Homesick

If you had told me just a year, or even a few months ago, that I would miss Colorado, I would have laughed in your face. I was SO over the April blizzards, the generally bipolar weather, the seemingly-annual summer wildfires and the lack of certain things (ahem, lots of vegan restaurants, and up til recently, Trader Joe’s).

I spent most of my life in the Centennial State. I was born in Arizona, and while it still has part of my heart, all of my memories were made in Colorado. I started (and finished) school there, I made all of my friends there, some of my favorite vacations were spent there and I had the best years of my life there, in a town just a couple hours north of my ‘hometown’.

One of my favorite spots in the world.

But when I graduated from college in December, I was excited for what the next chapter of my life would bring. I was ready to move up and out. I think I applied to a grand total of 3 jobs in Colorado, and 2 of those were in a town on the opposite side of the state, with a totally different vibe. I kept daydreaming about what my new life in a new state might be like, and I wanted it sooner rather than later.

Well…I got my wish. I moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma in early April. I’ve been working for just over a month now, and while that has had its ups and downs, I’m growing acclimated to my new city. I can say I actually do like it. The weather has been mostly fantastic — a lot less humid than I was expecting, and a heck of a lot warmer than back home. There are plenty of things here that remind me of home, like Whole Foods/Sprouts, lots of thunderstorms, a pretty active lifestyle.

Still getting used to seeing the waterfront on a daily basis.

But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss Colorado. I honestly thought once I moved away, I’d never want to move back, but part of me does. I miss the mountains so much, the dry air, the people I’ve left behind, the places I still remember with a little bit of a twinge in my heart. I’ve stumbled across a few blogs written by women living in Colorado, and it reminds me of what I’ve left behind. As much as I cursed every single snow storm and hated feeling like I’d never leave, now that I have left, it’s a little bittersweet.

Part of it is being hundreds of miles away from all my people. Most of my friends are graduating this week, and part of me feels like I should be there with them, celebrating with a fancy cocktail in Old Town, picking up my cap and gown and packing up my apartment to move back home. But I’ve already done that — that chapter of my life is over.

My sister is also graduating from high school next week, and it kills me to not be able to see her walk across the stage and get her diploma. After all, she’s been there with me for most of my life — attending both of my graduations and always having my back. To not be there for my bestie and little sister is hard. And it’s harder knowing that some of my extended family will be there too, people I see at the most once a year. Being so far away from that hurts.

TBT to last summer with my gorg sissy.

Most days, I don’t miss Colorado. Not when they’re getting dumped on with snow in May and I’m running the river trail in 90 degree weather. I like Tulsa. It’s got a great big city vibe without being too big. I could see myself living here for the next year (hopefully moving after that for job-related reasons) and being happy most of the time. And I’m also looking to the future, and planning where I’d love to live in the next few years, and hoping that can happen. I’m not someone who can stay in one place for too long without getting restless.

But then I see friends posting that they got jobs in Denver or Boulder or whatever, and I really miss Colorado. Sometimes I even miss my ‘hometown’ (even though the general vibe is opposite of me for the most part). I definitely miss the mountains and my college town.

Miss you, FoCo, and the lovely Horsetooth Reservoir.

So here’s to the place that will always have part of my heart, no matter where I roam. Your beauty is unmatched, and even though you’re a little bit crazy sometimes, I’ll always miss you a little bit as long as I’m away. And even if I never move back, I want you to know that I’ll always remember you as home.

Do you ever get ‘homesick’ for a certain place?

Take Me Back

Thank you, so much, for the responses to my last post! I’ve had some honest and heartfelt posts in the past, mainly about my ED, but this post was hard for me to write because it brought up so many memories and feelings about the house I left a year ago, and that may never be the same again. Natural disasters are sadly something that everyone can relate to, but it’s great when communities can come together and rebuild. The best part of this is that the fire is now 55% contained as of Saturday night, and so many homes have been spared, as well as the lives of some animals caught in the fire who were saved by the incredible firefighters.

