Hot Streets & Healthy Fog

We're still in the early season here at Vail, which means that although there are huge crowds of people waiting to board the gondolas that will carry them to eighteen inches of fresh powder on the mountain, the streets of Vail Village and Lionshead are empty. The town feels especially eerie mid-morning, when the heated streets have melted the snow and give off thick clouds of steam. In a way, you almost feel like you're in industrial London or Pittsburgh, where gas street lamps and smog collected on the ground to the point where you couldn't see someone standing ten feet away. Obviously the major difference here is that this fog is healthy: in such a dry climate, our skin needs all the steam and humidity it can get its pores on. As the day goes on, the steam clears. The photo below was taken in the afternoon at Lionshead. 



This weekend is Snow Daze, which will really kick off the winter and holiday season here in Vail. After that, finding a street this quiet and empty will be a rare thing indeed. I'll leave you with a dubstep violin video. Yes, you heard right. 



Home for the Holidays {Reverse}

It's time to celebrate the holidays! Plenty of visits from family and friends planned for this December. My mom and stepdad Jamie are in town this week, and my sister is arriving in a couple of days. On Friday my parents and I went sightseeing in this small village, pausing in the Solaris, at the Golden Bear, and below Gondola One.  





Jamie's the King of Candids. Here's a little snapshot of baby girl leaving my apartment near Vail.



10 inches of fresh powder coming down last night!



Good Morning, Mr. Fox

This morning I was opening the window shades in my bedroom, glass of juice in hand, and who did I see... 


Fox was eating breakfast in the company of his blue feathered friend. I prefer my orange juice to animal carcass, but he seemed to enjoy it. 



So there you go. One day it's a photo of champagne, the next it's a wild animal chowing down on fresh kill. I like to keep you guessing!

The Perks

Veuve Clicquot sponsorship + KRU vodka sponsorship + limitless Red Bull + catering by bōl + free gifts + DJ + gorgeous clothes + homemade peppermint fudge + hundreds of people... Is this really what fashion is like? I don't know, but it perfectly describes last night's event at Perch Vail. 



Neverland

Neverland

I had a little too much fun on Polyvore this evening and made a very wishful fantasy Christmas list. Who can blame me? This stuff rocks.  As soon as I get that glitter unicorn and the pillow made of chocolate marshmallow I'll get right on it... 

Winter Florals

I've been playing around on Polyvore trying to create mood boards and outfit collages. Once I get the hang of it, I want to post collages of my favorite items in Perch. Here's my first attempt! The white silk Theory blouse with the zipper neckline we do have in-store, and I love it.


Winter Floral





Perch

I can now say that my new job is in a fashion boutique called Perch in the center of Vail Village. I have had a sincere interest in fashion for a long time now, and I'm really excited to have my first job in the industry and see if it's a good fit! My boss, the concept, and the clothing are all great. Judging from the success of our soft opening on Wednesday night, there are plenty of stylish women in Vail who agree with me. Here's a few snaps from the opening to get you drooling on this black Friday.

Welcome to the soft opening of Perch Vail!
Grab a glass of bubbly and enjoy.


My fabulous boss, owner Laurie O'Connell:


Meet Kristen Holbrook, owner of sister store Two Skirts in Telluride as she arranges the wildly popular Gillian Julius bracelets. 


And speaking of jewelry... 


 I get to play with these all day? Am I dreaming?

From cashmere to cocktail dresses, each and every piece we sell is classic and well-made. Laurie, as curator of our collection, balances glamour with comfort and delivers equal amounts of girly and sporty. She's the girl who can shred with the boys on the mountain and clean up damn well for a dinner party, and she matches her passion for this new project with a serious head for business.




Good night, Perch! See you tomorrow!


Welcome to the High Life

[And I'm talking about the elevation, not the legalization of marijuana in Colorado earlier this month...]

The 2012-2013 winter season marks the 50th anniversary of the Vail Mountain resort, and dozens of celebratory events and promotions are on the agenda. I'm already looking forward to Snow Daze in December. Please, please, let me score tickets to see Michael Franti & Spearhead and/or the Shins. 

Aboard Vail's new gondola, which boasts heated seats and free wifi. Spectacular views and a swift, comfortable ride! Built to celebrate Vail's 50th birthday. 


Vail is a ski resort town in the Rocky Mountains. At more than 5,000 acres, Vail is the largest single mountain ski resort in the United States. This year, the town / mountain will host the Burton US Open Snowboarding Championships. 



Vail was designed to look like an Austrian village. Can you tell?  

Can I have some of your firewood, mister? It's gonna be a long, cold winter!

