"The greatest day of your life is the one on which you decide your life is your own. The gift of life is yours - it is an amazing journey - and you get to determine the quality of it. Live the next five years on purpose. Now is the time. Imagine the possibilities. Go places, have adventures, make a real difference, do what you love. Follow your dreams, they know the way."

Thursday, August 11, 2011

my first 14er!!

You're off to great places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
so get on your way!

Last weekend, "my mountain" was Quandary Peak, a 14,265' mountain outside of Breckenridge. There are 54 "14er's" here in Colorado and I plan on doing as many as possible :-) Besides the actual hike and the lack of oxygen at 14,000 ft, having to wake up at 3:30am (you have to summit before noon so you don't get caught in a thunderstorm) was pretty rough. But the 360 degree view at the top was UNREAL. Can't wait for the next one!

the whole group at 14,265'!

me, Randon and Kim
we saw mountain goats!










Coloradans - if you have any suggestions for other easy/moderate 14ers, let me know!

Saturday, August 6, 2011

The past seven months...

Sorry about the total blog neglect but I've been alive and well here in CO for the past seven months!

Quick review of the past few months:

I learned a new sport: skiing!! My friends Kim and Randon (among others) have been the most amazing personal ski instructors and I could not be more thankful for them. We had the opportunity to ski all over Colorado - Breckenridge, Vail, A-Basin, Keystone and Eldora. The season ended with a powder day at Vail - absolutely fantastic! Skiing, snowshoeing, sledding...I am officially hooked on winter sports :-)

skiing in champagne powder!
my CA --> CO loves
Spring and summer have brought a myriad of new adventures. I traveled quite a bit in May (East Coast and California) and ventured to Italy and Switzerland for work in June. Finally, July and August are Colorado months! This state has really allowed me to appreciate the beauty of seasonal change. Those mountains that I loved to ski in winter are now my summer playground. From camping at Wellington Lake with my cousins to hiking with friends in the Fraser Valley over the 4th of July (we hiked in snow due to the late seasons this year - quite the surprise!) to discovering one of Colorado's most picturesque hikes (Hanging Lake) to Rockies games galore to Wash Park BBQ's, the summer adventures have been non-stop and I'm loving every minute of it.
beautiful Hanging Lake

Lake Isabelle (snow on 4th of July??!)
Also, I'd like to say a quick thank you to all of our visitors in 2011. Each and every one of you has made our Denver home feel well, a little more like home :-) Thank you for the love, thoughtful house-warming/California gifts and wonderful memories. Can't wait for more in the future!