Francophile in the West

On Friday, 5 June 2015, I graduated magna cum laude from the University of Denver with a Masters of Arts in International Studies. I'm officially a Master! Afton Tyler, M.A., Miss Master, however you would like to address me, I'm now officially fully educated and no one can take that away. I am so excited to be finished with higher education and with an amazing two years in Denver!! From my earliest years, my family always impressed upon me the importance of education, and for that, I am eternally grateful. My academic pursuits have led me in wonderful directions, and the support of my family has been invaluable to everything I've yet achieved. I'm proud to say that I finished my Masters with flying colors, and will be starting a great job here in Denver next week to boot! I absolutely cannot wait for this next phase of life.  Pre-graduation with friends Before our families arrived and the big ceremony took place, several of the Korbel girl crew got together to t...

On Memorial Day, two classmates and I woke up dark and early and hopped on a bus to Boulder to run the 2015 BolderBOULDER 10k! I have been so excited about this run ever since Sarah planted the idea in my head a couple of months ago. I've never been much of a runner, and I hadn't previously considered running a 10k (6.2 miles), but running a half marathon has been on my bucket list for a few years now, and since I've really started running this spring, I figured I might as well take the first leap! 10k is officially the farthest I've ever run before, and I'm so proud of myself for running the whole race without stopping to walk. I also managed to make it across the finish line with an even 10-minute mile average time, which is just the goal I was hoping to reach. My fastest mile was at a 9:10 pace, and I placed in the top 30% for my age and in the top 22% for all females in the race. Not bad!! I may not be the fastest, but I get it done and I have a great time doin...

This year, spring in Colorado means many things for me; graduation, new adventures, new friends, and renewed excitement for spending the next phase of my life in this incredible state. Here's how Colorado has demonstrated its radicalness in recent weeks: Grad Night Out at the Rockies' Game A few weeks ago, I scored a free ticket to the Colorado Rockies' "College Night" baseball game against the San Francisco Giants. I hadn't seen a Rockies game since I first moved to Denver, so it was high time for another one (especially since the ticket was free ;) )! The Rockies wound up winning, and it was a blast to hang out with many friends from DU, both old and new, and enjoy America's sport on a luscious spring evening. Spring also means increasingly frequent Happy Hours and patio hangs with friends. Nice weather means more reasons to be outside, and enjoying a tasty beverage in the company of good friends is one of the prime ways to do so. Cheers! ...