One of the things that really got us motivated to move out of New Hampshire to Colorado is the thought of our future. We honestly couldn't see ourselves getting the kinds of jobs we knew we deserved and we never felt content living in New Hampshire. Now that we are officially residents of Colorado, it is truly the first time in as long as I can remember that Jeremy and I can start actually planning for the future. We both have great paying jobs to start and, with very much excitement, I am happy to say that Jeremy is now training to become a Financial Planner and is in the process of getting licensed. I am so proud of him and I am happy to be a part of this process.
Here are some of the things that have happened since my last post:
I accepted a position as an Admissions Counselor at Ashford University. I will be working specifically with the online school that has about 90,000 students that take courses strictly online. My job is to call people who have expressed interest in enrolling and get them registered. I will show the new students our website and how they will be taking their classes. The part I am particularly excited about is keeping in contact with each student I register for the remainder of the semester to make sure everything is going smoothly. I start training on July 5th and I think I am really going to enjoy this job. Everyone I have met there really seems to love it. My work is located a little more than a mile from my new apartment so I can walk or bike to work and it's also right on the 16th Street Mall which is an absolute blast. It's a mile long mall that has every restaurant or shop you could ask for. It has pianos on each block and it's fun to walk around hearing everyone play. It also has great Happy Hours I am looking forward to checking out. :)
Jeremy was offered a position doing the exact same thing he was doing in New Hampshire but making double the pay. He is a collector for Federal student loans with Sallie Mae and likes it. The company thinks he is doing a great job and really seems to value what he has to say. When it comes down to it, Jeremy doesn't want to be doing collections forever. Thankfully, my work was looking for someone to fill a financial services adviser position so I forwarded his resume to them. We are extremely happy because they recently contacted him for an interview so keep us in your prayers while he pursues this. If he got this position, it would be great for his resume, he would make more an hour, we would be working in the same building doing the same hours and we could commute together. I also think he would really enjoy the job as well. And, as I mentioned earlier, he is now working for World Financial Group as a Financial Adviser. If he isn't working at his day job, then he is at World Financial Group training and getting his licenses. Thankfully, they really encourage me to be a part of this process so I get to be with him while he is there in the evenings. I really like WFG and what they stand for and it gives Jeremy a way to be self employed which he has always wanted to be. Overall, we couldn't be happier that this is just the beginning of what is yet to come.
All in all, things are coming together better than we could have ever imagined. The weather here is incredible: there is no humidity which, that alone, makes it the best place on the planet for me. Besides that, it is sunny over 300 days out of the year. If it says it is going to rain, it rains for maybe 10 minutes and then is beautiful for the rest of the day. We also found a great church down the street and joined a married couples class called 3 Strands which we go to before our church service and have met some incredible people there. They love to hunt and camp so Jeremy is in his glory. Like I mentioned, we signed a 12 month lease at a great place in the city which is near everything, we are now saving for retirement, started putting money into a house fund, both have secure jobs and Jeremy is in the process of living out his dream as self employed. Truly, we feel blessed more and more everyday.
Things we are excited about ahead:
On July 21st, we move into our new apartment downtown which I absolutely cannot wait for! We will practically be neighbors with our friends Lauren, Jay and Leigh! I will also be adopting a kitten in July which I have been excited about FOR MONTHS (and I'm not sure Jeremy shares my enthusiasm to it's intensity)! We also feel incredibly blessed for all of our friends that are coming to visit us between August and November. Jackie and Jay will be visiting over Labor Day weekend, my parents and sister will be here in September into October. Then the second week in October our friends Kate and Grimes will be here and then Kristina and Chris will be here for Thanksgiving. We've also already booked our flight to New Hampshire for a few days over Christmas Break!
Thank you to everyone who reads this and prays for us. We cannot express how happy we are here and how good it feels to now have reachable goals. I also feel so incredibly blessed to have the most wonderful husband in the world who makes everyday the best day. Life is good.
God Bless!
Friday, June 24, 2011
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Life's Blessings
Here I sit on my balcony, overlooking the Rocky Mountains while enjoying the fresh air and warm breeze and truly feeling content. No, this is not a dream. This is my reality. I am finally here in Colorado.
To say our road trip here was "Epic" is an understatement. The only word that comes to mind to express it best is: blessed. God truly had a hand on us our entire way and continues to hold on to us tightly.
We left my sobbing mother and smiling father on April 16th, a sunny Saturday morning. We promptly got gas, I dried my tears and of course made a last minute stop to the New Hampshire liquor store where we bought a nice bottle of gin, vodka and a bottle of champagne to celebrate our arrival with. We then drove to New York City to see my sister, Jeremy's sister and a dear friend of mine who was coming to see us before we left the Northeast. Our stop there was a blast (besides hurricane winds and downpours) and we were so happy we had the opportunity to see the people we did. We got up rather late on Sunday which was going to be our biggest day of driving: 14 hours. We had trouble finding a taxi to bring us to our car (which I hoped was still there since it was filled to the gills with our stuff) but thanks to New Yorker Deirdre Whiffen, she called one for us and we found our way back to our CRV which was safe and sound. We than began our journey. It was 10:30am and our GPS marked our arrival time to Tennessee to be 11:30pm. If we had only been so lucky.... we made it to Chattanooga by almost 2am.
Our trip from New York to Tennessee was truly special. I've never had more time with Jeremy just to myself and it couldn't have been more perfect. As we left New York (getting lost in the process, GPS and all), we got into New Jersey and saw deer everywhere, which got Jeremy excited. As we made our way into Pennsylvania, we couldn't believe how beautiful it was and how nice all the drivers were. Coming from New England and New York, it made quite an impact! We saw a Cabella's where Jeremy begged for me to stop and explore which we did. Our 11:30pm time than became 12am.
We drove through Pennsylvania which took quite a few hours. From there we got into Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia. Each place was more beautiful than the last. The sun was shining and all the beautiful farms and homes there were just magical. We could sense how much closer we were getting to the Bible Belt by all the crosses and billboards thanking God and his glory. It was such a beautiful thing to see. Also, the radio would bleep out words such as "sex" or anything remotely close to it, which had Jeremy and me in hysterics.
Throughout the day I was texting my friend Kristina about our whereabouts since she was who we were staying with for the next day or so in Tennessee. She had warned me about Virginia and how we would grow to resent it but I kept assuring her that it was beautiful and we couldn't be happier. It was once we hit hour 7 in Virginia, Tennessee no where in sight and the sun setting that Jeremy and I starting to hit a wall. Each time we stopped to get gas or to get coffee it was like our arrival time was against us. "I could have sworn I stopped for 5 minutes, why is our arrival time now a half hour later?" became Jeremy's and my constant complaint. When it was 12:30pm and we were finally in Tennessee, I noticed my passenger becoming increasingly tired. He tried to sing as loudly as he could or dance but I knew it was no use: the boy wanted to sleep. We said a prayer, he promptly passed out and I continued on my journey until I saw the glorious sign of Chattanooga: 10 miles ahead. That got Jeremy up and I texted Kristina who then greeted us in the apartments parking lot. Jeremy and I had started to think that Chattanooga didn't exist or that it was a figment of our imagination. But it wasn't: we had truly arrived! We made some small talk with Kristina and then passed out as quickly as one could.
It was that next morning that I really appreciated everyone who encouraged me to take a day off of traveling. I had resisted it because I wanted to get to Colorado so quickly but having never driven 14 hours straight, it takes a toll on you more than you expect. Jeremy and I relished this day and I will cherish it forever. First off, everything in Tennessee was green. Green trees, green grass, green everything! It was as if in one day we had driven away from winter and arrived on a perfect spring day. We could not have been happier. We put on shorts and a tank top and decided to explore this beautiful place. Kristina throughout the day was sending us texts on places we could go. We arrived at this great brewery and I had a pulled pork sandwich (I had to get my southern BBQ in there somewhere) and just giggled at everyone’s southern hospitality and accents. At one point, I'm pretty sure Jeremy and I adopted an accent ourselves and I'm sure we sounded ridiculous. But we were content, nonetheless. We had an unbelievable time just exploring and being together. Kristina and her boyfriend Chris got out of work at 8pm so she had suggested that we take a trip to Georgia (which we had no idea was 10 minutes away!) and try out their winery there. I'm pretty sure we tried every wine there and fell in love with each one equally. We then agreed upon "Georgia On My Mind" (a peach wine) and "Southern Sangria" and couldn't wait for C&K to get out of work so we could drink them up. We then spent the rest of the evening on Chris's porch enjoying mid 70's temperature as I knew my New Englanders were battling a snow storm. It was when I realized that the apartment we were staying at was not our friend Kristina's but her boyfriend Chris who had never met us until our arrival; I realized the true meaning of Southern hospitality. Chris had opened his doors to us (and even given us a spare key!) without having met us once and was perfectly happy about it. The four of us have a special bond which I truly treasure and cannot wait to visit them again.
