New Favorite Video

Winter Adventures

Mark and I just spent a few days up in Seattle, which was awesome. I had not been to Seattle and really wanted to go, so I was a little more than excited. I have to admit that having a partner in crime has been pretty fantastic. Even after spending 3 days literally right next to eachother- we didn't want to punch eachother! (except for a wrestling match we had that ended in Mark bleeding)... but I digress.

Anyway... we got to go to a winery, to a piano bar- where Mark requested Justin Bieber, to Pike Street Market, out to dinner, to the Space Needle and ate ALOT of food. It was by far one of the best weekends since I've moved here.

Pike Street Market

Mark's artistic picture

Outside the Columbia Winery

We also went to his friend Matt's 5th annual Christmas dinner party. I wore a dress (gasp, i know) and heels (insert another gasp). We drank fancy martinis, ate tons of amazing food, enjoyed the company and I got to hang out with Jake- my new 3 month old baby crush. It was a great night and am so glad he has awesome friends!


Table #2

Life Lately

Well winter is in full swing here in Oregon. It's cloudy and rainy, and it's incredibly odd not having snow on the ground in December. But life is not all bad... I got to see John Butler Trio- my long time favorite band- with my two friends Georgia and Helena at the Crystal Ballroom in downtown Portland. It's a small venue and the floor has springs! It was a fantastic show and a fantastic night all around.


I am also enjoying exploring Portland with Mark. He's lived here basically his whole life, but hasn't seen most of the places that make Portland unique. It's much more fun to get lost with company! We've been to OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) last week, the Saturday market, IKEA, and I even got dolled up and went on a double date with Bremily.

Muddy, beautiful Oregon

Megan and Caley, our friends from Colorado came to Portland to visit and it might be the first time in a very long time that I didn't feel like a tourist.
We went downtown and checked out a burlesque show- probably one of the most Portland-ish things I've done yet. It was pretty cool to see and i have never seen so much glitter in so many places in my life.
We also took a trip to the coast and hiked up to Falcon Point. It was incredibly muddy, but incredibly beautiful. The beaches are rocky and steep, but so picturesque. We went into Cannon Beach for some coffee after and played 2 hours of car games on the way back. It was pretty awesome.

How Kelly got her groove back

I have noticed that I have a masochistic approach to the gym these days. I think years and years of soccer sprints and suicides have made me programmed to workout until I want to throw up just because that's how I've always done it. Anyway, I decided about a month ago that I was bored of doing the same thing in the gym. I would lift, run, want to die, stretch while regretting running, collapse, repeat. So I decided to get back into the pool and I immediately remembered why I loved swim team so much in high school. As soon as I kicked off I felt like I belonged in the water. I can't explain the feeling, but it's like I was made to swim. I played soccer for 14 years and never felt like I was too terribly good at it, or enjoyed it as much as some of my teammates. I may have developed the skill, or the legs, but I knew I never had the god-given talent of being a phenomenal soccer player. But swimming, swimming makes me feel strong and athletic- and it's easy for me. I may not be the fastest, but it feels right to be in the water. Chlorine has once again become my perfume of choice and there is a lovely display of suits hanging around the apartment. I plan on continuing to swim and get faster. Maybe join Masters and start competing again. Who knows? The world is my oyster.

6 months!

Today marks 6 months of living in Oregon! So much has happened since I got here and it seems like a lifetime ago that I left. I set out on this adventure not knowing what to expect and being scared out of my mind that I couldn't make it on my own. I had the guts, but I don't think I really knew what it would take to move away from everything, and everyone, I ever knew and start this new life.
I don't think I ever really got homesick, but I did miss certain things about home. Friends and family being the most obvious. Not getting lost every single place I tried to go, was definitely another. But the more I settled in, the more I realized that I am the same person no matter where I live, who I hang out with, or what I do. I don't feel different, I don't look different. I'm just in a different place. My friends are still scattered around the world, and the friends I've made in Portland are (almost) filling their shoes. I have found a great guy who makes me feel all giddy inside, and Emily and Brendan are my heroes for taking me under their wing for the last 6 months. And getting lost has just become another everyday adventure.
I still feel like a tourist sometimes, but then other times I feel like I'm home.

