I knew there was a reason I loved Boulder so much...in fact, there are tons of reasons. One of them just passed by, and I already can't wait till next year. The University of Colorado, Boulder also has the unique distinction of being the reluctant home to the largest gathering of people IN THE WORLD who celebrate the many benefits and uses of marijuana on the infamous day of 4/20. The annual 4/20 event at the University of Colorado Boulder is highly heralded throughout the year. April 20, at exactly 4:20 p.m., thousands of marijuana enthusiasts are expected to congregate on campus to smoke pot en masse. The years previously, the school had developed a bad rep among the students. The sprinklers would be turned on in the fields the students were gathered in. This may ... read more

Last minute travel can be awesome - I found a last minute cheap flight to Phoenix, and decided to go see the Grand Canyon. Flying in on the early flight Monday morning gave me the whole day to enjoy Arizona. I was planning on driving straight towards Sedona, but was sidetracked by a brochure I saw showing a Chihuly exhibit at the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix. I've always wanted to see a Chihuly installmant in an outdoor setting, but this was the first chance I've had. Dale Chihuly is known for his impressive glass sculptures and his work is almost always instantly recognizable. The Desert Botanical Gardens was pretty cool by itself, with more types of cacti then I ever knew existed. The Chihuly glass was beyond cool - there were so many great ones, ... read more

Some quotes about camping: The fire is the main comfort of the camp, whether in summer or winter, and is about as ample at one season as at another. It is as well for cheerfulness as for warmth and dryness. -Henry David Thoreau It is good to realize that if love and peace can prevail on earth, and if we can teach our children to honor nature's gifts, the joys and beauties of the outdoors will be here forever. -Jimmy Carter --39th president of the United States Camping: nature's way of promoting the motel industry. ~Dave Barry Is that weird, taking my Louis Vuitton bag camping? ~ Jessica Simpson It always rains on tents. Rainstorms will travel thousands of miles, against prevailing winds for the opportunity to rain on a tent. ~Dave Barry "The smell of ... read more

We were calling this trip an escape from our everyday life...although, since neither Beth nor I have started our new jobs yet (although we are both employed!!) our everyday life still seems pretty damn good to us! But nonetheless, Beth, my mom, her friend Jackie and I all went on a fabulous trip to the Bahamas for a week. After hearing some positive experiences, and researching how amazing Atlantis Resort looked, we decided to splurge. Well....although the trip itself was a lot of fun, I don't think any of us will be coming back to Atlantis anytime soon!!! I don't know how the resort stays open, because almost everything about it was horrible!! The rooms were outdated, but that by itself would be fine. The service was horrible, housekeeping was horrible, and the prices for their ... read more

Spending some time with Carol before I left for Colorado, I was able to take advantage of some of her amazing employee perks. She has an internship with State Farm in Bloomington. She works for their corporate headquarters, in their design department. She brought me to their Park, which has swimming pools, slides, a lazy river, a huge deck facing both the pools and a lake. In addition to the pools and beach house, there is canoeing, fishing, mini golf, tennis courts, They sponsor intramurals in softball, soccer, basketball, volleyball, anything you think of, they have it. They have Garden Clubs, Outdoor Clubs, Chess Clubs...etc. Golf Tournaments... really, I could just go on and on. It was really interesting for me to see a company that puts such emphasis on keeping their employees happy and content. ... read more