Fill in the Blank Friday

1. If I could get away somewhere for the weekend I would go to Sydney, obviously, and I would bring my mother and I would make sure Jamie was in the city, too. Magic would clearly be involved since it would take the entire weekend just to get half-way across the world, and I would want ample time to show Mom the sights, eat some mussels and drink entirely too many flat whites. I like when magic is involved.

2. Something I often rant about is everything! True story: I'm a ranter, but my main topics are people's stupid life choices, bad drivers and work drama.

3. One item I need to have in my fridge at all time is milk. I drink a lot of milk and always have some in my fridge. Yogurt, broccoli and apples are on this list as well.

4. My "life-saving" product is either volumizing mousse or mascara...but mascara probably wins because I will not leave the house without it on, and if I was stranded on a desert island I would want to have a few tubes with me.

5. A friend is someone who knows the real you, the good, the bad and the ugly, and loves, appreciates and respects you despite it all. You can fight with a true friend, be brutally honest, and know that at the end of the day that person is still there for you no matter what.

6. If I could write my own blank it would be "If I could be a character in any novel, I would be _____"

7. My favorite kind of art is oil on canvas. I'm a sucker for Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. I love the way layers of oil paints look on canvas and the depth that comes from it. I also love water colors. Both art forms can have a rather romantic feel to them, which is probably why I love them.

Fill in the Blank Friday

1. What I love most about my home is that it's all mine. My days of living alone will be coming to end soon because I'll moving in with a friend (or 2!) once my lease is up, but for now I am going to bask in the Erin-ness that is my home. I love that my apartment is my safe haven.

2. I'm excited because my Mom and I are going to the Denver Art Museum tomorrow to view their current display of Italian Renaissance Art. Renaissance art is my favorite, and I'm excited that meine Mutti wants to go with me! I love mother-daughter Denver dates.

3. My preferred method for blowing off steam when I'm frustrated is to go for a long drive, so I can be alone with my thoughts and my music. Once I've processed my frustration, chances are I'll need to vent it out for a bit, and this sometimes involves a few tears.

4. Currently I am craving a cozy chair, a cup of tea and some uninterrupted time with my book. I know this question was probably more along the lines of food, but I just had a yogurt, so my stomach is satisfied. My soul is the one with the cravings right now.

5. The thing I love most about my mom is her selflessness and her unwavering love for my Dad and me. My mother loves us with her entire being and will do absolutely anything for her family. With that being said, I am also always impressed with her ability to maintain her friendships and to do things that are important to her. My father and I are both demanding of her attention, but I've always felt that she balances everything well. You'd have to ask her if she's happy enough and has enough "Debby" time, but I will be forever indebted to her for everything she has sacrificed for me and given to me over the years.

6. If I was going to write a book about my life, the title would be The Constant Evolution of an Emotional Gal...a bit wordy and not overly creative, but it sums it all up. I feel like I am ever-changing as I experience more of my life, and I kind of hope that never stops. I'm also entirely too Gemini to pretend like I'm not ruled by my emotions...it always better to warn people of this straight-away.

7. If I were to eat one thing for the rest of eternity it would be, like Lauren said, bread and cheese, but I'd also throw in some fruit. I could eat all types of rustic bread with different cheeses for the rest of my life and probably never get tired of it. Give me some fruit to feel like less of a fatty and a glass of red, red wine and you will have a happy gal on your hands.

Wish List: artwork

So, in my lunch break blog-hopping I came across a post on Life's Little Adventures about her newly purchased art and immediately fell back in love with Clare Elsaesser's oil paintings. Yes, I said it, back in love. I've come across Tastes Orangey on etsy before (probably via another art lover's blog) and swooned over her pieces, but in typical Erin fashion it eventually slipped my mind. So while it might slip my mind again, for now I'm going to continue to ooh and ahh over some of my favorites:

November

To Sea

Fall

Shadows

I'm already formulating in my mind where I would hang these in my apartment...

"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*

What a lovely weekend

I've slacked again on that whole post-about-your-weekend-at-the-beginning-of-the-week thing. Oh well, I'm pretty sure all of you lovely readers would expect nothing less from me these days...and I certainly wouldn't want to disappoint.

As compared to last weekend's cranky pants theme, this weekend was lovely. It was chilly, there were a few snowflakes and the air smelled like winter in the mountains. There's really no other way to describe the smell of approaching snow here in Fort Collins, much like the smell of Fall is intricately woven with the scent of aspens and the Rocky Mountains. That connectedness to the moutains is one of the things that I love most about my town. It's a lovely comfort to me. Anyway, that was a bit of a tangent, but I hope it's painted a pretty picture in your mind. Come to Colorado! Get lost in the twists and turns of the mountains! You wont regret it.

So, the weekend? Right, back on track...

There was some definite shopping, both for myself and for Christmas gifts. I found the perfect ornament for the lovely Micaela for her ornament swap! I had an idea in mind of what I wanted for her and was lucky enough to find it. I'm still looking for another thing or two to complete the package, but soon it'll be on it's way to lovely Virginia...I hope she loves it! This weekend also involved a few glasses of zinfandel. Cold winter nights call for a glass or two of red wine, don't you think?

