Busy in the Un-Busy-Ness:Feeling Grateful

I have time to spare nowadays, and it hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be. Hanging out with people all the time which I felt like I did back in Irvine definitely had its fruits. And I must admit, it's something that I REALLY miss. Not only was I constantly around good company and having wholesome and meaningful conversations, but it was always a good excuse to go try places to EAT. Lately I've only been frequenting those trusty golden arches, and haven't been all too eager to try new places.

I was going to defend how having spare time was a good thing, and this is why: it's given me time to hone in on some of my hobbies.

I'm so grateful for music in my life. Yes listening, but more importantly, playing. I'm thankful for those times as a kid sitting in front of a piano with tears in my eyes because I didn't want to play anymore, but still being pushed to. I'm thankful for my piano teacher who restored my interest in piano when I was on the verge of quitting. I'm thankful for my brother who taught me how to play my first scales on the saxophone, which eventually opened the realm of blues and jazz to me. I'm thankful for my parents buying me a guitar for Christmas in high school even though they were probably well aware it was because of a girl. I'm thankful for Jason Shimabukuro for inspiring me to pick up a uke too. And Michael Buble for showing me that aspiring to be a crooner in this day and age can still be cool. 

I can't say I'm super good at any one instrument, but the "so much to do, so little time" motto has now become "so much to do, so much time" for me. I spent the first couple weeks of it vegging out and watching TV after work, but after a while it hit me: what am I doing? There's cocktail piano to be learned, there's diatonic chords and major 7th chord variations to be learned! There's chord progressions and finger picking and scales too! 

I haven't even begun practicing drawing again! 

So here's to my lifelong journey with music, shattering my boredom and stimulating my brain ever since I was just a wee little child. I'm grateful for all the people that brought me here, and I want to keep at it no matter where I end up, bringing happiness and joy to those around me. 

Thoughts on Colorado

Just a few days ago was the 2-month mark of my time in Colorado. What a very different two months of my life. I know I've had a lot of pictures so far. I thought it fitting to dump some of my brain's thoughts of my time here today.

Where to begin?

Friends. 
I've befriended a few of my coworkers, and I'm really lucky for that! It makes my time at work a lot more bearable. One of them has become one of my best friends out here, and although we may have many differences in the choices in lifestyle, our love for cartoons, anime, video games, and other really (REALLY) geeky stuff trumps it. He's a little bit on the wilder side sometimes, but it's always an adventure with him. I went to shoot his shotgun with him out in some national park just yesterday (yup all perfectly legal!). Straight up 'neckin, but man it was a trip! a perfect final salute to the weekend :)

Work.
Maybe I should've begun with this one. Work is... work. The grind is a struggle at times, and I've done a fair share of grinding in my life. The job that I'm in (which will change in a few weeks) is collections, and it really is what it sounds like: collecting car payments from people who owe us and haven't been paying. It's often times not the easiest of conversations to have with people, and usually when people aren't able to make car payments, there are many other things in their life which aren't going as planned either. Sometimes as a rep who has to call them we get the shorter end of their tempers.
Even having said that, I wouldn't trade this experience for very many other things. Perspective is a really important thing to have in your life, and I'm getting a good deal of very different perspectives and glimpsing into very different lifestyles and situations when speaking with customers of ours. 

Church.
It's still a hunt! It's a lot more difficult to get plugged in that I thought. I've been going to a church down the street from where I live, and although it's pretty nice, I find myself getting lost in the crowd more often than not. It's a 10,000+ attendance, so there's no surprise there. I also tried checking out a small group, but it just didn't seem like my thing. I may see if there's a better fit around, but during this season in life I find that it's necessary to start with the source and then move out to being really concerned with "the right church." A church community is important and something that I really want, but God needs to happen first!

Personal.
On weekdays when I'm not hanging out with my coworkers often times I'm just at home relaxing, watching TV, or playing music. Facebook has become less of a necessity out here, and the pace of life seems just a bit slower. With no need to hit the books, sometimes I feel like my brain is rotting, so maybe soon I'll try to pick up something brain-stimulating. There's much room for me to improve as a person out here. Paying bills, having adult obligations and all that junk is pretty weird too!!

Adventures.
Half of the reason I can't believe I've only been here for 2 months is because of how many different things I've done since I've been here! From concerts, hiking, exploring cities, going to different towns, eating different foods and befriending the owners, it's been a wild and enjoyable ride. I found an awesome Greek place with two awesome owners, but that's a story for a different time. 

Let me know if you want any Colorado stuff!! Keychain? Flag (I think their flag is pretty dope!)? Magnets? Seriously I'd be more than happy to help you out :) Definitely miss my friends back at home!