Another weekend has passed, and I’m struck by the boundless beauty that is possible within this vast state. There’s no question I’ve written basically that same sentence before on this blog – it’s seriously unending.

It seems that no matter which direction I turn, I’m facing something new and special. The past few weeks have been particularly fun, I imagine because both my boyfriend and I have spent a fair amount of time entertaining guests. It’s so fun (and exhausting) to have company, because you feel compelled to show them a fabulous time. It’s their vacation, after all. Thus, every second is jammed packed with meals and excursions and adventures.

Life has been non-stop fun. Besides those pesky responsibilities that crop up from time to time, mostly things have been interesting, novel, and pleasant. One day, a whole crew of us, friends new and old, rolled over to the Denver Art Museum to enjoy a free day amongst the 10 floors of well-curated exhibits. We were there for hours and hours and still didn’t see it all. It was a truly lovely way to spend an afternoon, and I’m eager to engage in more cultural outings like that.

Speaking of cultural, there of course have been a number of shows over the past weeks. Between constantly being exposed to new music out here and the fact that Denver seems to be a hub for touring artists, there are SO MANY SHOWS to see.  I never really had this in Nashville, somehow, so I assume it’s that I’m loving DJs more than I ever loved country.

It’s just so great. I saw the best laser show I’ve seen at Porter Robinson at the Ogden, and the best fiddler I’ve heard at Trampled by Turtles in Winter Park.

I had the pleasure of attending the Solshine Festival with one of my best friends in life, Liza. She flew out to visit me and went along with all my crazy plans for the day, including a rainy, cold, and trafficky drive out to the middle of the mountains to listen to a bunch of bluegrass bums jam out. It was rad.

Along the way, we spotted a bit of wildlife.

For real, we saw not one but *two* baby moose [I truly prefer meese] nursing from their mother while a male looked on, I assume the father? I can’t say I know much about moose beyond the fact that they’re aggressive and you definitely don’t want to hit one with your car. It was just totally cool to see one. I’ve been racking up some cool new wildlife spottings out here, including foxes, prairie dogs, bald eagles, elk, Stellar’s jays (thanks to Liza!), egrets, coyotes, antelope (which I totally thought only lived in like, Africa), and marmots. Fun stuff!

Speaking of other fun things: this awkward segue of the post. You’re welcome.

I just wanted to share this photo. Humor me. I’m a girl who before this year had never really ridden a bike as an adult, let alone owned one. There are currently two in my living room. Neither of which are mine. Mine is currently in my boyfriend’s garage. All three bikes have been extensively ridden. How did I go this long without biking in my life? (Or skiing, for that matter???)

In other firsts, my brother turned 22 for the first time ever this week, which is a feat I’m not sure everyone thought he’d accomplish. I can’t believe my baby brother is like, officially into his twenties. Can we discuss how old that makes me feel??? He has turned into such a handsome, mature, and compelling young man, and I’m grateful I get to live out here and be a larger part of his journey into adulthood. To celebrate, I took him to a Brazilian steakhouse, which is basically an all-you-can-eat meat heaven. Casey was beside himself. It was pretty great.

To top off what has been an exceedingly good month so far, I worked on set at a commercial shoot last week. Hello, job experience! A client of mine wanted to shoot a short online ad, so my agency worked to put that together, and I was one of the project managers!

It was neat to see a bit more intimately how the whole process worked, from booking talent to budgeting for a studio to powdering an actor’s face. It was a cool experience! I would definitely be interested in learning more about video production, and I’m hopeful I can get some more professional firsts like this under my belt!

Go July! Guys – I can’t even understand how it’s been a YEAR almost since I moved out here. What???? Life is chugging right along! It’s been so full of so much and yet I still feel so new. I marvel at how much I’ve been able to accomplish in such a short time and yet I feel as though I have barely scratched the surface of what there is to learn. Can life actually continue to get better? Is it possible?

I certainly hope so.