This Week I...

• Officially kicked off the "Summer of Sangria"
• Had our first backyard party
  
• Started painting my new room
• Planted a garden
• Held my friend's baby
• Enjoyed a lovely champagne brunch
  
• Went on a walk
• Watched the Nuggets in the playoffs
• Sat on the porch
• Carpooled to work
• Posted my 100th blog post!
  

Quite possibly the best email I've ever received from a contractor -

"As Elvis Presley would say---Your WELcome."

I think something just froze over

Because when you're Clark and Janice, Tuesday is the day you just go out and buy a new car...for the first time since 1994.

And I'm In.

I've arrived. I'm pleased to announce that I am fully moved in, and nearly unpacked, in the cute stack of north denver bricks that I now call home. As I was pulling together boxes last week and packing up my house in lafayette it hit me how commonplace that act had become. And then I counted. In the matter of 18 months I have moved 4 times. Four times! What?! A friend commented earlier in the week that I had come full-circle now that I was back in Denver. While I have to admit that I am extremely excited to be back in the city, I don't feel at all that I have returned to the same place. It's been a journey over the past four years since I lived in Denver last. I'm a different person now. It's a different city. I'm excited to be exploring a new neighborhood, discovering new secrets, meeting new people.
Dee has been a welcome housemate, cooking up a storm, and pouring wine like it's water... I have a distinct feeling that I will gain several pounds while living here. Last night she had an all-out fry fest with homemade fish n' chips and french fries. It was a simple night - good friends sitting around the table for hours, but pretty great.

I just remembered how much I want to visit Belgium in the spring.

Have you met my friend Tamara? She's quite incredible, really. And, she's sporting a new look!

To celebrate her new digs she's giving away 2 of her lovely prints!

I've been counting down the days all week, and now, with just one more to go, I can hardly contain my excitement! On Friday Sean, Julie and I are hitting the road for a little impromptu escape to Moab. I'm charging up my camera batteries, creating Ipod playlists, dreaming about fantastic adventures ahead.

Hello, Spring? Are you near? I'm ready when you are.

Joslyn over at Simple Lovely just announced that she has landed her first opportunity to actually have her dream job (which is to be an interior designer). I'll admit it made it a little easier for me to get out of bed this morning and ready to go to work, knowing that my real job is someone else's dream job. While there are so many wonderful aspects of being employed in the creative industry, there is something strange about your creative passion becoming your source of income. As soon as something that was once your personal outlet becomes your job, it's like it has an evil twin who can suddenly and unexpectedly turn up and whisper mean things in your ear that makes your dream job feel so much like a...well, a job. Don't get me wrong, 99% of the time I love it. And I still find myself pausing every once in a while in awe of the fact that buildings get built because I imagined them in my head and drew it out on paper. And that I create spaces that interact with people and affect how they feel in their environment. Oh, and there's all the beautiful textiles and furniture and what-not to play around with; that's not so shabby either. And getting to watch people walk through a space that is there because you created it - oh my, that's priceless.
Joslyn put the question out there about what your dream job would be, if money and personal skill in that arena weren't an issue. My answer? A whole lot of part-time jobs that add up to a whole career where everyday would be different than the one before. One where I could utilize my creativity, and capitalize on the fact that I can never make up my mind on what I actually want to do when I grow up, and I have a different life plan and passion every day. So here it is, my dream job would be: hospitality designer for boutique hotels / photo stylist / residential designer for clients who love mid-century furniture, sustainable practices and repurposed materials / yoga instructor / textile and product designer with Tam, working out of our shared studio in an industrial downtown loft, or maybe an old garage on a quaint street where the bungalows have been turned into coffee shops / baker / wedding stylist / blogger / boutique owner. And since this is my dream job I would write into my contract that at any moment, without notice or repercussion, any of the above-mentioned jobs may be added to / dropped / put on hold for whatever else tickles my fancy at that given moment.

I feel like I've been posting a lot of flea market finds lately, and started to worry that I was neglecting my love for modern furniture too. I just came across the latest catalog from Blu Dot (one of my modern faves not only for their clean lines and saturated colors, but for their attention to budget-conscious design afficionados- further affirming my stance that good design actually shouldn't be expensive). Now, of course the furniture is fantastic, but it was really the scenes and photo styling that were created for this catalog that really put me over the edge. There is something so real and also endearingly quirky about these models... I would seriously love to be on the set of this photo shoot.

