Family things

I am oh so lucky to have family. 

Jaymie went to Paraguay on a mission and we had a nice goodbye get-together. She's gone for 18 months.
Teanna is working and living in Longmont.
Danyelle is saving to go on a 6-month Asia adventure with Tyler!

with Teanna at Tokyo Joe's

My first trip to the Denver Aquarium

Jaymie's going away to Paraguay party

Jaymie and Lynn

Surprise meet up with Danyelle at 4th Ave music.

Teanna celebrating grandpa's birthday  

Craig and Kelly are doing great with Michael (12), Kohlie, and little guy Collin who is finally healthy after many health issues as a newborn.  
Jaymie and Josh are doing fine and keeping very busy with Alex and Andi.  
Such a joy to see all those kids as they grow up!

Craig's famous and delicious BBQ ribs

Alex and Andi ready for school in August

Belom famly - life long friends who are family. 

  My long-time girlfriends since 1980 - so I remember how great it was that all of us (except Roberta) were able to get together this summer.   Roberta's in Costa Rica so we will catch her when she's back for a visit. 

Staycations in Colorado vicinity 2016

What a great summer in Colorado!  Lots of biking, trail runs, kayaking, outdoor music, and friends.  I'm trying to cram a lot of activity in to my time at home because I'm doing frequent visits to Illinois, so hopefully making every day count.  Including:

Full moon kayak on Union Reservoir - with a beautiful sunset but too many clouds to see the moon rise.  And my first time in kayaking at Barr Lake.  And several times on McIntosh of course, and Chatfield Reservoir in Littleton.  And at Lake Mattoon with Vicki - and in the rain to rescue things that blew away in the morning storm.

Kayaking at Chatfield, up South Platte River

Riding through Vail

Leadville 100 run, August

Ride to Masonville

New West Fest in Fort Collins with Terry and Kent

Ride through Red Rocks

Great Sunday trail runs with the Dirty Girlz.  Leadville 100 support for Megan. 

Several bike rides per week - and the MS 150 from Front Range Community College to CSU - with Patty. Venus de Miles in August with Terri. Great route with beautiful scenery, excellent support, and tons of food. And good weather.  Lots of rides with Scott, including from Grand Lake to near top of Trail Ridge road, from Minturn to near top of Vail Pass, to Dinosaur Ridge and Red Rocks Park. 

Some swims so I can do a lake triathalon next summer!  - outdoors at Sunset Pool is so awesome!  Also indoors at the Rec Center and in Lake Mattoon.

Windsurfing with Vicki at the lake.  We caught a window of about 3 hours of wind and I remembered how to do it!

Melinda and deer at Picture Rock

Wind River Range, Wyoming

Wind River, Base Camp at Big Sandy Lake

Sunday Run at Hall Ranch

Ride with Scott up Trail Ridge

Ann's birthday hike at Devil's Thumb Trail

MS 150 with Patty

Run at Heil Ranch

Backpack with An on Colorado Trail

Ann's birthday hike to Devil's Thumb near Winter Park with an overnight then back. A backpack trip with Ann and Mattie on Segment 4 of the Colorado Trail. And backpack trip to the Wind River Range in Wyoming with Ann, Steph, Nanci, and Mattie (the dog)

Outdoor music on 4th Ave, Niwot, Prospect, Longmont Parks, etc.  Love it.

Mom's fall and other Illinois trips in 2016

My trip to Illinois in April began as parent duty while Vicki and Scott went to Mexico.  My trip was extended when my mom fell and broke her hip and her arm...and many long frustrating hours followed at the hospital and then the nursing home for rehab.  Dad didn't do so well home alone, so my next trip in mid-June was timed to be there when my mom returned home from the nursing home rehab.  We had a 24-hour caregiver lined up, mom came home, and progress was up and down.  And the caregiver situation was also up and down while I had 3 weeks in Colorado.

This trip over July 4th holiday was to give Vicki a break with a week off her work at her lake house and to visit again with mom and dad.  I also got to spend a fair amount of time with Jamie's family: kids - Alex and Andi, and Craig's famlily: kids - Michael, Kohlie, and Collin. 

And I got two days at the lake house! With windsurfing!

My next trip will be over Labor Day weekend when  Vicki has some days off.  I hope to spend a couple days at the lake house again.  

March in Moab, Utah ... Rocks!

Blake and I drove my lovely new Mazda CX 5 (love it!) to Moab, Utah for the Canyonlands 5 mile and half marathon... Some other friends from Longmont went too and most ran the half marathon, but Blake and I ran 5.  The event was very organized and the route was so beautiful! 

We had over 3 days to visit Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park, both very near Moab.  Both are breathtaking and beautiful and we could have spent more time in both.

The only bad thing was getting caught in a blizzard driving home!  We made it past Avon, but an accident had the interstate clogged for many miles.  We were rerouted through Leadville over crazy snowy passes with no visibility, and back to I-70 at Copper Mountain.  Unfortunately when we got that far, the Eisenhower tunnels were closed due to the blizzard.  Rooms were all full because everyone was stuck.  Blake's sister found us the only room left in the entire area!  ...A very beautiful but expensive condo at the foot of Keystone ski mountain.  We only wish we had time to enjoy that place but we were happy to be safe and warm.

So weird to go from warm and dry to hours of blizzard and freezing.  Pretty!  And luckily I had two scrapers in the car for the many times we stopped to scrape the windshield that wouldn't stay clear.  Brrrrr....

At Arches

Near The Windows at Arches

Panaroma at Canyonlands.  The Colorado River is below the lower ground you see.

Yay!  We did it and we got medals!  (So did everyone else who did it)

A scene of the run in the canyon.  I'm in the purple skirt with white hat.

Delicate Arch is on the Utah license plates.  It's huge and amazing!

View of the White Rim trail that goes for 107 miles around the canyon below.  You can take jeeps and mountain bikes on it.

Some people looking at the view on the other side of Double Arch. 

People at the top of the cliff are on the trail that winds around the top.  You can see the canyon below and a little piece of the White Rim trails.

Fresh snow in the morning at Keystone. Harrowing drive over Tennessee Pass at night in a blizzard.  Crazy stressful and expensive return home.

Riviera Maya. Mexico

I was so lucky to squeeze in a short trip to the Yucatan with Eli who I spent a few days with in Split. Croatia, and with Terri,  a friend from Longmont. 

The weather did not cooperate - we had limited sun but lots of rain and wind!  But we still managed to have a great vacation with lots of laughs and beautiful places to visit.  We did zumba at the pool daily and walked along or layed in a chair looking at the ocean.  We snorkeled on our first day right at our own beach but the weather didn't permit it again (so sad about it).  We spent a day in Playa del Carmen but got rained out in the afternoon.  Found some dancing at the restaurant on our last night there so we got to practice our moves.

The grounds of the Mayan Palace Vidanta resort are spectacular with acres of beautiful pools, walkways, palm trees, and green lush tropical plants everywhere!  We were so lucky to be in the building closest to the big pool and the coastline. Awesome experience with my girlfriends!  Thanks to Eli for buying a time share there last year!

at our beach

the biggest pool, it went on forever!

a spectacular sunset

Terri, Eli, and me

Salsa lesson with Daniele

Eli posing with mannequins (in the middle in pink) outside a store in Playa del Carmen

Terri and me on the beach!

Happy hour mudslides on our one sunny morning!