FREELANCE FRIDAY: WHO IS IN CHARGE HERE?

{from society6}

as you know, we've been moving all week. and that is basically the only thing i've been doing this week. trips back and forth between the houses, plus packing, and then unpacking so i can reuse the boxes. #environmental {and by that i also mean #cheap.}

between that and not having internet, i have done no freelance work. none. nada. nothing.

typically, i am super successful when it comes to setting and attaining goals. but, i guess i need measurable milestones along the way. and an assistant to block off my calendar. and a boss to scare inspire me into action.

what i learned this week: when you freelance, you're not just the worker. when you own a business, you're the boss, the assistant, the ceo, the accountant, and the cleaning lady.

but, this week "off" has really got me itching to get my designer cap on. in fact, i think i can hear the boss yelling that it's time to get back to work now.

happy weekend, friends!

FIRE.

{photo via @mikefrancis}

two fires are raging through colorado right now. it feels like we've seen every type of weather since moving to denver - from feet of snow to rare rain storms to one of the hottest months on record. and now, a more common occurrence here: wild fires.

i was in nashville when the flood happened. it felt like national news didn't cover what was, for us, a tremendous disaster. it seems like that with these fires, too. we couldn't see the mountains when we flew in from ohio on monday morning because the smoke had spread a haze over the sky. upon making that comment, the man next to me asked me what i was talking about. he was flying into denver and hadn't even heard there was a fire.

i guess these awful things don't seem real unless you've been to the place they happen. i was a regular in bellevue, where people died in may 2010. and i've stood on the mountains where people are losing their homes.

if you have time, send a prayer out west.

GOODBYE CAP HILL.

today, the townhouse in lowry is officially ours. 

when we moved to denver, everyone told us to live in capitol hill. it is near the city, you can walk everywhere and people are always out and about. for those reasons, it has totally rocked. see photos above of the cute mini-carts at our local grocery and the sunset at cheesman park, a literal half block from our front door. 

the reasons i'm so happy to be moving include: coin laundry, omnipresent smoke {of the cigarette and marijuana variety, which routinely cause me to wake up coughing}, a still broken disposal that ruined my collection of dishtowels, a peeping tom situation we had earlier this year, no air conditioning combined with 99+ temperatures, overhearing a drag race in our alley every sunday night {it's just like fast and the furious, for real} and 400 square feet crammed with stuff we never unpacked. my mother weeps that i shared that photo of our "storage unit".

it's been a crazy few months, but i think getting settled in a home will help us me feel more settled here in denver. suburbs, here we come!

TURNING HOME.

what a whirlwind few weeks this has been, and will continue to be. i still can't believe my best friend is married! i'll have photos of the actual wedding later this week - forgive me for slow posting, we are also moving over the next couple of days!

on friday, i flew into cleveland to kick off wedding weekend. getting in early gave me the chance to hang out with my sister and do some of my favorite ohio things. such as, eat fox's pizza, drive through my hometown and watch sunsets like this.

i also got to have a pet fest with this girl!

and have dinner with grandma at the chicken house, which i haven't been to in six years. it was as good as i remembered.

then, it was time for the festivities. one of the best parts of the weekend was getting to see tricia's family and just hang out at their house like we were back in high school. we got ready for the rehearsal dinner in her bathroom, like we had done for dances and cheerleading almost a decade ago. it was very surreal.

i mean, i'm not going to say this is my #1 photo from the entire extravaganza, but it is a pretty good preview for what's to come.

#bestbrideever

BUSYGRAMS.

we are back in the running game! last saturday we completed our first 5k of 2012.

from our phones these past few weeks:

another lake at wash park that i didn't know existed. champagne happy hour with femfessionals at corridor 44. view driving into downtown denver. morning view of coors field. new business cards. celebrating finishing the "set the pace" 5k in the beer garden. gophers on the 5k trail. free famous dave's bbq sandwiches, his i'm-happy-but-don't-take-my-picture face. our first foray into fast food in forever for lunch, which resulted in not eating for the rest of the day.

WE GO WAY BACK, PEOPLE.

i am leaving this morning {SO early} to head home to stand beside my best friend when she gets married. from girl scouts to 8th grade graduation {the horror of those bangs is truly unspeakable} to high school, tricia has been someone i can depend on. she was the most self-assured person i knew in high school {and dang if that isn't saying a lot when it comes to high school girls} and has continued to live her life on her own terms, something i respect more than words can say.

i'm so thankful for her friendship and honored to be there for her big day.

more photos of us to come, and lord willing, no bangs will be involved in these ones.

happy wedding weekend, tricia!

FREELANCE FRIDAY: NETWORKING.

