Meredith College Alumnae Association - Denver

i'm going to do a little personal, individual reblogging here, but just yesterday i wrote a little spot for the new meredith college alumnae blog.

a. i love writing and was happy to do it for the blog.
b. i feel SUPER far away from my beloved alma mater especially during april because of all the festivities--senior class alumnae association inductions, stunt, carolinas psychology conference, celebrating student achievement day, senior picnic--yeah, the list goes on, and i know i'm not the only one in my class to have felt that way. thus, having an alumnae event in the month of april was just spectacular.
c. i just love meredith college, and the whole "you just have to experience it" line applies to people who think they had a better college experience, too--not just to the prospective students!

nonetheless, i had a fantastic time at our brunch last Sunday and am looking forward to another event in April. now the goal is to have more women from Colorado attend the next one--there are about 83 in the state, believe it or not!

for any of you meredith alumna readers who are not currently involved in a meredith chapter, i really encourage getting involved (especially if you're no longer in the raleigh area)! you can find your local list or learn about starting one here.

On Saturday, April 16th, members of the Denver Chapter of the Meredith College Alumnae Association met for a brunch at The Lobby in downtown Denver.  We were very excited to have two new faces in the crowd–Sandi and Wendy.  We mostly chatted, reminiscing about our experiences at Meredith and excitedly discussing how great it would be to have an Alumna as the next President of the College.  Little did we know that Dr. Jo Allen, ’80 was going to be announced as the President-elect of Meredith college in just a few short days!

Our main goal right now is to have more women involved in the Denver chapter because we know there are more alums out there. So, if you are a Colorado alumna and would like to meet more Meredith women, please contact the ladies in the Office of Alumnae & Parent Relations and they’ll put you in touch with us.  Or, you can subscribe to updates from our brand new facebook group by searching for “Meredith Alumnae – Colorado” and requesting to join!

More than anything, it is comforting to know that there are other women nearby who loved Meredith College and who understand the need to talk about Cornhuskin’ or the value of a Women’s college education or missing the blossoming azaleas in the spring.

We’re planning on having another event sometime in June, so be on the lookout for an invitation with details.  We would love to have you there!

(L to R) Lyda Fontes Ellis, ’01, Sandi Nieves, ’06, Susan Ames Webster, ’00, Marie LaHaye, ’10, Wendy Evans Wadhams, ’80

sometimes i don't like being an adult...

...like when i become suddenly aware that i need to grow up and take care of things on my own. today's unwanted adult moment was finding mouse droppings in the drawer below my stove and on the windowsill in my living room and chewed up bags of food in my pantry.
realization: i don't have my dad here to set traps.
realization: i don't have my dad here to clean up the remains.
realization: i have to do things on my own.

reaction: tears.

yeah, i'm not quite so sure i want to grow up just yet.  i think i'll go have 5 guys for dinner.

diy

spring makes me super excited for the wonderfulness that is summer break. though i know i'll stay busy working, nannying my little cousin, and traveling, summer still allows SO much more time for fun things like crafting and DIY projects.  mostly, it's an opportunity for me to revamp my apartment.  i've already mentioned redoing a chair for my bedroom, but i have a few more things in my queue:

Like a variation of this yarn wreath from here

and a repurposed scarf like the one here

and a diy headboard for my bed

there are a couple other projects i need to dig out of the depths, but maybe they'll become something different altogether! 

p.s. on a similar note, i have a new obsession with pinterest, which is basically an online swatchbook of ideas, images, books, anything. if you're not on it yet, get on it! it's still in beta, but i have a couple of invites to share. as a lover of all things pretty, it helps feed my obsession with living in a beautifully lit, pretty thing-filled fantasy world. 

happy mountains

mountains make me happy and keep me sane. the 2+ hour drive to and from skiing (in traffic) isn't always ideal, but the view is stunning and the skiing is great. 

the 2+ hour drive to and from skiing (in traffic) isn't always ideal, but the view is stunning and the skiing is great.

nonetheless, the colorado sky, its light, and its landscape are a reminder of why i adore this place. here's to many more days on the mountain!

sometimes i make happy mistakes, but i can't possibly call this amazing place a happy mistake. 

classes and chairs

classes start tomorrow, and yet i'm dreaming about pretty things....surprise, surprise.

next on the docket of pretty things is this soon-to-be pretty thing. i found an empty corner in my bedroom when i finally unpacked/redistributed some of my boxes (yeah...better late than never...). then i found this beauty for $10 on craigslist. i'm pretty sure one can never go wrong with a reading nook. all i'll need is a lamp and to re-do the chair, and i'll be in reading nook-heaven!

maybe someday my apartment will be complete (and clean) and you'll actually be graced with a proper tour!

a new year.

