On Top of the World: Hiking Grays and Torreys Peak

The state of Colorado has exactly fifty-three mountains with an elevation of 14,000+ feet (14ers) and I can proudly claim to have climbed THREE of them. I hiked Pikes Peak several years ago with a group of friends, and last Sunday my friend Lisa and hiked both Grays Peak and Torreys Peak. It was a crazy fun and amazing day!

Last fall, Lisa and I threw around the idea of hiking a couple of 14ers and decided to go for it! We knew we'd missed our window for a fall ascent so we decided to wait until summer. Well, summer rolled around and the topic surfaced again but our schedules were so out of sync that we realized we were going to have to look at this fall. We finally found a day that worked for both of us and decided to climb Grays and Torreys Peaks because both peaks are easily summited in one day and because hiking two 14ers was my personal goal for 2012. We put it on the calendar for September 30 and the rest is history!

The hike:

I picked Lisa up at 5am on Sunday morning and we drove to the trailhead, just west of Denver. We got our gear on and started hiking right around 7am. Our first glimpse of Grays Peak revealed a TON of snow on top. I think we were both a little caught off guard by the amount of it. 

The hike itself is about 9 miles round trip (that includes both peaks) with a 3600 foot elevation gain. Grays and Torreys Peaks are considered two of the easier Colorado 14ers mainly because the trail is very accessible and well-maintained. The two peaks are connected by a saddle that allows hikers to descend about 500 feet from the summit of one before climbing about 500 feet back up to the summit of the other.

The elevation at the trailhead is almost 11,000 feet so you're definitely feeling the thin air from the start of this hike. I think I was surprised at the long, winding trail and lack of switchbacks. See that pic above? It almost looks flat! Don't get me wrong, it's not flat and there were switchbacks, but they were a bit more spread out than I expected.

The photo below is a good shot of the two Peaks with the saddle in between. Grays is on the left (tallest peak with snow) and Torreys is on the right. The saddle is the ridge that connects them. 

Lisa and I figured we'd be hiking in the cold most of the day. The forecasted high temp for the summit was 46 degrees and we knew we'd be starting early in the day when temps were chilly so we wore lots of layers and packed our down jackets. That was a good move because we needed our down for most of the day. The sun didn't come out and warm us up like we'd hoped! The other thing we were thankful that we packed was our Yaktrax. We put them on about midway up the trail because there was a lot of packed snow and ice on the trail, and we especially needed them on some the icy, rocky parts near the summit.

It took us 3 hours to summit Grays Peak! And let me tell you it was bitterly C-O-L-D and windy up there. Don't let those blue skies fool you. Brrrrrr. It was so cold that we didn't stay up there long--basically just snapped a few photos and headed back down to the saddle to get out of the wind. At one point I really felt like the wind gusts might blow me off the mountain. I'm not kidding--those gusts were strong and were blowing snow pellets at us! The mouthpiece and tubing to our Camelbaks froze while we were up there which was something I didn't expect. They eventually thawed out but we were thankful we had extra bottles of water and Gatorade in our packs!

Getting closer! See the cairns? What you can't see is the icy snowpack! We had to be extra careful of our footing here--both on the climb up and down.

So, so cold up there.

Me and Lisa on the summit of Grays Peak. Elevation 14,270 feet.

It took us almost another hour to descend Grays and summit Torreys Peak. We were a little skittish about the weather after ascending Grays, but we could see that Torreys barely had any snow and the face of the summit was facing a completely different direction. I'm glad we went for it because the two summit experiences were TOTALLY different. It was still cold up there but it was a lot more sunny and mild, plus we were shielded from that nasty wind.

This photo was taken in the saddle, looking up at Torreys Peak. See? NO snow up there. Weird.

We stopped for a quick snack mid-way up Torreys. It was the ONLY spot on the entire trail that I had cell service and I was able to text John and tell him that we had almost summited our second 14er of the day! NFL games had not yet begun or you know I would have been checking my fantasy stats then too. Can you see the people approaching the summit. There were dozens and dozens of people sharing the trail with us that day.

Some kind person left this sign at the summit so we put it to good use! If you look closely, you can see the geocache cylinder to the right. There was one on top of Grays too but our fingers were too cold to open it!

