And the winner is...

Thanks so much for all the entries. I'm crazy jealous of Julianne! Tonight I'm kicking off this three day weekend by (hopefully) getting ALL of my online work done so I can be outside and having adventures all weekend. What are you guys up to? Big thanks again to Shabby Apple for offering such an amazing giveaway and check out their ad over to the right. I'm super excited to be part of their affiliate program!

One Girl+One Big Dream: One step closer...

If you've been following this blog for a little while or a long while, you probably know about the dream. But I'll bring you up to speed just in case. For years I have dreamt of opening my own brick-and-mortar shop. There were LOTS of unknowns in the very beginning, and quite frankly I didn't really believe it would ever happen. And then one day the "if" became "when" and I knew it was more than just an idea. I'll actually never forget the first time I accidentally said "when I open my store..." instead of "if". It completely caught me off guard. There is such power in words. I believed it, heart and soul, and it just came out. No hesitation whatsoever. Something in me changed that day, and a few months later (January 2012 to be exact) I decided it was time to "Go confidently in the direction of my dreams..." That Thoreau dude really said some great things.

Right now I am laying the groundwork for what will hopefully be a very exciting and successful future. For me and my business that means:

I have been putting in a lot of prayer time over all of these different things and it's been overwhelming and exciting at the same time. I have no idea what God will do or say over the next year but I do rest in the promise that He is on the move. I definitely am feeling a tug towards a certain city... which I can't wait to share once I am sure. I started selling ad space through Passionfruit (see the Advertising link above!), launched some graphic design and consulting services, am considering some affiliate programs and will be releasing some limited edition product lines. I'm also taking in every resource available to me and am really excited to attend Alt Summit this January!

The one thing I keep getting tripped up on is fundraising. Asking for money from anyone is a really uncomfortable thing for me, but the reality is that whatever loan I might be able to get from a bank would not nearly cover my estimated start-up costs. And my start-up is low. I plan on building out the space and all the displays myself (with a little help from others of course...) and re-purposing a lot of vintage shelving, cabinetry etc. But I know I will still need help financially to carry this dream through. I'm curious to know your thoughts! Do you like to donate to or financially support the dreams of others? If you see those kinds of efforts on blogs are you likely to give a few dollars or more? Or do you find them just plain annoying? I've seen funding campaigns go extremely well for some people and really poorly for others. Such a tricky thing, isn't it? If only money really did grow on trees.

One thing is for sure, every dime made through this blog, it's advertising revenue and other projects and products will be going directly into my savings account. So your support has never meant more to me than it does right now! You're not putting extra cash in my pocket, you're investing it into something much, MUCH larger. And I love you for it.

Lowry.

I feel really lucky to be living where I live. After a rough first year and a half in Denver I finally found myself somewhere I really like to be. And since I know I won't be living here forever, it was important to me to take some pictures and share this wonderful place. I have never lived in a nicer apartment which is a great feeling but it's the surrounding town of Lowry that I've really grown to love for it's history and atmosphere.

Starting in 1937, the Lowry Air Force Base was formed. The area is constantly being developed but towering above all the newer homes and retail spaces are old abandoned air hangars and officers barracks. One of the buildings was actually used by President Eisenhower as a summer vacation retreat. The Lowry Air Force base was one of the main locations in which pilots were trained for World War II and I am so incredibly happy that so many of these historic buildings, hangars and even one of the original planes (seen above) have been maintained and preserved. In 1994, the base officially shut down all operations. In it's place they have opened a Wings Over the Rockies museum and transformed the old buildings giving them a new life.

I love this darling old church right in the town center.

The town center is so quaint and vibrant. Lots of restaurants, children running through fountains and cute boutiques.

Here you can see Hangar #2 peeking out between a couple of newer buildings.

I really love living in a place that feels so much like home. Before living here, I lived in the heart of the city. And while I loved so much of that experience, it is nice to live somewhere surrounded by green where I can grab a cup of coffee and take a walk around town meeting the loveliest people and shopping local.

Where do you live? You should do a post and link me up!