Trip to the Mountains

September 12th - 17th 

We just got back from a camping trip in Buena Vista and a quick trip to Aspen. Right now I'm lying next to a napping babe, editing pictures and thinking about how awesome he did at 4.5 months old. I know he won't remember these little things we do with him now, but I'm hoping telling him about where he's been from the very beginning will inspire him to keep being adventurous and know that his Pop & I didn't stop doing things we loved just because he came around. In fact, he makes them better because we see things differently now. Staring at the leaves blowing on the tree or putting our feet in the stream or sitting by the fire all seem so much more meaningful when we have ever curious new eyes watching intently the world around us. 

Blake's parents got an RV & tent spot at Chalk Creek Campground. Blake & I set up camp a few spots away, just on the creek. The days were beautifully warm with fall fast approaching. The nights were freezing like winter had arrived.

The first Broncos game of the season was on the first night we got there so we set up & watched/listened to the game while grilling vegetables for dinner. Kingston & I toughed out the first night in the tent with Blake but it was so stinking cold! Kingston stayed warm with me cuddled next to him but nursing every two hours didn't allow me to stay warm. So we spent the next two nights in the RV with Grandma & Grandpa & the heater! ((I knew it'd be cold & we probably wouldn't have gone if we didn't have the option to stay in the heated motor home. I'm so thankful!)) Blake, K & I hung out at the camp spot the first day. We checked out the creek, played on the playground, napped in the tent, read in the hammock & ate watermelon & bananas. We then headed to Cottonwood Hot Springs & met up with the grandparents who went ATVing with their friends ((who were also camping with us)) all day. It was Kingston's first time in a pool and it was amazing. Blake & I couldn't stop smiling at our little boy enjoying the natural, warm hot springs. He had such a good time! We went back to camp & slept hard. 

The next day we all went to a great 4-wheeling spot. Robert & Lauri, Blake's parents' friend, took Blake & I on an awesome trail with an amazing view of Mt. Princeton. Grandma & Grandpa watched Kingston while we cruised the back roads of the mountains. It was so fun to get the adrenaline pumping for just a bit. Then Blake, K & I headed back to camp for a nap. Blake left for Denver that night. He went to see Damien & Stephan Marley play at the Fillmore. K & I grilled out with Grandma, Grandpa, Robert & Lauri. 

On Wednesday everyone packed up camp and headed their separate ways. My little family headed west to Aspen for the night. We stayed at this really cool old Swiss hotel, The Mountain Chalet Aspen, right in the middle of town. It was a block from the BellyUp venue where Blake was seeing Tribal Seeds, The Expanders, & Arise Roots that night. We walked around town & grabbed lunch before napping in our room. For dinner we walked to this great wood oven pizza place ((we love our wood oven vegan pizzas!)) K did so go good, I picked him up from napping on the bed and put him right in the stroller. He slept till we were almost done with dinner. I remember this split second feeling I had about how much I missed Blake & I's farely uncomplicated and quiet dinners we used to have with each other. Then K woke up & made the moment even better. 

It is funny how true it is that your whole life changes when a baby comes. There's a rush to take a quick shower, or the few minutes of quiet while he is napping to watch half of a tv show, or the need for someone to hold him while I run to the bathroom, or how much stuff we bring on our camping trips, or how car rides can seem so daunting because my little pooper hates riding in the car. It's unreal how exhausted I can be but yet still semi-functional. It's hard to find a quiet moment with Blake, where we aren't talking about life plans or work or grocery runs. It's hard to know I'm not just Melanie, I'm Kingston's mom. But I'm not just Melanie, I'm KINGSTON'S MOM!! I'm so thankful to be this boy's mama! He makes every waking ((and the few non-waking)) moments so precious. I've thought about him my whole life, wanting and waiting. And he is more amazing & special then I could have ever imagined. I'll take all those complicating trips, short showers, zero privacy bathroom breaks, poopy diapers, dirty hair, bags under the eyes, sweat pants, flabby belly days to forever be Kingston's mom.

Anyways, back to our little trip! 