At the summit of Torreys Peak. Elevation 14, 267 feet. That's Grays Peak covered in snow behind us.

Literally felt like we were on top of the world!

This was the view of Grays from the summit of Torreys Peak. Crazy, huh? If you look closely you can see the trail traversing the left side of the mountain--proof that there were indeed switchbacks. 

By 11am we were headed back to the trailhead! Again, we were soooooooo grateful we'd brought our trax because we saw lots of folks slipping and sliding on the icy trail. I think if we'd waited until October to do this hike we might have talked ourselves out of it or we'd have been in for a much harder hike due to weather and trail conditions. Folks hike it pretty much year round but neither of us are huge risk-takers. We both took it very slowly on the way down, carefully trying to avoid falling and getting hurt. You think about that stuff differently when you're a mom and have folks depending on you daily!

Someday I'm going to do a post of all the cairns I've come across while hiking. I usually take photos of them because I find them so interesting!

We made it back to the trailhead around 1:15pm and hit the road. We stopped for a quick bite in Denver (which we inhaled) before heading home. I dropped Lisa off around 4pm and came home and took a long, hot shower and shared photos and stories over dinner with my family! It was an exhilarating day but my body was so so so so tired--I crashed at 8pm and slept like a baby. 

A friend asked me how I prepared/trained for this hike and I really didn't do anything out of the ordinary. Just lots and lots of hiking--anywhere from 2 to 9 mile hikes with varying degrees of elevation gain. I will say that the Manitou Incline is a fabulous training hike. I've hiked it an average of twice a month for the past year and it is probably the single most effective hike for getting adjusted to huge elevation gain over a short amount of distance. I can honestly say that the Incline feels harder to me than climbing to the top of Grays/Torreys did. 

It feels great to cross this off of my Goals for 2012 list! I'm super proud of us both! We would love to climb Pikes Peak again next year and possibly another 14er or two. I'll keep you posted. Wink!

I LOVE COLORADO! 

Frozen Friday and Facebook

Lately, I've been lacking the creativity to come up with fun titles for my few and far between posts but at least I have some alliteration working for me.

Frozen Friday fits well today; it's quite wintry outside. I really hope we're going to return to fall for a few more weeks before the cold and snow are here to stay. Yes, I said snow. There are a few flakes on the ground right now and if the forecast holds true we have a good chance of seeing more tomorrow. Joy.

I think I prefer to focus on the "Friday" instead of the "frozen" part of that title.
IT'S FRIDAY! WOOHOO! I need a weekend, how about you? This is the first weekend since August that both John and I will be home at the same time. September was rough in that regard. We don't have much planned this weekend. We're all going to freeze our tails off at a high school football game tonight and then tomorrow night Sarah has her Homecoming dance. Other than that I hope to stay in my pjs for as long as I can and watch a lot of football and maybe a movie. I really want to see People Like Us.

Okay, let's talk about Facebook.
I've been tentatively tip-toeing back into Facebook. I reactivated my account in mid-September after a six-week break. Honestly, the only reason I got back on was because I manage a page for work and my admin stuff is linked to my personal account. You may remember that I decided I needed a break in early August after realizing how addicted I'd become. At the time, there were only a few weeks of summer vacation left and I really wanted to be intentional about how I spent the remainder of that time with my children. I can't say that I missed Facebook too much in those six weeks. I have a lot of thoughts about it but I can best sum it up with these two points:

1. Facebook is a ridiculous time waster. I was amazed at how much extra time I found in my day when checking Facebook was no longer a part of my routine. I was also amazed at how much mental focus I had and how uncluttered my brain felt.

2. Facebook is not a life-giving place for me. I hope you caught that the emphasis here is on me, Meredith. I just re-read my Confessions of a Twitter Quitter: Why I Pulled the Plug post and it explains this point in great detail. Just substitute the word Facebook for Twitter as you read.

I will say that I do miss seeing friends' pictures and feeling like I know what's going on in people's lives. During my break, I sat through many a conversation feeling out of the loop because the topic often shifted to something from Facebook. Thankfully, I have understanding and gracious friends who patiently fill me in while keeping the eye-rolling to a minimum.