Today I want to talk about something more fun…namely, the mini-vacation I took last week! I call it a mini-vacation because it was just a trip into the mountains (about a 2 1/2 hour drive) and we were there for only 4 days, but it was a nice escape from real life for a few days and it kinda prepared me for our longer trip to visit the grandparents in August. I’m excited for that vacation, but also nervous. It’s the first time we’ve gone back since I’ve been vegan, and since my grandparents all live in Wisconsin, it’s definitely not the most veg-friendly environment. My mom’s being really accommodating with the trip and is promising a trip to Whole Foods (and possibly my first trip to a Trader Joes!) once we land so I’m hoping I can find plenty of vegan options and not stress out too much about eating and exercise.

Anyways, onto the vacation pics! I’m going to go wordless style on this and take you through the highlights of the trip in order. And…go!

Selfie on the way to Estes Park. Don’t worry, I wasn’t driving!

Finally in Estes.

Elk right outside our car! They’re pretty normal around those parts.

View of the mountains from the condo.

Excited to go to dinner and a movie (we saw The Internship).

Late night Starbies after the movie.

Poooool.

I got a little burned…

Winery with the parentals. Only a month and 10 days before I can partake 😉

It’s not everyday you see llamas on your way to dinner.

Cute swing by Fall River.

View of the condos from below.

Chillin’ by Fall River.

On Fern Lake Trail.

Big rocky cliffs on the Fern Lake trail.

Seestas on the trail.

Big Thompson river.

Snow on Trail Ridge Road…in June!

Um…wow!

Beaver at Trail Ridge Road visitor center…not real!

Awkward wolves at a gift shop in town. It’s been a running joke in our family for a few years.

Baja blackened tacos at Native Foods in Boulder on our way back home. New favorite vegan restaurant!

Gluten free PB parfait at Native Foods. I was stuffed after eating half of this, and one taco!

Besides all that, we packed even more into 4 days, like tennis, bumper boats and mini golf, window shopping in town and making fun of the local TV station’s funny commercials. My family’s been going to Estes Park every summer since I was 9 or 10 and I love it every time! Even though I might not be living with them next summer, I hope I can still go back…I miss Estes already!

Do you go on vacations to new destinations or old favorites? Any tips for veg-friendly long distance plane and car travel?

Currently: June

I’m off on vacation from tomorrow afternoon through Wednesday, so I probably won’t be doing much blog commenting or posting over the next few days but I do have a couple planned posts in the works and I’ll be back at the end of next week with regular posting, and a vacay/internship recap!

Before I go, I’ll leave you with my “Currently” post for the month…enjoy!

Current Book: This sucker. Summer classes aren’t the best, but at least mine’s online and only 4 weeks long. I’ve got about a week left and I’m so ready to be done…but the class is pretty interesting, I love human geography!

Current Music: Another alt song, but what can I say, it’s my fave genre of the moment! Vampire Weekend was on SNL a month or so ago and I loved their live rendition of “Diane Young”. I also scored the song for free on the Google Play Store a week or so ago.

Current Guilty Pleasure: The mini shopping spree I had last week. Two pairs of shorts (one of them my first pair of high-waisted shorts!), a lacy bralette and a printed romper, as well as some items ordered online that just arrived. I love summer clothes, and giving some old ones away means more room for new ones, right?

Current Nail Color: Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear in fuschia power, with a coat of disco ball on my ring fingers for a ‘party nail’. I love this brand because it’s a lot cheaper than most other brands, but the Hard as Nails kind lasts longer than OPI! I really want to try Essie though.

Current Drink: Homemade iced tea, with or without stevia. And of course, Starbucks unsweetened passion iced tea!

Current Food: I’m loving all things raw, from ‘French toast’ to ‘coconut bacon’, to fruit and veggies (cauliflower is even better raw than cooked, especially dipped in salsa or guac) to raw desserts. Seriously just so good, and so energizing.

Current Favorite Show: I’m loving the Little Couple on TLC right now, because their new little adopted son is adorable, and I think they’re seriously the best parents. So different than most reality shows (with b*tchy people, letsbehonest) and that’s why I love it.

Current Wishlist: A Yonanas maker (seriously, it would make banana softserve so much easier to make), an ice cream maker and a spiralizer. I’m really getting into the whole raw thing, and having these (relatively) inexpensive appliances would make it so much more fun.

