So a lot of my internet lovers {aka blog friends} have been seriously BUSY in the blogging department doing this “Blog Every Day in May” gig. My thoughts on this are simple: I FREAKING LOVE IT. My only regret is that I am not partaking in the action. I can’t decide if I would soar to new blogging heights or be boggled down by the pressure of it all. I guess we will never really know how I would fare with the challenge, but what I do know is that many many people out there in this blogging abiss are rocking it.

It is here and now that I will borrow this idea to write my own happy list… just because!

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1. Reading intermediate fiction, which is basically teacher talk for KID NOVELS.

Books I’ve read and loved lately:

Stargirl

The One and Only Ivan

The Tiger Rising

I also read Tuck Everlasting, and liked it but didn’t LOOOVE it.

Kid novels are almost always terrific… life changing, even. There is so much real and true in these books I hope you all put them on your to-read list someday.

2.THIS MAXI SKIRT {in Navy and B+W Striped} with THIS DENIM JACKET.

Do you guys think wearing those to work 3-4 times a week is socially acceptable? And on weekends, too? Because they are SO soft and cozy and I just can’t even help myself.

And the denim jacket? Thanks to Madeline I bought one that was affordable and adorable {thanks, lady!}.

3. Sarah’s twitter feed. She just makes me smile and I want to be her friend.

4. Little City Radio. So good!

I’d found the link through one of Kate’s posts, raved about it to Bridget, who in turn told me it’s actually Kate and a friend who put it together. Love that. Delicious music, I tell ya. Good stuff.

5. A Beautiful Mess’ new iphone app. It’s just fun, guys. REALLY FUN.

6. Spring in Boston. Has it always been this glorious? Because this year is especially so.

7. This month’s Boston Magazine cover. And the stories that are inside. Heart-wrenching accounts from runners of the 117th Boston Marathon. Read my friend Alex’s story here. And buy a print of the cover here. It’s sad, but also beautiful, and what’s making me happy is how Boston has bounced back to be an even stronger version of the place we all adore.

8. This blog. And this one. And this one and this one, too.

9. Watching my struggling first graders become readers. Every year I’ve had those kids– those few that just aren’t getting it. I’ve worked really hard with this group this year {alway do!} and I’m seeing progress that makes me want to cheer. And actually, the other day, I did. I cheered and said “YEAH, YOU! You little readers, YOU!” and gave them all high fives and I could see it in their faces that they were proud. And I was proud, too.

10. 26 more days til summer. Ya hear??! <—— THAT is the best of the best of all the things that are making me happy. Yeeeah!

What’s the best of the best of all the things for you?

People come from all over the city {and likely from beyond} to celebrate and enjoy the trees.

This year was my first ever Lilac Sunday, and I liked it so much I think I may just have to make it a tradition…

This day was made for loving lilacs, which is not hard to do.

We walked through the trees together in the light and warmth of the day. We oooed and aahhed at the VERY visible pollen floating through the air. It was amazing and also incredibly unbelievable + terrifying for an allergy sufferer such as myself {luckily, my meds did their thing! No runny eyes for me!}. And then we went to enjoy lunch at City Feed and Supply. Which I recommend to all. {And desperately wish was closer to where I live.}

Love you, JP. LOVE YOU, SPRING!

]]> http://dearfriendblog.com/2013/05/a-sunday-of-love-and-lilacs/feed/ 25 http://dearfriendblog.com/2013/05/denver-the-last-day/ http://dearfriendblog.com/2013/05/denver-the-last-day/#comments Thu, 09 May 2013 12:15:53 +0000 anna http://dearfriendblog.com/?p=16393

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AT LONG LAST we are on the last day. Disappointing, I know, but just isn’t it the way of the world. Thankfully, I feel like my time spent in Colorado was the perfect amount. Not too long, not too short, only juuuust right. On that last day we woke up early once again and spent the morning drinking coffee together in Beth’s apartment. Those early mornings are some of the best memories I’ve got from the trip. Lazy in pj’s, sipping our cups over conversation while the bright Denver sunlight shone strong.

Beth has the most AMAZING apartment, and I’m glad to show it off here today:

Beth’s an architect, so I didn’t expect anything less from her in terms of style and design. Lady knows what’s up. Beautiful, simple living— I absolutely adore her space!

On Monday {the last day} the girls and I really only had the morning together because Bailey had to catch a flight and Beth had to work, so we decided a delicious breakfast would suffice for our last hurrah. We walked on over to JELLY, which, if we’re talking names alone, was amazing. Jelly {the jam} is one of favorite parts of life, so it was nice to find that Jelly {the cafe} was just as sweet.

