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Since the year is winding down and I’m still catching up on things, I thought I’d visit one of my favorite days of the past year in today’s post.

Back in September, Cory + I celebrated our 3 year anniversary. I intended to surprise him with a weekend of camping but Colorado decided to have it’s annual supply of rain delivered in one week. So, camping was out – but we were still able to make it up to Breckenridge for a day trip. It just so happened that Oktoberfest fell on our anniversary weekend, so we signed up for a morning 5k, followed by an afternoon exploring the festival.

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I absolutely loved the trail they used for the 5k. It was super steep, so there were no speed records set in this family, but the views were awesome. There was an initial climb that led to great views of the city, then the trail wound through aspen groves and pine forest. So crazy that the leaves were just barely starting to change back then! Aside from the steepness of the course, and a few muddy spots from all the rain, this is probably one of the best trails I’ve run or hiked in Colorado.

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breck5kAfter the run, we headed over to downtown Breckenridge for the Oktoberfest – where we proceeded to consume all the calories that we’d just burned off on those hill climbs. It rained on and off in the afternoon, but I’m glad the weather was pretty perfect for our morning run! I encountered a chocolate-dipped coconut macaroon as big as my head, so that was my obvious choice – not your traditional Oktoberfest food, I suppose, but it was delicious! I love exploring Breckenridge, and Oktoberfest is a great time to do it. They had a pretty wide selection of beers to chose from and plenty of tasty food (think apple strudels, giant pretzels, etc). This was our second year visiting the festival and I’m thinking it’ll become a Colorado tradition of mine.

What is one of your favorite memories from 2013? Can you believe the year is already almost over?!

Filed in:Colorado | Everyday Adventure | Travel

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I can’t believe Christmas is only 11 days away! It feels like December has just flown by at a crazy fast speed. I have about a million deadlines to finish in the next week, but then it’s all about vacationing for two whole weeks. Looking forward to it so much. Not so much looking forward to flying on Christmas day, but at least it should be fairly quiet at the airport? Speaking of airports, I thought I’d pull together a little list of lovelies that are perfect for the travelista. I would be pretty stoked to find any of these goods wrapped up under the tree.

1. We all know that I love me a good travel journal, and this one from Rifle Paper Co has totally stolen my heart! How cute is that camel?

2. I feel like every time I fly, I’m fighting the comfort vs. style battle but I think this cozy merino wool sweater hits both on the mark. Perfect with skinny jeans and boots for a holiday travel adventure.

3. Out of everything here, this one is definitely on the “dream” wish list – because let’s admit, a cashmere eye mask is a little bit over the top. But at the same time, those long trans-oceanic flights would be that much comfier…and then there’s that matching travel pillow.

4. Fun fact about me: I don’t actually have my ears pierced. But I will say that a cute pair of green studs are much more airport security friendly than necklaces and bracelets are. Sometimes I think about taking the plunge just because earrings are so darn cute. But then I remember there are needles involved.

5. I am a huge fan of Bobbi Brown and this mini brush set would be perfect to throw in a travel bag – plus it’s gold + shimmery which makes it holiday friendly, right?

Are you already done with your holiday shopping or are you a Christmas eve shopper? I actually finished 90% of my shopping on cyber Monday this year, which was pretty amazing. Now all I have left to do is the wrapping!

Filed in:Style | Travel

A little while back (when there were still leaves on the trees), Erin of artsocial and I decided to do a little collaboration and make a video of a few of her favorite spots on South Broadway in Denver! Since I’m relatively new to Denver, it was really fun to learn about a few local spots and hanging out with Erin always makes for a good day. If you’re in Denver and are interested to see the details about the places featured in the video (and a few bonus locations that didn’t make it into the video), head over to her post and she will hook you up with the inside scoop. I think finding spots unique to where you live is so fun and makes you connect + appreciate your city a little bit more.

If you’re in Denver – do you have any local favorites that I need to explore? If you’re not in Denver – what are some local discoveries that make you love where you live?

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P.S. Want to work with me to create some awesome video content for your blog? Head over to Evergreen Lane Productions and let’s chat about it!

