Celebrating Independence on La Plata

Happy 4th of July! I hope all of you readers out there had a safe and wonderful 4th. In the flight attendant world we don't necessarily "get" holidays off - we have to bid for it in our schedules. Lucky for me after 6 years I have enough seniority to hold holidays off which meant a 5 day weekend for this sky goddess. We celebrated our 4th a little early around here since the holiday was on a Monday and so I decided to work in a little camping trip on Sunday. I set my sights on another 14er - La Plata peak.

At 14,336 feet La Plata, which means "silver" in Spanish, is located in the Sawatch Range and is the 5th highest mountain in Colorado. It's located 6 miles south of Elbert and 11 miles south of Massive in the Collegiate Peaks wilderness area and the San Isabel National Forest. It's a class 2 hike and I chose this peak because of it's proximity to Denver. Sunday morning we packed up the car and headed out into the wilderness.

La Plata has three routes - the standard Northwest Ridge, the Southwest Ridge and Ellingwood Ridge. I chose the Southwest Ridge because it was shorter in round-trip length (7 miles as opposed to 9.5). Following directions from 14ers.com we drove from Denver to Leadville and then turned off on Chaffee County 390 road. The beginning of the drive was, for the most part, good. You pass the Missouri Mtn. trailhead and continue on a washboard dirt road until you reach Winfield. Here is where the terrain gets interesting. We made a right at the fork in the road in Winfield, per the directions, and headed up what seemed like a 4wheeler trail. The road progressively gets worse and worse, filled with rocks, stream crossing where the snow has been melting, and mud. I would not recommend this route for passenger cars. If you do not have a high clearance SUV you might as well hike La Plata from the Northwest Ridge because you'll have to park your car and walk the rest of the road to the trailhead anyway.

(just a taste of what this jeep had to take on)
There were plenty of camping spots along the dirt road up to the trailhead and we ended up driving as far as we could go (which was about a hundred yards from the actual trailhead - approximately 10,700feet) and parking our car and pitching tent at a makeshift campsite. The Magee's only need a fire pit and relatively flat ground to build camp and we ended up having a nice spot right along the river.

The alarm went off at 5:30am and we packed up camp and drive a short distance to park below the trailhead. There isn't any actual parking spots here but we found a pull off spot right off the road. It was a warm morning and, like last week, we quickly shed our layers as we headed up the trail. The trail itself is clearly defined but there are spots where it was narrow and overgrown with bushes. The first part of the trail had become a stream thanks to the snow melt but the upper part below treeline was dry. Because we started at such a high altitude, 10,950 feet, we broke through the treeline and found ourselves in a scenic valley not long after we started our hike. One of the benefits to hiking a trail from a shorter mileage route is that you spend less time in the trees which both Chad and I prefer.

Winding through the willows and wildflowers through this vast open valley was beautiful but quickly became a muddy mess. Most of the snow has melted by now but it made for slow going as we picked our way through the mud. You can see where others have gone off the trail and through the drier parts of the willows and so we tried to follow in their footsteps as much as possible. We caught up to a group of about 10 people from Texas (we saw they had signed in the register before us) an said hello as we passed them on our way up.

(heading through the valley)

(yup it's about like this all the way through the willows)
The path was easy enough to follow and after we were free from the mud pit we were greeted to a snow field. We headed northward and then traversed over the snow to the left with the Texans following behind us. A switchbacking climb starts north-northeast up the slope and it's slow going up the scree. Here is where we put a lot of distance between ourselves and the hiking party below as Chad and I just continued to move up and up. The trail tops out at about 14,000 on a saddle where you are treated to amazing views to the southwest and the valley below.

Across the saddle the trail was easy enough to follow until you hit the talus field that led you up to the false summit of La Plata (every 14er has a false summit I'm learning). You just have to look for cairns from here and stay to the center as much as possible. This part was one of the hardest to route find going up and you have to watch your step over the loose rock. It's here we ran into another group of Texans making their way up which also let us pass because they wanted to follow us. Once at the top of the false summit we made our way across a huge talus field to which there were very few cairns and we basically had to blaze our own trail. Of course there's no way you can get lost here, you just have to stay to the left and continue onward and upward.

