Posts tagged ‘good times’

June 15th, 2010

That new bike smell

by Tarable

Dewey and Jessica have known me since I was nineteen. Anyone that has known me that long, and still talks to me, is a true friend.

Suffice it to say, these two have a permanent place in my heart.

So a few months ago, when they realized one of their dreams and bought a bike shop, I knew that I had to support them…by purchasing a new bike.

(You might remember that my fancy bike was stolen last year.)

And beside my awesome new bike and my amazing old friends, there’s an even cooler piece to the bike story. Dewey and Jessica didn’t buy just any bike store. No, the bike store they bought, The Pedal House, is the same bike shop where I rediscovered my love of bikes in college. It was also where I bought my first-ever “grown-up” bike, of the Kona mountain variety, back when I was nineteen. I still have my Kona, with all the original Pedal House stickers.

The circle of life is complete. Especially if  life=bicycles + friends.

I’m off to ride my new Bianchi. She’s too pretty not to hop on.

The bicycle is the most civilized conveyance known to man. Other forms of transport grow daily more nightmarish. Only the bicycle remains pure in heart.”          -Iris Murdoch

May 25th, 2010

A humerous interlude from all my carb-deprived ramblings

by Tarable

Ahhhh yes…the Dorothy Hamill bowl haircut that took YEARS to recover from…

(Courtesy of some salon in Orlando near DisneyWorld)

You’re welcome.

March 21st, 2010

Don’t stop Belizean

by Tarable

When people ask about my honeymoon, words fail me. Thoughts and images must suffice as complete sentences are lacking.

water upon water

pineapple, papayas, plantains, Placencia and pina coladas

scuba-diving with nurse sharks, moray eels and sea turtles

no work, no laptops, no email, no phone

details

traveling from island to jungle to mountaintop to peninsula

bug bites, chest acne, coral reef rash & sunburns

biking with a forest fire on the left

forestfire

trekking on San Pedro with a golf cart and a dead battery

climbing to the top of Mayan ruins

boosting him up to grab a coconut out of a tree

first night

more champagne than necessary

hiking, napping & never knowing how much to tip

renewing vows, setting goals, making plans

adam

drinking Belikin beer and striking up conversations with locals

speaking in accents and making fun of Jimmy Buffett cover bands

outdoor showers, hammocks and the beauty of an island breeze

outdoorshower

taking part in San Pedro’s famous chicken drop

swimming through a Mayan cave filled with sacrificial human remains

realizing that drum lines, cole slaw and Bob Marley all hold global appeal

placencia

learning, laughing, lounging, loving

soaking up places too schmancy for us

embracing the fact that our honeymoon is only just beginning

pier

thanks to all our friends and family who made this trip possible

(we love you all)

belize honeymoon/one-year anniversary trip 2010

bridge

March 6th, 2010

One down, another sixty to go

by Tarable

kissing

Happy anniversary my love. It’s been a wonderful year…

but can we go on our honeymoon now?

(Not that we’re that excited about it or anything…)

jumping

Many thanks to Shane Rich and his oncemany project for this amazing anniversary shoot. I love what he’s doing and if you’d like to find out more, be sure to check out his site for more info.

(Also look for us in Boulder’s Daily Camera on March 15th to see pictures of Shane taking pictures of us. Totally meta.)

Bye.

Off to Belize…

March 1st, 2010

34. And so much more.

by Tarable

happypaleobirthday2

My birthday weekend retreat is over…as is my six-week Paleo challenge. Thanks to a thoughtful friend, I didn’t need no stinkin’ cake in order to celebrate my birthday Paleo-style. Just some pomegrante seeds and a candle.

Over the last three days, my birthday celebration has been rejuvenating.  Amazing how spending time with friends old and new, doing more jumping lunges than I can count, skiing long powdery tree runs, baking Paleo-friendly muffins, hanging with the big dogs and ending it all with a soak in the hot springs can really make a girl feel refreshed.

birthdaycollage

I spent a lot of my birthday weekend alone and there was one thought, in particular, that made me smile. I’m happier, stronger, healthier, more in love and more confident than I was ten years ago.

Take that 34.

