loveland bunnies

John and I were at a drive-through very late the night we arrived at Loveland. After we got our sandwiches we saw a bunch (really!) of little fluffs bouncing across the lawn in front of the us.

Out of curiosity, we pulled up to park and watched them.


A few of them saw our headlights and stopped.


These were wild bunnies!


They just stood still the whole time.

I think they knew they were being watched, and therefore really tried to stay still so they could blend in with the tan-ish lawn as to not be noticed at all.

But I spotted them, and they were cute!

The next few evenings we saw a few more near the hotel partking lot, too.

Cute Loveland bunnies!

the sky and the windmills

The sky and the windmills are the best things that made my drive to Colorado (through Wyoming) lovely and pleasant.

These pictures were taken while driving (!) inside the car (and behind the windows.)


We were lucky. This time the weather was nice. The sky was blue, and the clouds were fluffy.


Ohh! See the windmills yet?


They were huge.


Every time I saw these windmills my heart would pound fast!


Oh my. The sky and the clouds were so beautiful.

Ahhhhh.

back in town!

John and I had a lot of fun at the Mountain Regional Barista Competition in Loveland, CO! We were happy we made it into the finals, but were also a bit dissappointed to learn how drastically our espresso changed within a couple of days, and that we didn't win. But Greg was awesome!

The USBC is going to be held in Anaheim this year, and I really want to go! John didn't think we would be able to afford it, though. I'm actually pretty optimistic. We can always find ways to raise money to go!

Anyhow, I learned a lot during this trip and experience. I am very proud of John and myself for getting into the finals. I am especially honored to hear Gianni say that John's espresso was the best he'd had. You rock, John!

Thank you for your love and support. We will do even better next time.

sky

Pretty Colorado sky.

I didn't get into the finals, but I got to check out my scores and judges' comments... the score system is different than that of last year's, but I think overall I got better scores. :) Still have plenty of room to improve, though.

The judges commented on how well I "recovered" from my beverage spills... *blush*, but of course the overtime penalty and the other points taken out here and there hurt quite a bit! :(

There'll be more opportunities in the future, and I'm toally looking forward to them. I'll keep "adding oil."


Beautiful Colorado dusk.

windmills

I'm in Denver right now for the Mountain Regional Barista Competition. It's been a lot of fun, and I've alreay competed today (first day, round one). I went overtime (over 15 minutes)... I spilled a couple of drinks and had to re-do them. The glasses for my signature drinks couldn't fit under the spouts... and when I tried to "force" them to fit, silly things happened, so I had to re-make them and change my drink-building strategy.

I did manage to squeeze everything in before I would get disqualified (over 16 minutes). Better than last year, I guess. I knew my time was a little tight toward the latter part of my presentation, but I just couldn't rush into not saying things that were necessary to say, or to cut short in other parts. I guess that was both good and not-so-good.

With that being said, I must post a photo of the windmills that I loved to see when driving back and forth from Salt Lake City and Denver. They are very beautiful, and I'm always excited when I see them.

MRBC

I know I haven't been updating my blog for the past few days... again, I'm not being lazy. (rolling eyes)

John and I are going to the first Mountain Regional Barista Competition in Denver, and we've been practicing for it, and trying to get all the things that we need to take with us.

They (whoever they are) say that no one has placed on their first try in the competitions, but I really hope John and I can do well.

I'd better go and practice a bit more.

peter peter

It was an eventful morning. Peter Rosen from Salt Lake City's KUTV (Channel 2) came to interview us at the caffe about the upcoming Mountain Region Barista Championship in March.

Peter was very nice and patient with me, so I actually was not nervous like I thought I would be. :) I don't know if John was nervous, but he did sweat a bit. hehe.

I haven't really been writing about the MRBC much. It's the first barista competition in this region, and the first ever barista event for me as well. I didn't want to say too much about it and not be able to do well in it. :O John and I have both been practicing for it, and I actually think we can do well if we don't get too nervous. I know there will be a lot of talented baristas at the competition, and I'm really excited to see what everyone will bring.

I hope John and I can place in the competition... that will really boost my confidence! OK I'd better get back to work and practice pulling a few more shots.