I got to spend all weekend with my favorite black and white spotted friend. It was a really nice relaxing couple days - the weather was so beautiful! We went out for a run yesterday (which by the way was not so beautiful... only 4 miles this week and it felt like 14).

I also found out that my friend Michelle won a design competition for a bus shelter in Athens, GA! Michelle and another fellow freelance architect created this design to highlight the bands that have emerged from Athens: REM, Pylon, and B-52s. As the sun shifts during the day it projects the names of the bands and lyrics from their songs onto the ground around the shelter - genius! Makes taking the bus look very hip. My friends are so creative...

Today I'm dreaming of....

long naps on the porch. a good book and a glass of sweet tea. a bike ride on the beach. heavy hanging oak trees. wild armadillos.

fresh orange juice in the morning. sack lunches. soup in the afternoon. fresh seafood. cocktails by the fire in the evening.

familiar faces. family i don't get to see nearly enough. southern hospitality. the feel of my toes in open air.

Today I am dreaming of an escape. A little while to forget about reality. To worry only about which direction on the beach to ride today. Should I sit on the swing or in the rocking chair?
To forget about jobs. and the economy. and relationships. and apartments. and houses. and cars. and responsibilities.

Photos from Cumberland Island, Feb. 2008

March 1st.
I think it just might be my favorite day of the whole year. I feel there is a shift in my attitude and my outlook when March comes around - it's like a gentle reminder that spring is on the way. Februrary always feels like so dreary, I begin to feel like winter is going to drag on and on forever. But then March comes and voila! Like magic, the sun seems to be shining a little more often, I get the itch to be outside more, I feel healthier and more creative. It kind of snuck up on me this year, but I did celebrate my own little spring beginning in style yesterday...

Ross and I took Ophelia up to Chataqua and ran part of the Mesa Trail. The whole trail is 6.1 miles, and we figured we went almost half-way before we turned around. It's felt so good to be running lately. I feel like I am finally settling into my stride. I've kind of put my training schedule on hold for a couple weeks while my body acclimates to the miles that I am putting in, and I am so glad that I have done that! I feel like every week the long run feels a little more manageable - and of course it always helps when you have beautiful scenery to distract you! It's also been really fun to talk to other girls who are training for races right now - just out of coincidence I have 5 girlfriends who are all training for different events. It's funny when that happens, like everyone got the idea at the same time. I love to see girls who are pushing themselves and challenging themselves in that arena, it's really inspiring.

Last night I got to see this cute little girl - she's getting to be more fun every time I see her!

And tonight, Geniva and I got our abs rocked at Pilates - it's always humbling to watch your little muscles quiver and shake while the instructor makes it look so easy! I mean really, how do they do that? Happy Monday!

Now that Tam has her beautiful new wood floors and that yummy deep brown furniture she has decided that she needs a new splash of color in her living room. We talked about some ideas last time I was there and we are both loving these colors right now. I think a mustard wall, with accents of persimmon and light blue in a new rug would be just lovely!

What do you think of these rugs??

(Rugs from top left: 1. Angela Adams 2. ABC Carpet & Home 3-6. Anthropologie 7. ABC Carpet & Home)

Deanna became a real-time grown up this week when she closed on her very own house. She is the new proud owner of the cutest little bungalow in the Highlands. The house has had the same owner since 1948, and man, this place is a gem. The previous owner was apparently very handy...and a bit neurotic, the basement came with a hand-sorted collection of nuts and bolts screwed into the ceiling - genius!

Check out this light fixture!

And a clock hard-wired into the wall - with incredible wallpaper.

We christened the house this week with a champagne party, the first of what I expect to many good evenings. We're going furniture shopping this weekend, I'll keep you posted on the re-do!

I just came across designer Thomas Paul and I was immediately sucked in to his line of textiles, rugs, accessories and lighting. His design statement rings so close to my heart, I wish I had written it first for myself!

"Thomas Paul's concept is simple, mix historic design styles -- Art Nouveau, 60's Pop Art, 70's Minimalism, 18th Century Baroque -- and reinterpret these disparate periods into a unique style with a color palette that works with today's interiors."

He is one of those designers who does "it all", and does it disgustingly well...