On New Years Eve, the last day of a year that I’d personally would love to forget existed, the winds in Boulder picked up to ridiculous, can’t-even-walk speeds. It was as if Boulder wanted to get rid of 2011 just as badly as I did, blowing it out of town along with any extra leaves that were hanging about. While it restricted my fashion choices to pants (because I’d like to keep my flashing to a minimum), the wind made me smile. To sound completely cliche, I felt it was the winds of change.
2011 wasn’t all bad, but it wasn’t stellar either. A friend texted me just before midnight on Saturday, asking her friends what their one word to describe 2011 would be. I immediately wanted to write crap but how cynical and bitter would that be? It’s taken me two days but my word?
Intense.
2011 seemed to do things in the extremes. There were the highs–the trips to New York, my new apartment, outings with friends and quite a bit of laughter as I settled into my second year in Boulder. But they were countered with lowest of lows–severe anxiety, heartbreak and the worst depression I’ve had since I was 16. Not to mention my writing on this blog was a balancing act, constantly teetering over the edge into writer’s block and full months of a disappearing act.
All of it was…intense.
Was it a learning experience? All of it, 100%. Would I repeat it? Absofuckinglutely not.
So it’s with open arms that I am embracing 2012. It’s a year of milestones–I turn THIRTY, will be leaving the country for the first time in over two years (nearly three by the time I do leave! FOR CHINA.) and am planning on making some major changes to my life. For Christmas I received an unexpected gift–a Kindle. I had been under the impression that my Barcelona chair was my Christmas gift and was told multiple times that the chair was the only gift I’d be receiving. Fine with me, I’m pretty much in love with it, so it was a nice surprise when I received my Kindle.
Now where the hell am I going with this? Well, I now am obsessed with this little gadget and have been reading nonstop (which is fantastic since one of my goals for the new year is to read more!). One of the books I read was The Last Werewolf and while it may not seem like a book that would inspire, it kind of kicked me in the ass–a reminder that hey, Ashley. Life isn’t forever. WHY ARE YOU LIVING A LIFE YOU DON’T LIKE AND ENJOY?
How I got that from a book about a werewolf is baffling to even me, but I will take whatever ass-kicking motivation I can get. I have been mired in this stupid depression for a couple months now and it was this pretty forceful inner voice telling me to get the fuck over it and start DOING something about it that snapped me out of that black hole.
My goal for 2012? Create a life that I love. Not just a life that’s content. That’s decent. I have been so blessed in the past with all that I’ve experienced. I can look back and say, yeah I’ve lived a good life. I’ve traveled a lot, lived a life in NYC that most people only dream about, worked on awesome projects, lived on a beach, met some amazing people. 2011 was a blip on that screen, the unadventurous year with no exceptional qualities about it except that I probably cried more in that year than I have in the past few years combined.
You know what? I DON’T LIKE CRYING. So 2012 is going to be all smiles, adventure, putting my life back on track. Having fun, keeping old friendships from across the country as strong as ever (I have TWO girls weekends planned! One in New Orleans for my 30th and one on St. Simon’s Island for my friend’s 30th) and developing meaningful new relationships and further establishing my life here in Boulder.
There’s no resolutions this year. There is only doing. What are you doing this year?
A sidenote: I’m really excited about two new blogging projects that I’m starting on. One is Twelve Changes, a community blog with about 50 other bloggers about the Twelve Changes we’re making in ’12! The second project is close to my heart, something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time: a travel blog. I’m in the process of designing, writing and getting it up there but watch for The Wanderscapes!
Home to me has always been a fluid thing. I grew up moving every couple years with the majority of my time spent on the east coast in Connecticut. When asked where I am from, my response is usually: everywhere but mainly from Connecticut. I really only spent a couple years in elementary school, a couple in junior high and a couple in high school, but that has always been considered where I’m from. Now I just say New York, since I’ve officially spent the most time there.
