Nice little Saturday.

Hanging with that there guy, making a little of that there beer.

Ketchup!

I have some serious catching up to do on this here blog.  Some trips, some beer related news { which really, isn't that the best kind of news? }, some of my favorite charlie + hunter photos and a few things in between.  Here is a little peek at what sort of blog posts you can expect in the next week or two!

New Hampshire Trip
This post will have far too many ka's, inside jokes, stories probably no one but Amie and I will understand, but I can't wait to relive my week long trip out to New Hampshire and gush over how incredible it is to have a best friend 15 hours away, or 8 hours away { what is that I read?  Foreshadowing possibly? } and have the speed of your friendship stay exactly the same.  She's a keeper that Cmie.

Snowy Play Date
You'll get a little peek at what happens when you live at a ski area after the hill is closed up and happen to have a copious amount of ski bikes/sleds to play with.  Spoiler Alert: Someone ends the night pantsless drinking hot chocolate and playing with a toy snow cat, but you didn't hear it here first.

SRB

Why is this man, or should I say Head Brewer, drinking out of a tap handle and getting away with it?  Stay tuned...

Happy Birthday, Hunter!

How we celebrate birthday's Snowy Style { check out this party girl!  hello, life of the party! } and also Montana Style.

charlie + hunter

Some of my favorite day to day snap shots of these two little rug rats!  In this particular photo, I believe Charlie was playing the drums { foam roller }, and talking on the phone { ipod }.  

Surprise, SLC!

A quick weekend road trip to surprise the sweetest of all sweet women for her very special birthday weekend!  

Insta Dump vol.2

Unnecessary for those of you who follow me on Instagram, *necessary for those of you who don't.

:: even the sidewalks were celebrating love day! ::

:: sups important drink decisions to be made at laundry in steamboat! ::

:: no better way to celebrate vday than free drinks, delicious dinner and a night spent at the hot springs.  yum. ::

:: my valentine's day gift - a martini from the martini making master! ::

:: beware of the beautiful ice ::

:: what else would i be doing on a tuesday afternoon than touring new belgium brewery with my favorite brewmaster, uncles x2 and aunt?! ::

:: and what else would my aunt and uncle from nd be doing than going down a giant slide? ::

:: mine. ::

:: on the road again ::
:: again, saving our mt ig's for the recap! ::

:: wyo roads trying to stop me from making it to my girls week in denver.  psch.  as if. ::

:: ikea is one kajillion billion times more enjoyable on a tues afternoon vs sat afternoon ::

:: watch out hunt.  you have some stiff competition with this dream boat! ::

:: my second, third fourth and fifth loves ::

:: hungover/tired/bored at the toyota dealership, praying no one can hear my Pussycat Dolls pandora playlist through my earbuds ::

:: hurrying from denver to snowy for a night, before taking off again to salt lake the next morning ::
:: again, slc ig's to be saved for recap ::

*slight exaggeration.

Currently.

::WORKING ON:: Designing business cards for Hunter and I { for a reason I have realized hasn't even made the blog yet.  I need to get explaining! }, misc Snowy projects, brainstorming ways to expand my freelance and a super secret project that involved 4 oh so amazing tutorial videos by my Mary!  I can't talk much about it, but when it's over, I'll most def pimp the final project all over here.  Also working on snacking on more Cuties, banana + peanut butter combos, mini sweet peppers, glasses of water and hot tea over chips and salsa, jelly beans, salty pretzel chips and glasses of beer/wine.

::THINKING ABOUT:: Inspiration.  The inspiration that has come to me in forms of friendship, love, creativity, strength, despair, design, kindness, grief.  Since leaving my job 4 months ago, I feel like I'm finally morphing back to the Beth who moved to Denver.  I'm feeling myself shedding the vain, materialistic, corporate america thoughts that I was surrounded by for 5 years, and morphing back to the Beth who was less jaded.  The Beth who didn't give a flying football where her jeans came from, and when is the right time in the year to wear white.  The Beth who wanted to give more, laugh more.  The Beth who wanted spend more time alone in the park.  The Beth who used to mail cards just because.  The Beth who found sheer joy in sitting alone at a coffee shop reading for hours on end.  The Beth who LOVED designing, and couldn't be pulled away from her computer.  I lost a lot, if not all of my creative design spark in those 5 years { to no one's fault but my own } and I'm determined to get it back.  This surge of striving to be a better person can be 100% attributed to the bodies and friendship I've been lucky enough to surround myself with in the past 4 months.  It's amazing how inspiring it is when you have the ability to choose who it is you spend your time with.  What a concept, eh?  Choosing who you focus on building friendships with and who you are able to concentrate on spending time with.  And in that time, pulling as much knowledge, direction and love from people you admire most.   

