The dream machine needs oil

We are nothing without dreams. For today? I dream this excerpt from Vogue is the scene to which I will wake up. One day. And on that day, I will be an author that escapes the city to write and harvest fresh food for dinner. Maybe I'll have chickens and fresh eggs for breakfast. That one day is far off, but it is my dreams that push me through every single day. And when I achieve one dream, say moving to the mountains, I begin my next series of dreams. It feels darn good to be alive, breathing and dreaming. I hope everyone had a wonderful Sunday and was able to recharge their dream machine for the week ahead.

Manic(ure) Monday and a Purchase

Mani/pani went great with a bit of shopping while visiting my folks in Georgia. Heard good news about my Grandma - her condition improved quite a bit since Saturday! Relaxed with a new puppy, a not new new puppy and my kitty at home, and saw the family toad that lives on my parents sidewalk at night. And now it's time for Leo to come home! A great past three days and start to a very crazy week. No complaints here.

New case for my iPad. I needed some color and to keep it protected!

Purple-y grey and turquoise on the digits. Thanks, Essie, for making such lovely colors!

Also did a ton of summer shopping this weekend. I never do a big seasonal shopping, but it just made sense because I found the two items I was looking for in tons of colors. Literally perfect.

Why do I love my new locale?

Well, we've been here one full month. As I think back, this place is really awesome. Here are the reasons, from month one, that I'm thrilled with Denver:

- I moved with my best friend, always a plus

- Everyone, and I mean everyone, here is friendly (example, I'm jogging tonight (miracle) and EVERY person I passed smiled and said hi)

- Bars all have buy one, get free drinks at night until like 7:30 and from 9-12 on Friday

- Even when drinks aren't on special, it is super in-expensive to go out

- People don't get as hammered here as they do in Chicago, it is lovely and refreshing

- You can almost always find a table and have friendly service

- Speaking of service, sales staffs here are SO nice it was initially off-putting, I was confused!

- Healthy is a way of life, not a choice here (hopefully it is going to rub off on me :))

- Groceries are inexpensive - legit I spend roughly 30% less on a week of groceries and I'm eating every single meal at home

- Speaking of, I eat every meal at home, so when I go out it feels special and I don't feel bad about buying good food and drinks

- I haven't purchased a single cup of coffee since I moved here

- There's a fancy grocery - Whole Foods - 2 blocks down my street for specialty items or quick grabs

- There's a non-fancy but amazing grocery about 8 blocks away with plenty of parking!

- King Sooper's is the best grocery store I've ever been to. More on that later.

- Lots of people our age moved here in the past three years, so everyone we meet wants to offer advice, support or just to be friends

- Tom's and heels are both equally acceptable in every bar I've been to here

- Likewise, people with all different styles hang out, no judgement, in the same establishment!

- Coors Light is the norm. #heaven

- The mall is gorgeous and everything is just a drive away

- I don't have to take public transit at all (thank goodness as I have a severe love/hate relationship with the CTA)

There's my month one list of what I love about my new city. As someone that's never moved before, I keep wondering, are all of these types of things normal to discover and be amazed by? What do you think? When you moved to new cities, what were you surprised by?

Mani(cure) Monday: Old News

FYI - It is hard holding three bottles of polish at one time. And that's all the energy I have to type due to a very successful dinner shindig with new friends and old in Denver!! I'll share the colors if you're interested in exact names, but you get the gist - lilac with a dash of gold.

Also, I miss Leo terribly and it's only day 5 of his vacation! Without his snarky assessment of my nail polish habit, manicures just aren't the same! Off to bed I go - dishes can wait until tomorrow.

Super girly Saturday recap

Well, what the heck else is a girl supposed to do when her boyfriend is out of town?? On Saturday, my friend Heather invited me to the mall at Cherry Creek. This is a damn nice mall, and is a pure luxury to shop out. The nicest sales stuff exists at every store! Coming from Chicago, this is pure joy. Shopping is a completely enjoyable experience, which in my experience was not the case In Chicago. Only two purchases for me: new unmentionables from VS - love the PINK collection lace side ones, no panty lines, 5 for $26, and fun colors! I'm disappointed that they only had these in The PINK collection though...sometimes nude is necessary, but I love the cut so no nude, only neon.

And makeup brush cleaner! I didn't even know this was a thing, but thanks to my instagram stream, I learned that your are supposed to wash these little things. Yup - had no idea. But washing them was so fun and afterwards my makeup applied way smoother than before. Could've been in my head? Whatever for $12 spent, I felt better. That's a win. I bought the shampoo and daily brush cleaner which will last ages considering I only wear makeup on the weekends.

That brings me to my next new item. While not purchased this week, I finally opened up my new mascara - Clinique Lash Doubling Mascara. The name is deceiving as my lashes weren't doubled but this is a good night mascara. I typically prefer really fluffy, natural looking lashes, but this separates and makes 'em stand out. But, you look like you have mascara on with it. Full and Soft is my preferred mascara, but for the time being, I'm going to enjoy my vampy lashes.

Last new item of the week, which rounded out my girly Saturday festivities was Essie's No Chips Ahead. A great clear coat - blows the drugstore brands out the water. I suppose Essie now is a drugstore brand as you can purchase it at Walgreens and CVS now? Wo cares, all that matters is that this is a capable top coat. Day two on the mani and it looks crisp, shiny and no chips! That name isn't lying.

We rounded out the Saturday night with a bottle of wine, board games, cheesy movies and some pizza. What do you indulge in for the ultimate girly weekend?

Snow Patrol, no excuses

Snow Patrol at the Fillmore in Denver!

So how'd I get here? Heather - on the right - is a girlfriend I've made in Denver and on Friday around lunch, she asked if I wanted to go to a concert. Between my dislike of concerts and my strapped budget, I almost said no. also, Leo's out of town so I've been holed up without my best friend and I was a but bummed and didn't necessarily want to go out.

Then, I prioritized - I dislike concerts because I got really sick at the last one I went to. That is ONE concert, I had zero alcohol, and might have eaten bad food right before. That scenario is not an excuse. My budget is tight, but the tickets were free and we went to happy hour beforehand so we didn't drink much at the concert. Again, budget? Not an excuse. Leo being gone was more of an excuse to go - I'm trying new things and independently! Obviously, we went, had an amazing time, I loved the band and had some great bonding time with two new friends. Success.

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