GO BIG RED!

Fabulous Denver friends + Husker shut-out in the Holiday Bowl = Great Wednesday night!

Who turns football into a girl's night out? We do, apparently. Great company, lots of laughter, and minimal sports talk. Soaking it all up before school starts again!

Back in Denver

Made it safely back to Colorado! (After a 2.5 hour flight delay and an airport brawl in which security had to be brought in. I wasn't directly involved, but I was closely behind the culprits in line. All of this in Omaha! Woah.)

I had a GREAT trip back to Nebraska and definitely had my share of blizzard weather for the year. :) It is nice to be back in Denver and get things in order for school to start next Monday. Reader's Digest version of the last few days:

Came home to marginally-finished basement construction project.....freaked out on management company and hippie contractor (nicely, of course).....project is now nearly completed and basement is livable again....went to see Avatar complete with stylish 3D glasses....had some Mediterranean food....went running....went grocery shopping....fixed broken tail light in Raul (Who am I kidding...Travis definitely did that one)....had a snakebite at an Irish pub -yum!....rallied friends to watch the Huskers play tonight at designated Denver Husker bar....ate a few of my roommate's Christmas cookies....currently at home while Mr. Rooter cameras our main line to see why plumbing keeps backing up....hearing something about a large tree and tree roots, oh my.....

Hope everyone had safe and uneventful travels over the holidays!

Christmas Happenings

I can't believe it has been two weeks already! I'm heading back to Denver tomorrow - hopefully all of the airports will be in full service. It has been an amazing trip back to Nebraska with way too many stories to recount. We got stuck in a full-on blizzard which caused us to adjust some plans, but we still had a great time. Here are just a few highlights:

Alex throwing snowballs at the front door of their house. He was excited because the drift was as deep as the stairs and in his words, "I don't even have to jump!"

Ella wearing both her princess dress AND her tutu underneath while checking out her new jewelry box with Grammy. "Don't I look beautiful?"

Luckily Nathan was borrowing his neighbor's snow blower for the weekend... we headed over to B's house to clear her driveway. No guarantees that it won't be blown shut again by the time you get back, B. :) That is a LOT of snow.

Teamwork!!

I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas! See you in the Rockies...

What Ice?

Oh right, THIS ice....

I LOVE THESE GIRLS!

Waffle fries...inside jokes...off-color comments....drinks....flying monkeys....broken seat belts....awkward servers....inappropriate amounts of small children....Jewish holiday lights....car sing-alongs....all with my girls. Best. Night. Ever!

Christmas Lights, The Best of

I guess this should be called "The Best of Christmas Lights...thus far." There are many neighborhoods we haven't hit yet that are always crowd pleasers. And by crowd, I mean me, myself, and I. Here are some faves; let me explain...

This is to demonstrate GOOD icicle lights. Notice how these hang straight down like real icicles and do not have that "new out of the Wal-Mart box" kinked look to them.

Now I'm not usually a fan of inflatables; I find them tacky. But if you MUST have them, go for the inflatable nativity. Quite cute, actually. Is the snowman included, or is that extra?

And of course, who doesn't love a light-up flamingo with a Santa hat? No one, that's who. At least no one I want to be friends with. This one gets my vote!
And then there is this house. Watch the video and come up with your own caption. :)

Getting a lot accomplished

What have I been doing with my time in Omaha? Oh, tons of important things. I went and watched Alex's Christmas program in which he starred as "door slammer" and "stairs". (I'm a very proud Aunt, as in my own Preschool production of The Three Little Pigs I starred as "sound effects".) Alex is the semi-somber one in the plaid shirt on the left. :)

AND I finished my Christmas shopping! (Well, nearly. But considering I hadn't started before I came home, I'm leaps and bounds from where I was.) Itook a picture of an extremely large icicle in the Old Market. It is hard to tell without a frame of reference, but that thing was huuuuge!

