Thursday, February 20, 2014

Go Outside.

We met our dearest friends, Ryan and Lindsay, in Grand Targhee over the weekend.  It was everything my heart needed and more.  The drive wasn't the best.  The weather wasn't the best.  But the company and the memories more than made up for those shortcomings.  I'll share more stories + photos soon, but I was reflecting on a few of my favorite moments from the ski trip just this morning and I had to put a teeny slice of the weekend on the blog.


In this photo, we were doing the JT$.  Obvi.
#teamWZL

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Last night felt like New Years.

Steamboat hosted the 101st Winter Carnival festivities this weekend.  When I was leaving work on Friday, my boss said "You really should try and make time for a few of the events this weekend.  It will make you so proud to live here."  

Nearly a dozen of Hunter's best friends and their wives, girlfriends and children were in town and it created the perfect love child for an impromptu reunion.  A few of them rented an incredibly amazing condo downtown on the river and hosted quite the soiree.  There had to have been close to 50 people who came and went all night long.  The drinks were flowing, food was abundant, Olympics were being played, fire was roaring and for close to an hour we huddled together on the large balcony in the soft snowfall for a front row view of the night show the city put on.  There was the "lighted man" who skied down a few times with a backpack filled with fireworks, kids skiing down in patterns with flashlights of sorts, men skiing down pulling toboggans that had fireworks going off and at the end was quite the fireworks show with the grand finale of the biggest firework in the United States that shot up a mile high.  It was extra special as we had spent the afternoon at a really beautiful funeral/service for one of Hunter's best friend's grandfather.  Bill was quite present in the community and the family got to go and sign the finale firework as the fireworks show was dedicated to his memory.

Between the fireworks show, the beautiful condo where we spent the evening and seeing friends we hadn't seen in over a year + meeting so many new people it really felt like New Years to me.  New Years, or maybe a groom's dinner before a wedding?  I can't quite put my finger on what it felt like exactly, it but it was such a beautiful celebration of friendship and loved ones who aren't with us anymore.  As the evening ticked on, we left and met up at a bar nearby.  I broke away for a bit to meet some of my work friends who were out and about, and eventually ended up back with Hunt and the gang.  I woke up this morning { with a screaming headache, but also } with so much pride.  Pride to have Hunter at my side.  Pride to get to know so many of the friendships who pieced him to be the man he is now.  Pride in the community for pulling off an incredible weekend.  Pride in myself for moving to yet another brand spankin' new-to-me city and adjusting and creating quite the wonderful support circle.

Oddly enough I didn't take any photos throughout the night which was really quite fitting as I was too in the moment to think about creative the perfect Instagram collage.  Even though I don't have any softly edited and laid out photos to accompany this blog post, I really wanted to write about it.  I know it will be a night I will look back on for years and years and reflect on how much fun this life is.

Friday, February 7, 2014

Small towns are my jam.

It took me living in a small town to moving to a big big town to moving to a ittybittyteenytiny town, back to a small town then again to a big town for a minute and a half and finally settling back in a small town to realize that small towns are my jam.  They just are.  For many big reasons but mostly small reasons.  Here are a few doh! moments I've had since moving to Steamboat.

There is a small organic market downtown, a Vitamin Cottage downtown and a Safeway + Wallgreens "across town".  I often find myself making plans to visit Safeway + Wallgreens really only once a week, if not once every two weeks because I want to avoid driving "across town".  Now when I say across town, what I really mean is that it isn't within the 5 block long, 2 block deep radius of the main drag I'm used to frequenting.  Safeway is probably a 6 minute drive from Vitamin Cottage, but I can't help but bitch and moan whenever I realize I have to go to that side of town.  The horror!!!

After starting at work here in Steamboat I was trying to explain to Hunter why I hated going home for lunches.  You spend half your lunch break driving to and from work so you really only get about 10-15 minutes to fix lunch, sit and enjoy it before you have to clean up your dishes, brush your teeth and get back in the car to drive 20+ minutes back to work.  You spend the entire break in your car!!!  Yeah....it takes me 6 minutes flat to get to/from work and home.

Last week, I needed to run an errand at my bank on my lunch break.  Per my description above, I've figured out how I can squeeze every second out of my lunch break relaxing at home and leaving exactly 6 minutes for my commute back to work.  Well this particular day, I had forgotten I absolutely had to get to the bank on my lunch break and as I was driving back making the 2nd turn of my commute to get to work it hits me I didn't get to the bank, nor did I account for the time it would take getting me to the bank/run my errand/back to work.  The thoughts in my head were racing of Well I really can't skip this errand, so I'll just be late for work, so I guess I can stay an extra 10-15 minutes tonight after work to make up for the time it'll take me to get to the bank, run my errand and drive back to work.  Yes ok.  That is what I'll do.  Go to the bank and just work late.  I pull up to the light, turn my head left and realized that my bank was quite literally one block away from where I was vs the treck across town to get to the bank, then the treck back to work that I was used to.  I ran my errand and still got to work with a few minutes to spare on my lunch break.

This!  This is my backyard.  My beautiful, uninterrupted, always quiet and forever serene backyard.

TGIF, sweet friends!





