, I guess in this situation!) boots. It was a pretty funny experience because neither of us had been to a store like that before and we didn't know anything about the boots either! After trying a bunch on we finally found some that looked cool and felt good too! Later, the four of us (Justin, Ashley, Bill, and I) all went to see the Hunger Games movie together. We all really liked it. There were some things that were changed from the book, and the pace was really different, but I think it was well done overall.

I had an interview on Monday! The position is with an Americorps affiliate called the Mile High Youth Corps. It is for 18-24 year-olds and there are a variety of work positions. Some of the work is doing energy auditing and sealing like Ben did for Americorps last year. Another job is building houses like a habitat for humanity program. The job I applied and interviewed for is for park and trail maintenance in and around Denver. It involves traveling to many national, state, county, and city parks around the area and doing things like maintaining trails, thinning forests, habitat restoration, camp site building, and invasive plant species removal. It sounds like a really fun and hard job to have over the summer. I am really passionate about this kind of work and I think it came across well in my interview. I was almost told outright that I am moving on to the next round of interviews, which are mostly for team placement (there are a few different teams doing this work in the area). I'll let you guys know asap when I find out more! I basically spent the rest of the week on a high of excitement about the possibility of this job. It was a nice change of pace from all the rejections I've been hearing lately!

The weekend after that, Bill and I were feeling bored/adventurous and we went to the Denver Aquarium. The aquarium was a bit smaller than ones I was used to (like the Shedd and Georgia aquariums), but it was still really cool. At the end there was a place to feed and pet sting rays. You hold a little fish in your hand and they come up and cover your hand and take the fish! It felt very weird. They are very rubbery and slimy!

After we left the aquarium and washed our hands we decided to go out to dinner at PF Chang's. It was delicious, as usual! On Sunday we hung out with Ashley some more. She went garden shopping with me! I got some planters, dirt, basil, cilantro, tomato, lettuce,green pepper, and mint. We got dirty planting it when we got back. Most of the plants are still surviving today! Some of the basil, lettuce, and cilantro plants have died, but I still have some of each left. The mint, on the other hand is growing like crazy and has at least doubled in size! After planting, we had a nice dinner and we played Catan (cities and knights version). I had an underdog win!

Finally, last Tuesday, Ben came back! He was very worn out, but happy to be home. I made some carrot cake with cream cheese frosting to celebrate! Our Easter package from my mom had also come that day, too, so we spent most of the rest of that week on sugar highs feasting on cake and candy. By the time Bill's birthday rolled around on Friday we still had some cake left and we couldn't even think about making another one so we just put a candle in it and finished off the carrot cake! Our usual gang of 5 went out to a Mexican restaurant for dinner. The food was really good but the atmosphere wasn't great. If we go back we'll have to try and sit in the restaurant area instead of the bar area. In addition to good food though, bill also got a fancy birthday dessert- complete with a sparkler! It was very ostentatious and he didn't quite know what to think! After dinner we decided we were too stuffed to go home, so we went to see the movie Cabin in the Woods. The movie was scary and funny! We all loved it. On Saturday Bill spent most of his time packing and getting ready to go to Hawaii. Ben and I watched the movie The Gray, and it was terrible. That night, we played Ticket to Ride (America), the game we got Bill for his birthday. Unfortunately, we didn't like it as much as the European version, but it was still fun. Sunday involved getting up very early (5) and taking Bill and Justin to the airport. There was snow on the ground when we left! There ended up being flight delays and complications, but they made it to Maui eventually! We are all hoping they will at least have a little time to have fun between working long hours!

This week has been very strange so far. Not only does it feel like that Bill and Ben are trading places being here, but Ben has been working some overnight shifts. He leaves after dinner, gets back in the morning, and sleeps until the afternoon. I was looking forward to him being around during the day but he has been working long hours and needs to sleep! Hopefully his schedule will return to normal soon. 

Meanwhile, I'm just hanging out at home trying to get a job and waiting to hear back about my interview!

An Early Spring!