I've also managed to make times for a bit of work, dinners, movies, and fun with friends. I saw Briana's new house which is gorgeous, and I'm looking forward to meeting up with my Naumann (when she makes it back home) and my Edum (when she has time to breathe). :)

I hope you all are taking time to enjoy this time of year! Mainly, all the Christmas lights. My fave.

"The Good Life"

Back Home in the Big O

Home Sweet Home! I've been back in Nebraska for about 24 hours now, and man, has it been an exciting 24 hours! To start off, yesterday was the annual CMI Christmas party. (How nice of them to actually invite me this year!) It was all holiday cheer until the gift exchange started...then things got ugly. Ruthless people at CMI, I tell you. Luckily Alan and I both ended up happy with our Husker mugs. Phew.

This morning I went to meet my favorite B for coffee and a catch-up. Just the beginning! And I returned home to find the Haugs in full snow-gear/sledding mode. The drifts were so deep that Ella actually got stuck in them and had to be "saved" several times. But once we got to the hill and made a trail we had some great runs! Then into the house for some homemade hot chocolate and Veggie Tales. Helloooo, Christmas season :)

Oh, and we can't forget to mention one tiny detail... NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE BEARCATS ARE NATIONAL FOOTBALL CHAMPS!! WOO!! We caught the end of the game today and they finally won the national championship, Go Cats! It was well deserved... I guess the 5th time is the charm.

Jackson, do you want to lead us off? "B-E-R!"

Par-tay

I may not work at the BARS program anymore, but that didn't stop me from going to their Christmas party this last weekend! After all, I HAD already RSVP'd, and to not show up would have been rude. (Editor's note: No, I didn't just crash their party...they asked me if I would still come after I had quit. Great guys!) I was awesome to see everyone again and share some stories... and some wine.

What to do after the party? Well, sing karaoke, of course! We were blown away by a stellar duet performance of "Everybody Dance Now" highlighted with ugly Christmas sweaters. (Ahem, Travis.) The pure talent showcased convinced Anne to quit her job and become manager of the karaoke duo. Coming to a venue near you!

Surprise!

Sewage has backed up in our basement again. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?

According to the rental company this happens twice a year. So if it has happened twice since I've been here that means we should be clear until October of next year, right? I highly doubt that. And yes, I told the lady from the rental company that. Semi-nicely.

A bit much?

I love Christmas lights, and lots of them, but do you think they went a bit overboard with this one? This is the Denver County Courthouse, and yes, they do this same thing every year!

And speaking of rediculous, my roommate and I decided to brave the crowds at some outlet malls to go shopping on Black Friday. The sales went from 10 p.m. to 10 a.m. ... we got stuck in traffic for an hour and finally got parked at 11:00. I don't know if you can see it very well, but the picture below is of a huuuuuge line to get into the Coach outlet. It ran the entire length of the mall. Holy crap!

So much to be thankful for!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! With classes done, the sun shining, the parade on the TV, delicious coffee and good friends, I have a lot to be thankful here in Denver! I do miss far-away friends and family, of course, and I'm thinking of you all today!

To celebrate the end of classes, Travis and I headed to the mountain town of Glenwood Springs on Tuesday for a couple days of relaxation. And what a perfect town for it! Glenwood Springs is on the Western Slope, which is Colorado-speak for The Other Side of the Mountains. It took us a couple hours to get there, and it was such a pretty drive! (I don't think we got lost at all this time. We played the how-far-can-we-make-it-with-the-gas-light-on game, but we won.) Glenwood Springs is known for the hot springs pools, which are over two city blocks long. Perfect for a chilly night...

Also perfect for a chilly night? A-mazing Italian food at a little local restaurant downtown. Thank you, Colorado travel book.

And we topped it off with a couple of drinks at the Doc Holliday Tavern! Fantastic people-watching and an intense competition of I-Spy ensued.

We spent nearly the entire next day in the Yampah Hot Springs Vapor Caves which were incredible! They are natural cave saunas within the mountains that have been used by the Ute Indians since the 1800's. Picture relaxing one of three EXTREMELY hot caves with your feet in a tub of cold water while natural hot springs run at your feet. What an experience! (My jeans also fit much better when we left due to the six pounds of water I sweated out.)