::ANTICIPATING:: So, so, so many things!  I'm anticipating likely the busiest weekend at Snowy starting tomorrow.  I'm anticipating my uncle coming up and staying Sunday/Monday.  I'm anticipating a quick week trip to Steamboat next week. I'm anticipating gearing up for a Washington DC trip the end of the month.  I'm anticipating the end of the ski season in early April { HOW is it possible I'm already typing those words?  Too fast, time.  Too fast. } I'm anticipating time spent at Lake Powell for a very very special trip.  I'm anticipating Hunter and my next step and all of the pieces coming together for where we will live next.  But above all?  I'm anticipating the shower that is about 2 hours overdue this morning. Yikes.

::LISTENING TO:: Paper Bird!  Mary introduced me to them years ago, though sadly it was in my stubborn music stage.  It's not that I didn't listen to her music recommendations  but it's just that I didn't listen to her music recommendations.  I dusted off one of their CD's she was kind enough to burn me, and I haven't turned back since.  Hunter was even moving and grooving to them during our last car ride to SLC!  I have determined it is exactly 6 Paper Bird songs from Centennial to Laramie.  Such a glorious 30 minute drive...   

::EATING:: Avocado toast morning after morning 100% by choice.  Veggie burgers afternoon after afternoon 4% by choice { so thankful for the option here in Snowy's cafeteria and other restaurants in Centennial and on our travels.  However, I think I've maxed out on veggie burgers for quite some time. } And delicious vegan meal night after night, again 100% by choice!  The support and attention to detail Hunter and his family have shown for my vegan eating has been the maximum level of thoughtful and kind.  Since moving up here I can think of one meal we've had that wasn't vegan friendly { we usually cook dinners based around vegan recipes, but cook up a meat/dairy option on the side for other carnivores to add to their meal }, and even then it was vegetarian and meatless!  

::THANKFUL FOR::  Fi-nally getting back into an exercise routine!  Hunter was kind enough finally had it with my bitching and set up a treadmill one building over for us to use!  Plus, the random days that I head into town I try to sneak a run in- it feels so great breathing in the fresh Spring air!  My weight has been up and down these past few months, and right now it's up...and that makes me feel down { Seriously I need that shower to break up my bad puns. }  Spring has sprung, and I'm very thankful for a { somewhat } healthy knee and body to get to ski and run to enjoy it all.  

::PLANNING FOR:: Our last kick of trips and final weeks at Snowy before settling into a new town/state come mid-Spring.  I'm embracing this crazy exciting traveling, spontaneous and adventurous period in our lives right now while it's hitting us smack dead in the face before a slower { albeit much welcomed } lifestyle comes our way.

Insta Dump vol.1

Unnecessary for those who follow me on Instagram, *necessary for those of you who don't.

:: gorg steamboat sunset ::

:: obsessing with the stunning scenery i get to see day in and day out ::

:: obsessing over this girl ::

:: food, drinks, laughter and tears with my girl jaim ::

:: fake blues ::

:: obsessing with mary over brussels and wine ::

:: sunrise.  rooster. ::

:: pooping my pants over seeing my amie girl in a few short hours ::
:: also, i'm saving my nh ig's for when i recap that trip! ::

:: fly back to den.  land.  get picked up by hunt and immediately get taken to city o city  lucky girl ::

:: morning at the market! ::

:: amazing view from an amazing loft ::

:: shocking ::

:: hey there, cutie! ::

:: poor man's pho = success! ::

:: most successful and happiest first run after my pt ok ::

:: how i get in my creative zone post corporate hell.  green tea + mimosa ::

*slight exaggeration.

Bookworm Beth vol. 2

Since January, I've still been keeping my nose plastered in many a good book, though I haven't been plowing through them speedily as I was before.  Here is a quick rundown on the books that have been keeping my attention as of late!

Life of Pi

Oh Life of Pi.  My severe love/hate relationship for you is still leaving ME confused.  I brought this book with me when I visited Amie out in NH.  We were far too busy giggling and eating Margarita's chips and salsa for me to read while I was out there, but I had plenty of time on my way back to get fed up with it. almost put it down.  curse the pages.  flip ahead 100 pages in a last ditch effort to freaking read the thing.  I so badly and direly wanted to love this book, I really did.  I remember sending Mary a text from the airport in Chicago during a quick layover on my way back saying "I'm going to do it Mary.  I'm going to quit reading Life of Pi.  I can't go another page."  She supported me, though for some reason I just couldn't do it, I had to keep reading.  I did keep reading, but I really didn't love it.  I will admit to literally flipping ahead 100 pages to get through the supes boring part and to any sort of action part.  Once I reached the action parts, I started liking it.  I did.  I finished the book rather quickly, and was pleased with the ending.  I am really anxious to watch the movie to see how charming they can make the parts that didn't entice me.

Big Rock Candy Mountain

This was another read from my personal Cindy Maddox Library!  This book pulled me in instantly as the first few chapter took place in Fargo North Dakota and referenced towns like Davenport { where my cousins live! }.  Throughout the book it referenced the glorious town of Mayville { Do you hear me Mary and Karley?!  It talked about MAYVILLE! } where my good friends lived for several years in college.  The book was about two young lovers way back in the early 1900's who started a family while hopping from town to town in order to chase jobs and make any sort of money to support their family.  I related to this book on a few levels, not only because it talked about towns I once lived in and know, but also because it was about living the simple life away from the frills of big cities, which is something I can relate to right now.  Though the ending wasn't as dreamy and happy ending as I would have liked, it was real and raw, and for that I really really enjoyed it.

