All images taken at Paint Mines Interpretive Park in Calhan, Colorado.
Images may not be used without permission.
Our Ultimate List
The term “Bucket List” has never interested me. Not sure why. Maybe because you hear it e v e r y w h e r e. Plus, I’d rather not think of it as all the things I want to do before I die. I’d rather think of it as all the things I want to do while I’m living. But, sometimes you have to reference something to get the point across.
I’d like to share with you our travel goals and dreams (as of right now) — our Ultimate List, in no particular order.
Barcelona
We’ve been here before but we want to go back. Need to go back. We loved everything about this city and only had a chance to spend a couple of days there. Someday, we may even plant our feet there for awhile. One can dream.
Japan
I’ve been a sucker for Japanese historical fiction for quite sometime. I’ve recently purchased a few guide books and we are seriously considering a trip in the near future. The temples and gardens fascinate me and I’m only hoping they live up to my outrageous expectations. I’m thinking they might.
New Zealand
Being Tolkien nerds, of course we’d love to see some of the sites associated with where the movies were filmed but the real reason we’d love to go is for the amazing contrasting landscapes and the outdoor adventures.
Germany, Austria & Poland
I’m a history buff and have always had a open spot in my heart for WWII stories. I read The Diary of Anne Frank about 10 times during middle school and chose to do my first history research paper on Auschwitz when I was in just 6th grade. We are hoping to wait until our daughter is old enough to understand the impact of visiting certain historical sites and can really appreciate this trip. So, it may be awhile but we will get there. We’d also like to lighten the trip a little with visits to castles, staying at mountain resorts and, of course, checking out a hofbrauhaus or two.
Iceland
I’ve recently fallen in love with photos I’ve seen and stories I’ve read about exploring Iceland. It seems almost out of this world. Plus, the hot springs look quite appealing and it doesn’t hurt that round trip flights from our nearest airport have been very reasonably priced as of late.
59 National Parks
So far, we’ve visited five as a family. Some of the parks I’m looking forward to visiting most are Acadia, Olympic, Yellowstone and Yosemite. I’ve always been jealous hearing about my dad’s family road trip days as a young boy. They visited a ton of National Parks and I’d love to do the same with my little family someday.
That’s our list for now. I’m sure I’ll think of a place or two a minute after posting this. We’re always dreaming of where to go next. I’ll be adding places to my Ultimate List board on Pinterest as we think of them.
What places are on your list?
Looking Back: Zion N.P.
In honor of #tbt on Instagram, I thought I would get a little nostalgic today. Almost 2.5 years ago, we ventured out on our first National Park trip as a family with our then almost 2 year old. It was our first taste of hiking more than a mile or so with our little one and we couldn’t have been more pleased. She hiked some, napped on us in the Boba carrier and took her shoes off to play in the very chilly stream. We hiked the Lower Emerald Pool Trail (a short 1.2 mile trail) and the next day set off on a longer 5.0 mile trail along Taylor Creek ending at the Double Arch Alcove.
The weather wasn’t great while we were there (other than the day we did the 5 mile hike) so we’d love to go back and see the rest of the park and take in some of the amazing views. Here’s to planning another trip to Zion!
Half a Year in Colorado and Life Lessons in Relocation
We’ve surpassed the half a year mark on our time in Colorado. It’s been even more awesome (and exhausting AND exhilarating) than I imagined. I’ve said before that I never had any intention of visiting Colorado, let alone living here.
That has changed. Just the other day, driving through the ice and snow, I couldn’t help but look around and think how lucky I was to be in a place where every day you are met with such immense nature and incomparable beauty. Of course, we are quite lucky in that we pass Garden of the Gods on the way to preschool but still — how could you not love this place?
And, I already feel like a pro driving in the snow. That’s something to brag about, right?
In the short six months since our relocation, I’ve learned a few important life lessons:
1. Be flexible.
This one was a hard one for me, just ask my husband. I’ve always been open to change and I’ve always been very adaptable. Flexible, nah. I am very much Type A. I like routines. I like order. I like to know (to some extreme) what is coming next. Yes, I call myself adventurous but I like to think of myself as a systematic adventurer. May not be as fun, but it keeps me sane. These past few months, I’ve had to learn to be flexible. To live life without really knowing what’s coming next. I’m working on it.