December 31st, 2009

Best of 2009: New Person

by Tarable

I officially met Elaine in 2008. And for the life of me, I can’t remember where we were…probably at some meetup or another. But that doesn’t really matter since it wasn’t until this year that we became good friends.

From my bachelorette party in February…

elaine1

To my wedding reception in June…

elaine2

Elaine Eleanor Ellis rocked my world this year.

With her charmingly awkward ways and her ability to pierce ear drums with a high-pitched “Ummmmm…”, Elaine made me laugh a lot.

She also helped me pick out a wedding dress. Without hitting anything in her car.

Thanks to Chicks who Click, Elaine and I shared hotel rooms in two different states. In one, I drifted off to sleep making fun of the fact that she had to check Twitter before she could go to sleep.

“Goodnight @ElaineEllis.”

In the other hotel room we shared, Elaine promptly fell asleep within two minutes of scoring us a free movie from hotel  management.

Of course, she was probably really tired from all that chalk-art drawing she had done earlier that evening.

@elaineellis is entering the sidewalk chalk art contest on Twitpic

The highlight of my friendship with Elaine this year was sharing the stage with her at Ignite 5. The beauty of doing a presentation about beer is that you have to hang out and drink beer while planning your talk. Our hard work paid off and we schooled the geeks with our knowledge of Colorado microbrews.

But the thing I love most about Elaine is that two months ago she did something most of us only dream about: she quit her job to travel. And on top of that, she did it all by herself.

I couldn’t be prouder of my friend. Judging from her blog posts and tweets, Elaine is doing a wonderful job of traveling solo and seems to be succeeding in the goal of spreading her special brand of awkward all over Europe.

taraandelaine

Thanks for all the fun this year Elaine. Here’s to more Rio margs together in 2010! 1

Photo credits: highfireDANGER, greeblemonkey, and kitseeborg

  1. And I know you don’t like that last picture, but it was the only one I could find of us together. Let’s fix that as well when you’re back.
December 8th, 2009

Best of 2009: Moment of peace

by Tarable

There’s something about heading out on a backpacking trip that is synonymous with peace for me. Maybe it’s because I know I won’t have any chance to log in or maybe it’s because I know that all I have to worry about is when to pump water and how many fish to fry up…

first of many cairns

We went on a backpacking trip into Mee Canyon, Utah this past May and it was incredible. Not only was it some of the most difficult hiking I’ve ever done, especially with a heavy pack on, it was also some of the most secluded. We saw one other person the entire four days we were there.

our campsite

Honestly, there’s just not anything to stress about when you have everything you need on your back. Either you have it or you don’t.

All of my most peaceful moments occur when I sleep outdoors, feeling the breeze and waking up with the sun, knowing that I’m just a very small part of the much larger picture.

November 4th, 2009

Questions from the Junk Folder That You May Have Never Asked Yourself

by Tarable

I saw a disturbing trend forming in my junk folder. And in it…glimpses of humor and the glimmer of a post.

It’s common knowledge that no one actually looks at the contents of their email junk folder so the spammers have to be more clever than ever to get our attention. They must have heard about the importance of subject lines because I’m now receiving many junk emails asking me questions.

munch a bunch?

I was looking for pictures of junk when I remembered this gem.

Since there were so many of these junk emails, I thought it only right to pick the ten best and share them. Because what else is a junk folder good for, if not content creation.

Separated? Considering Divorce? Been Served Divorce Papers??

Um. No. No. And no.

Do you have what it takes to be a CSI??

Probably. But this email is coming from the CSI Forensics School, which sounds like an un-accredited institution that doesn’t really exist. Kinda like Trial Lawyer School. Or Heart Surgeon School.

Considering a Nursing Degree??

God. Doesn’t my mother wish? No seriously. How many times did my mom ask me this very same question growing up?

Looking for a Handy Reference Guide to the Remote Monitoring Industry??

Christmas is right around the corner.

How good is Microsoft Dynamics ERP, really??

I ask myself that everyday.

Going “Paperless”…Buzz Word or Reality??

Don’t even get me started on this one. I get all riled up.

Can you donate an item to our auction??

I’m sorry. You must have mistaken me for someone who owns anything of value.

Suffering from chronic back and neck pain??

Who isn’t?

Wanna Hookup??

No, Amber, I don’t.

