Happy Halloween!

The kids have today off, so we had our Halloween parties yesterday!  They are allowed to dress up here and they were so cute!  We did "Spooky Reading" during our reading time (which basically means I turned off all the lights in the room, they brought flashlights to read with, and could sit where ever they wanted)...in 3rd grade terms, this is a BIG deal.  They thought it was so much fun.  Here are a few pics...

My team and I were skeletons.  We just finished a unit on the human body where the kids learned about bones.  They were quite impressed by our home made costumes.  I blew up the bones on the copier and we pinned them to our black clothes!  Cheap!  They held up surprisingly well...at least until the end of the day.  I love my team!

No big plans for Halloween...might just be doing dinner/ drinks with the girls!

Happy Halloween!

Snooze...

No, that's not how I feel about the new guy...that was the name of the breakfast restaurant we went to Sunday morning. We decided to scruff out a bit (although you know I still took a shower, did my makeup, and straightened my hair...but I acted like that was the way I normally looked when I roll out of bed). He noticed and thought I looked cute so early in the morning. :)

I'm not sure what to say about him or the date (and frankly, we went out last Thursday night as well and I'm still feeling the same way).  It's not that I don't like him because I really do.  I like being around him...there's something I am drawn to in him.  I think we're both attracted to each other and enjoy that we have so much in common (and not just piddly crap, but actual fundamental beliefs).  But, I feel like there is an awkwardness that we either can't figure out or get around.  I realize we've only been out a few times, and maybe that's just it, in which case I'm not going to throw in the towel just yet.  But, I wish I knew how to "fix" it.  One of my teammates suggested that we're both into each other, but may be afraid to mess anything up, which actually makes a lot of sense to me.  It seems like we're both acting that way.  She also said it's probably time that we either hang out with his friends or mine, which also seems like a good idea so that we can truly see how each other is with our friends.

I've also got to give him a break considering we probably shouldn't have even gotten together yesterday.  He's been having back issues and really wasn't feeling well, but wanted to go have breakfast together.  Doesn't that sound like he's into me?  I mean, would he REALLY go to that trouble?  I did tell him though that he should have cancelled on me.  He said he didn't want me to get the wrong idea.  He's really freakin' cute.  And when he pulled off his sweatshirt because it turned out to be warmer than he anticipated, revealing his stomach and chest as his undershirt went flying up as well, I wanted to peel all of his clothes off and forget about getting breakfast.  I refrained.

He wants to grab happy hour sushi at his favorite restaurant near his house this week.  So we'll see how that goes...

For now, enjoy this deliciously warm picture of fall in Colorado...

Quick Weekend Home

It was a quick weekend home to Dallas this past weekend for mom's birthday.  It was great to walk into the house.  Home.  I could FEEL it.  I've been in transition for about 3 months now and just to feel what home feels like was so comforting.  Not to mention that I loved being with Mom, Dad, and Jodi.  I miss them so much.

I got to see the girls on Saturday morning for breakfast.  I made them ham, egg, and cheese croissants and we sat around gabbing like old times.  I think it was much needed for all of us.  Here's a of pic from Saturday morning of the four of us...

This is our impression of John McCain...

The rest of the weekend I spent with the fam.  We had a great Indian food lunch on Saturday and then went to see The Secret Life of Bees (very good).  Jodi and I made breakfast on Sunday morning and then we just hung out for the rest of the day.  We had cake outside for mom's birthday and I fell asleep in the sun.  It was very peaceful.

I'm back now and although I feared that coming back would feel awkward, I was so glad to be in Colorado again.  I think this continues to validate the feeling that I'm supposed to be here.

The Boy From Iowa

Went on a date last night with Jeff...the boy from Iowa...complete gentleman (came to get me, actually walked up to the house, opened my car door, paid for dinner).  The difference between him and the southern boys' manners is that he actually seemed genuine.  He didn't make a big deal of it...just seems like that's what he does.  His mama taught him well.