The only slip up to our road trip was falling in love with Tennessee. We hadn't expected to love it as much as we did and felt almost like we were cheating on Colorado when we realized how sad we were to leave it. We truly didn't want to. It didn't help that Chris and Kristina told us we could stay and hang out until we felt like leaving. That was not easy to leave at all. But we packed up our things and left for Missouri at 8:15am on Tuesday, April 19th assuring them we would be back as soon as possible.
I don't think Jeremy and I have ever felt so content. Each time we were in the car, or walking around in a new state we had never been in or ever thought we would have found ourselves in, it was like an unknown part of us came alive. I can't imagine experiencing this or wanting to experience this with anyone else.
Tuesday morning the weather was beautiful and made everything it touched likewise. We left in Tennessee, dipped into Georgia, back in to Tennessee and remained there for quite a few hours. Our arrival time was set to be at 5:30pm in Ozark, Missouri where we planned to see my mother's best friend, Linda her husband, Colin and their daughter and granddaughter. Colin is an amazing chef and Linda had told us that he was preparing something for us so that happy thought made time pass well. We found ourselves driving through all these great places we never thought we would see and took hundreds of pictures along the way. Each state we drove through looked different than the last and it made the time pass so quickly. Jeremy and I took turns driving every 4-5 hours or so and just relished in God's beauty along the way.
We spent a lot of time in Kentucky and noticed that the weather was starting to get cloudy. It didn't take away from how beautiful everything was. Our windows were down and we were still dressed in tank tops enjoying now 80 degree weather. Absolutely zero complaints from us. We noticed on our GPS that we were nearing the border of Missouri and promptly got our camera ready to take pictures. It was then that we realized that the road ahead that was to lead us onto a bridge into Missouri was closed. "Don't panic, this is just part of the adventure" was the mentality we had so we took the road in the other direction and prayed it would take us to Missouri. Thankfully it did, but not without taking us through Illinois (sweet! another state we can say we have been in!) which became the only creepy part of our trip since. It took us through Cairo, Illinois. When we entered this town, the sun hid behind clouds, the wind picked up and it started to rain. We noticed there weren’t any cars parked on the street or children playing outside. Buildings were falling apart, abandoned to let nature do what it wanted with it. "What is this place?" Jeremy kept asking. It was truly horrible. We then came across an (OPEN!) bridge ahead and noticed that everything around the bridge was flooded. Thankfully the bridge was intact and water free but the water was so high that it was half way up the branches in every tree. All Jeremy and I wanted was to get out of there. We snapped some pictures just to have proof that we had crossed the Mississippi River and then prayed Missouri was ahead. Thank goodness it was. Once we crossed into Missouri, it was as if nature had come alive again. The sun began to creep out behind the clouds, the rain stopped and the weather warmed up again. Cairo: not our next vacation destination.
When we first started this trip, people kept telling us that we are going to go crazy because of how flat the Midwest was. Jeremy and I said "Screw it! We love farms!". Well, driving through the first part of Missouri was when I started to realize what those people meant. It was flat. Flat, flat, flat. The flatness took the wind out of our sails and the camera out of our hands for the first time in days. We kept hoping for some small hill area or something that looked different. After about 2 hours of this, FINALLY there were hills - and a lot of them. By now the sun was fully out and we passed a bank that read "86 degrees". Happiness was all we felt.
By this point we were getting texts from Linda asking us about our trip and when we thought we would be there. With stopping for gas and getting lunch, our arrival time was set to be at 6:15pm. I then got a call from my mom around 5:30pm with her telling me about tornado warnings and other things going on. That's just swell: I am driving in the middle of nowhere, with the love of my life with a car packed as tightly as possible with everything we owned... the last thing I needed was a tornado. So of course, shortly after this call ended, the sky turned very dark and huge chunks of ice (also known as hail) began to pound our car and windshield. Immediately, I thanked the heavens for our zero deductible policy for windshield replacement from Progressive but that changed drastically when I notice a huge weirdly shaped cloud a few miles ahead in front of us. Jeremy and I looked at each other, then the "cloud", he takes a few pictures and I just stare ahead wondering "Am I about to drive through a cloud or a tornado?". Thankfully, it was just one scary looking cloud.Sadly for us, the scary cloud set our arrival time to past 6:30pm. I quickly let Linda know and we stayed course until we pulled into her neighborhood and were completely taken aback at how beautiful everything was. We left the close courters of our CRV and entered into luxury. It was so wonderful having that time with Linda and her family. Great food, wine and conversation were just what we needed after a 10 hour drive (and that includes the hour we drove and then lost because of time change- ugh!).
After a great sleep, we woke up on Wednesday for the biggest and most exciting day: the day we finally enter into Colorado! We gave hugs and kisses to Linda and Colin as they bid us farewell on their driveway and we pulled onto their street starting the beginning of the last leg of our road trip: Colorado, baby!
The highway that Missouri took us into Kansas was like out of an old movie. The highway was tiny and the only thing separating you from oncoming traffic was yourself. But on a good note: it did take us on Route 66 which was very cool. Once we hit Kansas, all that talk about how flat it was quickly came back to us. Holy flatness, Kansas. We drove the entire length of the state and can tell you in good faith that it is F-L-A-T. Yeah, we spent about 8 hours driving through that.
Kansas was beautiful and their accents made us giggle. Jeremy and I tried ordering food and couldn't understand what the people who were taking our orders were saying. We were just happy to have received food by the end of it. And we saw Amish people. We also saw an abandoned Oregon Trail type carriage which we took a picture next to as if we were doing our own Oregon Trail type thing (except in 100% better circumstances) and then I got stung by a bee. Tough love Kansas.
By the end of hour 8 in Kansas (and another hour gone to time change), we were about done until we noticed beautiful Colorado's Welcome Sign ahead. Our exhaustion quickly turned into pure excitement. Sadly, the first few hours of Colorado were as flat as Kansas. It's strange but you don't realize that you are going up thousands of feet in elevation because the ground remains flat. In fact, the only time that Colorado became ‘unflat’ was when we hit Denver. By this point, the weather was crummy and rainy (and it was 9pm at night so it was completely dark too) but I don't think Jeremy and I have ever been so excited. Plus we finally purchased our URAQT key chains(anyone who doesn't know this story - ask us some time. It's one of the funniest moments we had on our honeymoon which we spent in Colorado) so we were happy, happy campers.
Denver is absolutely beautiful. I am so happy that I didn't Google Image a lot of it because what we saw was worth the surprise. What I didn't know was that Denver has an amusement park at the foot of the city and each roller coaster and other rides are lit up by a different light and it truly makes it magical. Once we pulled up to our hotel (which was BEAUTIFUL! by the way), we checked in, went up to our room (with champagne) and truly hugged it out. We had made it! We truly had done it. We wanted to come to Colorado and not only had we done that but we had the most amazing time and experiences getting there. We popped that champagne, enjoyed an amazing dinner at the rooftop restaurant in our hotel and went to sleep IN COLORADO.
We have now lived in Colorado for almost two weeks. We found an apartment the day after we got here and we were able to sign a two month lease at a beautiful place. Our apartment is called the "Penthouse" of the facility which has 750 sq ft of rug because we have no furniture to put in it. We went to Walmart and got a blow up mattress, unpacked the things we had and we have never been happier. We have our first apartment together that has a balcony with mountain views, fireplace and most importantly: it's in Colorado.
Jeremy and I feel so fortunate for the experiences that we've had and continue to have. They were life changing, magical and memories we will always cherish. We cannot thank family, friends and everyone along the way for all their love and support. One of the many reasons I titled this post "Life's Blessings" is because if Jeremy and I had decided to leave NH a week later than we did, we would have had tornado warnings our entire trip from Virginia to Tennessee and we would have been in Tennessee when those terrible tornadoes ripped through there, Georgia and Alabama (which was about 20 minutes away from where we were staying). A tornado was less than a mile away from Chris's apartment where we were staying and thank God Chris and Kristina are OK. Also, in Cairo, Illinois those trees we saw that were completely engorged in water finally got to the point that everything overflowed (including those bridges) and they had to evacuate everyone from that city. If that had happened while we were driving through, our trip into Missouri would have been completely different (and possibly nonexistent).
Thank you God for all your love and for keeping a watch over Jeremy and I, day in and day out. Without your love and blessings, our dream would not have come true nor would it continue to be. I just pray that Jeremy and I continue to serve you and honor you throughout our life and pray that you use us in anyway you see fit.
God's blessings from Colorado everyone :)
To say our road trip here was "Epic" is an understatement. The only word that comes to mind to express it best is: blessed. God truly had a hand on us our entire way and continues to hold on to us tightly.