I loved my eggs benedict {staple bfast dish!} and the little mini donut holes we ordered for the table were super fun and tasty. Also, the decor. {You know how I feel about a good interior.}

And then, just as quickly as we’d come together, it was time to say goodbye. It was hard to be leaving each other after the most perfect vacation ever, but just knowing these friends are mine for life makes the parting less weary. Knowing that nothing has changed even though A LOT has changed is the most comforting thing I know, and having sisters around the country sure makes me feel like the luckiest.

Until next time, B + B! I’ll love you girls until forever and a day— you are home to me!

♥♥♥

Since my flight wasn’t until the evening, I got a chance to do a little solo touring the last afternoon of my trip. I picked up a Denver B-cycle {a bike sharing program similar to our Boston Hubway bikes} and rode around town until the hour I had to leave. I biked that city from end to end and stopped often to soak in the buildings and culture even a little LITTLE MAN ICE CREAM. Chocolate malt melt-in-my-mouth. MMMmmmmMMMgood.

Snapped the sights because, because!

After my ride around the city, I had time for a quick iced coffee + hot pretzel at the sweet and ever so hip Denver Bicycle Cafe, and then it was GOODBYE, DENVER! GOOD BYE, HEAVEN.

I’ll say it once more, I had a time. The best of the best of the best.

So cheers to Denver, and cheers to forever friends, and cheers to perfect memories.

I’ll be back Colorado! JUST YOU WAIT.

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What troopers you all are! Thank you for reading all these long winded, song embedded, photography crazed posts. I am loving your comments and your excitement! And I feel it, too! Colorado sure is wonderful, isn’t it?

On the third day, we filled our day entirely with food and shopping, which is my idea of living the dream. Before I go on I’d like to say a few thoughts about my experience in Denver thus far:

1} WINDOW SCREENS. There aren’t any!

At least my friend Beth didn’t have any to speak of. I noticed this right away and was told that the altitude is so high that there aren’t a lot of bugs to worry about. WHAT? Pack your bags, everyone and LET’S MOVE TO DENVER. But seriously. I still cannot get over the no screens thing. Just amazing.

2} DRY AIR. What beautiful hair and skin you have!

This could be a good and a bad thing. My hands were incredibly dry while I was there, but my hair held up quite nicely each day thanks to the dry air and this dry shampoo. Also, water. I drank so much the first day that I had to go to the bathroom a lot A LOT. But, hydration! Can’t complain there! And lastly, a few bevys go a long way. And a lot of bevys go even further {hence the dancing}. I think we can all agree that too much fun + dancing is never a bad thing.

Also remember: hiking was hard! Physical activity not recommended for the feeble.

3} TIME CHANGE. hello, 6AM!

Now this experience would not necessarily effect everybody, but coming from East Coast time I definitely felt it effect me. Staying up late is never a problem for me, but early mornings can be rough. Not for a weekend in Colorado, though. I was up at the crack of dawn and felt like a million bucks. Sweet mountain living!

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Anyways! Here are some of the day’s details…

We started out with a walk in Washington Park with Beth’s little nugget of a puppy. Frida! You crazy thing, you. Then we headed out for brunch at Cafe Bar which was all kind of YUM. Each and every place we had a meal was straight up blogger perfection. I’m telling you! I loved it.

We ate brunch with Beth’s sister Lauren and got to hear all about her latest project and life in the tech world. Seeing your friends’ little siblings all grown up is strange {because it makes you feel OLD!}, but especially awesome, too. I love the work Lauren is doing and know that girl is really, truly going places. She is rocking it.

Then after eggs and strawberry buttermilk pancakes the shopping {and ice cream eating} commenced…

DID YOU TELL CINDY I THOUGHT SHE WAS BEING A BITCH THE OTHER DAY AT THE POTLUCK?

{Amazing.}

Good times at Goodwill.

{WAAAY TOO GOOD.}

I mean, but really? Those interiors! Does it get any better?

Every shop was obviously my favorite shop, but I was especially smitten with Fancy Tiger {both clothing and crafts. but ESPECIALLY crafts}. How cool is that deer head covered in yarn? We spent all afternoon there browsing and eating ice cream before a venture to the great REI filled with enough outdoor gear to keep you equipt in the Colorado mountains for the rest of your LIFE.

We ended the day with another lovely dinner with friends where I tucked my phone + camera away for the night and just decided to BE.

