Getting in the Groove

I love routine in the morning. It helps me wake up and ensure I am on time each day. I think I've got it down with my new job, and it feels great! Not that waking up at 5 a.m. is easy, but it's what I've gotta do. Plus, I love that I get to leave work at 4 p.m.! 

When Friday rolls around,  I am glad to have the weekend begin, since weekends in Denver might be my favorite ever. There is always something fun happening in the city, and the mountains are just a short drive away if the outdoors are calling my name. Hiking in Colorado is awesome compared to my wet hikes in Washington! Loving the dry trail and warm weather.

Additionally, the beer culture is incredible here. I find that we are attending a beer event of some sort just about every weekend. Plus, such events usually allow dogs -  Addie can join us!

Last weekend, we went to Denver Beer Co's pumpkin beer release party. Once in the door, we had unlimited opportunity to try their pumpkin beer plus a host of other beers on tap. Not to mention good food, games, and tons of fun people all brought together for the love of beer and a good time! Addie came along and was a huge hit. We take every opportunity we have to socialize her, and each time I am astounded at what a rock star of a dog she is. We are taking her downtown today for Oktoberfest Denver, and are so excited for good beer and German fun!

Wishing everyone out there a wonderful weekend!

Full sail

I started my new job a week ago Monday, and I'm loving it! It is certainly an adjustment from not working at all, so I'm just starting to learn how to make time for other things. Add the puppy on top of that and I've got quite a few balls to juggle! 

My day starts at 5 a.m., I take puppy out, get ready for work, Preston leaves at 6 a.m. and I leave for work by 6:40 a.m.. I work till 11 a.m., drive home to take the puppy out and rush back to work till 4 p.m. Come home again for the puppy, I cook dinner, and give lots of love to the puppy. Preston gets home by 7:30 p.m.. We eat, and then to bed by 9 p.m. I haven't been this busy in ages! It's challenging but I'm loving it.

Thank goodness for the weekends when we can sleep in (till maybe 7 p.m.) and spend long days together. We've attempted two 14ers with Addie, and hope one day we can make it to the top! We are looking forward to this weekend and to more time spent in the mountains with family.

I'm hoping to get a rhythm figured out soon so I don't feel so rushed all the time, but perhaps that is my new rhythm for a time. Baby puppy plus full time job plus partner in medical school equals a lot more on my plate. 

Addie is quickly approaching 3 1/2 months this Sunday, and she has already put on 3lbs since we picked her up almost four weeks ago! It's amazing how fast she is growing and how much she is learning. She is one smart dog! 

Attempting Bierstadt

One tired pup on the way down

We (almost) did it!

I love her so

On the way down. Couldn't quite do it...

Victory!

I did it. I got a job that I am excited about and that I think will be a good fit and a place where I can learn and grow. I'm so glad this worked out as well as it did and I'm looking forward to new adventures! 

I'm also grateful to have gotten a summer "break." It made all the difference for my transition from Washington to Colorado, and it was so special to be able to travel, spend time with family and friends, and get quality, stress-free down time with Preston. 

I feel refreshed, established, and ready to get back to work. Having an income will also be nice! 

Obsessed

I'm afraid to admit this, but I think I'm obsessed with my puppy, Addie. Being funemployed, I get to spend all day with this little ball of fluff and I couldn't be more thrilled. Thrilled to wake up at 5 a.m. to take her out to pee. Thrilled to pick up her poops. PROUD when she poops! I'm clearly a crazy person, but I'm loving every minute. 

Like one of those overly-doting parents, I get so excited when she plays fetch, rolls on her back, pees outside, etc. I'm also convinced that she is the most well behaved puppy ever, and is likely the most adorable and intelligent. Whenever I take Addie outside, the second thing out of people's mouths (after, "awww!") is, "I bet you're not getting any sleep!" Wrong. She sleeps through the night without making a sound or having an accident. Winning! 

Things are so different with Addie compared to my dog growing up, that my mind is blown each day. I loved my family dog, Tamlorn, but he was a very shy and neurotic dog. We couldn't take him anywhere, he hated the car, he was shy around strangers, and he didn't like playing. We got him when he was 7 months old and the breeder did a terrible job of socializing him, so he was scarred for life. We tried different obedience and agility classes, and my parents even brought in a dog behavioral specialist, but he was who he was. He was a great dog for our family, but certainly had his issues. 