{photo from pinterest}

yep, totally not friday, but i have a special post set up for tomorrow, so freelance thursday it is!

last week i had two different networking events, both of which i had rsvp'd to before deciding to leave my job. if you've read that post, you already know that i was a bit of a hot mess. but, i went anyway.

what i was worried about is that people would judge me as unemployed and not a real freelancer. you know why i felt that way? because i was judging myself.

at the first event, i acted totally awkward and i didn't have a good time. at the next one: i confidently presented myself as a freelance writer and graphic designer. you know what people thought? oh, she is a freelance writer and graphic designer. end of story.

when you believe in yourself, you give others the opportunity to believe in you too.

it's as simple as that.

RANDOGRAMS.

some of my favorite photos from the past week or so. well, that last one was't a high note, but it is a good story.

new dress from the super sale rack at anthropologie {$29!}. we are picky about sushi, but it never fails that our favorite ends up being from our local grocery store. tunnel through downtown denver. a little bit of tennessee, found on the shelves at king sooper's. handy man fixing my car's air conditioner - it's been 90+ here,  so thankful he got it working again! jiffy pop. watching a storm roll in. old school mario kart. injury caused after a mario kart-frustration-induced leg kick, when my face fought a losing battle with a glass cup.

i realize that last photo is ridiculous, but the whole situation was! who accidentally kicks a cup into their face?! and gets a huge cut from it?!! i'm just glad i didn't lose any teeth. #worstnightmare

it's always a good one when we come out with the same number of chompers as we started with. happy wednesday, friends!

DENVER BISCUIT CO.

warning: this blog post contains highly graphic, obscene amounts of food. don't read while hungry, while eating, if you just ate or if you ever want to eat again. 

i think it was b who first heard about the denver biscuit company. {he has a thing for biscuits so intense i can only assume it was passed on in his blood from his southern mother.} after a quick look at the menu online, i was sold - even though it is situated on the sketchiest road in denver. the reason i wanted to visit? they serve vegetarian biscuit and gravy. super rare, and very delicious from my personal denver brunch heaven, jelly.

so imagine my surprise when the waitress tells us they are out of veggie gravy for the day. i recovered from my distress with the help of a bloody mary.

b is on a coffee kick. he has been drinking approximately 6 cups a day at work, too, so if the next time you see him he has shrunk a few inches, don't be surprised.

alright, here is where the food extravaganza begins. i ordered a regular biscuit with an egg in lieu of the vegetarian option. 

his choice: the cordon bleu. it was huge.
 

to split {even though i don't like sweet potatoes} sweet potato fries. these actually turned out to be amazing, and again, sweet potatoes are not my thing. 

and, the grand champion of the meal: the biscuit french toast. some of the best french toast i have ever had - and that is saying a lot.

although we only ate half of our biscuits, took the sweet potato fries home and then didn't eat for the rest of the day, even looking at these photos i still feel overly full. but, the huge servings, flaky biscuits and sign that said "hey, y'all" was enough to make me feel like i was back in nash for the afternoon. and that makes the carb indulgence worth it.

NEVER BE ASHAMED OF YOUR DREAMS.

like most middle-aged couples, we spent all day yesterday watching the us open.

i actually worked at a country club all through high school, and my dad is a really good golfer {he once hit a hole-in-one on a major course!}, so i know enough about golf to hold a basic conversation. watching 12 hours of it isn't exactly my cup of tea, but big championships are pretty exciting.

anyway, one of the first things i caught on to was that the announcers were lightly poking fun at one of the golfers who had said at a press conference that he believed he had a chance to win the open. it took me a bit to get the full story, but they were talking about beau hossler. why was this seemingly chuckle-worthy to my beloved bob costas? because beau is 17. and an amateur golfer.

when asked if he could win, beau said:

"absolutely. there's not a doubt in my mind."

spoiler alert: beau went on to finish +9, nowhere near the top of the pack. but, it still really bothered me that his ambition was seen as audacious.

if people heard most of my goals, they would probably laugh, too. i'm sure many of us are too embarrassed to share what we hope to do with our lives. cheers to beau for being eager, driven and honest. let's all promise that not only will we not judge others' dreams as unreachable, but agree that our own are worth it, too.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY.

happy father's day to my dad!

my dad is one of my favorite people in the world. he is the only person i call when i want advice, because i know he will shoot it to me straight. and half the time all i need to hear is him say that i am blowing it out of proportion. he is hardworking, loyal and incredibly supportive.

he also has the weirdest catchphrases and definitely could star as the witty dad in any reality show. examples include: b's favorite "off the chain" {to describe food or guns}, something i heard in my teenage years "you aren't wearing enough clothes to clean a shotgun barrel", calling anyone "sybil" when they're getting a bit dramatic and nicknaming me "rooster cogburn", which i literally thought was because of my hair color until i super recently saw the movie of the same name and i guess i got that title because my sweet nature reminded him of john wayne's character. =)

i love you dad and am so glad that i am your daughter.

