Denver Day 2: The calm before the storm

Another good day. Began the day with Caribou and the newspaper again, then back to the hotel for a bit of work until the first of my two roommates arrived. Another bit of Caribou inspiration:

She got in much later than originally scheduled, so it wasn't very long before she needed to head out again for her short course in the afternoon. After she left, I headed out to 16th Street. I was on a mission to find a scarf (because really. How do you come to a place like Denver and forget to bring any scarves?!) and lunch.

I got my scarf. It's crocheted, green, and very cozy. :) On my way to the store, I had spied a food trailer selling crepes, which I thought would make for a wonderful lunch. Sadly, I got back to the trailer just in time to watch it pull away..... location change, I guess? So I looked around a bit, and wandered into this place:

BLT with tillamook cheddar and a side of truffle-parmesan fries? Not a shabby second at all. Took all of it back to our room to eat and work more on my slides.

In the evening I met up with my advisor and lab mate to register at the conference, load up my presentation, and have dinner. After dinner, I convinced them to walk over to The Market for coffee (a cambric for me!) and pie, where we went over my presentation.

My talk is tomorrow! Then after that, let the fun begin. :)

Denver Day 1: This place is all sorts of magical.

It really is! I had a wonderful first day here, and eventhough work was still involved for big parts of the day, it is incredible how refreshed I feel.

The day started with some hard knocking on my room's door at 8 am, jarring me awake. I hurried to open it, thinking that perhaps I had locked out one of my coming roommates by accident. I opened the door, groggy and hair completely askew, and instead of a roommate, a member of the cleaning staff looked back expectantly at me. She asks, "Are you ready [for me to tidy your room]?" I was so confused. Why was this happening now?? I mumbled that I wasn't ready, and she told me to put the "Do Not Disturb" sign on my door next time so she would know not to wake me up, then left.

Weird, right? Oh well. I was inwardly thankful that something had gotten me UP at a decent time! I wasn't about to sleep my free day in Denver away.

First things first: Coffee. Caribou Coffee, to be exact. I can't describe how excited I am to have one a short walk away from my hotel! Spent a little time here sipping on coffee and reading beside a fireplace. How long has it been since I've done that?!

Coffee was followed by a little exploring and shopping. I got a bento box to-go for lunch, and headed back to the hotel to catch a webinar about arsenic in groundwater in Vietnam (TMI? My name is Stephanie and I am a groundwater dork.), and spend some time working on my GSA talk. Around 7:30 pm I made my way to this place for some dinner:

The Market at Larimer Square. What a beautiful, classic spot; full of decadent cakes, delicious coffee and tea, and muffins as big as your head. I had 1/2 a sandwich and soup, thinking I would save room for one of their ginormous pieces of cake...... nope. The cake didn't happen. Probably in part due to the split pea soup I had - it was as thick as I remembered split pea soup could be back home in The North! Haha.

With an after-dinner tea in hand, I ventured back outside to explore Larimer Square. The lights and golden aspens. Be still my heart!

There were mostly eateries open at this time.... most shops had already closed for the day. But then I came upon an old-time-y hat shop complete with live music..... I could have stayed there for an hour listening to them! 

A lovely first day in Denver! Excited for tomorrow.

A trip to Colorado

After much rushing around, cramming in every last bit of work possible, way too many meetings for a week like this, and just a little sleep; the end of today finds me in Denver, Colorado. I am here for the annual national GSA (Geological Society of America) meeting..... basically an opportunity for us geode-loving-feldspar-jockeys as a general whole to descend on a city, share ideas, network, see old friends, meet new ones, and imbibe many many gallons of "Baylor-unapproved beverages" (I'm just being honest here..... it's pretty much a basic quality of a geologist, whether I myself am an active participant or not). ;)

I was supposed to go on a field trip tomorrow and Saturday, but plans got changed and I'm not doing that anymore...... but it was too late to change my plane flight. Sooooo I came early anyway. It was more than a little frustrating to still have all the stresses of a compressed time table to prepare for a trip, and no longer have the prize at the end of it. I was juuuust a bit bitter.

BUT. THEN.