So, yeah, I'm back on Facebook but it's not a place I visit daily (or hourly, as used to be the case). I deleted the app from my phone and I've pretty much kept my visits to a few times a week, mostly when I get an email saying I've been tagged in a photo or post, or when a friend directs my attention to something I need to see.

The bottom line for me? I want to have control over Facebook and not the other way around.

Happy weekend, friends. Hope it's warmer in your neck of the woods than it is here. Brrrrrrrrrrr.

October currents...

My current read: My reading mostly takes place while waiting in the carpool line and I lately I've spent it reading magazines and my bible study lessons.

Current playlist: I downloaded a song we sang at church last week and have had it on repeat on my iPod ever since. Full Attention by Jeremy Riddle. 

Current color: Orange! I love orange.

Current drink: I'm trying to detox from caffeine and I'm well on my way but I had a killer headache for a few days. The no-caffeine thing is hard when Starbucks taunts me with the pumpkin spice latte. It's harder still when morning temps are in the 30s and 40s. I suppose I could get the decaf version. Now there's an idea. 

Current food: copy-cat salad. When I was in Arkansas last month my sister took me to a place called Newk's where I had one of the best salads I've ever had. I've been trying to recreate it ever since because I literally crave it. I've almost perfected my balsamic vinaigrette. Almost.

Current wish: more hours in a week

Current need: jeans! that fit!

Current triumph: Last Sunday a friend and I climbed Grays Peak AND Torreys Peak. Both are 14,000+ foot mountains in Colorado. I'm working on a blog post about our hike but here's a pic from the top of Torreys.

Current annoyance: I mentioned last week that my debit card was stolen. That in itself is annoying but     it brings with it a whole other set of irritations--like having to write checks and returning items purchased with old debit (and ending up with store credit instead of cash back in my account). I got a new debit card in the mail on Saturday but didn't get my PIN until yesterday which made for a panicky moment at Costco when my transaction wouldn't go through without it. Thank goodness I still had my checkbook in my purse. 

Current indulgence: Daytime naps and going to bed super early. Sleep is my indulgence--not sure exactly what that says about me.

Current blessing: Good friends.

Current outfit: Well, at the moment I'm wearing my flannel nightshirt with moose on it, but will soon be changing into workout clothes. 

Current excitement: I'm hiking today with some friends. I did this same hike early last month and the leaves were just beginning to turn colors. I'm hoping we see some pretty colors today but I'm worried the wind we've had of late may have blown all of the beautiful leaves off of the trees. We'll see. I also love the cairns all along this hike! (You'll see some more cairns in my upcoming post from Grays/Torreys). 

Current project: I'm going to try to use my Silhouette to cut out some vinyl lettering for a friend this week. I have a feeling that will lead to more projects...my head is already full of ideas. 

Current plan: John and I talked last weekend about instituting one night per week that our family turns off our electronic/techy devices (phones, iPods, iPad, computers, and television) and have a screen-free night. He asked me to choose the night and I chose Wednesday. We start tonight and I'm sure it's going to be met with some resistance from our kids. We realize that some homework requires a computer so we're not hard-liners here. What we're going for is an attempt to have a night where we're not all off doing our own thing on our own devices. We're not opposed to turning on the television to watch a show as long as we're all in the same room watching it together and not watching television with a computer or other device in our hand/lap. 

A peek at my week

Saturday: Last Saturday was Homecoming at Will's school. He's been "going with" a sweet girl (that I really really really really really really like) for several weeks so she was his date for the dance. John was out of town (boo!) so I got to take him to meet her for pictures at the park and then drive them a friend's house where a lot of the kids on their cross-country team gathered for dinner before the dance. I also had the privilege of driving a van-load of kids to the dance AND staying awake until 11:30pm to go retrieve them. Will had a great time and I was reminded again how grateful I am to have a partner in this parenting gig. I was also reminded to pray for two of my friends whose husband's have been deployed since May and who handle solo-parenting with grace and ease. They are my heroes!

Sunday: Took the kids to church (Will wasn't too thrilled that I made him get up early after a late night), cleaned house, welcomed John back home, and watched football almost all day! I love football. I love Sundays. And I love it when my husband is home!

