My Life List: A Work in Progress!

I had the honor of crossing off another item from my 'life list' yesterday-completing the 'Bolder Boulder' 10k race with my buddy Diana (Pink Cowboy hat girl--as she became know as during the race)!

There are so many reasons I love Boulder; the amazing flowers that line the Pearl Stree Mall, the view of the flatirons, the food, the infamous Boulder Bookstore, the noticable good vibes...and the people-watching. But the race took the people-watching to a new level. Very unique "characters" (including Captian America not pictured) were everywhere enjoying the day--despite the chilly temps (note the pic of the tye-dye bikini girls and the pink dress dude) and the light rain. All I saw that morning were people enjoying themselves, fun bands along the roadside, folks cheering us along and lots of smiles! It was such a rush to be part of the 2008 Bolder Boulder and even more exciting was walking through Folsom Field (University of Colorado stadium) at the finish line to the crowd cheering us on. And the Memorial Day ceremony was quite touching--evoking feelings of patriotism and gratitude for the real heroes of our culture who gave their lives to our great country.

And I got to experience this fun event with a good friend to boot! We laughed and enjoyed celebrating our common goal--pushing ourselves to do something on our mutual 'life lists'. (We even took the bus at 5am to head to the event early--this, if you know us--was a big step!)

I love the spirit of the people there. And I really value the people who love life in general--many of whom can be found in Boulder, Colorado!

A Step Back in Time...

I grew up in a small city-town if that makes sense. I mean-the city was close by but the small town seemed to eclipse it in a way. It's been 8 years since I've lived there but what I remember most about it is the people. Never before have I met such sincere people, such passionate sports finatics and such an interesting group of folks able to tolerate the crappiest weather and still keep a smile on their faces.

During our recent visit-7 days-it rained 6...all day long. It was dreary, dismal and humid. The clouds hovered over constantly and the raindrops lulled me to sleep at night.

My dad took our sons (his grandsons) to his favorite local bakery. (You don't find many of these around any more and certainly not here in Colorado.) The same two ladies worked behind the counter from 8 years ago and past visits with my dad to get our pastry fix. They smile, make jokes, and offer our boys fresh baked cookies. It smelled lovely in there and the smiles from those clerks really brightened up the dismal morning. I snapped a few photos to remember and relive the moment. I should have made the photos all black and white...as they remind me of days long ago and times long ago when papas took their grandsons to the bakery. I wanted to capture my dad in his everyday life, his environment, his world and his town. He's loyal to it and enjoys the small town life he lives in and around the big city.

I love you dad-for all that you are passionate about and...for the doughnuts, cookies and fresh baked pastries every time we come back for a visit.