3 women and a book, the almost moon

my brilliant sister decided a couple of months ago to start a 'book club.' this club is quite exclusive as it's only members are my sister, my mom and me. sara thought it would be a fun way for us to 'do something together' when she was away at school and with me living out here in the mountains. the initial idea was we could skype our book club meetings, but that fell apart because i refuse to buy internet in my apartment...and the sketchy connection i do get from (the bar) across the street isn't conducive to maintaining a good connection.

the first book was sara's pick-the almost moon by alice sebold, and it was bizarre to say the least. the first sentence of the book 'when all is said and done, killing my mother came easily' leads you through the next 3 or 4 days of the narrators life-flashing back to her childhood. at first i struggled to connect with this woman who obviously had pervading mental illness in her family, but as i read deeper into what made her who, and how she was-i found myself feeling terribly sorry for her.

ultimately, the book is well written, and interesting, but takes a little 'getting used to.'
i would give it a 6.
 our next read-my pick-the happiness project by gretchen rubin. it's promising so far, and yes, just might create more happiness!

reading is so in.
xoxo ashleycolean

beautimous, free people

i had a momentary lapse of good judgment this weekend and binged on some free people items. in my defense-one of the items is a total replica of the dress my mom wore in her 1980 senior pictures, so i am planning something totally fantastic with that!

this identical dress my mom wore is amazing and timeless

the other two items were just because they are adorable and i happened upon them. i guess this is what happens when you shop from bed on a saturday after too many cocktails on friday night.



this skirt was on crazy sale-$30 bucks?!




and these booties are simply amazing


lesson learned. i promise. don't i?

my gf tara got some great things too! i was in total cart envy when she sent me her list. she has such a great sense of style...i envy her look for sure. check out my faves of her stuff.
 

i mean, these suckers are just awesome

 

LOVE this top!

and this bad boy

hope you all had an amazing, beautimous weekend~

viva la maxi.
xoxo ashleycolean



lyle and maryjane

today is my great grandparents seventy-first wedding anniversary. seventy-one! and even though my grandpa passed away last year-only a couple of months after the seventy year mark-i feel like a love like theirs should be remembered.

i've never seen two people love each other so much.

i love you grandma and i hope you can remember the good times today. smile, and know that a love like yours is what girls like me hope to have one day.

happy anniversary mrs. lyle colean-and you grampa-we miss you-everyday.

ain't love grand.
xoxo ashleycolean

9 pound hammer or a woman like you

when i made the awesome, and scary, and wild move west after college i had a panic attack on the drive.

i had no friends.

zero.

what would i do?

no one would ever be able to talk to me like chelsey, or kill me with her wit like york. know me like my sister. i had some pretty rad friends, and now, here i was, cruising down i70 excited, nervous, and freaked out about making this new journey without anyone by my side.

the next few months were rough. no job. no one to sit with me for endless hours drinking on various patios around the city. i was a sad sack. a weeping mess that acted like everything was amazing if anyone would call. 

but then, something happened.

the friends came.

and now, i am so lucky.

these are just a few of the amazing women i now get to call friends.

angela at glbt gala, denver 2011

amy, katie and jenn in arizona for the half marathon that nearly killed me

 


marathon number one morning with amy



kendall fall 2010

my gracepotter partner in crime-emily

leah in ft collins at the tour de fat costume bike race

ft collins crew summer 2010

brooke at hapa with some handsome fellas



my first friend-stephanie. boulder st pattys day 2011





the gorgeous and talented tara of tarapolly.com



my cobf annie-feel like i have known her my whole life

i used to get a lot of sleep when i was moping around alone. now i'm pooped, over extended, my planner is a total disaster, and i'm so happy my heart could explode.

you all are a part of the life i made, the life i chose, the life i put together, and i am one lucky girl.

xoxo ashleycolean

rant and rave-crazy woman with the knuckles

last night i was sitting at the corner of 14th and curtis (construction hell right now). a cabby let a group of ped morons walk when they shouldn't have...hand means no walk....so i got stuck a bit out in the crosswalk-which i will admit.
however, what happened next blows my mind. this crazy ass woman-i'm guessing 60-balled up her fist, rushed up to my (BRAND NEW) car and pounded on the hood with her knuckles, repeatedly screaming 'you're in the crosswalk-you're in the crosswalk.'

