Denver, Day 2

After I signed off on my blog entry last night, I went to the hotel gym to work out. When I came back, my key card didn't work. UGH. I had to go to the front desk (passing many nicely dressed people, some of them in Marine Corps uniforms) to get it sorted out. I was a hot, sweaty mess. Yeah, THAT'S not embarrassing. I also didn't have an ID with me because it was locked in my room, so security had to escort me up. BLAH! Oh well, at least I got a good workout in.

I woke up at around 6 this morning. I think my body was still on DC time and then with the whole Daylight Savings Time, I was all out of whack. I wandered over to the Convention Center where I needed to get my program. I saw that there was something related to social marketing, and I was about to walk right in to the room when the guy at the door was like "I need to see your ticket." What? Oh. Uh, I didn't know I needed one. He directed me to the registration desk where I could get it worked out. The lady there informed me that the session was going to cost $200 (?!). Never mind.

Onward to the Denver Zoo. I debated on whether to take a taxi or not. Whatever the taxi fare, I knew it wouldn't be cheaper than the $2 bus fare. The bus route wasn't too tough to figure out and I made it to the zoo only to be faced with a very, very long line. I mean, it was like 3 blocks down and around the corner. Apparently, I wasn't the only one that got the Zoo-is-free-on-November-7 memo. I got to the end of the line at 10:05 and didn't actually enter the zoo until 10:25. When the Zoo opened its doors, the line kept moving. Hooray.

The Zoo was fantastic! I had a great time there. The weather was perfect (sunny, not too hot), and there were many things to see. I think the only thing that would make the zoo better is if they had pandas. "My" National Zoo is free every day and we got pandas. Neener, neener. The Zoo was showcasing many of its baby animals: giraffe, some sort of tiny anteater, sea lion and tiger. All very adorable. Here are some shots from the zoo.
I finished up at the zoo in about 2.5 hours and wondered what to do next. It was way too early to be going back to the hotel. A teen zoo volunteer informed me that the Denver Museum of Nature and Science was just up the street. Oh, ok, let's go there. They had cool stuff: stuffed animals/birds, dinosaurs, etc., but nothing that I thought was like WHOA or that I couldn't see something similar at "my" Smithsonian Natural History Museum, which is FREE every day...not $11. Living near DC really does spoil me, as you can see. Here are some shots from the Museum. The self timer on my camera came in really handy, as I didn't want to keep asking random people to take pictures of me. Check out that prehistoric pig thing...it's really freaky.

As I got back on the bus to get back to the city, I got a text message from my boss. Something about maybe seeing me at the Exhibit Hall. Uh oh, I'm not there (yet). I finally made my way back to the Convention Center and caught up with people from work. I also saw someone that I used to work with. At such a huge conference, I guess you're bound to find someone that you know. After a full day's worth of walking, I decided that a gym workout wasn't necessary today. Walking is exercise, right?

P.S. Isn't Denver pretty with all those mountains in the background? :D

Denver, Day 1

Whoo hooo. Got here in one piece. Mission accomplished.

Ok, so do I have some sort of gravitational force that attracts Mr. Huffing-and-Puffing's? There was one behind me in line at the bank yesterday and then today, I sat next to one. For the whole flight to Denver. I wasn't sure if he was just having a bad day or he's just really a jerk. I initially thought that he was cute, but after the flight, I was so ready to get away from him. He was very annoyed with the fussy baby a few rows back. Oh, come on. The baby can't help it. And I assure you that your huffiness a) doesn't make you look cooler (actually, it makes you look like a total a$$) and b) will not quiet the baby. Geeze, BE NICE.

But at least the person on the other side of me on the plane (I had the middle seat) was really nice. I was rummaging through the front seat pocket, and she asked me if I wanted a book to read (I noticed that she was working through some Jane Austen/Ben H. Winter books). I politely declined since I brought Charlie St. Cloud with me. When I was trying to get off the plane, I mashed the book between my chin and chest because I couldn't find place to put the book as I got my carry on. Some kids were in the way. The nice lady saw me struggling at little and took the book from my chin and held onto it as I got my bag. :)

My first impression of Denver was "Wow, it's really, really, REALLY flat." The mountains in the distance were really cool. It's definitely not a view I get in DC, that's for sure. When I was on the plane, I was thinking "What if I can't find something to eat?" Which ended up being a really dumb thought because there's food everywhere in downtown Denver. I wandered up one side of the street and came down the other side. I saw some older men playing chess and horse-drawn carriages and just TONS of people in general. I guess that makes sense since it's Saturday.