We left my sobbing mother and smiling father on April 16th, a sunny Saturday morning. We promptly got gas, I dried my tears and of course made a last minute stop to the New Hampshire liquor store where we bought a nice bottle of gin, vodka and a bottle of champagne to celebrate our arrival with. We then drove to New York City to see my sister, Jeremy's sister and a dear friend of mine who was coming to see us before we left the Northeast. Our stop there was a blast (besides hurricane winds and downpours) and we were so happy we had the opportunity to see the people we did. We got up rather late on Sunday which was going to be our biggest day of driving: 14 hours. We had trouble finding a taxi to bring us to our car (which I hoped was still there since it was filled to the gills with our stuff) but thanks to New Yorker Deirdre Whiffen, she called one for us and we found our way back to our CRV which was safe and sound. We than began our journey. It was 10:30am and our GPS marked our arrival time to Tennessee to be 11:30pm. If we had only been so lucky.... we made it to Chattanooga by almost 2am.
Our trip from New York to Tennessee was truly special. I've never had more time with Jeremy just to myself and it couldn't have been more perfect. As we left New York (getting lost in the process, GPS and all), we got into New Jersey and saw deer everywhere, which got Jeremy excited. As we made our way into Pennsylvania, we couldn't believe how beautiful it was and how nice all the drivers were. Coming from New England and New York, it made quite an impact! We saw a Cabella's where Jeremy begged for me to stop and explore which we did. Our 11:30pm time than became 12am.
We drove through Pennsylvania which took quite a few hours. From there we got into Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia. Each place was more beautiful than the last. The sun was shining and all the beautiful farms and homes there were just magical. We could sense how much closer we were getting to the Bible Belt by all the crosses and billboards thanking God and his glory. It was such a beautiful thing to see. Also, the radio would bleep out words such as "sex" or anything remotely close to it, which had Jeremy and me in hysterics.
Throughout the day I was texting my friend Kristina about our whereabouts since she was who we were staying with for the next day or so in Tennessee. She had warned me about Virginia and how we would grow to resent it but I kept assuring her that it was beautiful and we couldn't be happier. It was once we hit hour 7 in Virginia, Tennessee no where in sight and the sun setting that Jeremy and I starting to hit a wall. Each time we stopped to get gas or to get coffee it was like our arrival time was against us. "I could have sworn I stopped for 5 minutes, why is our arrival time now a half hour later?" became Jeremy's and my constant complaint. When it was 12:30pm and we were finally in Tennessee, I noticed my passenger becoming increasingly tired. He tried to sing as loudly as he could or dance but I knew it was no use: the boy wanted to sleep. We said a prayer, he promptly passed out and I continued on my journey until I saw the glorious sign of Chattanooga: 10 miles ahead. That got Jeremy up and I texted Kristina who then greeted us in the apartments parking lot. Jeremy and I had started to think that Chattanooga didn't exist or that it was a figment of our imagination. But it wasn't: we had truly arrived! We made some small talk with Kristina and then passed out as quickly as one could.
It was that next morning that I really appreciated everyone who encouraged me to take a day off of traveling. I had resisted it because I wanted to get to Colorado so quickly but having never driven 14 hours straight, it takes a toll on you more than you expect. Jeremy and I relished this day and I will cherish it forever. First off, everything in Tennessee was green. Green trees, green grass, green everything! It was as if in one day we had driven away from winter and arrived on a perfect spring day. We could not have been happier. We put on shorts and a tank top and decided to explore this beautiful place. Kristina throughout the day was sending us texts on places we could go. We arrived at this great brewery and I had a pulled pork sandwich (I had to get my southern BBQ in there somewhere) and just giggled at everyone’s southern hospitality and accents. At one point, I'm pretty sure Jeremy and I adopted an accent ourselves and I'm sure we sounded ridiculous. But we were content, nonetheless. We had an unbelievable time just exploring and being together. Kristina and her boyfriend Chris got out of work at 8pm so she had suggested that we take a trip to Georgia (which we had no idea was 10 minutes away!) and try out their winery there. I'm pretty sure we tried every wine there and fell in love with each one equally. We then agreed upon "Georgia On My Mind" (a peach wine) and "Southern Sangria" and couldn't wait for C&K to get out of work so we could drink them up. We then spent the rest of the evening on Chris's porch enjoying mid 70's temperature as I knew my New Englanders were battling a snow storm. It was when I realized that the apartment we were staying at was not our friend Kristina's but her boyfriend Chris who had never met us until our arrival; I realized the true meaning of Southern hospitality. Chris had opened his doors to us (and even given us a spare key!) without having met us once and was perfectly happy about it. The four of us have a special bond which I truly treasure and cannot wait to visit them again.
The only slip up to our road trip was falling in love with Tennessee. We hadn't expected to love it as much as we did and felt almost like we were cheating on Colorado when we realized how sad we were to leave it. We truly didn't want to. It didn't help that Chris and Kristina told us we could stay and hang out until we felt like leaving. That was not easy to leave at all. But we packed up our things and left for Missouri at 8:15am on Tuesday, April 19th assuring them we would be back as soon as possible.
I don't think Jeremy and I have ever felt so content. Each time we were in the car, or walking around in a new state we had never been in or ever thought we would have found ourselves in, it was like an unknown part of us came alive. I can't imagine experiencing this or wanting to experience this with anyone else.
Tuesday morning the weather was beautiful and made everything it touched likewise. We left in Tennessee, dipped into Georgia, back in to Tennessee and remained there for quite a few hours. Our arrival time was set to be at 5:30pm in Ozark, Missouri where we planned to see my mother's best friend, Linda her husband, Colin and their daughter and granddaughter. Colin is an amazing chef and Linda had told us that he was preparing something for us so that happy thought made time pass well. We found ourselves driving through all these great places we never thought we would see and took hundreds of pictures along the way. Each state we drove through looked different than the last and it made the time pass so quickly. Jeremy and I took turns driving every 4-5 hours or so and just relished in God's beauty along the way.
We spent a lot of time in Kentucky and noticed that the weather was starting to get cloudy. It didn't take away from how beautiful everything was. Our windows were down and we were still dressed in tank tops enjoying now 80 degree weather. Absolutely zero complaints from us. We noticed on our GPS that we were nearing the border of Missouri and promptly got our camera ready to take pictures. It was then that we realized that the road ahead that was to lead us onto a bridge into Missouri was closed. "Don't panic, this is just part of the adventure" was the mentality we had so we took the road in the other direction and prayed it would take us to Missouri. Thankfully it did, but not without taking us through Illinois (sweet! another state we can say we have been in!) which became the only creepy part of our trip since. It took us through Cairo, Illinois. When we entered this town, the sun hid behind clouds, the wind picked up and it started to rain. We noticed there weren’t any cars parked on the street or children playing outside. Buildings were falling apart, abandoned to let nature do what it wanted with it. "What is this place?" Jeremy kept asking. It was truly horrible. We then came across an (OPEN!) bridge ahead and noticed that everything around the bridge was flooded. Thankfully the bridge was intact and water free but the water was so high that it was half way up the branches in every tree. All Jeremy and I wanted was to get out of there. We snapped some pictures just to have proof that we had crossed the Mississippi River and then prayed Missouri was ahead. Thank goodness it was. Once we crossed into Missouri, it was as if nature had come alive again. The sun began to creep out behind the clouds, the rain stopped and the weather warmed up again. Cairo: not our next vacation destination.
When we first started this trip, people kept telling us that we are going to go crazy because of how flat the Midwest was. Jeremy and I said "Screw it! We love farms!". Well, driving through the first part of Missouri was when I started to realize what those people meant. It was flat. Flat, flat, flat. The flatness took the wind out of our sails and the camera out of our hands for the first time in days. We kept hoping for some small hill area or something that looked different. After about 2 hours of this, FINALLY there were hills - and a lot of them. By now the sun was fully out and we passed a bank that read "86 degrees". Happiness was all we felt.
By this point we were getting texts from Linda asking us about our trip and when we thought we would be there. With stopping for gas and getting lunch, our arrival time was set to be at 6:15pm. I then got a call from my mom around 5:30pm with her telling me about tornado warnings and other things going on. That's just swell: I am driving in the middle of nowhere, with the love of my life with a car packed as tightly as possible with everything we owned... the last thing I needed was a tornado. So of course, shortly after this call ended, the sky turned very dark and huge chunks of ice (also known as hail) began to pound our car and windshield. Immediately, I thanked the heavens for our zero deductible policy for windshield replacement from Progressive but that changed drastically when I notice a huge weirdly shaped cloud a few miles ahead in front of us. Jeremy and I looked at each other, then the "cloud", he takes a few pictures and I just stare ahead wondering "Am I about to drive through a cloud or a tornado?". Thankfully, it was just one scary looking cloud.Sadly for us, the scary cloud set our arrival time to past 6:30pm. I quickly let Linda know and we stayed course until we pulled into her neighborhood and were completely taken aback at how beautiful everything was. We left the close courters of our CRV and entered into luxury. It was so wonderful having that time with Linda and her family. Great food, wine and conversation were just what we needed after a 10 hour drive (and that includes the hour we drove and then lost because of time change- ugh!).
