Where you will find me at parties

..pretty much!!
Meet you in the kitty corner, Carol.

(via)

Thanksgiving in Oklahoma

11 hours in the car, with 4 adults, 3 dogs, 2 mountain bikes, 5 duffel bags, 4 iPhone's, 1 book.. and a partridge in a pear tree.

   

The trip was a complete whirlwind, but one filled to the brim with family & friends, black Friday shopping, car games, hugs & kisses, football, movies, and family dinners.  It was more than we could've hoped for (well, minus a bit of car trouble).  

We made it back to Denver around 10pm, dropped our bags at the door, and crashed.  Possibly from our extended food coma, I'm not sure.  It was such a great trip.

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving too!

Away we go

over the

mountains,

and through the

woods.

We're off for the upcoming holidays.  Can't wait to see our family and friends we've missed greatly, eat a delicious dinner, and give thanks, for so very much.   

Happy Thanksgiving, friends!

Carded

Finally got a new library card! That's right, a library card before a new state driver's license... Priorities.

It's only the second card I've owned since my early reading days in elementary school, when I was fighting so hard to fill up my Book it! pin for a free mini pizza.

Anyone remember that reading program with the psychedelic Pizza Hut pin that changed colors when you moved it side to side and had little gold stars at the top?

Clearly it was important to my little self, I still remember it so vividly.

Currently...

(we heart it)

attempting to // sew... anything...  It's been far too long since my last project.  Hopefully I will get my mini sewing machine out this weekend for a little crafting session.

excited about // Christmas!  Too soon?

listening to // Everything by Lifehouse and remembering the moment in college at a praise & worship night when I heard the song in a whole new way; the meaning transformed from a love song about a boy to a song about my relationship with God. 

loving // our new city!  Still.  There's just so much to do. 

hating // the dark drive home from work.  Why is the sun gone already??

looking forward to // hitting the slopes this weekend!  I bought new skis a few months ago that are begging to get out of the garage.  Even though I've skied a handful of times in the past, I signed up for lessons this season and hope I will learn some new skills so the kiddos will stop passing me by on the mountain.  It's a little embarrassing.

reading // the 3rd book in the Jessica Darling Series by Megan McCafferty

stumbled upon // this blog a couple weeks ago.  It makes me laugh a whole bunch. 

watching // the late 90s TV show, Felicity on Netflix (almost finished too, which makes me sad. it's sooo good)

spending time // on YouTube, watching the Hunger Games trailer over and over and over.  Get ready, friends.

*Currently... in June

*Currently... in August

Back in 20

Around 11:45 today, I realized I forgot my lunch at home and immediately felt bummed.  I love brown bagging it, so I can sit in my little office, "work through lunch" and leave early.  It's the best!

Or so I thought...

Knowing nothing about my surroundings, I asked around the office for some eatery recommendations within walking distance, and set off. 

Look at all the beauty I found on the way!   

The sun is shining, students out and about on campus, laughter, puppies, the wind blowing my hair around into a mad mess.  It was ah-mazing! And completely worth the extra 20 minutes I'll stay at work today.

So, I've now decided a bit of time each week out of the office is the really the "best".

On the bookshelf: Fall finds

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass - Classic novels from Lewis Carroll that I just read for the first time.  I really enjoyed the simple stories of little Alice and her big imagination.  Both books follow her through the mysterious wonderland, accompanied with new found friends and a few foes.  It was really great reading the original story of Alice in Wonderland that we have heard in various forms many times.  Bonus:  the novel I bought included both stories AND had interesting footnotes that told of Carroll's various meanings behind each poem or phrase.  I brought a wealth of knowledge to my first book club gathering!

Sweet Little Lies - The second novel from Lauren Conrad that was just as entertaining, if not more, than the first.  The fictional story follows Jane and her life as a reality starlet, with the highs and lows of being placed in the Hollywood limelight.  Yep, still sounding like The Hills to me.  I've passed it along to Val, then onward to Sam.  I hope they like the breezy read as much as I did!

The Shadow of the Wind - An incredible mystery that circles around a book, titled Shadow of the Wind (confusing right?), that a young boy named Daniel discovers in a cemetery of forgotten books.  The story unfolds chilling secrets of romantic affairs, tragedies, family struggles, and friendship.  Quickly, Daniel's story and the stories of the Shadow of the Wind begin to connect in haunting ways.  The writing and imagery are beautiful; even though I've never been to Barcelona, I feel like I know it so well after reading this novel.  The entire book club group enjoyed it and now want to read more from Zafon. His writing and storytelling is superb!