I suppose it might not be considered an early spring for Denver, but experiencing 60-80 degree weather in March is a wonderful change for me! I still keep expecting a freak snow storm or cold snap, which would be perfectly normal in the Midwest!

Although it has been warm, we haven't been doing too much more outdoor activity. This makes me sad! We have been pretty busy over the last month, which I guess is why I haven't posted lately! I keep reminding myself to do it, but somehow it never quite gets crossed off on the to-do list.

Let's see here... last time I posted was the end of February! Wow! ...Sorry. We have spent a lot of the last few weekends spending time with our friends Justin and Ashley. We have had lots of game nights. These usually involve a combination of board/card games, movies, beer, and cooking great food! We have also been helping (or tagging along) with some of their wedding planning errands. I've been helping Ashley pick out shoes, but we haven't found the right pair yet- even after some very long days of shopping! I keep telling her to just have no shoes like we did- it makes it so simple! ;)  Bill, Justin, Ashley, and I also looked at a bunch of tux options and made some decisions on styles and color combinations. They are going to look very sharp! Ashley and I also tried to narrow down some bridesmaid dress options- the trick is that we have to find the combination of the right color, style, fabric, and price! Very tricky.

We had a special night out at the beginning of the month with Justin and Ashley when they had some guests from college visit! There were 4 visitors, and 3 were foreign exchange students. They were getting a mini tour of America over their spring break! We just got to spend one night with them in downtown Denver, but it was very fun! They all had great personalities and were easy to get along with. They were very impressed with the half yards of beer and food at the Yardhouse! We were especially impressed with the service there when Ben accidentally knocked his half yard glass onto someones food and the restaurant didn't end up charging him for the first plate or his replacement dish either. We didn't end up staying out very late because they had to get on the road early to go skiing and then keep heading west!

Another special weekend we had was St. Patrick's day! The three of us dressed up in fun green clothes (and of course Ben was in his kilt) and went downtown. We met up with some friends at the Yardhouse to start out our night. We hung out with Joey and Tracey- Joey is an old friend of Ben's from high school who just moved to Denver to be with his girlfriend Tracey. Ben hadn't seen Joey in a few years and we were all meeting Tracey for the first time, and we all got along famously! It was really awesome to meet people that we got along with so well. We're hoping to spend more time with them soon! Anyway, at the Yardhouse our St. Paddy's day was complete with green beer and corned beef sandwiches (that were totally divine! I wish they weren't just a holiday item!). After the Yardhouse we tried to find another nice place to hang out without much luck. Even with a Denverite, Tracey, we weren't able to find a place that wasn't packed! Eventually we came across a bar called 1 UP, which piqued our interest. It was full of retro (and some newer) arcade games. There was a bit of a line, but we didn't feel like going anywhere else, so we didn't mind waiting for a bit. When we got to the front of the line we were still going to have to wait a little longer, but the bouncer really liked Ben's kilt so he let us in right away. Ben was very proud! We got a few drinks and spent lots of quarters playing games like pacman, pinball, and street fighter. I wasn't too skilled at the arcade games, but I found out that I am not terrible at skiball! We're hoping to go back there again soon and play some more games hopefully when it isn't so busy! After we spent all of our quarters we went home on the light rail. Tracey and Joey only live 6 stops away from us, so it won't be at all difficult to meet up in the future.