it just so happens that my break may have been too good. so good, in fact, that i even said a tearful goodbye to north carolina (and my parents), and i didn't exactly want to come back to colorado. i know...weird. it wasn't so much that i wanted to stay in nc, but i think it was more that i'm not quite sold on having found my place at CSU. moreover, being home sent me into an existential crisis where i realized that my research interests do not necessarily determine a career path. more than anything else, the break solidified the fact that 2011 is going to be a big year for me.

so in good new year's fashion--and better late than never--i've come up with a few goals for the year.
- take at least 3 long ski weekends and ski at least 20 days this season
- learn to knit socks (i'm starting a 4-week class on the 20th!) and keep working on other knitting skills
- read at least 5 books off my bookshelf before buying something new
- remember to take reusable bags to the grocery store/target--i have them and MUST use them!
- figure out a plan for this summer (preferably with pay!)
- train for and run the bolder boulder over memorial day weekend
- research and apply for ph.d. programs for the 2012-2013 academic year
- get music back into my life (would it be cliche to pick up ukulele?)
- continue using my camera, cooking, designing, and writing (yes, that means blogging...)
- love being 23, have fun, make new friends, keep the old, and be happy!

i feel like these goals are generally attainable....the bolder boulder is going to be a stretch, but as long as i really try, i know i can do it.

to think we all were once this small...

today i was lucky enough to hold the newest member of our family, and i'm pretty sure i've never actually held a 6-day old baby (or younger) ever before. i didn't want to let him go...for once, i can say it's a good thing i don't have a special man in my life because he'd probably run away screaming after all my oogling over this sweet boy. seriously, he's just so little, sweet, precious, and purely amazing. life truly is a beautiful thing. 

i'm so glad to have these tiny little toes and scrawny little legs in our family. welcome, jack donald!

fat tire brewery tour

Know what's fun about living in Fort Collins? Having lots of breweries in town! Most notably, we have the New Belgium Brewery where Fat Tire, Sunshine Wheat, and many other awesome beers are made. The best part of the company is their efforts to be extremely green, so much of that is reflected in the design of the building and their environmental efforts. Oh...and on any given day you can go and get free samples of beer in their tap room.  

 Brewing Vat

 Sponge Bob, anyone? 

 Now that my brother is finally 21, we got to do some family beer-drinking! 

 Sunshine Wheat

 Seriously...how beautiful is this room?

So...if anyone wants to visit the brewery (and me) just let me know!

giving thanks to deliciousness!

thanksgiving this year has been an interesting one. first off, since i was just home a couple of weeks ago for cornhuskin' at MC, my family opted to come visit me. and by visit me, i mean the four of us have been living in my little 1-bedroom apartment in Fort Collins for since this past saturday. trust me, i love my family--a lot; however, we are definitely in tight quarters with my brother and me sleeping in the living room and my parents in my bed. nonetheless, it's been a great week...a good break from school and a better bonding experience.

with thanksgiving, obviously, there is also the cooking and the turkey. oh, and did i mention that we were in my apartment? it's fine...it worked out well enough...but i definitely don't have the space or the amenities like my parents' house does for cooking a thanksgiving dinner. oh, and another roadblock...we fixed everything on monday (the family flies out on thursday and i didn't want too many left-overs) only to find out at about 5pm (yeah...we're late turkey dinner-eaters) that the turkey was still frozen, too frozen to cook. so, there may have been a few stress-related tears shed, but we made it all work by eating a quick thanksgiving lunch on tuesday, and it was delicious. so delicious, in fact, that i felt it necessary to share our recipes and inspiration.

because we were cooking in my apartment, we decided to switch up our dinner a little bit. we had the staples--turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, rolls, and cranberry sauce--and a few new things--roasted brussels sprouts with grapes and broccoli and gruyere gratin; everything was delicious!

i thought i'd share a little bit of our thanksgiving dinner!

 I may be that weird girl who likes brussels sprouts, but our whole family loved these from real simple. they're super easy to make and likely delicious year-round.

 if you don't like gruyere cheese yet you should. this is the yummiest gratin i've ever had.

 black olives are a staple at our thanksgiving meals. our grandma never quite favored the way my brother and i would eat them off our fingers, but i mean...it was tradition. 

also in the background is some of the yummiest cranberry sauce i've ever had. i kind of used this recipe, but as per my usual tendencies, i didn't follow the directions exactly. i added a splash of OJ, about a quarter cup of blueberries, and cinnamon and nutmeg. YUM.

 yummy garlic smashed potatoes: mom makes these sans recipe, just with a little half&half, salt and pepper, parmesan, garlic, yum.

 another real simple recipe--mushroom and rosemary stuffing. we decided we'd take out one egg because it was a little too runny, but otherwise the mushrooms were deee-lish. this one will happen again.