Addie, on the other hand, is such a dog dog. She loves playing with toys. She loves people and meeting other dogs. She can sleep anywhere, including in the car. She loves her crate. She loves getting petted all over. She is just the best. I think the big difference is that we got her at such a young age (10 weeks) and she came from a wonderful home. I'm excited to start puppy preschool with her on Saturday and to keep watching her learn and grow. I can already tell she is going to be my companion for life! 

Meet Addie

I've always loved animals. As a child, I wished so badly that I was a dog, or a cat, or a horse, or a lemur, or a snow leopard... the list goes on. I would beg my mom for pets all the time, and grew up raising rats, parakeets, a dog, a cat, and a bunny. It was the best!

After living away from home for the past 6 plus years without a pet, I was dying to add a fluffy companion to my life. Due to restrictions at my last place and knowing I would be moving, I decided to wait. Now, in Denver, that has changed! I know I'll be living here for at least 4 years and I can have pets at my rental. Hooray! Not to mention Denver is insanely pet friendly, and dogs are welcome at many restaurants, farmer's markets, parks, and breweries.

So at dusk on Saturday, Preston and I welcomed Addison Red to our home. She is a red merle Mini Australian Shepherd puppy, weighing in at 8lbs at eleven weeks of age. I am in love. 

I am pleased to introduce you to Addie!

Mmmm Mmmm Summer

With Preston starting school on Monday, he already feels summer slipping away. For me, in the full swing of funemployment, I thought I'd share some of my favorite things during summertime:

Sunshine

Warm evenings

Ripe watermelon

Caprese salad (pictured below)

BBQs

Iced coffee

Outdoor concerts in the park

Open windows

Sandals 

Mint juleps (pictured below)

Freckles

Sunflowers

Baseball games

Rose wine

Afternoon thunderstorms 

Patio dining

Popsicles

I could probably go on forever... what are your summer favorites?

Busy Bee

The last couple weeks have been a whirlwind. It's been busy at our place with friends in town and lots of exploring to do and fun to be had. We have been making the brewery rounds and let's just say they are not kidding about amazing beer in Colorado!

In Denver, we visited Wynkoop  Brewing Company, River North Brewery, The Great Divide Brewing Company, and Former Future Brewing Company. Other favorites we didn't make it to with friends include Vine Street Pub & Brewery, Jagged Mountain Brewery, and Denver Beer Co. 

We of course hit up Coors in Golden, an irresistible tourist spot worth it for the three free pours. A short walk from Coors, we also tried Barrels and Bottles Brewery and Golden City Brewery in downtown Golden. Next time we go, we are certainly going to float the river through town!

If ever in the Denver area, I'd highly recommend all these breweries. My favorite thing to do is get a flight so I can sample what they have on tap to really get a feel for their taste and style. Many offer food or have rotating food trucks outside, and who doesn't love food with beer? Major win.

The next few days are going to be packed with family in town and medical school beginnings for Preston. The start of his med school seemed so far away and now it is right around the corner! 

Radiate Positivity

Today is one of those lazy Sundays, and I'm so happy to be right where I am. I am simply loving Denver and all the fun and welcoming people here, and couldn't be more content about the move. 

I'm feeling extra positive today because I have interviews for two awesome jobs next week, I had a great visit with family, and I live in a lovely home with a lovely partner. 

I'm also excited to share that I started running again last week! I developed chronic exertional compartment syndrome in 2009 and it prevented me from being able to run. I mentioned my surgery in earlier posts, and this surgery was to correct the compartment syndrome. Now, after only 7 weeks, I can run again pain free! Of course, I am miserably out of shape so really I am run-walking, but still! It is so much more than I've been able to do in years. I'm feeling so thrilled to start to getting back into shape! 

Here's to hoping the positivity I'm radiating keeps coming, and here's to sending it out into the world.

Something else to be positive about - my new plant friends! 