Another glorious day on the trip log.

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p.s.  It probably goes without saying,
but all embedded songs are memories
from the trip/high school…
nostalgia at it’s best!

p.p.s. in case you missed it!
{day one: live at red rocks}
{day two: rocky mountain high}

Day two! On our second day in Denver we actually decided to head out of town to do a little Rocky Mountain Hiking. Now if you’ve been reading this blog for awhile you know that when I go touring a new place {or old!} I don’t mess around. Give me your best and your badest and I AM THERE.

This trip clearly was no exception.

To get to Rocky Mountain National Park from Denver it’s about an hour and a half drive– first you drive to Boulder {which we will discuss more later}, and then you head on up to Estes Park, CO, which is PURE BEAUTY.

Sigh. Every time I think about those mountains I get dreamy eyes. Talk about picturesque!

When this little red bug turned onto the road in front of us I just about died. Driving to the mountains in the state of Colorado does not get any better than this, I promise! Well, actually, one thing does make it better and that is a case full of CDs from your early days, just ready for the playing. And play them did we ever.

After picking up a map and some children’s books on moose and bears for my classroom at the gift shop (!) we started up the mountain with the sun on our faces and the promise of some great views on the trek…

We didn’t make it all the way up to Gem Lake because the altitude really started to get to Bailey and me {being the traditional East Coasters that we are}. Rocky Mountain National Park, and a lot of Colorado in general, is a mile or more above sea level— and when you’re not used to it {as we were not} you can really feel it! So after hiking for awhile– catching some views and snapping some pictures– we decided to ditch the light headed-ness and turn around to make a trip to Boulder for lunch!

Most everybody told me I would love Boulder before I left. And I sure did.

Pearl Street with mountain views? Glory.

We didn’t spend too much time there, but we did walk around for a bit, get lunch, and hit up the Fairy Festival, so everything I saw and experienced is enough to make me feel like Boulder is truly a special place.

We ate lunch The Kitchen [Next Door] on Pearl Street {farm to table! subway tiles! CHALKBOARDS!} and joked about how if you have anything worth saying these days it better be written in chalk.

We drove back to Denver listening to our mixed CDs from the early 2000s, loving the wide open views and each other’s company, talking about the silly to the serious and everything in between.

After that it was naps and showers, then out to dinner at D Bar with some of Beth’s good friends from town. We laughed the whole time ordering glass after glass of wine, filling ourselves with good food and even better desert. From dinner we went straight to ACE where the fun continued and the bistro lights were sparkling. The restaurants in Denver, people! They are so good.

And then? Well, then we did the only thing appropriate for a Saturday night with your best girls…

DANCE PARTIES FOREVER.

{there are way more dancing pictures where that came from and a video to boot, but dancers eyes only, I was warned, so for today, this will have to do!}

Full of terrific, that day two was. Full of ALL KINDS OF TERRIFIC. ♥

You guys! Let’s just talk for a few days about the beauty and goodness that is Denver, Colorado. I took over 500 pictures on my trip and have whittled them down to just near 100 for the ‘ol blog. I’d like to say I’m kidding or at least that I’m sorry, but yeah, I’m not. Girlfriend can’t help herself. Pictures aplenty, pictures galore.

So anyways, If you’d like to stick around for the ride, I’d love to have you. It’s good stuff through and through, I promise. And hey! Maybe afterwards you’ll feel like you took a vacation, too. Ready? Here we go…

{PRESS PLAY!}

I left Boston INSANELY early on Friday morning, but when you’re heading across the country to see your best friends {who you haven’t seen in a year!}, well, nothing is too early for that.

After one layover and one total sobfest while finishing this {SO GOOD!}, I was ready to take on Denver. The thing I remember best about landing at the airport and driving into the city was this: They sky was the bluest of blue {and stayed that way the entire length of our trip}, I could see the mountains!, and the sky was bigger than I’ve ever seen.

There is something perfect about reuniting with high school friends. The second you are together again, I swear it’s like you were never apart. We just kept busting out with “WE DID THIS! We’re here!! WE REALLY DID THIS!” on the entire ride to Denver from the airport. I felt this kind of happy inside that I haven’t felt in awhile, and maybe even ever. The sweet excitement of being someplace brand new with the sweet comfort of being with people who’ve known you practically forever— people who’ve known you before you were even actually you— at least before you were the you you are today, if that makes sense. They’ve watched you become YOU. And, anyways, for what it’s worth it’s some kind of wonderful.

