The first snowfall

We are finally (finally!!) getting our first real snowfall of the season here in Northern Colorado, and I am just tickled to death about it. I will admit that I'm not tickled about the driving-on-slick-roads piece, but I can handle it. I was truly afraid that Colorado had forgotten that it's Winter and we weren't going to get any fluffy, white powder. Thank goodness I was wrong! Now, I've loved the mild temperatures and the sunshine and blue skies we've been experiencing, but I'm an all four seasons kind of gal, so I've been in need of a little Winter. I love how soft the snow looks as it falls, and I can already tell that I'll be spending the majority of my day staring out my winter at the drifting flakes. The only thing that would make this snowfall better is if I wasn't at work, but was instead reading at home, cozied up in my pjs with several pots of tea!

The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found?
-J.B. Priestley-

A very merry time of year...

I just wanted to pop in and say (a day late)
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday weekend and I cannot wait to read all about yours and to share my own. I love this time of year!

I'm still alive, but...

...my bestie, Jamie, was in town until yesterday so I'd been entirely focused on absorbing enough Jamie-awesomeness to last me until I visit her in Australia in April (fingers crossed!)

...Christmas has continued to sneak up on me and I feel like I am entirely too far behind on wrapping and cards and even some last minute shopping.

...I literally cannot kick my sinus infection/cold, so I'm off to the doctor in the morning.

...I will be back to posting ASAP. And there will be pictures from Jamie's visit.

Water for Elephants

I just watched the movie trailer for Water for Elephants and I cannot wait. Have any of you read this? (Kaity, I know you have). The book took me a bit to get into, but once I was in, I was hooked. It's a beautiful story with a colorful cast of characters that you can't help but get attached to. And who doesn't love the supposed romance and adventure of a traveling circus? I had such vivid pictures in my head while reading the book, and I hope the movie lives up to them. The trailer looks fabulous, so I think I'm going to be happy. Check it out here!

ps- I'm a huge Christoph Walz fan and think he is perfectly cast as August.

All the Same

Do you ever get caught up in a song and then listen to it repeatedly until you, and everyone else around you, is sick of it? Confession: I do. My car stereo has a "repeat" button and I'm addicted to it. Yes, I frequently listen to the same song over and over again on my 25 minute drive to work. And then I keep listening to it on the way home. I've always been a repeat girl.

My current obsession is All the Same by Sick Puppies. I am ob-freaking-sessed! (I never thought I'd throw "freaking" into the middle of a word here on my blog...). I've liked Sick Puppies for a while now, but I hadn't discovered this song until Jamie sent it to me the other day...I love it! Sick Puppies are one of my favorite groups to listen to when I'm at the gym, and now it has found its way to the coveted "repeat" song in my car. There's something about the line: "And I'll take you for who you are/ if you take me for everything..." that I just love.

All The Same

I dont mind where you come from
As long as you come to me
But I dont like illusions I cant see
Them clearly
I dont care, no I wouldn't dare
To fix the twist in you
You've shown me eventually what you'll do
I dont mind
I dont care
As long as you're here

[Chorus]

Go ahead and tell me you'll leave again
You'll just come back running
Holding your scarred heart in hand
It's all the same
And I'll take you for who you are
If you take me for everything
And do it all over again
It's all the same

Hours slide and days go by
Till you decide to come
But in-between it always seems too long
Suddenly
But I have the skill, yeah
I have the will, to breath you in while I can
However long you stay is all that I am

I dont mind, I dont care
As long as you're here

Go ahead and tell me you'll leave again
You'll just come back running
Holding your scarred heart in hand
It's all the same
And I'll take you for who you are
If you take me for everything
And do it all over again
It's always the same

Wrong or Right
Black or White
If I close my eyes
Its all the same

In my life
The compromise
I'll close my eyes
Its all the same

Go ahead say it
You're leaving
You'll just come back running
Holding your scarred heart in hand
It's all the same
And I'll take you for who you are now
If you take me for everything
Do it all over again
It's all the same

What if your imaginary friend from childhood was your one true love?

Has anyone read James Patterson's Sundays at Tiffany's? I've never read any of Patterson's thrillers, but I love his forays into general fiction. I read Sam's Letters to Jennifer every year, I enjoyed Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas and I was on hold at the Library for Sundays at Tiffany's before it was even published. I'm not entirely sure what it is about these novels that sucks me in because they each have their sad threads, but if I had to guess I'd say it's the overpowering theme of hope in each of them that wins me over.