Monday: Ugh. My debit card number was stolen over the weekend so first on my agenda was getting that all straightened out and the $340 in transaction charges disputed. Thankfully our bank was on top of things and cancelled my card before things got really out of hand. I left the bank and drove to John's office for their chapel service. They had a musical guest that day that I really enjoy (I'll share more about that soon--I think I might even have a little giveaway for you) and then John took me to lunch afterwards. It was nice to have that time with him because he left for Dallas just a few days after I returned from Arkansas and I felt like I'd barely seen him! Lunch dates are my favorite!

Tuesday: My normal Tuesday morning meeting was cancelled so my friend Lisa and I climbed the Incline. The hike down was gorgeous as some of the trees are changing colors at our elevation. I think I only took this one photo. Hopefully you can see some of the gold scattered among the evergreens.

Wednesday: Wednesday was Bible study morning at church. We're studying James this semester. So far, I am really really enjoying this bible study. I've always loved the book of James (and I'm even considering taking Beth Moore's challenge and memorizing the entire book)(I'm hoping that no one in my group reads this (KIM!) who will hold me to this in case I chicken out)(that's why I'm using the extra small font). I had a coffee date Wednesday afternoon with a friend. We seriously scheduled it three weeks out b/c of our busy schedules. 

Thursday: Yesterday was Grilled Cheese Thursday! Twice a month, Young Life serves hundreds of grilled cheese sandwiches to high schoolers in our town. They walk (or drive) to our local YMCA where volunteers are busy buttering bread and happily grilling sandwiches to serve to them. It's a fun day and the kids always seem grateful for a change from cafeteria options. If you're local and want to get in on the fun, let me know because I'm the volunteer coordinator for this!

Friday (TODAY!): I finished up some work stuff this morning (that gets squeezed in between all the other stuff in my life along with laundry, cooking, cleaning, and errands). I probably should have tackled the grocery store this morning but I found myself with some unexpected time at home so I seized it. And look! A blog post resulted. Win-win! I'm going to meet a friend for an impromptu lunch in a little while and then I'll begin retrieving kids from school, and then I'll make dinner (though pizza sounds like a smart move), and then I think we're going to a high school football game tonight (though a movie and pjs sounds equally nice). Tomorrow, Sarah and I are going shopping for a dress for her to wear to Homecoming (her school's homecoming is next weekend) and I'm hoping to squeeze in a nap afterwards. And Sunday? I can't even wait to tell you what I'm doing on Sunday. So stay tuned!

Five on Friday

1. In case you haven't noticed, there is a direct parallel between the busy-ness in my life and my lack of posting on this blog. September has been NUTS! I'm feeling a bit more sane today but that's probably because September is two-thirds complete and I can sort of see some light at the end of my tunnel. Sort of. I am so super duper glad it's Friday! I feel hopeful that I can catch my breath.

2. I don't like to be busy. I just don't see any other way around it with kids, jobs, etc. 

3. Sarah and I went to Arkansas last weekend for our annual mini-family-football reunion. We had a great time and got to see lots of family. The Razorback game is always my favorite part but this year it was a DISASTER. Besides the weather being wet and rainy (and gross), the Hogs came away with an epic loss. I think there were twenty-two of us (family) at the game so when other people started leaving after half-time we moved from our scattered seats and sat together until until the very end. Even though it was a terrible game, we had a lot of FUN being together! I'm not a fickle fan. I'll still be cheering for the Hogs, but let's just say that my Saturdays from now through November won't revolve around Razorback games. Smile.
Here's a few pics.

4. Did I mention it rained in Arkansas? Yep, I think I saw more rain in four days than I have in the last four years. It was crazy. And so was my hair. I am very very very very very thankful for dry, Colorado air when it comes to my hair! Humidity is NOT my friend.

5. I became an aunt again on Wednesday! My sister had a baby boy. I was so hoping she would have him while I was home but alas, it didn't work according to MY plan. :) 

We are all so excited for them.

I've got more on my mind but my to-do list is calling. I really like to get things accomplished on Fridays so I can REST on weekends. I am very stingy with our weekend commitments because of our need for downtime! (See #2 above.) Hope everyone has a great weekend. 

Clearing my head...