Check out the car on the side of the building. Two questions: a) how did they get the cars there? and b) how is that really supposed to convince me to go with that insurance company? Anyway, onward. I found a yummy chocolate shop in Downtown Denver and those blue raspberry apples definitely caught my eye. I mean, come on, they are like neon blue. I'm not a fan of blue raspberry flavored things, but the color was definitely eye-catching. Check out my dinner from Maggiano's: chicken marsala, garlic bread, spaghetti, and broccolini. Yummm. Eventually, I'll make my way to the gym so that I can work off that dinner. Whew! I might have to roll myself down there.

Oh, there was also some sort of Marine Corps Birthday Ball thing going on at the hotel. Man, do I feel underdressed with my t-shirt and shorts! :P

Don't forget to change your clocks tonight!

Fall-To Layout #115

Ugh! I hate oversleeping. When I heard the cell phone alarm go off this morning, my body said "Thank you for your suggestion. We will need some time to consider it, and we will get back to you when we've made our decision." Unfortunately, my body's decision to wake up didn't come until an hour later, when I usually leave the house. Super. I got what I needed to get done today; that's really all that matters.

Hooray, happy Friday!

Ok, wait, another thing that ticked me off today was the dude behind me in line at the bank. Mr. Huffing-and-Puffing. Sir, I assure you that your sighing and muttering under your breath will not make the line go faster. Shut it.

Alright, happy Friday for reals! I'm 90% packed for my trip to Denver tomorrow. I just need to toss in some clothes that I washed earlier this evening and toiletries. What am I going to do on a plane for 4 hours? Yeah, I don't know either. Most of my airplane trips are 1.5 hours to ATL, perfect time for a nap. 4 hours sounds like a really long time for a nap. I hope there's some sort of TV to watch. I also went for a run after work (1.8 miles). A boy and his dog moved to the left of the sidewalk so that I could get through, without me asking. I thought that was courteous. Yay. (Is it sad that I thought it was courteous, when that's kinda common sense?)

I was so ready for my attempt at Fall-To Layout #115 to be a congrats baby card, but then after I punched out some rubber duckies, the idea didn't seem really practical because I didn't know anyone that I'd give the card to at the moment. Fortunately, I didn't get too far into the card before I made a U-turn. I decided to make an unconventional Christmas card. Who would have thought that butterflies could make an appearance on the birthday card? I guess only when they are made from Christmas paper. Seriously, talk about thinking outside the box!
Card Specs:
Ink: StazOn in Jet Black
Stamps: Studio G (sentiment)
Paper: Me & My Big Ideas- Sugarplum
Punch: We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper, Martha Stewart- Classic Butterfly
Flowers: Prima
Brad: Recollections- Silver Circles
Other: Black Sharpie Ultra Fine Point marker

An Autumn Thank You

Blech. The weather was gross today. Rainy, cold, dreary. It's one of those times that I'm thankful that I don't have a window in my office. I think it would have affected my mood today.

I decided to make another thank you card to send out tomorrow. The first two attempts at this card involved gold embossing powder, instead of white, but I found that the gold blended in too closely with the red/orange. White made the images and sentiment stand out so much more.

Card Specs:
Embossing powder: Stampendous! in white
Embossing ink: VersaMark
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Barn Door, Pumice Stone, Vintage Photo, and Wild Honey.
Stamps: Inkadinkado- Autumn Foliage (pumpkin), The Paper Company Studio- Greetings (sentiment), Fiskars- Friendly Flowers (leaf)
White Gel Pen: Inkssentials

Origami Rooster Birthday Card

I scored half of an Italian sandwich and a bag of chips from Potbelly at the office today. Jennifer the officemate gave me the tip. It's good to have officemates like that! That meal totally beat the PBJ and banana lunch I brought from home.

I have a friend's birthday that's coming up pretty soon, so I decided to make a card for her. From her home decor, I found out that she's a big fan of chickens. This was not evident when I went to school with her. I guess chickens and college dorms don't really go together. I decided to make an origami chicken birthday card. I used my Distress Inks, and instead of using them as watercolors like in yesterday's card, I decided to apply them and blend them with a makeup foam sponge. Yes, I suppose I could buy those foam applicators that Tim Holtz has, but really, this will do just fine (that's my crafty tip- find alternatives for crafty supplies to save money). I wanted to do a sunrise-y scene which I thought would complement the rooster. For some texture, I ran the green hilly things through my Cuttlebug. Ta da!