I landed here. And it's AUTUMN for reals - with chilly crisp weather and fall foliage and everything! There is something about being WEST and NORTH and close to the mountains and AUTUMN that makes my heart inexplicably happy. Maybe because I am that much closer to Home? Or maybe it is just the thrill of travelling and being somewhere different? Who knows. 

But then I realized that all the stresses of these past couple of weeks have been worth it: I am here early with no commitments for the first couple of days, and my hotel is conveniently located in the heart of Denver. So I started researching and plotting and planning. Yes, there will be work. But there will absolutely be rest and fun too.

Who's ready for a Denver adventure? This girl.

Things I just don't get......

#321549633:

Why am I NEVER EVER more productive than during hours when any other person should and would be sleeping??

Bella.

I am thinking of her tonight. This darling, energetic, mischevious, beautiful, capable girl........ her smile can light up the world, don't you think?

She's definitely getting me through this paper tonight. :)

I Peter 5:7

This verse is resonating in my heart tonight. What a beautiful truth it is, that there is One with whom filters are not needed!

A list

1) I am in Charlotte NC (more on this later).
2) It's honest-to-goodness AUTUMN here!! :)
3) I am so in love with this city
4) We are here for a conference. It got into full swing today. And hence,
5) I keep forgetting that it's Sunday.

Another look at The Pearl (from space)

Because - hey - if I can't be there, I might as well spend all my time LOOKING at it, right? ;)

Landsat TM imagery (Jan 1986). I'm going to be staring at this area for a long time coming,.....

Some nights we do this.......

There's a little coffee house at the edge of campus that my friends and I love called Common Grounds. They make delicious coffee and they've got this little backyard that is a fun venue for hosting events..... Oftentimes it's music-related. Occasionally it's someone pretty big (we discovered the Civil Wars here). Last night? Mutemath with Civil Twilight and the Quiet Entertainer. 

Lauren, ever the music lover, was soooo excited to go and "dragged" me (not really) along with her. It was an absolutely fabulous concert! The Quiet Entertainer started things off, then the Civil Twilight followed suit with a great set (love new music discoveries!). After an intermission, Mutemath made an explosive entrance, drumming while walking through the audience from the back. They played song after song for two hours, never letting up. What a concert! There were people beside us who had no idea about "concert etiquette" (Laur and I have decided that a book needs to be written on the subject), and there were others nearby who were smoking up all through the concert (ugh), and we left with ears ringing (they were still stopped up this morning). But it was SO. WORTH. IT. :)

My sole regret? Not bringing my camera!! Here are some phone pictures though:

 The Quiet Entertainer, starting things off right.

 Civil Twilight! Really liked their music.... and they have the coolest merch. :)

 The awesome headliners!

 Boom! Lights.

 Playing synth effects standing on a table in the middle of the crowd? That happened.

Crowd surfing on a flashing air mattress? THAT happened.

Ugh. Not bringing my camera was such a bad decision on my part. What a great concert experience, though!! I may not listen to Mutemath's music regularly, but they are a great live band that I would not think twice about seeing in concert. Repeatedly. 

If Mutemath comes through your town, GO. Have fun. Don't forget your camera. And ear plugs. :)

Hello! It's been awhile!

Soooo yep. It has been months since the last time I inhabited this corner of the blogosphere. An entire eventful summer passed by, and a brand-new school semester has started to find me in the geology doctorate program at Baylor. The weather has finally decided to get with the program and cool down (Autumn! Bliss!!). Something weird happened and Blogger ate all my photos..... one big reason why I haven't bothered to blog lately. But by far the main reason Shards has gotten dusty is just that I haven't been around.

Where have I been?

Uganda, Africa! (Hence the shiny-new blog banner, complete with giraffes)

To be totally frank, I never had aspirations to go to Africa.... but God definitely has different ideas. The opportunity presented itself, and what else could I do besides grab it with both hands?? So we went. I got to set feet on a new continent, see a new land, meet a new people. And as is usual when I go to a new land, my heart got stretched in directions I never knew it could go. The Pearl of Africa and her warm, generous people have worked their way into my heart. Now I'm state-side again, but every time I hear mention of Uganda, my ears perk up. I smile so big when I hear Ugandan voices speak and when I hear their music. My heart breaks when I hear about the war the people have survived, and everything they still fight through now. Ugandans are so strong.... Knowing that they lived through what they have, and are still able to smile and hope and live, absolutely amazes me. I made so many new friends, and have come to love this land in a very short time.