A great trip to kick off the holiday season! Now off to eat some turkey, and then hit the mountain outlet malls with my roommate for the Black Friday sales. The sales start at 10 p.m. tonight and continue until 10 a.m. tomorrow. Bring it on!

Much love from the Rockies - hope you all have a wonderful holiday!

Just because misery loves company...

I would GLADLY accept any assistance with my final papers. Here is what I'm spending my Saturday night working on:

Question number 1 - (That's right - this is all ONE question!)

a. A potential employer, who is interviewing you for your ideal position, looking over your transcripts, says, “What is this course on international communication? What did you study in that course?” Respond to the interviewer by first defining “international communication,” then compare and contrast this definition with “global communication.” Explain how communication relates to globalization trends. (5 pts.)

b. Case example: Media coverage of the armed conflict in DR Congo (40 pts. total)
1) Next, watch the news video, “Coverage of DR Congo” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6H2K5twFjA) about imbalance in coverage of the conflict and humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the PR efforts of the rebels;

2) Also read the article and watch the video entitled, “Panel decries neglect of sexual violence in Congo” (http://www.womensenews.org/story/090405/panel-decries-neglect-sexual-violence-in-congo) by Womensenews.com, which describes the lack of global media attention to the rampant sexual violence against women.

3) Your task is to use the synthesis model of global communication (covered in class for Sept. 17) to analyze this case example of international communication. Focus on either 1) (about Congo rebels) or 2) (about women) above.

i.First, explain the major components of the synthesis model of global communication (covered in class on 9/17), including communication (structure/mode), information (content), and power. (6 pts.)

ii.Analyze the Congo case, and be sure to include in your analysis the potential advantages and disadvantages of the imbalance in media coverage from the point of view of (a) the people of the Congo (rebel fighters OR women – depending upon which example you pick above); (b) the Congolese government, (c) governments outside the Congo, and (d) foreign journalists covering the Congo conflict. (16 pts.)
Question #1, part 3) continued

iii.Finally, using this same Congo example, illustrate how Systems Theory is useful in explaining the role of the components of the model in the process of global communication. Be sure to include the major concepts in Systems Theory as well, including ALL of the following concepts: system, subsystems, feedback, input/output, homeostasis/balance, etc. (1) Define each concept first, then (2) apply it to the case (18 pts.)
(Question #1 total 40 pts.)

OH MY GOSH!!! I'm so close - I just can't kick my butt into gear to get this last paper done. After reading (or skimming) the above "question" you can probably see why! Contrary to what it sounds like after reading this test, the class was actually really enjoyable! And I'm looking forward to next quarter, too. But what am I looking forward to even more? GOING TO THE MOUNTAINS TO RELAX IN T-MINUS THREE DAYS. Travis, you'd better drive, my brain is already mush. I wouldn't trust me with anything. Specifically, the navigation of mountain passes.

Done with classes!

Hard to believe an entire quarter is done already - what a whirlwind! I had my last International Comm. class yesterday (complete with pizza - heck yes!) and now I'm done until second quarter starts up on Jan. 4th.



Don't get me wrong, I'm not done with school work yet... still working on those papers. Hopefully I'll have two completed by tonight, and then just one more to work on over the weekend. Wish me luck!



I don't have any exciting pictures to post...I haven't been doing much exciting lately. However - I will leave you with one of my recent "I'm definitely in Colorado" moments:



Last weekend it snowed (shocking), so Sunday morning I got up, got out the trusty shovel, and went to scoop the sidewalk. Not only did I need to get to my car in the garage, but being as we live next to Safeway and TONS of people walk by our house on the way to the store, I felt the need to clear the way for them. So I'm doing everyone a favor right? I thought so, but lo and behold, as I'm shoveling furiously, a couple coming towards me crosses the street to walk on the opposite sidewalk that is still snow-covered. They had donned their snowshoes to head to Safeway, and I guess my clearing the sidewalk interfered with that plan. And here I thought I was helping people! I hope at least someone appreciated my efforts. And, if nothing else, my arms sure got one heck of a workout.