Continuing on we saw a huge lump in the ridge and we proceed to the northwest (left) side. We had spotted a few cairns and it seemed easier to traverse to the left instead of going up and over the lump (which indeed the directions I had I later realized suggested going left as well). This turned out to be a wise choice because the snowfield we had to traverse over from the northwest side was less steep and shorter than what we would have had to contend with had we gone up and over. The southeast side apparently tends to have more persistent snowfields.

After the snowfield we met up with a group who had hiked up from the Northwest Ridge and we headed up a clear path to the summit. The day was beautiful - virtually no wind, very warm and the sky so clear you could see for miles. From the top you can see the Maroon Bells, Snowmass, Grays and Torreys, Massive and Elbert and Missouri, Ellingwood Ridge and I'm sure many more that I can't even remember. Much of the mountains are still covered with snow so it made for an even more beautiful view in my opinion.

(summit bandits! with the maroon bells and snowmass to the left behind us)


(a look at Ellingwood ridge)

(birds of paradise on the summit)
We stayed on the summit for about 15-20 minutes, eating lunch and talking with the guys from Texas who had let us pass them on the false summit (I never did see the other crowd from Texas, I'm guessing they gave up?). Then it was time to head down and head home.

(chad beginning the journey down)
Hiking up a 14er is only half the battle and you must remember to take just as much care coming down as you did going up. The false summit was steep and some of the rocks were lose and Chad and I both almost tumbled forward a few times so make sure and test your steps coming down.

(taking time to appreciate the beauty all around)

The hardest part, without a doubt, was the initial talus face that leads out of the valley. There's no easy way down this and you just have to take your time and accept you are going to slide a little. Once you get back down into the valley it's all about avoiding mud until you reach treeline again.

(back in the valley with mud and snow)
While this was a harder mountain to climb than Massive, due to near perfect conditions and amazing weather we made it to the summit in 4 hours and were back at the car at 1pm. It is slow going back down the horribly washed out road to Winfield and I think total time it took us to get back on the highway was an hour. As I said earlier the route to the Northwest Ridge is paved so if you want an easier option driving in and out (but longer hike) that would be it.

I really enjoyed the remoteness of hiking the Southwest Ridge as well as the luxury of having very few people on the trail. We also got to see where the Missouri Mtn. and Huron trailheads are so we know for when we hike them where to go. The camping back here is beautiful and there's a lake you can hike to near the trailhead of La Plata so if you are just looking for free camping and day hiking this is a great spot to go as well.

Looking forward to our next mountain adventure!

Mt. Massive season opener

June in Colorado. Summer. It is, without a doubt my favorite time of year. Summer's in Colorado have always been special to me mainly because they are so short. However, they took on a completely different meaning last year after I hiked my first two 14ers - Gray's and Torrey's. 14ers for those of you who do not know, are mtns that exceed a height of 14,000 feet. Colorado is home to 54 official (and 58 unofficial) 14ers and since climbing my first two last year it has been my goal to hike all of them. This is, of course, a lofty goal - but so is climbing Everest (my other dream). I set my sights on hiking at least 8 last year and I exceeded that limit by 6. This year I plan to hike 20...which would mean I would only have 20 left after this summer.

The key to packing in as many hikes as I can over the summer is starting early in the summer and then hiking often. Because of the tremendous volume of snow the mountains received I decided that my first 14er would be hiked at the end of June. I picked Mt. Massive for a season opener because it is ranked as a Moderate climb and I had some newbies to hiking who wanted to join me. Alas all those people that wanted to go changed their plans and so it was just the Magees (my husband, myself and our dog Bebe) left to conquer the mtn. on June 26th.

Mt. Massive is the second highest mountain in Colorado sitting at 14,421 feet. It's home is Leadville, Colorado, a city I have passed many times on my way to hike various other 14ers. Since I have already hiked Sherman and Elbert, which are also in Leadville, as well as all the Mosquito and Front Range (with Long's peak being the exception), Massive was the natural choice for a season opener.

(mt. massive as seen from leadville)

The first thing I do after I pick my mountain is consult 14ers.com
This is my go to guide for directions, trail reports and mountain advice. Most mountains have at least two routes to chose from and I always go for the shortest route in mileage. So I chose to hike Mt. Massive from the Southwest Slopes which was 8 miles in roundtrip length as opposed to the standard east slopes which is 13.75 miles roundtrip. This meant an elevation gain for us of 3,950 feet since the trailhead elevation is 10,500. After consulting various sources from 14ers.com to summit post I decided the best place to camp would be Halfmoon campground which followed the Halfmoon creek. There seemed to be ample free camping along the road to the trailhead and we decided we would just pick the best spot upon our arrival.