John Tesh

So I get the honor- no no- the priveledge of listening to the one and only John Tesh on his radio program "Intelligence for you Life" at work. It's a show aimed solely at elderly people who rarely leave their house, listen to music made after 1988 or have any clue what goes on in the world. It started out being pretty horrifying- I mean, how much Tony Braxton and Michael Bolton can one person really handle? But now, it's become something I look forward to simply because of his wonderful, useful and in no way irrelevant tips on living life.

My favorite:

"We all know alcohol lowers your inhibitions. So when you are having a glass of wine out with friends at a bistro or just enjoying a relaxing evening at home, do yourself a favor and hide your wallet. A recent study showed people who enjoyed a glass of wine, or 2, and then turned on the Home Shopping Network spent more money on things they did not need than those who weren't drinking. So save yourself some money and don't drink and shop!"

Thank you, John Tesh, for reminding me of what not to do when I enjoy my boxed wine. I will be sure, before anything else, to not turn on the HSN and spend my hard earned money on that set of hot pads I keep eyeing. Thank goodness you didn't waste your breath, radio time, or research on something lame like not drinking and driving. Or maybe even drinking and biking.

You can enjoy more very important tips here.

One of my other favorites is when he disspells myths about single people. This little gem talks about whether or not single people are: selfish, fat, going to die sooner, and waste money on themselves. Funny, those are 4 things are the first things I think of when I hear someone i single. Thanks JT for bringing light to this important issue. (You can read this one here )

Life’s been pretty hectic lately. I am so thankful and so happy with where I am in life, but I also feel guilty because there are so many people in my life who aren’t. I wish I could fix everything, tell a stupid joke and make the pain go away, but I know even I can’t fix everything. So I have decided to make a difference where I can. I also want to feel like I’m making some sort of impact on this Earth while I’m alive. I don’t want to float through life without having made a single dent in anything besides my fender.
So… I have been looking for coaching jobs and also into becoming a Humane Society volunteer. I have to wait and see what comes from those, so right now I decided to do something I’ve always talked about doing, and decided I needed to stop talking and actually do it. So I signed up to be a Habitat for Humanity volunteer. There’s a few small communities around town being built, so next week I start helping build a house!! I can finally use those skills I picked up when I was a construction management minor for a semester! Woo! I’m excited to see who I meet and what happens, but I’m sure I won’t regret it.

Settling in

Well, I've been at the new job for three days. It's kind of a smorgasbord of jobs all mixed into one. I'm working in the biggest of the Providence health clubs, which is unfortunately alot like working at the gym back in Ft. Collins. But I am doing the marketing and promotion for this center as well as the whole corporate wellness program. This part is what I really love doing and what makes the other, less desirable parts of the job bearable. For example, my hours. I will be working all day on Sundays and until 10pm on Mondays and Tuesdays. I'm used to working in the morning and being off by 4 or 5, so this is going to be very different. I'm incredibly discouraged about this schedule and how similar some of the duties are to the gym in ft collins, and recently had a "but i have a college degree!!" moment. But I have to remind myself that I'm lucky I have a job, and am so thankful I'm with Providence. And, I get benefits!! I just have to suck it up. Gotta start at the bottom I guess.
BUT... In addition to these hours, I am working under my old boss helping run the 2 employee health programs I worked on all summer. This is awesome news because these programs were ones I helped run and maintain, and am so glad I get to keep doing that. I'm also working to set up a personal training program for Murray- which is another fitness center in town. I'm studying to get my ACSM certification to become a personal trainer, so I'll get to add that to my laundry list of jobs too!