Every year around this time people flock to that place where they grew up. They revisit old haunts, catch up with friends they’ve known since they were kids and sleep in their old bedrooms. They go down memory lane, so to speak. I, however, don’t do that.
Instead of flying into LaGuardia or JFK, the closest airport to that small town of Ridgefield, Connecticut, I fly into Detroit and take a road west to Ann Arbor where my parents now live. I drive down roads I’m not familiar with to a house that I don’t have a bedroom in, that doesn’t hold any old memories in it’s old walls. It’s a beautiful home, Ann Arbor a lot more lively than that old sleepy town I’m from but is it considered home?
As I sat across from my good friend Andy at the Arbor Brewing Company in downtown Ann Arbor, catching up over pints of local brews, I realized that this place is more home than anywhere else. It’s the place I go back to and catch up with old friends. Friends I made at Michigan State who have stayed some of my closest, bestest friends over the past ten years. They’re more spread out; scattered out across the Detroit Metro area in their own hometowns so it’s harder to see them. But it’s these people that I call when I get into town to grab drinks, try to coordinate dinners and who I feel like I’ve known for ages. I don’t have that anymore in Ridgefield, I don’t have that group of friends to call and catch up with, there are no more nostalgic memories there than there are here. I’m a mere transplant here but it’s…home. Or at least the closest thing I’ve got to a home.
This year Christmas has been a strange time of year. It’s always been a tad hard, a stark reminder of my perpetual state of single-ness. After all, Christmas is all about love and all that goopey stuff and it’s plastered everywhere I go. So I’ve been a little down and therefore, a little MIA around these parts. Writer’s block has been fun. While I’ve taken time off from the blog, I’ve been brainstorming new ventures in blogging and planning travels both domestically and internationally. My brain has been busy but actual productivity here has been…well, non-existant.
I’m fully embracing 2012 and honestly, just want 2011 to get the eff over. I’m sure the clock striking twelve on December 31st will not solve my problems but it’s a fresh start right?
I’m really not sure what the point of this post was but really, it’s about as random as I’m feeling and I’m happy to actually be writing something, so I’m letting it slide. I hope you will too.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy holidays and a very fabulous New Year if I don’t happen to make it back here before then.
This has been a painful month for blogging, if you haven’t noticed. Writer’s block has hit me HARD. That and I’ve been busy with work and a whole host of other excuses as to why I haven’t been inspired to sit down and update my blog. I’m hoping it’ll disappear soon, I miss writing here! Today I’m participating in Ten on Tuesday, an easy way out of actually having to think about something to write about!
1. How do you eat your eggs?
I have a funny relationship with eggs. If eaten before 10am without ketchup I feel sick. I’m weird. It also took me a long time to master scrambled eggs; even longer to have a novice handle on fried. I still can’t make an omelet. I can cook anything else, but EGGS? Forget it. My favorite kind of eggs that someone else makes though is eggs benedict. Especially non-traditional kinds, with avacado and spinach or steak instead of ham.
2. Do you volunteer?
I keep telling myself I am going to but I never have done it.
3. What’s your favorite brand of jeans?
I’m not going to lie, Gap jeans are my favorite. I’m not really a jeans type of person, in fact my roommate yesterday commented, when I showed up in the living room with a pair of my Gap jeans, that she doesn’t think she’s ever seen me in jeans. I know I wear them! I’m just a bigger fan of leggings and dresses.
4. What was your child’s first word? Or what was your first word?
Since there are no known children of my own out there, my first word was baby. Followed quickly by the word No. I was an ornery child.
5. Can you french braid?
Nope! I actually do not know how to do hair, I can barely braid and that was a technique I learned once from a girl cousin of mine. My mom grew up in a household of all boys so passing on things like makeup and hair styles was completely missed by me.
6. Do you prefer wide rule, college rule, or blank paper?
Well there’s a question I never have pondered. College rule, I suppose. Give me a blank piece of paper and I will write diagonally, without meaning to.