After a great sleep, we woke up on Wednesday for the biggest and most exciting day: the day we finally enter into Colorado! We gave hugs and kisses to Linda and Colin as they bid us farewell on their driveway and we pulled onto their street starting the beginning of the last leg of our road trip: Colorado, baby!
The highway that Missouri took us into Kansas was like out of an old movie. The highway was tiny and the only thing separating you from oncoming traffic was yourself. But on a good note: it did take us on Route 66 which was very cool. Once we hit Kansas, all that talk about how flat it was quickly came back to us. Holy flatness, Kansas. We drove the entire length of the state and can tell you in good faith that it is F-L-A-T. Yeah, we spent about 8 hours driving through that.
Kansas was beautiful and their accents made us giggle. Jeremy and I tried ordering food and couldn't understand what the people who were taking our orders were saying. We were just happy to have received food by the end of it. And we saw Amish people. We also saw an abandoned Oregon Trail type carriage which we took a picture next to as if we were doing our own Oregon Trail type thing (except in 100% better circumstances) and then I got stung by a bee. Tough love Kansas.
By the end of hour 8 in Kansas (and another hour gone to time change), we were about done until we noticed beautiful Colorado's Welcome Sign ahead. Our exhaustion quickly turned into pure excitement. Sadly, the first few hours of Colorado were as flat as Kansas. It's strange but you don't realize that you are going up thousands of feet in elevation because the ground remains flat. In fact, the only time that Colorado became ‘unflat’ was when we hit Denver. By this point, the weather was crummy and rainy (and it was 9pm at night so it was completely dark too) but I don't think Jeremy and I have ever been so excited. Plus we finally purchased our URAQT key chains(anyone who doesn't know this story - ask us some time. It's one of the funniest moments we had on our honeymoon which we spent in Colorado) so we were happy, happy campers.
Denver is absolutely beautiful. I am so happy that I didn't Google Image a lot of it because what we saw was worth the surprise. What I didn't know was that Denver has an amusement park at the foot of the city and each roller coaster and other rides are lit up by a different light and it truly makes it magical. Once we pulled up to our hotel (which was BEAUTIFUL! by the way), we checked in, went up to our room (with champagne) and truly hugged it out. We had made it! We truly had done it. We wanted to come to Colorado and not only had we done that but we had the most amazing time and experiences getting there. We popped that champagne, enjoyed an amazing dinner at the rooftop restaurant in our hotel and went to sleep IN COLORADO.
We have now lived in Colorado for almost two weeks. We found an apartment the day after we got here and we were able to sign a two month lease at a beautiful place. Our apartment is called the "Penthouse" of the facility which has 750 sq ft of rug because we have no furniture to put in it. We went to Walmart and got a blow up mattress, unpacked the things we had and we have never been happier. We have our first apartment together that has a balcony with mountain views, fireplace and most importantly: it's in Colorado.
Jeremy and I feel so fortunate for the experiences that we've had and continue to have. They were life changing, magical and memories we will always cherish. We cannot thank family, friends and everyone along the way for all their love and support. One of the many reasons I titled this post "Life's Blessings" is because if Jeremy and I had decided to leave NH a week later than we did, we would have had tornado warnings our entire trip from Virginia to Tennessee and we would have been in Tennessee when those terrible tornadoes ripped through there, Georgia and Alabama (which was about 20 minutes away from where we were staying). A tornado was less than a mile away from Chris's apartment where we were staying and thank God Chris and Kristina are OK. Also, in Cairo, Illinois those trees we saw that were completely engorged in water finally got to the point that everything overflowed (including those bridges) and they had to evacuate everyone from that city. If that had happened while we were driving through, our trip into Missouri would have been completely different (and possibly nonexistent).
Thank you God for all your love and for keeping a watch over Jeremy and I, day in and day out. Without your love and blessings, our dream would not have come true nor would it continue to be. I just pray that Jeremy and I continue to serve you and honor you throughout our life and pray that you use us in anyway you see fit.
God's blessings from Colorado everyone :)
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
HAPPY SNOW DAY!
It has been sometime since I updated my blog. With the holidays and just daily life, things got hectic and I fell off track with this a bit. Regardless, I AM BACK!
Jeremy and I are still enjoying our new car but the winter is taking a toll on her (we genderize our cars). We are trying to invest in some new tires but hope that we can put that off as long as possible. Regardless, she is a Godsend and we are so happy to have her.
Today I am enjoying a snow day. I have every intention of taking advantage of this and packing up the apartment (which we move out of in 13 days to move in with the rents for 8 weeks), being a little lazy and having a glass of wine at some point today.
I met up with my mom yesterday and was able to talk with her about the move. She encouraged me not to focus on Colorado so much right now but instead focus on getting out of the apartment. Thankfully we don't have that much stuff but Jeremy and I are moving a week from Saturday and that kinda puts things in perspective. Like, GET A MOVE ON perhaps?
Not to avoid the Colorado talk all together (because Hey! that's what this blog is about!), here's a little update on our plan: Jeremy and I are going to start polishing up our resumes and start looking for jobs. I realized that I care more about where the jobs are then where I am living. I have skewed views on Denver because all I saw of it was the airport but people keep telling me it's a lot better than that. My instinct continues to be Boulder because I think Jeremy and I would thrive in that atmosphere and HELLO GOOGLE. I also need to take into account traffic from our apartment to potential jobs. The friend I know that lives in Longmont got a great job in Denver. She wrote the other day that it takes her 6 hours of driving a day to get there from her apartment. 6 HOURS! If you Google how long it should actually take from her apartment to Denver with traffic it says 1 hour. This made us realize that figuring out where we want to live may not be the first step - it's figuring out where the jobs are and THEN looking around that area for decent apartments.
My goal with this move is not to have any expectations but to go and do the best I can and see the kind of outcome I get. I want to really put myself out there and really network with people because it is all about who you know. I know I have what it takes to make a name for myself and I am really dedicated to showing me (and Google) what I am made of.
So, Phase 1 is in the works: Move out of this apartment which will take us one small step forward towards Phase 2: Colorado.
I'm ready.
Jeremy and I are still enjoying our new car but the winter is taking a toll on her (we genderize our cars). We are trying to invest in some new tires but hope that we can put that off as long as possible. Regardless, she is a Godsend and we are so happy to have her.
Today I am enjoying a snow day. I have every intention of taking advantage of this and packing up the apartment (which we move out of in 13 days to move in with the rents for 8 weeks), being a little lazy and having a glass of wine at some point today.
I met up with my mom yesterday and was able to talk with her about the move. She encouraged me not to focus on Colorado so much right now but instead focus on getting out of the apartment. Thankfully we don't have that much stuff but Jeremy and I are moving a week from Saturday and that kinda puts things in perspective. Like, GET A MOVE ON perhaps?
Not to avoid the Colorado talk all together (because Hey! that's what this blog is about!), here's a little update on our plan: Jeremy and I are going to start polishing up our resumes and start looking for jobs. I realized that I care more about where the jobs are then where I am living. I have skewed views on Denver because all I saw of it was the airport but people keep telling me it's a lot better than that. My instinct continues to be Boulder because I think Jeremy and I would thrive in that atmosphere and HELLO GOOGLE. I also need to take into account traffic from our apartment to potential jobs. The friend I know that lives in Longmont got a great job in Denver. She wrote the other day that it takes her 6 hours of driving a day to get there from her apartment. 6 HOURS! If you Google how long it should actually take from her apartment to Denver with traffic it says 1 hour. This made us realize that figuring out where we want to live may not be the first step - it's figuring out where the jobs are and THEN looking around that area for decent apartments.
My goal with this move is not to have any expectations but to go and do the best I can and see the kind of outcome I get. I want to really put myself out there and really network with people because it is all about who you know. I know I have what it takes to make a name for myself and I am really dedicated to showing me (and Google) what I am made of.
So, Phase 1 is in the works: Move out of this apartment which will take us one small step forward towards Phase 2: Colorado.
I'm ready.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
March Madness
About a month ago, my mother asked me over our date night if we would consider leaving in March. Her reasoning was that we were more likely to avoid bad weather if we left in March than in January. That's when I realized I hadn't even considered bad weather. It was a wake up call that I needed to take a step back and look at what I'm doing and the decisions I'm making. And I don't mean question my decision to move to Colorado but to make sure I'm taking the necessary and safe precautions to getting us there. I came home that night and talked it over with Jeremy and he immediately agreed. I now realize with the holidays here that time would fly and the next minute we would be out the door to Colorado. I'm glad we are taking a few more months to be with everyone and then do this.
