Tales of the Ordinary Days

It will be easy, they said. Only 6 miles, he said. Rated Class 2 (easy with snow), the book proclaimed. Easy peasy. So what if it's a 14er (one of the 96 mountains in the United States and 58 in Colorado peaking at above 14,000 feet)? I've done four before. What's the big deal? What the book, Garrett, and I didn't take into account... 52 year old hot flashes (raising heart rate to 160 while climbing from 12,000 to 13,000 feet and a thunderstorm slyly rolling in at 13,500 feet and none of the four of us (Jake and Zeke were in tow too) packing rain gear for unanticipated rain for our 4th of July hike. That pretty much sums it up. But let me regress. 4th of July. A beautiful Saturday. A perfect day for a hike. But not just an ordinary hike. We decided to take on an 'easy' fourteener. With a 6 am wake-up call and a gorgeous drive through Silverton and then 4 wheeling to remote parts of the mountains, we reached our desired trailhea...

Nieces, Ky and Brynn, and sons, Zach, Ben and Grant. They joined me for a Rotary meeting during my presidency. (in my defense...they were told to be silly for this photo) I was flying high in the early 2000's. Between the years 2006 and 2007, I was selected as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Omahan's, named a 40 under 40 up-and-comer, and elected the first female president of West Omaha Rotary on it's historic 50th year. I had sat on more than a dozen charity boards, turning away more invitations than I accepted. A partner with a large CPA firm; I had status, significance, and yes....a bit of an ego. Don't get me wrong, I loved serving and being a community leader. But I was also on my high horse with all these accolades. Looking  back, I now have flashbacks to my childhood; me basking in golden child status with exclamations of "look at me, look at me!!" During the heart of my PR roll, I received a phone call from Sister Mary Ann (I actually don...