We left Saturday afternoon shortly after I taught my yoga class and headed to Leadville. I had pulled a muscle in my calf and was seriously hurting that morning but I prayed it would heal before our hike. Since it was just Chad and I and we were staying only one night, it made things easier as far as packing supplies (no need for lots of firewood, water or food). We stopped at which wich and picked up some sandwiches for the drive. Which wich has a deal where if you take the brown paper bag your sandwich comes in up to the top of a 14er and take a photo of it, you can bring that photo and bag in and they will give you a free sandwich. And hang it on their wall. Mini-celebrity stardom in the world of 14er hiking I love it. After about a 2 hour drive we arrived on the trail that lead to the Half Moon Wilderness area and Mt. Massive trailhead.

(our campsite at Half Moon)

The trail itself is not that bad at all in comparison to most 14er trails I have encountered. The road was dirt but there were minimal potholes which made for an easier drive. Along the 5 mile drive to the Massive parking area we saw campsites all over the place down by the water and alongside the road. This place was packed! We determined we would drive to the Massive trailhead then go past that and find camping. We didn't want to have to drive too far in the morning from camp to parking. Just about half a mile from the parking area we found a great site that looked like it had just been vacated down by the water. We had a spectacular view of Elbert and a nice flat spot to put our tent up. As the campsites are free you can't expect more than a fire pit but this is what makes it so much more fun and rustic.

(camping along the water- nature's sound machine)

Our alarm went off at 5am Sunday morning and we awoke to frost covering the tent. While the temps had gotten to the mid 70s the day before, overnight it must have dipped into the 30s (typical of camping at 10,000 feet!). A summer of previous hiking had taught me that while you may be cold in the morning, once you start hiking you warm up quickly so as not to overdress. As predicted within the first mile I was already shedding my down coat.

We walked through the forest for 1.25 miles where there were about three streams we had to cross. Because of the snow melt the water was really flowing so water proof boots were a must. We met two guys on their way down who had summited at sunrise and they updated us on the conditions that lay ahead. They said there was about a quarter mile of snow fields and gaitors were necessary (thank goodness I wore mine!) but that overall the trail was good.

(first stream crossing and first people we met who were on their way down)

After leaving the forest we reached an open area at 11,200 feet where we were treated to a better view of the southwest slope. We stopped to take a break in the meadow and then continued on our way up. Shortly after leaving the meadow is where we met our first snow field.

(this isn't as fun as it looks)

In my mind, having never hiked in snow, I had the delusion that while their might be a snow field it could be easily crossed and then you meet back up with the trail. I couldn't have been more wrong. Chad and I started across the snow, following in the tracks of others so we didn't have to post hole, and quickly realized that following the snow horizontal might lead us far off track. So we did the only logical thing to do which was to hike straight up until we met back up with the trail again. Chad didn't have gaitors so his feet got a little wet but I had minimal problems and since it was still early the snow was hard and stable to walk on for the most part. After meeting back up with the trail we continued our way up where the wind increased and made hiking more difficult. We traversed through two more snow fields on our way up to the ridge and followed the general rule of keep going up up up. The trail itself was a stream from all the snow melt and very muddy so we stayed on the outside of it not wanting our feet to get any more wet. The snow itself made route finding difficult and so we spent a lot of time going straight up than hiking the usual switch backs which somehow made the hike to me less tedious but more of a challenge.

(no snow up on this rock thank god)

At 13,200 feet we reached the ridge and were finally treated to views from the other side of the mountain. It's here where we relaxed for a bit, sheltering ourselves against the wind behind a pile of rocks and got a good view of what lay ahead.

(ridge relaxing)
From the ridge the route to the summit is not obvious in dry conditions, but because there was snow we could see a clear path that traversed along the side of the mtn. Here is where I started to get nervous. The sun was heating up the snow, making it more slushy and unstable and the drop off the ridge was steep. I was really not in the mood to make a misstep and go sliding down the mountain. Chad however, being the wonderful husband he is, talked me in to it posing the question, "If you think this is scary how are you ever going to hike Everest?" He had a point. So he went first and I followed. I was careful to walk in the footsteps of others, lean into the mountain, and went as fast as I could without thinking too much about the steep angle of the cliff I was on. As Chad says, you can't be nervous you have to think with a clear head in case something goes wrong. We used my hiking poles in place of an ice axe, gaining leverage against the mountain and before I knew it we had reached the other side.

