2014
This year ended up being the year of unexpected change for me and a much better year than the one before.
In February, I went to the Waste Management Open which was even bigger than the year before. Having Greenskeeper passes on the 17th hole with bottomless mimosas was a blast.
For Valentines Day, Aaron and I headed to San Diego for a weekend at the beach and hit the perfect weather for a long bike ride from our hotel.
We had brunch in La Jolla by the cove. Of course we took the pups with us, and a day in Ocean Beach at the dog beach was definitely in order, followed by baths and a smelly car!
I checked out Coronado Island for the first time and loved it! What a cool place to live.
The next couple months were spent at home, working through the busiest time of the year in staffing and enjoying the Arizona winter to the fullest.
Mike and his friend came to visit from 29 Palms, California where he was stationed. I took them out walking in Arcadia to a trendy breakfast spot called The Vig and gave them their first bottomless mimosa experience. I have never seen two grown men drink champagne so fast.
A little cousin lovin'
Flagstaff Weekend:
With the weather getting hotter in Phoenix, it was time to get away again so Aaron and I headed up to Flagstaff and Jerome for a weekend. It was snowing in Flagstaff in late April but it was nice enough to wear shorts and hour and a half away in Jerome.
Jerome was a really cool old mining town with a lot of history. Jerome made news in 1917, when strikes involving the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) led to the expulsion at gunpoint of about 60 IWW members, who were loaded on a cattle car and shipped west. Production at the mines, always subject to fluctuations for various reasons, boomed during World War I, fell thereafter, rose again, then fell again during and after the Great Depression. As the ore deposits became exhausted, the mines closed, and the population dwindled to fewer than 100 by the mid-1950s. Efforts to save the town from oblivion succeeded when residents turned to tourism and retail sales. Jerome became a National Historic Landmark in 1967. In the early 21st century, Jerome has art galleries, coffee houses, restaurants, wineries, and a state park and local museum devoted to mining history.
The old mine is still there and you can look down into it. The guy who ran the Little Daisy Mine also had a house that overlooked it and the house is still in tact and is now a museum that we walked through.
Jerome is also known for it's wineries throughout the area.
Blast from the Past:
One of my favorite things in the world to do is look at old pictures, so in May, for Mother's Day, I loved seeing some pictures my uncle had put on Facebook as a tribute to my Grandma on Facebook for everyone to see. Although I never really got to know her very well, Grandma, or Grandpa "Chief", the stories I hear from the rest the family tell the story as though they were still around today. They affected the lives of many and it's neat to see the lives they once lived through the pictures they left behind.
This is my favorite picture of my dad and his two brothers. Barry, dad and Chip are still easy to recognize!
May's Big Move
Remember how I said this was the year of change? Well, this is where the change kicks in. In May, I left my job at MGA Employee Services. Aaron accepted a job on the East Coast unexpectedly and I wasn't ready to move with him. A week later, I accepted an opportunity in Denver, and a few days later Dad flew out to help me pack up my life. It was a decision made with a heavy heart and a lot of red wine. It was not easy to leave behind the friends that had come to be family and the desert that somehow found a way to melt my heart. After 5 years, it was officially time to say "Sayonara Phoenix."
I decided to move back to Colorado for a position with a company in downtown Denver called Fahrenheit IT. Instead of working in the telecom world I was used to, I would be working in IT and networking. The company helped move me and the quick witted, energetic British guy who manages the office was very persuasive.
Dad flew out and turned into the packing Nazi. Within a few days my condo was cleaned out and everything moved into the back of a giant budget truck. Dad took Ellie with him for the most part of the drive and followed me and London. Good thing the dogs love the vacation life. In fact, they have been from the East Coast to the West Coast to the Coast of Mexico and everywhere in between. They are more well traveled than most people.
My first week back in Colorado was the heart of tornado season and the Writer Square building I work in got evacuated. It rained all summer and was much wetter than it had been for the last several years.
Working in Downtown Denver was a different transition but kind of fun. Turns out Tiff worked in the building right next door which makes it convenient to have lunch together all the time.
