Spring's Coming!

Spring is in the air! Okay, most of the time it isn't really, it's still snowing today, but hey, we live in the mountains! But I feel it coming, the air smells differently in the morning, birds are signing and there is an occasional afternoon when it's sunny and warm and wet! I'm always so excited for spring, especially here where it so long awaited.
I'm starting to plan weekend trips, doing yoga in the park and being outside. I can't wait for it to be light until 11pm and green and warm!
It's coming, it's coming, I know it's coming!

Snapshots of the summer

Winter has come to the Rockies and the mornings are crisp and icy and the land is white and calm. I enjoy evenings on the couch with a glass of red wine or a cup of tea, cross-country skiing in the magical atmosphere of a lit forest, starting a new book, looking for perfect Chritmas cards for the family and planning our December vacation in Spain.
But to warm up a bit, I looked through snapshots from this summer and found some that bring great memories.

Good Things

Some good things for this month:

1. We picked our holiday destination and already bought tickets; we're going to Spain for Christmas! We'll visit our friend in Barcelona, possibly meet up with my parents for a few days and travel a bit around Spain, Portugal and possibly Morocco. So excited!
2. I picked up an extra job so there is more to spend on the vacation; I'm serving at this cool, casual pub a couple of nights a week and I'm nicely surprised that I've forgotten how much fun it is.
3. Just took part in a big fundraising event at my regular job (raising awaraness and funds for domestic violence prevention), which was very successful ($42,000 raised!) and sooo much fun! (a bunch of guys walking in women's high heels - how could it not be?!)
4. I have an amazing husband who I love and have such a good time with!
5. September is a beautiful month and I'm enjoying the weather and the views a lot.
6. Excited about starting a French class in the fall and going to some Body Balance classes (mix of tai chi, yoga and pilates). Also trying to learn Spanish on my own.
7. We have this certificate to use for a romantic weekend away in a luxury cabin in the mountains.
8. There are some exiciting events in the lives of two people very close to me: my cousin is getting married in Poland and even though I regret I can't be a part of it, I am happy for her and excited about a super cute gift I found for her & her husband to be. Also, I just learned that my best friend from back in the day is 9 weeks pregnant! Looking for a sweet mommy to be & baby gift to send her.

It has been a good month.

Mountains in my Backyard

One of the things I love about living in the mountains the most, is how stunningly beautiful the mornings are here. Every day I drive to work, I find it hard to keep my eyes on the road and just feel like stopping on the side of the highway and take some photos. Usually I’m rushing to work, or I’m late already so I don’t do that but today I just couldn’t resist.

The photos don’t capture the full beauty that was in front of my eyes and I am far from being a good photographer, but hopefully they will give a feeling of it.

Goodbye to August

So there it was and passed, the last Sunday of August. And it was blissful. We woke up quite early to sun shining through window blinds but started our day lazily, listening to music and stretching, making love and snuggling and laughing. Got up together and made breakfast, some cereal, bacon and tortilla toasts with cheese (for the lack of eggs), and coffee.

Spent mid-afternoon working on the computer, cleaning and organizing; just enough to feel good about ourselves ad take the rest of the day off. I called Mom and chatted with her for a while, after which she was getting ready to go to sleep and I was beginning to enjoy the day.

We took the motorbike for a ride around town, it was a hot day and it was great to see downtown packed with visitors, knowing how quiet our neighborhood was. We walked by the river, where I dipped my feet in the freezing water and we sat down on a shaded cliff overlooking the bridge, to play with the camera. On the way back we found a raspberry bush and I had to get in the middle of it. They were dark pink and deliciously sweet.

In the evening we enjoyed the company of family and friends at a barbeque dinner in Bart's sister's garden, drinking cold beer, catching up on stories, playing with the kids and their new puppy.

It was a perfect goodbye to August, although hopefully not to summer yet. I have to say, this summer flew by so quickly. They say time goes faster with age and I keep noticing it a bit more every year.

I enjoyed this summer and didn’t get enough of it, but I am excited for September. I have always loved early fall when it’s still sunny and leaves turn their colors to red and orange and yellow, and I love the smell of soil just after rainfall. I’m hoping that maybe we’ll be lucky this year and get a fall like this in the Rockies; a land where there are usually only two seasons; a very long winter and short summer, with not much in between.