So. Now that my wrist is in a brace rather than a cast and Katie (my roomie) is on the brink of a full mono recovery, we are really starting to take advantage of Denver living (on the cheap). Since last week we’ve gone to Boulder, did a little downtown bar hopping, won the lottery tickets to see Book of Mormon (front row for $25 and omg, so funny!), and went to a Rockies game ($4 Rockpile tickets). In between all of the activities, I’ve been applying to jobs, going for runs around Wash Park trying to acclimate to the altitude, and meeting new friends. Most of these things are fun. Guess which isn’t.

BUT, all of these things are great:

• These chocolate cakes: chocolate bourbon caramel macaron cake, ultimate snickers cupcakes, mint choc chip layer cake, and basil mascarpone buttercream frosted chocolate cake.
• How to change your look with lipstick.
• There are so many plant hooks by the windows of my new place. I think I need these diy hanging clay planters.
• These square aprons are super cute and look easy to make, but then there are also these stylish aprons.
• Do you suffer from sentimental clutter? I do, but I’m trying to get better!

Welp, happy Thursday! I’m going to get back to my funemployment…

On Sunday Katie and I walked through the Denver Botanic Gardens. It was a beautiful day to go walk through the gardens and see all the beautiful flower, lily pads, and exhibits. I would definitely go back! Then we walked over to catch the final stage of the USA Pro Challenge. Those guys were fast. It was incredible.

Kind of like these things:

• A couple of easy flatbread-esque recipes that I want to make ASAP: roasted poblano and corn pizzas, tomato ricotta phyllo tart, broccoli rabe pesto flatbread, grilled chicken flatbread with honey caramelized fennel & tabasco
• Bar cart basics. Do you have them all?
• Some great tips for creative brainstorming.
• Loved reading this article on making friends as an adult.
• I would for sure travel for any of these 6 marathons.

Welp, talk to you later.

Last Saturday a couple of friends and I went to the Brandi Carlile concert at Red Rocks. It was amazing, so incredibly amazing. Brandi is phenomenal and the Red Rocks venue is just the coolest thing. I’d go back there for another concert (or a workout!) in a heartbeat.

These things are pretty amazing too:

• A bunch of delicious cocktails to sip on and celebrate summer: blackberry mint cucumber gin spritzer, coconut nectarine white wine spritzer, pineapple and cilantro moscow mule, peachy tomato basil gin and tonic, and fig and bourbon summer smash
• The best way to catch your breath during a workout. I need this tip up here in the altitude.
• This diy canvas magazine hanger will work perfectly in my room.
• Time to head to the bookstore to grab these best books for your career and these books to read if you want to be awesome at work. I might start with this one or this one.
• Then there is the important question of why are millennials so obsessed with food?

Happy Thursday!

-JD

Hi! A LOT of things have happened since last week… I packed up my Minneapolis life in a U-Haul, road tripped to Denver with my mom, moved into a garden level Washington Park duplex with one of my best friends, and broke my wrist. Life is very different than it was one week ago today, but I am excited about the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.

Excited about these things too:

• All of these galettes sound amazing: heirloom tomato, zucchini, caramelized onion, and feta galette, heirloom tomato galette, tomato and plum galette, plum galette, and vegan peach galette with coconut pastry.
• Let’s be super French and learn how to make crepes and macarons.
• An important life lesson: how to open a bottle of wine.
• Some more life lessons: makeup hacks.
• Things don’t always go your way (example: breaking your wrist two days after moving to a new city), but here are 18 excellent reminders to keep you moving forward.

My blog posts may be less frequent than normal over the next few weeks, because I still need to get Internet in my new place, learn how to bake in altitude, and be able to fully utilize both hands again.

Happy Thursday!

Today is my last day of work at General Mills!! It’s so weird I can’t even believe it. I started with General Mills as an intern in college and have been working there full-time for the past 6 years. In those 6 years I have had 4 titles, 9 roles, 10 managers, and 3 bajillion emails. Not to mention a few middle-of-the-night calls, too many meetings before the meetings, and a handful of super stressful situations. But then there were all the people – the amazing, intelligent, hard working, kind, fun people – the best part, by far, of working at General Mills.

I know people change jobs all the time and 6 years isn’t that long so I’m being a little dramatic, but it’s a long time to me. I have learned and developed so much there. I’ll miss it, but I guess we’ll see what is in store for me next!

But wait, IT IS ALSO MY LAST DAY IN MINNEAPOLIS, the city where I have spent the last 4 years absolutely loving my life. I start driving to Denver tomorrow.

What the heck is even happening?!? I’m so excited.

I’m so excited. I’m so….

Still excited. Not scared, a la Jessie Spano.

Excited about the move and about these things!

• Fruit crisps and crumbles: blueberry almond crisp, peach almond crisp, peach & plum crumble.
• This diy split wrap skirt is adorable and you don’t even need a sewing machine!
• The idea of having a cooking club is so fun.
• The smell of this homemade body wash with honey and coconut oil is probably amazing.
• These 4 hairstyles are super cute, but I just tried out a couple and definitely need some more practice.

Sooo… the next post I write will be coming to you from Denver!! Eeeeee weird beard!

I spent last weekend up at the cabin with my family. We had good beer, great food, and the most perfect day on the pontoon out on the Whitefish Chain. It was such a wonderful, relaxing weekend before a week of craziness.

Wonderful like these things:

• A giant yes to seeing all of these historical sites. So far I can only cross off The Great Wall of China and Machu Picchu.
• These interactive party ideas all sound so fun.
• Tender. It’s like Tinder, but with food and probably much more satisfying.
• Who sits at a desk all day? These methods
• are necessary.
• Packing is my life right now, so these tips are helpful.

In other news, who wants to buy a condo in downtown Minneapolis?! Mine went on the market yesterday. Check out the listing here. I love it so, so, soooo much and am slightly heartbroken to sell it, but with my move to Denver it is the right decision.

Enjoy the last little bits of July! xojd