My boss Tom is British, so needless to say we went all out this year for the World Cup in the office. The offices competed across the country for the best costumes and decorations.
A few weeks after I started Tom decided to boost morale in the office and get us out together for a Friday afternoon of paintball. It was my first time and I have always wanted to try it...it was a blast. But, when people say it really hurts, they aren't kidding. My painful welts lasted over a week and some of them grew to the size of a baseball.
Oh...You Fancy, Huh?
In continuing with the year of change, I decided it was time to bite the bullet and get a new car. My Honda Pilot had seen me through 7 years of road trips, gotten me back and forth from one end of the country to the other and everything in between but it was finally starting to see it's wear. I decided to splurge like I never do and get something really nice. I went with a BMW X5 Sport and I love it! I can't say I enjoy having car payments for the first time in my life though...
For 4th of July 2014 I was thrilled to have Nikol in town. Her first night we headed to Film On The Rocks at Red Rocks and saw The Fast and the Furious. We pre-gamed in the parking lot with boxed wine. My buddy John Slota from college was nice enough to grab the tickets and invite us up.
We celebrated Dad's 61st Birthday at the Texas Roadhouse. No one can ever believe he's as old as he is. It was nice to be home to celebrate with him for a change.
We spent 4th of July downtown with Tiffany.
Right after Nikol left, something awesome happened when my friend Dan, one of my oldest friends that I have always kept in touch with and traveled to Boston with the year before gave me a call to tell me he was moving to Denver with his roommate. They stayed in my place for a month while they transitioned. So fun to be living in the same city after all these years. The dogs were thrilled to have them around while I was at work.
And, after hours, when Dan and his roommate would be out exploring the town, Ellie would take the time to do yoga with me.
Ellie and her doga...
Somewhere towards the end of my first Month at Fahrenheit IT I made my first deal and when having the usual office beers on Friday, we celebrated a little more.
In July, Tiff, Steven, his brother and I headed up to Mt. Shavano to go camping. It rained a little it but the trip was a huge success! Of course Tiff and I brought our staple cheap wine for the drive up...
The next weekend Dallas, Jacinda and the kids came into town to celebrate Abeline's 7th birthday and my grandpa's 85th.
Happy Birthday Grandpa! Cheers to many more to come!
After Chuck E Cheese, that night we all went out on a party bus for an adult version of a birthday party...I did not feel very well the next day.
Lisa came to town a couple weeks later for 4th of July and I had a blast showing her all over downtown, my new life and the Heritage Square Alpine Slide.
The following weekend I went to Nebraska for a family weekend to see Dallas, Jacinda, the kids and live that small town life.
The following weekend my friend Claire at work rented an awesome house on a vacation rental website. The house was decked out in modern furnishings, came equipped with a fully furnished AirStream in the backyard and even a bunny costume in the garage, which we may or may not have found what appeared to be a lifetime of drugs in. Supposedly the owner was a high school drama teacher, but it doesn't change the fact that the house was far from normal!
Tiff, Kylie and I decided to do the Race for the Cure a couple weeks later, followed by brunch at View House. The run was so crowded but it felt good to get out there and do it anyway.
I would soon find out that I have s neighbor with a Bernese Mountain Dog named Charlie who liked big dogs and wine as much as I do. It would make for some fun girls nights at my place. She was even nice enough to watch my dogs for the weekend when I went to Portland with Brenda. They did their first 14ner with out me when they climbed Mt. Lincoln that weekend with Elise.
When Brenda and I met the year before at MGA Employee Services, I don't think either one of us had any idea how close of friends we would end up being. When I moved we agreed that we would have to make it a point to get together even while living in different states. Being that she's so busy with a toddler around and other aspects of life, we decided there was nothing better to do than plan a girls trip. It was such a blast that we quickly decided that we have to make it a yearly tradition. This year Brenda chose Portland. It was easily one of my most memorable weekends of the year.
When we got in, we took the train downtown and pretended we were staying at some fancy hotel so that we could drop off our luggage there. Next order of business: Mimosas and catching up!