7. Is there a specific treat do you always make during the holidays?
I pretty much love all holiday treats. I’m a big cookie maker around this time of year, while my mom specializes in alcoholic cakes (sherry trifle, rum cake and bourbon balls). I wouldn’t say I make any one specific treat myself though.
8. Do you have a KitchenAid mixer? Do you want one?
Let’s not talk about this. I AM DYING FOR ONE. But unless you count my hand-held KitchenAid mixer, I do not have one. Christmas is just a couple weeks away but if that’s not enough time for you, my 30th birthday is on May 4th. I’ll wait while you go write it in your calendar. 
9. What kind of computer do you use?
I will forever and ever be a Mac girl from now on. I used to have PCs all throughout high school and college but due to my heavy design programs, ran through them like water every year. And then I got a Macbook Pro 5 years ago and I fell in love. I still have that same computer and while I can tell it’s aged a little bit, it’s still a great computer.
Knock on wood.
10. Favorite Christmas movie?
Oh what ISN’T my favorite Christmas movie? Well, I mean, there are quite a few, I’m sure. But my favorite favorite FAVORITE is Love Actually, which is one of my favorite movies of all time. Christmas isn’t officially Christmas without that movie, as it’s also not without Elf, A Christmas Story and It’s a Wonderful Life.
Feel free to participate in the comments! I’m off to work, running on probably three hours of sleep total from the past two days. I love insomnia. Also, THE HUNGER GAMES. I finished that book in two nights (and a morning) flat. I may have broken records. I may also have sacrificed sleep because of it. Bring on book number two.
And yes, I know I’m the last person on earth to read this series. So addicted though.
Oh, hi December. The last month in a line of twelve months. How did that happen? How is it that 2011 is almost over and 2012 is just around the corner? And can I just say thank god for that? I’m ready to forget all about 2011 and start fresh. But I have high hopes for you, December.
November…well it was interesting. The lonelies hit right towards the beginning of the month and wow did that send me off on a wallowing pity party of one for pretty much the entire month. I haven’t had a case of the sads last that long since I was in High School. It wasn’t all sad, all the time but it certainly lead me to lose my blogging mojo. That writers block hit the most severe the week of Thanksgiving and while I’ve been meaning to recap what a fun holiday that was (since, you know, it’s one of my favorites), I haven’t. Along with writer’s block has come a severe hatred of being single, especially around this time of the year.
Luckily this foray into the last month has kicked the lonelies to the curb and while I’m still hating being single and still have a fierce case of writer’s block, I’m not quite so sad about it. So I have faith in December. I have faith that it will pull me out of this…well…awful year. And I have faith in bullet points to help me out with this writer’s block.
- I hosted my second Thanksgiving for a few friends this year. While it was my second time hosting, it was my first time doing most of the cooking and my first time making a turkey. We all know how much I enjoy wrangling raw poultry. Despite my early morning rendez-vous with a still frozen turkey, everything went pretty smoothly and after a few glasses of wine I had forgotten all about the fact that I had to send my mother a picture of the giblets and liver to help differentiate between the two. I had a great time with my friends and still have leftover stuffing so it was a win-win all around.
- I got my Christmas tree! I love decorating for the holidays and it now smells divine in my apartment. I can’t believe the thought of getting a fake tree even crossed my mind.
- If you haven’t heard the news, it’s REALLY FUCKING COLD OUT.
- Sometimes I miss NYC and long for the anonymity that came with it. I never would run into it. But then I go out on a Saturday night and run into a few of my favorite people, some of whom I haven’t seen in a while, and I just fall back in love with Boulder all over again.
- I’m determined to leave the country this year. I know I probably said that last year. And the year before. But this year I MEAN IT. I will leave the country. My travel itch is ridiculous right now and luckily ticket prices are just far enough out of my budget that I can’t spontaneously buy a plane ticket. Especially when my destination I’m most determined to go to is New Zealand and Australia. Not the most inexpensive destination ever.
