Tuesday, November 18, 2014

30 Before 30 Update!

I've accomplished a lot of things since my last update!! Phew! #lovinlife

#2: Climb a 14er 

Jumping at the Mt. Elbert summit - 14,439 ft.
This was accomplished with some screaming fights at a swarm of mosquitoes, slowly trudging my way past 12,000 feet because my lungs hate the altitude, crying out of appreciation & exhaustion (and possibly a little bit of delusion) after a woman told me I was "doing great!" at about 13,500, and some beautiful photo stops! My companions had all not yet done Mt. Elbert (Brett, Colleen, & Mark) and all of us but Brett can call this our first 14er experience!! We camped out the night before and started at sunrise and we took about 6.5 hours to finish. 


#3 Explore Fort Collins:



I've been lucky enough to do this a few times this year, which is awesome, but the best by far was with Brett and Crystal, visiting some breweries, getting some delicious food, and meeting some crazy people while playing cornhole and listening to some live music :) Great town, great people, great day.

Brewery Stops: New Belgium, Odell Brewing Co., Fort Collins Brewery




#7 Have a crazy LoDo girls' night:


So in hindsight, this was a silly choice for the list. However, I certainly accomplished such things. I do believe I have had my fill after approximately 3 of these nights! Gals nights are glorious. LoDo is not. so. much. Anywho, here's a goodie from Fourth of July at Coors Field prior to the most debaucherous (yes I am using a non-word) of said evenings...

#8 Hike Hanging Lake:



I heard so much about this hike before attempting it - how hard it was, how beautiful it was, etc. etc. I think it is one of those hikes where they have to say its 'very difficult' because it's a tourist destination and they don't want families getting an idea that it's a breeze. Don't get me wrong, I was certainly sweating and out of breath at points, but it took our group about 50 mins to get to the top and was not nearly as challenging as I had built it to be in my mind. It was, however, just as beautiful as described! I wish there were less people around and that people hadn't rudely left their trash along the way, but as you can see, a pretty special place!


#10 Backpack to Conundrum Hot Springs:



This place was unreal and so was the beauty of nature along the way.


This backpacking trip was amazing. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in seeing the beauty of Colorado and wants to backpack and camp. The hike was about 8.5 miles and slightly uphill the whole way. We crossed over 12 rivers - one was especially intense because we took our shoes off and it was June so the runoff from the mountains was still snow-cold! It was the most gorgeous hike I have been on in Colorado, for certain (I would say ever- but the Inca Trail kinda has a leg up!). The camp sites were all at treeline and there is a fire ban around the springs because of the sensitivity of the area, so it was a chilly night! There were lots of other folks up at the Springs, so by the end of the evening there were about 24 of us in the larger hot spring pool. I can't say enough about how great it's been to have these ladies to explore with this summer...they're wonderful women. This article was shared with me by one of them and I encourage the read: 8 Reasons Women Need to Go to the Mountains with Other Women



#11 Get a new job:


I cannot even express how excited I am to have landed this job! I am the Site Social Work Director at STRIVE Ruby Hill Elementary with Colorado I Have A Dream Foundation. I work with kindergarteners, first graders, families, teachers, school admin, a wonderful non-profit organization staff who I have been inspired by so so often in the last 3 months, and numerous community organizations trying to accomplish wonderful things in Denver. I cannot wait to see how this position develops and feel so thankful my path has brought me here!  www.cihadf.org
 


 

#12 Start a garden:



This summer the ladies of the Logan Lodge came together to build and weatherproof some raised beds to start growing our own veggies! It wasn't the most successful production, but it was our first go and we were a very busy trio this summer. So we can blame some of the veggie death on that :| You would think with a mother like mine I would be a natural at this! Dang ;) We did get some great cherry tomatoes and some regular tomatoes, some green peppers, LOTS of zucchini, some late season kale, and a couple mini watermelon that didn't taste so great! Haha. Next year folks, next year. 


#13 Do a sprint-tri:
 

Okay, this was awesome. I was very very nervous as it meant I was going to be exercising for somewhere near 2 hours straight and I am unsure if I have intentionally done that before...besides a hike, of course. I had a feeling the run was going to be the hardest for me because I have always had a mental block when it comes to being a successful runner. I have also always been a natural swimmer and figured I could go as slow as I needed on the bike. Well the swim was rough! I did not expect to feel so out of my element! There were people all around, my goggles fogged immediately, and I started to panic. Once I calmed myself, I made it through the swim, and made the transition onto the bike. The ride was pretty and smooth. The run was a little tough but I had more energy than expected. So glad Colleen and I got to have such a great first sprint triathlon experience in Longmont, CO with the Outdoor Divas Women's Sprint Tri.


