30 Days of Photos - Day 17

Day seventeen - A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently

Yes, that's right...the Department of State. After getting excited about the possibility of joining the Foreign Service a few years ago, I got a little sidetracked by internships and jobs. However, a few months ago, the idea popped back into my head and, instead of just thinking about the Foreign Service, I acted on it and actually took the FSOT...and passed! The whole process thus far has only served as a great reminder about why I got excited about this in the first place so many years ago. Even if I don't make it in this time around, I'm going to keep trying until I do. It's a big challenge to get in, but it's a challenge I'm willing to take because I know it's a great fit for me.

30 Days of Photos - Day 16

Day sixteen - A photo of someone who inspires you

My grandma!  She raised six children, was married for nearly sixty years and took care of her husband through cancer. And, even though her husband (my grandpa) died last year, she has kept her life full of the things and people she loves.  She is over 80 years old, yet she's out meeting people and going on exciting trips all the time! I am extremely blessed to have such a great, strong female role model in my life.

30 Days of Photos - Day 15

Day fifteen - A photo of something you want to do before you die

Yes, I'm showing my girly side that I usually like to hide.  I want to get married someday...but I don't mean the big, white dress, big, fancy church traditional wedding!  I've never been very enamored with the idea of a big wedding, and I can't imagine myself getting married indoors.  What I really want is a tiny destination wedding on a beautiful, far away beach somewhere.  As part of a very large, very close extended family, I never thought this would be an option so that's probably why I wanted it...but the older I've gotten, the more I've realized that I can have that.  I'll just throw a big reception party with an open bar when I get back ;)

30 Days of Photos - Day 14

Day fourteen - A photo of someone you could never imagine your life without

So, I'm cheating and choosing two people I couldn't imagine my life without!  I honestly don't have any memories of life before my brother and sister were around.  We've lived all over the country together, shared crazy childhood adventures and continue to have way too much fun together as adults (and referring to my sister as an adult is strange).  I'm so very blessed to have two siblings who are not only my family but two of my very best friends.  BroPod and Sistradre - couldn't ever imagine not having you guys around!

30 Days of Photos - Day 13

Day thirteen - A photo of your favorite band/artist

It's virtually impossible for me to choose just one favorite artist or band because I absolutely adore music...but I'm going with Coldplay because they've been around for awhile and I've never lost my love for them.  I get quite irritated when people say all their music sounds the same...listen to the Parachutes album and then Viva La Vida and you'll have two totally different listening experiences!  They have a perfect song for every mood and every feeling...and I've got a hunch that their music will remain relevant to my life for quite awhile!  By the way...they put on one of the best live shows I've ever been to!

30 Days of Photos - Day 12

Day eleven - A photo of something you love

My little Lolers!!  That'd be Lola, my puggle.  She's 1.5 to 2.5 years old (depending on whether you ask the vet or the Humane Society) and is bounding with energy!  She's quite possibly the most loving dog ever, as evidenced by how quickly she's become attached to my family in Indiana.  She may get irritating sometimes, but she really is a great dog.

30 Days of Photos - Day 11

Day eleven - A picture of something you hate

What is more appropriate to hate than hate?  And honestly, I don't really believe in hating people or things...but there is nothing that upsets me more than hatred.  It's so much easier to love than hate...and love does so much more good!  Why do people waste their energy hating?

30 Days of Photos - Day 10

Day ten - A picture of the person you do the most messed up things with

Of course it's Margaux!  And although I wouldn't say we do "messed up" things...we certainly know how to make what could be a very boring night and turn it into something exciting!  We have our fair share of low-key movie nights...but when it's time to be not so low-key, it's go big or go home for us!

30 Days of Photos - Day 9

Day nine - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most

It's my madre!  She's been there since day 1 (obviously) and never fails to help me out when I need it.  There's not really much else to say besides that I'm incredibly blessed to have the best mom ever!!

30 Days of Photos - Day 8

Day Eight - A photo that makes you laugh

Random night at my apartment...Trinity talked us all into doing this because she said she saw it in a commercial once and it was "so cool!"  It was a fun night with good friends!

Home for a Holiday

Well, hello...long time, no talk.  Really all I've been doing is putting the occasion 30 Day Photo Challenge photo on here (notice how that "30 Day" thing turned into something more along the lines of "30 Months??").

Tomorrow, I'm heading home for Easter.  It's just a short little trip home.  I leave tomorrow morning, arrive in Indiana tomorrow night, then will be coming back to the Springs on Monday night.  It'll be nice to get a break from work, though, and see all of my family who I haven't seen since Christmas!  It's hard to believe it's been that long since I last saw them all!  Dear Family - come visit me in Colorado!!!!

The biggest recent change in my life is that I now have a dog!! I adopted a puggle named Lola from the Humane Society about a week ago.  She was a stray, so they don't really know how old she is, but the vet estimates that she's between 1.5 and 2.5 years old.  She's adorable, but a bit clingy at the moment.  She has a TON of energy, too!  She's already getting much better with the clinginess after a week, though.  I'm adding a photo in here so you all can see her cuteness yourselves.  Don't let that innocent little face fool you, though...she most definitely has an independent/mischievous streak!  She slept in my bed the first few nights I had her, but last night she had to sleep in the kitchen (it's gated off) because she'd been behaving badly all afternoon!

