Sorry, Again, For My Absence

I've been a pretty busy lady since late July, which was essentially my last substantial post. Here's a brief summary picking up where I left off.

The weekend after my triathlon, I...
Went to Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo and a Zac Brown Band Concert (amaaazing!) with some of my favorites...

And the following day I went tubing down the Cache La Poudre River with those same favorites, on a crazy impulse. That was an adventure! (If you want more details, ask me.)

In August, I...
Went to a Rockies game or two...

Said good-bye to a great friend and co-worker who moved back home...

And enjoyed the last days of summer's delicious bounty...

In September, I...
Went backpacking with my brother, Rachel, and Donnie for a long weekend.

{we made a couple friends}

Met Chris Cagel at the Grizzly Rose...no big deal!

Went camping near Spinny Reservoir and the Dream Stream, as it's known by fishermen (and women).

Went to Breckenridge's Oktoberfest street party. It's rained on our parade (literally, although there was no actual parade). Everyone managed to have a good time anyway, and I've never heard grown adults literally cheer for sunshine...until that day. We enjoyed a mug or 2 of good beer, some "Bavarian" food, and good times.

And I presented a poster session at Public Health in the Rockies annual conference.

In October, I...
Took Jessie to Colorado Springs for her first visit ever. We went to Garden of the Gods where we broke some rules...

and made some memories....

Then we went to Manitou Springs to taste the spring water...

and ride over-sized fake bicycles.

From there we proceeded to my cousin's house for their annual Oktoberfest celebration (sorry, no pictures).

Went to a corn maze, which was surprisingly challenging, and picked out a pumpkin from the patch. Proceeded to carve said pumpkin with a group of some favorite friends, while watching Hocus Pocus, I might add. Can't forget this - baked and ate some pumpkin seeds!

Made and enjoyed some amazing whipped pumpkin dip. Do yourself a favor and make this. It will rock your world. (15oz pumpkin, 1 5oz package prepared instant vanilla pudding, 1 16oz container fat-free whipped cream, 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice - mix all together and use as dip on whatever sounds good to you; I prefer apples.)

And in November,
I spent Thanksgiving at home with most of my family, and celebrated a wedding in Chicago with some of my favorite people!

In December, it is back to reality for a few short weeks before I get another week off to spend with friends and family at home. Then in the new year the fun really begins! Stay tuned!!

Hellooooo Fall!

Fall is apparently here, and it came in a big way. Take, for instance, the fact that 2 weeks ago we were setting record high temps in the 90s day after day. I believe we even set a record for most consecutive days in the 90s. Then today we set a record for the lowest high temperature. It was so cold today that I was cold inside my office. Inside people!! And then when I left the gym this evening it was only 58 degrees. What is this?! Now, anyone who knows me knows I LOVE fall. But I'll be honest, I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to summer yet. It seemed to go so fast this year. But I guess all signs point to fall - the apples, apple crisps, and caramel apples were all over the produce section of the grocery store, and football starts tomorrow. What more means it's fall than football season? The answer: nothing.

Against all odds...Here's hoping for a few more days of summer-like weather.

A Chill In The Air

Today after work I went for a bike ride in long yoga pants and a long-sleeved shirt. While on my bike ride I realized I could have used some gloves and a winter hat or headband as well. Ladies and gentleman, fall is finally here!

Elk Fest

Welcome to Elk Fest.

Where elk invade Estes Park to rest on the golf course, play in the school play ground, sleep in the front yard of a motel by the pool, and mate.

This is rutting season for elk and they are out in abundance, even more so than usual. The best places to find them? Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park.

{a bull and his harem. he beat out those two poor guys above, and if you can see his rack in this picture, you'll understand why.}

{on the golf course in Estes Park where we saw the slew of elk pictured above}

{Rocky Mountain National Park, at the top of Trail Ridge Road}

{I imagine this is where John Denver was sitting as he wrote Rocky Mountain High}

{can you tell this is a sequence of him bugling: before, during, and after}

And the big guy by the pool...

{this picture is for reference of how close we were to that elk above, and because I love her}