where you'll find me all weekend

college nationals are in town, and my alma mater and former teammates are playing, so you know where i'll be.

crutches

as i've gone out into the world on my own, i've left the comforts of my childhood home behind. of course i'm mainly talking about cable television. the last time i had cable was in the dorms in college when it came with the place. i never really watched it then; my roommate had a tiny tv that was pretty far away from my lofted bed, and i'm pretty sure she usually had the remote. that meant if she fell asleep, i would have to get out of my cozy bed and turn it off. not happening. (speaking of the lofted beds reminds me of a cute little story that involves my drinking too much and jewel being incredibly not happy with me for a few days, but that's best left for another time—or never.)

anyway, i haven't had tv for a few years, and it has made my life better and more involved and honestly richer. but then there's the time suck of the internet, especially now that hulu and netflix are in existence. it makes tv so accessible, that it's hard to turn it off. especially when you can watch exactly what you want, when you want it. i'm not saying that i overdo it at all—i probably have a pretty respectable track record relative to most other people—buuuut there are times when i come home tired from working long hours and just wanna plop down and turn my brain off by turning hulu on. a few days ago, i made the conscientious decision to cut down on my hulu/netflix/overall internet time. i made the same decision with facebook about a month ago, and i can already tell a difference in my brain function. spring and summer are here, and i want to do more. i want to sew, paint, draw, read, take pictures, write, sculpt (yay summer pottery class!), create, hike, run, play with lizzles, and have more adventures.

also, i want to be a more fun person.

it might seem like hypocrisy as you read this on a blog... that's on the internet. but i see this as a form of creative expression, and i'm actually doing something instead of just absorbing or viewing. i'm the creator and the protagonist.

i'll leave you with a picture of mine and a picture of a drawing of mine (nothing special, there was just nice light so i took a picture) as a reward for reading through this whole post.

big changes

i remember having specific thoughts this winter about what made me happy. usually i would be having a good day at work, and i would step away from my desk and think to myself, "i have a great life. i have a great boyfriend, a great dog, a great house, and a great job." and i was genuinely happy. of course those peak times were riddled with low points and so-so times, but for the most part, i identified those 4 elements as being a great source of joy for me.

as winter has given way to a wet spring, i only have one of those things left (luckily it's the great dog! and i still have my job—it's just been not so great lately), and the rest have gone by the way side. it's funny, though, because when i realized the other day that 3 of those exact elements that comprised my happiness were actually gone (or dramatically changed), my happiness didn't just evaporate. my thought process went something like this, "your boyfriend is gone, you have to leave your house, and your job isn't what you want it to be any more. oh... ok." and then it was immediately on to other things. i didn't dwell or even feel any bit of sadness. it just was. that for me is a really empowering realization because i've had the tendency to brood about and obsess over unhappy events/times in my life. like if i think about it enough and make myself hurt enough, it will be over sooner. (not usually the case)

either way, this is promising to be an amazing spring and summer, and i'm glad to be able to share it with y'all.

before hiking longs peak, rmnp, colorado, summer 2009.

hiking mt. clements, glacier np, summer 2008.

lizzles testing a product called "doggles" in the office, fall 2010.

brother bear!

brother bear comes to visit me in colorado today! on the agenda: fly fishing, exploring outside, coors tour, happy hour in boulder, and of course, lizzles play time!

above: at the beach house in florida with my favorite california cousins, paige and jordan. i love that photo. (and those people!) :)

aaron fly fishing in glacier np, summer 2008.

a random man fly fishing at elizabeth lake (?) on the night before our cleveland summit, summer 2008.

no caption necessary.

lizzles as a young pup.

my bags are packed; i'm ready to go...

this is the final scene of packing chaos before i leave for my trip to iceland tomorrow. it includes but isn't limited to: one packed-to-the-gills 155L duffel, one 35L day pack, ski boots, poles, skis, one box with 4 shovels, 4 beacons, 4 probes, and one box with helmet cam and all its accessories. it's been crazy the last few weeks organizing all this gear, which is all completely new. it's all new because the point of the trip is gear testing for backpacker's fall gear guide. just another day's work as the gear person for an outdoor adventure magazine! :)

lily came over and helped me pack (thanks again lily bee! and mark too!) because i tend to be ocd about making sure i'm not forgetting anything. and on a trip like this when every single piece counts, i'm super nervous about forgetting something. it could be the difference between happy and warm julie or cold and miserable julie. and there's a big difference. she and lizzie fell asleep while i was rechecking the list for the umpteenth time.

i'm incredibly excited about this trip. ski touring in the wilds of iceland and hanging in reykjavik will be amazing. i think it's going to just fuel my fire to travel even more. which is a good thing because i've needed to start adventuring, but with a full-time job it's nearly impossible. either way, i'm ready to go and shred those hills.

this is what i live for.

Morning Thoughts

i woke up this morning with a really confusing and great feeling. you know that feeling you get in the summer where the world is full of promise and your days lay ahead of you for the taking? you can do whatever you want because you don't have any obligations; the weather is beautiful, and the sun rises really early. i woke up before my 7:30 alarm with the feeling that i had overslept because it was so light out. the thought eventually crept in that it's monday and I have to go to work, but for a few minutes—seconds, actually—it was incredibly peaceful and left my mind blessedly clear. it's barely spring here in colorado, but it already feels like summer in my mind.

p.s. this image is via Katarina 2353, but i will be adding my own images soon.