Is it Spring yet?

Well, I thought spring was right around the corner. It started to warm up in the Denver metro, and I had swapped out my coat for a jacket. One thing people keep telling me about Colorado is that the weather is unpredictable. One day it can be clear skies and in the 70s and the next below freezing and snowing. In March we got hit with a winter storm the days leading up to it the warm had been nice. It had been warm and sunny out, but the temperature started to drop and the forecast was calling for 4-6 feet of snow.

My job ended up shutting down for the weekend, so I ended up with a three-day weekend. Which allowed me to rest and get ahead on some of my school work. Since skiing and snowboarding are apart of Colorado life. I’d catch glimpses of people skiing down the sidewalks. Now I’m no stranger to snow, but that was a first for me. I’ve never been skiing, but it’s something I’d like to try. It looks like a lot of fun and a good way to get around during a snowstorm.

No Summer Semester for me

The snow doesn’t bother me much, but I do get tired of it. I’m ready for spring and warmer weather, but not my allergies to start acting up. It also means the end of the spring semester. My first semester has been going well, and I’ve been learning a lot. Originally, I wasn’t planning on starting school until the fall of 2021, but decided sooner was better than later. I don’t regret my decision to start in the spring instead of the fall, but I do wish I would have waited. I jumped right into things shortly after moving to Colorado and it’s been one thing after the other without a break. It’s starting to get to me, and I feel burnt out. I’m doing what I can when I can to keep myself from being fully overwhelmed.

For that reason, I’ve decided to not take summer classes to give myself a break. I need it and more fun in my life. Right now I bounce back and forth between work and school. Ocacssiunaly I’ll find time to do something fun but not often enough. I think taking a break in the summer will allow me to fully charge my batteries so I can go into the fall semester feeling rested and ready to go. Plus I can focus more on work and saving money for my fall tuition.

Ramen? Yes, please.

In between snow, school, and work I found time to get out of my apartment and go on a food adventure. Since I’m within walking distance of a lot of restaurants. I like to walk around the area and see what catches my eye. On one of my outings, I stumbled upon Osaka Ramen. I hadn’t had ramen in a really long time, and it sounded good so I grabbed a to-go order of their vegetable ramen and the Osaka salad.

Their vegetable ramen is a  Thai green-coconut curry topped with tofu, honshimeji mushroom, garlic spinach, pickled vegetables, scallions, and a soft egg. I’m not a huge fan of coconut so I was on the fence about it. Boy was it good, the broth packed with flavor and creamy. The noodles were cooked to perfection and all the topping paired well with the ramen. Typically I get a seaweed or a cucumber salad, but the Osaka salad was something different. I liked it but didn’t feel like it paired well with my ramen. I would have preferred it with a bento box. In the future, I plan on going back and trying one of their bento boxes.

Spring Break

My spring break wasn’t much I spent most of it working. I wanted to go home to Michigan and visit my family but ended up changing my mind. Instead, I decided to home off until summer I’ll either visit them or they’ll come and visit me. I wanted to do something for my spring break so I did some research on local hiking spots. I found a lot of places that were only about an hour to an hour and a half away. The weather wasn’t on my side though, and I was afraid to get caught in a snowstorm.

I decided to go to the Red Rocks, which is about a thirty-minute drive from Denver. The weather called for clear skies in the morning followed by rain in the afternoon. If I got out there early I’d be able to enjoy some outdoor time before it started raining. It was a much-needed break from the city. Since I got there early it was quiet and peaceful, I did the trading post trail loop and climbed to the top of the amphitheater. I can’t wait for concerts to come back so I can see a show there.

April Plans

April is probably going to be a busy month, so I don’t have a lot of plans. Since my classes are online I won’t have finals for the end of the semester, but final projects instead. My final projects are going to be my main focus in April. I’ve got about five weeks left in the semester so I want to make sure that I’m not rushing, feeling stressed out, or overwhelmed. I’m almost to the finish line and I get a much-needed break from school. Outside of school, I plan on doing some research into buying a home.

I’m over apartments and would love to own a place and cut out the middle man. I’ve owned a home before, but that didn’t go well. Partly because I was working with someone who wasn’t willing to compromise and wanted to dive in with getting all the facts. Since it’s just me I can take my time and make an informed decision about purchasing a home. Other than that my April will primarily consist of work, school, and a little bit of fun. Hopefully no snow and warm weather.

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