BOBCATS FOREVER.

this is how i know i'm not in my early 20s anymore: today i have officially been graduated from college for four years.

four YEARS! not four months or four weeks, which both feel more believable. this article was recently making the rounds on the social networks, and i couldn't help but share. it's a really beautiful wrap-up of the ohio university experience. {and i have definitely had a similar night as outlined in the final paragraph - involving o'betty's and everything.}

four years ago, i never could have guessed where i would have ended up today.

i look back, and am so thankful for my experience as a bobcat, the degree i earned and the intangibles i took away. it was in athens that i learned the importance of a competitive drive, met amazing people i'm still close with today, was given a scholarship to visit egypt, decided to move to nashville, attended the same classes and parties with b before we knew each other, developed a love for tequila and created an undying bond with my fellow ohio university alums.

thanks for the memories, athens. i'll love you forever.

p.s. hat tip to shari for the photo. oh, and thanks for still being an excellent friend, eight years later.

MT. EVANS.

on saturday i woke b up at 4 a.m.to head out to north america's highest paved road, which was one of the things on our summer to-do list!

see, the sign says it all. elevation: 14,260 feet. we should have taken notice of this before we were at the summit.

here it is: the road! so, i'm not going to lie. i groaned and screamed and acted nuts the entire way. i'm not a huge fan of heights and the road was so skinny, there were no guardrails and you could see where portions of the road had broken off and fallen into the valley. because, you know, the road is on the edge of a mountain. also, in a bunch of areas there was still ice on the road. DANGER!

and, you all, we saw three bikers and a runner hitting the pavement. i have no words for the fitness-obsessed people that live here.

it took about 30 minutes to get from the start of the park {that sign} to the very top. it was about 70 when we left denver at 4:40 a.m. at the summit at 6? 39. 39 degrees! i had packed a sweatshirt, which b had made fun of. neither of us were laughing when we got out of the car. the winds were raging at 50 miles per hour and we could see our breath. when i couldn't open the car door on my own, i realized we were very unprepared.

one of three photos i snapped at the top. amazing, right? we should have heeded the warnings on the sign. both of us were instantly affected by the complete lack of air and ran around the top like total whackos. literally, you could not breathe, the gusts was blowing even b around and while there are some walls up as wind protection it was a cyclone no matter where you stood. we were out there for approximately two minutes.

after a quick respite in the car, we jumped out and had another visitor shoot a photo. this was the best one. check that hair!

one of the reasons we got to mt. evans so early was because we read that the animals are out and about in the morning. they were right! we didn't see a mountain goat, but we saw a deer, a fox {walking on the highway at the base of the mountain} and this cute little guy! i rolled my window down and yelled "work it!" and he looked right at me. too cute. 

i think this shot of the helicopter illustrates how deep the mountain range goes. doesn't it look like we are in a foreign country?

and a win for self photography! just a couple of turns down from the summit and 20 degrees warmer and weather more supportive of a good hair shot.

mt. evans, i'd recommend it! just don't forget your snow jacket, winter hat and oxygen tank.

KATELYNBURKHART.COM

i am so appreciative of every comment, tweet, text, phone call and email i got after yesterday's post. to say it was hard for me to share is an understatement. i am still really disappointed, but looking forward to the future. plus, i have a back-up plan! 

introducing:

yay! freelancing is something i always wanted to do, but always had an excuse not to try. i put it on my 2012 goals list to launch a professional website and up until a month ago it still was far from the front of my mind.

today, www.katelynburkhart.com is live and i have three clients.

i am thrilled. i'll still be searching for another full-time gig, but to know i have a space to work creatively with awesome individuals and small businesses makes me really happy.

and, to give you a laugh, here are some outtakes from my recent headshot session.

my personal favorite is the middle one. just keep on smiling, you all, keep on smiling.

QUITTER.

i quit my job today.

there's no applicable photo, dead-on quote or deep thought that can make me feel good about it at this point.

you know that big movement where all bloggers are writing posts about things they're afraid to tell their readers? even though most of the people who read this blog are my family, there are truths that even i don't want to admit to myself. this job was not right for me from day one. i am terrified i will never figure out what my career path should be. i think quitting is such a cop out and i'm embarrassed that i did it. i'm worried about money and do not want to depend on anyone to take care of me.

but, the biggest thing i don't want to speak out loud, the ugly thought ringing in my ears almost every day, the sentence that simply typing out makes me cry: 

i'm afraid that moving to denver was a huge mistake. 

