Some wood, a little stain and a lot of patience

So I built a coffee table. Yes, you read that correctly, I built it with my own two hands. I have to say, for being a bit rusty on the powertools, I did a pretty good job. It wasn't as hard as I thought either. Now, that is not to say that it is an award winning table, but it will hold your coffee cups and magazines you never read with at least some style.

These are a couple of photos that I took while in the process of buying my supplies. I started off at Lowes thinking I could find everything I needed in one stop. I was wrong. Surprisingly, they didn't have a lot of what I was looking for. So a second trip was needed to Home Depot.There I found the rest of the supplies, including the table top. (This would be a good time to admit that I bought a pre-manufactured table top. Judge as you wish).

I began cutting and drilling holes and screwing wood screws into the table. I know for future table making, I am going to use thinner joints than I did on this one. (I ended up having to go back and buy longer screws because of it.) I was able to secure the inside boarder using a guiding piece on the inside of the table. That saved me from screwing directly into the table top so many times. I was kind of afraid I was going to pierce through the top! Thankfully, I didn't.

Next, it was time to attach the legs. It involved me drilling holes through the pieces already attached to the table top and through the legs themselves! Well, I am glad this isn't making an entry into a contest because I got a little sloppy. So, note to self - triple check where you are drilling your holes and make sure you are using the correct drilling bit before you make saw dust. But don't worry - you can barely see the holes once I filled them with putty. Now for some stain!

So, because I built this table for a friend of mine, he got to choose the finish! Great choice! Look at how well it stuck to the wood! That is just the undercoat. The photo at the very top is the top look and there is another photo below that shows a close-up of the table top. And look, you can't even tell I drilled holes into the legs!!

Once it warms up, I am going to be building a lot more. Next on my list is a coffee table of my own and a couple of side tables. I am also thinking of making a night stand, but that might have to come much later. Stay tuned!

Sometimes...

Sometimes the hardest decisions really do turn out to be the best decisions.

Case in point - I was supposed to move to NYC for school in September. I ended up not moving. There have been times I thought I should have just done it and made my way in the world - which would have been starting from scratch seeing as my friend connection in NYC had dwindled by a few people. Instead, I am making a name for myself here in Denver, a fantastic city that I have to say is much more welcoming and much warmer than the concrete jungle. Really... if I wanted to live in a place where the nickname has the word jungle in it, I might as well move to Africa or South America.

I digress...

I have never felt more at peace than I do here. I have a city I can play in and a countryside (mountains included) where I can get lost in my thoughts. And, on top of all of that, I actually have money to enjoy life instead of working to pay the rent.

So, thank you to those couple of factors who pushed me back to the Mile High City. I am still learning and growing, but it feels so much better to grow without all the unnecessary crap that would have come with living in a place that cares more about image than about personality and humanity.

A Look Back at the Last Month

One month ago, I took one of the biggest risks in my life. I left a job in Rochester, NY, to head home to Denver. I didn't have a job, I didn't have much in my savings and I wasn't sure if Denver was even the right place to be going.

There were a lot of things happening to me internally that prompted the move. Above all, I missed my family. Working with people who had their families to go home to made me want that same thing. I missed being able to stop by for a home-cooked meal. I missed seeing the people I wanted to see whenever I wanted. True, my family was only a phone call away, but after four years, that just wasn't enough.

So I decided to hop in the car and drive my life back to Denver. All I can say is that things are working out. I am now working full time at KUSA/9News in Denver (that's the NBC station in town for those of you who don't know). I was first hired as an editor. Before even going through orientation, I have already been moved to the assignment desk. It is a full-time job with awesome benefits. I can honestly say that I am completely excited. I can use my editorial judgement in my work. I will be starting up classes in the fall at the University of Colorado at Denver. Moving back has also introduced me and reintroduced me to some great people, some which will become a much bigger part of my daily life.

Overall, I can say this was a great move mentally and professionally. This doesn't discount the move to Rochester. I learned more than I ever could have imagined about myself and the business. I also made some incredible friends who will forever be in my heart and soul. All I can say is listen to your heart and soul. Things happen for a reason. You just have to be open to change and ready to take a leap of faith.

The Stars

I spent my evening and night outside working on my car. (Yes, I can sometimes be very handy). I am trying to fix an electrical problem that prevents my passenger windows from being controlled by the people sitting in those seats. Needless to say, this has been a problem for quite some time. And given all this "free time" I currently have, I thought I would use it to my advantage. As I was calling it a night and putting the car back together, I looked up and saw something I hadn't seen, or maybe hadn't noticed, in a very long time - the Big Dipper.

It got me thinking about life over the past few years and how this electrical problem has mirrored life in Bismarck and Rochester. Each of those four windows represents something in my life, something about my character. One by one, each stopped working, until only the driver's side panel controlled them, leaving the passengers frustrated that they couldn't control those windows.

Looking back, that is how life was getting for me. I couldn't control those windows; I couldn't control certain parts of my life. I acted out, often inappropriately. I also fooled myself into believing that giving up on this, moving onto that or just focusing on one fantasy would give me that freedom again to control those windows. Needless to say, it left me feeling even more out of control, more helpless. My life was at the mercy of essentially one person, and it wasn't me. I let myself become wrapped up in a fictional story of a white picket fence, leaving reality to suffer.

As for the electrical problem, I might have to pay a pretty penny to get those windows working again. But I know that once each switch works on its own, life will be a little closer to the way it was before they decided to go out. Life has a funny way of going full-circle. Sometimes, however, you have to repair that circle to bring it back to its original glory.

Toy Story's Woody (yes, I went there) said, "Reach for the stars!" After all that has happened to me this past year, I starting to find it was hard to continue reaching. But I am slowly starting to settle into my life here in Denver, under the same sky as Bismarck and Rochester, but under more familiar stars.