Wanna hookup for this weekend??

Well, since you put it that way…and this comes from the BeNaughty Team, we’re not ruling it out just yet. Plus, we all know what a team player I am.

Big thanks to Hotmail, for actually being good for something. Your email junk  folder has provided me with the opportunity to think about different careers and new ways of living my life.

And in case little Stacey Ferguson is reading this, that’s what I’m doing with all that junk.

October 25th, 2009

Shots on Goal

by Tarable

Oh hai list of goals that I wanted to accomplish for this year. Long time, no see.

Enter snowy day and the perfect time to sit down and revisit said list. After blowing dust off the blog post, I spent some time thinking about what I’ve accomplished. 1

With the hopes of keeping myself accountable, here’s how I’ve been progressing:

#2. run another marathon.

timberline

This was one of those goals that got slightly amended. I did not have time to train for a marathon, but I did have time to run a different half-marathon in a new state. So that’s what I did instead. (Perhaps before I’m 40 I’ll get another notch in my marathon belt.)

#3. elope.

Done. And done well.

elopement

#4. work on improving my green thumb by growing beans and helping with the community garden.

With the help of my ever-loving  and most patient husband, our garden was bountiful and prosperous.

#5. pay down credit card debt.

Two cards down, a few more to go.

#6. write more letters.

Do thank-you notes count? 2

#10. play another season of Ultimate Frisbee.

It wasn’t a championship season like last year, but we had a lot of spirit. 3

#11. do more push-ups.

The ladies of the Lijit office do (almost) daily push-ups together. Nothing beats a little muscle pump in the afternoon.

#14. roller derby!

rollerderby

Saw my first bout last month and although I’m still undecided on whether or not I should try out, I’m a big fan.

#16. get scuba certified.

Thanks to Weaver’s Dive Center, I’m all set. Belize, here I come!

#24. throw a kickass wedding party.

How about not one, but two kickass wedding parties?

#29. put money in my savings account every month.

So far, so good. 4

The results are a little rough, dear readers.  I’m almost two-thirds of the way through the year and I an only done with one-third of my list.

However, to make myself feel better, I will rationalize that a full third of the list are all goals that are in progress, which means that they will be crossed off at some point:

#1. more yoga.

#8. incorporate strength training into my workout routine.

#9. reach out to my old friends.

#13. give more bodywork

#17. blog more. 5

#20. get rid of unnecessary stuff.

#21. say yes more.

#22. reach outside of my comfort zone.

#23. swim.

#27. be sure my loved ones know how I feel about them.

#28. dance more.

#30. acknowledge gratitude daily.

So, what about that pesky last third of the list? For one reason or another, these goals are the ones that will probably need some adjusting 6 in order to accomplish.

These represent the worst kind of to-do’s–easy to type but much too broad and vague to actually do:

#31.  practice compassion.

#32. forgive and forget.

And then some goals are difficult to achieve because of the money involved:

#19. buy more vintage clothing.

#26. get the tattoo on my ankle redone.

Not to mention, there are the things left that I keep meaning to do…

#7. perform stand-up at least once a month.

#12. explore new parts of Colorado.

#15. experiment with video

#18. learn basics of Photoshop.

#25. volunteer my time with a cause close to my heart.

#33. learn how to juggle.

but that take up more time or energy than I had realized when first creating this list. But I’m figuring it out as I go…and my progress reflects that fact.

It’s just a shame that rocking the footnote plugin wasn’t on the list. 7


  1. Don’t worry. It’s not much.
  2. If you’re reading this and you haven’t received your thank-you note yet, it’s because we’re planning something extra special for you.
  3. That means we wrote good cheers, brought baked goods to games and only one won game.
  4. Of course, in addition to going in, it also comes out some months.
  5. Hey, I’m trying…
  6. Massaging, tweaking, shifting
  7. Because once I start, I just can’t stop…
October 14th, 2009

Geeky Desires

by Tarable

I think that all ladies have a list, whether they admit to it or not, of people they really want to sleep with. Call it a ‘To-Lay’ list.

Some ladies want to sleep with an artist or a musician.

For others, it’s a professional athlete.

Me?

I always wanted to sleep with someone who had a patent.

adams-patent

And now, I get to do just that every night.