Our little herb garden - it's so fun to harvest the herbs and use them in our cooking and cocktails!

Exploring Denver: South Pearl Street Farmers' Market

Between applying and interviewing for jobs, I am enjoying exploring Denver. This morning, Preston and I headed over to the South Pearl Street Farmers' Market to get some local produce and check out what this market had to offer. I grew up going to the Davis Farmers' Market every single Saturday morning and every Wednesday evening in the summers, so I was delighted to find such a great market right in our neighborhood! 

I naturally had to sample their chicken tamale offerings, which I found to be quite the tasty brunch. We also went home with ripe red tomatoes, a huge head of lettuce, kale, an onion, and a mystery pepper. Oh the joys of the market! Below are a few photos I snapped while strolling along under the big blue Denver sky.

Food trucks at the market

My tamal colombiano

More market views

I am going to explore more Farmers' Markets in the Denver area, and found this site to be especially helpful!

Almost Settled

I've been in Denver since last Tuesday and it was only Saturday when I finally started to feel settled. The week of moving, AKA making Costco, Target, Goodwill, and Home Depot runs every day for 5 consecutive days, is finally (mostly) over. Preston left yesterday for a 10 day camping trip in Yellowstone with friends and I'm looking forward to visiting family in California for a week starting tomorrow. 

Yep, we are the crazy people that move to a new state and take off less than a week later. 

I'm still on the job hunt and am hopeful something will work out soon. At the same time, I am loving all this free time I have to run errands during off hours, catch up on a good book, watch Orange is the New Black (I maybe need to cool it a bit with the Netflix binging), find the perfect spot for remaining odds and ends, and learn the new city! 

Each day, I'm feeling stronger and more able to walk longer distances. I'm so happy to be a month ahead of schedule on my recovery and have my fingers crossed that I'll be running again come July!

Things seem to work out and fall into place, and I am feeling utterly grateful for the wonderful people in my life. 

Sleepless

I found this post that I never finished from last week, so I figured I would include what was on my mind a week ago and what is going on now. 

Tuesday, May 27

I am sleepless in Tacoma, which is near Seattle, but my state of sleeplessness is nowhere near romance or glamour. This week I cannot stop thinking about all that needs to get done; work, moving, selling my car, renting a car, cleaning, etc. I'm pretty sure the list just about never ends because I have spent the last few nights awake and thinking about it all. 

Unfortunately, I find I have a very low stress tolerance. The smallest thing will see off my anxiety and, poof! I'm a stressed out mess. It's been a long time since I've actually lost this much sleep, so I literally cannot wait to be in Denver and have the big stuff out of the way! 

Thursday, June 5

I am sitting on my couch in Denver, Colorado. It has been a whirlwind of a move, and I cannot believe this will already be night three in our new apartment! This new place is certainly an upgrade in just about every way: washer/dryer in unit, walk-in closet, updated appliances, gym, awesome location in the city... the list goes on and on. 

Let's be clear though - moving is very difficult and takes a lot of time and even more money. We have been getting by with very limited furniture and an even more limited food supply. I forgot how long it takes to have a fully stocked kitchen! I went to make the most simple of meals - a quesadilla - and found I only had very basic ingredients (tortilla ad cheese), missing some of my favorite add-ons (onions, avocado, spinach, bell peppers, etc.). 

I feel like so many things are unsettled right now and I just want to be all unpacked and done with it all. We still have a huge pile of random items with nowhere to put it due to the lack of furniture (bookshelf, coffee table, end tables, etc.) and not a single photo is on the wall. 

These things take time, and I know that soon the apartment will look less like a mess and more like a home. Photos will come once the home part is achieved!

For now, the sleeplessness will continue, but each night gets better and better. 

Denver: the first chapter

Preston and I are in Denver and successfully procured an apartment to rent come June! Yesterday was a whirlwind looking at one apartment community after the next and then racing to submit our applications against four other couples. We won! 

Today we've been bopping about checking out our new neighborhood and we tested Preston's commute to school. We had a quick tour of his med school and it looks like an awesome place to learn! I'm so excited for him. 

My next move is to find a job. Hopefully something will work out in the next couple months!