Photo courtesy of Unclutterer.

Current Needs: More time to pack…and catch up on assignments for my summer class!

Current Triumphs: Not taking constructive criticism personally. I’m learning a lot at my internship, and it’s making me check my pride at the door in terms of what I know and what I don’t. It’s really humbling learning from professionals who’ve been on TV for 10+ years and I’m improving every day. It helps having someone who’s so understanding and willing to work with me. Hopefully I’ll be ready for my first real job in 6-ish months!

Current Bane of Existence: Worrying about not getting in as much exercise + eating out a lot over the next few days on vacation. I think it’ll be a good test to see how I’ll do when my family flies out to visit our extended family in August and I have to deal with a lack of vegan food in restaurants and relatives who think meat and dairy are nonnegotiables. This upcoming trip will be a piece of cake, as I’ll still be pretty active (tennis and hiking for sure!) and have more vegan options.

Current Celebrity Crush: Macklemore. I swear, Can’t Hold Us is even better than Thrift Shop (ok, mayyyyybe not quite) and his hair is legit. Also, I’m kinda upset that I probably won’t get to see him in concert when he comes to my school in August. Not cool. Maybe I’ll just sneak in 😉

Current Indulgence: These raw flax pancakes I whipped up the other day. No dehydrator or food processor needed, and plenty of protein+fiber and sweetness from raw honey.

Topped with more raw honey, raw coconut ‘bacon’ and a doughnut peach.

Current Blessing: A great forecast just in time for vacation. Can you say 80s and sunny every day? Perfect for tennis, hiking AND laying out by the pool!

Current Slang: Uh…I’m starting to say ‘real’ in place of ‘really’, like “That was real bad.” My sister got me into it 😉

Current Outfit: Wednesday I was wearing a sweater and cropped jeans (for real…this is summer?) and yesterday I wore a skirt with a short sleeved tee and a scarf. Can you say bipolar weather?

Current Excitement: Vacation! And possibly getting to go to Native Foods for the first time on the way up or back 😀

Current Link: This Rawsome Vegan Life. Told ya I’m getting into this raw foods thing! But really, they have the most drool-worthy photos of things I’d never think to make raw, like s’mores and knockoffs of the cranberry bliss bars Starbucks sells.

Current Mood: Excited for the next few days!

Answer any of the above!

Almost Wordless Vacation Recap

So I haven’t been on the computer in a week, and it honestly felt so freeing to just forgo technology (well, besides my phone and iPod) and just enjoy a few days of fun with my family. I also had an extra day away because I had to go up to my college town for some job training for my weather anchor position at the school’s TV station. I’m actually starting to get pumped up for school to start in just a week–well, maybe not school but having my own apartment and being on TV.

Anyways, here’s my mostly wordless vacation recap of my trip to Estes Park, CO with some words at the end about my intuitive eating/exercise experiment!

The cheese-free individual-size hummus pizza at Poppy’s…I devoured it all!

The view of Fall River from the condo.

Tanning by the pool.

Noodles in the deep end of the pool.

A mini Stanley Steamer model (steam-powered car) in the EP Museum.

Spicy sweet and sour tofu & veggies at Thai Kitchen…super spicy, but so good!

Sissy time!

The view from our hike around Lily Lake.

Tall iced soy skinny mocha enjoyed by the Big Thompson River.

Some awesomely bright flowers!

First time trying the Coconut Bliss brand of coconut milk ice cream–verdict = so good, even for the insanely high price ($6/pint). I had some chocolate hazelnut ‘ice cream’ topped with fresh raspberries.

The coolest owl cookie jar!

This really cool, super-vintage looking church just outside EP. It was even cooler inside!

The Big Thompson river.

First time trying vegan sushi! I had the sweet potato rolls filled with Japanese sweet potato, avocado and cucumber. And I loved the pickled ginger on the side.

Me and my sister down by the river.