The weekdays, I'm sorry to say, have been far less interesting than the weekends. Ben and Bill have been keeping busy at work and I have been doing a lot of reading (Swamplandia, Rook, and the Percy Jackson series- I recommend all of these! ), watching Queer Eye on netflix, and of course applying for lots and lots of jobs. I have only heard rejections so far :( . Ben and I ended up making a deal that if I could apply for 10 jobs in 1 day that we would go look at dogs together. I accomplished that goal, and we had a fun day of going to some dog shelters around Denver. We went to the Denver city shelter, Max Fund shelter, and the Dumb Friends League (which has a silly name, but is a very cool place!). We saw lots of dogs (and cats!) that we liked, but we couldn't decide on one to take home. I did have a dog in mind that was at the Denver shelter but it was being adopted when we got there! We looked at lots more, but we have very different tastes in dogs and we didn't see any that seemed like the right match for us. Ben likes black lab mix dogs, and I like Australian Shepherd/border collie dogs or other similar kinds with longer fur. Another problem is that we should probably get a smaller dog than either of those kinds so that it will fit in our apartment and won't need as much exercise. We both really love huge dogs (we saw a really cool great dane!), and don't really know what to think of medium sized and smaller breeds.
Some slightly more exciting things have going on in the apartment though. A few days ago we had the fire alarm go off and lots and lots of fire trucks came to the building! It was very noisy and exciting, and luckily nothing major happened. I think there was just a little kitchen fire in the building adjacent to ours. I guess other than that things have been pretty quiet. We got some new neighbors with some barky dogs that we have yet to meet. Our lobby, mail area, and exercise room just got repainted and they look pretty snazzy!

Since we recently filed our taxes, we got our return money back! Most of the money went to paying off bills, but we saved so me to spend on ourselves. Ben bought a new video game, Mass Effect 3. I went on a little shopping spree at Kohl's and Target and bought some spring clothes! I got a blue purse, a pair of stripey slip-on shoes, a yellow skirt with paisley stitched on the bottom, an off white lacey dress, and a fun multicolored stripey dress. Unfortunately, it hasn't quite warmed up enough for me to wear them yet (although my standards for wearing shorts/dresses is pretty high), but I have been getting lots of use out of the purse and I totally love it!

This past weekend we had an extra special adventure! On Tuesday night, Ben's uncle was in town on a mini business trip. He took us out for drinks and snacks at Earl's and we had a really great time! It was fun to catch up with him and also have some really good conversation. Ben's mom and sister came drove to visit us and take a vacation! They got here on Wednesday night. Ben's uncle was still in town and we had a big dinner planned, so it worked out fabulously that everyone was able to come to our apartment and have a big shrimp scampi feast! I don't know how we are going to eat all those leftovers! On Thursday, the three ladies drove to Idaho Springs to go to the cabin that the Little family rented. The town was very cute, the woods and mountains were beautiful, and the cabin was perfect! I hope we can go back soon! Here's the link to the place we stayed: http://www.vrbo.com/290592 . If you're planning on a visit I highly recommend it! We had a ton of great adventures hiking and exploring in on the property, the national forest, and the town of Idaho Springs. We also had a great time playing lots of games together, cuddling up in blankets, reading  books,  and making and eating lots of wonderful food. We also visited the Tommyknocker brewery that is located in Idaho Springs- Ben was very jealous that we went there without him because they make some of his favorite kinds of beer! Ben drove out to the cabin on Friday night after he got done with work, and Bill came out on Saturday morning, too! We played more games and did lots more hiking and exploring with the guys! We found a river on the cabin property and Bill found some fools gold in the water. It was pretty cool to see all the sparkly gold water, and our boots were still sparkling after we got back! The Littles left early Sunday morning to head back to Minnesota. After we finished packing up the cabin, Bill, Ben, and I went into town to do a little more exploring and to get breakfast. Bill headed home on the freeway, and Ben and I took the top off the Jeep and took the back roads home. It was very nice out, but it was still a bit cold in the mountains! The ride was very beautiful! Once we got home, however, we noticed how sunburned we had gotten! On our way back we stopped at Ben's work. They had just finished moving into their new office on Friday night and I was seeing it for the first time. It is very cool and huge- several  times bigger than their old office! Ben has a big desk and shares an office with 1 other guy who I haven't met yet. Bill has a big corner office that he shares with 2 other people that he works with. There is still a lot of organizing left to do there, but everyone is very excited to finally have enough office and work space for everyone!

