Been having fun...

Goodness me I have some catching up to do since my last post.  Things have been busy and incredibly fun since my last post two weeks ago (I forgot how much time blogging requires, oops!)

Here are some of the highlights of the past two weeks….

Jazz in the Park

One of my favorite activities thus far has been Jazz in the Park, the free concert series featuring live jazz performed in City Park through June and July.  People begin staking their claim early on Sundays, bringing tents, tables, dogs, lawn games, etc. in preparation for the night’s events.  We haven’t been quite that organized yet and usually show up with a random collection of blankets and food after the first few notes have been played.  Our first time attending all of my intern class came over before and we had drinks and assembled our food then walked the two short blocks to the park.  After arriving, we realized we had no forks so we were a sight to see eating Tori’s delicious pumpkin enchiladas with our hands.  Our first J in the P was cut short by a rogue storm that ended with us cowering under our backyard canopy listening to the hail rain down.

The Pedal Hopper

This night will go down in history of how Landon and I really got to know my intern class. J  Tori had done the Pedal Hopper before with some friends, and after all the fun they had, insisted on booking it for our class on the Monday before our first week of work.  In addition, we made it an “Almost Famous” Pedal Hopper tour in which we each dressed as a celebrity.  I was Ke$ha and Landon was Enrique Iglesisas, and we were in the good company of Lady Gaga, Superwoman, Black Swan and other more confusing personas such as Wes in a woman’s nightgown.  To best explain the Pedal Hopper, I ripped a line from their website: ” The Pedal Hopper, known as a "Party Bike" or "Bike Bar," is a group-oriented activity similar to a party bus, but is entirely pedal-powered by you and all of your friends.”  We met up around 5:30 PM and mounted our respective posts on the Pedal Hopper and took off.  It was quite a spectacle to see about 18 costumed adults careening through Lower Downtown on the contraption, all the while blasting music from the speakers and making a general ridiculous scene outside of every bar we stopped by.  Can’t wait to do it again.

 

The Irish Snug Running Club

This is fantastic, combining two of my favorite activities: running and drinking delicious microbrews.  Every Thursday, a large group of people gathers at the Irish Snug, a long-time traditional Irish Pub on Colfax in Denver.  The rag-tag group of runners takes off between 6:15-6:30 and runs a 5K through Uptown and Cheesman park, ending back at The Snug for free food and cheap beer in the pub downstairs or on the patio.  Each time you run you sign in on the registry, and after accruing ten runs you get the coveted prize:  The Irish Snug Running Club Official t-shirt!  You continue getting t-shirts the more runs you do, and I of course have great respect when I pass somebody wearing the esteemed 100 run t-shirt or even more.  So far I’ve done two and they are tons of fun.  The first time I went with Amanda, Mike, Tori and Andrea and was accompanied (more liked dragged), by Lucy and Max who thought this was all a great game of chase.  Many people bring their dogs, but mine by far are the most energetic.  Last week Hannah, Andrew and Landon came with me, and it was much more manageable to have some help with the dogs (I think Lucy met her match in Andrew who sprinted with her for most of it).

 

Marcyzk’s on Fridays

Marchyzk’s is a ridiculously delicious gourmet grocery store and deli on 17^th and Clarkson that grills burgers on their sidewalks every Friday while the weather is good.  After buying your burger from the cashier, you place your order outside and sit at the patio tables on the sidewalk until your order is called.  Biting into the scrumptious medium-cooked burgers is absolutely satisfying, as is watching the pedestrian traffic along the sidewalk (especially since Hamburger Mary’s, the transvestite bar and restaurant is next door).  There are free wine tastings as well and browsing the selections inside the store is enough to keep you occupied while you wait for your burger.

Some of the other great things that I enjoyed in the past few weeks : getting to see my sister all the time!!!, having Anjum’s mother cook us an incredible Indian meal at his apartment the night before we started work, the cocktail reception for the Colorado Health Foundation, going on runs in City Park with Hannah, buying a bike at a garage sale ($50…great bike that needs a little love), going to the farmer’s market with Landon, working in the garden, fixing-up our house and especially loving the 80 degree Colorado weather!!!

 

Our back walkway

My new bike!

Farmer's Market

Roses along our front walkway