BUSY SUNDAY.

sunday we decided to get up and go! after our morning walk, we grabbed a groupon now deal. it was for a little coffee shop in my dream neighborhood, congress park. very similar to my nashville love, sylvan park. under the umbrella cafe had great reviews, so we were excited to try it out.

90+ degrees. weather be damned, he was having coffee.

giant breakfast burrito. b gave it two thumbs up. as you can see, the silverware were making their way in, barely waiting for me to snap a shot!

the mexican. green chiles, turkey and pepper jack. delish.

next door is the daily scoop. we saw the owner giving out dog treats and being generally really friendly, so we poked our heads in. i have never had frozen custard before and i am a hardscoop ice cream supporter all the way, but this was amazing. we got snickers on top and it was perfection.

next stop: the denver art museum for the yves saint laurent retrospective! i've been wanting to go since we moved. it's extra special that denver is the only place in the u.s. where the exhibit will be shown.

no pictures allowed inside. woh, woh. my favorites included video of women marching in france and referencing wearing pants. can you imagine wearing pants being controversial?! we got to see amazing outfits and listen to saint laurent speak on his designs. my favorite quote was, "the most beautiful clothes that can dress a woman are the arms of the man she loves. but for those who haven't had the fortune of finding this happiness, i am there." isn't that romantic?

on the love theme, he sent out valentine's day cards every year. the art museum is selling postcard versions of them and i just had to have some.

a surprising hit: the madeleine albright exhibit. actually, it was an exhibit of her brooches! in her role as secretary of state she chose what pin she wore every day based on her meeting or her mood. she wore some in foreign countries, had one made out of pieces of the berlin wall and was given a pin by a young man whose mother had died in hurricane katrina. she has a truly amazing story. i want to read more about her. i'll add it to the summer to-do list!

oh, you know, just some cows. more of denver's public art on our way out.

CURRENTLY CRAVING.

remember when i did currently craving posts every tuesday?

remember when it was stuff like watches and sweaters?!

and now, look what colorado has done to me: it's these boots.

i love that blue trim. plus, it'd fulfill one of our summer to-dos! nobody tell b, but i'm pretty sure i'm gonna need to make these mine.

SUMMER IN DENVER.

{from our hike in boulder. i'm sure there will be many more similar shots this summer.}

i made a nashville bucket list last july, and we did almost none of it. pitiful! but, that won't keep me from giving it another shot. i feel like the weekends sneak up on us, and most of the time i don't want to do anything but veg on the couch. however, it's a new city and we need to live it up! so, here are some of the things we {yep, b added his favs, too! hint: they involve alcohol.} want to do this summer:

- see a rockies game.
- go view the ysl exhibit at the denver art museum. we tried to go a few weeks ago and it was sold out that day, but we're going to give it another shot. we did this yesterday. post coming soon!
- walk the royal gorge suspension bridge.
- complete two 5ks! we are already registered for the set the pace 5k {which is in two weeks - yikes!} and the drop your drawers and run wild 5k {no, i did not make that up}.
- go to the dancing pines distillery.
- stand beside tricia when she gets married! well, that's just me, but b officially has a plane ticket and will be there too. if anyone has maid-of-honor speech advice, i'd love to hear it.
- hang out at jazz in the park. hat tip to anna for informing me of this apparently awesome sunday evening happening. 
- check out red rocks. maybe even go to a concert? i just found out sawyer brown played there last week, which i somehow never heard about until it was too late.
- buy a pair of hiking boots. and hit the trails, of course!
- take a weekend trip to strawberry park hot springs.
- watch all of the olympics! i can feel the tears coming on already.
- drive "america's highest paved automobile road" mount evans! doesn't that sound cool?! it's 14,200 feet at the summit and is only an hour outside of denver.
- tour great divide brewery.
- go to camp. camp has quickly become a love of my life. i am so thankful that we get to spend a few days there this year.
- M-O-V-E! i cannot say enough how glad i am to be moving this month! hopefully this helps you understand the level of my joy: !!!!!

with all this on the agenda, i am really looking forward to the next few months! what do you have planned for this summer?

p.s. this is my 200th post! woot. 

HAPPYGRAMS.

did i mention how great last weekend was here?

oh, i did.

well, here are a few more photos to prove it.

happy hour with ashley at marg's. my lunch. downtown. courtney's pasta salad in my birthday dishes. stopping for coffee on our walk home from the grocery store. cocktail club at the red-lit cruise room, a million thanks to anna for the invite! reading in cheeseman park. {yes, i wore sunscreen, and yes, i got burnt. in one hour outside!} great divide tap room. and the most important: our soon-to-be neighbor. we signed a lease last week and i am overjoyed that we are moving on july 1. our new neighborhood is called lowry and i'll tell you all about it.

no surprises there.

happy weekend!