I'm should be working right now. I carved a chunk of time out of this morning to get some things accomplished but I'm having trouble concentrating on work. Maybe it's because it's so nice outside and I'd rather be out there soaking up the sun. Maybe it's because I'm really into the book I'm reading right now and I just want to finish it already. Or Maybe it's because I'm not feeling super great today--just slow and sluggish. Whatever the reason, I'm hoping that by typing some stuff here I can clear my head and get in my groove and get my work stuff wrapped up for this week, because hello? We've got a three-day weekend coming up!

I feel like I'm in a really good place in life right now. I remember telling a friend last winter that I just feel happy. I do, and it's good. There was a period in my life where depression stalked and threatened to overtake me but I feel like those days are in my far distant past. I feel healthy and I feel content, and I am so incredibly grateful I can say that. BUT...I have several friends right now who are in dark places. My heart hurts for them. I'd give anything to be able to fix things for them but I'm pretty helpless to do much more than pray, listen, or pass the Kleenex when the tears spill forth. It feels like there is so much suffering around me at the moment...it feels so heavy...and I hate it.

On a much lighter note, I had the sweetest conversation with Abbey this morning before school. One of my friends offered to pick Subway up for lunch and take it to Abbey at school since she was doing that for her kids too. She's a great friend and always doing nice things like that for me and my kids (though I'm 99.9% certain Abbey proposed this idea). The fact is that I love that Abb is comfortable enough around my friend to ask "hey, if you're bringing your kids some lunch, could you bring me some too?" I also cringe a little a lot, but mostly I love that she's comfortable. When I informed Abbey of her lunch treat today I told her to be sure to thank my friend profusely and tell her that she earned about ten-thousand cool-mom points. She looked at me, smiled, tilted her head and said, "Mom, I actually think of Mrs. Heather as one of my second moms." I asked her if she had a lot of second moms and she shook her head and said, "Not really. Just Aunt M, Aunt T, and Sarah. (pause) Mom, if something ever happened to you, Sarah could take good care of me. She knows how to do my hair really good." It just made my heart smile to know she has a bunch of second mamas who love her. And she never has to worry about her hair. :)

I should get back to work...
Happy Thursday!

Currently ::: August edition

Can't believe August is almost over!

Current book: The Kitchen House. I started this book last week and so far it is very, very good.

Current playlist: Coldplay, Zac Brown, Lady Antebellum, Chris Tomlin. Basically I'm all over the place.

Current color: Purple

Current drink: In July I got sucked back into drinking diet coke on a much-too-regular basis. I blame it on the proximity of Sonic to the pool and the fact that it was always happy hour at Sonic when we were headed home and I was always hot and in need of a cold drink. Now I'm trying to detox from caffeine again because I think it is why I've been sleeping so poorly the last few weeks.

Current food addiction: I'm trying to enjoy as much summer produce as I can before it's gone. I was sad the other day when Costco had downsized from 4lb to 2lb containers of strawberries. That means the end of summer is near. Sigh.

Current favorite favorite: I bought this magnet in Crested Butte. It makes me happy.

Current wishlist: Fall, candy corn, pumpkin spice lattes (I think they make their seasonal debut on Saturday), the start of football, and for my sister to have her baby when I'm in Arkansas in a few weeks.

Current need: Some motivation in the kitchen. I am having the hardest time with meals lately. I'm still cooking but I'm just not enjoying it. I think I'm ready for soups and stews and a fall-ish menu.

Current triumph: In September we will have one of our two credit cards completely paid off. We've been debt free at two different times in our twenty-two years of marriage and it's a wonderful feeling. We're not currently debt-free, but we are moving that direction and we have operated on a cash-only basis for the last five-ish years. I never cease to be amazed at God's provision for us.

Current annoyance: The transition lenses on my glasses. I got that feature because it was completely covered under insurance but I despise how dark my glasses get when I'm in the sun and how long it takes them to go back to normal. Vain, much?

Current indulgence: Going to bed super early. Ahhhh...such a luxury for me.

Current blessing: A fulfilling marriage. It's a blessing I don't take for granted.

Current outfit: This rarely changes--capris, flip flops, short sleeved top. Lately though I've been able to wear some lightweight cardigans and jeans. I'm ready for more of that.

Current excitement: The Arkansas/Alabama game in Fayetteville in a few weeks. Go HOGS!

Current planning project: A menu for Bunco!