I picked up my glass snowflake ornaments and LOVE them! You'll have to excuse how dark the picture is, but it was the best way to show off the iridescent quality of the glass. So cool! I was worried that I'd be disappointed by the final results, but I'm delighted. One or two will go to good homes as gifts, but I think I'm going to have to be greedy and keep the others for myself.

I had a lovely father-daughter date on Saturday. These kinds of afternoons are extremely rare, but lovely when they go according to plan. Dad and I went camera shopping, got hooked in by e-readers (worth it's own post) and finished off our date with frozen yogurt. We both have major sweet tooths and I had owed him a fro-yo date since Father's Day. And even though it started to snow while we were eating our frozen treat, there was a fire going in the shop and the flakes were those gorgeous, fat ones that look very poetic as they fall to the ground.


There was also quality mother-daughter time this weekend in the form of wandering around Old Town, browsing the stores' Christmas displays. While Mom didn't partake, I snagged a hot cup of coffee to keep my fingers warm while we explored (naturlich). I was anti-jacket, because obviously a cardigan is all one needs, right? Hmmm, maybe a coat would've been a good idea...

And, to top off the weekend, my friend Lisa and I met up for a movie Sunday night. She snuck in Starbucks for us, I smuggled in candy (what else are giant purses good for?), we both wore our lounge clothes and we had a great time! I love dates with Lisa!

Cherry Creek Arts Festival

Every year I look forward to the Cherry Creek Arts Festival. It's always bloody hot, always crowded and always a good time. For those of you who don't know, Cherry Creek is an affluent neighborhood in Denver, and one of my favorite areas. The houses are older and gorgeous and I dream of getting to tour one or two of them someday in my lifetime. I always try to sweet talk my dad into driving up and down the streets so I can gaze at the houses, but he rarely gives into me...but, that's ok.

Anyway, going to the Cherry Creek Arts Festival has been a family tradition for years. We enjoy lunch together, stroll up and down each street checking out the vendors and we end the day by getting snappy with each other because the heat has finally to gotten to all three of us. It's grand!

This year was no different than any other. We got down to Cherry Creek early, did an initial stroll down a couple of streets and then ate before the crowds arrived at The Cherry Cricket. The Cherry Cricket is a bit of a dive bar and grill that serves up incredible hamburgers! My best friend Jamie and I love this place, Iowa Girl Eats and her husband have raved about it and it was recently featured in Denver's 5280 magazine. I highly recommend chowing down here if you're ever in Denver.

(horrible, horrible picture of me)

So, we wandered up and down each street, checking out the vendors that caught our eye. Mom and I are always drawn to the jewelry, and both of my parents love fused and blown glass. We saw gorgeous oils on canvas, unique sculptural pieces and beautiful photographs. I bought one abstract of the Denver city skyline that has taken up residence at work and really brightens up my office, and I bought a hand painted photograph that I've been coveting for 2 years now. I love photography (probably because I really don't have much skill myself) and I have a thing for European city scenes. This photograph caught my eye at a previous years' Cherry Creek Arts Festival and I have literally been thinking about it ever since. It's of a man walking next to the grafiti strewn Berlin Wall in 1989. It's stark, war-torn, poor, realistic and extremely powerful. I just had to have it this year, and I cannot wait to get it framed and hung up!

After a few hours, all three of us had hit our limit of sweating and moving through the crowds, so we headed into the Cherry Creek Mall to cool down and do a little more shopping. I happily got lost in Anthropologie (and bought the cutest mug and ruffled top) for a bit and Mom and Dad browsed through kitchen accessories. We were all happy, no longer sweaty and ready to call it a day. Cherry Creek Arts Festival 2010 was a success!

And, on the way out of town, I snapped a quick pic of one of my favorite sculptures:

Where in the World Wednesday

It's Wednesday, which means that not only is the week nearly half-way done, but it's time for Classy in Philadelphia's weekly feature: Where in the World Wednesday.

As I've said countless times before (and will probably continue to say each week), the idea behind WITWW is to post a picture of you someplace in the world. It doesn't have to be someplace foreign or tropical, just somewhere that you consider traveling. In fact, this can be your hometown, it can be somewhere you've never been but are dying to visit or it can even be a repeat destination with fresh, new photos. You get to call the shots, folks!

And, if you do decide to participate, please feel free to steal Feris' button and also remember to link up your post with Jess so we can all "travel" with each other.

Today I am headed to...

BOSTON'S MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS

(yes, that's a creepy baby's head sculpture...there were 2 of them and I was intrigued)

I could spend all day just wandering through this lovely museum, getting lost in the Impressionists wing and well, just getting lost in general... A new wing is going in and it looks like it's going to be spectacular! I cannot wait to visit again.

I finally have...

...table pics!

For those of you who are already friends with me on Facebook, these will be a repeat, but for my blog land friends, here is my new table:

So far I have had a real sit-down meal here, have spent 2 hours working on homework here (on Sunday..ugh) and have loved how it completes my apartment!

Now all I need to do is find some more artwork for the dining room. This is on my to-purchase list (but will probably end up in the guest room):