The more and more near Colorado becomes the more I am getting excited and anxious. I am so happy that Jeremy and I are taking this risk. I can't wait to live in a place with new opportunities, new friends, new environment, everything.
Ending yet another post feeling unbelievably blessed.
The more and more near Colorado becomes the more I am getting excited and anxious. I am so happy that Jeremy and I are taking this risk. I can't wait to live in a place with new opportunities, new friends, new environment, everything.
Ending yet another post feeling unbelievably blessed.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
A Big Check Off the "To Do" List
After months and months (and months and months) of looking for a car, Jeremy and I FINALLY found one! We were able to find the exact car we (and especially I) were looking for - a CR-V (and in my favorite color no less!). We settled on a 1999 (Green) CR-V that has 72,000 miles on it. Only one owner and it's never been in a car accident. Not too shabby I must say.
When Jeremy and I took it for a test drive, we pulled over at this opening and I felt such pride looking over at him as we checked it out together knowing this might be our first big purchase together. But when it actually came to saying "We'll buy it," I was met with an anxious feeling building within me. I was about to sign my life over (a bit dramatic, yes) for the next 40 months to paying this thing off. It is the biggest purchase of Jeremy's and my life. I immediately called my mom right away asking her if this was normal and was elated to hear that it was.
So it begins: We have officially found the vehicle that will be bringing Jeremy and I over to Colorado. And I am happy to report that there is no anxiety at the thought of that.
Now THAT'S something to be excited about.
When Jeremy and I took it for a test drive, we pulled over at this opening and I felt such pride looking over at him as we checked it out together knowing this might be our first big purchase together. But when it actually came to saying "We'll buy it," I was met with an anxious feeling building within me. I was about to sign my life over (a bit dramatic, yes) for the next 40 months to paying this thing off. It is the biggest purchase of Jeremy's and my life. I immediately called my mom right away asking her if this was normal and was elated to hear that it was.
So it begins: We have officially found the vehicle that will be bringing Jeremy and I over to Colorado. And I am happy to report that there is no anxiety at the thought of that.
Now THAT'S something to be excited about.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Jeremy Robinson
I want to take sometime to write about the most wonderful person I have ever met: my husband, Jeremy Robinson.
I am the most blessed person in the world because I have the man pictured above as my partner for the rest of my life. Never have I met a more wonderful and patient being. Never have I adored anyone like I do him. Never have I ever felt so proud and so passionately about someone. I thank God every single day for this man and felt it was about time I shared the most wonderful part of my life on my blog.
He has such passions. Where a typical person has one or two hobbies; Jeremy has 10. He loves doing things... anything. He loves cooking, fishing, hunting, running, reading, the list is endless. Our favorite thing to do with each other is drive around and chat. We love to explore. Jeremy is an outdoors man while I would rather sit on the couch and watch TV all day. He has opened me up to things I never thought I would do. He makes me a better me.
I have never found anyone who makes me laugh harder than him. He is truly the funniest person I have met in my entire life. Every person who meets him, loves him. He has the biggest heart. He is also the smartest person I have ever met. Once he hears a fact on something, he never forgets it. Ask him anything about history and he will tell you the name of the person involved and the year it happened. Or what kind of airplanes were flown in this or that war. Anything! He has such an endless amount of beautiful qualities.
He provides in the most fun and adventurous ways. Are you cold? Jeremy will make an incredible fire for you. Are you hungry? Jeremy will make you the most delicious meal of your life. Or go out and kill the animal and prepare it for you (this took me a little while getting used to :). When he is outside, he is in his element. The picture above is him at our friends house in upstate New York who lives in the middle of no where. This is the outfit Jeremy arrived in on Friday and this picture was taken on Sunday. It might seem a bit unsanitary to you (and hell, even me!) but it has become one of the many things I adore about him. He is so passionate about life and learning everything he can. He has introduced so many fun activities in my life that I never thought I would do. I eat things I never thought I could stomach but in the end enjoy them. I camp. That is an amazement in and of itself.
I am the most blessed person in the world because I have the man pictured above as my partner for the rest of my life. Never have I met a more wonderful and patient being. Never have I adored anyone like I do him. Never have I ever felt so proud and so passionately about someone. I thank God every single day for this man and felt it was about time I shared the most wonderful part of my life on my blog.
To start: Whenever I wake up in the morning, even if he is working later in the day, he is up before I am to make sure I have breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday no matter what. Because of him, I know how to clean a kitchen like no one you have ever seen before.
He has such passions. Where a typical person has one or two hobbies; Jeremy has 10. He loves doing things... anything. He loves cooking, fishing, hunting, running, reading, the list is endless. Our favorite thing to do with each other is drive around and chat. We love to explore. Jeremy is an outdoors man while I would rather sit on the couch and watch TV all day. He has opened me up to things I never thought I would do. He makes me a better me.
He is truly the most beautiful person I have ever met.
There were times in both of our lives that we felt so alone. We felt ostracized by our families, friends. It was a gift from God that we met. Jeremy helped me forgive and forget which I never thought was possible. I am married to the love of my life and my absolute best friend on the planet. It's amazing to think that some of the things he and I went through that were so difficult to have experienced happened because it made Jeremy and I who we are as individuals and who we are for each other. I have complete and utter admiration for him that is unwavering.
I know God put Jeremy on this Earth for me and me for him. I know I love him more than any other human on Earth and him me.
I know God has a plan for us.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
I Got A Job In NH!
What a blessing - I got a job that will start right as my current one is ending and it took me less than a week to find one. What's even more amazing is that I have e-mails from other companies that would like to interview me too. I'm hoping that this kind of luck continues with me to Boulder (Google anyone?)!
My new job is working at an Art and Music (!!) Studio. It's only 20 minutes away from my apartment and I'll be making the same as I do at my current one. The job is doing office work and scheduling little kids to come and practice their instruments and rehearse. I think some of these kids are going to be so cute it's going to hurt. I'm so happy (and feel it's an answer to prayer) that I could have an easy job that includes being around music. I'm feeling very blessed right now. I am definitely going to miss working for my boss who has been so good to me. I'm also going to miss working alone. This new job is going to be an adjustment. I know the next few weeks are strictly going to be getting used to their way of doing things and learning about their programs. Either way, I am so fortunate to have found something so soon.
Another great reason for finding this job so soon is that Jeremy and I are in desperate need for a new car. Our 97 Hyundai just isn't having it anymore. If it's not the oil leak, it's the gas leak. If it's not the windows, it's the tires. Lord help us. So Jeremy and I are checking out a *girly moment alert* adorable 2003 Honda CR-V. We got a loan from DCU and so the only thing we need is a car. I hope this one is it. Very excited! Hoping it's still available and in good shape.
So even though it's pouring rain outside and making me feel as tired as possible, I have so much to feel blessed about. I constantly have people asking me why we are doing this move, why now? Why Colorado? My answer: Why not? I have prayed for years for God to point us in the right direction since I know it's not here in NH. That much I know for sure. And God answered our prayers and I feel like each step has fallen into place. Jeremy and I are so blessed with love and I'm trying to treasure our each and every step of the way to Colorado.
Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us and please continue to do so! Hopefully my next post will be a picture of me sitting in our new car.
We shall see!
My new job is working at an Art and Music (!!) Studio. It's only 20 minutes away from my apartment and I'll be making the same as I do at my current one. The job is doing office work and scheduling little kids to come and practice their instruments and rehearse. I think some of these kids are going to be so cute it's going to hurt. I'm so happy (and feel it's an answer to prayer) that I could have an easy job that includes being around music. I'm feeling very blessed right now. I am definitely going to miss working for my boss who has been so good to me. I'm also going to miss working alone. This new job is going to be an adjustment. I know the next few weeks are strictly going to be getting used to their way of doing things and learning about their programs. Either way, I am so fortunate to have found something so soon.
Another great reason for finding this job so soon is that Jeremy and I are in desperate need for a new car. Our 97 Hyundai just isn't having it anymore. If it's not the oil leak, it's the gas leak. If it's not the windows, it's the tires. Lord help us. So Jeremy and I are checking out a *girly moment alert* adorable 2003 Honda CR-V. We got a loan from DCU and so the only thing we need is a car. I hope this one is it. Very excited! Hoping it's still available and in good shape.
So even though it's pouring rain outside and making me feel as tired as possible, I have so much to feel blessed about. I constantly have people asking me why we are doing this move, why now? Why Colorado? My answer: Why not? I have prayed for years for God to point us in the right direction since I know it's not here in NH. That much I know for sure. And God answered our prayers and I feel like each step has fallen into place. Jeremy and I are so blessed with love and I'm trying to treasure our each and every step of the way to Colorado.
Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us and please continue to do so! Hopefully my next post will be a picture of me sitting in our new car.
We shall see!