Current goof-up: I got completely ready and made an appetizer for a party on Saturday night that was actually on SUNDAY night. I'm so glad we called ahead of time to ask a silly question because the hostess corrected my error and saved us from actually driving to the party and showing up on the wrong night. What a goof up. John and I ended up going on a little impromptu date that night since we were dressed. The actual party last night was great. It was sad to say good-bye to sweet friends but we got to catch up with so many people we hadn't seen in a long time. It was a nice way to end the weekend.

Hope all you peeps have a great week.

PS: My kids totally make fun of me for saying peeps. Evidently it's not a cool word. Whatev.

Just Because...

This picture makes me smile every time I see it on my phone so I'm sharing it here just because I can.

Six on Saturday

1. It's been a long week. I don't know when I've ever been so glad to see a weekend roll around. Our kids started school on Tuesday and they all had a terrific week but we are all tired!

 Will--first day of 10th grade

 Sarah--first day of 9th grade

Abbey--first day of 5th grade

2. Does anyone else find the first week of school exhausting? It pretty much kicked my tail. Between all the driving (three different schools) and the mental task of keeping up with everyone's schedule, I've been completely spent each evening by dinnertime. One night this week I went to bed before 8pm. It was awesome.

3. Last weekend John and I went to Crested Butte for the first time. Oh my word, it was
F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S! I'm pretty sure it now trumps Estes Park as my favorite place in Colorado. The natural beauty was stunning and the drive, the lodging, the food, the hiking, the shopping were all AMAZING. We were pretty wowed by it, and are trying to figure out when we can go back! Maybe even to ski? We bought a steal-of-a-deal for this hotel through LivingSocial (it was GREAT!) and we ate some pretty amazing meals at Maxwells, Le Bosquet, Teocalli Tamale, The Secret Stash, and of course coffee from Camp 4 Coffee. (I linked to those simply so I could remember for future reference!) That getaway to Crested Butte probably deserves it's own post but for the sake of time I'm lumping it all into this one.

 Terrible photo but amazing french food!

 Crested Butte is known for it's wildflowers but we were there at the tail end of that season. Those that we saw were gorgeous though--I can only imagine how beautiful it would be in July. I think this would be a fabulous place for fall aspen viewing, but it's a bit of a drive from Co Springs (4+ hours). Some of the aspens were already starting to turn while we were there! 

 Starting to feel like fall in Colorado! I love it!

I had a cup of decaf each morning--best coffee EVER. I'm not exaggerating.

A couple of friends told us to make sure we visited The Secret Stash for pizza (so we did) and we ordered The Notorious Fig. Never would've thought of putting fig on pizza but oh my gosh, it was amazing. This week I stumbled upon a fig pizza recipe in my Pioneer Woman cookbook (the newest one) and I think I could make my foodie husband very happy by attempting her recipe. 

4. John's parents came out for a visit and stayed here with our kids while we were gone. While we were playing in Crested Butte, they went to a fancy-schmancy wedding in Denver for one of John's mom's cousins and had a great time too! Mimi and Papa were here for a week but they gave us some space for the first two days of school and escaped to Ouray, CO for their anniversary. We are always so grateful when they get to spend time with us--one of the perks of their retirement!

5. After having the summer off from my part-time YL job, I started back to work this week. I feel overwhelmed already. It's not so much the work-load as it is saying good-bye to the freedom (and sloth) of summer. I'm in the process of trying to work my schedule so that I can still have time to hike and volunteer and do all the other things that help my family function smoothly. Honestly, it feels hard to find balance.

6. This weekend is a good mix of rest, productivity, and activity. Will has a cross-country meet this morning and later today we have a good-bye send off for some friends moving to North Carolina. We're going to try to get back in our church groove tomorrow and sometime this weekend I need to take my high-schoolers shopping for the supplies they found out they need this week. I'm hoping to squeeze a nap and a hike in there somewhere too. Wish me luck!

The Color Run:::Colorado Springs 2012

I first heard of The Color Run in early spring when two friends in Atlanta posted pics from their 5K on Facebook. Oh my gosh, it looked like SO much fun! A few weeks later, Angie and her family did The Color Run in Southern California and I knew right then and there that I had to sign up for this race! Unfortunately, the Denver Color Run was sold out by then and there wasn't one scheduled for Colorado Springs. After being very patient and checking the website obsessively frequently, the "happiest 5K on the planet" announced plans to come to my area and I quickly formed a team and got us signed up. 

