the beauty of Colorado

is that we can have a raging blizzard all day and night... and the next day, the roads are only wet because the freakin sun just melts everything in hours! love it. I was boxed into the house for nearly 24 hours there (since the PT Cruiser is not the most compatible with snow/ice) and almost went crazy. now it is sunny and going to warm up even more this weekend. woohoo! I am ready for spring.

in other, completely superficial news, I have been trying out a pointer finger ring. I have always been a ring person and usually I wear three- one on my left middle finger, one on my right ring finger, and one on my right thumb. lately, though, I've been trying the left ring finger and the right pointer finger (this is mesmerizing and fascinating, I know). can't decide if I like it.. first I wore the thumb ring but that was too big, and now I'm on my Africa ring, which I like more even though it's a little tight. we'll see. there's something about wearing rings that makes me feel more complete, and sometimes a little more elegant. when I don't wear them, I feel a little lost. I even wrote this story once about a time in Africa when my thumb ring fell off right at the water's edge on the beach. it wasn't the ring I had the longest or the most expensive one, but it was my touchstone, the one I couldn't imagine NOT wearing. ..although I think that story had less to do with the ring and more to do with, well, other stuff. hmm.

summer, please.

big snowstorm headed in... in fact, I see flurries starting to fall outside the window. apparently up in Woodland Park (just 30 min up the pass into the mountains), they had two inches in fifteen minutes. umm. hello, I will be locked in the house since the PT is a deathtrap in the snow.

other news- I am pretty sure I am the queen of making mistakes and screwing up my life. awesome.

I caved!

damn twitter

still.

I can't get over what happened to Whitney Hendrickson (the girl who died in the freak accident yesterday). since I'm part of the Co Spgs Facebook network, I can see her page and it is so sad. she was so beautiful... and to think, witnesses reported her screams and pleas for help as she was trapped in the flames. God.

Momma told you so

Molly just never ceases to make me laugh- she is the most ridiculous dog in the world and yesterday I almost crashed the car, I was cracking up so badly.

I picked Ry up from work and brought Molls for the ride. Ry always finds stuff that people leave in the rental cars and usually it's annoying little trinkets that he leaves around the house and then I yell at him.. but sometimes it's something fun that we could use (e.g. the car phone charger that fit my cell!). yesterday he found a simple tennis ball- great because Molly tends to lose hers or chew them up in a matter of minutes. he gave it to her while we were driving home, and since the back windows were down, I kept saying, "you better watch out, I know she'll stick her head out the window and drop it." she looked at me like she understood.. and then wagged her little tail and nevertheless stuck her head out the window. We were about five min into the drive when I looked in the side view mirror at the perfect moment- the ball slipped out of Molly's mouth and bounced down the middle of the road. I heard it hit the ground and then it was gone. Molly could not even believe that happened, and she wouldn't stop staring back at the place where she dropped it. we turned the corner, and she was still riding backwards with her head out the window, in disbelief that her new prize was gone. I about died laughing and so did Ryan.. then he scratched her ears and said, "well, Mom told you!"

so sad.

latest story in the Springs- yesterday there was a total freak accident on the west side of town (actually right across the street from where Ryan and I were at the time). a woman lost control of her car and went careening into a truck at one of the gas pumps at a 7-11. the truck hit the gas pump, sprayed everything with gas, and then it all went up in flames. an 18 year old girl was filling her car up with gas at a different pump and got trapped between her car and the station. she died.

how crazy is that? totally out of nowhere. she was home from Grinnell for SB and her friend was with her.. the friend tried to push the car out of the way so the girl could escape but the flames were too intense. everyone could only stand there and watch as she burned alive.

the craziest thing is that she's the daughter of my prof here at CC. he was my advisor for the first two years of school (until I switched majors). it just blows me away how ridiculous that accident was. you're standing there, filling up your car with gas, and then you're gone.

life is so fleeting. I used to try to control every little thing that happened to me, and only lately have I thrown up my hands and decided to go along with the ride. I need to keep working on enjoying every moment because really, nothing is ever as bad as it seems. I am so damn lucky.