I think I honestly kicked some serious ass on my self-imposed intuitive eating and exercise challenge. I didn’t record any of my meals or exercise in the calorie counting app I have since last Tuesday and I didn’t freak out (too much) about my macro balance. I feel like I ate more than I usually do, which I know is still probably not enough, but it was definitely a start. I feel like my meals out were pretty balanced–the first night, I had a small vegan pizza covered in veggies; the second night I had a Sunshine veggie burger (without the bun) topped with fresh guacamole; the third night I had sweet and sour tofu and veggies with a little brown rice on the side; and the last night I had a strawberry, spinach and walnut salad with balsamic and some vegan sushi. I honestly loved all the dinners that I had and didn’t have too much of a problem finding something healthy and vegan at the restaurants we went to. I challenged myself to try the Coconut Bliss brand of coconut milk ice cream despite it being higher in calories and saturated fat than my tried-and-true brand. I skipped my usual cardio circuits but was not a couch potato–I played tennis with my dad for an hour one day, walked around town a lot, went on a hike and did some swimming in the condo’s pool. I felt a little more comfortable in my skin than I usually do at home, despite wearing just a swimsuit a lot of the time. I tried a lot of new-to-me things, had some old favorites (veggie straws, baby carrots and PB Puffins, say what?!) and didn’t try to think too much about the food. Overall, the 5 days I spent intuitively eating were some of the best days I’ve had in awhile, and I want to try to keep eating the same way. Now that I’m home, I have more access to veggies, protein, etc. but that doesn’t mean I can’t keep eating more adequately and enjoying my food. And while I’m excited to go back to my regular exercise, I realize that a few days with less intense workouts won’t kill me. So I’m going to try to live every day like I did on my vacation–without the pool time, of course 😉

Do you eat intuitively or plan out your meals? Have you ever had vegan or vegetarian sushi?

Oh Hey September

Where has the year gone? It feels like just the other day I was ringing in the new year. Gosh, time flies when you’re having fun, huh? Or, I guess, when you’re really busy. I’m starting to miss summer, but I’m also excited for fall. It’s just starting to cool down a little (if you think 80 degrees is cool…) and I’m already thinking ahead to Thanksgiving and Christmas. Wow, can you say cray-cray?

Anyways, I kinda just realized that it’s September now, and I’ve been going like a mile a minute since it started. Thursday I had classes all day and I was running around trying to print off assignments and turn in an application for a student editor position at our campus staff newsletter (fingers crossed that I get it!). Then mi madre came to pick me up for a long weekend at home. We were going back and forth between Whole Foods, my room and getting dinner. We didn’t get home until 9 (stupid long commutes!).

Friday I got to chill in the morning, but then we had to go to the bank, pick up my sister from school and then go back home for like an hour before we had to leave again with my daddy in tow for another long drive. 2 hours each way to this teeny tiny town called Westcliffe, where my dad’s play was being put on. It was actually really weird to see, because my sis and I were the lead characters in the play like 5 or 6 years ago when it was first produced. We had to laugh when someone from the town said “Oh yeah, it’s so busy here this weekend.” And literally, none of the stores were open and basically no one was out on the street at 10 pm. Apparently, that’s busy for them 🙄

Saturday was…well, amazing! Okay, besides having to wake up at 7 after going to bed at 1 (yeah, 6 hours of sleep and I DO NOT get along). My mom and sister and I drove another 2 hours or so to Breckenridge, this really cool ski town in the mountains. Of course, we weren’t skiing since it’s September and we can’t ski. At all. There was a duck race happening that we haven’t missed in the 5 years we’ve been going up there and a bunch of other festivities. Unfortch, many of them were adult-related, such as a wine tasting festival. 2 more years and then I can do that too. Erm, but probs not. We ate 3 amazing meals up there, but I was stupid and didn’t take any pictures. So ummmm, yeah, I decided to “borrow” some photos from weheartit. No shame.

I actually got the same thing for lunch and dinner, but at two different places. Fresh spring rolls are just too good to not repeat. Plus they had different veggies in them (including amazing pickled ginger in one).

They have this really good (but reaaaaally popular) crepe cart where they make them by hand. I got a raspberry and marshmallow crepe that was to die for. Melted marshmallow=mmmmmm!

As per tradition, my sissy and I bought 3 rubber duckies each and also took tons of selfies during down time. No shame in that, either. We had such a fun time giggling at all the cute kids and puppies there and freaking out when some crows almost attacked us.