Inspired.

After posting 31 blog entries, I've dabbled around and uncovered some fabulous blogs that have kept me up at night memorizing and often propelled me to jot down my own words after feeling inspired. The writers, photographers, artists, poets and strangers around the world whom have told sweet nothings in my ears, drawn sparkles in my eyes and placed an upbeat rhythm in my heart are at the center of my blog's theme; A world, a destination bearing miscellaneous stories, rants, raves, heartbreaks, warm wishes, updates, improvements and a few shits & giggles.

My mind reminds me of a shark's hunger. A shark hungry for something sweet dipped in salt. Both worlds combined into one bite. Sometimes fear, sometimes a specific craving, but primarily, something for the unknown. This is where each site I have come across fuels my love for writing. That feeling of inspiration. This post is dedicated to each moment, each author and each morning where inspiration is drawn and love is born.

Buying time like the Energizer Bunny.

Thank you Wired for this image. I love him!

Honestly...Do I have to say this again. Yup. Sorry, sorry, and another sincere...sorry. I know what takes hold of my thoughts, runs wild with my words, and basically devours my life...cough cough, time. Mmmm hmm. The sure simplicity of that whole index finger in your face, "I don't have enough time, nor will I ever have enough time, can I buy some more time" sort of excuse. But in all honestly, I would buy time if I could. Perhaps I would be scrambling for pennies, but this would then only leave me with more time to scramble.

Okay, so now onto the biz, aka the "Life of B." For starters, it's fantastic. I want to eat up and never let it go. I want to bask in this moment and set aside every moment that is ahead. I want to press repeat and somehow tape down this button forever. Okay, maybe not forever, but I want to remember this experience, this lesson, and this feeling for as long as my mind will allow. I'm smiling, laughing, loving, playing, planning, decorating, singing, working, skipping, cooking, eee-ing, conversing, writing (maybe not on here), and that whole list again and again.

My life as I just mentioned has been one heck of a ride worth waiting in line for. This past week/weekend was filled with finding out my roommate's brothers band is amazing, venturing downtown, volunteering with Colorado AIDS Project, finally meeting the owner of a coffee shop I now coin myself as a "regular," discovering a hidden Mediterranean gem located only a few blocks from my house (delectable chicken kebabs), joining a monthly boot camp class, rearranging my room yet again, finished my monthly book club book and soaking up a few rays.

I feel bad because the last few posts I've decided to write about/discuss have been nothing but me tooting my own horn to well..well...well basically my own grin. I guess I shouldn't apologize when life is looking up and I have no room for complaints.

Oooo before I get ahead of myself, one complaint, is the fact that I've stepped back on the lactose intolerant train. Great, I know. Finally, I come across the best ice cream shop in town, and my stomach decides to tie itself in a knot right as a drop of dairy says "hello."

While I am on the complaining note, as I was walking to work last week, a friendly neighbor approached me, started pulling out smooth moves from his pocket and suggested we get lunch sometime. Being a newbie to the city, I have a hard time turning down offers (especially when food is involved), so I took him up on his request, and needless to say, I am now wearing my defense guard. Ugh, I just vomited thinking about our conversation, or thereof. Whatever topic he discussed made me want to hurl. I might be taking this nausious expression overboard, but who honestly puts themselves on a pedestal? You gotta work your way up the ladder, especially when trying to impress. Barf bag por favor!

Okay, so as my roller coaster continues to rise, more lovely happenings are in store. My pops just came to visit me/bring me my furniture and we had one of the best conversations in history. Majority of our conversations could become best-sellers, but our last one takes the gold. My mum is on her way here shortly, and I am having a grand time planning our weekend together. My roommates and I have decided one of the best ways to keep up to speed with the weekly gossip is through food. We will now be taking turns hosting a Sunday dinner! I really put Miss Stewart, aka Martha, to shame revamping my room over the past month (pictures on their way shortly). I might be headed to the beach in September (possibly returning head over heels). I've found a nearby market overflowing with a variety of hummus dips, berries, veggies and flowers, which will only aid in my upcoming cookbook. And last but not least, I am taking on a new project. A project that involves thinking outside-the-box and doodling.

Okay, time has really overpowered this post, and I now must return to the day.

Sianara Hump. Hello Favorite Day!

Mmmmm Hmmm! Today is my favorite day. Yesterday is but a moment of the past (a much needed a day to pass). I am excited for tonight, this weekend, and of course, September!

Sure enough, today feels like a hump.

After going to sleep on a sour note (a note I promised myself I would not allow finally won). The only way I could make up for it was to wake up on the right side of the bed. Trust me, I made sure I wasn't opening my eyes and cursing my alarm until I knew it was going to be a better day.

Wipe the sweat off your forehead because sure enough, today has been a much better day. Even though I feel as if I could crash any minute (thank you "Wake-Up" coffee), and I'm sporting a grandma slip under my dress (the sun won't be shining on my bottom today)...by the way I way I would rather tan my rear than wear a slip, but it's only office appropriate, and last but not least, I am counting down the minutes until my favorite day arrives.

One thing in life that will never let me down, yet will always slap me in the face, is understanding how I rarely have room to complain when other's around me are shattered on the inside. Literally, life is not fair for so many and the rant(s) I preach are minuscule. Today, it was brought to my attention how one of my best friends is going through a rough patch. Just talking to her and realizing the night/conversation she has ahead of her, makes me take a step back and count my blessings.

