Day 9: Doodles

I can't take credit for this doodle; it was shown to me from an awesome patch and I wanted to re-create it for fun. For someone in particular (you know who you are). 😊

"Get lost, find yourself". Seemed fitting to hold it up in front of a watercolor painting of a mountain landscape that I fell in love with at a brewery. After pining over it for the evening but questioning if it was true love or just a couple of beers, I slept on it and...went back and bought it the next day. Breweries have amazing artwork.

Keeping it short and sweet tonight, friends. Get lost and find yourself...listening to the song below.

Days 6, 7 & 8

It was a great weekend. Unfortunately, I slacked on a few of my pictures...which means today you get 3! It is also a bit of a throwback Thursday; instead of taking new pictures I decided to edit a few older ones that have been sitting on my computer. Enjoy :)

The first? Well, what's possibly shinier than the Bean (errr...I mean, "Cloud Gate")? I went to Chicago for the first time at the beginning of March and it was a really great work trip. It's a big city with a laidback feel, and I could see myself living there if I could handle the weather. It was a very dreary morning and my coworkers and I decided to trek to this very famous sculpture. Definitely worth it, especially since most people didn't want to be out in the pouring rain. This picture does not do the size or the shininess justice...it was cool, and I was a shameless tourist.

This next picture is from a solo trip that I took to Steamboat Springs last fall. It was an unexpected, last-minute trip that came after I decided to cancel a trip to Portland and needed some headspace. I took a 4 hour drive to an Air BnB, met a giant Newfie named Chewie, ate almond milk mozzarella, drank wine and chatted advertising with my host (a human, not Chewie), and briefly met his neighbor who was a former-Olympic-Nordic-combined-skier-turned-bear hunter. The trip was wonderfully unplanned from start to finish and was a welcome distraction. I snapped this pic on the deck of the house; I love the contrast of the ground with the fading sky.

And finally, weather. Today would've been PERFECT to take a picture of given that it was a misty, cloudy day. But by the time I realized this, it was already too dark. But that's ok because I came across this picture; I went on a hike in Frisco last October instead of doing laundry, and it was a fantastic decision. This cloudy weather is my favorite to hike in and makes me feel like I can hike for miles. Grateful for views of yellow trees against a heather gray sky.

Thanks for reading, friends!

Day 5: Drip

I had big plans for this picture...I would take my camera, turn my faucet slightly on, snap a picture of a perfectly shaped drop, and BAM. Day 5 post. But it turned into a flash at the bottom of this shot instead. It was more difficult than I thought! That's ok though, especially with some black and white effects. It's also fitting because there are actual rain drops outside and it's a nice soundtrack to a chill evening. Hope you're all having a good night :)

Day 4: Texture

Tonight was a lovely night making a new recipe with a special someone and a new thing: spaghetti squash. Is there a more perfect thing for "texture"? We decided to try this recipe and it was a success! Would definitely recommend if you want to try something new with a coconut curry-type flavor. The most fun part (besides eating it) was "fluffing up" the spaghetti squash with a fork; there's just something really satisfying about how easy the warm squash comes apart with the fork and transforms into spaghetti-like strings. And? It even looked like the official recipe pictures.

A successful night. :)

Day 3: On the ground

Hi all,

Going to be a short and sweet post tonight I think. All you need to know is that I am a sucker for water droplets on plants/leaves/windows/you name it. You can check out a similar picture in this post from the ancient days of 2012. Goodnight, friends. :)

Day 2: Bright

Did I stare at a bright light through a camera lens for several shots before I settled on this photo? Maybe. Should I have quit after two shots to save my eyesight? Probably, but I'm not a quitter. Was it worth it? I'll let you decide.

I'm realizing the downfall of only being able to take pictures after I get home, which means it's dark outside and I get to explore the inside of my apartment for photo subjects. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it can often result in lightbulb pictures instead of sun-soaked balcony pictures. Good thing I'm not trying to win likes on Instagram.

I love the word bright; I immediately think of light or color but it also implies intelligence. To me, someone who is bright is someone who is eager to learn, catches on quickly, and has an energy about them that is contagious. I'm always really grateful when we get new people like that at work because they seem to shift the energy with their genuine curiosity and remind people why they started working in their industry or job. I'm also just grateful for people like that in general; a barista at one of my favorite coffee shops this morning greeted me like an old friend and we chatted about the weekend. I didn't even know she knew who I was, which made it all the more awesome. It was such a day brightener to be recognized and greeted. Plus non-awkward conversation?! Nailed it.

There are also times where things don't feel so bright and darkness hangs heavy, and I'm familiar with that space too. I cling to these tiny anchors in a day (a sincere hello, a warm smile, a puppy sighting...) and keep a "thankful for" note in my phone to hold a little light when those dark days come around.

But today? Today is bright, and I am thankful.

Day 1: Leaves

"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall."

- F. Scott Fitzgerald

It finally feels like fall here in Colorado, and I couldn't be more excited. For me, fall brings with it a feeling of hibernation and coziness. I love being outside but during the summer there's this palpable sense of "I need to be outside and swim/hike/bike/camp/tan or I am WASTING THIS SUMMER". In the fall, focus shifts inwards and the pressure to be outside seems to lift as the temperatures lower. Oddly enough, my productivity at work also goes up about 200%.

So. What's the first thing you think of when you hear "fall"? If you said "pumpkin spice latte", partial credit. The answer for me is "changing leaves". It's fitting that for day 1, that's exactly what I'm taking a picture of. But unfortunately there are only about 5 leaves starting to change color in my neighborhood; I almost resorted to spray painting them yellow or doing some really aggressive photoshop edits before I stumbled upon the below.

Fall: crisp and cool. A time of solace and self-reflection. Fleeting and delicate, yet vibrant and impactful. I've found that watching the leaves turn bright in a blaze of glory allows me to pause and reflect on the months behind me and the months ahead. And I'm excited for the months ahead. I stare a bit longer at the trees, hoping to carry the memory of their brilliant colors into the restful and silent winter. I'm grateful that time feels a bit slower as the world tucks in with the cooler temperatures. I hope you can feel that same reprieve from the hustle and savor this season.


Thanks for tuning in, friends.