Wednesday, February 5, 2014

twenty fourteen :: february


During February, I will be more disciplined with my money.  I will be more disciplined with my workouts.  I will be more disciplined with my thoughts { good and bad }.  I will be more disciplined with my words. I will be more disciplined with my sleep.  I will be more disciplined with my work.  I will be more disciplined with my diet.

The above photo was taking during the summer where I challenged myself to a TED Talk 30 Day Challenge.  Everyday, for 30 days, I worked out.  I was just coming off of a pretty nasty knee(s) injury and I was itching for a routine again.  I took a photo of each of my workouts, in some capacity, for 30 days intending to blog the whole experience.  { Per usual, especially as of lately } I was too busy enjoying life than blogging about life and it didn't make the blog, so I felt using this photo was awfully fitting.

Lezzzzzdo'dis February.  

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Sayonara, January.

Who would have ever thunk it when I set the goal of to Live with Intention in January, that I would have essentially taken a month off from blogging?  Not I said the fly.  However, in a way it proves that I actually listened to my January mantra.  There were so many nights after work + on my lunch break I thought maybe I could squeeze a blog post in, but I didn't want to post just for the sake of posting.  I wanted to sit down and intentionally write + think out a post.  And because January was chalk full of intention, adjustments, changes, focus and settling in, I simply didn't post.  I have missed over sharing with all you people, so I will be around more in Feb.

You may thank me later.

January has been filled with sneaky rewards, new friendships, Breaking Bad marathons, alone time, visits from friends way way far away and so many things in between.  It has been so very lovely { albeit terrifying } getting to know my new co-workers. I've said it before, I'll say it again.  Meeting and gathering friends as an adult can be very challenging.  It just isn't as easy as it was 10 years ago.  Heck, even 5 years ago!  It can take an open mind and patience, but it can also simply take just being yourself.  Which is my very favorite.

A wee bit of exciting news - after 24 days of working with the paper { I just realized I never blogged where it is that I got a new job!  I'm working for the local newspaper in Steamboat Springs.  I started out as a graphic designer, buttttt} I was approached for an internal promotion and starting Monday I will now be a Sales/AdRep!  Cue the confetti, champagne and panic attacks.  Hahah tooootally kidding { kinda'ish }.  I truly am so honored to have been selected for this position and while I am very excited to be challenged and start writing this new chapter professionally, I really have so very much to learn.  Working a 8a-5p job hassssss been an adjustment.  Most days, a welcomed adjustment!  Having a routine again after truly flying by the seat of our pants for 12 months straight is pretty satisfying.  Though, I'll be honest, what hasn't been totally satisfying is trying to get back into the routine of getting dressed, in a different outfit, day after day.  Gone are the days of yoga pants and track jackets 6x a week.  It really doesn't help that after I finished work at my last job, I donated 80% of my clothes, put 12% in storage { spread out between 4 different cities.  WTH, Beth?! } and traveled to Washington with the final 8%.  I'm essentially working with a from scratch wardrobe.   It has been fun in the respect that I'm feeling more hip and happenin' than I was before, but annoying in the respect that I have to wear more than a sports bra and stretchy pants.  I'm reminding myself to get creative in the way of coordinating outfits, and forcing myself not to "Mark as Read" all the fashion posts that show up on my BlogLovin.   It sounds so harsh to say, but more often than not fashion posts bore me.  They do.  I know that makes me a horrible woman and a disappointment to our kind, but I find them very boring.  { And I'm certain that my vegan//food//travel posts bore many of you out there, so don't go calling me Kettle or anything, ya hear? :}  Currently I have 4 tabs open for online shopping, and I can pretty much guarantee I'll close all 4 of those w/o purchasing a single gosh darn thing sitting in those carts. But!  After having a Pinterest account for probably close to 2 years, I finally created my first fashion board. (!)  Maybe that will get me into the grove again?  Woof.  As it stands now: Vegan Food Board = 311 Pins.  Style Board = 2 Pins.  Outlook not so good.  BUT I AM TRYING, PEOPLE.

We were so. very. lucky. last week to have our first visitors to Steamboat!  Our dear friends Julia and Justus, whom we met in Bremerton, came to check out our Steamboat/Snowy life.  Good gravy was being around them good for my soul.  Within seconds of seeing them, I was immediately reminded why we hit it off with them so quickly in the first place.  They have such warm, kind with a spicy side of smart ass personalities.  The entire weekend, Julia and I kept sneaking in hugs and saying "I AM SO HAPPY YOU/WE ARE HERE." then proceed to squeal and say girly things about how much we missed each other then immediately look over our shoulder to find our +1's giving us those Ugh you guys are such girlsss looks.  It was beautiful.  I was so humbled at the energy, time, money and planning they put into coming to see us.  And all because Hunter and I took a leap of faith, moved states for a few months, followed with my desire to do more than go to yoga a few times a day and watch the clock to keep up with the ferry schedule happening right outside our very own windows and volunteer at the farmer's market.  { Julia is the manager of the market and thus was my volunteer boss/supervisor. }

Life is beautiful.

I have so many more stories + dozens of photos to share over the next few days/weeks but right now I have to catch some zzz's and save my energy for the Broncos game tomorrow!

It was fun catching up, friends.  I'll be back in a few days and am excited to share my word for February!