(chad saying the traverse was no big deal)
This is where we met up with two other guys who were coming down from the summit. Thus far we had only seen one group while crossing the stream in the woods, and a guy and girl who were following behind us. I am not sure if the snow was off putting or what but this was the least amount of people I had ever seen hiking a 14er. As Chad and I continued on our way to the summit we watched the guys glissade down the mountain to meet back up with the trail below. Seeing the guys glissade with no issues and reach the bottom Chad said, "we are doing that!"

Around14,200 is where the summit ridge comes into view. We climbed over and around some rocks and gained a large false summit where we could then finally see the actual summit. From here the trail was dry even though there was snow on either side of the mountain. The wind which had been so frustrating earlier had died down and we reached the summit at exactly 11:30 finding ourselves to be the only ones on top.

The view from the top of Mt. Massive was spectacular and we could see for miles and miles. Since there is still so much snow on the mountains the scenery was even more incredible and we could see several frozen lakes below. Shortly after summiting, 4 more people joined us and we chatted and ate lunch with them before saying goodbye and heading back down.

(handstand at the top)

(after 6 hours we reached the summit)
Seeing as there were already glissade tracks and we had watched the two guys go down earlier, Chad and I determined it would be safer to do this than to traverse through the snow ridge again. Glissading, for those of you who don't know, is the act of descending a steep snow covered slope via a controlled slide on your butt (you can also crouch or stand). To preform this you have to sit down with your feet out in front of you and use your ice axe in a self-arrest position. We didn't have ice axe's but my hiking poles had handles that are shaped like an ice axe so Chad and I each used those. We took the handle part of the hiking pole and dug it into the snow behind us using it as a brake to slow our speed. Speed however, wasn't too much of an issue because as it turns out we didn't move too fast down the slope before we had built up enough of a snow pile between the legs to have to dig our feet in the snow, move over the hump and keep going.

(chad testing out the glissade trails)
Conditions for a glissade have to be perfect or you can really injure yourself. You have to have a good view of the slope you are sliding down before attempting this. You also should never attempt to use an ice axe unless you are experienced with one because it hurts less to fall on the snow than to fall on your ice axe. You also have to be wearing the proper clothing like waterproof pants which will make your slide faster as well. Always check your runout at the end too knowing if the snow ends on a steep hill or into the trees. We were lucky that ours gradually flattened out making for a very enjoyable albeit scary at first experience.

(check out my trail)
Glissading cut down on our descent time considerably and so we joined back up with the trail and continued our way down. It was on our way down that we got a good view of the initial part of the trail that we missed going up due to the first large snow field. The trail through the willows abruptly ends in snow so we bush wacked through the willows around the snow heading for the rest of the trail which we could see below. I decided to go through some of the snow instead of around it since I had gaitors on, which turned out to be a bad idea since I hit one snow drift and ended up thigh deep! No worries, I was able to pull myself out and continue on my way. Post holing was very tiring and I see why people dread it so much.

(about to head down through more snow fields.....yeah post holing)
Once we hit treeline again we felt the temps increase and ended up stripping down to tank tops. Again this is why you always dress in layers when hiking! The sun was brilliant too and while we had it with us, we both neglected to put on sunscreen resulting in a nice burn across our faces and necks. I should know better. On our way down we passed two girls back packing in for the night brining the grand total of people we had seen for the day to 12. Chad and I have never encountered so few people hiking before and relished in having the trail mostly to ourselves.

Mt. Massive was a great season opener and I am thankful that a combination of good weather and persistence allowed us to summit on Sunday. I am also glad that it was just Chad and I because the snow and wind were difficult to contend with and I don't know if some of my other friends would have enjoyed this so much. However, as I said before the snow was almost a blessing as it allowed us to pick our way up faster than maneuvering switch backs and it also allowed for a quick descent via glissading. I am actually eager to get out again and do some more hiking through the snow before it melts away! Gaitors were absolutely necessary on this hike and will probably be needed in the coming weeks but we did fine without crampons or an ice axe.

The start of 14er hiking and camping season is here and I cannot wait to see what the coming weeks bring!