Welcome to CO...

A little scenery

While I'm type-typing away at my final papers, I thought I'd take a break and give you all a glimpse of our most recent snowfall. (NOT measured in feet this time, thank goodness!) Now it is 40 degrees and sunny - perfect weather for sledding and building a snowman. Unfortunately my computer beckons. 18 pages and counting! (Not to be confused with the TLC show 18 Kids and Counting....that would be a COMPLETE lifestyle change for me.) Enjoy! :)

Why are we excited?

Because I'M DONE WITH WORK!

Now plenty of time to do nothing but....read. And write. But hey, I'm done with work!

(Phil, I can only imagine that you would share in my enthusiasm if you were here in Denver. Hence the use of the photo. Which, let's be honest, is appropriate in infinite situations...)

It's the Final Countdown (or the countdown to finals)

And now I'm going to have that song stuck in my head for the rest of the day, and I have no one to blame but myself. Dang.

For those of you keeping track:
2 days left of work at BARS
3 final papers to write
11 days to write them
15 pages for one
25 pages for the other
?? for the final assignment we don't receive until next Thursday.

I have learned a couple of things this quarter. (Well, let's be honest, I've learned A LOT of things this quarter!) Some things that I should have known earlier...
- When the load seems overwhelming, just take it one step at a time. I have set myself a list of mini-deadlines to meet each day to avoid getting overwhelmed. If I look at the entire end requirements I want to pull my hair out.
- It is okay to say no. No, I can't work late. No, I can't do this additional project. No, I can't save the world tonight, I've got to read. (You'd be amazed at how often those two conflict.)

I've been able to fit in more running/training these past couple weeks, which actually makes me feel calmer, albiet taking up some of my carefully planned-out time. Travis and I see each other about once a week, which usually consists of me either A) too brain-fried to have anything resembling an intellectual conversation, or B) so physically tired that my eyes can't stay open. He must consider me a charity case - I'm pretty sure that is the only explanation for him putting up with me.

Off to my last Thursday at BARS. (WOO!) Nothing against the company or my job, but man, I sure am looking forward to that extra time. Don't worry, I have it all scheduled out already...

Much love from the Rockies!

Because I know you are on the edge of your seats...

You were all anxiously waiting to hear the results of the Israel/Palestine debate, right? Well, here is what happened: the Hamas group was quarantined at the top of the stairs the entire day because no one would speak with them, the EU, UN, and Peace Now groups all agreed that the conflict needs to be resolved (duh!), and the Israel group refused to speak/negotiate with anyone but the Americans, thus wasting our entire afternoon. Yup, that is pretty much how a real summit would go, I reckon. We did manage to get a photo of the "International Community" in front of our activist sign. Oh man, is the UN going to regret that later...


On Sunday I declared a school strike and did all those things that I hadn't found time to do lately...went to church, did laundry, went for a long run (1/2 marathon is coming up quickly!), cleaned the house, and cooked dinner in my brand new crock pot. (Thanks, Mom! I guess she was worried about me living on Healthy Choice meals and string cheese...I mean, really...) My sweet & sour chicken turned out pretty darn good. I think crock pot meals may become a Sunday tradition.

This is my last week of work at BARS and it has come at a very good time. Only two weeks of classes left (holy crap!) which means final papers are due much too soon for my liking. Then winter break - what on earth am I going to do with myself?!?

Israel v. Palestine....bring it on.

With first quarter of classes coming to a close in a couple of weeks (YIKES!), we have made it to the big projects in each class. For my conflict resolution course it is coming up this Saturday: a full-day debate simulation on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, specifically regarding the aspect of Jerusalem. There will be seven teams: USA, UN, EU, Israeli Government, Israel Peace Now, Palestinian Authority, and Hamas, and we all negotiate with each other, in character, the whole day. This happens in real-time, so all current events up until 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning are relevant. I am a part of the Israel Peace Now team, and we are pushing for, you guessed it, Peace, NOW. It has been a HUGE, time-consuming project, but I'm excited to see the outcome on Saturday. Should be interesting!