- My love affair with Michael Buble is continuing with his Christmas CD. That man can do no wrong. Except for having Bieber on his Christmas special tonight. I was a little disappointed in that selection this morning but I’m sure it wasn’t his idea.
- 2012 is going to be the year of adventure and friends weekends. Of course I’ll be returning to NYC at least once or twice, but I also am trying to get a group of my NYC girlfriends out here for a ski weekend, may go to Florida in March and there’s been talk of July 4th being spent on St. Simon’s Island in Georgia. And don’t forget that I’m planning on heading overseas. My life needs more adventure and I’m bringing it this year.
- I’m in full winter hibernation mode right now. Anyone else get this way? As soon as the cold and snowy weather hits, I tend to stay inside more often than not. Not going to be an option this month with ugly sweater parties, birthday shindigs, holiday happy hours and traveling to Michigan in a couple weeks. I can guarantee that any night that I have free will be spent curled up on my sofa, if I can find any of those free nights!
One last thing before I go….I have an announcement! The winner of my Shabby Apple dress giveaway is….drumroll please…Jess from Accidentally Graceful!! Congratulations Jess. 
I’m participating in Chelsea’s Ten on Tuesday again this week! These questions focus around a certain holiday (one of my favorites!) this Thursday! Feel free to participate in the comments.
1. What are you doing for Thanksgiving this year?
I’m hosting my second Friendsgiving for a couple friends at my place! My first was with my old roommate Michele in New York in our tiny kitchen so I’m extremely thankful for the larger kitchen (and oven!) this time around. This will be the first time making a turkey, though, so it could get interesting. I am looking forward to making all the fixings and to share it with my coworkers-turned-friends.
2. What are you most thankful for this year?
My friends, both near and far, online and off. I probably say this every year but every year it grows more and more true. Everyone has been so supportive of me this year, through all the ups and downs (and boy, have I had a roller coaster of a ride this year) and I honestly don’t know if I would have gotten through as relatively unscathed and strong as I have. So thank you.
3. Do you have any traditions on Thanksgiving? The parade? Football? Long naps?
Thanksgiving is actually the one holiday that I have no traditions for, besides the food. I need my turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes (all smothered in my mothers gravy), cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. I’ve added my own flares–dates stuffed with goat cheese wrapped in bacon and this year I’m making my caramel apple pie for the second year in a row. Thanksgiving has tended to be about friends now that I’m older and not able to get home as often as I’d like. Christmas is all about the traditions, Thanksgiving is about making it up as you go along!
4. Is it called stuffing or dressing? Is it in the bird or a separate dish?
Stuffing! My mom always made two–a sausage stuffing and a regular. One was inside the bird, one was in a casserole dish. This year I’m only putting the stuffing in the bird. As much as I’d like to make two kinds, I have to remember I’m cooking for four people instead of my mother, who is usually cooking for 8-12 people.
5. Do you cook?
This is the first year I’m cooking pretty much the whole meal. I’ve contributed certain meals to other thanksgivings but when I lived at home, my mom did all the cooking and I steered clear of the kitchen.
6. What is your favorite dish?
That’s a hard one. I pretty much love them all. The stuffing and the desserts probably take the cake though. What I don’t like? Sweet potatoes with marshmallows. I never knew I liked sweet potatoes because this is the only way I knew they were made. It wasn’t until a couple years ago that I discovered how much I loved them–savory, not sweet. My favorite meal made from all this? The day after my mom will make a casserole with a layer of stuffing, a layer of turkey, topped with mashed potatoes and gravy. It’s AMAZING.
7. What is your dessert preference?
Pumpkin pie. You can’t beat that, really. But my caramel apple pie is pretty bomb too.