After dinner we met up with some friends outside of the venue and chatted with some band members. I wasn't planning on seeing the show but our friend had an extra ticket so Blake & I decided to bring K and take turns outside with him. While I was wearing K in my carrier & Blake was inside, I could hear Arise Roots play. I was dancing & singing & Kingston fell asleep. Everyone coming out of the venue was so kind to us & supportive of having baby out there. I was able to go inside to see The Expanders play while Blake hung out with Kingston & E.N. from Tribal Seeds outside. He's also a vegan & we've had a good time getting to know him the last few shows we've been to. While I was inside I was talking to Karim of Arise Roots & found out he has a four-year-old son named Kingston! So awesome. Kingston & I went back to the hotel to go to bed while Blake saw Tribal Seeds play. It was a really fun day & night. 

We woke up and took Kingston swimming right away. It was niceto take him in the pool while the morning sun came up. When we packed up & went to breakfast at the hotel, the Arise Roots & Expanders guys were there too. We got to talk to them a little more and Karim held Kingston. I think he enjoyed holding a baby again because he was saying how we should appreciate this phase now before they start running everywhere and talking back! We said goodbye & walked around town for a bit. We got some juice & stopped at a dispensary, you know, just because we can. 

The drive home was beautiful. Independence Pass & Twin Lakes were stunning with bright yellow Aspen trees & crystal clear blue water. Kingston was amazing in the car!! He slept for most of the trip home! We stoppedin Buena Vista at a local grocery store that had a juice bar & organic sandwiches inside. 

I'm so happy we were able to go on this trip. We made some amazing memories with the grandparents and conquered some new-parent adventuring fears. We hung out with our favorite bands who got to meet Kingston ((last time I saw both bands I was pregnant, so it wasn't Kingston's first time hearing them.)) It was perfect timing to see the last warmth of summer & the new leaves of fall in the mountains. Next up is Kingston's first adventures with snow!!  

                                                            Dream Big, Ride Far! 

Two Trips to the Southwest

March 10 - 12th & March 15 - 16th

Blake & I took two trips this past week to New Mexico! We always love going back for a visit, walking down memory lane, and absorbing the slow paced living of the southwest.

For the first trip, we drove down with my brother, Anthony, and my dad, Bob. Being there with them was important to me because my family wasn't able to visit us while we were living there in 2011-12, so I was happy we had the opportunity to show them parts of why we fell in love with it and why it was a good place for us to be at that time in our lives.

When we got into town we were able to walk from our hotel to The Plaza to check out the pizza place I used to work at, Rooftop Pizzeria. An old co-worker was our server, which is always great! Blake ran into a couple of his friends, and we felt right back at home.

((Side Note: A lot of posts I do on Facebook and Instagram are through my health page, An Herbal Perspective. Blake & I are new vegans, so when we travel we like to check out places that have options for us. The places don't necessarily have vegan options on thier menus, but we know what to look for, and as long as we ask, every place has been accomodating. I will be posting more of those things on this blog shortly, but for now, if you are interested in what vegans road tripping, traveling, cooking at home, going out, or juicing looks like, check out my page on Facebook or Instagram!))

A few months ago Anthony got accepted to the Santa Fe University of Art and Design. Blake & I jumped on that boat right away! We had planned on taking my brother down there for a few days to show him around town and to get his barings more for what it would look like to live in this small, quiet, artistic town. Anthony has a serious passion and talent for the film industry and is looking forward to their film editing program. My dad & I were able to walk the campus, look at the dorms, see the art studios, and talk to some of the students and professors in the film program. I expected nothing less from Santa Fe with their quirky statues, buildings, and even students. What a blessing it would be for my brother to be able to grow his passions in this environment.

When Blake & I lived in Santa Fe, it was during the winter season. Hardly anyone knows that Santa Fe has it's own ski mountian. We lived just at the foot of the mountain and I worked for one the ski shops on the way to the lifts. Before my brother's college tour, we took Blake to the top so he could spend some time in the trees & snow. What a happy man he was, getting to ride his board with the sunshine on his face, hanging out in the fresh desert mountain air.

