thanksgiving re-cap

I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving and spent it however made you happiest.  For me, it’s a time for family, friends and food.  & cocktails.  & laughing.

The below are a few shots of my weekend...my third roll of film...first inside...I'm learning people!

                                                                                  It's beginning to look a lot like...winter.

photos by me

The chef with his bird.

YUM!

                                                             Proud producer of blue cheese, cream cheese, olive & pecan spread.

                                                  Allyson's aunt sent cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcake before she arrived.

                                                                                                                          the Ladies.

 

Since I have developed this AWESOME not-able-to-sleep-though-I’m-exhausted pattern I thought I would blog.

My Thanksgivings have changed a lot over the past few years and for the first few it was really hard.  My grandmother passed away a few years ago which changed our whole family dynamic.  No more holidays with my grandmother perfectly preparing our meal on a beautifully set table.  She would let go just a bit so we could bring a few sides and desserts.  God bless her, I now realize how much work it was and she never complained-just as long as we didn't get in her way.  

The first few years I don’t think any of us knew what to do on holidays…we just made it up as we went.  Now since I’ve moved half way across the country, the last two Thanksgivings have been spent with my CO friends.  It’s taught me that it’s important to be able to go along with changing family traditions…its life.  May be hard but it really is what happens in life.  My mom continuously reminds me that if you are going to love you have to be open to accept the loss and change that comes with life & love.  Family, friends, loves, pets.  A brave thing to do in my book.

Thanksgiving makes me feel warm (maybe from the wine) and happy (probably the food).  It’s a time to come together with people in your lives to visit, share stories, and be together over a leisurely meal.  

This year I was lucky enough to have many people invite me into their homes & had two very touching phone calls Wed evening with invites.  I am VERY thankful for that (them).  WOW.  Lucky me to have friends who care about me so.   

I ended up going to Allyson & Pete’s home and spent it with their family and friends.  We talked traveling on the West Coast, being from the East Coast, food trucks, food, politics, cars, writers, photography, TSA body scans, GLEE, Project Runway, various Embassy events in DC, and our travels.  We laughed, played a made up version of Family Feud and catch phrase.   PS...I announced how AWESOME I am at catch phrase then proceeded to eat.my.words.

Ended my weekend with bfast @ Snooze.  It's a Denver must.  & we saw Trista and Ryan from the Bachlorette.  My grandmother would have been beside herself.  

About once a week I think...

I am so thankful for my life.  

I am so thankful for my life.

I am so thankful for my life.

Thanksgiving is another day to remind myself of how lucky I am for the life I have.

dear jenny, do you even know what it means to be a NOLE?

 

photo by me

Today, after six long years, my college football team beat their rival.  YAY!  The Noles didn't just win the game...we smashed em!  I game watched with some close friends and fellow CO Noles.  It's a nice sense of community and makes me miss that little town of Tallahassee.

The huge tailgates.

Humid, thick FL Panhandle air. 

40's we used to drive to GA to buy (we were THAT cool).

Living next door to great, fun friends.

& many more memories of the time I was fortunate enough to spend at Florida State.  (thank you to those who made that possible).

I LOVE

 

photo: debateitout.com

I LOVE corrupt countries and entities.

LOVE EM.   

Cuba.  Colombia.  Mexican cartels.  Italy's Camorra.  and especially North Korea.  I find them beyond fascinating.  Would give anything to go to any of those places.

Some (or most) would say every country, including the US, is corrupt.  To some extent I agree with that.  However, some countries are out & out crooked.  It’s so public, governing an entire body of people and as time goes on some look nearly impossible to stop.  

My attraction to corrupt countries has a bit to do with the fact that I have two friends with connections to N. Korea and I grew up in Miami where I was the 'gringa' in a sea of Cubans.  I went to an all girls school my first two years of high school, a lot of the girls are first or second generation Cuban Americans.  Their parents and grandparents grew up in Cuba, their families still live there.  I can't say enough about their culture, which at some points I am envious isn't my own.  Part of its beauty has to do with the oppression of their families and lives they have built in the US.

But N. Korea...I'm sold.  I’ve watched multiple documentaries but this three part series attached is VERY good.  

How can people be so publicly oppressed??   

Take a look....
 

VBS.TV Vice Guide to N. Korea

happy thanksgiving

                                                   I hope you have a great day full of family, friends, food and lots of laughs.  
                                                                                I'll be back with fotos once they've happened!

mailboxes are neat

  

                                                                                                        dirt road near boulder, co. 

                                                                                                                      photos by me

                                                                    

                                                                    dirt road in tampa, fl.  old and a bit fuzzy, but funky just the same.

                                                                                                                                                                             

                                               

.weekend.

Who doesn’t love the weekend?  I hope yours was as nice as mine.  Here are a few shots from the park a few weekends ago. 

photos by me

Food trucks I guess are becoming the new rage…I’ve never eaten from one but I love the idea.  The Paseo airstream was at the park & they were kind enough to let me take a few photos.

check it.  PASEO



dear, jenny....why did you put that wall there?

                                                                                                                   photo by me

Yesterday I hit a wall.  BAM.  I hit it hard and slid down fast.  

If I leave work right on time I can catch the last bit of sunset which, living in Denver usually means it’s beautiful.  clouds like cotton candy.  In my 10 minute drive it goes from sunset to darkness.  The drive in the dark seems to be a bit more peaceful.  Don’t be fooled, I still talk to people…telling them how they are the WORST drivers EVER.

