keeping it classy on halloween

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Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone had an enjoyable weekend! I definitely did. This was the first Halloween that I fully enjoyed my costume. Originally, I thought of going as a hot dog (in my case, a veggie dog) or a banana (two of my favorite store-bought costumes) and then maybe as Lady Gaga (the non-meat dress kind) but then I came up with a brilliant idea! Why not go as a can of PBR? I could make my own costume- which offers so much more personal satisfaction than just buying one; I wouldn't look like a ho- which is often the case with store bought costumes; and I could go as my favorite libation. Wins all around.

So I took a little trip to Hobby Lobby and with the help of my sister and brother-in-law, I managed to turn several pieces of foam, some glitter glue, and half a yard of silver lamé into a can costume...

And the finished product:

Brand loyalty at its finest.
PBR can costume
PBR bottle top headband
PBR beer koozie on actual can of PBR

I am one classy broad.

I got a lot of great feedback on my costume. Even some homeless people in Boulder appreciated it! I think this might be my Halloween costume for the next 10-15 years...ha, okay, maybe not, but I really loved it! I went out Friday and Saturday night and spent some time with some great people. It was a nice break from school and work, but now it's back to business! Just three weeks left of class and Tuesday is election day so work is getting hectic. Don't forget to go out and vote!

running: belmar park

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My friend Jenny recently moved to Denver for pharmacy school and she lives right by Belmar Park. It's a lovely park to talk a walk through, or in my case, to "run."


I've signed up for the Turkey Trot 5k run on Thanksgiving morning in Detroit. Well, if you know anything about me, it's that I do not run. But I've signed up and Ashley is counting on me! So I must train. Jenny is good at motivating me to run, so a few times a week (if i can manage it) I head over to her place for a "run." At this stage, my runs are more like walks, but hopefully in four weeks time I will be able to run 3.1 miles easily! (or fairly easily)


We took a slight break to do a bit of yoga near the pond.

It is good to be centered and focused before a run.

It finally looks like fall around here. I love it!

yoga in the city

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When was the last time you did yoga in a park on a beautiful, autumn morning?

When was the last time you did it with 1,299 other people?

Saturday morning, Clara and I headed to City Park for Yoga in the City, a special event hosted by Lululemon Athletica and several Metro-Denver yoga studios (CorePower Yoga, Om Time, Qi Athletica Clubs, Root Yoga Center, Blue World Yoga, Yoga on 6th, and Vital Yoga). The goal was to have 2,000 participants, and although that goal was not met, 1,300 is still quite a few people...

It was such a great time! I was motivated to try positions (like upward bow) that I never thought I could do before. I felt so good after I was done, although today I'm still feeling a bit sore. 1.5 hours of yoga is quite intense for someone who usually does only 30 minutes...

I wish they did this every month! I loved the sense of community and energy of excitement that was created by this one event.

chai spiced pancakes

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Take two amazing things: chai tea + pancakes = fall in a pancake (a.k.a. deliciousness). Perfect for a cool Sunday morning.


Chai Spiced Pancakes
Makes 12 medium sized pancakes

2 eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup brewed chai tea
4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon
healthy pinch of ground cloves (i'm a big fan of cloves, so my pinch was quite healthy...)
scant 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon crushed black peppercorns

In a large bowl, beat eggs. Add buttermilk, chai tea, butter and vanilla, and mix well. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Mix well until mostly smooth (do not overmix). Let batter set for a few minutes.

Heat non-stick frying pan/griddle over medium heat. Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto the pan- make sure it's not too thick to ensure that the pancake will cook evenly in the middle. Cook until bubbles appear on the first side (pancake 101) and then flip. Repeat until you've used up all of the batter!

Enjoy!

My review?
Great. I topped mine with pumpkin butter made by the great clara grace. If it were fall year round, I would be quite content with life. Fall flavors are the best. So comforting.

Soundtrack for Baking Success:
  • Mama, You've Been on My Mind - Bob Dylan & Joan Baez
  • Wayside/Back in Time - Gillian Welch
  • If You're Feeling Sinister - Belle & Sebastian
  • All I Really Want to Do - Bob Dylan
  • Jailbird - M. Ward
  • Communist Daughter - Neutral Milk Hotel
  • My Winding Wheel - Ryan Adams
  • My Back Pages - Bob Dylan

soap switch

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I've decided to make the big switch from liquid soap to solid soap.


Why?

Maybe it's because of my new love for Lush, or maybe it's because I want to make my corner of the world a little bit better. Why use liquid soaps made out of all sorts of chemicals and packaged in plastic that just ends up in a landfill. I've decided to switch to solid soaps made from only natural products (like veggies) and minimally packaged!