After I picked up Blake again we all walked to The Plaza and the surrounding areas. We went through La Fonda Hotel (my favorite breakfast place), checked out the mysterious spiral staircase at the Loretto Chapel, and of course walked the amazingly artisitic Canyon Road. For our one Mexican dinner, Blake & I insisted on Maria's. We had to take my dad here for the history, homemade tortillas, an entire book of margaritas, and the best sopapillas you'll ever have. After dinner my dad & Anthony headed in early and Blake & I went to see a friend. The thing about being open to who's house you visit while in Santa Fe is you never know what kind of a place it could be; this friend's friends' place was incredible! I should have taken pictures, but I didn't want to be weird. It was a huge, 1970's "party house" as Blake called it. The Southwestern architecture blows my mind. I'm so in love with the adobe, family style housing hidden up a winding road, but yet still right in town. But the best part was meeting cool, new people and seeing an old friend.

The next day we got up and took my brother and dad to our favorite juice place, BODY. It was an accomplishing breakfast because my dad had a fresh made juice and my brother chose a fresh made smoothie. This opened up the conversation for them to understand a small part of what Blake & I are so  passionate about. It's difficult to "spread the word" when the people aren't open to something new, and my family isn't quite open to new things yet. It's a hard conversation and even harder to watch them not quite grasp the health of this lifestyle. We both want so badly for our families to be healthy and live long, full lives. Not to say that by drinking juice we ourselves will long, full lives, but why not try?!
The time Blake & I spent away from home changed us. While we were living in Santa Fe we weren't quite ready for the vegan/juicing lifestyle, but looking back I can see how the healthier options this town has to offer helped plant a seed for the lifestyle we later took on. Juice bars, raw cafes, yoga studios, natural healing remedies, farmers markets and grocery stores like Trader Joes, Whole Foods and Sprouts were all right around the corner. The people are earth hippies and creative. I love this town.

Once we were back home in Colorado, Blake & I worked and moved our things out of his brother's house and up to his parent's house. About once a year for the six years we've dated we've moved places or states, so we are used to packing up our things and getting comfy in a new space. Because we are having a home birth it is important for us to be in a place we feel comfortable and quiet in. I think Blake feels a little sentimental about this house and his parents are supportive of this move & decision to have baby up here. And also because Blake's brother's family will be growing this summer as well, so they need the space for baby and family to come visit. It was a win/win for everyone. Blake & I are taking one event at a time, once the baby comes we will discuss our future plans for a place of our own. We don't want to rush into anything, so while we have family willing to put us up we will look for something just right for the soon-to-be three of us.

Two days later Blake & I packed up for a quick road trip back to New Mexico, this time Albuquerque via Santa Fe. Our favorite band started up a new tour and was going through New Mexico. Yes, they will be coming to Colorado eventually, and yes we could have waited, but that's not what we do. It's not just about the band, but it's a little trip we can take to get away and spend some time together. I'm learning to really cherish and enjoy these last few trips without baby. Time alone with Blake is hard to come by since moving back home, so these trips to see bands are really special to me now. We have gotten really good at packing up road trip snacks and finding the right places to eat at. Once we got into Albuquerque we picked up dinner for take-out at Annapurna's. Blake wanted to take me there because he used to work at the one in Santa Fe, I had never been there, and they have GREAT vegan options. We ate our Indian food at our hotel and then walked to the Sunshine Theater for the Tribal Seeds show. I like going to different towns and venues for shows because we usually get to walk around and see a little of the towns. Albuquerque was a lot more artistic then I had thought it'd be.

On our way back home we stopped off in Santa Fe to check out a new juice spot we had seen the trip before, Modern General. What a... swanky... place it was. We felt underdressed. But it was beautifully designed and the cafe kitchen was immaculate. My favorite thing on their menu, though I did not get it, was the only sandwich option, a pb&j. The girl who made our juice used to work with Blake at San Q in The Plaza.

We took Highway 285 north so we could check out Ojo Caliente Hot Springs. I'm happy we made the decision to stop. After the whole week of traveling, moving and working I really enjoyed relaxing in the sun and soaking in mineral springs. The drive up 285 was fun to see because it's the same road Blake took, going south, when he biked from Monument, CO to Santa Fe, NM in 2011.

I'm thankful for the trips Blake & I get to go on together, whether they are near or far. I know that a whole new phase of our lives is about to start. The closer we get to a different way of life the more I am thankful for the adventures we have been on. Keeping my memories & pictures in this blog will be invaluable in the years to come. As we read books to the nephew & niece and are about to read many stories of adventure to our little one, I hope that Blake & I's wild journey will be motivating to look beyond the familiar and the comfortable.

Dream Big Ride Far