Last Saturday was the big day.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with The Color Run, here's the 411:

It's a 5K run...but you can walk if you want...but it's not a timed run because it's designed to be FUN!

Runners are encouraged to wear white.

At each kilometer marker there is a color station where volunteers throw powdered color on you as you run past. Each runner is given a packet of colored powder to save for the finish where there is a color explosion every few minutes and everyone throws their color packet up in the air--dousing the runners with even MORE color. It is crazy fun, crazy messy, and crazy awesome. I HIGHLY recommend you find one in your area (drive if you have to) and register. Go here to read more and find out if there's one close to you.

Okay...some pics.

Here is part of my team at the starting line. We ordered matching tank tops with our team name on the back. 

Self-portrait. Awesome facial expression, eh? And yes, I wear earrings to 5Ks. I wear them when I hike too. I get a lot of flack for that, but I can deal with it.

Seriously y'all--this was SO MUCH STINKIN' FUN!

Just in case you're wondering, all of the color washed out of my hair and off of me after a shower, though I did have to do some scrubbing. I did miss cleaning one spot (my belly button) and realized it the next day when I had a nice orange ring on my t-shirt after a workout. Awesome.

I sprayed my tank top with vinegar before I left the race and ironed it when I got home to try to preserve as much color as I could and it worked! It's not quite as bright as it was post-race but it's a happy souvenir. :)

BIG thanks to my friends' husbands who came and took pics for us! And then shared them with me so I could share them with you.

Friday afternoon randomness

My house feels normal again now that Will is back from his cross-country camp. I never feel settled when one of my peeps is gone. We're all glad he's home and I think he is too. He told us that he had to get up and run every morning at 6am while there and hike every afternoon--oh the injustice. 

I've had to get creative and find new places to hike this summer because of all the trail/forest closures related to the Waldo Canyon fire. This morning my friend and I hiked the middle and upper Columbine Trail in North Cheyenne Canyon and it was SO beautiful! I've actually found several amazing hikes this summer that I probably never would have if I hadn't had to look for new terrain. It's good to shake things up every so often, right?

Isn't that so beautiful? The two deer in the picture below were SO close to the trail and they weren't the least bit afraid of us. I hate my picture turned out so blurry.

When we were in Santa Fe last week we made a trip to Trader Joe's and I stocked up on some of our favorite TJs products. I also found a few new things to try including blue corn tortillas. YUM. I used them in my very favorite enchilada recipe last night and they were quite possibly the best enchiladas I've ever made. Corn tortillas usually fall apart when I roll enchiladas but these were PERFECT. I don't know if it was the blue corn tortillas or if it was because I finally found a good method for flash-frying them. Regardless, they were perfect and delicious.

I think one of the things I despise about the end of summer is the MOUNDS of paperwork. The high school(s) send a link with all of the student forms that need to be printed and completed before student processing (which is next week--blech) and each grade level packet is 40+ pages. Thankfully, I don't have to print every single page, but I have to print a whole lot of them and then fill them out. YUCKO. I despise paperwork. Despise it. I also dread the onslaught of paperwork that accompanies the first weeks of school. It's slightly overwhelming to keep up with all of that for three kids and three different schools. 

We're going to try to squeeze in another pool day and maybe some hiking next week--in between XC practices, some back-to-school shopping (we're not buying much until fall actually arrives), student processing, company arriving, and one last summer getaway. Summer is winding down and I'm very very sad, but I'm thankful that we still have some fun days left to enjoy to the fullest. Peace out, peeps. Enjoy your weekend!

Chatter

Right now my house is way too quiet. Will is away at camp, John is at work, and the girls are still sleeping. Our plans for the day (the pool with friends) fell apart at the last minute due to the weather so I'm enjoying a very leisurely post-walk breakfast. I'm savoring it. I see many not-so-leisurely days in the very near future!

I've got a little chatty list going...