Card Specs:
Ink: Colorbox chalk ink in Charcoal. Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Barn Door and Wild Honey.
Stamps: Savvy Stamps (sentiment)
White Gel Pen: Inkssentials
Embossing Folder: Cuttlebug (Victoria)

P.S. OMG, paper cuts via cardstock hurt like hell. Not advisable.

Tuesday Trigger: A Study in Blue

A few weeks ago, I applied for an internal position at work. It would have been a new challenge with new things to learn and a huge promotion to me. It was quite a long shot, but with some encouragement from friends and family, I decided to go for it and submit my application. I found out today that my background wasn't what the department director was looking for. Oh well. I get it. I am happy to have a job at all and have a supportive current boss. When I went to talk to the department director that was hiring, she let me know that another senior staff person put in a good word for me and she was impressed by the contributions that I've made to the organization thus far. The director said something along the lines of "Tina, let me give you a piece of advice. You can have many jobs, but you can only have one reputation. Keep up the good work." Yes, ma'am, I will. :)

Spin class was a great workout tonight. I was thiiis close to leaving right after class, but I decided to squeeze in a mile run on the treadmill. NCIS was a rerun tonight anyway. Heh. I was in no rush to get home.

Hello, Distress Inks. How I've missed you. I was totally hooked on them after my class with Jennifer McGuire, but I told myself that I wasn't going to buy a set of my own until I made some money from my first craft show. I did, so I bought some. I wanted to tackle Moxie Fab World's Tuesday Trigger. It's all about blue, as the theme title suggests. I used this as an opportunity to use the two shades of blue distress inks that I got. I picked a large floral background stamp and heat embossed it with white embossing powder. I dabbed the ink pads right on the non-stick craft sheet from Ranger and spritzed it with water from a spray bottle that Mom uses to water the plants (sorry Mom. I'll put it back. Promise!). I ran the embossed cardstock through the watery blue mess that I made on my craft sheet. I think this would have been better with watercolor paper since it's designed to absorb water, but this'll have to do! I love the watercolor effect that was created, and because the image was heat embossed with white embossing powder, it really stands out against the dark blue background.Card Specs:
Embossing powder: Stampendous! in white
Embossing ink: VersaMark
Ink: Colorbox chalk ink in Charcoal. Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Chipped Sapphire and Broken China.
Stamps: Fiskars- Asian Inspired (flowers), Inkadinkado (sentiment)

Fall-To Layout #114

Apparently the species known as the "rude trick-or-treater" was not endemic to my neighborhood. My officemate had some come to her house too, and I heard her talking about it with people on the phone in Atlanta who experienced the same thing. Ahhh, they are everywhere! Can we have a rally to bring manners back in fashion? I mean, we had rallies in DC this past weekend to restore sanity and/or fear. Why not manners?

I ran a mile on the treadmill this evening after a 1-hour spin class. The last 1/4 mile was at a 6 mile/hour pace. Zoom zoom. I was trying to burn as much of today's consumed candy as I could. I also managed to stay away from the candy when I got home from the gym. I saw a notice posted outside the spin room that starting next week, they are bringing back TH and SUN spin classes. Hooray! I hope that people come to them so that those classes stick around!

Because I was hanging out with Page, Meg and Meg's family on Friday for pre-marathon festivities, I didn't have a chance to attempt Fall-To Layout #114 until tonight. I want to send some people thank you cards soon, thus the sentiment on the card. Similar to this card, I wanted the images to be colorful, but the sentiment in a dark color so as to stand out. I started to put Glossy Accents in the center of the flowers, but then decided that the card needed some extra sparkle so I plopped some gems on top. The butterfly kept her Glossy Accents. I bought a full ink pad each of Prussian Blue and Charcoal from my recent Joann.com order; fresh juicy inky ink pads make me happy.Card Specs:
Ink: Colorbox chalk ink in Rose Coral, Blackberry, Prussian Blue, Charcoal, Aquamarine
Stamp: Inkadinkado (all)
Punch: We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper
Other: Glossy Accents