The restaurant was a good choice...great food, nice atmosphere.  We shared a couple of delicious appetizers (calamari and tuna tartare) and an entree (scallops) and dessert (chocolate raspberry cake).  The conversation was good...after a drink of wine, it seemed like we both chilled out a bit.  

Found out that he manages the big accounts in a brokerage/ real estate law firm.  I was interested in what he did, but of course, when he started to explain it sort of went over my head and all I could hear is "whah, whah, whah, whah, whah" like the teacher from Charlie Brown.  Hey, I tried.  He's from a small town in Iowa called Hamburg.  Seriously.  They have Taco Tuesdays and Hamburger Wednesdays in his hometown.  He suggested that we grab a vespa and take an 8 hour road trip there just for dinner.  Glad he changed his mind to stay in Denver.  He lives with his brother about 10 minutes south of me.  He's the baby in his family...one older sister and two older brothers.  Seems close with them.  I like that he talks to his parents just about every day.  He snowboards in the winter and suggested that I check out Copper Mountain...it's one of his favorites.  The conversation was reciprocal, which is something that I listen for on a first date.  He definitely isn't too into himself (nice change).

He's handsome even without a hat on (you know that guy...the one you think is good looking, but he has a hat on and sure enough he takes it off and your head kind of cocks to the side and you have to re-think)...not that way at all with him.  He's got McDreamy hair (which sort of pisses me off because why should a guy have better hair than me?).  He's tall (of course, everyone is taller than me, right), but he's actually more than six foot and is lean.  He wears a somewhat scruffy shadow on his face and he has a nice smile.

We closed own the place around 11:00 and decided to head home.  At the door, we kissed...it was sweet...not too ridiculous for a first date kiss, but enough to leave me wanting more.  :)

I think I'll see him again soon.

Going on a Date!

Going out with Great American Beer Fest tonight! He is cute and funny on the phone and in texts, so I'm excited to see what he's like in person. We're going to have drinks and dinner at a place downtown called Jax. It's a seafood place. He picked it...this may determine my yes or no vote for him, although he said it was good food and a great atmosphere. We'll see. I was a tad bit bummed to miss the debates, but now that they have started and I'm already bored, I'm glad to be going out with a cute boy instead! McCain is currently talking about Joe the plumber from Ohio and he seems to have an eye-blinking problem at the moment. I'm getting sick of election talk...let's vote it out, pick a pres, and move on.

Update tomorrow!

LOVE!

Only Mildly Painful

I went to see Swan Lake tonight with Doug. The ballet was beautiful! I haven't seen a ballet in SO long and it truly was very sweet of him to ask me. It was mildly painful between us, considering that I already gave him the stop sign. He is so sweet and he's really handsome, but I have a difficult time being myself around him. Not that I have the best track record with the men I've dated, and maybe that's the reason why I should go for someone like him, but I just want someone edgier. I need someone who can put me in my place when necessary and I definitely don't think he's that guy. In fact, I think that's going to take a miracle man.

We met up with some other work friends after the ballet, which I thought was going to be awkward, but it was fine. We had a drink and then split...it was getting late.

So basically, the evening was a take it or leave it situation. I never understood those girls who date men for the tickets or games or any other perks that happen to come along with the guy. I'm much more into that person's company and how I interact with them, which I think is probably good thing. So I'm glad to be over that hump with him, so to speak.

On another note, I texted with GABF today! He seems cute and funny and I dig that he's into his family. He said he'd call tomorrow, so maybe I'll have a date later in the week??!!

I'm off to bed...nighty night!

Kill Two Birds With One Stone

Can you call giving your number to two different men in one night killing two birds with one stone? Ah, Menver...gotta love it! Cara (Dallas), Kara (Iowa), and I volunteered for the Great American Beer Fest (GABF) last night. The event is the largest beer fest in the nation and was held at the Convention Center downtown. Hundreds of breweries come out to let people sample their beers. Since we volunteered, we didn't have to pay the $50 fee to get in and could still drink all the beer we wanted! We worked for the Lakefront Brewery pouring their assortment of beer, one of which was the perfect tasting pumpkin beer. It quickly became my new favorite job...if only it paid my rent.