Pot, meet Kettle. 

Tonight I was about a block from my house and I noticed it was really.dark.  It was all dark.  The electricity was out.  At first a bit of panic but then I remembered the last time the electricity went out and decided I could make it work.  Last time it was probably the hottest day of the year, I had a full fridge and two wet loads of laundry.  Thank the Lord for Will&B who live in the burbs.  

I fumbled up my stairs.

Lit some candles.

Put on my camping headlamp & read my new Southern Living.  

The quiet, no computer, phone, tv...best recovery from my smack into the wall.

I LOVE

                                               Fall, you’ve been a beautiful guest, unpack your things & stay a while.

all photo's from me

My goal is to post something I LOVE each week.  Right now I think this will be easy….I LOVE all sorts of things.  Once a week?  Let’s see how I do. 

The first I LOVE is FALL.

I am a FL girl, born & raised.  I spent most of my weekends and even weekdays after school in the pool or in the ocean.  Call me a fish.  Even through college, every summer day I would faithfully put on a bathing suit…even if I never made it to the pool, it was on.  More on my love of swimming later. 

For now, it’s FALL.

CO this FALL has been a blessing.  This is my second FALL, it was here for an extended stay and it.was.beautiful. 

bold colors.falling leaves.cool air

Like I’m in a movie.  I could have stayed outside all day.

every day.

                                                                                                            Around the hood.

                                                                         Views from a hike at Golden Gate Canyon State Park

                                                                 

(it) HIT ME

if you know me you know I'm all for equality, vocal...and loud about it.  i'ts nice to see these 'it gets better' and 'love is louder' campaigns. but, in standing up against hate and bullying are people being bullies?

heard of that guy on the school board who posted awful, awful things about gay kids and recent suicides on his FB wall? what an...what a...not nice guy. but when people are threatening him & his family...does that mean that he has now become the bullied?

Yuck.

It's these kinds of things...

Know what's fun about being grown up...clothes, hair, makeup...and dessert for dinner.

                                                                                                                     photo me

Know whats better than dessert for dinner? An old, kind, beautiful, fun friend who has a adorable little girl...who sits on my moms lap....then listening to the joy and happiness in my moms voice when she tells me that shes the most amazing baby she has ever met. thats.great.stuff....the stuff dreams are made of.

                                                                                                           photo txt from my friend SGP

look...at.those.faces.

Sold Out

photo from fantasticfiction.co.uk

                                            James Frey’s Fiction Factory, by New York Magazine

James Frey made headlines for his memior being THE book Oprah backed.  When it came out that Frey’s book Million Little Pieces wasn’t all fact, rather more a work of fiction, you could hear gasps from around the country.  Moreover, Ms. Oprah…THE OPRAH was piiiiiisssssed. 

I read MLP after Frey went back on Oprah and apologized and from this New York Magazine article it doesn’t seem like the apology was one he wanted to give.  I knew MLP wasn’t a firsthand account of an addict on his journey, going through the pains of withdrawal but I imagine he did draw from his life.  Either way...this book got me...in the gut.heart.head.  Many times I had to put it down bc I couldn’t take the pain I felt through his words. 

His third book, Bright Shiny Morning was (to me) just as enthralling.  His words, his style, the placement of the stories…he once again took me. 

My friend Kel turned me on to BSM after we discussed our mutual love of Frey’s writing.  We were at the book store the other day and she mentioned a recent article about Frey on nymag.com.  I think the word ‘asshole’ was mentioned.

I once heard a celebrity say there is nothing more disappointing than meeting the star you idolize because they are never the person you hold them to be.  After this, I can see that. 

How disappointing.  Mass produced & empty ... doesn't equal art. 

...lack of sincerity is what hurts the most...

Madden, Josh

photo from weheartit.com

  WALKING IN TRAFFIC, by Josh Madden

There are a variety of people I follow online, from websites to blogs to FB to Twitter. People who inspire me, who captivate me by their perspective, who make me think, who show me imagines of their world.

Josh Madden is one of them. I don’t read his blog on a regular basis and he’s not one I follow too closely on Twitter. However, when I do read his blog I am first struck by his soul-it shows through every paragraph he writes. You can tell it's a rare one. He cares and he’s a captivated student of life. WOW.

Anyway, his most recent post is something I think we have all seen at some point...something of concern that stays with us and makes us wonder for years to come.

Thought I would share this.  

& him.

dear, jenny....can you keep a secret?

photo...me

So, I'll be honest...I'm addicted to Facebook ('FB').  I love keeping in touch with my family and friends, many of which live in lands far, far away.  FB is a way I share my world and what I see and think with those who I care about (& who care about me).  However, I sometimes (ok...a lot of times) look at my FB wall and am a bit embarrassed due to the number of posts I put up.  Not really for those who are interested in what I post, but rather, for those who don't really know or care. 

I've been thinking about blogging for a few years and have since been inspired by my dear friend C who just started one of her own. 

My hope is to post photos, thoughts, and share those things that I find fascinating.  For now, I imagine it may be a bit of a hodge podge, but eventually I hope it will evolve as I do. 

Here we are....a little secret I will one day share with my friends and family but first I'll share it with those of you who scour the internet.  Let's start with a few of my recent FB posts I would like to share.