Saving Fish from Drowning

Good golly, Miss. Molly - this was such an incredible read.  I finished the book only last night, so I still have it pretty heavily on my mind.  I thought this one would take me a bit to get into, but I couldn't have been more wrong.  The book is written from the narrative perspective from a deceased character who is watching over a group of her 11 closest friends as they take a trip to Burma where the group suddenly disappears out of thin air.  There isn't much more to say about this other than it was really gripping and such a wonderful read.

That concludes my list of read books up until this point!  I have two more in front of me that I am debating which one to read first, one is a book Hunter recently finished, and another is a book that was lent to me by my sweet friend Lindsey when we saw them this past week in Salt Lake.  I'm fairy certain I've decided to go with the latter book first, but I will keep you all posted!

All images via. 

Pro/Con. Mountain Style.

Now that we've been living up at Snowy for a few months, there have been quite a few random things that happen during the day that make me giggle, or silently compare life to how life was pre-Snowy.
Enjoy my little list of pros and cons explaining such:

Pro :: Bedroom window facing East, so you can see the sunrise every.single.morning.from bed.
Con :: Bedroom window facing East AND the parking lot so you have people walking outside your window every.single.morning when you get dressed.

Pro :: A fully stocked, restaurant sized kitchen with every possible thing you could need next door if you happen to forget an ingredient or don't have the pots/pans you need!
Con :: Access to a grocery store is at least a 45-60 minute drive away.

Pro :: Living on the side of a mountain with only a handfull of other people gives you the ability to recognize every single car in the parking lot once the hill is shut down.  That leads to the quietest of all quiet nights, peace and calm surrounding you.
Con :: When you do hear a car in the parking lot past 6pm, you freeze and immediately assume you are going to get robbed.  Mountain Style.

Pro :: Getting to spend day in and day out with your favorite boy.
Con :: Getting used to not yelling "LOVES!!!!" instead of your favorite boy's name across the cafeteria with 200+ people staring at you.

Pro :: Living at a ski area = skiing whenever the mood strikes.
Con :: Living at a ski area = putting up with 200+ other people who want to ski whenever the mood strikes.

Pro :: Always, no matter what, always having coffee on and ready for you whenever you get out of bed.
Con :: Fist fighting for the last cup of coffee with 5 other adults you live with.

Pro :: Living with 5 adults and 2 kids means if you just don't have it in you to cook one night, there is bound to be someone who has the cooking itch.
Con :: Running out of food when you yourself have the cooking itch and need to feed 5 adults and 2 hungry kids.

Pro ::  Getting to work on your computer in your pj's and bed head.
Con :: Your computer is set up where there is a time clock, so dozens of lifties who come to clock in for the morning can see you working on your computer in your pj's and bed head.

Pro :: Getting to watch the Super Bowl, have birthday dinners and random nights of card playing in your own private bar, and getting to use your own private giant kitchen for cooking up some snicky snacks.
Con :: There really is no con to this.  I just wanted to sneak it in.

Pro :: No cell phone reception means keeping your cell phone completely shut off and thrown in some random drawer during your time spent up at Snowy.
Con :: When you are actually out in public and civilization, forgetting to turn your phone on, charge your phone and respond to texts/phone calls in any sort of reasonable timeframe.

Pro :: Stretchy pants.  Errrr'day.
Con :: Laundry.  Errrrr'day.

Pro :: Having such a hard working boyfriend who is up until 1am working on grooming the mountain.
Con ::  Having such a hard working boyfriend who when he is done working on grooming the mountain at 1am brings the radio into the bedroom with him, and when the radio chatter starts at 7am you get scared senseless and immediately assume you are going to get robbed.  Mountain Style.

Pro :: Getting to live with the cutest little two nuggets who live in WY, and their constant cuddles.
Con :: Contracting the said cute little nuggets germs from the flu, to adult hand, foot and mouth disease.  No freaking bueno.

Daily Pick Me Up Grace.

What does one do when struck down with a really ugly, painful and nasty flu for 24 hours while actually IN Denver { for the first time in over a month! } to see friends and family?  Well I don't know what you do, but I re-watch my favorite Daily Graces for a pick me up.  #judgeme  Here are a few of my favoritessss:

4:30 on the middle video is my most favorite.  Gets me each time.

happy day!

March 5th.
I love this day, and have ever since I was a little girl.  Truly, as long as I have been on this earth, I have the most fond memories of March 5th.  Memories of turning the corner from winter to spring.  Memories of freshly picked flowers.  Memories of birthday parties with balloons filling up the room.  Memories of light blue, Aquamarine stones.  Memories of skipping class for sister manis/pedis.  Memories of long road trip, with the radio full blast, and singing even louder.  Memories of margarita nights.  Memories with my sister.

Happy birthday, Kate.  Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, whomever you are spending it with I hope you remember how many people love you.  How many people love you today, and every other 364 days of the year.