Another Year Older

For me, birthdays have been a great time to reflect on the year passed and the beginning of another year similar to celebrating New Year's.  26 was a great year.  At 26 I got engaged, I returned to marathons, I moved from coastal Virginia to the mountains of Colorado, I got a tattoo.  As I embark on year 27, I find myself thinking about the fact that I'll likely never run my age in miles again - I don't see myself going beyond the marathon distance of 26.2 miles...at least not on purpose.  It's the beginning of new era.  Nick and I have decided to put the travel PT world behind us and settle down in Colorado Springs. Now we're planning our wedding and we're beginning programs to complete specializations, instead of looking for the next cool place to move.

April 29th really crept up on me this year.  Seriously, I unintentionally made appointments to sign new job paperwork and a new lease on my birthday thereby putting a kink in Nick's plans for us...sorry babe.  Needless to say, life has been a little hectic lately and the past few weeks have flown by.  Luckily things simmered down at just the right time, allowing us the chance for a little vacation during my birthday week.



We finished up our travel assignments in Pueblo, CO just a few days before my birthday and won't be starting our new jobs until a couple weeks later.  As usual Nick had some great things in store for us.  When I got home from signing paperwork, I was met with a lovely display of my favorite delicious treats and beautiful flowers along with Nick's smiling face and gift certificate for a new Garmin watch...product review to come :)

Next we ventured off to Manitou Springs for a surprise tour of Cave of the Winds, one of the highest show caves in the US.  The cave was discovered in 1881 and is one of Colorado's most popular natural wonders.  We opted for The Lantern Tour which gave us the chance to experience the caves like the early explorers did as we traveled deep into the Manitou Grand Caverns with hand-held kerosene lanterns.  We explored numerous passageways and learned about the history, folklore and formations of the caves.  It felt as though we were stepping back in time.

We finished the day with a delicious dinner at The Cliff House At Pikes Peak Dining Room, renown as one of Colorado's best fine dining destinations.  We were met with a creative symphony of tastes, smells and textures.  We started off with a duck confit egg rolls and a few domestic beers.  For dinner, I polished off the Stuffed Chicken with prosciutto, goat cheese, artichokes, and a side of mashed potatoes.  Nick enjoyed Elk Ribeye wrapped in bacon; a fully Colorado dish.  What a great day!




"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count.  It's the life in your years."  - Abraham Lincoln