2. Be brave.
I don’t mean this in the jump from an airplane or repel down a cliff sort of brave. I mean it in the sense of stepping outside of your comfort zone. Specifically, this has meant stepping out of my introverted bubble and taking small steps to meet new people. Just like the usual Type A, I’m quiet and keep my circle of friends to a minimum. Leaving behind my closest companions was tough (as I knew it would be) but I was also up for the challenge of being brave and putting myself out there. Meeting friends as an adult is so. much. harder. than when you are a child or even in college. I’ve started to reach out and it’s been fun. Nerve-wracking but fun.
3. Be patient.
Moving across the country is hard. Even when it is something you’ve asked for, there is still the unexpected. For us, it was our daughter’s transition to a new home. She always been so adaptable. She goes with the flow and smiles about 95% of the time. So, the first few weeks we were in Colorado, it was quite the shock to see this unhappy, angry child living amongst us. We HAD to be understanding or we would have never survived those first few weeks. We worked through it together, gave her the space she needed but also set boundaries around her acting out. It was tough. But as soon as she felt “safe” again and realized that us three were always going to be together no matter what physical space we were inhabiting, things were much better.
4. Be uncomfortable.
With any big life change, there is always that feeling of unrest — that feeling of being uncomfortable in your new surroundings. Accept it with open arms. Only in those moments of being uncomfortable are you able to see what kind of person you are and figure out what you are going to do next.
5. Be selfish.
As someone with a history of anxiety (hello, Type A), even though I welcome change with open arms, on a day-to-day basis it starts to take a toll on my physical, emotional and mental health. Living in Colorado during the summer, it was easy to get out and walk/run/hike whenever we felt like it. As the cold set in, it became harder for me to find a physical outlet. I started a family Capoeira class with my daughter and set an intention to practice yoga as often as possible. It’s helping. I’m also focusing on eating nutritiously and being aware of what I put in my body. I’ve been trying to make time for myself, away from family. Learning to be selfish, I guess. Once again, still working on this one.
6. Be present.
Overwhelming to-do lists, moving, packing and the unknown have made it hard to take a step back and look around. Most days, I try to do just that. I look at my surroundings and realize we are right where we want to be right now and that we are lucky for that. I’m always such a “big picture” type of person that sometimes I have to force myself to focus on the present and the little moments.
What will the next six months, year or five years hold? I’m not sure. But just these short few months of relocation have taught me that I have so much to look forward to. The unknown is what makes life scary and exciting at the same time. Especially for a systematic adventurer like me.
Where We Want to be in Twenty Fifteen
2015. Wow. That happened fast. 2014 was a whirlwind of packing some stuff, relocating, selling our house, packing ALL the stuff, unpacking and adjusting to a new home. It happened so. so. fast. Here we are in a new year but still in the same spot. Still not sure how long we’ll be in Colorado so we’re soaking it up for all it’s worth. Last year, we ventured to Rocky Mountain N.P., Great Sand Dunes N.P., Mesa Verde N.P. and road tripped from Indiana to Colorado, Colorado to Indiana and back again. We also took a brief trip to New York City in December.
All in all, a good year. But a busy one.
This year, we’ve set our sights on simplifying, saving and setting off on some new adventures. We also have a pretty lofty goal that we are hoping to start planning for here in the next few months. More on that later though. Hint: We are dreaming big but thinking tiny.
So, enough chatter. Here’s where we want to be in twenty fifteen:
Grand Junction, CO
We’ve seen tons of pictures of Grand Junction since we’ve been in Colorado and are very intrigued by it’s beauty. Plus, there is wine. Lots of it, from what we’ve heard. So, it’s on the list!
Dinosaur National Monument
Since our daughter was a tiny toddler, she’s been obsessed with dinosaurs. We are hoping to combine this trip with the Grand Junction trip since they are seemingly in the same part of the state.
San Antonio, TX
We will be making a trip here in the spring to attend my nephew’s Air Force basic training graduation. We are excited to share such a momentous occasion with him and we are also excited to see the city. We may even make a side trip up to Austin depending on how much time we have. If you have suggestions of what to do while we are in either city, send them my way!