In Sundays at Tiffany's, Jane Margaux is a lonely child whose busy mother only makes time for her on Sundays when they admire the jewelry at Tiffany's. Luckily for Jane she has one best friend, Michael. He's nice, funny and understands her completely, but there's a problem: Jane is the only person who can see him. Yep, he's her imaginary friend. Michael must leave Jane on her 9th birthday, and even though it breaks her heart, she believes Michael's promise that she'll soon forget about him and everything will be fine. But, despite finding love and success in adulthood, Jane is still more lonely than she knows. That is until one day she runs into a familiar-looking man named Michael. He claims to be her imaginary friend from childhood, but they're both grown up and the rest of the world can see him. Who is this man? Is he truly her imaginary friend come to life? And, can he stay forever, or will he have to leave her again just like before?

Well, the Lifetime Network (yes, I'm one of those girls) has made Sundays at Tiffany's into a movie starring Alyssa Milano and Stockard Channing. I'm currently sorting through Christmas pressies and drinking a peppermint mocha while watching it. I have high hopes for this adaptation. I want to fall in love with the characters just like I did in the book, and I must say that I'm already half in love with Michael. We're off to a good start!

Update: the movie was lovely! I think Lifetime did a wonderful job with it.

Fill in the Blank Friday on a Saturday Morning

1. I wish I had endless amounts of money so I could travel the world and be a professional student.

2. Yesterday I entertained my mother while she decorated her tree, had dinner and a margarita with a good friend and played a little trivia with the boy and his roomie. I stayed out entirely too late considering the fact that I'm fighting off a sinus infection, but it was a blast!

3. Today I will try my best to clean my apartment, decorate my tree and sort through my Christmas presents to see what I still need to buy. Jamie's flying in on Tuesday and I kind of need to have these things done before then.

4. Tomorrow I will have brunch with the lovely Kaity and finally have a phone date with my Baltimore Bestie. Corey and Matt are moving back to Colorado from Maryland (yay!) and I need to get all of the details.

5. Maybe I'll hit the jackpot and find some new sweaters this afternoon...I'm in need!

6. Someday I will fall in love, get married and have babies. I'm in no rush and love getting to play with my friends' babies, but one of these days all of the pieces will fall into place for me.

7. I love that I have wonderful parents who surprised Jamie and me with tickets to see A White Christmas at our local dinner theater. This is my favorite Christmas story and I've been dying to see this production for the past couple of years. I cannot wait!

Perhaps not my proudest first

I just survived my first filling. I've never had a cavity before, but thanks to my lack of flossing, it was time for me to join the ranks. I was nervous as all get out and got myself all worked up (as per my usual style) but it was painless and pretty easy. Do I want to make a habit of this? No, thank you! It's creepy to hear the drill and feel some pressure on my teeth, but thank goodness for Novocain. Speaking of which, the drugs are starting to wear off and the feeling is coming back to my teeth and upper lip. Do I dare try my luck at some ginger ale? I'm always afraid that I'll end up drooling all over myself. Lovely image, right?

Does anyone else get themselves entirely too worked up over fairly mundane things?
Please say yes.

"It is the function of art to renew our perception. What we are familiar with we cease to see..."

The Denver Art Museum is one of my favorite places to just be.
If I lived in Denver, I'd be one of those people who wanders in for a quick art fix every week. I'd like to say that I'd pick a different floor each time, but I know me: I'd grab a cup of coffee in the new addition, stroll outside to the original entrance and then head up the stairs to the 6th floor. I'm a sucker for the European and American Art collection. I'm awed by scultpures from the 13th century, painted panels that have lasted since the Renaissance and gorgeous Monets. But, with that said, I also can't help but be fascinated by many of the more contemporary pieces. Art is an experience unto itself and each piece tells its own magical tale.
I love that.

*title quote by Anais Nin*

Sunday Thoughts

I still get teary-eyed when Hagrid comes back to Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets...and I want to be Hermione.

Getting down on my hands and knees and scrubbing the linoleum floors in my apartment is my least favorite thing to do, but makes me feel the most accomplished when it's finally completed.

Showering before noon on the weekend is overrated. Taking an extra long, scalding hot one is not; it's a worthwhile indulgence.

Christmas decorations would be better if they put themselves up...I love having my apartment decorated, but I always drag my feet doing it.

A cup of tea is always calming and comforting for me.

I will never be too old for an Advent calendar. Who doesn't want an excuse to start their day off with chocolate?

Being able to text with Jamie again makes my heart smile!
Yes, she's back in the states.

Drinking mimosas with family and friends in the middle of the day is wonderful.

Welcome, December

Ladies, can you believe that it is already December 1st? I'm completely baffled. Honestly, where have the months gone?

I'm pretty sure it was just the beginning of September and I was prepping myself for a busy month full of birthdays, work and a little travel.

October is my favorite month, but it seemed to pass faster than ever before. Weren't the aspens just starting to turn golden?

And, seriously, did we skip over November almost entirely, pausing only to indulge in family, turkey and stuffing on Thanksgiving? I think we did.

Now it's December, there's an underlying chill in the air and if I blink too quickly, it may just be Christmas morning tomorrow.

Happy December!