(#15 down...39 to go)

Bahama Mama Magee

A tradition I started when I became a flight attendant was to travel to an international destination for my birthday each year. Usually I don't have the slightest idea where I may be going, I just know that I'm leaving the country for a week. This year however, I knew in advance that we would be traveling to the Bahamas because it just so happened to coordinate with Lyndee and Mark's wedding. Lyndee and Mark have become very close friends of ours and we considered ourselves so fortunate to be invited to such a small intimate wedding on the beach that they were having. Plans were made a year ago to attend their wedding and so come May 18th we hopped on a plane and headed down south.

I had never been to the Bahamas before and neither had Chad so we went into it with no expectations. All I had to go by was the beautiful pictures from the Atlantis resort website where we were staying. Lyndee had arranged a block of rooms at the Coral Towers so we booked our stay around March. We only had to put down half the cost of the room and the rest we would pay after we left. This gave us some piece of mind knowing that if, for whatever reason, we weren't able to make it, we would only loose a couple hundred dollars.

Seeing as this is a travel blog I'd like to give you, the reader, a sense of what to expect should you ever find yourself heading to the Bahamas for vacation or wedding. I can only comment on the Atlantis because we didn't venture outside of the resort except for one night. Here is a list of things you should know before you go:

1. Everything is Expensive! - Ok so this is what we were told by dozens of people before we went. So much so that my husband and I started to panic before we left. We hadn't budgeted THAT much money for the trip (considering our usual destinations are in central america we don't think about cost being an issue so much). Here is what you will spend your money on: alcohol, the casino and food...probably in that order. After a day or two the sticker shock wears off and you grow accustomed to the $10 big bottles of water and $34 room service pizza.

Go ahead, enjoy the $10 drinks

2. When you do spend your money - As far as alcohol goes I recommend going into town when you arrive and buying a bottle of absolute vodka and the local beer kalik or sands (import beer such as coors is extremely pricey). Keep this on hand to pre-game before you go out at night. You can take alcohol anywhere on the property except into the clubs and no one blinks an eye. However, know during the day you will see everyone drinking $10 pina coladas and you WILL want one. So just give in. The best deal I found was bartering with the guys on the beach who will make you a drink in a coconut (ask for coconut joe). We were able to get 4 drinks for $20 plus I tipped him. They will come to your chair and offer one as you relax by the beach so give in.

When it comes to the casino you'll need cash so bring some with you, set it aside for gambling and resist the urge to hit the ATM when you lose most all of it.
Your best bet for eating at the resort are the restaurants around the pool area where you can get a hot dog, chips and a coke for $7. There is a starbuck's and jamba juice at the Marina village where breakfast will run about $10 depending on the sandwiches and drinks you get. As far as dinner goes just know that most everything closes early so a late night snack is going to cost you upwards of $35 from room service. The buffet is ok but it will run you $100 for two people and, in my opinion, was not worth the money unless you can eat $50 worth of food.
The first night we went to Senior Frog's for my birthday and Chad and I split a meal that cost about $15. I highly recommend Senior Frog's as it has excellent food and drinks and a fun atmosphere. You'll just have to pay a cab to get there. Also a cab to and from the airport will run about $40 so make sure you have cash for that as well.

Senior frogs - home of the yard drink

shots

and dancing on the bar

3. Your room card is your life line - The Atlantis operates like a cruise ship so you use your room card for everything. I recommend putting your room on the credit card you plan to use when you get there that way, at the end of your stay, you can "check-out" via the room tv. You can also keep tabs on how much you are spending on the room tv. There are only a few places at the Atlantis that take cash and every place else will have a sign up that says, "room cards or credit cards only." Usually when Chad and I travel to another country we take out all the cash we plan to use and spend it as we go so we can monitor what we are spending. This also helps cut down on service fees and in smaller parts of the countries we visit they don't even have card machines. Whatever you do, don't lose your room card!

4. Watch the time - I could not find one single clock on the property except for in our room. Since neither Chad nor I, wear a watch, this made things a little hectic. After all, when you have a wedding to attend you don't want to be late....but time sneaks away when you are out at the pool! So bring a watch with you. Also note that nothing is open from 4am until 11pm with the exception of room service at night and Starbuck's, Jamba Juice and the very expensive breakfast buffet in the morning. You won't even be allowed to buy alcohol until 11 because none of the poolside bars open until then. On a positive note this is how I learned what time it was in the mornings - once I saw the food and beverage stands open I knew it must be 11am.