Yellowstone National Park
We can’t be this close to the first national park without visiting. It’s been on my “bucket list” since I was a child so I am beyond excited it’s only an 8 hour drive. We are going to wait till it warms up a bit but as soon as it does, we’ll be there.
Pacific Northwest
We are thinking of doing this as a road trip over a week or so. We definitely want to hit Portland, Seattle, and maybe a few national parks like Crater Lake and Olympic. Suggestions welcome as we are not even in the planning stages of this trip — just dreaming right now.
What are your travel goals for this year? Any suggestions on things to see while we are visiting the places listed above?
We’ve got a lot of big travel goals including some international destinations in the next few years. Hoping to share those plans soon! Happy travels!
Images sourced from Wikipedia Commons
Six Years, Two Weeks and One Day
Six Years, two weeks and one day. Six years since I married the coolest guy in all the land. Two weeks since I forgot to write our anniversary post on our actually anniversary. One day since I forgot to post it. Yep, that’s me. Oops.
Six years ago, we officially became a couple. We started a life together, unaware of the awesomeness that would exist six years later. One cat (adopted not by choice by other person in said couple), one crazy terrier mutt, another big goof of a dog, a pretty cool kid later… and here we are.
I’m not gonna lie, when we started planning our wedding, of course we were excited for the day. It was magical, beautiful, SO fun and flew by in an instant. We were more excited, although, for the day that followed. That day, was the day we left for Europe. A day that I think we both had been dreaming about for a long time but never dreamed we’d be experiencing it with our favorite person. Ok, enough with the mushy stuff. On to the trip!
We spent all day Saturday at airports, flew into Barcelona on an overnight flight and had approximately two hours to get from the airport to our cruise ship once we landed. When we first started planning our Europe trip, we wanted to backpack but the more we thought about it, the nicer a cruise ship sounded for our first week free of wedding hysteria. We were right. It was nice to just relax, get dropped off at ports and not worry about lugging around our luggage the first week. We made stops in Malta, Naples, Rome, Florence and a little port near Nice, France.
My favorite memory from our time on the ship was the morning we pulled into port in Naples. We got up super early because we figured the top deck would be crowded with people taking in the sunrise and views of Mt. Vesuvius. Yet, there we were, in the chilly morning air, with just a handful of other people marveling at the sights before us. “That’s Vesuvius, right there!” Woah. No coffee yet, the sun just rising and a nice German man screaming in my ear. If I wasn’t awake by then, I certainly was now. The man struck up a conversation with us and started telling us everything under the sun about Mt. Vesuvius, it’s active volcano status and how the people of Naples were stubborn in accepting the fact that it wasn’t going to interrupt in the next 20 or so years. Turns out, he was a seismologist and knew almost anything and everything you’d want to know about the volcano. Later that day, things got even better when we had a chance to tour the ruins of Pompeii. I can remember watching documentaries with my father when I was younger and thinking that I might not ever have the chance to tour Pompeii in person. For this history nerd, it was certainly a surreal experience.
The next two stops were Rome and Florence. Of course, both are not near the ports so by time we traveled there and back, we only had a few hours in each city. Not even close to enough time. We are hoping to plan a trip in the near future where we spend at least four or five days in Rome. We loved the city. It’s so vibrant, crazy and busy — just my kind of place. There’s also something about stepping foot on ground where so. much. history has taken place. It’s unexplainable. And I can’t wait to go back.
After we left our cruise ship, we headed into Spain for a week. We took the train to Madrid, spent a few days there and went on a side trip to Segovia. We then finished our trip with a couple of days in Barcelona, which is undoubtedly on the top of our list of favorite places in the world.
There were a few things we learned while in Europe.
1. Don’t plan on a day or two in each city. We wanted to see as much as we could in those two weeks so we over-planned a bit. It was fun, but next time, we’ll probably stick to just two or three destinations.
2. Jump in! Even though we both had a good base of Spanish before our trip, we still found ourselves very intimidated by speaking to locals while we were there. Looking back, I wish I would have just jumped in and tried to have conversations more than I did. It certainly would have made our experience much better and I’m sure I would have learned a little in the process.
