Fun in my first major snowfall in Colorado

On Friday I had the day off, and planned to go hang out with Jen. She suggested we do some snowshoeing around her neighborhood and then bake cookies. Sounded like a great day to me! Jen also invited Clare, her rock climbing buddy, who is a lot of fun and full of spunk. We hit it off right away.

We hiked around for about 2 hours through ankle and thigh deep snow. I fell down twice (ha!). We saw a small pack of coyotes in the distance. We burned off enough calories to justify eating as many cookies as we wanted.

We decided after snowshoeing that we just wanted to keep hanging out, so all the hubbies joined us and we had dinner, beer, and basketball. I got to hang out with my little buddy, Soren. He cracks me up all the time, and I just had to share this video with you - he loves olives, and he always puts them on his fingers to eat them. Silly boy!

Yesterday (Sunday) Bill had to work, so I planned a fun-filled day with myself! I drove to Boulder to register for the BolderBoulder 10K - woo hoo! Then I hopped over to Chautauqua Park to hike another trail. We just had a decent amount of snow last week, so I wasn't sure how far I would be able to go, but the adventurer in me took over and I determined to hike all the way up to the Royal Arch. This is a 4 mile (round-trip) hike with a 1,200 ft elevation gain.

It was slushy. I had no crampons or hiking poles. I slipped and slid my way all the way to the top, and then all the way back down again! It was great fun.

When I finally got to the top, there was a beautiful view of Boulder and eastern Colorado. I met a lovely couple with a little baby and an adventurous dog. I really wanted to take some pictures of the arch, but it was so enormous that I couldn't find a place to take a picture of it and do any justice. Sorry!

I made a little friend while resting at the summit - He had no fear whatsoever. He climbed all over my shoes and my pack looking for any little bit of granola or nuts.

When I finally reached the trail head, my shoes and socks were soaked through and I was squishing my way to the car. But I was happy and filled with a feeling of accomplishment and adventure. I did it! All by myself! With no helpful gear or someone to encourage me on the way! I'm awesome.

Then I got back to the Tahoe and realized that I had left my lights on and the battery was dead. Back to reality!

It's a bonus! Two months in one post! :)

We've moved! I [Liz] was getting pretty annoyed with Vox, since they keep erasing my lovely posts before I'm done and that was really frustrating! So we are now living in the Blogger neighborhood, where we already have friends!

This has been the most amazing winter I have ever experienced. How can you beat 65 degree days, bright blue skies, sunshine, and mountain vistas in the middle of February and March? I have learned one thing about Colorado weather, however, that it is very unpredictable. It can be sunny and warm on Tuesday, and then we get a snow storm on Thursday (which is what happened this week). It certainly keeps you on your toes!

I turned 30 in February. I had determined to embrace my 30th birthday with joy, and Bill was wonderful in that capacity. He gave me the best gift ever - a plane ticket to Atlanta, Georgia to spend my 30th with my two best girlfriends, Jess and Helen. We had a great time, and I didn't feel old at all!Bill and I took a road trip one Sunday up into the mountains to Vail. The drive was beautiful, but Vail was a little boring if you're not skiing. It's a cute little ski town with expensive shops and restaurants. It's filled with people clomping around in their ski boots. It was a good road trip, but my favorite part was seeing the Bighorn Sheep on the side of the mountains as we were driving!


We also took a hike in Chataqua Park, up to the first Flatiron, which was an amazing hike and our favorite so far. The view at the top brought tears to my eyes, and that was the moment that I knew Colorado would be our permanent home for as long as God allows us to be here.

Besides the hiking and road trips and birthdays, Bill and I are working hard at our jobs. I am studying for my upcoming licensing exams, and Bill is busy meeting clients and getting ready to finish his training period. I recently joined the Denver Book Club, which is a lot of fun for me. I'm also training for the BolderBoulder 10K which is on May 25th. It is a very exciting and fun race that is famous all over the country. I can't wait to post pictures from that adventure!

Goose and Beaner are both doing well - their favorite pastimes are sleeping and sitting in front of the sliding glass doors to watch the birds. We are all happy and healthy.

I'll leave you with a picture of some of our local wildlife - a little creature that makes me smile every time I see one (and they're everywhere!).