1. I had a free Redbox rental code yesterday and decided about 7pm that the girls and I should rent The Help. I went to my nearest Redbox, got the dvd, came home, put on my pjs, got all comfy on the love seat, and then the stupid dvd wouldn't play--and I tried my laptop too with the same results. John told us we could order the movie from our on-demand cable but it wasn't available. I was so disappointed. I chatted online with a Redbox representative and got two free rental codes as compensation, but I was really in the mood to watch that movie last night. Oh well.

2. I bought some new athletic shoes on Saturday. I'm particularly fond of Brooks Cascadia. I've worn Brooks for as long as I can remember because they fit my narrow feet so well and this particular style is perfect for the kind of terrain I tackle daily. I was NOT very fond of the only color option available. I texted John this pic on Saturday after I bought them.

They are an obnoxious blue and turquoise. Obnoxious. But I bought them because I'm brand loyal and they're tried and true. I'm hoping the trail dust will tone down the turquoise. 

3. I am getting really excited about football. Razorback football. NFL football. High school football. Fantasy football. You name it, I'm ready for it. 

4. I'm reading The Weird Sisters right now and I really like it. My friend, Kelly, recently asked me how I choose books. Honestly? I have no real method. I rarely buy books, but when I'm at the library I generally look for a title or cover to grab me. If one of those two appeal to me, I'll usually read the front flap and add it to my check-out pile or reject it immediately. I end up rejecting way more than I choose. Sometimes I'll read a book based on recommendations. A friend mentioned The Weird Sisters one evening while we were out walking and a few days later I saw it mentioned in a magazine at my hair salon. I stumbled upon it (quite by accident) on my last library trip and was intrigued by the title so I checked it out. How do YOU choose books? Read any good ones lately?

5. I started this post over an hour ago (in between loads of laundry, a text conversation, and bites of breakfast) and now one of my girlies is up and my morning isn't so quiet. She's telling me (in gory detail) about a show on Animal Planet called Infested. She just told me she doesn't think she can ever watch that show again. I think I'm about to lose my breakfast. Adios, friends. :)

Monday musings

I need summer to slow down. We still have two complete weeks before school begins but they're going to fly by. Especially next week. I'm starting to feel sad. I wish summer lasted longer. Sigh.

We sent Will off to cross-country camp in Winter Park today. I'm afraid that kid is in for a rude awakening. We've been trying to get him to run all summer and he's protested wildly, just like you'd expect a 15-year-old boy to do. He's hit the trail half a dozen times in the last three weeks but they're going to be running 60 minutes a day (at a much higher altitude) this week. I'm pretty sure he's going to wish he'd listened to his mother. But I'm also sure he'd never admit that.

After we dropped him off for camp, the girls and I went to buy school supplies. I'm happy to report that we got everything on our list at ONE store. That might be a back-to-school miracle. My two high-schoolers don't get a supply list until the first day of school so we bought some things they anticipate needing + some things that are always hard to find once school has begun. Keep your fingers crossed that we got everything covered.

Last week we went to Santa Fe for a few days. John had to go for work and agreed to let us tag along. We LOVE Santa Fe. It's one of our favorite places to visit and the food isn't so shabby either. Green chilies, anyone? I asked John to try to find a hotel close to the plaza with an outdoor pool and a free breakfast and man, did he deliver! It was perfect. And relaxing.

 Our fabuloso hotel!

Waiting for dinner at The Shed. We hit most of our favorite dining spots and even added a new one that will join our favorites list!

(CanNOT wait for TJ's to open in Colorado!)

Two of my more observant friends have noticed that I'm no longer on Facebook and have emailed me about it. The night we returned home from Santa Fe, I deactivated my account. It's not permanent and I'll be back but I just needed a break from some of the noise in my life. I want to be intentional about enjoying these last weeks of summer without distractions, and if I'm honest, Facebook is a huge distraction. I often joke that it creates ADD-like characteristics in me but joking aside, it's true. I already feel more focused and definitely more free (not to mention productive)!

Alrighty. Gotta get a few things crossed off of today's list so we can play tomorrow! Y'all have a great week. 

OH, if you want to cheer for our local friend in the Olympics, today is her qualifying round for the Women's 1500M on Friday. I don't know if it's televised this afternoon or tonight (or even at all) but watch for Jenny Simpson. Today is the qualifying round, Wednesday is the semi-final, and Friday is the final. GO JENNY, GO!