how is it that we are already [well] past the halfway point of 2018?????  this year has been flying by at the speed of light!  i feel eternally behind on blogging but i’ve come to just accept it… there are gaps here and there that i need to go back and catch up on someday, in my spare time – HA!

anyway, july was sort of our calm before the storm – august has been wild, but july was mostly spent at home.  it was peppered with a few fun family trips – my family reunion at lake okoboji and our trip to deadwood – and i prepared for our annual BRC audit at work, plus we both did a lot of wedding prep!!  and that’s about it.  i did find out some exciting news that i can’t wait to share with you guys at a later date… stay tuned on that.  anyway, july came and went and now august has too!  here are some photos from month 7 of the year:

{yummy watermelon for the 4th.}

{the stormy denver skyline.  we watched fireworks at the top of my garage!}

{city lights}

{a couple of hacks for satisfying cravings while trying to eat healthy:  carrot cake flavored overnight oats and a burger in a bowl!}

{my A/C was out at my apartment three different weekends in late june/earlyjuly.  and guys, it was a hot summer this year!  [at least for colorado.]  they kept coming to fix it, and then by the next weekend, it would stop working again.  after three weekends of this, they finally replaced the whole unit.  this was me on one of those hot weekends trying to keep cool with iced coffee and allllll the blinds shut…}

{a couple of different dates with noelle!  there’s more iced coffee, this time from hashtag, where we had brunch one weekend.  and on the right, peach and burrata pizza from cart-driver!  this was divine.  colorado peaches are sooooo tasty.}

{i watched this place transform from an old warehouse building into the bright, watermelon-pink BOOZ hall!  this is what makes rino so fun!}

{there was this crazy fire that broke out a waste management plant across the river from the plant i work at.  the flames must have been 40 feet tall, maybe more.  it was scary and felt so close.  thankfully, it was extinguished before it got out of control.}

{a hot dog from red’s!  i guess i forgot about eating healthy?}

{my parents sent me these photos of shiner the boat dog on nama’s lake!  i miss this place.}

{a quick dinner of build-your-own tacos for jamie and me.} :)

{a new spot in rino that i haven’t been to yet.}

 

{i took these photos one evening on my drive home from the grocery store… they just didn’t do this sunset justice!  it was stunning!}

 

{from a hike on sleepy lion trail in button rock preserve.}

{gorgeous views}

{i love adventures with this guy!}

{fields of gold}

{this was fun!}

{after our hike, we went to left hand brewing company!}

{this is one of our favorite breweries.  they really do have the best beers.}

{yep, add a white frock, and this is the glamorous attire for my job, at least when i’m out on the production floor.  it’s funny how you get used to it!  a while back, my coworker kenny and i joked that with our frocks, our uniform is basically part scientist, part construction worker, and part lunch lady.  hahaha.  that has totally stuck with me!}

{my favorite arepas and plantains from will call.}

 

{jamie took me on a date to a new restaurant called brazen!  we had such a fun time here.}

 

{if it wasn’t supposed to rain on this night, we would have liked to sit out here on the patio.}

{deviled eggs with jalapeño cream cheese and candied bacon + shishito pepper salad with compressed watermelon, cucumber and feta.  amazing.}

{that pappardelle with pork cheek ragu and parmesan was soooo good.  and we loved the mussels, but unfortunately jamie got a bad one and it didn’t make his stomach feel so great later. :(  amazingly, he would still go back to this restaurant because we both loved it so much!}

there was july, now onto august since it’s already september!