Portland has a huge homeless population problem. Everywhere you go they are walking around or camped out on the streets. There are so many of them that one woman decided to start a "Right 2 Dream Too" program, which is a village of shanty shacks in downtown Portland. While I can appreciate where her heart is coming from, when I asked her if they offered any job assistance while she's giving them a free roof over their head she replied "No". Instead she said that they are at the point where they are helpless and hopeless because they have sunk so low. Most of the people you see living on the streets in Portland are young and able-bodied. And when she said that, it made me feel as though she was just enabling them more than helping. Not to mention, her village of shanty shacks is a real eyesore.
I had been to Portland before but had not realized how much it had changed in just a few years. Portland is now the food truck capital of the world. Really great chefs have closed their restaurants and opened up food trucks in order to keep costs down and serve more people. There are lines and pods of food trucks all over the city and Brenda and I tried a ton of them. We did not have one that disappointed.
Our hands down favorite food truck was Chop Chop located downtown. The guy who ran it called himself Chop Chop and had even more energy than I do. He's got the best Sesame Chicken in town, or so we heard from the people in line in front of us. They weren't kidding. It was amazing.
Turns out, in addition to it's endless amount of food trucks, Portland also has more strip clubs per capita than any other city in the US. Who knew? Couldn't help but snap this little jewel...
The last night in town we went to Portland City Grill, which came recommended by a friend who used to live there. It's on the top floor of an office building and the 360 degree views were breathtaking.
We drank just enough that Brenda puked two nights in a row, and we ended up with this in our hotel room.
It was a sad goodbye when Brenda left early Sunday morning and my flight wasn't until the evening. I got an early start and walked all the way to the Hawthorne District across the bridge to do some last minute site seeing.
Since I moved back, I have spent a lot of time catching up with people I haven't seen in years and missing the people who don't live here anymore. I was thrilled when Preston came to town for a few days and I got to catch up with him and Laura.
Every now and then, Jordan and I try to get together too. I will never forget living together in college. This year her Australian cousins were in town. They were a blast.
Carrying on with the year of change, I have met some awesome people since moving back to Denver...Brittany being one of them. I met Britt at the Tavern DTC and we got to talking about work. She ended a contract at Microsoft in their GIS IT department and was looking for a position. Funny enough, one of our clients was hiring for just that. So in addition to gaining a great friend, I gained a candidate and got a friend a great job.
The Starbucks blog from today:
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Where I am at and where I never thought I would be...Single.
So, let me tell you something about dating. Dating sucks! It's awful. It's like going on job interviews all the time. Except most the time halfway through you realized you didn't want the job in the first place, or you don't really click with the person who is interviewing you. Or, you get really excited because you get the job and then the job sucks. It's not a career, it's just another job.
If you don't follow what I am saying, let me backtrack. I have been lucky enough in my life to not have to date much. I had no idea what it was like when I found myself single in a city that felt new again. I have had several people tell me lately that I need to write a book. Well, I don't have the time, patience or dedication to write a book, but this blog that started as a way to share pictures and print out albums so that people who want to see my foreign adventures and travel is a good way to share more. And, why write about my life? Why take the time to write what seem to be meaningless details sometimes of the day to day happenings of life? Because, things happen to me that would never happen to anyone else. If there is a big man in the sky, and I am skeptical, I swear he's shaking his leg, clapping his hands having fun deciding what to do to me today. And, why would it be any different when it comes to dating?
So, a few things I have learned about being single:
There are some REAL weirdos in this world
Apparently, I am intimidating
Older guys really do have baggage
Some men carry extra socks
People do not look like their Tinder pictures
A lot of guys expect you to split the tab with them on a first date
Body odor is a real thing
There is this thing called "Past Life Therapy"
When you move home, the guys you weren't into from high school still think they have a chance
Nipple piercings: Yeah, some dudes have them
So, it's not all Sex and the City and fun all the time, in fact it is the opposite. For some reason, I am finding I seem to be the only normal person out there...(cough cough). But, if there is one thing I know it's that things happen for a reason. And, I like my own company. And, my family and friends are up there with some of the best in the world. So, if dating really is this "job" as it seems to be...well, I already have a career.