3. Take that trip while you can. Wherever it may be, that place you are dreaming of — go! We were very lucky that we scraped everything we could together so we could take our dream honeymoon. We’ve wanted to go back since. Six years and one kid later, it’s a lot harder to get there. So, do it while you can (or are close as you’ll ever get). It’s worth it!
Guest Post: “Destiny and Cheesecake” on Bushel
Last week, I had the honor of writing a guest post for my friend Rebekah Raisor’s blog Bushel.
Check out my post “Destiny and Cheesecake” on her site.
Then, check out the rest of Rebekah’s blog for scrumptious recipes, beautiful pictures and heart-filled stories. Your mouth will be watering by the time you’re done. Promise.
-Jessica
A Little Taste of Home in Colorado
A few posts ago I mentioned the notion of feeling settled and how it’s something that doesn’t seem to suit us right now. It’s not that we don’t like “home” wherever it may be. It’s just a feeling. As hard as I try, I can’t really describe it.
My husband and I have always connected on this level. When the universe decided to cross our paths, I think it probably thought “these two need each other or they will drive someone else crazy.” We’ve always known we don’t want to be in one place for too long. We’ve known that at any moment, if we have a chance to move or experience something new we will be right there, without thinking too much.
I love this and at times I hate it. Most people don’t get it. Most people think we are weird. And that’s OK. Because we are happy. And because it keeps us together.
Who knows where life will take us. All we know is that we are together, we are happy and we are living the life we want to live.
Sometimes it’s a burden. Knowing I want to be thousands of miles away but not having the means right now to do so. I have to try really hard to enjoy the present. To not daydream all day. But every day is a step closer. Every day is more interesting than the next. Having two people who share these same feelings makes all the difference in the world.
And yes, even the 4-year-old feels this way. Most people don’t get that either. Yes, it might be something we’ve instilled in her but you can ask anyone — since the day that child was born, she’s always been entertained being out and about. Seeing new things. Experiencing absolutely every minute of every day. Sometimes it’s exhausting. Sometimes I just want to sit. Sometimes I want to not answer so. many. questions. about all places everywhere. But at the same time, I know what we are giving her is going to last her a lifetime. If we give her any gift in life, I want it to be a sense of adventure. To listen to that unsettled feeling and not settle. To know that home isn’t just where she is at any moment in her life, but instead who she is sharing those moments with.
Last month, we got a little taste of home when we visited Rocky Mountain National Park. Our good friends from Indiana were vacationing in Estes Park so we got to visit one of the places on our “Colorado list” and see some of our favorite people at the same time. It was fantastic. It also made me realize how much we miss our family and friends. It takes special people to steal our hearts.
So, I’ll end with pictures from our trip. Amazing views, moose sightings (!), rain-filled hikes, campsite fun, friends and tons of laughter. And a little taste of home.
Sand Angels and Mountain Lions
Mountain Lions. Yep. Or should I say, mountain lion — in all its singular, soul shaking, terrifying self.
Over the last few months in Colorado, my husband and I have often talked about whether or not we would ever see a mountain lion. We knew the answer was most likely “no” but we’d still ponder over the possibility. Not that we’d want to encounter one in the wild but there is still something so majestic and intriguing about them. After seeing… ummm, “leftovers”…along hiking trails, our 4 year old often talks about them. She ponders whether they have little cubs that they have to feed, if they can jump all the way over roads and if boy mountain lions have big manes “like those lions we see at the zoo.” (Don’t worry, we quickly corrected her on those last two.)
So, as we ventured out on a (husband’s birthday surprise!!!) road trip this last weekend, I would never have imagined that all that pondering would come down to one frightening encounter. But, I’ll get to that later.
We set out in the dark of early morning. Husband, daughter and pups along for a long car ride in which they didn’t know the destination. Our first stop — Great Sand Dunes National Park in Alamosa County, Colorado.
As we turned off the state highway and headed for the park, my husband exclaimed, “No way those are the sand dunes.” Far off in the distance, we could see a vast sea of white contrasted by the dark mountains behind them. It was an unbelievable site. The dunes are so out of place amongst the huge mountains, lush green hillsides and stark farm land. So beautifully out of place.