Mountain Man


Check out my brother Sam chopping wood in Gibson, Pennsylvania. Is he the cutest mountain man, or what?

[Mom and Dad - If you could fly him out here for a week or so to chop wood for me, that'd be great. Thanx.]

Greetings from Vail, Colorado

Family & Friends
To make a long story short, I've moved! High in the southern Rocky Mountains, where fresh powdery snow falls every week... If you need me, that's where I'll be. Once again, my blog will be my lifeline to everyone on the east coast. I miss you already! 




I'll be close to my amazing boyfriend, as well as friends in Denver who will be down every single weekend to visit me (hint, hint)!


And I'll probably absolutely be hittin' the slopes. 


I do have a great job out here, which I can't talk about yet. For the moment, I'm adjusting to life 1800 miles west of Philadelphia and 8000 feet up. At elevations like this, I'll be in the best shape of my life in no time.  

Becoming Very Impressed

The Denver Art Museum has acquired and arranged an impressive new exhibit, which showcases Vincent van Gogh's ten years of development and professional work as a largely self-taught artist and is aptly named Becoming Van Gogh. I highly recommend it, and I'm sure the art museum itself would be thrilled by your attendance - According to one security guard, even IF every ticket available for the  exhibit were sold, the museum would not earn back all of the money required to produce it. If you live in the area and have an hour to spare, why not check out an art exhibit that took almost as long to curate as it took to paint.

At the DAM

Props to Timothy Standring and Louis van Tilborgh, who jointly curated the exhibit. For more information, read this Huffington Post article. For ticket information, here's a link to the Denver Art Museum website. 

Halloween Playlist

I love holidays for the traditions that come with each, the parties, the distinct flavors that represent the best of the season... what's not to love? Sure it's manufactured but would it really have taken root in such a way if we didn't like some combination of creepy and enjoyable every fall... So I've put together a music playlist and a movie queue for the serious Halloween fans out there like myself. If you're having friends over for a scary movie marathon or throwing a full-on party with ghouls, goblins, zombies, vampires, werewolves, and all manner of monster on your guest list... This is for you.

Let these songs take you to a dark and beautiful place.]
  1. "Madness" by Muse
  2. "The Keeper (Banks Remix)" by Bonobo
  3. "When I'm Small" by Phantogram 
  4. "4h30" by Danger
  5. "I Wrote in Blood" by Still Corners
  6. "Brokendate" by Com Truise
  7. "E.T." by Katy Perry
  8. "Disturbia" by Rihanna 
  9. "Monster (feat. Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Bon Iver & Nicki Minaj)" by Kanye West
  10. "Bottom of the River" by Delta Rae
  11. "Witchy Woman" by The Eagles
  12. "Abracadabra" by Steve Miller Band
  13. "Thriller" by Michael Jackson
  14. "Steven" by Alice Cooper
  15. "Love Song for a Vampire" by Annie Lennox
And if you're feeling fun:
  1. "I Put a Spell On You" from Hocus Pocus
  2. "Jump in the Line (Shake Senora)" by Harry Belafonte
  3. "Dracula's Lament" from Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Freaky, Spooky, Creepy, Scary, Horrific, Devilish, Terrifying, Disgusting, Monstrous or Murderous... How would you like your Halloween flic? Here are my favorite and most-recommended horror films, sorted into four complementary categories: Classic, Contemporary, Truly Horrifying, and Family Friendly. 

     CLASSIC (1960-1991)
Psycho 


Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Carrie 
Halloween 

Friday the 13th 
Poltergeist 
Nightmare On Elm Street 
Silence of the Lambs 

     CONTEMPORARY
Sleepy Hollow
The Others
Scream
The Blair Witch Project
The Ring
El Orfanato


     TRULY HORRIFYING
The Omen
The Exorcist
The Amityville Horror
The Shining
It

     FAMILY FRIENDLY
Beetlejuice
The Addams Family
Hocus Pocus
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein 
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Casper

And to finish, here's one of my costumes! A cat burglar, swiping something valuable out of my friend's purse...

Run-A-Muck & Countryside Bash


Yesterday I spent the afternoon at Heartwood in Newtown Square for an event hosted by the Willistown Conservation Trust. After a 5K run/walk through the countryside, Victory beer and chili-filled bread bowls were served beneath a giant white tent. I'd say there were an equal number of kids as there were doggies as there were adults. A mechanical bull, a band, and a basket crane that lifted us up to the sky were the main attractions... at first. Later on, a hay fight erupted amongst the kids that captured everyone's attention.








Our team! I was at Run-A-Muck to support Sunshine Landscaping's new business endeavor: Vegetable Gardens R Us. The team also included our English Springer Spaniel, whose name is Emma :)

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