I've learned more in these past few months about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict than I ever have before, and that has actually been quite interesting. To read about this conflict that has been going on for centuries, and then to see all of the current events surrounding it...makes me wonder if it will be settled in my lifetime.

This week, coincidentally, the Mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barkat, came to speak at DU's campus. I had the opportunity to attend his speech, and it was a very electric atmosphere. Protesters outside, police all around, unruly crowd members being escorted out of the audience...unlike anything I had ever experienced before. Made me realize just how real this conflict is, and how directly it is affecting so many people around me. Here is a link to a story about the event, http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_13706419 , and some pictures are below. Don't worry, I didn't take the pictures. I know better than to snap pictures of protesters. I mean, really...

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone had a great Halloween weekend! Our snow has begun to melt and it was a balmy 65 degrees yesterday, made for a pretty nice weekend.

The best part? Danielle came to visit for the weekend! (Well, technically she was in town for work, but we managed to find time to catch up.) I also got to meet her boyfriend, Jason, whom I aggressively questioned about his intentions with my friend. He passed with flying colors!

On Friday night Danielle, Jason, Travis and I all went out for the best burgers in town at the oldest bar in Denver. Heaps of Australia stories were re-lived and Jason did a good job of not looking too bored! On Saturday my roommate Renee and I headed up to Ft. Collins to see Danielle in action at her CBS College Sports TV tailgate tent. She puts on a good event!

Saturday night we nabbed Kate, my other roommate, and headed to City of the Dead, supposedly the best haunted house in Denver for 2009. And yes, it was indeed very haunted! Danielle did a great job considering it was her first haunted house ever, and I think Kate may still have the heebie-jeebies two days later! (See picture above)

Now begins another week, pretty full with school work, I'm afraid. I would like to give a HAPPY BIRTHDAY shout-out to my nephew Alex who turns FIVE today, holy crap! Also, Happy Happy Birthday to my Spoooze and my cousin Paula! (Neither of whom are turning five today.)

Much love from the Rockies!

Yup, still snowing...

Here is our "cottage" yesterday... add several more inches to that today!


And here is what I had to shovel through this morning to get to the garage. Can't even tell we shoveled last night. We had to go to Walgreens and we got THE LAST shovel in the store. Phew!

Don't worry - it is supposed to be 60 degrees by Monday :)

It IS still October, right?

I thought it was, but apparently Colorado has a different idea of October than I do! How about a good 10-20 inches of snow expected and a winter storm warning until 6:00 p.m. on Thursday? Crazy! Check out this local news link for more pictures: http://www.9news.com/9slideshows/gallery.aspx?slideshowname=October-28-Weather

BUT, I did get a snow day from school! (Which, when you only have 10 classes per quarter it is quite a blow, but I really didn't want to walk to class in this blizzard, so I'm okay with it.)

On kind-of that same note - school is keeping me so busy that yesterday I had to turn in my resignation here at the BARS program in Denver. Yes, I'm quitting the job that I fretted the entire first month about not having. It is just too much to handle on top of everything else! For my sanity and the sanity of those who must be around me, I made the tough decision to throw in the towel on that portion. My bosses were MORE than understanding and supportive, though I'm not sure if that made it easier or harder. Oh well - another life lesson learned!

Now off to find snow chains for Raul, my Rav4...

my "boulder moment"

Well, after a super-stressful week I've come to the realization: I may be trying to do too many things at the same time. Many of you I've spoken to have basically said, "Yes, Jill. We know that. It is about time you realized it." But sometimes I just have to figure things out for myself! My friend Finke calls these "boulder moments". God has been giving you hints, you haven't been picking up on them, so then he just throws a boulder in your face to get his point across. Too bad it had to come to that! But hey, it got the job done. Touche.

Stay tuned to see what gets the boot...details to follow!