Life is Brewtiful...

Since moving to Colorado I have definitely found myself even more picky when it comes to beer and really appreciate the craft beer variety and commitment in Denver. I initially said I would try 10 new beers this year, but found that a little crazy easy...so I switched to 10 new breweries and have still crossed it off before many others...! Welp. I like beer. What else is there to say?! So I think I will share the breweries in order of who I liked, starting with my least favorite - not saying its bad, just less great ;)

Mahogany Ridge

10. Mahogany Ridge- Steamboat Springs, CO: The beer was just mediocre here. Lots of watered down flavors and nothing special to write home about. Still cool to try a new brewery in one of my favorite towns in Colorado and the food was pretty darn good!
         
 
9. Barranco Beer Co. - Lima, PERU: Super awesome that some folks are trying to create a beer scene in the capital of Peru. Barranco is an artsy, bohemian neighborhood and seemingly a perfect spot for such a place. Was not very busy when Cara and I visited and they only had 3 choices of beer, but exciting nonetheless!         


                         

8. Epic Brewing - RiNo, Denver, CO: I really wanted to move Epic higher in the list because of how cool the space is and the multitude of beers they offer. Maybe the more trips I make, the more I will appreciate! I tried their Brainless Fruit series in a flight because I wasn't impressed with the sound of my typical choices (their stout was imperial and the porter, smoked). The Brainless on Cherries was yummy but the other 2 were just okay. Wish they didn't charge $2 just to sample beer :-/

7. LowDown - Cap Hill, Denver, CO: LowDown is a great addition to the Cap Hill area of Denver. Not a lot of breweries in the neighborhood and the food is pretty good. The beers were tasty, but I was a bit disappointed the two times I visited that they were out of a number on their daily list. Maybe I just came too late in the day! They had a really great Amber/Pale that is no longer on their beer list (named Treason), hopefully it returns soon!


6. Mountain Toad Brewing - Golden, CO: Came here after a long hike with a friend and it was a very welcoming place with lots of other folks clearly having the same idea we had! We sat down at the bar and service was friendly and I got to try some of guest kombucha along with a few samples of what sounded yummy. Surprisingly, I went for the Wit beer and loved it. Had some nourishment in the form of street tacos from the food truck on the patio and all seemed right with the world ;)

Station 26 Brewing Co.
5. Station 26 Brewing Co. - Park Hill, Denver, CO: This is a fun brewery. They have a great outdoor space, they create some interesting brews, and the actual brick and mortar is an old firehouse. I went for a Bluegrass Brunch and it was busy with lots of young families and friends. Definitely plan to return.

Funky Buddha Brewery







4. Funky Buddha Brewery - Oak Park, FL: Definitely the coolest thing I've done on a layover! Funky Buddha was having their One Year Anniversary party during a 14 hour layover on my way back from Peru and a fellow craft beer lover and I decided to make the trek to Oak Park from the airport and check it out. The list of beers was unbelievable and was scheduled so that new releases were announced and available every couple of hours which made the anticipation half the fun! They have crazy names (i.e. Bluth's Banana Stand, Vanilla Cream Abdul Jabbar Nitro, & Fire in Your Hole) and amazing sounding combinations/flavors (i.e. Nutella Porter, a Fluffer-Nutter Ale, Watermelon Gose, & French Toast Double Brown Ale). I'll likely never make it back, but so glad I got to experience such a cool day there!

3. Former Future Brewing - Platte Park, Denver, CO: I love this space. The bar stools swivel and they are leather with full backs. The bar itself is an old refurbished wing of a jet plane. They have some really delicious beers and the couple times I have been in the bartenders have been super friendly, knowledgeable, and quick on the tap pull! All around great experience AND close to home ;)

2. Our Mutual Friend Malt & Brew - Five Points, Denver, CO: Their Brown Ale is the best. They have also come out with some amazing sours this summer. The space is intimate and full of hipsters and a food truck is always hangin' out outside, but the reason to come here is for their space and their innovative brews. Yum. The company certainly didn't hurt ;)

1. New Belgium Brewing Co. - Fort Collins, CO: This brewery is really neat, lots of open space and a great patio with yard games! We stopped here on our way to a concert for Colleen's birthday and I hope to go back soon to get the full experience. The 'Lips of Faith' series is awesome. I had the La Folie (2014) which was a sour brown and it was fantastic, the Transatlantique Kriek (2013), cherry lambic was also stellar. Obviously, highly recommended and I am looking for more pals to head up to Fort Collins with me next time!

YUM!