Necklace alterations

I have a lot of necklaces that I love, but hail from days past when a shorter length was in style. Instead of spending the money to buy new ones, I have found two simple ways to convert the ones I love to longer, more wear-able options. 

First, use the chain from another necklace to add length.

For example, I have this necklace that I am quite fond of. However, with the styles of tops I am currently wearing, it would look better longer. Therefore I found a chain of a matching color and weight and simply clasped one to the other, on both ends.

Voila! Versatile new necklace!

Although I used a chain that would have made the necklace too long, looping the chain around one more time gave me the desired length. The weight of the turquoise necklace made for an awkward choker, but it stayed at a more comfortable and attractive length when a small safety-pin was applied to the back of both loops to hold it in place. 

Another option is this, adding ribbon to a necklace to add length.

You are what you eat

Happy birthday to my friend (and blog-reader) Mary! A true lover of the outdoors, the mountains, and climbing, she was surprised with this cake on her birthday. How appropriate!

In the tree house...

...they serve warm deluxe honey buns and refreshing peach maté in a little room that makes you feel like you live in the world of The Lord of the Rings. Open 24 hours a day, the Yellow Deli is a lovely little escape from reality (but it fits perfectly in the "reality" of Boulder).

Live and learn

My inspiration for the remainder of the school year, and my academic career in general. Prior to last semester, I hardly dedicated any time at all to the 'live as if you were to die tomorrow' side of life and focused solely on the 'learn as if you were to live forever' side (aka: read ALL of the textbooks, every last one of them). Now that I have achieved a form of seniority in college (actually, juniority is more accurate) I feel that my life has come into a balance between these sides. I am getting better about really learning during my study time, and really living during my free time. This quote is a great reminder, and thus I own this poster (which can be found here).

No more excuses

I've got the gear,and now I'm ready to keep up my first-week-of-the-year fitness habits! I've really enjoyed having all of this stuff at home so I cannot possibly talk myself out of exercising ("but it's cold, it's snowing, it'll take too long to go to the gym and back, etc"). With a yoga mat, arm resistance band, leg resistance band, balance ball, and hand weights I have more than enough to keep me occupied. Plus, I have my own body as equipment (for example, these simple exercises). Here's to a very healthy semester!

Last day of break

On my last day of break, I enjoyed a relaxing day full of food. 

My parents came up to Boulder and we enjoyed a nice snowy afternoon at a nearby coffee shop with hot chai and adorable truffles (from left: white chocolate decadence, Gran Marnier, mint, and sea salt caramel). I have started reading The Hunger Games in anticipation of the upcoming movie, and got a decent portion read today.

This was followed by a delicious sushi dinner, my absolute all-time favorite food. I was absolutely stuffed...

...but I still had room for dessert! Moshi-covered ice cream balls. The pink were strawberry flavored, the yellow mango flavored, and the green green tea flavored. Super yummy. What a delicious end to a great break!

Skiing

Feeling my Colorado roots today, finally skiing with all of my own equipment. I have skied many times before, but each time with rented or borrowed gear. The extra steps of renting or borrowing equipment are time consuming and make the process much more frustrating. Today, on the other hand, was a fantastic change for better. I simply grabbed my gear, bought a lift ticket, and skied the day away. Although the amount of snow on the Colorado slopes is pretty slim this season, it was nonetheless a spectacular day spent skiing with good friends.