5. The early bird gets the best chair- If you want a good seat at the pool or beach you must get up and out of your room by 9am. Simply put, once the cruise ships dock and those people come to the resort you will be hard pressed to find a chair that has a shade cover on it. And yes you will see lots of people from the cruise ships at the Atlantis (look for their Carnival logo towels). When you first wake up and head to the pool you must obtain a wristband by showing your room key at the towel stations. You will need your wrist band to get around at the water park and through the hotel. If you don't have a wrist band you can show your room key until you can obtain one. We tended to move around a lot from pool to pool and from beach to waterpark so we were never too concerned about finding chairs. However, it will infuriate you that most people throw a towel on a good chair, then leave it there the rest of the day never to even enjoy their primo spot.

I snagged a prime beach chair

6. You won't want to leave - Of course you won't want to go home at the end of your trip but what I mean is, you won't want to leave the property once you arrive. I was told there were several souvenir shops and fast food restaurants outside of the Atlantis that provided cheaper options than what was offered on site. What no one tells you is, the property is huge. I mean ridiculously huge and it takes awhile to walk from one end to the other. So once you are settled on the beach in your prime spot chair, you won't want to leave and go outside the resort for lunch or shopping. Which is exactly how those who designed the Atlantis intended it to be. I actually found some of the best items to purchase for souvenir's at the airport and Marina Village.

the Atlantis is seemingly endless

7. Dress Down during the day, up at night - As always I packed too many clothes to bring on this trip. What I didn't take into account was that I would spend pretty much 9am to 7pm in a bathing suit (the pools close at 7pm as does the beach FYI). After that the Atlantis turns into a Vegas-esque atmosphere with women and men dressing to the 9s. This means almost obscenely short dresses for the women and high heels, neither of which I packed. Men will not be let into the Aura club if wearing shorts (the Dragon club doesn't care but closes earlier). So bring a bathing suit for the day (you have to cover up in the lobbies so carry something with you) and your party clothing for night. If you go in town however, the atmosphere is pretty casual.

look your best at night

8. Prepare to be harassed- There are several beaches surrounding the Atlantis but only one of them isn't private and you'll know it when you are on it. This beach is where you will find jet skis, para sailing, hair braiding, sarong's, shells, coconut drinks, drugs, banana boat rides, booze cruises, snorkeling, bracelets, necklaces and earrings all for sale. You will be constantly approached to buy any one of these things with jet skiing being the one most often offered. These people are not a part of the Atlantis and the Atlantis does not recommend you use their services. However, I found these guys to be polite and usually walked away after you told them "No thank you." If you want quiet, head towards the Cove where you won't be interrupted.

find the beach that looks like this

not this:


9. Act a fool - Tourism is the number one reason the Atlantis exists and pretty much the heart of the Bahamas. Without tourists, the island wouldn't be able to sustain themselves. As such, you can pretty much get away with whatever you want and no one bats an eye (with the exception of taking pictures in the casino...they do NOT like that!). I thought the staff was extremely friendly and accommodating and for as loud as our group was we were never treated poorly. I can't reveal exact details but let me just say, we tested the limits of security and they put up with us with extremely good humor!

you can make a human pyramid

have a crazy room party

10. Expect hidden fees- You know how I said that we were warned the Bahama's is expensive? Well it should be clarified it's not the food and drinks you have to worry about it's all the service fees. Fortunately for us, we had stayed out until 4am partying the night before we left so, when we checked out via the room tv, the sticker shock wasn't so painful. Here's a list of things besides food and alcohol we were charged for:

*utility fee $14 a day
*pool fee $3.50 a day
* housekeeping $10 a day
*bell hop $12 (we never even had them bring our bags to our room but they charge whether you use the service or not so USE IT)
*international taxes and fees per day (on top of what the credit card company would charge us)
*internet $14 per day (if you use it. The internet cafe is $4 an hour)
*mini bar $2.50 for a bag of cookies which chad didn't even initially take but the mini bar measures in weight so once you pick something up you've bought it
*$10 bottled water from the room

And that's just what I can remember. We stayed 4 night so our grand total was about $1300

For what you get at the Atlantis I really cannot complain about the cost. I found it a cross between being on a cruise ship and being in Vegas. The weather was perfect the whole time and the rooms were spacious with comfortable beds and we had a pool and beach balcony view. I never felt threatened the whole time we were there and it is overall a perfect vacation destination for couples, college kids or families.