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Craigs List Is My New Bestfriend
Job hunting has slowly become my life. My current job is coming to an end within the next few weeks and I have inherited the task of finding some temporary work before having to job hunt AGAIN for Colorado. Practice makes perfect I guess.
Has anyone noticed how impossible it feels to connect with any businesses when applying online? All I can do is try to put as much of my personality into my cover letter as I possibly can and hope that mine somehow stands out amongst the hundreds of e-mails these people must get daily (if not hourly!). Welcome to the 21st century.
The worst part of it is that I am applying for mindless jobs. Ones I could do with my eyes closed. Ones that offer mundane and repetitive tasks and won't pay me what I deserve. If anyone knows of any other job sites (besides CraigsList) that have worked for them, please let me know!
I am praying that when it comes time to job hunt in Colorado I can find something meaningful.
For now I am going to just continue sending my resume and keep praying that whatever is God's will, will be.
Has anyone noticed how impossible it feels to connect with any businesses when applying online? All I can do is try to put as much of my personality into my cover letter as I possibly can and hope that mine somehow stands out amongst the hundreds of e-mails these people must get daily (if not hourly!). Welcome to the 21st century.
The worst part of it is that I am applying for mindless jobs. Ones I could do with my eyes closed. Ones that offer mundane and repetitive tasks and won't pay me what I deserve. If anyone knows of any other job sites (besides CraigsList) that have worked for them, please let me know!
I am praying that when it comes time to job hunt in Colorado I can find something meaningful.
For now I am going to just continue sending my resume and keep praying that whatever is God's will, will be.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Pictures To Get Me Through A Sleepy Monday
*sigh* <3
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
I love Google. I have always wanted to work for Google or a company just like them. Not only are they the ultimate search engine (which I use every 10 minutes to either check if I am spelling something right or to randomly research something) but they are known to treat their employees like gold. I find this to be so incredibly important. I have worked on both sides of that spectrum. When working for someone who truly values you (like my current boss does), it makes the job worth it. Especially when you're working in Customer Service like I am and have to talk to people allll day long. And obviously not every person you talk to is going to be genuinely thoughtful and happy to speak with you.
So back to Google. I have been looking for jobs in Boulder so that the closer I get to the Winter/move, the more I can start applying to jobs. I've just been searching through Craigslist when I came upon a job opening in Boulder working for Google doing Marketing and Communications. Can we say, "Dream Job?". Yes, yes we can. It is times like these I know these types of jobs are going to go fast and it's so frustrating that I can't just walk into their office now, tell them how worth it I am and tell them to hold on for a few more months cause I'll be there soon. My life coach, Michelle Ward, is wonderful. She has not only encouraged me to blog, but to also keep these companies I want to work for and that are in Boulder in mind for when jobs open in the future. I can't imagine people wanting to quit Google but whenever they do, I will be ready.
I hope you're ready for me Google!
So back to Google. I have been looking for jobs in Boulder so that the closer I get to the Winter/move, the more I can start applying to jobs. I've just been searching through Craigslist when I came upon a job opening in Boulder working for Google doing Marketing and Communications. Can we say, "Dream Job?". Yes, yes we can. It is times like these I know these types of jobs are going to go fast and it's so frustrating that I can't just walk into their office now, tell them how worth it I am and tell them to hold on for a few more months cause I'll be there soon. My life coach, Michelle Ward, is wonderful. She has not only encouraged me to blog, but to also keep these companies I want to work for and that are in Boulder in mind for when jobs open in the future. I can't imagine people wanting to quit Google but whenever they do, I will be ready.
I hope you're ready for me Google!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Free Internet Radio = Love
There is a possibility that I may be the last person on the planet who has yet to own an ipod. Even my 7 year old cousin has one. My husband has owned 3 and where ever they may be, RIP. Recently, with my mother and father's birthdays and anniversary close together they decided it would be a great time to buy an ipod for their jogs and drives together. Great. So I now have a 7 year old cousin, mother AND father who own an ipod and I still do not. On top of that, thanks to my hamy-down (no complaints there) '97 Hyundai, it came fully stocked with ... a tape player. So no ipod or cd player. And let's face it, a lot of the stuff you find on the radio today is beyond difficult to listen to never mind repetitive. I'm stuck my entire ride home from work scanning every radio station that will come in over and over again.
The background story on me is that I went to college for Music Industry with a desire to be in Radio - either as an On-Air Personality or Production. Going to college for music I was constantly creating, listening and recording music daily. When I graduated and moved back to New Hampshire to live with the 'rents, I quickly realized the big N.H. was not exactly stocked full of music jobs. So here I am: currently an Office Manager for a Sealcoating company. With the lack of music in my life and the lack of a CD player in my car, I was dying to hear some music. Since it's normally just me in my office, it can sometimes get a bit too quiet. I was looking for anything I could pump my fist to (Reminder: I work alone. This is acceptable). A wondaful lady I know recently told me about Pandora online which was phenom. The only downfall is that I can't freely fast forward past bands that don't appeal to me. Pandora only allows me to bypass about 10 songs and then my quota is up for the day. I know the whole point is to listen to new music that also sound like bands I love but sometimes I am just not digging it. So I started to search online for music - anything that I could play and enjoy throughout my rather quiet day. I started searching around and finally stumbled upon a site called "SHOUTcast" which is free Internet radio. I love music. I love radio. And I certainly love free. Here is a win-win situation.
SHOUTcast has radio stations from all over the world. They also have every different type of music you could think of. German Disco anyone? Just simply go to the right side of the web and click the type of music you like. From there, they normally have even more specific genres of that genre. Once you've found the one you like, click on it and it will bring up different radio stations you can choose. And it's unlimited - you don't have a set limit on how many you can listen to and it is available 24/7. So there it is: If you've used up your good graces with Pandora, there is still music out there for people (who like me) are looking for unlimited music in a much limited situation.
Enjoy!
The background story on me is that I went to college for Music Industry with a desire to be in Radio - either as an On-Air Personality or Production. Going to college for music I was constantly creating, listening and recording music daily. When I graduated and moved back to New Hampshire to live with the 'rents, I quickly realized the big N.H. was not exactly stocked full of music jobs. So here I am: currently an Office Manager for a Sealcoating company. With the lack of music in my life and the lack of a CD player in my car, I was dying to hear some music. Since it's normally just me in my office, it can sometimes get a bit too quiet. I was looking for anything I could pump my fist to (Reminder: I work alone. This is acceptable). A wondaful lady I know recently told me about Pandora online which was phenom. The only downfall is that I can't freely fast forward past bands that don't appeal to me. Pandora only allows me to bypass about 10 songs and then my quota is up for the day. I know the whole point is to listen to new music that also sound like bands I love but sometimes I am just not digging it. So I started to search online for music - anything that I could play and enjoy throughout my rather quiet day. I started searching around and finally stumbled upon a site called "SHOUTcast" which is free Internet radio. I love music. I love radio. And I certainly love free. Here is a win-win situation.
SHOUTcast has radio stations from all over the world. They also have every different type of music you could think of. German Disco anyone? Just simply go to the right side of the web and click the type of music you like. From there, they normally have even more specific genres of that genre. Once you've found the one you like, click on it and it will bring up different radio stations you can choose. And it's unlimited - you don't have a set limit on how many you can listen to and it is available 24/7. So there it is: If you've used up your good graces with Pandora, there is still music out there for people (who like me) are looking for unlimited music in a much limited situation.
Enjoy!
Monday, September 13, 2010
Stay Strong Boulder!
As Firefighters Gain Control of Colo. Blaze, Another Fire Erupts
AP LOVELAND, Colo. (Sept. 13) -- A new wildfire tore through northern Colorado Sunday, forcing hundreds of residents to flee and destroying one home just as residents 35 miles away returned to scorched homes in Boulder after one of the worst fires in state history.
The wildfire near Loveland quickly grew from just a few acres Sunday morning to more than 600 acres - or about a square mile - by the evening and it was pulling some of the resources from the fire in the foothills of Boulder that burned 10 square miles and destroyed 166 homes.
The fire has also destroyed four outbuildings and an RV, but no injuries have been reported, said Merlin Green, the division chief for Loveland Fire and Rescue. Officials said the blaze was 10 percent contained Sunday night.
A plane drops fire retardant Sunday on a burning ridge west of Loveland, Colo.
Fire officials said crews would remain on the job through the night amid word late Sunday night that the blaze was burning at a slightly slower rate.
"Tonight, even though fire growth has slowed, we'll be hitting it hard with engines and ground crews," the Larimer County Emergency Management said on its website.
Ron and Carol Christensen confirmed that the fire destroyed their home on Turkey Walk Trail, according to the Loveland Reporter-Herald. The Larimer Humane Society was able to rescue their sheltie.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Boulder residents evacuated by the wildfire that has burned in rugged terrain since Sept. 6 were returning to their scorched homes Sunday. They were surrounded by the dreary sight of burnt trees, melted mailboxes and uneven patches of blackened ground.
