Where Have the Days Gone?

Hi Friends!

Saturday morning began bright and early with my PLACE exam in Arvada, CO. Arvada is in the foothills and I felt as if I could almost touch God as the sun peeked over the mountains and spread its rays across my face. My exam was held at Arvada West High School, which was instantly a much better atmosphere for me than the stark, white classrooms at Calvin College. Within 5 minutes of the exam, I knew I would do well. The 100-question test took me 2 hours flat. I find out in 2 weeks how I did. Thanks for the prayers and thoughts!!!!

When I got back, Chris and I had a fantastic rest of the day! As I have mentioned before, we have met some really amazing people in our apartment community. The pool (well, really pool-SIDE) is open now and IT IS THE PLACE TO BE! :) We spent the afternoon laying in the sun, sipping margaritas, and laughing our heads off. A bunch of us pooled some food and beverages together and ended the day with a barbeque in one of the 8 courtyards in our complex.

Chris here. The biggest hit of the grill was the asparagus recipe I modified from a restaurant in Cherry Creek. The recipe calls for 4-5 thin asparagus and robiola cheese wrapped in prosciutto ham. I substituted Parmesan cheese which is similar to the dry, sharp, Italian robiola cheese. Everyone was really hungry and a separate trip to a specialty store would have been too much. I was afraid of it all coming unwrapped on the grill, so I wrappped a piece of string around it a few times. Remember to wet the string (I had to use hemp necklace string from my hippie college days) so it doesn't stick as much and doesn't burn. Grill it on medium-high until the prosciutto is done, and then bon appetite!

What could make this day any better? We didn't think anything! Until..."Anyone up for a game of Trivial Pursuit?" The game took us late into the night and proved to us all just how much WE DON'T KNOW about 90's current events. But in the end, the two males beat the three women. They claimed that now the world was right - sad.

Sunday brought an early morning of work at Fluid and a very sun-worn Meghan. Someone said to me on our first sunny day in here, "You think you know the sun until you spend at day in the sun in Denver!" Boy, was she ever right. The sun is incredibly intense and it wears you out like crazy. Chris and I literally felt like we had run a marathon and had pretty much just laid on chairs all day!

After work, Chris and I headed down to Cherry Creek, an area of Denver that has a feel of a small town, has TONS of unique shops and is a really fun place to walk around. We went to Cherry Creek to meet up with an old friend of mine who I have known since about the 5th grade! Andrea Reick (yes, the "e" comes before the "I") and I met when I lived in Northview, ended up living in the same dorm at Michigan State, and now, our paths have crossed yet again here in Denver. The funny thing is, none of our "path crossing" was ever planned! We have always kept updated on one another's lives through her mom and my aunt who teach together, but, like I said, never planned to end up in the same city when we were grown. Life is funny that way. Anyway, I am very excited to have someone here who I have known for so long and it felt like we hadn't skipped a beat when we chatted at Peet's Coffee.

Andrea and I are really excited to start working on a little project that I have been thinking about for a while...radio jingles! Yes, get your jollies out and laugh your heads off. I know. Radio jingles. Here's the thing though, Andrea works for an advertising agent here in Denver and they need people to do voice overs and sing for ads! I have been trying to think of creative ways to make some extra cash this summer and thought about radio. Andrea got so excited when I asked her for guidance on the idea and how I would go about ACTUALLY doing it. She said she would take care of talking to some people at the recording studio she does work with and we'd take it from there! Fun stuff! I can't wait - and the money won't hurt either! :)

This week brings lots of work at Fluid, spending time with my hubby and my mom and step-dad coming to visit on the weekend. Yay! Chris and I are really excited to show them around the city and some of our favorite new spots. I will keep you all posted throughout the week!

P.S. Denver hit record high's this past weekend - 98 degrees on Saturday!! Hot!!!