8. What is your favorite Thanksgiving memory?
I was probably in college and home for the holidays in Connecticut. My mom was having issues with our oven and the turkey was just not cooking. EVERYTHING else was finished but every time she checked the turkey, it still was a little bloody and wasn’t finished. The frustration, combined with the wine intake, was high and she was ready to hurl the turkey out the window. It finally finished, as was noticed by my uncle and dad but instead of informing her it was finished they played a little joke on her. My uncle took his red wine and poured some in the bottom of the pan. My mother took one look and let off a slew of curses aimed at the bird, and then aimed at my uncle and dad for the mean trick! Did I mention she was holding a knife? Hilarious.
9. Do you plan to shop on Black Friday?
Hellll no. Never have, never will.
10. What are you most dreading about Thanksgiving this year?
Dealing with the raw turkey and prepping it for cooking. That’s about it, I’m actually really excited to host and cook this year!
Do you ever feel like you’ve been swallowed whole by life? That’s how I’ve felt these past couple weeks. I haven’t had a moment to myself, have worked far too much, am taking care of my friend’s cat in a neighboring suburb (so basically, not down the street), and I’m trying to get ready for my first Thanksgiving I’m hosting without the help of a turkey-savvy roommate. Hold me. I’m sitting here eating dinner before heading out to feed the cat and get a blog post out. Did you know my contest ends tonight? Because it does and you should totally enter it.
When I was younger, road trips consisted of my entire family–mom, dad, brother and a couple furry members of the family–piling into a minivan and driving to our new home. I remember shorter trips–ones up to Maine where my brother cried about us eating lobster (he had a stuffed lobster friend whom he was convinced we had eaten one night), Vermont and upstate New York to ski (or in my case–walk down mountains), and to Michigan to visit relatives.
Nowadays road trips are solo. In fact, most traveling I do is by myself. It has it’s advantages and it has it’s disadvantages. I can do whatever I want but I don’t have anyone to bounce ideas off of. Last weekend I drove eight hours–twice–to visit my friend Kira in Wyoming and it got me thinking about the pro’s and con’s of taking these road trips by myself.
So here goes…
Pro: You can listen to as much ridiculous music as you want and sing as badly and as loudly as you want. Say you really like Newsies but feel weird singing along in your hometown where you like, know people. The plains of Wyoming don’t know you! Sing as loud as you want!
Con: There’s no one there to change your cd or grab your iPod off the passenger side floor where it fell during your clumsy attempt to change the song that sent it flying. Going 80 and attempting to maneuver your small self into the next seat while still staying in one lane is next to impossible. Not that I tried that or anything.
Pro: You can stop to pee as often as you want without judgement from one of your passengers. Trust me, if you saw how many times I stopped you’d probably wonder if I had a bladder problem. I justified it as I don’t know when I’ll see another rest stop so I better get any liquid out now!
Con: There’s no one to hold your hand going into some of those sketchy truck stop bathrooms where you are the only woman. And no one to laugh with you at all the mullets.
Pro: When you nearly hit something the size of your car in the middle of nowhere, in the pitch black, going 80 mph, no one has to see the massive freakout you have on the side of the road because HI, YOU NEARLY DIED.
Con: No one is there to rub your back while you freak out and tell you that it’ll all be okay and that you’re still alive. And help steady your hand in the 60 mph winds.
Pro: You can stop on the side of the road to gaze up at the stars or take a picture every five feet of the gorgeous landscape and not have anyone getting annoyed in the passenger seat.
Con: Asking yourself Are we there YET? gets kind of old after a while. And not nearly as effective.
Pro: If you’re a bit more aggressive as a driver than most of your friends, you can drive and control the situation and not get pissed off that they won’t pass the slow ass driver in front of you.
Con: You can’t take naps after driving for two hours while someone else drives. Which I always really want to do but despite the lack of traffic in Wyoming and the fact that even if I did fall asleep, I’d still probably make it to my destination, it’s probably not the brightest idea.