under normal circumstances i would like to think i would have politely rolled down my window and explained what had happened in a calm, rational way. but the fact that i have been taking meticulous care of my new car-not allowing anyone food or drink inside the damn thing, parking miles from any entrance, and washing it weekly (at a minimum) it may be an understatement to say i flipped.

i think had it not been for my seat belt holding me in, or all of the other onlookers i would have gotten out of my car and potentially caused bodily harm to this 60 year old woman.

however, instead, i rolled my window down and let her know how absurd she was-of course i yelled, and may have used words i wouldn't generally use around 60 year olds...

but come on, really?!!?? you're knuckles?!?!


long live the car/ped battle of denver.
xoxo ashleycolean

beautimous, spring

i have a terrible shopping problem. i've gotten over it. come to terms with it. decided to embrace it.

viva la my fave spring items...

this jacket from anthro is just way to cute-over a maxi with a decent clog-i'm in. all in.

i'm not sure that i have ever ventured in to charlotte russe, but for these i would...did i mention they do buy 1 get 1 for $15...

so of course, my second pick...

these are bonkers cute.

my anthropologie obsession continues with these couple of must haves...

i mean, come on.

free people did an awful lot right this season also...

dresses like this little gem that have been sitting in my cart for a month now.

check these suckers...man o man. yes please.

and of course, the quintessential spring accessory-

a nice torty rayban. thank goodness for my discover card rewards to sunglass paradise.

i could go on and on...but i leave you with this.

just think. in only weeks we'll be hitting poolsides for cocktails and bronzing bods...so maybe i oughta grab a new pair of these while i'm at it.

xoxo ashleycolean

fly away-d.c.

so dc was a trip. what a gorgeous family amanda has made! with baby boy gavin - a dream child, amazing and kind hearted husband and getting more gorgeous by the day i felt in awe of her all weekend.


thursdays travels were a trip-they probably deserve their own post but here were the highlights:
~free whiskey rocks x 3 to start the weekend out with a bang from my travel friends tyler and blake on the plane. these nice fellas did something with underground piping and got off in st louis-boo.
~stl was a 90 minute layover which turned in to 2 twenty ounce beers with a 'bachelor' look alike...'brad, is that you?!'
~stl to baltimore i sat next to two gentlemen from the marines. they had terrible attitudes but as soon as i called them on it they were great fun and ready for cocktailing, so naturally i was too. they proceeded to give me relationship advice-loudly...it was all in fun, but after the flight we got several comments, 'most entertaining flight i've ever taken,' 'he didn't deserve you," and my personal favorite 'you'll find someone one day, sweetheart.' so humiliating.


on to the vacation!


friday morning we woke up and i was introduced to my new best friend, gavin. cute little nugget!

then headed out for some brunch at an adorable bistro in georgetown.

we walked to some nearby shops and grabbed coffee from the apparently infamous baked and wired. the line was too long to grab a cupcake, but maybe i can get amanda to send me one :)

 friday afternoon we headed through the hellish traffic back home to get ready for a night in chinatown. the sitters showed up and it was off for my very first metro experience-fairly painless...and made me wish we had more public transit in denver...

drinks, dinner, drinks-we decided we were too old and tired and were ready to head home on the Metro. standing at the crosswalk trying to get a picture with the chinatown arch this group of dudes approached us and we were all fast friends. we walked down the street to clydes where we had a couple more drinks with our new friends.

saturday we grabbed some bangin' lox and bagel at 'the bagel place' with the gavster looking cute as ever.

then headed to dc for a little peek at the washington monument.

we felt like luck was in our corner when two women gave us their tickets to the holocaust museum-which we headed to next. it was amazing, interesting and horrifying. i would certainly recommend it, but it is not for the faint of heart.

saturday went a bit downhill after heading back to (way too busy) georgetown on the metro and trying for that damn cupcake again. the line was 50 deep so we cabbed back to hyattsville with a not so awesome cab driver.

a little chinese and wine did the trick saturday evening with good company and a season of the office.

it was a great trip. and great reminder that there are people in your life that you can be far away from for far too long and still find your way right back to them. i feel blessed.

not bad for a vacation leaving feeling.

xoxo ashleycolean