 here's a little demonstration of the tight quarters. it worked...but it was tight.

and happy holidays from me (and the fam)! after dinner yesterday we did a brew tour at new belgium brewery (fat tire) in fort collins. there's more of that to come, but we actually got a good family pic! 

happy thanksgiving!

ooooover half-way there.

okay, so it appears that grad school has about gotten the best of me. i turned in a huge paper today and have been working on a presentation all evening, so i'm going to think about something besides school for a minute. and as a means of letting you inside my brain for a moment, here's some fun inspiration...tis ALMOST the season, which means 'tis the season to prep for the season!

i'm so excited to decorate for christmas. i know i never really showed you my completed apartment because, well, it really isn't even close to completed. but my parents and brother are coming to town on SATURDAY, so i'm hoping they'll help me get a few more things on my walls and perhaps a few curtains.

so...here's some christmas inspiration. break + much less school work for the next few weeks leaves me lots of time to decorate. i'm excited!

garland...murdock designs

best tree skirt - martha stewart

OchristmasTree

mrbutton

i mean, really, how cute is this stuff? so...i may splurge on the stocking, but i intend to make the rest. i may need to invest in a tree here soon! 

okay...so i promise to update soon. for real. because i'll be freer! 

way overdue

okay, i'm way way way way way long overdue on a blog post.

but things are going generally well in this here state of colorado.

school's great--i couldn't have asked to be more prepared. meredith college was the best possible place for me to do my undergrad, and i'm so thankful for everything i learned there. and now i'm really happy here. i'm doing well in my classes (i think...as we really haven't turned much in yet, and currently i'm procrastinating on studying for a midterm).
i'm loving every person in my program. my cohort is AMAZING and we're becoming the best of friends. it's awesome.
oh, and i think i have an idea of what i'm going to do for my thesis and who my thesis advisor will be. i'm not going to spoil too many details because i haven't actually told my parents yet, but it's a start! and i'm excited.

last week i was very homesick. i'm not sure quite what it was, but i really needed my mom to be just a walk across campus away. thank goodness i have cousins an hour away (who seriously make things so much better) and great friends here who have helped to cheer me up. Seeing my parents 4 weeks from today will be the best thing ever. as will going to cornhuskin' and returning to mc!

in other news, my apartment is, well, a mess. it's seriously the last thing on my mind with all the school work i have to do. however, living by myself was the best decision i could've made. it's a total solace and it can be a mess if it needs to be :)

and....i got glasses. i'm still getting used to them. but it explains why i struggled with reading during undergrad. i'm hoping they help me out a bit here.
october is nuts and full of TONS of work....so i'm going to need every little ounce of help I can get.

happy october, happy fall, and please wish me luck through this crazy month!

a great day

i know, i know...i've been horrible with my posts. this week i've been dealing (quite frustratingly (is that a word?)) with red paint in an attempt to finish my apartment before classes begin. EEK! however, despite the lack of blogging, quite a lot has been going on.

1. i've made many friends who are all in my cohort at CSU - i think i even have more than i can count on 2 hands! wahoo!
2. my onyx band has collapsed somehow, so now i'm typing with a naked right ring finger as the ring is en route to my mother in NC.
3. so far i am loving my assistantship work, and i'm particularly excited about having a VERY legit office for this year!
4. i have a babysitting job on my calendar and (hopefully) have another job in the works!
5. i'm finally a legit CO resident as i received my driver's license in the mail today.

as for everything else, i have my departmental orientation tomorrow and then the real deal that is classes begins monday. this weekend will include red paint, coffee with a soon-to-be friend (more on that later), and lots of dancing at new west fest!

crazy afternoon storms

sun shower much? when i say that we have crazy afternoon storms, i mean that we have crazy afternoon storms.
exhibit a:

also....there was TOTALLY a double rainbow, but i unfortunately was driving and couldn't grab a picture. however, if there's a rainbow every day after a storm like yesterday's, i can definitely handle the storms.

the coffee table

i'm loving that my blog updates have been in high demand lately...unfortunately, though, my projects have been taking a little longer than i'd anticipated. storm clouds tend to roll in around 3pm every day, so that interferes with projects that have to be done outside. nonetheless, the coffee table, turned out GREAT.

do you remember this table? this week i sanded and primed it...and then it rained and got messed up...so i had to re-sand and re-prime a bit. then i got to paint. i pulled the light aqua/cotton candy blue from the fabric on the kitchen chairs, and i LOVE the color. After several coats of "lake shore blue," i distressed some of the edges and polyurethaned the top. now all that's left is a bit of drying time!

i think it looks pretty good, if i may say so myself. especially since it initially cost $5 at an estate sale. the pictures are kind of sneak peeks because my walls are semi-empty and the room is a little messy in its incompletion; however, i promise that more better pictures will be on the way soon!