We climbed, slid, made sand angels, watched the dogs run and tumble and tried our best to identify footprints and tracks along the rolling dunes. We stayed much longer than anticipated and it was well worth the stop.
By the way, these two people (and two pups) below, make every trip more fun than I could even imagine.
On to the mountain lion, lady! Ok, ok. I’ve had a few days to calm my nerves so I guess I’m ready.
Saturday night, after a lovely day and half at Mesa Verde National Park, we put out the fire and headed to bed. Camping is always an adventure and sometimes you get stuck with noisy neighbors. In our case, it was neighbors who stayed up every night till 4 a.m. or so chatting. Not too bothersome and a little comforting in the pitch black of night. So, when I woke up thinking I *had* to get to the lady’s room, my mind went back and forth.
“Should I?”
“No way. Do you know what’s out there?!?”
“But I really need to…. and those guys next door sound safe.”
“But it’s dark!”
“But I have to go!”
And so I gave in. I set off for the bathroom (that was only 2 campsites away), passed the two old men chatting and went about my business. As I went to open the door to leave, I heard a loud squeal.
“What in the world was that?!?!?!”
I listened closely. The two men were still chatting. All was quiet. I must have imagined it. Right? Right?!?!?
So, I opened the door slowly and ventured out. I walked past the two men (still chatting) and scurried toward my tent. At that moment, I heard what I can only describe as a sound you hear in some awful gruesome vampire movie. Slurping, chomping, a low moaning growl. Yep, that sound.
I made it to my tent in about 1.2 seconds and immediately heard the other occupants of my tent whispering, “WHAT WAS THAT?!?!?”
And, I knew. I knew that I had just come very close to something that you don’t want to come very close to.
We peered out our tent but couldn’t see much in the dark of night. We sat up for awhile wondering what exactly it was and then slept on and off the rest of the night to the sound of coyotes.
The next morning, when I took the pups out (to safely do their business in the light of morning) our tent neighbor looks over and says,”Did you not hear that mountain lion catch a deer last night?”
Um, yes…. yes, we did.
Turns out the neighbor heard the squeal, jumped to look out his tent and saw the mountain lion dragging it’s prey into the brush not 30 or so yards away from where we slept. He also found the “evidence” that morning.
So, moral of the story….hold it.
And now some beautiful pictures of that second national park we saw this weekend. Where mountain lions live. Where you cannot go to the bathroom by yourself in the middle of the night. Where you thank everything you know to thank that that poor deer was meant to be someone’s midnight snack that night and not you.
Moving Mountains
Mountains.
I’ve never had any interest in them. Five years ago, if you would have asked me if I ever wanted to visit Colorado, let alone live there, I would have looked at you like you were crazy. I’m all about busy cities. Barcelona, Rome, NYC are some of my favorite places on earth. Wide open wilderness, yeah it’s alright. Of course I’ve always had a fascination for “out west” and have always been envious of my father’s epic family road trips during the 50s and 60s. But I never had any desire to visit Colorado. I saw pictures. Yep, cool trees. Yep, cool mountains. So?
Boy, was I wrong. Now, I see.
Living in Colorado has been such an eye opening experience for me. It’s taught me that I shouldn’t ever settle on what I “think” I like. Even at 30 (+1), you can surprise yourself.
I’ve fallen in love with the mountains. Why? I don’t know. Yes, they’re majestic. Yes, they are overwhelming and overpowering. They make you feel small. They make you feel BIG. Standing on top of a mountain is not only about the view but it’s about realizing how small you really are in this world.
It’s been humbling to say the least.
My husband and I have always been the type that don’t feel settled anywhere. We love being on the go. We love traveling. Never putting our feet in the same place twice type of people. That’s what brought us together and what keeps us strong. It makes me happy knowing that we are raising our daughter in the same way. She’s so adventurous. So independent. Fostering a love of all places is something that we talked about well before we ever had her.
So, little girl — here’s your mountains. Go and move them! Never settle. Never fear. Just live. And have tons of fun while doing it.
Not Quite a Local 