Awesome Website

I recently discovered this website that is fantastic. There are videos, quotes, pictures and just random things that are all very positive, creative and unique. I found this quote that seems especially fitting to... well, life.

http://www.goodmorningandgoodnight.com

Missoula!

Since I don't start my new job for another week I decided to take a spontaneous trip to Missoula to see my good friend Diane. We hung out on campus, ate some delicious pizza, I met her cool friends and lounged by the river. It was a perfect trip and I'm so glad I got to see her before I started my new career!

Why Emily is so fantastic

This little masterpiece was created by my lovely friend Emily. She made my day- no, my life!

New Hobby

I got to drive to Missoula to see Diane this weekend and on this journey I had to stop at least 5 times on the 8 hour drive to avoid peeing myself. So during one of these pit-stops, I had an ingenious idea! I want to take pictures/ create a coffee-table book of bathroom art. Between rest stops and bar bathroom stalls, there are endless amounts of art, eloquent quotes and just plain strange things on the walls. I found myself sitting in the bathroom way longer than was necessary just admiring the work. So from now on if you see me taking my camera into a bathroom, don't ask questions. You know what's up.


One of the pictures I found on a bathroom stall door in Portland.

I GOT A JOB!!

I got a job!! After 2 very intense interviews I got hired at Providence- which is the same hospital system I interned for, but a different location. I'm still working in the Fitness & Wellness Services department and will be handling the marketing and promotion for the corporate wellness program. It's going to be AWESOME. I even get benefits! How adult of me! Yay!

TAKE THAT UNEMPLOYMENT!

Colorado Adventures

Here's some of the epic adventures in CO:

1. Tour de Fat Denver- the bike parade put on by New Belgium brewery. You pretty much get dressed up in ridiculous costumes, bike around with other weird looking people while getting stared at by confused onlookers, then you eat food, drink beer and enjoy your contribution to the betterment of the world by not driving your car for one day. It's awesome.

Yes, that becon of light is me.


Heading down Broadway in down town Denver!


These are my three bestest friends: Amanda, Julie and Brendan.


2. Downhill Mountain Biking: Weston and I went up to Winter Park, got geared up and then threw ourselves down a mountain. "Don't touch your brakes." Good advice from the kid with no fear no past broken bones. Not good advice for me.
That's part of Trestle Bike Park. Beautiful day for pain!

Waiting for the lift to open. Yes, that's a fanny pack. Don't judge.


Resulting Pain.


3. Hiking! I went hiking with Brendan, Weston and Julie and it was AWESOME! I am so glad we didn't try to do 2 or 4 14'ers- coming from sea level was a challenge to say the least. So we hiked up Berthoud Pass and along the ridgeline. It was awesome.Weston, Brendan and Julie! We stopped so my heart wouldn't explode.


At the top. Ok, it's not "the top" but it was the top of something. And it was pretty.


This picture is much better than last years summit picture- where Weston was trying to push me off the cliff.



3. Fort Collins adventures- We went to the breweries, just like old times, went to dinner, hiked around horsetooth and went to a winery.

Enjoying some vino at the winery in Fort Collins.


Amanda looking majestic and wise.


Amanda and Megan at Starry night- just like old times.


This is Ryker. He's 1. We are in love.



Up at horsetooth. Perfect day!

Sunset at City Park.


4. Brown Palace- Mom and I got all dolled up and went to have tea at the Brown Palace. It was fun, yet exhausting being a lady.

I wear my sunglasses at night, so I can, so I can watch... i don't know rest of the song...


5. ATVing with Dad! We got to see some beautiful trees and views up above Georgetown.

Dad and I at the lunch spot! Not a bad view...


I'm loving life.

Man, Colorado is ugly, isn't it?

It was an amazing trip!