(news article about the accident here)

the fashion world is cut throat, honey

Today, there was a story called "Looking Good" about fashion in school that ran in the local newspaper. On the front page of that section it featured a picture of my class. I was photoshopped out. FML

so. sore.

yesterday was another gorgeous day in CO- the temps have been in at least the 60s all week, and yesterday we broke some records by hitting the high 70s! unfortunately, since the state is so dry and we're having such gusty winds, there are a couple of wildfires out east... fingers crossed that the one on Ft Carson will be 100% contained soon!

in honor of the weather, Molls and I went for a trail run yesterday afternoon. there are a bunch of trails just west of CC (back by where Ry's parents live) and it's a perfect place to let Molly off the leash and just go. I haven't been running in a loooong time but the minute I put on my iPod and started finding my pace, I was so happy. I've missed it! we ran all over the park area- Molly got to swim in the creek, I got covered in mud when I tried to jump said-creek, we took hills and fields and boulders... it was a good run. near the end, though, poor Molls must have stepped on a cactus because she just stopped cold in the middle of the trail. I had to sit and pick out every single little sticker from her front paw :( it took almost all of my remaining energy (I am unbelievably out of shape) to hold her squirmy body down- she now weighs 70lbs. but once we got those pokey things out, she was ready to rock and roll.

today, we are both dead. it takes a lot to wear Molly out but that run, combined with a long walk afterward with Ry's mom, made her so pooped. I myself had trouble getting out of bed this morning- I am SORE. that'll teach me to start running without stretching both before and after... it feels good to be back though :)

I'm slightly embarassed to post this

this song has probably been out for a while, but I LOVE "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus. seriously, how have I not heard this before? and how can I honestly enjoy something by Miley Cyrus? like I said, embarassing, but this song is so good :) some lyrics below...

I can almost see it
that dream I'm dreamin
but there's a voice inside my head sayin
you'll never reach it
every step I'm taking
every move I make feels
lost with no direction
my faith is shakin
but I, I gotta keep trying
gotta keep my head held high

there's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna want to make it move
always gonna be an uphill battle
sometimes I'm gonna have to lose
ain't about how fast I get there
ain't about what's waitin on the other side
it's the climb

old lady!

happiest of birthdays to my beautiful Momma! I wont post her age but just know that she looks decades younger than she is :)



an old pic of the fam hiking in Estes Park.. where else. here's to the wonderful home you created Momma. love you!

Sheldon is my fav

Ry's parents got me started on The Big Bang Theory (Mondays on CBS) and now Ry and I go over to their house for dinner and a show every week :)

here's an older clip-

no mas!

seriously, is it time for me to graduate yet? every time I sit down to do work my whole body language changes... slumping and sad face and furrowed eyebrows. I'm keepin on keepin on, but it's hard.

on a related note, finding a job is going to suck. I'm ready for grad but I also want the security of a solid job when I'm done. yeah.right.

just a bundle of joy right now, that's me. somebody find me some chocolate!

seriously?!

I cannot believe Rihanna is even within a 2 mile radius of Chris Brown at this point. umm. he BEAT YOU in the FACE. what more does he need to do?!!

the worst part about it is that all these little girls who are like "oo Rihanna is cool" and who are beat by their boyfriends are now going to say "well he deserves a second chance like CB got." way to encourage tolerance of domestic violence, RiRi, way to go.

(check out here and here)

gorgeous!

it is beautiful outside! I am crabby because I want to just be done with school (seriously, I am staying motivated but I hate every second of it) but going outside makes me feel better. I am going to kick butt on my exam this afternoon so I can squeeze in a hike with Molly!

(weather report from here)

I am in such a romantic mood

first the weddings, now this incredibly sweet song. here are a few of my favorite lyrics from Today by Joshua Radin-

shoelaces untied
you can dry your eyes
perfect shadows alive
behind us
this is the day I make you mine

but you are the one
I've been waiting for today
and here comes the sun
it's been baiting on today

you looked right through me
when there was no one else
I sat beside you and became myself

LOVE that last line. sigh. now back to the totally unromantic subject of international finance... Sundays make me bummed.

ps- just as I was about to press "publish," I Wish by Stevie Wonder came on. what a way to make this homework sesh better!