Wonderful Weekend

It has once again been a long time since I've written my last post. And, sadly I once again use the excuse that I've been busy at work and therefore tired when I get home. I sense a trend here, and it's a problematic trend and a trend that I want to break. Another reason why I haven't written is because I haven't felt very inspired to write anything. But this weekend, I was suddenly reminded of what usually inspires me the most, wonderful people.

One of my dear friends and her boyfriend invited me over for a barbecue this weekend. The whole week prior, the weather was a mix of rain and occasionally snow. But on the weekend of the barbecue, the skies cleared and the temperature warmed. The weather was perfect. I know my friend from working with her in publishing, but her other life is in the theatre, so many of the other people at the barbecue were her theatre friends and naturally I didn't know them. But it was wonderful just to meet a lot of new people. It struck me after the party how a person can stuck in a rut and a routine. Sometimes you do the same things and deal with the same people day after day, and, let's face it, it can sometimes get boring or tiring or frustrating. Sometimes you need a break from the routine. Sometimes you just need something new, a new or different energy. So meeting a lot of new people from what is a completely different world to me was great. And what was especially nice was that they were all wonderful and outgoing and easy to talk to. They all seemed really happy and seemed to enjoy life. It was nice to spend the day with people who seemed to enjoy what they do and who appreciate what they have.

And needless to say it was wonderful to spend time with my friend. It was nice to be with someone who is calm and sane and level-headed and grounded, someone who is giving and caring, someone who can keep my spirits up, and someone who has a positive influence on my life. And it doesn't hurt that she is absolutely beautiful, too!

Going back to work after such a wonderful day was difficult, but at least the wonderful time has carried me through the week so far and the wonderful day has given me one more thing to appreciate.

Beautiful Morning

This has been a very unusual late fall/early winter in Colorado. Usually by this time there would be snow on the ground, but so far we haven't had any significant snowfall. There has been snow up high in the mountains, but nothing has hit the front range and cities yet. Here it is, the morning of November 8, and I'm sitting in my living room with the windows open. Right now it is a very comfortable 57 degrees, and earlier I was standing on my balcony drinking a cup of coffee. It's a beautiful and wonderful morning.

However, I can't get too comfortable and relaxed and lazy. My apartment needs some serious cleaning!

Current mood: relaxed
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Melissa Etheridge "I've Loved You Before"
Current drink: coffee

YES WE CAN!

And Yes We Did!!!

Current mood: ecstatic
Current drink: Remy Martin VSOP Cognac

Seasons

In typical Colorado fashion seasons can change on a dime. This weekend the weather was warm and sunny. Today that all changed rather dramatically. This morning was somewhat cold, but there was a thin layer of fog hanging around the Flatirons but you could tell that a bigger storm was brewing. I have to admit that I was distracted for most of the day and had a hard time focusing on work because I was watching the clouds building and drifting over the mountains. They were dark and ominous. I love clouds like that, but in general I think that I am obsessed with and mesmerized by clouds. In the afternoon we had a downpour of rain and some strong gusts of wind. After a twenty minute storm, the skies opened up and it was sunny again. About two hours later, more dark clouds were building over the mountains. And when I left the office, it was really cold.

As I was driving home I was still distracted by the clouds. I should probably focus on driving, but it was too beautiful. Plus the drive home, even by itself without all of the beautiful ominous clouds, is just gorgeous. I drive on a little two-lane road that passes some old farmlands. Most of the road is lined by trees, and right now the trees still have their fall colors. So the trees are red and gold and yellow, and while there are still a lot of leaves on the trees, there are also a lot of leaves that have fallen on the road. I don't know how else to describe it, and you probably have to see it to believe it, but it literally feels like you're driving through a postcard. It's stunning.

So, needless to say, it's been a lovely evening. I voted, and I'm feeling optimistic and energized about the election. And I enjoyed a lovely drive home. It's been a nice evening so far.