"We found grandma's sterling, melted together" said Frances Smith, who along with her husband, Mike, sifted through the ashes of their home for their belongings. They also wondered about their daughter, who was among those ordered to evacuate because of the Loveland fire.
Firefighters inched closer to fully containing the Boulder blaze that has burned 10 square miles and authorities investigated what caused it.
A senior law enforcement official familiar with the investigation told the Denver Post that authorities are looking into whether a resident's fire pit sparked the wildfire. The newspaper did not name the official.
The sheriff's office is aware of the Post article but won't comment on the cause or origin of the fire because it's under investigation, said Sarah Huntley, a spokeswoman for the fire response.
Like other Boulder residents, Nancy and Jim Edwards picked up a permit Sunday morning to re-enter their neighborhood, but they found out that the roads leading to their area were still closed. Jim Edwards said they might drive as far as they're allowed.
"We might take a ride, but it is really heartbreaking to see the stuff," he said.
Edwards said he spotted their house through a telescope from Flagstaff Mountain outside Boulder and saw that it was destroyed.
"It looked like a nuclear disaster," Nancy Edwards said. She said they plan to rebuild.
At one destroyed property, all that remained was a stone chimney surrounded by walls of brick about waist high. Saplings in the front yard were burnt and barely their trunks remained. A barbecue grill lay upside down, along with seven metal mailboxes nearby. The house's separate garage had been reduced to a heap of ashes.
Fire officials warned that much of the area is dangerous because of downed power lines and poles, damaged roads and exposed mine shafts.
Still, Boulder firefighting operations were being scaled back and some crews were being relieved six days after the wildfire erupted and quickly destroyed at least 166 homes. Officials said full containment was expected by Monday evening.
Fire spokesman Terry Krasko said Sunday firefighters have been overwhelmed by the community's gratitude and are especially touched by a wall of thank-you notes at their command camp.
"That's probably one of the hardest walls for all the firefighters to go up to," Krasko said. "They really have a tough time with that. The community support has been tremendous for them."
So far, the fire has cost more than $6.7 million to contain. The Boulder Sheriff's Office is leading the investigation into the cause and origin of the fire. The loss of homes surpassed that of the 2002 Hayman fire in southern Colorado, which destroyed 133 homes and 466 outbuildings over 138,000 acres, or more than 215 square miles.
Sponsored Links Insurers had no immediate damage estimate for the Boulder fire. The Boulder Daily Camera reported the wildfire destroyed at least $76.9 million worth of property, based on a database of buildings confirmed burned and their valuations listed in Boulder County property records.
In Loveland, about 100 firefighters from 16 agencies are working the blaze, along with four helicopters and nine air tankers. Residents within a four-mile radius of the fire are under a mandatory evacuation order. The cause of the fire hasn't been determined.
Andy Hiller, a Loveland spokesman, said the city sent evacuation notifications to more than 1,700 phone numbers.
At a Loveland church were a shelter was set up, families watched television coverage of the fire on a big screen. Others were outside, looking as helicopters drop hundreds of gallons of water on the fire near their homes.
"I don't know if it's gone or not but it's sure hard to tell because I can't get up there," said Amanda Mitchell, 31, as she watched the air attack on the fire. She said she fears her home has been destroyed because she saw aerial footage of flames about 50 feet from the home she built with her father 10 years ago.
Associated Press writer Ivan Moreno contributed to this report from Denver. Peipert reported from Loveland.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
AP LOVELAND, Colo. (Sept. 13) -- A new wildfire tore through northern Colorado Sunday, forcing hundreds of residents to flee and destroying one home just as residents 35 miles away returned to scorched homes in Boulder after one of the worst fires in state history.
The wildfire near Loveland quickly grew from just a few acres Sunday morning to more than 600 acres - or about a square mile - by the evening and it was pulling some of the resources from the fire in the foothills of Boulder that burned 10 square miles and destroyed 166 homes.
The fire has also destroyed four outbuildings and an RV, but no injuries have been reported, said Merlin Green, the division chief for Loveland Fire and Rescue. Officials said the blaze was 10 percent contained Sunday night.
A plane drops fire retardant Sunday on a burning ridge west of Loveland, Colo.
Fire officials said crews would remain on the job through the night amid word late Sunday night that the blaze was burning at a slightly slower rate.
"Tonight, even though fire growth has slowed, we'll be hitting it hard with engines and ground crews," the Larimer County Emergency Management said on its website.
Ron and Carol Christensen confirmed that the fire destroyed their home on Turkey Walk Trail, according to the Loveland Reporter-Herald. The Larimer Humane Society was able to rescue their sheltie.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Boulder residents evacuated by the wildfire that has burned in rugged terrain since Sept. 6 were returning to their scorched homes Sunday. They were surrounded by the dreary sight of burnt trees, melted mailboxes and uneven patches of blackened ground.
"We found grandma's sterling, melted together" said Frances Smith, who along with her husband, Mike, sifted through the ashes of their home for their belongings. They also wondered about their daughter, who was among those ordered to evacuate because of the Loveland fire.
Firefighters inched closer to fully containing the Boulder blaze that has burned 10 square miles and authorities investigated what caused it.
A senior law enforcement official familiar with the investigation told the Denver Post that authorities are looking into whether a resident's fire pit sparked the wildfire. The newspaper did not name the official.
The sheriff's office is aware of the Post article but won't comment on the cause or origin of the fire because it's under investigation, said Sarah Huntley, a spokeswoman for the fire response.
Like other Boulder residents, Nancy and Jim Edwards picked up a permit Sunday morning to re-enter their neighborhood, but they found out that the roads leading to their area were still closed. Jim Edwards said they might drive as far as they're allowed.
"We might take a ride, but it is really heartbreaking to see the stuff," he said.
Edwards said he spotted their house through a telescope from Flagstaff Mountain outside Boulder and saw that it was destroyed.
"It looked like a nuclear disaster," Nancy Edwards said. She said they plan to rebuild.
At one destroyed property, all that remained was a stone chimney surrounded by walls of brick about waist high. Saplings in the front yard were burnt and barely their trunks remained. A barbecue grill lay upside down, along with seven metal mailboxes nearby. The house's separate garage had been reduced to a heap of ashes.
Fire officials warned that much of the area is dangerous because of downed power lines and poles, damaged roads and exposed mine shafts.
Still, Boulder firefighting operations were being scaled back and some crews were being relieved six days after the wildfire erupted and quickly destroyed at least 166 homes. Officials said full containment was expected by Monday evening.
Fire spokesman Terry Krasko said Sunday firefighters have been overwhelmed by the community's gratitude and are especially touched by a wall of thank-you notes at their command camp.
"That's probably one of the hardest walls for all the firefighters to go up to," Krasko said. "They really have a tough time with that. The community support has been tremendous for them."
So far, the fire has cost more than $6.7 million to contain. The Boulder Sheriff's Office is leading the investigation into the cause and origin of the fire. The loss of homes surpassed that of the 2002 Hayman fire in southern Colorado, which destroyed 133 homes and 466 outbuildings over 138,000 acres, or more than 215 square miles.
Sponsored Links Insurers had no immediate damage estimate for the Boulder fire. The Boulder Daily Camera reported the wildfire destroyed at least $76.9 million worth of property, based on a database of buildings confirmed burned and their valuations listed in Boulder County property records.
In Loveland, about 100 firefighters from 16 agencies are working the blaze, along with four helicopters and nine air tankers. Residents within a four-mile radius of the fire are under a mandatory evacuation order. The cause of the fire hasn't been determined.
Andy Hiller, a Loveland spokesman, said the city sent evacuation notifications to more than 1,700 phone numbers.
At a Loveland church were a shelter was set up, families watched television coverage of the fire on a big screen. Others were outside, looking as helicopters drop hundreds of gallons of water on the fire near their homes.
"I don't know if it's gone or not but it's sure hard to tell because I can't get up there," said Amanda Mitchell, 31, as she watched the air attack on the fire. She said she fears her home has been destroyed because she saw aerial footage of flames about 50 feet from the home she built with her father 10 years ago.
Associated Press writer Ivan Moreno contributed to this report from Denver. Peipert reported from Loveland.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Where To Live, Where To Work
As I mentioned in my first blog: My husband and I are taking a big leap of faith, packing up and moving to Colorado. We are moving away from our families, friends, comfort zone, everything we've known. As much as I know it would be so easy to just stay here in the know/in what I am used to, there really isn't any excitement in that. Just, eh. Not very poetic but it's how I feel about it.
Last night I had dinner with my best girlfriend of over 10 years. We were sitting there laughing at things only long-time friends could while admiring her 2 year old running around with my purse pretending to be a working woman. It's moments like this that make me sad and think maybe I should reconsider this move. But I have to remind myself - they will be here when (and if) we move back. There is no reason to stay in a place that holds no future or hope. I am such a lucky person to have friends that I do but they will be here, even if I am not.