* * *
I sometimes will get the urge to just drive and drive with no particular destination in mind; maybe one day I’ll just do it and see where it leads me. I’m about to head out into the unknown in the job front; it’s scary and it’s unstable and with the economy the way it is, it’s terribly risky but I’m looking forward to this. I’m hoping it will lead to where I want to be, lead to happiness in that area of my life.
This giveaway was supposed to happen last week but then life got in the way, I traveled out of state and haven’t even opened a computer until this morning! So I apologize for that. I haven’t hosted many giveaways on my blog, in fact I think this may be the first! And this giveaway couldn’t fit me more perfectly.
I love dresses. Like, ridiculously love. My closet is full of all sorts of them; cocktail dresses from my years in NYC, flirty summer dresses, more proper work ones and the super-comfy, probably shouldn’t be seen out of the house ones I wear when I don’t want to think about an outfit. But I love fancy dresses more than all else and come up with any excuse to wear one. This time of year is ripe with them–the holidays and New Years Eve being the number one reason to go out and hunt for the perfect party dress. I’ve found one for myself already but if I didn’t already own it, you better believe this would be the dress I’d be wearing:
It’s red. It’s sexy. It’s fancy and it’s got ruffles. To die for, right?
Here’s the fun part! You love this dress? Want this dress? You have the opportunity to win it! Shabby Apple, creators of beautiful women’s dresses is giving one lucky reader the chance to win this particular dress, the Ski Bop, picked out by moi! And just in time for the holidays. How do you enter? Well, I’ll tell you.
You have three ways you can enter and each counts for one entry!
1. You must like Shabby Apple’s Facebook page and comment here letting me know you did.
2. Like my blog’s Facebook page and leave a comment here.
3. Follow me on Twitter and tweet about the giveaway, cc’ing me, @ashalahblogs! Oh, and comment here with the link to your tweet
In addition, all my readers will get a 10% off anything in Shabby Apple’s store! Fabulous right? All you have to do is use the following code at checkout: ashalah10off.
I will be running the contest through Monday the 28th, 11 pm MST so get your entries in! (I changed the date since so few people have entered!)
Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post but I am an affiliate partner. Shabby Apple is oh-so-nicely giving away this dress to one lucky Ashalah reader, to be selected by a random number generator. All opinions are my own.
I’m participating in Ten on Tuesday again today, hosted by Chelsea! Supposedly I’ve participated in six of these but I can’t really be sure. Either way, feel free to participate in the comments!
1. What’s your favorite television show for each day of the week?
Sunday: Amazing Race
Monday: How I Met Your Mother
Tuesday: Glee
Wednesday: Revenge
Thursday: The Office
Friday: Don’t really watch TV but I’ve been checking out Grimm
Saturday: Again, no TV really but I’ll watch the replay of Modern Family.
2. How many times do you wear your jeans before you wash them?
I’m a horrible offender of wearing them like 4 or 5 times before washing. I’ve gotten better now that I have my own washer and dryer, it was worse when I didn’t have one!
3. What is your favorite pasta shape?
I’ve never actually thought about this…I guess penne?
4. Do you read newspapers?
Nope. I rarely even read the news online so I guess it’s good that I finally got the basic channels so I know what was going on in the world!
5. Do you sleep in socks?
In the winter I have to. I get too cold! But in the summer, no.
6. Favorite genre of movies?
I love my Rom Coms. Even though they all seem to be the same. I also just like a good comedy like The Hangover!
7. How do you feel about wrestling?
Are we talking about WWF? Yes? Ok. I don’t understand the point of it. I think it’s disgusting and ridiculous and childish. My ex used to watch it ALL THE TIME and I hated it.
8. Should men pluck their eyebrows?
If they are very hairy? Otherwise no.
9. Do you have dimples?
I wish!
