#denver creates

me 

pc: alyssarann on insta 

On a positive note, I seem to actually be on the mend. I say actually because I began feeling better mid-week only to have my symptoms alter from a gross cough to more of a head cold with sniffling and sneezing. It’s been a full 24-hours sans meds though and I’ve only counted a few sneezes this morning and no coughing. Praise be! 😉

week(s) in review  what I’m reading: Little Fire Everywhere read: tiny beautiful things + The Gifts of Imperfection booked our Christmas trip — here we come, Hawaii! designed + ordered wedding thank-yous continued progress on name change discovered changing your name at work is a NIGHTMARE hosted weekend writers + Denver Creates read — a lot rested + recovered from cold discussed The Rules Do Not Apply with book club ladies celebrated one-month anniversary tried to not have a heart attack while watching season finale of Handmaid’s tried a few new yummy recipes continued dwindling down my wardrobe farmer’s market two-year Schwanniversary (work) progress on big work project + finally felt like I’m learning the platform “judged” homebrewers’ competition made progress + sales on the Poshmark closet enjoyed an afternoon of working at one of my favorite coffee shops booked upcoming work travels (ugh, Phoenix in July) made preparations to welcome new team member wrote + posted mid-year reading goals check wrote + posted this week in our kitchen: bison burgers w/onions two ways + watermelon feta salad wrote + posted week reflection

weekend happenings + intentions Denver County Fair Bastille Day Saison Festival Horshoe Market pen + post: this week in our kitchen write Zero Wasteish post (my beauty routine) farmers market walk + move + stay cool

Coworker: Are you coming back?!

Me: Nah, just in the area for an optometry appointment, hence the gigantic pupils, and thought I would stop by to say hi.

Coworker: How’s the new job?

Me: I really, really love it. I have no complaints — except for the commute.

Coworker: How long is it each day?

Me: Well, depending on how I get there — car or train — round-trip it’s anywhere from two hours, on a good day, to three.

Coworker (with a pained expression): Oh, that’s horrible. Yuck.

Me: The train isn’t too bad, though. At least I can read and be productive, versus sitting in traffic. But, yeah, it blows.

And so goes the story of my life for the past 11 months. BUT, this week I discovered something magical. Well, technically it was last week, but I actually was able to test and prove that the new amazingness does in fact exist and is as wonderful as it sounded. I’m sure you’re at the edge of your seat by now, overcome by curiosity so I won’t make you wait any longer for the unveiling: I transformed a 14-minute transfer wait into one minute!

Okay, so nothing I did actually made the reduced wait happen, but I did spent a few hours creating a table that identified optimal routes (both train and car) and, during this exercise, found that Google Maps had been leading me astray since last year. There are risks with my new route — if my first train is late by even a minute, I’ll likely miss my connection — but so far it’s all worked out. In fact, twice I stepped off of one train and directly on to another, making this discovery the second best thing that has happened to me this year.

So, you’ve probably done the math and, as a result, have been trying to figure out why I’m so excited by just 13 minutes. Well, first of all, that 13-minutes was spent just standing there and waiting — which, when added up, is more than one hour of just standing there and waiting each week. For someone who thrives on process and efficiency improvements, this basically made my week. Also, omitting that 13-minute wait means I arrive at work earlier and, as a result, am able to head home sooner leaving more time for after-work activities like hanging with the bf, the pup and friends. Finally, although it may seem minor in the grand scheme of a week or even a day, this small change shifted quite a bit my negative outlook on my commute, proving that 13 minutes can make a big difference — both to a schedule and a state of mind — and that taking time to stop and appreciate the small wins can be a big thing.

“Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable.” ~Mary Oliver

week in review gratitude: time off this week’s intention: pause what I’m reading: Emotional Intelligence 2.0 + Song of Solomon hosted Denver Creates lots of yard + housework continued big purge project (the end is near!) date night with Opia + Marian Hill move + run attended baby shower for a good friend member wine release at Bonacquisti became an official poshmarker attended bonded corn whiskey release at Laws Whiskey House wished my sis a happy 33rd birthday lots of cooking yummy meals at home with my love annual optometry appointment mid-week lunch with one of my besties one step closer to house fixes from hail damage lots of lots of errands conquered much-needed pedicure new amazing train route success visited my former workplace + coworkers productive workweek began preparing for intranet champions presentation for DWG (work) fun night of music + brews + charity at company amphitheater visited a new distillery + celebrated a friend’s birthday expanded my community ambassadors role (work) discovered a potential career-changing opportunity (more on this later) wrote + posted weeks reflection watched Anne Lamont’s TED Talk: 12 truths I learned from life and writing

weekend happenings + intentions 5k American Heart Association Walk continue big household purge dinner with good friends work on ICN presentation career-path mapping + planning prepare for a busy upcoming week where I’ll be solo with the pup read + write budget review + updates