Lyndee and Mark could not have chosen a better spot to be married. They raved about the treatment they received and were upgraded to an amazing penthouse suite for staying there. The food they had for their wedding was excellent and the bartender at their open bar could make the best goombay smashes or bahama mama. Chad and I didn't even get to do half the things we wanted like swim with the dolphins or visit the straw market, but rest assured we will be back.

Congratulations again to two of my very best friends!

The SEVA Project comes to a close

Yesterday I taught my final Seva yoga class. As some of you may know, as a part of earning my yoga teacher training certification I had to complete a community service project. The project involved four hours of planning and then 6 hours of teaching friends and family yoga classes in exchange for donations. The suggested charity (for people like me with no idea who to give back too) was The Gathering Place which is a drop in shelter for women and children. This shelter is 95% privately funded and so it obviously relies heavily on the general public to make donations to keep it going. I had decided after looking at their urgent needs list, that every week I would pick a different item off this list to have my friends donate. This was their "payment" for the class and an easy way for me to center class themes around the donations to let them know how much their participation meant.

Since April 17th I have been collecting donations from each class, soliciting everything from peanut butter to baby wipes. Obviously the bigger the class the bigger the donations and so week two won out with 13 people and a huge pile of toothbrushes and toothpaste. I feel very fortunate to have had such a great group of people attend all of my classes and every week it was a surprise as to who might walk through the door. I was able to see old friends I hadn't seen in ages as well as having friends come who had never taken a yoga class in their lives. Some people came every week which inspired me to have the courage to change up my flow and try something new.

Because I taught Saturday and Sunday of this past weekend I knew I probably wouldn't have a huge attendance in either class. It's just hard for people to attend two days out of the weekend, (nor did I expect them too) but I still had a great turn-out nonetheless. Saturday's donation was canned food:


and Sunday's was shampoo and conditioner:


While I was happy to have completed the hours of a project that ended up meaning so much to me, it was a bittersweet moment to know it was over. I hope I planted a seed or created a spark in many of my friend's lives so that they will continue to return to my classes. More than that, I hope I inspired them to think about others and what it means to give back. Each person may have only contributed a small item, but to the person on the receiving end these items mean the world.

And so today my husband and I loaded my car up and took the donations to The Gathering Place:


I still could not believe how many donations I received from all my generous friends. Walking into the shelter was a happy moment for me. Seeing the women's faces at the front desk light up as we brought in all these bags. They asked me if I needed a receipt, you know to write all this off on my taxes, and I said no. I don't think they believed me so they asked me again if I wasn't sure I needed one. I told them that these items came from so many people...I couldn't take all the credit for them.

On the way out I passed the women in the lobby who were receiving the benefits of the Gathering Place. I saw other women walking out with food and clothing. And I got that feeling inside, the feeling that only comes from giving to others without expecting anything in return. It was a powerful emotion.

This is only the beginning of my yoga journey. I still have to complete 9 more internship classes and then who knows what is in store. But I will always remember my first class I ever taught...how nervous I was. I will remember my second class and how many people came that I never thought would. I take with me, from this experience, the lesson that in life people will surprise you. They will amaze you with their kindness and capacity to be unselfish.

I could not have reached my goals if it wasn't for all of those who attended my classes. While I wanted to practice yoga and to teach others what I had learned....my main objective was to raise donations for the shelter. I measured my personal success in how many people I could get to care. And I believe with my whole heart I achieved this goal.

So thank you to my final Seva class. I wish I had taken a picture of every class but that just didn't happen. I'm sure there will be plenty more opportunities in the future...

30 Before 30

In a few days I will turn 30, yes 30...an age I once thought of as old but also a milestone. There were certain goals I wanted to accomplish in my life before 30, mainly goals I set in my 20s. While I never had a bucket list of things to cross off per say before I reached this birthday, I knew there were choices in my life I needed made to get me to where I wanted to be when I reached this age. But as they say, life is what happens while you are busy making plans. So, of course, not everything happened in the way I wanted it too but it happened exactly how it was supposed too. And so looking back on these years I decided to make a list of everything I considered an accomplishment that I achieved in these past 10 years. I chose to focus on the happenings of my 20s because I think this is where I first realized I had control over my future. As opposed to life before my college years when I was living under my parents roof without an income. So here's my list in no particular order other than how I remember these things:

1. Graduated college - in 4 years with a degree in Journalism: although I only used my degree briefly writing has always been my passion and I have a piece of paper to prove it

2. Moved out of Alabama: don't get me wrong I love my home state but I always felt like a little bit of an outcast. I wanted to move away to a place where I could carve a life out for myself and be my true self

(one of my first weekends in colorado)

3. Found a job and stuck with it: Becoming a flight attendant might be a dream for some but it was just a paycheck for me and a way out of the south. I promised myself I'd stay at least five years and here it's been six. While it's not something I want to do forever it's afforded me amazing opportunities and I found and secured this job all on my own.

