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...

View from the front porch of our new house There hasn't been a dull moment in our recent nomadic lifestyle. But we now have news on this subject. And our news is that we don't plan on moving again. We plan on staying in Durango. No more nomad existence for us. We bought a house! Last year was all about 'out with the old' and this year is officially our 'in with the new'. After two large house sales and moves last year (Nebraska + Indiana) plus two moves from Boise rentals, we have gotten a little tired of packing and moving. After my last move post-exhaustion, I clearly articulated my feelings to Garrett. "One of two things is going to happen in Durango. I am either going to settle in for good or I am not going to get too comfortable. I am not doing another big move." Settling in has won out. It started with us 'just taking a look at some houses' to get a feel of the local market. One house viewing led to another and then we met ...

October 2009 - October 2019 Garrett and I just wrapped an amazing 9 day road trip through Oregon, focusing our travels on the southwestern region of the state. By our calculations (which was basically a combo of loose memory and verification through my flipping through iPhone pictures), this was our sixth annual fall trip together. We started this tradition with hiking the Rocky Mountain National Park in 2014, taking in the beautiful orange aspen leaves and all the great fall mountainous views. The other calculation that came to light was that it was ten years ago when Garrett and I first met. TEN YEARS. Wow. We had to recheck our math on that one too. A lot has happened in our collective lives since that fall day in 2009. By twist of fate, I followed up with Garrett, a presenter at a conference I was attending in Denver ten years ago and so it all began. This was before texting was the prevalent form of communication. I sent him an e-mail on my way out of town and we later se...

______________________________________ April 21, 2019 I’m fat. There, I said it out loud. And I actually feel a lot better now. I can't sugarcoat the situation or convince myself it’s not a big deal. It's my reality. I weigh 158. My Apple scale is accurate. This is my number. Ugh. The picture that pushed me over the edge. I thought I looked good and was shocked when I saw I did not. Grant, my ‘baby’, turned 19 years old a week ago today. All three of my kids were born in April. As we celebrated the birth of the youngest, I was overwhelmed with memories on how I felt post-birthing all those many years ago. Rocking tiny sleeping infants while enjoying outdoor views of the freshness of spring. Blooming tulips, flowering and colorful trees, and first glimpses of long-awaited green grass filled my emotional eye. Every rock of the baby was filled with breasts bursting out of my nursing bra ready for upcoming feedings. My extra layers o...