On Monday afternoon Ben came home early after starting work early. It was great to see him, but unfortunately he was mostly home just to pack up for a work trip to southern California. He'll be gone at least a week and he's very busy so I haven't been able to talk to him much so far. Hopefully everything goes well so he doesn't have to be gone longer!
On Tuesday, yesterday, I biked to the dentist. I had an appointment for an exam and xrays because I hadn't been to the dentist in a while. It turned out to be a 3.5 hour appointment because 2 of my fillings had to be replaced! Luckily, my teeth were otherwise in great shape- the dentist was very impressed that I came in without a problem and that my teeth were doing so well! The appointment was of course very long and painful, but it wasn't too bad overall because the dentist was basically the nicest and most caring person I have ever met! She was actually really fun to be around and made the whole experience a lot better. Oh yeah, and my replacement fillings are made of porcelain! They took 3d pictures of my teeth and a machine carved my fillings with diamond drills so that they fit into my teeth perfectly. Pretty spiffy! Once I finally got out of the appointment, though, I was so exhausted, hungry, in pain, and numbed that I didn't feel well enough to drive home so I had Bill pick me up! I felt much better after eating some (soft) dinner (I had an early breakfast and skipped lunch because of my appointment) and taking some pain killers!
After dinner Bill and I ventured out to the Denver REI. It was huge! It is a (the?)  flagship store, and it was way cool! It was locate in a giant old International Harvester warehouse- I definitely got lost a few times! Bill picked out some sandals, a water bottles, and bike lights, and we had fun looking at lots of other stuff! I'm excited to take Ben there when he gets back, but I'm afraid we'll never be able to leave! After the REI, Bill remembered that there was a really cool ice cream place nearby. We walked across a huge bridge to get there. It is called Littleman Ice Cream and it is just a little hut (shaped like a giant milk can) with 2 guys serving a huge line of people through the windows. All the dining space was outdoors. The ice cream was incredibly delicious and they had very unique flavors! We got served by a guy who looked exactly like Jude Law. I asked him if he was Jude Law, but he denied that he was (I'm convinced he was lying). We ordered 1 serving of lemon creamsicle to share and we got a huge serving that I don't know how 1 person would be able to eat!  I'm hoping to go back again soon to try some of the other flavors like oatmeal cookie and salty oreo.

Phew! That basically catches us up to today! I'll try to post more so the entries don't get so long!!
Thanks for reading!

February Fun

February has been full of adventures!
We have been settling in here even more now. There still hasn't been much (lasting) snow, so we haven't gone snowshoeing or skiing again yet :(
We have, however, found a way to get outside more often and to get things done! We have been walking to Target about once a week. There are lots of stores there such as Target, Kohl's, game stop, grocery store, and a frozen yogurt shop! The walk is about 2.75 miles one way. So we walk, do what we need to do, and then head home.  It takes several hours but we don't usually mind because none of us stay particularly active. The frozen yogurt shop is called Menchie's and it is incredible and delicious! If you ever visit us (please do!) it is very likely that we will take you there (but we won't force you to walk. maybe.)! You just walk in, take a giant cup, and fill it with any flavors and toppings you like. Then you pay for it by weight. There are always new flavors every time we go, so it is always a new experience. Also, they have mini cups out so you can get samples of any kind you want to make sure you like it!

The grocery store there is called Sprouts farmer's market. It is like a Trader Joe's or other chain health/co-op type stores you may have seen. I like getting our fruit and veggies there and sometimes we get extra delicious cheese there too! I tried to apply for a job there but they did not have any positions open. Typical.

Over the last week of February we had some fun visitors! Ben's cousins and their significant others took a road trip to Colorado. Nic, Megan, Chris, and Manda were in town for about a week and we spent some great time with them. First they had some adventures on their own, but then we got to spend time with them exploring downtown Denver, and later, the Rocky Mountains! I was lucky that they were so generous to offer me a place in the cabin they rented just outside Rocky Mountain National park. The visitors' center was right across the street from where we stayed. We stayed in the cabin for several days and spent lots of time playing games, making and eating delicious food, hanging out in the hot tub, looking at the stars, and of course exploring the mountains. Ben was able to drive out twice around his work schedule, which was really great! In the mountains, we saw lots of deer, snow, and elk! We saw a few groups of male elk and we saw some fights which were really cool! The clack of their antlers coming together bounced off the mountains. We also saw a huge group of young and female elk. There were about 200 of them and we had to wait for them to cross the road in front of us in a single-file line! It was very cool to see and I hope we can go up there again soon! You can see some of the pictures I took on facebook.

