Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Will paint for food (and wine).

When I agreed to the task of repainting the entire interior of the bed and breakfast, I knew I was signing on to a huge task but I didn't really know.  It wasn't until I mentally set aside 3 days to complete one room + bedroom and it wasn't until a week & a half later that I actually completed painting the room that I realized...oh shit.  This is a huge project.  I'm not complaining because I did quit my job knowing that I would spend a month or so painting before the season really picked up.  But!  I'm allowed to complain when something you thought would take 3 days actually took 10.  

I've met a fantastic group of women here in town and for about 3 months now we've been getting together religiously once a week.  I was bitching talking to them about this all and my sweet friend Lauren offered 3 times to plan girls night at the Mariposa and we'd have a painting night.  I felt so horrible at the thought of making them work that I said no 2 times in a row.  Finally when she offered the third and final time something in me whispered Take the help you dumb-dumb.  



I took the help.  I fed them.  I got them good and wined up.  I gave them paintbrushes and set them free.  We had such a great night!

I am so thankful Lauren was pushy enough to offer up their evening to help a friend in need!

Sunday, April 19, 2015

Ketchup!

Well hello there friends!  Let's play a little game of catch up, shall we?

My day to day looks so very much different than it did 4 weeks ago.  { Alex or Laura, if you ever read this blog I apologize for this next statement } It was so much easier for me to write + post blog posts when I had a few minutes of downtime Mon-Fri while working at my desk jobs.  I could keep a tab open and go back to it a few times throughout the day to add to the post and proof it before posting!  Now, I really only sit down to the computer is to send quick emails for the Mariposa and to read blog posts a few times a week.  I've certainly enjoyed not being glued to the computer 24/7 but of course that means this little ol' blog of mine has been neglected!  Whoopz.

I recently found Cookie + Kate which is my new favorite vegan + vegetarian Instagram account and blog!  I've made her soba noodle salad and hummus so far.  They've both tasted incredible and were easy to put together without intimidating ingredients or processes.  I want to make her west africian peanut soup later this week and her mango spring rolls maybe even this afternoon!

When Hunter and I lived in Bremerton, we had a green smoothie for breakfast and some sort of juice every afternoon, no questions asked.  Once we moved back to Colorado and both of us had one or two different jobs, our daily routine got so screwy.  Since leaving the newspaper, I have quite a bit more flexibility in my day which means setting aside time for daily smoothies and juices has been made a priority again!  Hunter has always been the smoothie lover, while I am the juice head.  Our smoothies have basically been either spinach or kale with frozen bananas, frozen fruit with some agave to sweeten it up.  I've been topping the green smoothies with chia seeds, hemp seeds and raw cacao nibs.  They have really been deeelicious!  Our juices vary but usually are carrots + apple/pear + ginger, beets + carrots + apples + ginger or celery + cucumber + kale + ginger + apple.  I've been adding more chia seeds to them because chia seeds cure all as far as I'm concerned!



It's been snowing pretty consistently since Thursday and even though I'm a little itchy for Summer, it's nice having a few days of cuddling up with tea + hot coffee again.  I know we'll be basking in blue skies and tulips soon enough, so this little snow storm hasn't phased me much.  Before this little bit of snow, we were lucky enough to have a few weeks straight of sunshine, green grass and sun-kissed afternoons.  I know we aren't too far away from having that weather here to stay!

We've been enjoying/suffering through mud season here in Steamboat for a few weeks now.  It's lovely because we finally can go to dinner without having to drive around for 10 minutes looking for a parking spot and can actually get a table at your favorite restaurant, but it's a little crummy when your job thrives off tourists and mud season leaves you twiddling your thumbs waiting for the phone to ring for a reservation!  Thankfully, I've been repainting the entire interior of the bed and breakfast, so I have been busy as a bee with that but I will be anxious to get some guests filling up those rooms again!



I really want to learn calligraphy.  Really, really want to.  That is all.

This past Monday, Hunter and I along with his entire family had plans to fly to Red Lodge for a two day, one night trip.  The morning of the flight, we had to have a change of plans due to weather.  Hunter and I were already up at the Steamboat airport with our bags packed, and did not want to have our 5:15am wake up call be entirely in vain.  We decided to fly to Grand Junction for the morning!  We had an absolutely stunning flight there - Hunter took the long way and we had quite the scenic flight.  He took us over the canyon where the Green River + Yampa River meet up.  It was incredibly breathtaking, though I'll admit flying in the canyon spooked me quite a bit!  After we landed in GJ, we took the crew car to grab breakfast and had hoped the trip would be a quick 2-3 hour trip. Welll, it turned into about a 6 hour trip due to some small (pretty big) plane malfunctions.  We were fortunate enough to be able to take the crew car out on the town again while the mechanics were working on the plane.  I was in the middle of reading Girl on the Train, so I didn't mind the slow and relaxed day one bit!  It was a really wonderful day of adventure with Hunter.  Trips like that with my love really make my world go round.


Speaking of Girl on the Train, did any of you read it?  What did you think?  I wanted to like it, I loved that it was a thriller and kept you reading more and more and more, but the plot line.  The plot line!  It reminded me so much of Gone Girl, which is another book I read within 48 hours.  At the after finishing of both of those books, I realized that I didn't really like either all too much.  Ha!  The plot line of both of them are rather grotesque and kinda foul.  I need to spend more time picking uplifting and inspiring rather than gruesome and foul murder stories.

Speaking of books!  Since painting the bed and breakfast, I've turned to audiobooks and podcasts to keep me company during my 6-8 hour long painting days.  I've so far listened to All the Light we Cannot See and I'm 80% of the way through Me Before You.  I've listened to probably a dozen This American Life podcasts.  I also want to dive into Undisclosed, Startup and The Moth podcasts.  I have 2 more bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a sitting area, a sunroom, the kitchen and potentially the living room + front entry left to paint so needless to say....I've got a lot of time on my hands for listening to books/podcasts!  Recommendations are welcomed and needed.

Did I mention on my blog that Hunter accepted a new job, too?  Hunter accepted a new job!  He's still working in the ER at the hospital here in Steamboat, but he is also working for Classic Air Ambulance as a flight for life nurse!  Say whaaaaat?!  I'm crazy stupid proud of him and how much work he's put into growing his career path.  As of right now, he's been working on the road almost as much as he's been working at home.  We are growing into our new routines day by day, week by week!

I've been working on social media for the bed and breakfast. Both the Instagram account and Facebook page aren't exactly where I want them to be with content quiteeee yet but they are getting there!  If you felt so inclined to follow our Instagram account and like our Facebook page, I would be so grateful!  Everything is a work in progress, right?  ; >




I could go on with more.  And on and on but I will hit pause on Ketchup for the time being.  I'm sure in the next few days more pointless facts will come to me and I'll feel compelled to post about here.  Plus, since I've sat down to write this post the snowfall has disappeared and the sun is peeking out!  It's about time to head out for a run and enjoy some fresh air.  Thanks for making it through this post....if you made it through the post that is.  ; >