Mad About Mile High

Well, it's official!  I'm back to being a Colorado resident, and it feels good.  Less humidity, thinner air, glorious mountains....ahhhh, I'm home!  It's been so good to see friends and hang out with my family and not think "well, I better make the most of it since it will probably be a year or so until I see them again."

So far so good, I've done all of the unpacking in the apartment, and we are in the process of hanging our artwork and shopping for some more decor.  Even though the apartment is MUCH smaller than our house (thank you again, Mom and Dad for letting Rob and I store our extra crap in a spare bedroom!), we have much more wall space. 

The past two days have been devoted, and I mean DEVOTED to me officially becoming a resident by getting a Colorado license and registering the Saturn.  Yesterday, I found the DMV and patiently waited for number "D 803" to be called.  Luckily I had a book, because I waited about an hour or so.  When my number came up, I hurried to the counter. 
"Have you ever been issued a Colorado ID?" 
"Why yes, I used to live in Colorado a little over five years ago, and I am so happy to be back!  But it was when I went by my maiden name." 
"Oh.  Well, do you have your marriage license?"
"Well, no.  My current license (and my past 2!) is in my married name.  It didn't even cross my mind that I would need it."
"Well you do!  If you can make it back here before noon with the certificate, you don't have to wait in line, and I'll finish processing the license for you."
Great!  Just freaking great.  So I hopped in the car and sped home and back to the DMV with 20 minutes to spare.  Of course I had to wait until noon because the woman was with someone else, and then the woman asked someone else who worked there to start all over with me because it was time for her lunch break.  Yay.  After all of this nonsense, I finally finished up, only to receive a temporary paper license!  Come on, Colorado!  I want my plastic in hand! 

Today was an even bigger adventure.  I first went to get my emissions test in a part of town where everything was in Spanish, luckily my Garmin helped navigate.  After passing (woo hoo!)  I then went all the way back to the DMV to register the car, (with my marriage license, just in case!) only to be told that I had to go to a different office to register.  After I found the little hole-in-the-wall in a a strip mall, i took a number and waited.  Again. 
"Do you have your VIN sheet?"
"My what?  My VIN number is listed right there on the emissions test."
"I know, but a dealership owner or an emissions tester needs to sign this sheet for you."
Sigh.  "Well, is there a place closer than the emissions center that can help me out?"
I was directed to a place a few blocks away where the scariest looking dealership guy ever said he could help me.
"Who sent you over here?  Was it Sharon?"
"Um, I'm not sure."
"Tall and slender lookin'?"
(All of the workers were sitting down) "Um, she had brown curly hair..."
"And was she slender?  She's the only one there that's slender.  She's my little girlfriend."
(Nervous laughter) "Oh.  Um, yeah, it must have been her!"
"Kath-Er-In-Swar-EZ?  Hmm.  You don't look Spanish."
"Well, um, I'm not.  But yep, that's me!"
After fifteen very uncomfortable minutes or so, I left with my VIN sheet and went back to the registration office, and a little while later, I left with my brand spankin' new Colorado license plates. 

Phew!  I'm crossing off my to-do list, and moving towards a state of stability.  I can't wait to be settled in back to some normalcy - hopefully the house will sell soon too! 

Until next time!

Kate Suarez:  Non-Spanish Colorado resident!

Lights, Camera, Action!

So, even though the house hasn't sold, I am packing up the house and moving to Lakewood, Colorado!  While packing isn't always the most fun, I am having a fun time going through things, reminiscing, and marveling at some of the fun things Rob and I have collected through the years. 

Today I packed up my movies, and I started thinking about my all-time favorites, and I separated them into categories.  This may explain some of my quirks to some of you:

Movies that make me pee my pants:

1. Heavyweights (“Anyone who brings candy into this camp is not your friend.  He is a destroyer!”)
2. Superbad (“It’s you!  McMuffin!”)
3. Coming to America (“Sexual Chocolate!”)
4. Dumb and Dumber (“Wanna hear the most annoying sound in the world?”)
5. Monsters, Inc. (“I’m watching you, Wazowski…always watching you.”)

Movies that make me crap my pants:

1. The Descent (Tight spaces in underground caves + creepy humanoid creatures = no thank you)
2. Saw (Ok, it freaked me out when I saw it in the theaters.  They ruined it by making it into a franchise, but the first time I saw it – totally needed diapers)
3. Signs (Tried to watch this alone on my computer with headphones so I wouldn’t disturb anyone one night when I couldn’t sleep – big mistake)
4. Poltergeist (Watched this when I had a friend over for a sleepover, and my parents secretly stacked the kitchen chairs on the table upstairs to “surprise” us.  Did you know this is only rated PG?!)
5. The Strangers (My worst nightmare realized.  Period.)

Movies I can watch anytime to make me feel good:

1. Grease (Know it word for word, note for note.  Love love love.  Judge me all you want)
2. Heavyweights (Again in my top movie list, but it’s seriously the greatest)
3. To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything!  Julie Newmar (John Leguizamo, Patrick Swayze and Wesley Snipes as drag queens traveling by car across the US?  Yes please!)
4. Bowfinger (Happy Premise #3: Even though I feel like I might ignite, I probably won’t)
5. The Karate Kid (The original, of course.  “Put him in a body bag, Johnny!”)

Movies that blow my mind:

1. Being John Malkovich (Malcovich Malcovich? Malcovich!  Malcovich Malcovich!)
2. Arlington Road (Rob was with me the first time we saw this.  Blew me away!)
3. The Departed (Twists and turns galore!)
4. Balada triste de trompeta (Clown love triangle en espagnol.  Seriously F-ed up.  Still trying to figure out if this was supposed to be funny or serious or scary.  And no, it’s not the language barrier)
5. Jurassic Park (Even though this movie is almost 20 years old, the computer animation is still great, and I’m on the edge of my seat the whole time!)

Movies that get me teary-eyed at just looking at the title:

1. Titanic (I’ll never let go!)
2. The Notebook (Um, the ending.  Yeah, that’s all I’ve got to say)
3. Dumbo (Seriously, writing this is making me misty – the mother rocking Dumbo on her trunk while she’s caged to that song “Baby of Mine”.  I challenge you not to sob)
4. Life is Beautiful (Wept the whole way through)
5. E.T. (Anytime there is a dying alien/child/animal, it’s hard to watch)

Movies that I know are horrible, yet I love anyway:

1. 3 Ninjas (“Slurpee?” “Radical!” “Slurpee?” “Dude!” “We’re outta here”)
2. Evil Dead (Wimpiest ‘hero’ ever)
3. It Takes Two (Mary-Kate and Ashley and Steve Freaking Guttenberg!)
4. The Willies (“Scary” story vignettes with many early 90’s tv stars)
5. Baby-Sitters Club video collection (Say  ‘hello’ to your friends)

Well, I suppose I will get back to packing.  Sigh.  Maybe i'll start thinking of some of my other favorites to put into list-form.  I do love lists.  (Nerd alert!).  I can't believe that summer is pretty much over...

Kate Suarez, movie buff, packer extraordinaire, COLORADO BOUND!