Dear Pearl of Africa, it was a pleasure! Thank you for a sweet time.

Mommies and babies

Recently, my family and I spent an afternoon at Homestead Heritage, eating great food, visiting the homestead, and spending time together. I noticed that a few of my photos from that day are of mommies and their babies and thought it was especially appropriate since that was right around mother's day:

 Baby......

........... mommy and baby.

Mommy and babies.

And of course, my favorite of all:

Baby.......

 ....... mommy and baby.

Happy belated Mothers' Day! :)

A problem and a list.

One of my (many) shortfalls as an aspiring shutterbug, is that most of what I shoot gets buried in storage, never processed and never seen by anyone. It's so easy to take a hundred shots...... but processing them? Something else entirely.

Is there a good way to circumvent this constant problem?

I haven't come up with anything brilliant yet (suggestions?).... but in the mean time, I figure a list and a few loose deadlines might help:

- family photos (ASAP! In time for the accompanying card to get to Dad in time for Father's day)
- Costa Rica photos (within the next week.... I need the photos as leverage. Also in all fairness, I shouldn't take off on another overseas trip without closing out the last one, yes?)
- OT Hayward dinner photos (before said overseas trip takes place in July)
- wetland well drilling photos (preferrably also before said overseas trip..... also need these for leverage.)

Hmm that sure is alot of photos to get through before the end of the summer. Let's see what goals can do!

Today I saw.....

... a very clever bumper sticker:

... a book that so very much inspires me to try quilting:

... and a book that I'm not so sure about. Erm, really???

First of the season

The different climate of Texas is still something I'm not quite used to..... While I aDORE Texan winters, the early onset of high temperatures and scorching sun is still unpleasant. If I were still in Canada, I would still be in my winter gear, shuffling through the season's final snows!

Another thing that I am still not used to is how early you can start planting the year's gardens. In Canada, one would still merely be dreaming about what one wants to plant that year. For us, though, Lauren and Laura have been building our garden for months! Laura has had flowers rotating through her little flower patch by her window all winter long, in fact. A little while ago, we dug Lauren some vegetable patches, where she sowed various veggie seeds. We were all pleasantly surprised to see little radish tops poking through the earth earlier this week! We pulled a few..... aren't they such a beautiful colour?

I tried them, and they are SUPER spicy and earthy.... like a mix between what you would normally expect a radish to be, mixed with horseradish. Still..... It is so gratifying to eat something grown from your own yard. I mixed them into a salad and it was delicious! This salad in fact. I made it twice.... you can substitute chicken for tuna, or add no meat at all; both are equally yummy.

Spring break! (and catching up)

Wow it has been an age since I last blogged. Time has just been zipping by!! After going home for Christmas and New Years to spend time with family, I came back to Waco and hit the ground running. Starting a new class load and just keeping up with it (why did I pick these classes to take together?! Someone should've warned me....), finishing writing my masters thesis, defending the thesis (aka, slaying le monstre), editing said thesis, and beginning to plan out the dissertation (which shall be aptly named the hydra) has been far more than enough to keep me busy. I'm becoming well-known by friends as the girl who regularly operates on next to no sleep!! Thank goodness for church, where I get to play music, still. It's the one regular bit of fun I get, and I still find it a pleasure and a thrill. Aside from this, there has been time to do very little else!

I am SO thankful that it is spring break this week! My work-list is no shorter, but the absence of looming deadlines for a week is incredibly liberating. It has already given me the opportunity to actually take some time off from school work this weekend to catch up on the rest of my life! First order of business, oil change and new tires for Zippy Car. Before and after:

As you can see, my tires were in dire need of changing. I don't think I've ever seen such smooth tires before! Eeek.

So grateful for a week of rest (albeit a working break, but I'll take it!). Let's see how it all plays out!

ps: Have I mentioned? I am going to be an aunt come June! Wheeeeee!!!!! I'm already collecting ideas for some great hand-mades for my niece-to-be, which if I get my act together, I will blog about. I can't wait to meet you, Poppy!!