KC Weekend

What a perfect weekend in Kansas City! Christine and Travis's wedding was BEAUTIFUL. They put so much hard work into it - changing ALL of the details a week before the wedding. (It was scheduled for outdoors, but the forecast was chilly and rainy. Good thing they moved it inside!) We still made it to the original location for some pictures. Gorgeous setting - and they look so dang happy :)

It was great to see the college crew again - I forget how much I love them all. I must give a shout-out to Phil - his man of honor speech was spot on! Good work, Morris.

Back to Denver and time to catch up on laundry and school work. WOO!

This and That

Time for random updates...

First and foremost - there is no more sewage flooding our basement! Yay! (It is amazing how raw sewage first thing in the morning can put a damper on your day.) As it turns out we had a clog in our main line, therefore everything that was attempting to go down the drain was backing up into the basement. Sweet. Mr. Roto-Rooter found the issue - tree roots in the back yard have kinked the pipe. Next on the agenda - tear up the back yard to fix the pipe. Oh lord...

School - I survived midterm week! Between group projects, papers, presentations, weekend trips, and sewage it sure has been one hell of a week. On the down-hill slope now - crazy!

Trips - Last weekend I made a trip back to St. Joe for Jeremy's wedding (one of my best friends from college). My first time being an usher - and I have to say I did a pretty dang good job. I was able to sneak in a day in Omaha that weekend, also. It was great to see family and friends, even if only for a few hours! This weekend is Christine's wedding in Kansas City, so off on another adventure. All my friends are getting married - ahhhh!


OH! And while I was in Omaha for a few hours, I managed to time it perfectly with the first snow of the season. Crazy weather for the beginning of October! And I thought I'd was leaving the snow when I left Denver, little did I know...



Off to KC for more wedding fun - I hope everyone has a great weekend! Much love from the Rockies!

Rental Woes

For those you who are wondering if the bathroom project is completed yet, well, not really, but we have bigger issues on our hands. It began when my roommate took a shower upstairs and the drain in the basement between the washer and dryer backed up covering the laundry room floor with water. Ugh. Now it has progressed to flooding whenever anyone uses the sink, flushes the toilet, etc. And it is getting precariously close to my basement bedroom. Awesome. I'll just let you run with a mental picture on that one. Hopefully this will be fixed much sooner than later, but they don't exactly have the best track record with that. Oh man - and this is probably one of THE busiest weeks to have to deal with this. ARRRGH!

Okay, thanks for listening to me vent. On a positive note, I got to see some family (in Omaha) and college friends (in St. Joe) this last weekend when I went back for Jeremy's wedding. That was a blast! I'll post pictures of that soon. Because unlike pictures of our flooding basement, the wedding pictures are actually cute. :)

Wanted:

Who wants to help me read these books? It is an unpaid position, but I'm sure it will be very mentally fulfilling. :)

Just imagine this place two weeks ago!

Yesterday Travis and went hiking up at Kenosha pass to see the gorgeous changing colors of the Aspen trees. Apparently they turn this brilliant yellow and are really a sight to behold. We learned a few things on our journey:

1) The leaves change earlier at a higher elevation. While the leaves are currently changing all around Denver, they are gone up in Kenosha pass. Well, technically they're still yellow, they're just on the ground :)

2) Less leaves on a the trees means a less crowded trail!

3) Jill needs some mountain-appropriate attire. I didn't see anything wrong with my hooded Northwest sweatshirt, but I guess it isn't very weather-proof. Could prove to be a problem in the future.

4) Free thermos from the Alerton conference last year (Woo!) is very good at keeping cider hot through the entire hike. As evidenced by a couple of burned tongues. Ouch.

SO, the leaves were gone at our original destination, but the area was still beautiful and the view was amazing! On our way back we pulled off at a point on the highway that had a great view of pristine river. And guess what - the leaves were still on the trees here! And yes, the colors were brilliant. Very worthy of an insurance calender picture. Well worth the trip! Now off to the library to make up for my lack of school work yesterday...