I love my job, but some days are way more interesting than others. Overnight, I find myself in this IT world-The Land of Nerds. I tell you what, if you want to really confuse yourself, try throwing yourself into an Information Security conference!
You know, I will try anything once and I love to learn how things work, so when my cousin Dallas said I should come out to North Dakota and keep him company in that oil and gas life, I did not object. In fact, I told him that if I was going to come out that I want the whole experience of a "Roughneck" weekend. And, that is what I got. Coveralls, lots of grilled steaks, shooting guns and oh so much drinking! I even got to drive the GIANT forklift-Yeah, I did that! Hanging out on a rig for a weekend is actually kind of cool, even if you are the only girl around.
Almost dying in October 2014: Choking at work...and not under pressure.
Yeah, that happened. Here I am sitting at my desk like I do almost everyday, in the sales floor of people eating lunch. Mom's leftover pot roast from dinner at the 'rents the night before, the same I have had since I can remember and the same Moda has made since before I was born.
In the middle of reading the news, watching some stupid YouTube video, or checking sports stories on Barstool, I take a bite not even thinking about the same motion I make everyday. But, this particular piece of meat had it out for me...and all of a sudden, it hits me as I can't breath and my face turns red. This is how I am going out, this is the story I have to explain to people when they wonder why I made my appearance up there, or more likely, down there so young. It's not a good one, no final destination movie-like scenario. I am not going to fly off a roller coaster or hit a tree skiing like I envisioned, I am going to die eating my mom's famous pot roast.
So, this stupid piece of pot roast I thought was just taking a minute to digest doesn't go down and in front of everyone I jump up and start waving my arms frantically at the guy that sits in front of me...I really can't breath, I can't talk, I can't scream. I can just make ridiculous Helen Keller hand signals and hope he gets the point. Well, Kyle looks at me and the only thing he says is "You're f-ing with me, stop it!" He didn't get the point until I run around the desk and practically thrust myself into his arms. Well, three Heimlich Maneuver attempts later and this thing is out, I can finally breath.
Well, let me tell you something, when you choke and almost die in front of your office full of coworkers, they never let you live it down. In fact, they freak out at first, then they crack jokes and tell potential candidates that call in for you so that you have to tell everyone the story. You realize just how many inappropriate choking jokes there really are in the world, and people you don't even know well begin to fully understand your longtime nickname: Damnit Shera
Moral of the story, don't eat alone people, and if you're going to choke don't do it in your office.
The weather has been so nice this year that even in the 3rd week of October it was nice enough to go to a corn maze (which I haven't been able to do for the last few years living in Arizona). The nice thing about your dad's business partner having a son your age that you grew up with is that you are close enough that you almost always have to say yes to all the silly stuff they ask you to do. Durand had never been and we had a great time.
Durand has got to be one of my very favorite people because for years now, he and I have been traveling and trying new things together, so when he suggested indoor skydiving, of course I was all for it! What a cool experience at IFlyDenver! It (almost) makes me want to try the real thing next!
The following weekend was Halloween. I didn't dress up much for work, but with Amanda Bynes just getting released from the looney bin, it was a little funny...Fridays in the office always seem to get a little interesting.
Tiff and I haven't celebrated Halloween together since college. We had a blast.
Guess who I was?!
My thoughts on November 17th: Why I decided I can't decide if I love or hate the gym...
I decided today that I am in the wrong field. My true calling is to write those Buzzfeed columns on random scenarios. I would be great at cutting and pasting pictures that match the random thoughts that come in my mind in any given situation or those that describe the awkward moments that have made my life...so special? I could make people laugh for days. Take for instance, today...
I walk into the gym after a long Monday talking on the phone and all I can think is "I don't want to be here...but I feel so fat, I need to work out, it will be worth it." In the middle of my thoughts and my conversation I run smack dab into one of the best looking guys I have seen in a while. Well, helloooo awkward! At least he didn't say much and just laughed although his face said it all..."Oh, it's that girl. The one that talks on her phone while she pretends to work out," which I swear I am not!