Anyhow, I met some interesting characters, many of whom towards the end of the night, were quite drunk. The girls and I took a few breaks and wandered around the many breweries ourselves...tasted a couple of other pumpkins, none of which were better than the Lakefront Lager, and I also tried a blueberry one, which was different...nice to taste, but I don't think I'd want to drink an entire bottle of it. I also met the man who owns the Sam Adams Brewery. He came by the Lakefront table and I asked him to taste the pumpkin...I wanted his opinion. He said he wasn't big on flavored beers, but he did anyway and said he thought it had a nice flavor...a hint of nutmeg, but not too overpowering.

I met a handsome guy while I was pouring who I enjoyed talking to, but the line was backing up so our conversation was cut short. I did notice that he was with his Dad, which I decided was just about the cutest thing a handsome boy could do. Some of Kara's (Iowa) guy friends who she knew from a summer volleyball league were working at a brewery down the hall, so we linked up with them on our next break and went down to this hilarious dancing area...I say it's hilarious because the people dancing are wearing headphones and can hear the music, but as an observer, you can't hear the music, so it just looks like people are randomly dancing around. I had to get in on this. So I'm doing my thing, having a damn good time, when Kara (Iowa) points out that the handsome guy (let's call him GABF) is watching us! So, naturally, I decided to back my ass up so that he could get a clear view of ME! And it worked! Because when we left the dance floor (of course to get more beer because we were thirsty) he was standing right next to me, so I took the opportunity to strike up a conversation (INSERT APPLAUSE HERE PLEASE). I never know how to initiate a conversation, and maybe it was the pumpkin beer I had been sipping on all night, but he was holding the water pitcher that you use to clean out your glass before getting another beer and I asked him to fill mine up and somehow we got to talking...and he remembered that I was the girl pouring the pumpkin beer! YES!!! Anyway, he's from Iowa as well (which by the way, I've noticed TONS of people here are), but has lived here for about 8 years. He works in a law office, although he's not a lawyer. He even brought his dad over, who told me that he was excited that he just turned in his ballot for Obama since he wouldn't be home to vote on the 4th. Good man. So his dad (and brother) left and we chatted for a few more minutes, he asked for my number, and walked me back to the brewery where the girls were. He texted me last night to see if I wanted to get together on Sunday, so I'll have to text him back today.

BUT WAIT!!! OUR NIGHT DID NOT END THERE!!! After the beer fest was over, we went out with the boys who Kara (Iowa) knew from volleyball. There ended up being about a dozen of them and three of us...nice change! See why it's called Menver?? And I hung out with this cool guy who lives in Boulder (we'll call him Tryst because that was the name of the bar that we went to). He was really easy to talk to and I enjoyed his company. So when he asked for my number, I thought, why the hell not?!

So, it was a good night, to say the least. Who knows if I'll actually see either of them again (although I think there's a good chance I will), but it was FUN! Cara (Dallas) has pictures of our night, so when she emails them, I'll post them up!

I'm going to the ballet with Doug (the fourth grade teacher at my school) tonight. I have already given him the "this needs to remain a platonic relationship" speech considering that we work together and frankly, I don't think I'm really romantically interested in him, but I think we'll have fun anyway. I'm excited about wearing my cute black dress and black boots and it's COLD this weekend, so I get to pull out one of my favorite winter coats! We're meeting up with some other friends from work afterwards, so that should be fun too!

More to come tomorrow. Sorry about the sporadic writing, but work consumes me during the week. I'm working on a better balance of work and play, but it's a process.

Happy Weekend!

Practice, you'll feel better...

Remind me (when I'm stressed or tired or overwhelmed or sad or lonely or depressed or elated or overjoyed or pleasantly and perfectly happy) to practice. This is what I need.

I feel like I've been so out of it lately, which I have with moving and being in transition and back pains, but all of that is exactly the reason I should have been practicing. My practice was strong tonight. It was the perfect way to start the week.

Remind me to practice, practice, practice. It will push me through.