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Here are some of my favorite pictures from day one…

The highlight of the day: LIVE AT RED ROCKS.

Fun fact: When I was in high school I was wildly obsessed with the Dave Matthews Band. I went to tons and tons of concerts {SPAC! Toronto! Atlanta!} and was basically head over heals for the music in the way that only a 16 year old can be. To put it mildly, I lived and breathed DMB. The winter of my senior year I wrote a letter to Dave Matthews, signed by me and all my friends, and! just for fun, not for serious, I added my phone number at the end with a smiley face. I sent it to his house in Charlottesville, Virgina and thought that was that. All in good fun, right? Send a letter to the lead singer of your favorite band and life goes on.

Well.

A week later, my phone rang one night and it was Dave Matthews himself. DAVE MATTHEWS! In the flesh, calling for ME!

Said he wanted to thank me and my friends for the letter, that he’d just gotten home from a photo shoot for Rolling Stone, that my words were the nicest and just what he needed to hear after a long, tiring weekend away.

I talked to him for, I don’t even know, 5 minutes? Mind racing, heart beating the enTIRE time.

And then I jumped and squealed like a 16 year old for weeks upon weeks upon weeks. {and still sometimes even now.}

TRUE LIFE AMAZING.

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My original claim to fame, also known as the best day ever of my teenage life.

{And so, now you’ll see why it was so appropriate that we come to Red Rocks. My favorite of all the CDs!}

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The amphitheatre is the coolest and the view UNBELIEVABLE. I hear the acoustics are the best, although I can’t say I’ve heard them myself {we didn’t see a concert, just toured the rocks!}–but I will say that I’m adding “See a concert at Red Rocks” to my bucket list, for sure.

If I can make it a DMB concert, EVEN BETTER.

Exhausted, but exhilarated I could not stop smiling the entire length of the day. After Red Rocks we headed back into the city {and Beth’s neighborhood} to end day one with dinner at Steuben’s. It was, in a word, {DO YOU SEE THOSE GRAVY CHEESE FRIES?} delicious.

The perfect end to a perfect beginning.

Love at first sight, Denver! So much good!

for mary, for spring. from dearfriend on 8tracks Radio.

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On Sunday it was my friend Mary’s birthday. One of the very best parts of blogging {+ tweeting!} is the friendships I have made and Mary is one of my favorites. I’ve been wanting to share a playlist for awhile and in M’s last letter to me she requested some music.

I hope you all enjoy.

This one goes out to you, friend. Happy Birthday. ♥

Friends! Hi!

I’m trying to find my place. Coming back from a jam-packed-crazy-amazing weekend away is always hard, and this time, especially, I’m finding the transition to be full of all sorts of feelings– most all of them good {excitment! inspiration! friendship!}, but also some less so {take me baack! O V E R W H E L M E D!}.

Basically, I had the best time. THE BEST. And now I’m just trying to soak it in and wrap my head around it all.

{Also, I’m trying to figure out how to share all my photos in less than five blog posts. {just kidding.} {sort of!} }

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P.S. Tomorrow! A playlist!

And I’m off!!

My first trip ever to Denver and the weather and company are going to be GLORIOUS. I’ve got my camera charged and my suitcase packed. A book for the plane and a new playlist for jammin’. Yesterday in the car I could not stop smiling I was so excited. Today I’m practically jumping for JOY.

The happiest of happy weekends to you. ALL OF YOU!

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P.S. While I’m away, check out my interview over on Ren’s blog…
I had so much fun answering her questions!

Cupcakes!

Balloons!

Tiny clothes!

A BABY! (ALMOST.)

This past weekend I made the short trek up to Maine for my friend Hannah’s baby shower. It was so nice to get out of the city for awhile, and even nicer still to be celebrating the coming of new life. Hannah and I met our sophomore year in college, became fast friends, and spent the majority of our time together the rest of our young and crazy college days. I feel extra lucky to have stayed such close friends with her as the years pass us by and I am SO glad I was able to be there to celebrate her tiny still-in-the-oven baby Magee. All in all, such a happy day.

Hannah, I am over the moon excited for you. I KNOW you are going to be an absolutely amazing mom. I love you, friend and I can’t even wait to meet him!

{p.s. that knit blanket + sweater/hat/mitten set? H’s mom has got some SURRRIOUS skills. Lessons, please!!}

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The baby’s room colors are orange and gray, so I got my gift for Hannah here.

Also, because OF COURSE, books. Lots and lots of books, but my most favorite here.

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And for fun, one of my favorite posts ever
{small pictures and all}
here.