Only a few days after they left I got a message from my family that my youngest sister was in the hospital. She had been sick for a while and they finally were figuring out what was wrong with her! She needed a few minor surgeries and procedures done, so I decided to fly back to Wisconsin to take care of her during her recovery. Little did I know, my sister is a super-human and healed exceptionally fast and well! I was with my family for almost a week and I got to spend lots of great time with my family and all the pets! I also got to see some great friends that I haven't seen in a while! And, over the weekend my brother was able to fly out to visit as well- it was a nice reunion. Meanwhile, Ben was in Denver working 12 hour shifts! He worked enough so he didn't get too lonely, but it was a tough week! He finished it up by going on a ski/snowboard trip with some coworkers, which was fun, but he did get a little banged up!

They day after Bill and I got back it was Valentine's day. We were all pretty worn out, so we didn't have any big plans. We stayed in and had our traditional dinner of fetuccini alfredo and caesar salad. We were thinking about watching a romantic movie to complete the night, but then we just ended up watching a few episodes of How I Met Your Mother, our standby show lately.

In addition to seeing the cousins, we've had another guest lately as well. My college friend Nathan visited recently as well! He was also visiting other friends, but we did have time to go out to a few meals and take a trip to the zoo! That was the second trip to the zoo I took this month, and it was very worth it! The Denver Zoo totally rocks- I see new things every time I go. If you come and visit (please?) I will take you there too! (If only they would call me back about the job I applied for...)

We also have had fun with local friends lately too! Last weekend we went to Justin and Ashley's apartment for a game day! We played lots of board, card, and video games and had a great time! We also got to meet their very friendly foster dog- a black lab/weimeriner mix named Wyett who loves to play and cuddle! Our next date is to bake and eat some apple pie- yum!

Things in our apartment have been pretty calm. We got some new shelves for our game collection- it looks much nicer than a big pile on the floor! We also put up two wall shelves for our movies (and perhaps a projector in the future). It looks pretty snazzy, if I do say so myself!
Our big activities lately has been doing taxes, sorting paperwork, paying bills, and working on eating the 9 boxes of girl scout cookies we bought!

January Heating Up

So far, the coldest temperature I have seen is about 25. Ben says that one morning it was down to 13. But these temperatures are apparently not normal around here. It seems like most days are between 30-60. A couple days ago it got up to 70 (the day that it apparently got very cold in the Midwest!). It feels a little unnatural, but it is ok with me to not be freezing all the time. Ben is pretty sad though because he loves the cold! There are a few things that I miss about having a cold winter though! It hasn't snowed very much here (as everywhere, apparently), although, more accurately it has snowed a few times but then it gets so warm that the snow melts very quickly. There are just a few big black snow piles around in parking lots for the most part. Another sad thing is that we got an apartment with a fireplace and we don't really have occasion to use it! We have used it a few times to add some atmosphere, but really, it just makes us get hot! There's something to be said about curling up in front of a warm fire on a cold day! Those two things are the ones I miss the most. Other related items are: less occasion to drink hot tea, I have a ton of super warm and awesome winter clothes I am not wearing ( I even just added to my infamous wild knee-high sock collection!), and we haven't been able to go snowshoeing or skiing more than once!
Anyway, no one reads blogs to hear about the weather. You read my blog to find out about my exciting life! Hah.

I bought some new hiking boots! I have been ogling them for a couple years now. Finally we have some money I can spend! I thank my husband profusely for working so I can spend his hard-earned money on things for me! ;) My boots are purple Ahnu Montara boots- here's a picture: boots Cool, right!? They are so lightweight and fit perfectly that it feels like I'm not even wearing them!
See how exciting my life is?!