Oh Colorado, how I miss you

Being back in CO is pretty weird. I feel like I never left. I haven't thought about Portland at all, except maybe when someone asks. I wonder if that's a bad sign... Either way I'm excited and so happy to be home but it sort of makes me wonder about life and where it's taking me. I would be lying if I said I wasn't lonely in Portland sometimes. I miss just being able to go out on a Friday night and see 10 people I know. Or to drive somewhere and still know where I am. Or go home and just see my family whenever I want to. Most of my friends in Portland have significant others. Funny how that makes you incredibly aware of your relationship status. I don't even think I can convince myself I truly want a boyfriend, but sometimes it would be nice.
I know this Colorado bliss won't last. I know in a month or so I'd realize that most of my best friends have left, that those people I see out on Friday nights aren't really people I want to see, and I would feel like a quitter if I left Portland now. I guess this is just the phase where I'm doubting my direction. Where I'm right up to the ledge and there's really no turning around. I just need to close my eyes and jump and hope I land on my own two feet.

I read a quote the other day:
"If we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking"

I guess I just have to keep walking.

So here I am.

I'm sitting here, on the eve of my last day of my internship and I am both happy and sad, nervous and excited. I am in quite a precarious position in life. I am closing one very big, important chapter in my life, and am about to start on the next one. I have just finished (as of 3 p.m. on Friday) my college career!! I have a degree!! It was a long journey. I can't believe it's over. It was not exactly a great time in my life, if fact, the darkest and hardest days of my life were during college. The darks ( broken hearts, ending friendships, crappy jobs, family drama) are no doubt overshadowed by the lights (finding my amazing friends, moving to NY and OR, travels, and the never-ending journey to find out who I am). It has been quite a journey and I have learned more about myself than I thought possible.
So i sit here, wondering what direction to take, what my next journey will be. The obvious answer would be to find a job, make some money, buy a car, find a nice boy, blah blah blah. There's a certain amount of satisfaction in that. It's the american dream, right? But there's this image in my head that once I start down this path, there's very little possibility of getting off of it. I have so many dreams, so much I want to do, places I want to see- and the 9-to-5 doesn't exactly fit into this vision. 2 weeks vacation is not enough time to swim with sharks in south africa, to climb kilimanjaro, to raft the grand canyon, or see the eiffle tower. Hell, it's not enough time for any one of those. So what's a girl to do? Sell her soul to corporate america, settle down, start investing in stocks?
Who knows. For now I am going to live my life, enjoy each day for what it is, maybe eat some cookies and see where life takes me.

Hello my friends! So Lindsey, my cuz, came out to see me this last weekend and we had ourselves a great weekend! We went to the coast, playing in the ocean and saw a whale!! We got dressed up and went into Portland to eat at the Portland City Grill- a nice restaurant on the 30th floor in downtown. We hiked to the top of Multnomah Falls. Oh, and Lindsey made me buy a bright yellow dress- not like me at all!! It was fun and wonderful to see her. I hope to see more people soon!! Enjoy the pictures.

Tour de Awesome

Ahh yes, it's that time of year again. The birds are chirping, sun is shining, and the sequence and neon stripes are sparkling once again. Yes I am talking about the Tour de Fat. It had about 1/10 of the people as the Fort Collin's TDF, and there were alot of confused faces as we rode by with our costumes and bubbles and bike bells. But we had lots of fun playing on the trick bikes, running through fountains and dancing around like idiots. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

If you watch this and don't smile, you are probably dead.

Great song, probably some drugs involved, but it's ok. They just love music and life. Oh and the dancing is pretty stellar too...

I love Musicals!

South Pacific was AMAZING! Ben totally hooked us up!! We were 11 rows from the stage- right in the middle. It was incredible! We ever got a tour backstage after the show.
You can't really tell, but I'm totally dolled up! See, I'm even wearing sequence shoes. Emily has other pictures of me, that i might need to steal.
It was great to see Ben and meet his wife. We figured out we hadn't seen eachother since I was 17. Man, I feel old. It was nice to catch up and so good to see Ben. THANK YOU BEN!!