the next projects to tackle are things for a gigantically empty living room wall and the chair & desk. oh and school starts two weeks from tomorrow!

a high altitude learning opportunity

if you've never lived at high altitude, you've probably never noticed that every boxed baking mix includes high altitude instructions. scientifically, the usda tells us that altitude causes water to boil at a lower temperature (and therefore be unable to become as hot) and that leavening in breads and cakes expands faster. fortunately, when you're using a boxed mix, the instructions also tell you specific instructions to work with cooking at high altitude. it does not, however, lend itself to tips on every sort of cooking disaster that may happen due to the altitude.

well, fort collins' 5003 feet above sea level lent itself to me this morning. in such a way that my oatmeal simply exploded. and it wasn't even cooked. it was just one of those UGH moments where i wanted to cry and laugh at the same time.

so, next time i fix oatmeal i'll be more careful with my chemistry--and i'll definitely use a bigger bowl.

chairs!

the last 7 days have been absolutely nuts! my parents and i moved all my things into the apartment, assembled a few pieces of furniture, made lots of walmart/target/Ace shopping trips, and then hit the projects. the week has been a huge learning experience for me as i helped (and mostly watched) my dad drill hooks galore into my outdoor storage closet, bathroom, and other various places. my mom and i are good at disassembling, putting things away, and my mom rocks the shelf liner. he, on the other hand, anchored my bookshelf and (still empty) wine bottle rack into the walls, and was much appreciated for every job he managed this week.

most notably, he and i reupholstered the chairs i brought from home. these chairs are part of a dinette set that was in my great-grandma's house in western new york. my parents have had these pieces in their home since they were married, and although i don't exactly remember when, i began eyeing them and was promised the set for my first place. as you may expect, the table and chairs were a little grungy. the chairs, in particular, were covered with a blue vinyl that had begun tearing and fading. it only made sense to re-cover them.

i'll spare you all the diy details, but in a nutshell, we removed the seats and backs, cleaned the chrome, added two extra layers of batting to the cushions, and covered them. the most interesting part of this project was an internal battle between my dad and me as to whose project these chairs were. i like to think that i was in charge of the artistic end of things (and the staple gun), but my dad certainly handled the majority of the labor and assembly. i'm pretty sure my mom got a big kick watching her two favorite type-A perfectionists perform this task, but our personality types kicked butt in the end, if i may say so myself.

 

what do you think?

next up: repainting the coffee table.

reeeeally long road trip...

this past weekend, my mom, dad, and i went on a veeeeery long road trip. it wasn't a huge deal or anything, but i FINALLY moved to colorado. and by "FINALLY" i really mean that i've wanted to move to colorado since my dad had a job change when i was in fourth grade. that desire was reignited after 3 summers' visits to stay with cousins in colorado...and it's finally been realized.

in order to get here, many, many hours of driving were necessary. on saturday we drove from nc to virginia (where, at one point, we went ~7 miles in about an hour and a half, thanks to all the buckeyes from ohio), to west virginia, to kentucky, to indiana, then finally to illinois. we really hadn't intended to conquer 6 states in one day, but thanks to some major hotel trouble, we eventually found solace in mount vernon, illinois at a very nice hotel. sunday we hit the road and spent some quality time with missouri and kansas. it was really fun to see the arch in saint louis and we had lunch in old town columbia home to mizzou. then, after kansas city, it was basically a bust. kansas was nice for about the first 17 miles, but then 400 miles later, it got a little old. oh but we did see a wind farm--that was exciting for about 3 minutes. and, legitimately, it was very cool to be chasing the sun on the border of mountain time at sunset, so daylight seemed to last forever. we did, however, have the pleasure to have some awesome mexican food in russell, kansas (hometown to bob dole...exciting, huh?) and a lovely night's stay in colby kansas, about 50 miles from the colorado border. before lunch on sunday we had finally reached colorado, and it was such a surreal feeling. it didn't feel like i had really even gone anywhere at that point, especially because i'd never had my own car in colorado.

charleston, wv is a beautiful city! 

super old fashioned mcdonalds

meet me in saint louis!

kansas.......

more kansas...including a wind farm! though the windmills do look somewhat like crucifixion crosses to me....

chasing sunset

FINALLY!

so now, i'm here...getting settled in to my apartment in fort collins. putting together ikea furniture, finding other pieces of furniture on craigslist, and redoing many of the things i brought from home. thank goodness my parents are staying until sunday, because i've needed them for every bit of time they've been here to help with getting my life here together from scratch. next on the list is redoing much more furniture, some sewing, lots of paperwork, and making friends. preferably not in that order! stay tuned...

but i'll leave you with the view from my apartment patio :)