Last Sunday we went on a big adventure to fix the guys' cars. We drove to a shop about two miles away from us and left the cars there while we explored the surrounding area for the day. It was nice being forced to get to know the area we live in! We first walked a mile-ish down and checked out Target and Kohl's. We got a couple things after the guys enjoyed searching the clearance area for shirts. Bill ended up with 3 nice shirts, and Ben got some much-needed pants (unfortunately not on sale and very expensive), hopefully these last longer than some of his other pairs! After shopping we walked back past the car shop and probably another mile in the other direction to get lunch at the Olive Garden. Endless soup, salad, and bread sticks- yum! Eventually we made it back to the car place and picked up the cars. Ben's car unfortunately needed lots of work done and we spent lots of money on it! Hopefully, Daisy won't need any more major repairs for a while.
On the way back from picking up the cars we checked out a "farmer's market" called sprouts. Really, it's just a store akin to Trader Joe's. But, it is nice to find a store close to us that sells really great produce and natural products. And a lovely selection of cheese! I got a very large block of Fontina...  yummmmmm!

Last Saturday Ben and I went on a date to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. It totally rocked! We saw a ton of cool things- Ben and I both found exhibits that we were particularly excited about and of course saw things that we were both interested in. We also had a delicious lunch at the cafe. One of the coolest exhibits was a traveling exhibit. We were lucky to catch it on the last day! It was about dinosaurs- particularly the Trex skeleton named Sue. Aside from info about Sue's bones and the dig, we learned a lot about dinosaurs in general and saw animatronic dinosaurs as well. The robot dinos were especially interesting because they were interactive! If you got too close to the nest, the triceratops would get visibly agitated and try to protect her eggs. The raptors would follow your movements and "hunt" you- very creepy actually. The robotic trex would follow you a bit too and roar occasionally, which would, in turn, frighten the other robotic dinosaurs. In general there were a lot of interactive exhibits at the museum and I really enjoyed it! We have to go back soon because even though we were there for over 4 hours, we only saw about half the exhibits! The place is huge!

This week, we took a step toward becoming official Colorado residents! We went to the DMV to get in-state driver's licenses. Of course we had to wait in line for 2 hours basically just to sign our names. And of course the other line went about 5 times as fast. But the lines were for different services and we just had to stand and wait. We should be seeing our licenses in the mail in as soon as 30 days! Wow... so fast! Unfortunately, Bill is going to have to go back another time with more paperwork to get his. Additionally, we'll have to go to a different DMV again to get Ben's license plates transferred as well (and cross our fingers in hoping there's no emissions test!), but at least we have started the process!

Last week I did something exciting! Well, got excited about something, more accurately. I applied for a job at the Denver Zoo! I've been applying for things here and there, but I haven't gotten excited about any jobs until now! The job is basically an educational zoo keeper. If I get the job, I would basically work with animals and then teach other people and kids about them in shows and workshops. It is pretty much right up my alley, and I definitely had a strong application. Keep your fingers crossed for me! If you have nothing better to do (which must be the case because you are still reading this blog), you can look at the job description here. I'm trying not to get too excited so I don't get my heartbroken, but I am obviously not having much luck with that.

Today I got to see some Luther friends, Nathan and Alyse! It was great to see some familiar faces! While the boys were still at work, the three of us took a nice hike to Cherry Creek State Park and had some tea (thanks for the AWESOME tea, LittleC!) when we got home. After that we had some cheese and crackers before the whole gang went to the Bent Noodle (our restaurant of choice lately) for dinner. It was wonderful to see them and hear about all of their adventures. Hopefully we'll be able to do more with them while they are still in town!

We'll see what's in store for this weekend- maybe I can convince the guys to go to the art museum!
Hmm, pretty unlikely.

Thanks for reading!

A better late than never update!

