COLORADO APARTMENT

Well, this may not be the most exciting of posts, but I find that people (especially me!) are usually curious about the houses of others. More so when one moves into a new place, sight-unseen, on the word of their (often sketchy) travel company. I have friends who have ended up in the ghetto of Richmond, CA, after being told that it was a cute and charming "neighbourhood with character". Character my ass!

Skepticism aside, this is definitely the nicest place we've lived in thus far. Not the biggest (San Diego won that award) but new and bright and airy, with vaulted ceilings and large windows. No bugs, no stains, no issues :)

The view from our apartment. Yes, those are the Colorado Rockies

So I get that the apartment is trying to provide extra amenities, like cable in the bedrooms and walk-in-closets. But seriously, who needs a desk THIS BIG in their bedroom?!?

My absolute, hands-down, favourite part of the apartment. Never mind the fireplace or the gorgeous view. I've got a giant soaker tub, and I practically live in it.

Now, I've got a confession to make. Remember that picture from above, showing the gorgeous view from my apartment? Well, that is the view....when you lean as far over the balcony as possibly and then twist your body sideways. It's a human balancing act that is best performed sober, with a trusted friend clutching your belt buckle for dear life.

This is (sadly) the real view. But every time I close my eyes....

Much prettier, n'est pa?

GRAND CANYON

Alright, I deserve a thrashing. Mostly because it's been almost 2 months since I posted. I totally admit and own up to my own laziness. How awful of me! Things have been busy, but I'm trying to get caught up, finally. Since my last post, we've had Christmas, New Years, my last remaining weeks in San Diego, and the (never-ending) drive from California to Denver. We're getting settled in, and now that my internet is hooked up (and I'm no longer bumming off of my neighbours) I owe it to all of you to post some new pics.

If I remember correctly (and I'm not sure I do, since the elevation and the Ceasers I've been drinking since noon are wrecking havoc on my brain) I think I've posted 5 new entries. Feel free to look around, if you aren't too pissed at me for not posting for close to 2 months.

Leave comments if you like, the more snide, the better. I always find sarcasm far more entertaining than anything heartfelt and sentimental you may want to say.

Talk to you all soon!
Jess

Clearly, this isn't a picture of the Grand Canyon, as the title of this post suggests. However, I just had to include it. Kendrah and I had stopped at a gas station somewhere in Arizona. This is what we ran into when we pulled back onto the road. Good thing there wasn't any traffic because we both stopped dead in the middle of the road to take pictures....and laugh our asses off.

We're just getting ready to leave the Canyon when we noticed among the trees (and crossing the road without a care in the world) dozens of Elk. It was feeding time. And apparently, the best shot I could get (all the others were suspiciously blurry) was of this one's ass. How appropriate.

SKI SUMMIT

Three days before I left San Diego (and in the middle of a run of 4 shifts) I went up to Summit with a bunch of people from work. Yes, going snowboarding in Southern California when I'm days away from moving to Colorado may seem a bit odd. But it's about the people you're with, not the quality of the hill! Plus, it was my first time out this season, so it's not like I was doing any kick-ass riding anyway. Summit suited my (somewhat dubious) abilities just fine.

Nice knees Danny! Now explain why you are half-naked please.

Christine, Erin, myself, Christie and Mami

Danny made it into the picture this time

Is that a striptease starting?

This was at the end of the day. We both still had 2 intact legs and hadn't vomited.....

Unlike Erin

On the ride home, it started to snow. Yes, we really were still in Southern Cali!

CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE

Well, normally I like to try to be a wee bit funny or, at the very least, scathingly sarcastic, when I write these things. However, it's DISNEYLAND (well...Disneyland, Part Deux, anyway), so there is only so much sarcasm that can be applied to the HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH. Gag me, but it did actually feel that way!

And I have a feeling after all the pictures that you'll be looking at today (given the general tardiness of my posts) that you're not going to be all that interested in whatever I have to say.

Hence, I will not waste my time attempting to entertain you in my usual (slightly lame) way.

Enjoy les photos! (I really have to stop thinking that just because I add "les" or "la" or "a la" to a word that it suddenly makes it "En Francais", don't I???)

Hollywood Tower of Terror: my favourite ride. I was expecting to be taken to the top and dropped straight down, like the Demon Drop at Cedar Point. However, this one messes with your senses and takes you up and down and up again. You even see some creepy floors where the hotel guest disappear. Definitely a ride I'd go on again and again and again..... which, in fact, I did.

DISNEYLAND

So finally, at the tender age of.....wait, I'm not telling you that.....

Okay, let's start over.

After years of begging and wishing and hoping and praying (this is starting to sound suspiciously like a song from a certain Julia Roberts movie) I have finally had my childhood wish come true and I've been to Disneyland.

Hmm, except it was never a childhood wish of mine. I much preferred the kick-ass presents we got each year instead of the big vacation to Florida.

And I went to the park in California.

Arrrgh, we're totally off track here, aren't we? Focus Jess, focus!

Enough with the (highly un-witty) banter now. I won't torture you reluctant readers anymore (except maybe Erin because she says she actually likes reading the garble I write....). Kendrah, Kelly, Dishina, and I drove up to Anaheim and spent the day running around Disneyland, bringing all our childhood dreams to life. I'm serious. Big rides with stomach-dropping hills and hair-raising turns are not Disney's forte. However, they are the masters at bringing movies to life in ways you can only imagine. I think my favourite place was Mickey's Toontown, because it was like playing in a cartoon.

Just stop reading this mess and look at the pictures. You'll see.

By the way, Kendrah wanted to leave before the parade started, but I held her hostage long enough to see the first float. After that, she was totally hooked.

Kendrah, myself, Kelly, Dishina and, of course, Goofy!

At Minnie's house

And then we left Toontown....

Stop molesting the poor Indian, Kendrah!

This was my favourite movie growing up, so taking Peter Pan's Flight was fantastic. Cheesy, but fantastic. We got to sit in a little boat and sailed over London to Neverland and back again.

This was "It's a Small World" which, for me, translated to tiny wooden people who look like they were created by artists on crack. Seriously. And it was all decorated for the holidays, so it was even more obnoxious. Now, think of the Wizard of Oz and imagine the Munchkins singing high pitched and slightly off-key for 20 min. If I never hear that damn song again, it'll be too soon!

Princess Kendrah

The star of the show: Mickey!!

SHOUT HOUSE

These are actually from back in Nov, when a bunch of us alcoholic RNs (well, what else are we supposed to do on our days off, since most of us work nights and are basically zombies?!?!) went to Shout House for the night. It's a duelling piano bar where I also took Ryan when he came to visit. The piano players (and copious amounts of beer we drank) kept us entertained all night. Thanks to Danny for the pictures!

P.S. A word from the traveler network: San Diego has some of the best travelers around. I've met people from Mississippi, Ohio, Florida, Massachusetts, Texas, Colorado, Tennessee, etc. It's an unofficial hub where people randomly meet again after working elsewhere around the country. And you play the "do you know" game and realize you know a friend of a friend through another friend....

After spending 4 months there, and totally loving the people I worked with, I'll probably plan to drift back in that direction again sometime in the future!