10. Do you like to camp?
I do! Although for short periods of time. I’m still getting used to being outdoorsy. I did go camping once this summer and I had so much fun. I even peed behind a bush. Granted, I had more alcohol than usual and if I didn’t pee, I might have exploded. That’s probably more than you want to know.
Happy Monday everyone! Today is actually my Wednesday–my hump day–and I’ve noticed that I don’t really hate Mondays anymore. I guess that’s one perk of this job? Sigh. I’d still like my weekends back!
So you may or may not know that this year has been all about the furniture. It started about a year ago with my acquisition of a sofa that lead to one of the funniest moments of my life, then continued on to a 200 lb coffee table, a gorgeous live-edge headboard and then a giraffe print cowhide rug. Throw in some new pillows for my sofa and you’d think I’d be done spending all my savings on furnishing my apartment.
But you’d be wrong.
Yesterday I added this new beautiful addition to my little family of furniture.
We’ve needed a new chair and I’ve had my eye for months on this lime green leather chair at work that was floor sampled. Then the Barcelona chair went on floor sample and I just HAD TO HAVE IT. But how? Thinking my parents would never bite, I sent a picture of the chair to my mom saying that this chair would make a loverly christmas present. Before I knew what was happening, they said they would pay for half of it and Merry Christmas to me!
I’m ridiculously excited about it. Isn’t it gorgeous?
In other news…
In three days I will be on my way to Wyoming to see my bestie whom I haven’t seen in almost a year and a half and to celebrate her daughter’s fourth birthday. I’m looking forward to getting away from Boulder and life here for a few days and to have much needed girl time. It better go by slooowly because once I get back and this mini-vacation is over, I won’t have a day off until Thanksgiving. That fact depresses me so I’m going to pretend it isn’t true.
Bri had her beautiful baby Miles yesterday! So excited for her and their growing little family. Congratulations Bri!
My roommate Erika is speaking at Ignite Boulder and if you’re in town you should definitely come see her (and everyone else) speak! Plus, you get to dress up all fancy and we know how much I like to do that.
It’s going to snow again this evening/tomorrow so be prepared for another barrage of snowy pictures taken from my porch. And that’s about all that’s going on right now…what’s going on in your life?
Tomorrow I will be hosting a giveaway so make sure you check back!
Sometimes, just when I need it the most, Colorado pulls out the big guns and gives me a day like yesterday. A picture speaks a thousand words right?
Yesterday was my day off and I spent it running errands (including picking up my book for the #twookclub I’m part of!), having happy hour with friends and taking my friend’s great dane, Monty, on a hike up north of town at the Boulder Reservoir.
As some of you may know, I have been kind of down in the dumps lately, feeling all sorts of lonely and hating sitting at home every night with no special someone to spend my time with. Yesterday was a gorgeous 60 degree sunny day and it was exactly what I needed. The mountains were looking exceptionally gorgeous and Colorado does this thing with it’s clouds that make them uber fantastic. Yesterday was just downright gorgeous.
To top that off, I had a VERY muddy 150 lb dog on my hands that I couldn’t just drop back off at my friends apartment with no one home. He’d immediately be up on that nice new sectional she got and would destroy it with all the mud. After a few telephone conversations it finally set in: I was going to have to wash that thing.
I have never washed a dog. Not even a really small one. THIS DOG IS BIGGER THAN I AM. I went to a local place that has a self service dog washing station and went at it. I only got mildly wet and he only tried climbing his rear out of the tub (he was attached by a leash around his head) a gazillion times. I had a good laugh about it and realized my sourpuss mood that I’d been in was completely gone. Thanks in part to a gorgeous hike, bathing a dog–oh and laughing until I cried over the man who taught his cat how to IM.
I’m giggling again just thinking about it.
“CAPS LOCK IS HOW I FEEL INSIDE RICK
ALL THE TIME”
Be on the lookout for a great giveaway coming up this week before I take off for Wyoming on Thursday. You won’t want to miss it. Happy Saturday!