Filed in:Colorado | Travel | Video
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  • Adina | Gluten Free TraveletteDecember 12, 2013 - 9:42 am

    Such a great video – absolutely makes me want to come back to Denver. That craft store looks phenomenal!ReplyCancel

    • Annabelle MintzDecember 12, 2013 - 12:12 pm

      Thanks Adina! You definitely do need to come back to Denver, and if you do, let’s meet up 🙂 I just had brunch at a place that makes amazing donuts (gluten free too!). xoReplyCancel

  • AmberDecember 12, 2013 - 6:17 pm

    We hit Pint’s Pub, ate at Watercourse and had ice cream at Sweet Action. All great places in my opinion. Also spent a bit of time at Buffalo Exchange and the above fabric store! Wish I had 1/10 of the places in Amarillo that Denver has! Thanks for the lovely video.ReplyCancel

  • Annabelle MintzDecember 12, 2013 - 10:57 pm

    Thanks Amber, glad you liked the video! I have heard great things about Sweet Action…we almost considered including it but it wasn’t open when we were there! It was a pretty cold day, but I definitely want to go back and try it in the summer.ReplyCancel

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It’s been a cold & snowy last few days here in Colorado and I can’t say I’m not grateful to be working from home where it’s cozy and warm. As I watch the snow fall outside my window, my mind wanders pretty easily back to my first visit to Prague. My roommate and I had a weekend there during our study abroad, it was early December (or late November? I can’t quite remember which now) and it was bitter cold and snowy pretty much for our entire trip. But there is something special about a city covered in fresh snow, isn’t there? It seems so bright and magical – which is still the way that I think of Prague to this day. Out of all the places I’ve visited, Prague may have surprised me the most, and in the best way. So, it’s snowy and my mind is on Prague – with a cozy bright sweater and a hot toddy in hand, of course. What would make for a better snow day?

Filed in:Daydreaming

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At the beginning of November, most of the beautiful fall leaves were still on the trees – now everything’s on the ground. It’s amazing how much can change in a month, isn’t it? A month ago, I started a little creative challenge for myself, and titled it Soulvember. It’s basic goal was to tie up a lot of the little loose ends and projects that were filling brain space in my life (without actually getting any forward momentum), so that I could start 2014 with a blank slate. Many of these projects are going to end up bleeding over into December, but I’m ok with that because the holidays are a crazy time and I’m really pretty happy to have made any progress at all! Like I always thought about NaNoWriMo, writing a few thousand words is better than writing none at all – even if you don’t meet the 50,000 word mark. I was busy, busy, busy in the month of November but I’m happy to say that Soulvember ended up going pretty well anyway. Here’s a little recap on how I did:

1. Morning Private Victories. I think making time for myself in the morning is pretty much habit now – which I think is a bigger success than whether I checked this box every single day.

2. Finish the website updates that are in the works for Evergreen Lane. You’ll be seeing these launch (at the latest) during the first week of January! Hooray!

3. Be caught up on all current classwork by the end of 2013. Finished two of the four Skillshare classes that were waiting for me, and that leaves two for December so that I can reach my goal of finishing by the end of 2013.

4. Record some original music. Didn’t happen, but I’m ok with it – to be honest, with all my other projects, this was low on the totem pole (though fun).

5. Pick out dining chairs and lamps for the apartment. Picked out but probably won’t be purchased this month with all the extra holiday expenses.

6. Plan out and start writing Evergreen Lane newsletter content for a 2014 launch. This is going to be one of my big projects that has rolled over into December.

7. Rough draft that e-book idea. I have a basic outline that’s going to get fleshed out this month and will hopefully be launch-ready in the spring.

8. Post two videos on the blog this month. Didn’t get any up in November, sadly – but there are at least two on the docket for December so keep an eye out! This will definitely be accomplished by 2014.

9. Try out a few of those new blog post ideas that have been sitting in my drafts folder forever. Check it out, I actually did a DIY post or two, and that remix packing post is something I’ve wanted to try forever.

10. Do another 30×30 clothing challenge (no shopping!). Boom. Always such a good feeling.

11. Create blog content out of last year’s NaNoWriMo. This was another low-on-the-priority-list project, and thus, it didn’t get done…yet.

12. Design + order Christmas cards. They’re designed. Going to be ordered this week, and you’ll be seeing them on the blog later this month!

So – I got an over 50% completion rate, which isn’t too bad, and I definitely think I can make 100% by the time 2014 rolls around at the end of this month.  Something about it being the end of another year that really makes me want to hustle and make my time count!

What are some things you’d like to see accomplished by the end of 2013?

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I’m also super happy to announce that the winner of the Minted 2014 Calendar giveaway is Rochelle! She’s been a long time blog-friend and fellow military wife, so I’m thrilled to see her win. Not to mention I thought her idea of a portfolio calendar for her photography studio was rather brilliant! Congratulations, Rochelle – I’ll be emailing you today!

Filed in:Creativity

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