Hey hey, happy 2019,
everybody!
I wanted to take a moment and jump right into a new post,
discussing how the move to Denver has been treating me.
Let's get
started, shall we?
I'm pleased to say that
the new year has brought an influx of things to Uprooted Foodie, even
though my personal journey into the new year was a bit rough - but
we'll get to that soon enough. First, I'll rattle off some of the
good!
The end of 2018 brought my
new YouTube channel, where you can watch things as simple as pie recipe tutorials all the way to my first chiropractic care visit. This platform of expression has proven to be very different
than I initially expected. Different, of course, as
I'm more in the forefront and less behind-a-laptop... but the style
of my videos has kind of taken off with a mind of its own. So, if you
decide to check me out on that
platform, be warned that I am in full goof-ing mode over there.
This
being a new platform for me, I wanted to start off the new year with
a bang: a travel docu-series entitled
In
this multi-episodic series, I take you all the way back to the
beginning of where Uprooted Foodie began – California – and bring
you with me as I enjoy my favorite spots one last time before moving
to Colroado. I'm excited for you to tag along with me and catch some
beautiful footage of my travels!
Other
things 2018 brought was - clearly - ending up in Colorado!
So, how is
Denver treating us? Well, I'm glad you asked.
Before
heading this way, I decided the best way to approach a whimsical move
was to put ourselves in affordable, comfortable housing situations.
Namely, Airbnbs.
This
was a great idea for a couple of reasons:
- We didn't have to commit to an apartment that we'd never seen before our arrival.
- We could have some sense of privacy and get on our feet without the expense of hotels.
There's
a high chance I'll elaborate on the concept of staying in Airbnbs as
a form of a moving tactic. For now, I'll suffice it to say that it
did the job we needed it to, albeit we had some issues along the way.
The details of which are a little further down in this post, but basically, let's just remember that these are the homes of real people. Real
people who have real biases and opinions that may not align with your
lifestyle. (Or sometimes, they're just rude.) And because of that, I am oh-so-glad that we are finally
moved into our new place.
 |
| Our living room with Kyle's stand-up bass case. Photo by Tim Brogan. |
Speaking
of Airbnb, our current home was recently a Denver hotspot of a
listing! Recently, the landlords decided they wanted to take it off of Airbnb and just rent it longer-term. (If you've ever hosted on Airbnb, you'll know that flipping the space is a part-time job all its own. Can't say I blame them for wanting to officially rent it out.) We were the lucky folks who got the place right off the bat.
It's a six month sublet, which for us, is great. It gives us plenty of time to settle in one spot to call our own, but also plenty of time to look for a more private place down the line.
The
two landlords are artists who hand-decorated the entire sublet. For
that reason alone, it's worth the cost of rent, if simply to admire. We
have the entire main level to ourselves, including a guest room/office, and we share the kitchen
with our landlords (who live on the level below us). It's fully
furnished, which is especially convenient for us, as we have traveled
so frequently that we don't have much to furnish with at this point
in time. There are also two pups and a fuzzball of a cat. And I do
have to admit, it feels like a cozy little family over here. I am not
mad about it.
 |
| Actual Puppy Portraits in our home. |
 |
| Aren't they ADORABLE? |
Other wonderful Denver things: THE VEGAN SCENE.
If
you're anything like me... this is my favorite part about being in a
new city. Denver has a plethora of all-vegan eats, plenty of spots
with separate vegan menus available, and even more places willing to
accommodate vegan palates.
Speaking
of the vegan scene, I am very excited to discover that Denver will be
hosting an all-vegan restaurant week in May! This is the first year it's happening in Denver, and it's sponsored by The Veganizers and Veg Fest Colorado.
(Incidentally, I am actively seeking
sponsorship(s) to review this event in exchange for
the ultimate taste-test pass. If anyone reading this knows of anyone
who can make that dream a reality, please direct any leads my way via
email: uprootedfoodie@gmail.com.)
 |
| Nashville Hot Sliders from WongWay Veg's comfort food menu. |
Further regarding my never-ending foodie agenda,
I
have a couple of blog posts in the works to feature Denver-specific hotspots:
I'm planning to give a run-down of vegan food
trucks and the food truck scene out here, list my top favorite
all-vegan Denver restaurants, and there will be a collaboration piece
going up very soon about one of my favorite weekly vegan events that
takes place in the Denver vegan foodie scene. I'm pretty excited to share that last one, as
it'll be a guest post on a well-known vegan
platform that's been around since 1999. Any guesses?
The
final thing I'll mention regarding the Uprooted platform is:
my first giveaway happened! I collaborated with YoFiit, a Canadian
company, to give away an entire box of energy bars to one lucky
winner on my Instagram following.
I
plan on posting another giveaway this spring in collaboration with an
outdoor company. If you're at all interested in winning outdoor
gear... be sure to follow me on social media so that you don't miss
out on the next giveaway opportunity.
Now
for the rough parts. Wah wah wahhh.
(Maybe
if I rip it off, like a Band-aide, it won't hurt so much? Let's try.)
Deep
inhale.
I
was in a car accident. I'm okay, and it wasn't my fault, but due to this, my car has been in the shop for 4+
weeks. This has hindered income, mobility, getting out much for fun
or sanity purposes, but has been very rewarding for the focus it's
given to my freelance work, at least.
We
experienced discrimination from our last Airbnb host. If you've ever
read my very first blog entry, you'll see a photo of a very
loud-colored vehicle, fondly dubbed The Rainbow Rider.
It's borderline embarrassing to admit that we were treated poorly due to the way our vehicle looked. I won't get into it, here, but needless to say we reported this host to Airbnb for discrimination. However, while Airbnb insisted they do not tolerate discrimination of any kind, they would not honor our request for a refund... which leads me to thinking twice about booking with them in the future, unfortunately.
All
in all, it's been a swift kick into the new year, the good coming
with the bad. I suppose it evens out, but I wouldn't say that makes
it fair or easy, by any means.
What
I can say is
I'm grateful to have a warm, charming home to live in. I'm grateful
to find the joy in new opportunities. I'm grateful to have friends
like Tim Brogan from Top Self Development come to Colorado on
a whim to work alongside. (Shameless plug: go read his blog article to learn more about his stay with me in Denver - and subscribe to his YouTube channel to catch our future collaboration regarding our Americorps days, travel, and veganism!)
 |
| Tim and myself at the MLK memorial statue, after collaborating on videos about service projects, ON MLK DAY - which is the federally recognized National Day of Service. *Synchronicity.* |
I
hope whatever and whoever you left behind in 2018 stays there. I hope
you rang in the new year surrounded by love, whether with yourself or with
others. I hope you can see yourself achieving everything you're
dreaming of for 2019.
When
life throws you lemons... something about lemonade?
Sweet,
sweet lemonade.