So, I end the conversation, jump on the treadmill and the phone rings again, it's my boss. Of course I have to answer, and let me tell you all what I know he was thinking he caught me doing (the other kind of work out), I could tell by the tone of his voice. I set him straight, tried to make it quick and moved on, cranked the speed up and off I was. The problem is, I stare at the minutes, no I take that back, I count the seconds. When you're looking at the seconds on a treadmill clock, it makes you feel like you're being held at gunpoint, scrambling to keep going and slipping on banana peals. Ten minutes feels like ten hours.
So after mustering through the cardio portion of my workout, I head to the free weights. I watch this skinny cougar with the nicest toned arms I have ever seen doing handstands and using these little wussy 5lb weights and I can't take it anymore after I am beat from 50 kettlebell swings and still don't look like her. What the hell is she doing that I am not? I put my money on working out all day, or not drinking any red wine, which is just not an option for me.
So I head to that machine that you pull down on to work out your shoulders. Here I am feeling pretty good about pulling down my 60lbs and I look over at the guy next to me. This SOB is in better shape than I have ever been, pulling down that bar with no hesitation at about 130 and has a full length cast on his leg. Holy dedication, way to make me feel like a wimp.
At this point, I head to the locker room to grab my stuff, wash my hands and set down my gym bag. I can't wait to get out of there. I run full steam up the stairs and into the parking garage, start my car and realize that I had someone else's keys in my hand with mine-Some chick in the locker room must have left them next to my bag. What kind of luck is that, and how the hell do I explain this one? Yes, I took them back inside, and yes, it was embarrassing. "No, sir...I was not trying to steal a car..."
So as I sit here, contemplating rather or not I want to do it all over again tomorrow, I am sore and I am tired, and then I remember the good. Well, or at least I remember the bro I saw working out in cut off jean shorts and knee length neon socks and I couldn't have looked any worse than that guy.
When Thanksgiving rolled around, I couldn't wait for a few days off work. It felt weird to spend it in Colorado for the first time in years. I had grown pretty accustomed to the usual travel and "Friendsgivings" I have had the last few years. So, it was nice to spend the night before with some coworkers and new friends at Chris's place.
I have a lot of great days in my life, I have a lot of great people in my life. Occasionally, one of those days comes around where all the great people get together to make it one of the best days ever! That's what happened on Thanksgiving Day this year. It was one of the best days I have had in a really long time.
Matt was our team captain, and man he got into the game. Matt moved from Philly a couple months ago and doesn't have family in Colorado. Michele (known as Oregon) moved from Oregon a few days ago and she tagged along as well. Both came back to the parents' that night for mom's feast as well.
Because dog people are the best people...
Of course everyone brought their dogs. There were about 40 of us that got together that day, and about 25 of us that walked to Cheeseman Park for a game of football. It was 60 degrees in November and the park was full of people getting active before they got full. We even had a couple of stragglers that were playing solo join in on the fun and it really was a day to remember. It's all everyone could talk about for the next few days. The news came and Elise and I got interviewed on the "F's of Thanksgiving: Food, Family, Friends, Football, and most recently...Fitness" It was fun for the fam to watch later that night at 9 on Fox 31. Next year will be hard to beat!
Birthday Weekend
This year, Erina came to town from Connecticut for my birthday so I was lucky enough to celebrate with her all weekend. Erina and I met in Phoenix while were both living out there. The first night, I welcomed her to town by taking her to dinner with Matt and Oregon at Casa Bonita, a Denver staple. It's a great time, as long as you eat before you go. They were all blown away and we had a blast! Oregon couldn't stop laughing and Erina bought these ridiculous guns we carried all over all weekend.
Friday night, for my birthday we went to Lucky Pie and then bounced over to Blake Street Vault. Some people came out that I hadn't seen in years and it was a night to remember for sure! I am so thankful to be surrounded by so many good people in my life.
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