A Lovely Life

When I first moved to Colorado, the house I was staying in at the time had a book titled, "The Colorado 14ers". I had to Google what a "14er" was and quickly ascertained that hiking one of those bad boys was completely and unequivocally out of the question. Living in the snow at 9,000 feet was going to have to be enough for me. For those who have no idea...a 14er is a mountain peak with an elevation of at least 14,000 feet. There are 53 of them in the state of Colorado. 7.5 months after saying "never will I ever", I climbed one of those bad boys on a day that will no doubt be remembered as another massive accomplishment achieved in the first year of living in Colorado. Mt. Bierstadt is rated one of the "easy" ones. It stands at 14,062-ish feet (depending on what damn boulder you stand on, I suppose). "Easy" is a cute term. You begin at over 11,000 feet and climb up a literal mountain to get to the peak....the peak, by the way, is...

God, it's so easy for me to bitch about how much I miss about Georgia. I then quickly remind myself to shut the hell up and simply look around. I'm 6 months post-move and straddling the line between being settled and still feeling so UNsettled. This post is dedicated to the moments I have where I miss something from Georgia, then immediately find myself in awe of where I stand at that very moment. I miss: The sound of cicadas and crickets Pimento cheese Those random ,"What are you up to? Let's grab dinner", texts Fireflies Southern accents...all of them! Peach picking Being withing driving distance of the beach My old "go to" bike routes Sweetwater beer The smell of rain on a hot summer day My tribe Sitting at my best friend's kitchen counter, watching her cook and catching up Dukes Mayo Bitching about traffic Waffle House at my finger tips Humidity . . . just kidding. I don't miss that shit at ALL. I love: My bike shop Wi...

6 months ago today I arrived at almost 9,000 feet on top of a mountain in a snow storm in negative temps with a raging cold and a little bit of hanger (hungry/anger for those unaware). I was home and it felt nothing like it.  There wasn't much that was unexpected my first few days and weeks here: loneliness, altitude adjustment, lots of tears, SNOW, pure fear, more snow, gorgeous surroundings... Between those early days in January and now I've gotten used to this new place and settled into a routine. I live in my first grown up apartment. I run a bike shop and that place fulfills me. I live 5 minutes from miles of gorgeous trails. I've enjoyed many a brewery mixed with a few hikes and a couple of bike rides. I've continued to do things that scare me...like going to breweries alone knowing no one and sticking out like a sore thumb. I've learned to bring a jacket everywhere I go and that what I thought was bi-polar weather in Georgia doesn't hold a candl...

This was the first photo I saw when I opened Facebook today.  They do a great job of reminding you where you were and what you were doing this time last year, 2 years ago and on and on. Most days it brings a smile to my face. Some days I feel a pang of nostalgia and longing. Other days I feel nothing at all. Today was different. I looked at this picture and the date and thought, "Holy shit. This picture of my low riders 'waiting for dad' would be way less cute if anyone had ANY idea what was going on at that point in time." Two years ago, we had just decided after months to stop trying to have a baby and get a divorce instead. I was in this state of fuzziness. Not knowing if it was really REAL. Not knowing who to talk to. Feeling the weight of the failure of my marriage and the absolute fear of what was a very uncertain future. I was in auto mode....going through the motions of everyday life, posting our "happy" little family on social m...

I decided to go for a hike today. I needed some time alone to reflect....and to cry. I wanted to get it out and do what has been difficult do in the last few months (re my entire life) - to dig into the pain and FEEL . What ended up happening surprised me.  There's something about Colorado for me that feels more like home than any other place. I think it's because I feel grounded and in a place where I can find my peace. So I found myself hiking in this gorgeous weather with this incredible panoramic view and I couldn't be sad. I was in awe and I was thankful. And while I thought of my broken relationship with my mother, I thought more of the incredible women in my life who inspire me daily. My life has been filled with them. They are my nanna and my aunts....my cousins who became beautiful mamas. They are the women who stepped in when my mom couldn't "handle" me as a kid. They are the friends I've met as an adult who had littles that I've had th...