It is my pleasure to tell you that I am posting from a new computer! The keyboard even works! Unfortunately, this is only a new computer to me. It is actually my brother's 7 year old computer (3years older than mine!) but it is in a little better condition than my Betty!
Anyway, the reason I haven't posted lately is a mix of being too busy or not busy enough. Essentially, my life has either been incredibly boring to say anything about or I've been too busy to post!
But lots of exciting things have happened!
Let's see... I went dress shopping with Alex and Ashley again and she picked out a dress! It is beautiful and I'm very excited to see it on her!
It isn't nearly as exciting, but I got a haircut last month too. If you haven't seen it- it's a quite a bit shorter and a darker reddish brown. I like how it turned out, but I'm not sure I'll go back there or not- I didn't like the stylist I had very much.
We have also done lots of new arranging in our apartment and I decorated for Christmas! We got lots of new shelves, put lots of things away, and even got furniture slip covers! I have some pictures of the place on facebook.
Speaking of Christmas...
For a couple weeks before the holiday, we kept getting gifts in the mail. It seemed never ending! We had our own Christmas between the 3 of us before we left the state. We exchanged gifts in the afternoon that the guys had off. Ben and I got Bill snowshoes so we were able to all go tromping out together at the state park that same day. We ended staying out til sunset. It was beautiful! There's a couple pictures of that trip on facebook too.
Ben got me tickets to go to the holiday lights at the Denver Botanic Gardens as my gift! It was very beautiful and romantic! We got to walk around outside and look at lights, plants, snow, and ice! Inside we got to see some beautiful orchids- apparently that is their specialty!
Our friends Wilfer and Alaina were in town over their school Christmas break. We were lucky enough to get to see them on the 23rd after we got back from the gardens. It was great to see them, although we ended up staying up late chatting and eating cookies.
As for out big Christmas pilgrimage, we left on the morning of the 24th. Although, at that time of day, I'm not sure if it even counts as morning yet. We got up at 2 am, and gathered up our things. (Please not that Ben and Bill went to bed around 12:30 and I think I fell asleep about 1:55) At 2:45 we left to walk to the light rail station. It was very cold and I think bags weigh more that early in the morning. Ben ended up having to carry mine part of the way! We caught the bus at the train station. The airport shuttle was supposed to be a coach bus, but for some unlucky reason, we had a city bus. The ride ended up being very long and crowded! We did meet a nice little old lady that we got to talk to though! Finally, we got to the airport at 4 am. Luckily the airport was pretty quiet at that time and we didn't get held up by lines. Unfortunately, we did get held up at the ticket counter. All the other airline counters were open when we got there except ours! It didn't open until 4:30. So we got to have even more time to sit and rest. After we got our bags checked, we went through security and waited at the gate. Then we had our 6 am flight- our first flight of the day. We landed in Kansas City, Mo and had an incredibly boring 4 hour layover. If ever you have a choice of going to that airport, you should avoid it at all costs! It was tiny and boring and we couldn't even get anything to eat unless we went through security. Eventually we made it to Milwaukee and got to see the family! The only good thing about those flights was that we had some really nice and entertaining flight attendants!
The rest of the day we relaxed and wrapped up our gifts. We went to bed early and tried to catch up on some sleep! The next few days we fun, family, and friend filled! I'm glad I got to see lots of people, but sad that I missed seeing some and wished I could have seen more of other people. The whole experience was short but sweet.
Family and friends aside, it was also fun to see my family's new kitten and even newer puppy! Freyja the kitten and Gracie the puppy don't get along but they are both very cute! Gracie is an albino deaf puppy and she has a lot to learn! We are lucky we have Cody to take care of her and teach her everything she needs to know!
We flew back to Denver on the 29th. This time the layover was in Las Vegas. Were hoping it would be slightly more glamorous than our previous layover- and it was- but not by much. We finally made it home and had a friend pick us up this time. Then we slept for a long time to recover!
The next day, we were lucky to see Ben's parents! They stayed in town for a couple days and we got to have another family Christmas! They left on new year's eve and went to Justin and Ashley's house with some other friends- including Wilfer and Alaina! We had a very nice celebration complete with kinect and champagne.
The next morning we at french toast and came home to Bill's new mattress! He finally won't have to sleep on the floor anymore! New year's day was also Ben's and my 6th month wedding anniversary. So far, so good!