Some of my favorites include:

Sexy Peel from Lush

Lavender Oatmeal Soap (100% vegetable) from pinetreeroad at etsy.com

Want to switch more of your products to solid? Lush offers "Naked," you can buy 6 unpackaged, solid products (shampoo, soap, cleanser, etc.) for $20.

When my other products run out, I'm going to switch as many as I can to solid products, but I'm not going to waste what I already have! That wouldn't make any sense.

What small changes can you make in your life to green up your life and help the planet?

bar art

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Hiányzik Magyarország nagyon sok.

I miss Budapest. A lot. And so to bring a bit of Hungary home, I printed six of my favorite photos from Szimpla (my favorite bar, if you do recall...) and now they're above my couch! It's not quite the same as being there, but it helps.





So far my only decorations are a picture of a homeless man and six photos from a bar...I'm one classy broad.

lost in austen

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I've been in love with Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice since I first read it at the tender age of 13. What's more is that I absolutely love Mr. Darcy. I love Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. I love Matthew McFayden as Fitzwilliam Darcy. Basically, if you dress a man up as Mr. Darcy he's good in my book. (If I ever sign up for a dating site I'm just going to describe Colin Firth as Darcy as my ideal man...)


Dreamboat.

Last year I came across a mini-series called Lost in Austen. Of course, the name caught my attention and I added it to my Netflix queue. Well, a few weeks later when it arrived in the mail and I finally got around to watching it, I was in love. Someone took my ultimate dream and turned it into a movie...



Amanda Price is a normal girl, living a normal live in present-day London. Like me, she is in love with the story of Elizabeth & Darcy. And also like me, her love life doesn't seem to have that happy ending. One day she discovers a secret door in her bathroom that leads to fictional 19th century, Georgian England- and to Longbourn where Elizabeth Bennet lives (okay, a bit cheesy, I admit, but just go along with it- it's fiction, after all). Well, Amanda and Elizabeth switch places and things go a bit off course from Jane A.'s version of things...

Do you ever find yourself daydreaming and asking yourself, "Where is my Mr. Darcy?" then you will like Lost in Austen.

If only this was my reality....Sometimes I feel like I was born in the wrong century. But then
again, maybe not.
How do I look?

animal mugs

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Check out these adorable porcelain mugs from West Elm!


They even have a silicone band to keep your hands from getting too hot! And they have lids to keep your beverage from getting too cold. And they're resuable! I could go on and on about how wonderful they are.


Someone might be getting one of these for Christmas....(yes, I am already thinking about Christmas presents, aren't you?)

in search of colorful colorado

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Today Jenny convinced me to set aside my studying for a bit and join her in a bit of a mountain adventure- we were going to find some fall color! I admit, it wasn't very difficult to convince me because what's more fun- reading about the U.S. foreign policy during the first Gulf War or enjoying Colorado's natural beauty? Really tough choice...

It's been in the mid- to upper-eighties (or nineties) since I've been back in Denver- not very autumnal. But apparently in the high country fall has been there for weeks! Who knew? Not me.

So we headed West!

It was Jenny's first time in the mountains...and first time driving in the mountains, but she did an excellent job! For those of us from the great, flat land of the Midwest it's a bit of an adjustment to drive in the Rocky Mountains.

Along I-70 we saw some buffalo. I was able to get this picture as we sped by. Maybe next time we'll stop by and say hello. I think buffalo are pretty great. Is that weird?


Our first stop was Leadville, CO (elevation 10,152 feet- a bit higher than Denver). What a cute town! I loved it. I'm not much of small town person but I seriously could live there. Maybe because of Provin' Grounds- the best coffee shop I've been to in Colorado. Too bad it's two (plus) hours away from my apartment...

Leadville was so hip! I was expecting a podunk little town (sorry residents of Leadville). And everyone there was so friendly, well all four of the people we talked to... Maybe it's all that fresh mountain air. Maybe it makes people happier. I should give it a go.

Just a few miles from downtown Leadville is the San Isabel National Forest; it's home to Turquoise Lake. One word for Turquoise Lake- spectacular. It was such a refreshing site. I already want to go back!


Some more photos from around Leadville....

Then we headed to Vail for more adventure.... I was in Vail last November, but I barely had any time to walk around or see anything. So this was my first time walking around Vail village. It's a bit...developed. I prefer Leadville; it has more character.

Michigan friends - deja vu of Frankenmuth??

47 days until ski season...hopefully there will be some snow on the slopes by then. Otherwise skiing might be a bit less than successful.

That's all for now! I think we're going to try to go back and hike within the next two weeks. It should be fun!

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