Current mood: optimistic, relaxed, generally good
Current music: Loreena McKennitt An Ancient Muse
Current drink: Terra Barossa 2007 Shiraz

Wonderful Weekend

This has been a wonderful weekend. And, to make it even better, it was a three-day weekend for me. I decided to take the day off on Friday because it's been a while since I've taken time off, and I needed a break. I spent Saturday with my best friend, Julie, who is here with her two kids and visiting the rest of her family. We met at Chautauqua park and went on a hike around the Flatirons. The weather was perfect and it was a beautiful day for a hike. As the kids ran up the hill (I wish I had that kind of energy), we followed and talked and caught up on what we're doing in our lives. We took a route different from my usual route because there was a lot of activity on the mountain. Apparently some guy was trying to climb one of the Flatirons without any safety ropes and he fell and broke his leg. So the mountain was crawling with crews from the Boulder Fire Department, Rocky Mountain Fire Department, and Rocky Mountain Rescue. Maybe, just maybe, he learned a lesson and it's probably good that it came with a lot of pain! Next time use some ropes, dude. But I digress...

After our hike, we came to my apartment so that I could show it off, then we went to Pearl Street and had lunch at Mountain Sun. We ate yummy burgers and drank their always-wonderful beer. After lunch we just wandered around Pearl Street. After that, we drove up to Loveland and had dinner with her family. It was a great day! It was just wonderful to spend the day with a really good friend. But now I'm sad because she's gone and I miss her already. But it was a wonderful weekend.

Morning Hike

I woke up early this morning because I wanted to take a hike around Chautauqua Park and up into the Flatirons. I got to Chautauqua at about 9:30 and the parking lot was already full. The trails, though, were surprisingly quiet. I'd occasionally see people as they passed, but it wasn't crowded at all, and that made it really nice. I walked up the Chautauqua trail, then turned down the Bluebell-Baird trail. I then went halfway up the 2nd and 3rd Flatiron access trail. I didn't want to go all the way to the top, so I turned around and came back down. I then took the Mesa trail back to Chautauqua park.

It's been a while since I last hiked, so in the beginning I was pretty tired and out of breath, but then I started feeling better. I'm definitely not as young as I used to be. But I suppose if I hiked more often, I wouldn't be tired in the first place. So that's probably incentive to hike more often.

Another incentive to hike more often is because I just enjoyed myself. I took my time and enjoyed my surroundings. Some people hike purely for exercise or because they want to "conquer" nature. I hike to enjoy everything. I took my camera and got a lot of great pictures. I was also completely absorbed with everything around me and I was absorbed with myself. For the first time in a long time, I wasn't thinking about work or any of the other things that stress me out in life. I wasn't thinking about anything other than what would make a great picture. And I wasn't thinking about anyone other than myself. That, for me, is strange and rare!

Here are a few pictures from my hike. If you want to see more, you can click on the link to the left to see more pictures on my Flickr page.

On the Chautauqua Trail heading toward the Flatirons

Two deer. I took this with my zoom, but I was only about 10 yards away from them. They kept grazing and didn't seem to mind that I was standing there taking pictures of them.

Heading back to Chautauqua Park. The Flatirons. Notice the heart-shaped cloud!

So all in all I had a great time!

Beautiful Brunch

Today I woke up early because I had plans to meet some friends in Denver for brunch. We met at Racines, and we had a wonderful time! We all use to work together at one of our previous jobs and even though we've all moved on to different places, we still keep in touch and still try to get together as often as we can. It is just such a great group of women. They're all so intelligent and brilliant. They're talented and creative. And they're all so incredibly beautiful! It was an absolutely wonderful morning, and I couldn't be happier. I'm so fortunate to be blessed with such wonderful friends! I love them all!