(I've met some cool people along the way)

4. Bought my first car: without the help of parents. My loan and my title in my name

5. Got a passport and filled it with stamps

(costa rica May 2006)

6. Visited my dream cities of Paris and New York


7. Flew first class international and experienced sleeper beds, champagne and filet mignon at 38,000

8. Rode an elephant in Thailand through the jungle

9. Met Chad: lived with my first boy, became engaged and got married and it's been an amazing adventure with my best friend ever since

(from the first night we ever met)

(to our wedding day in July of last year)

10. learned how to slalom water ski


11. Learned how to alpine ski and the meaning of "fresh pow pow"

(first day skiing ever at winter park)

12. Became a model: well a promo girl for Miller Lite anyways but I got paid to walk around bars and hand out beer, make public appearances, sign autographs, take pictures, and met some of my very best friends to this day

13. Became a centerfold: appeared in the Mile High Sports magazine as a part of my miller lite gig for their snow angels issue two years in a row and the second year I got the two page spread...a dream come true for me.

(year one Snow Angels)

(second year in a row with a blown up pic from the magazine at the launch party)

14. Bought a house

15. Made a completely new group of friends from anyone I knew in high school or college


16. Went through yoga teacher training, completed the 200 hours and taught my first yoga class: after taking 2 years of yoga I wanted to give back to the community what the practice had brought to me and I've never been happier since

17. Bought a dog: I've had several dogs throughout the years but my parents never let me have one when I lived at home so my first dog, a border collie named chance that I had in college was a dream come true. Of course my current dog is the one my husband bought me, but I'd like to think those dogs I had before were preparation for my sweet vizsla

(the latest love of my life- Bebe)

18. Became a blonde - a true blonde not just the dirty, mousey blonde hair color I had all my life until I discovered the power of bleach

19. Started and kept up with this blog and hopeful to turn it into a book of memoirs someday

20. Gone to my first professional football, hockey, baseball and basketball games: all in Colorado and all surprised me how much I enjoyed them

21. Played hippie for a weekend: from Bonnaroo to Phish in the Everglades for the Y2K New Year, I have camped out and experienced the magic of a weekend music festival

22. Hiked and fell in love with Colorado's 14ers: there are 54 peaks over 14,000 feet in Colorado and last year I climbed my first 14 (my goal was 8). I plan to hike 20 this year and my last 20 next summer to complete them all. I've also set my sights on hiking to Everest Base Camp next year and to the top of Everest in this lifetime.

(on the way up my first 14er Gray's peak)

23. Taken a solo road trip through Colorado

24. Changed my body into a workout machine and gained muscles I never knew I had

25. Learned how to do crow pose in yoga

26. Taken a vacation to a destination that I picked that day with no plans in mind of where to stay or what I would do when I got there and it was one of the best vacations of my life (Belize last year)

27. Ran a 5K: on Thanksgiving day none-the-less

28. Rock climbed and made it *almost to the top

29. Watched the X-games in Aspen

30. Traveled to a new country every year for my birthday since I was 26th - This year's is the Bahamas

Every year up until this point of my life has been an adventure. While my 20s were amazing and I discovered a lot about myself, I'm excited to carry what I learned these past years into the next chapter of my life. I am so much stronger now mentally and physically and I have come to realize that it's only myself who stands in the way of what I want to happen and what actually does. Anything I put my mind to I can do. Which is why I'm not sad to leave my 20s behind because I know this only means I have new dreams to discover and to accomplish. I never thought I'd have ever become a yoga teacher or gotten married, moved to Colorado or bought a house, become a flight attendant and traveled the world and made the friends I have. So I can only be excited about the years ahead of me. I don't look at it as getting older, it's just realizing how much life ahead of me I still have left to live.

A happy Birthday to me this year indeed...