Beautiful and creative!

This post is admittedly more for me than anyone else. Pinterest/visualize.us aside, I can't think of a better way to remember this gorgeous wedding, shot by This Modern Romance. The location and photography is just stunning. The hand-made details are to die for! So many wonderful ideas. :)

To see the whole wedding, click here: Jodi & Kurt's wedding

Peeks from the phone || A twist on the usual.

Things happen every day and we often use our phones to document them! 'Peeks from the phone' is meant to be a low-key way to capture life as it happens. It could be one photo or more; it could come with a blurb or let the title say it all! Join in the fun if you choose, and please leave a link in the comments if you do!

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I am fully aware of the fact that my little web space here is quickly getting taken over by Princess Booger (Yes. After a weekend-long hiatus to whoknowswhere when I was supposed to be watching her, and sauntering back home Monday morning like it was no big deal, she fully deserves it.). Can't really help myself.... she is so full of personality!

A couple of afternoons ago:

Instead of, "My dog ate my homework"...... "My cat sat on my thesis"?

Silly but true...

I got home last night and all was quiet. Lauren was out doing laundry, and Laura was in her room on the phone. Charlie was sleeping like a log and Sammie was in Laura's room. So I unpacked things and went straight into the bathroom for a shower. By the time I turned the water off, I could hear that Lauren was home, and Laura and Sammie were over by her room saying hello.

So I get dressed and open the bathroom door... and right away I hear the sound of little jingle bells. Sammie racing through the house, like she couldn't wait to see me! It kinda made my evening. :) I scooped her up and gave her kisses for the 5 seconds she would let me hold her without squirming.

I don't know what it is..... but affection from her is SO sweet. Probably because it is hard-won. Probably because Sammie was originally from the streets and hasn't grown up around loving humans..... It's like she deigns us worthy to grace us with her purrs and cuddles. Lol.

When did I become such a kitty person??

Good thought for Tuesday.

LOVE this blog by Starfield today, about being led by the spirit. Deciphering God's will for my life has been such a big thing, and continues to be... especially at this point in my life. In the past few years, I've learned a little and seen the fruits of what Jon blogs about: stepping out in faith and confidence, trusting that I have done due diligence through prayer and trying my best to listen to that Still Small Voice. But I feel like it's something I am continually learning, and will never really quite get adept at. Agreed?

"The most, productive, free, and respectable people I know seem to have one thing in common, they don't obsess over the will of God in their lives. Instead, they live with confidence and freedom, trusting that God is leading them."

Black-eyed pea soup

I've had these packages of dried beans and black-eyed peas in my pantry since forever.... my mum brought them for me when she came to visit but I've never known what to do with them. Lucky for me, Laura knew exactly what to do! We have grand plans for my dried green mung beans when the weather gets really cold, but this weekend she taught me to make a soup/stew with black-eyed peas. I'm eating my first bowl right now and it is delicious!! Of course, I left my camera in my office at school so there is no photographic evidence. Next time! :)

This recipe is so flexible. You can incorporate just about anything into it, so it's a very good way to clear the fridge. Try it soon! It's the perfect autumn food. Here's (roughly) what we did:

1. We rinsed about 1 cup of black-eyed peas, and soaked them overnight.

2. Next day, I sauteed red and green peppers, onions, garlic (lots!!), and jalepenos with Italian sausage. I added black pepper and some salt to the veggies.

3. When the sausage was fairly cooked through, I deglazed the pot with chicken stock. Then I dumped in the black-eyed peas (and the soaking water too), added ginger and more garlic, then added more chicken stock until the peas, veggies and meat were just covered.

4. Turn the burner on max. When the soup comes to a good rolling boil, turn it down to med-high and simmer. At this point I was snacking on celery and decided to throw some celery leaves in too!

5. Put the lid on and let it simmer until the beans are as soft as you want it. I kept checking the pot every 15 min or so (I couldn't wait to eat!) and at one point decided to add some Belizean spices in there too.

And that's it! Hopefully you can tell from my sort-of directions.... this is an anything-goes recipe. Have fun and enjoy!