This morning, I took my best friend out here in Colorado (and truly one of the best friends I have ever had in my life) Margaux to the airport at the early hour of 5am.  She just got back from a competition in Italy last night (she is an athlete in modern pentathlon) so I didn't get to see her.  So, it was 5am or go without seeing my bestie for a week!!  So, we got Starbucks, got lost (apparently I cannot find Colorado Springs Airport when it's dark outside) and sat in the drop-off area chatting for a good fifteen minutes until a security guard told us to move along.  When I got back, I was already awake because of the caffeine...so I grabbed Lola and went on a 3.5-mile run!  Lola pooped out after the first mile or so, but I wanted her to be good and tired since I had to work in Denver today, so she got to stick out the whole thing.  Those of you who know me well know I'm not much of a runner...but I'm training for a sprint triathlon so I've been trying to run at least a 5k twice a week.

Denver has been pretty good today...it's been slow work-wise, and we had a vendor lunch at Hapa Sushi that was fantastic!!  I got a shrimp tempura roll (their's is shrimp tempura, avocado, crab and a few other things I didn't notice before inhaling it) and a California roll, in addition to sampling a few of the others' rolls.  I also sample sake for the first time in my life...can't say I'm a huge fan, but hey at least I did it!

Now, it's back to working for the next hour or so, then I'm back to the Springs to take Lola for a walk and pack!!

30 Days of Photos - Day 7

Day Seven - A photo of your most treasured possession

Blast from the past photo! This is a webcam picture from when I was studying abroad in Paris, France, and had dark hair!  But anyways...my blankie is my most treasured possession.  I've had it since I was born (my great-grandma made it for me!) and it still goes wherever I go, whether it be France, Indiana, Colorado or wherever else I end up!

30 Days of Photos - Day 6

Day Six - A photo of someone you'd love to trade places with for a day

I would love to trade places with Taylor Swift for the day...she seems down to earth, gets to travel the world, and, well, I feel like it'd just be fun to be her for a day!  

30 Days of Photos - Day 5

Day Five - A photo of your favorite memory

Okay, so I'm cheating and adding two.  This first one is from the summer I studied abroad in Paris, France.  The whole experience of living in another country and (attempting) to speak another language was amazing.  To top it all off, I ended up making one of the best friends of my life, Katrina, who I still talk to just about every day now!  I cannot wait to visit Paris again one day!

Although this is my family in the Olympic rings at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, the memory associated with it is my internship.  It had its ups and downs, but ultimately was one of the best experiences of my life.  I finally figured out what I want to do with my life because of it, and I discovered a talent I never knew I had (photography).  I also, again, made one of the best friends of my life, Margaux!  

30 Days of Photos - Day 4

Day Four - A photo of your night

Margaux (one of my best friends!), her sister Isabella and I took some of the Russian pentathletes on a tour of Manitou Springs, Colo., yesterday afternoon, where we tried on some John Lennon glasses. The night ended up being pretty epic!

30 Days of Photos - Day 3

Day Three - A picture of the cast of your favorite show

Fringe - such a great show!!

30 Days of Photos - Day 2

Day Two - A picture of yourself and someone you've been close with for awhile

Ever since the Backstreet Boys united us sophomore year at Ball State, Michele's been one of my best friends...and living in different states hasn't changed our friendship at all!  

30 Days of Photos - Day 1

I saw this on a friend's Facebook and thought it might be a good way to keep me motivated to update this blog.

Day One - A picture of yourself with fifteen facts

1. I love hiking and climbing mountains. I've summited two 14ers since I've been in Colorado (including Mt. Belford, where the above photo was taken).

2. I love to cook.  One of the things I am most excited about in my new apartment is the lovely kitchen!

3. Authentic Mexican food and margaritas are basically a guaranteed way to cheer me up if I'm having a bad day.

4. I love traveling!  I have a bucket list of places to go all around the world.

5. I cannot wait to get a dog, but I'm not a fan of large dogs...I'm hoping to keep the family puggle tradition alive.

6. Over the seven months I have been in Colorado, my respect for amateur athletes has grown so much...it isn't really possible to put the amount into words. 

7. I'm more than a little obsessed with Starbucks. 

8. If I'm drinking, it's probably wine (or the aforementioned margaritas).  Cheap wine is fine because I rarely notice the difference.

9. I'm alcohol intolerant, so I don't drink that often and when I do, I need to take allergy medicine about an hour before or else I get sick.

10. I form a strong opinion on most things and I love getting in friendly debates about them.  

11. I'm a tree-hugger, pro-choice, pro-immigration, pro-same sex marriage, strongly opposed to Don't Ask Don't Tell...basically, I'm a liberal and quite proud of it.  I'm educated about it, though, and I know there are flaws in every ideology.

12. I'm pretty much always cold.

13. I like to stay active...some of my hobbies include speedskating, hiking, cycling (in the gym for now since I'm bike-less) and going on walks.

14. I was inspired by the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games to apply for internships with the US Olympic Committee.  I got hired eventually by the digital media department.  Coming out to work for the USOC was one of the best decisions I've ever made.

15. I'm one independent study away from a masters degree in political science.  Although I have no intention of working in politics (I used to want to...I clearly changed my mind), I'll have the degree!