The boys have now gone back to work and I've gone back to looking for some. This week they are pretty bored, but they did have a special day on Wednesday. They had a big meeting with the whole office for the end/beginning of the year. They even met some  people that they hadn't met yet. That night, we got all dressed up and went downtown for an office dinner. It was really great meeting all of the coworkers and finally putting names to faces. The place was called ocean prime, and it was the fanciest place any of have ever been! We had calamari, crab rolls, and goat cheese ravioli as appetizers. Then, we had lobster bisque. Next, asparagus and hollandaise and truffle oil macaroni and cheese. Our main course we had options of 2 different steaks and crab encrusted tilapia (which is what I had). For dessert we had huge individual lemon-blueberry cheesecake (like me!) or an even bigger chocolate peanut  butter cake! The drinks were all really fancy too! I don't remember what mine was called but it had a organic edible orchid in it! There was so much food in that meal that no one could really finish! I brought lots of mine home to enjoy later! The company paid for all of that, and the icing on the cake was that their boss also got them Christmas presents- they each got a Nook reader! I'm very excited that I don't have to share with Ben anymore- he hogs ours!
Now that all the holiday madness is over, things are finally back to normal around here. Well, things would be more normal, however, if the temperature wasn't 60 degrees! When I took jterm courses at Luther the temperature was often below 0, even down to negative 40 once! Quite the difference! It doesn't even feel like winter!

I think that concludes my updates for now... although I feel like I probably left a lot of things out because there was so much to write about! I'll try to be better about updating more frequently and in smaller posts now!
Love you all!

White Dresses and White Snow

This weekend was nice- it was good to finally get to see the guys! They even both got back early/ at a reasonable time on Friday! Our original plan for Saturday was to go downtown (and see it in daylight for once) to go shopping and see the holiday lights parade- and find out what a holiday lights parade is as well. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait until next year to solve the mystery. I ended up getting a call from my friend Ashley to go wedding dress shopping with her and Alex. We had a nice girls day out! First, we went out for sushi. I haven't had sushi in probably 5 years, and didn't know if I would even like it. But, I wanted to make a good impression so my plan was to fake it even if I hated it. The descriptions of the rolls sounded odd, but I trusted the two other girls to pick something good. Luckily, I did end up enjoying it! We got two different kinds of rolls and ended up sharing them. Now I that I know I like sushi, I might even be a little more adventurous with what I order in the future! After sushi we went to look at wedding dresses. It was a little odd being the youngest person and the only married one, and I tried to give the best advice I could about dress shopping. We only ended up looking at one store because another one we were going to check out was closed. Alex and I had fun picking out dresses for Ashley to try on and Ashley eventually came around to enjoying trying them on. After a long afternoon at the shop, we narrowed it down to two that we all liked the best. They are so different that we couldn't decide which one we liked better. Another weekend we are going to try to look at some other stores to look at other options.
It was really nice to get out of the house and spend time with some other people for once!

Over the past week we had lots of snow falling! Some has been falling about every other day. The temperatures have been fluctuating a bit though, so some days it is above freezing and the snow melts. Today, on the other hand is the coldest I have seen here so far: 0 degrees! It is interesting to see how the mountains affect the weather. I can feel the cold coming down from the mountains sometimes! The snow is also a lot drier and more powdery here. Very unlike lake-effect snow in Cedarburg. Considering the typically small amounts of snow that fall at a time here and the fact that it usually doesn't stick around, there is not much plowing or salting on the roads. On Saturday morning I had to have Ben drive me in the 4wd jeep to Ashley's house because there was so much snow on the roads. It snowed about 4 inches over Friday night and Saturday, and apparently that is a lot here! People were driving very slowly and swerving all over the place! The freeway was covered in a layer of snow and slush, even around noon. We even spun out once on the freeway in front of a semi! Everyone was driving slowly enough to stop in time and let us turn back around. Normally people just wait for the snow to melt- there aren't even that many plows in the city fleet. They also rarely salt roads around here either- to protect the wildlife and ecosystem. I like the idea, but it makes driving very scary and dangerous!

Today I baked a pumpkin pie, did dishes, and did laundry. And today our debit and credit cards finally came in the mail. Looks like I'll be doing lots of Christmas shopping this week!