Not willing to divulge too much info, I'll say the gist of her "rough patch" entails a lack of trust, communication, and concern by the party I will say is at fault. Another good friend of mine once told me something that I will never forget, "In order to appreciate the good, we have to experience the bad." Right now, I have taken a step down from Cloud 9 (no worries, I am climbing back up) and working through my own sticky situation.

What a depressing blurb..no bueno.

When you have a world of listening ears, sometimes I prefer to write away my moods.

If the subject doesn't shout, "Listen to me, I'm not in the best of moods," well I guess, I'm not sure what will.  The whole Cloud 9 I have been soaking up is quickly turning into raindrops.  I thought I wanted to elaborate and spill the beans here, but right now...I think I might just turn to my trusty ol' journal.  

Besides my Debbie Downer intro, work is amazing, my roommates have no clue how much I appreciate and care for them, I have an eventful and educational Thursday ahead of me, and I am so glad I held my swift spirit patient until the time was right (aka now).

Goodnight.  

Excuse me, I have an excuse.

One notch in time I wish I was around to experience was the 1969 Apollo II mission to the moon. Happy 40th Anniversary to those who believed in the unknown and sent a crew of dreamers into the sky and far beyond!

Onto further matters...

Here I go again apologizing for being absent. I guess the only person I should say "I'm sorry" to is me. Apparently, I feel I owe myself a blog entry everyday, but when I take unscheduled days of absences, my next step is to apologize. Okay so enough of that, my real excuse for not writing and keeping my updates up-to-date is because I am simply filling up my days, aka enjoying life. "Amen Sister!"

Yup, life outside of my comfort zone has now progressed into a new comfort zone. And bueno news, a new "zone" I am clicking my own heels to. So here is my latest recap; 1) I have a J-O-B, 2) I have been in "home" for two weeks, 3) I realized why natives blatantly smack a big-ol "NATIVE" sticker on their car, backpack, dog, you name it, because Colorado might just be the perfect place, 4) while Starbucks might dominate Seattle, Chipotle owns this city (I can't count the number of times I have heard "What? You have NEVER tried Chipotle?" 5) I walked into the life of dining solo (and let me say, I really enjoyed it), 6) I have found more non-profits that I can't wait to meet and lend a helping hand here than I knew existed, 7) I finally met up with two friends whom I met through the infamous craigslist (sounds sketchy, they aren't), 8) I have proven that I can accomplish an HGTV task (goodbye Space Room, hello Pottery Barn), 9) I'm not homesick...just fall under the miss my mom and friends category, and last but not least, 10) I have no room for complaints. I am by far the luckiest girl right now to have been given this opportunity. I now have two fabulous friends/housemates, a dedicated/outgoing/creative/thoughtful place of employment, a new sense of direction in my life, a larger slice of optimism hanging at my side, and the appreciation that if you want a new challenge, you are the only one who can take the leap!

So if you're sitting around bored, thinking "What's next?" give yourself a list things to do and you'll find the same motivation that urged me to move forward. If not, I'm sorry.

Go ahead, highlight craigslist, browse around HGTV (I sound like Martha), and taste a little local delight!

One-Hundred Percent Cheek-to-Cheek Smile

You know that moving-away roller-coaster I was riding? It hasn't come to a screeching halt, but it has slowed down...that is a good thing. I can officially say, I made the right decision taking off to Denver without knowing a single soul, without having a job lined up, and without doubting any of it would pan out. After an alarming transmission light signaled my frustration, I retraced my steps back to Boise asking, "Why now?"

"Why?" Because as I like to say (purely beneficial to my optimism), "That is life!" Life throws you red lights, transmission letdowns, road trips unaccompanied by AC, and one blasting cd player solely dedicated to raising your pipes. So with my first hurdle knocked down, I was ready to continue driving. I drove to Utah to pick up my pops and my bedroom set (this story comes later), anxiously awaiting until the morning when we both would rise early, fasten our seat belts, and say "Denver, here we come!"

Without knowing a soul and without having a job, I also didn't have a confirmed place to live. No worries, I came across this site, roommates.com and found hope! So arriving late Sunday night, I received directions to a potential place to call home, and realized there was no need to look any further, meet anyone else, or even bother with property management (wannabe car salesman) sleezies. So my pops and I wandered around the city trying to establish/test our geography skills, found a hotel and called it night.

Let's just say Monday was a blur..from getting lost, find a potential place of employment, grabbing a bite to eat, and understanding my hours with "my family" were dwindling, I went into shock...Mmmm Hmm..me the adventurous, get out of my sight, let me be, kinda girl was in shock (to the point where tears began rolling, shhh). I guess it hit me as I was driving to the airport that this was it, the moment had arrived, and here I was uncertain about it all.

Well that feeling didn't last too long, after my dad looked in me the eye and said, "Sweets, here you are. This is your home. Have fun, make mistakes, but most of all, enjoy every minute!" So what did I do, I wiped my tears, cleared my throat, and replied, "You are damn right!"

So here it is, almost a week and it feels like life is still placed on hold, but different than the normal time-out type of hold. I feel like I'm holding off on a potential employer, frequenting the same park, and not sure where to meet people.

I've always thought I had an easy time talking/meeting people, but I never realized being out of your element, you have to work at finding these meeting spots. I'm not looking for a bar or meet and greet type situation, but just a generic, "Hey you seem fun, what are you doing tomorrow?"

If you have any suggestions, please feel free to post them. I'm nothing but ears!

oOOo Random, while venturing the city, I slipped on a trusty ol' pair of flip-flops mixed with a 90+ degree temp. and received these bad boys...