This weekend, Jeremy decided to do a little research and take a look at Boulder online and see what it looks like. He and I have never been there and it was me who started this whole thing so he has just held onto his hat for the ride since. The only area we have been to is Vail which is right in the Rocky Mountains. Every place you look is spectacular. Even driving down the highway is an experience. Since doing our research, we discovered that Boulder is right on the outside of where the mountains start. Since being in the mountains is part of this whole experience for us, we are having a minor dilemma. My first (not-so-mature) thought is "Phooey." My next, more thought out reaction is, "Hey, it's not New Hampshire and I know it's going to be beautiful." The "Phooey" side of me imagines myself literally sitting on a mountain and calling it home. The more realistic side of me simply thinks Boulder looks beautiful. From what we've heard, it can be compared to Burlington, Vermont which is wonderful. The other plus is we can walk to everything which is so crucial to Jeremy and I because we love walking around and exploring. When it comes down to it, we will be in Colorado. We can't lose. So Boulder (or somewhere around there) it is! We now are trying to figure out if it's worth paying the extra money and saying good bye to extra square footage to just move into Boulder. Our friend Lauren, who is the one who encouraged us to make this move, lives 15 minutes outside of Boulder in Longmont. She absolutely loves it there and still has mountain views. This is where the next blind leap of faith comes in: We are literally counting on someone we don't know well but well enough (who BTW has great taste!) to go to the apartments we like and make a decision for us. I guess it's part of the whole adventure.
So it's a slow day at work today and I've decided to start looking at apartments available in Boulder. On a side note: According to the news, Boulder is currently burning to the ground. Not such a great thought when looking at future apartments. But in all seriousness my thoughts and prayers go out to the families who have lost their homes and the ones who are still at risk. I hope these fires get under control and fast! Here's to hoping for less humidity in that area and some well deserved rain!
So according to Rent.com, a small (almost studio sized) apartment in Boulder starts at $645. We are currently paying $550, so not too bad a difference (though it's easy to pay that here with already having somewhat stable jobs and with living in Colorado it's going to be more expensive and we don't even have stable jobs yet. Thinking about these things gets my blood pressure up. But I have to stop - I can't allow myself to think about things I can't control. This is all about a leap of faith; seeing the big picture. Alrighty. Well, here ends my small therapy session.) So back to Rent.com. So Boulder starts at around $645 but there are very few places that cost that little so it makes me worried what we might be moving into. If I broaden my search to Longmont, where Lauren lives, we are surprisingly looking at the same amount but there are more options and bigger living spaces. Jeremy's thoughts are to move to either Boulder or some town that is closer to the mountains and then commute to Boulder. I don't have as much enthusiasm for that idea because we are moving to a place we don't know and I would like to be near Lauren and her husband if possible. Lauren said that in Longmont she can literally walk to anything she needs - grocery store, farmers market, pubs, book stores. Literally everything. I thought I could hear angels singing when she wrote to me what she lives near. So yes, would I love to be as close to the mountains as one could get? Yes. But I think with us moving there, not knowing anyone, looking for work... it just might make more sense to live in Longmont (or Boulder). So I guess I haven't really made any decisions yet but I feel like I may be getting closer to making one.
So there you have it. Where to live, where to work? Still don't know. But we are making progress. That's more than I could ever ask for.
Love,
Me
Last night I had dinner with my best girlfriend of over 10 years. We were sitting there laughing at things only long-time friends could while admiring her 2 year old running around with my purse pretending to be a working woman. It's moments like this that make me sad and think maybe I should reconsider this move. But I have to remind myself - they will be here when (and if) we move back. There is no reason to stay in a place that holds no future or hope. I am such a lucky person to have friends that I do but they will be here, even if I am not.
This weekend, Jeremy decided to do a little research and take a look at Boulder online and see what it looks like. He and I have never been there and it was me who started this whole thing so he has just held onto his hat for the ride since. The only area we have been to is Vail which is right in the Rocky Mountains. Every place you look is spectacular. Even driving down the highway is an experience. Since doing our research, we discovered that Boulder is right on the outside of where the mountains start. Since being in the mountains is part of this whole experience for us, we are having a minor dilemma. My first (not-so-mature) thought is "Phooey." My next, more thought out reaction is, "Hey, it's not New Hampshire and I know it's going to be beautiful." The "Phooey" side of me imagines myself literally sitting on a mountain and calling it home. The more realistic side of me simply thinks Boulder looks beautiful. From what we've heard, it can be compared to Burlington, Vermont which is wonderful. The other plus is we can walk to everything which is so crucial to Jeremy and I because we love walking around and exploring. When it comes down to it, we will be in Colorado. We can't lose. So Boulder (or somewhere around there) it is! We now are trying to figure out if it's worth paying the extra money and saying good bye to extra square footage to just move into Boulder. Our friend Lauren, who is the one who encouraged us to make this move, lives 15 minutes outside of Boulder in Longmont. She absolutely loves it there and still has mountain views. This is where the next blind leap of faith comes in: We are literally counting on someone we don't know well but well enough (who BTW has great taste!) to go to the apartments we like and make a decision for us. I guess it's part of the whole adventure.
So it's a slow day at work today and I've decided to start looking at apartments available in Boulder. On a side note: According to the news, Boulder is currently burning to the ground. Not such a great thought when looking at future apartments. But in all seriousness my thoughts and prayers go out to the families who have lost their homes and the ones who are still at risk. I hope these fires get under control and fast! Here's to hoping for less humidity in that area and some well deserved rain!
So according to Rent.com, a small (almost studio sized) apartment in Boulder starts at $645. We are currently paying $550, so not too bad a difference (though it's easy to pay that here with already having somewhat stable jobs and with living in Colorado it's going to be more expensive and we don't even have stable jobs yet. Thinking about these things gets my blood pressure up. But I have to stop - I can't allow myself to think about things I can't control. This is all about a leap of faith; seeing the big picture. Alrighty. Well, here ends my small therapy session.) So back to Rent.com. So Boulder starts at around $645 but there are very few places that cost that little so it makes me worried what we might be moving into. If I broaden my search to Longmont, where Lauren lives, we are surprisingly looking at the same amount but there are more options and bigger living spaces. Jeremy's thoughts are to move to either Boulder or some town that is closer to the mountains and then commute to Boulder. I don't have as much enthusiasm for that idea because we are moving to a place we don't know and I would like to be near Lauren and her husband if possible. Lauren said that in Longmont she can literally walk to anything she needs - grocery store, farmers market, pubs, book stores. Literally everything. I thought I could hear angels singing when she wrote to me what she lives near. So yes, would I love to be as close to the mountains as one could get? Yes. But I think with us moving there, not knowing anyone, looking for work... it just might make more sense to live in Longmont (or Boulder). So I guess I haven't really made any decisions yet but I feel like I may be getting closer to making one.
So there you have it. Where to live, where to work? Still don't know. But we are making progress. That's more than I could ever ask for.
Love,
Me
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Behind "The Big Picture"
So here is the beginning of something new: A Blog.
I will try to update this as much as possible. I'm looking at this as a new therapy for me. So, hang tight.
The reason I named my blog "Here's To Looking At The Big Picture" is because that is what my new goal is. I've noticed I tend to let momentary things take over my entire attitude for life. What a waste. I am very lucky I have such a wonderful husband who is so good at looking at the big picture. I am ready to take his look on life and apply it to my own. My plan is to feel fortunate each and every day for the blessings that make up my life. I guess the word of the day is: Life.
So, here is what's behind the "Big Picture":
We buy a car
We save up money
We move to Colorado in January as planned
I will not let my inner-self question these goals Jeremy (my husband) and I have planned. I'm ready to STOP worrying about the momentary things but instead, look forward to what's ahead.
So there it is: The reason I've created a blog talking about my (word-of-the-day) life and our plans for it.
Thank you for being a part of our journey.
Love,
Me
I will try to update this as much as possible. I'm looking at this as a new therapy for me. So, hang tight.
The reason I named my blog "Here's To Looking At The Big Picture" is because that is what my new goal is. I've noticed I tend to let momentary things take over my entire attitude for life. What a waste. I am very lucky I have such a wonderful husband who is so good at looking at the big picture. I am ready to take his look on life and apply it to my own. My plan is to feel fortunate each and every day for the blessings that make up my life. I guess the word of the day is: Life.
So, here is what's behind the "Big Picture":
We buy a car
We save up money
We move to Colorado in January as planned
I will not let my inner-self question these goals Jeremy (my husband) and I have planned. I'm ready to STOP worrying about the momentary things but instead, look forward to what's ahead.
So there it is: The reason I've created a blog talking about my (word-of-the-day) life and our plans for it.
Thank you for being a part of our journey.
Love,
Me
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