Current mood: very happy
Current music: iTunes is on shuffle. Currently Melissa Etheridge "Message to Myself"
Current drink: New Belgium 1554 "Enlightened Black Ale"

A Tale of Two Commutes

Yesterday's miniblizzard left the roads in horrible condition this morning. First of all, it took me about ten or fifteen minutes just to chip the ice off my car. And I found out that the new pair of gloves that I just bought aren't warm enough. I'm not sure if the problem is with the gloves or if it is with my hands. All I know is that the tips of my fingers were hurting by the time I finished cleaning my windows. Then came the task of actually driving to work. The roads were nothing but ice, and I certainly felt my car sliding around in certain spots. Just in the short three-mile drive from my apartment to the office, I saw quite a few accidents. One SUV (yes, an SUV!) was slammed into the back of a Honda. Size means nothing on ice! What is normally a ten-minute commute turned into about 20-25 minutes. Fortunately that wasn't as bad as what some of my friends had to deal with. Their commute from Denver was over two hours. In weather like this I'm thinking one of two things: I wish I were back in California, or when the heck are they going to invent a Jetson's car that flies?

But, as is typical in Colorado, the sun came out and started to melt all of the snow and ice. When I left the office at 5:00, it was about 35 degrees, which actually felt somewhat warm. And, thankfully, the roads were clear and dry. And, in addition to a safe drive home, I was blessed with a beautiful sunset during the drive. There were clouds over the mountains, and they were all shades of orange and pink and purple. The mountains were covered with the fresh snow that seemed to glow. For all of the stress and anxiety of the morning drive, the day ended on a very beautiful note.

Current mood: relaxed
Current music: Lisa Gerrard. The Silver Tree

Ready for a New Week

As I wrote in my last post, this last week was, well, "off." Something just wasn't right. But a kind and comforting call from a good friend seemed to make me feel better. It calmed me down, and it helped me relax. I took some work home with me this weekend, but I really didn't do that much. I only worked for a few hours this evening. For the most part this weekend, I didn't do much of anything. I went shopping and ran a few errands, but other than that I just relaxed. This was a beautiful weekend, too. It was hard to believe that it is January and that it is supposed to be winter. It was sunny and warm all weekend. It was about 65 degrees when I went out this afternoon. It feels strange to go shopping in January without being bundled up and wearing a hat, scarf, and gloves. It felt so nice I didn't even bring a light jacket with me.

It was a calm and relaxing weekend, and I think that I am ready for the coming week. I say that now, but you never know what to expect in the next few days--a terrible snow storm, piles of work, who knows what else. Oh well. What can you do? I'll just try to think positive. And when that doesn't help, I'll try to remember how good I felt when I got that one phone call...

Now I must go. It's past my bedtime for a work night...

Winter Pictures

So after my wonderful lunch and after a quick post on my blog, I grabbed my camera and ran out to take a few pictures of the mountains. I headed west to Chautauqua Park, which is only a few miles from my apartment. The parking lot was pretty snowy and icy, and I nearly broke my neck while walking up a little hill from the parking lot to the trail. Although, I admit, I was stupid and didn't change into my snow boots before I left the house. I was still wearing my famous--albeit impractical in the snow--boots. Anyway, once I made it to the little trail, I was able to take some nice pictures. It was a little late in the day, so I missed out on the crystal blue sky that we had earlier, but the view was still spectacular. All these shots were taken from the same spot. I love my zoom lens. And I love this town and this state. How many places have views like this?!

Wish I Had My Camera

I wish I brought my camera to work. The view from my window is beautiful!

That's all for now. I'll write more later.

Could It Be Spring?

Today was quite a wonderful day. It was sunny and clear, and temperatures reached the mid-60s. There is a slight chance that this could be the beginning of spring. Then again, this is Colorado, and we could have a blizzard dump five feet of snow on us tomorrow. Either way, I enjoyed the beautiful weather today. It is wonderful to drive with the windows down again. I accomplished quite a bit today--had my car washed, did the grocery shopping for the week, did the laundry, and attended to other "business" matters. Tomorrow I will have my second "performance review" with both the old boss and the new, incoming boss. I have to update and revise my self-evaluation. Perhaps I can include as one of my goals, "to win back the office I am about to lose due to one person's desire to have the corner office." Maybe that is the wine talking.

Current mood: productive
Current music: various tunes from my iTunes library. Currently Tori Amos "Amber Waves" from Scarlet's Walk
Current drink: Blackstone 2004 Napa Valley Merlot