new site.

Hey everyone - I switched over to a new platform this summer, so you can find me here: The American Ingénue

victory is mine (ours).

I did it! Well, we did it. This weekend, Doug and I successfully climbed to the acme of Pikes Peak, one of Colorado's famous "fourteeners" and the tallest mountain in our area at 14,115 feet above sea level. Nicknamed "America's Mountain" (it is the most visited on the continent), Pikes Peak is visible from practically every point of the Springs, and Douglas has been lusting after it since the moment he arrived in Colorado. Climbing the mountain has been scribbled on our calendar since the two of us sat down to to plan our summer to-do list. I was personally dreading the day, not knowing if my lungs were up for the task, but everything went off without a hitch... nine hours of hiking, thirteen miles, and two pairs of shaky legs later, we had covered the 7,400 feet elevation gain to the summit.

 

We arrived at the trailhead at 8:00 a.m., slightly behind schedule, but I expected as much. The first few miles were familiar to us, having walked down them a few times already during our descent from the Incline, a local fitness attraction (known to me as the staircase from hell). Once we got into unfamiliar territory, we plowed through the first seven miles of the trip in two and a half hours to reach Barr Camp. During this pit stop, we made friends with the local chipmunks... and by friends I mean we fed a couple of them by hand and one little bugger started crawling all over my back looking for more when I put the food away. The second leg of the trip was much harder, as the altitude started to do a number on Doug's lungs and my legs nearly buckled from sheer exhaustion. We made the acquaintances of some fellow summit-seekers along the way, a father and son from Tennessee and a girl from Minnesota, sharing some fears of death-by-lightning (not an uncommon occurrence once you get past the tree line)  as we waited out a passing storm at Timberline Shelter. We also ran into a few rascally marmots and were not quite sure what they were after or whether or not they could be trusted. Marmots (shrug).

The last half-mile of the trek was the most brutal: sixteen "golden" steps to the top, better described as a treacherous climb over boulders while fearful of aforementioned death-by-lightning. I was not sure my body could move another inch at this point, but with a constant prayer going over and over in my head, Douglas and I made it to the top in one (two) pieces. It was an amazing feeling. To be honest, climbing the mountain was entirely Doug's idea and something I would have never planned on my own, but once my feet took the final steps to the summit I felt like a true champion. I had pushed my trembling, aching body to do something it was begging me not to do for the past nine hours, and something that my mind had been dreading for more than a week. But I did it. We did it - and it was awesome!

After the exhausting climb, Douglas and I rested at the summit shop and tried one of their "world famous" doughnuts (it missed the mark in our opinion, even after a nine hour hike). Not that I minded, but we were treated like celebrities by the other visitors in the summit house, who had almost all taken the railway or driven to the top. One boy even came to interview us about our ascent, as he was debating whether or not he wanted to make the climb himself. After the hoopla died down and we snapped a few blurry pictures in the rain (against the recommendation of the shop staff, who frequently announced that EMTs would not come to our rescue if we were struck by lightning), we took the cog railway down the mountain, an hour-long train ride with a scenic view of the surrounding wildlife. We caught a glimpse of few mountain goats and wild sheep on the descent, which were exciting, although I was hoping to spot a bear. After a drive home in a torrential downpour and a warm meal, we both passed out within a few minutes, proud of our day's feat but sore to the bone. Where's the next adventure?!

rocky mountain fever.

This weekend, Doug and I ventured upstate to Rocky Mountain National Park for some sightseeing and hiking. The weather was not as kind as we would have liked, but we still had a great time exploring the area and spending time together. We took the drive northward Saturday morning and after several closed roads and detours, we finally made it to the trailhead. About halfway into our hike, the sky opened up in a thundering downpour, soaking my underprepared self to the bone... I have a much harder time spending money on outdoor gear than the well-dressed, waterproof Douglas. After an impromptu, middle-of-the-trail wardrobe change, however, I was able to escape hypothermia and we were back on our feet. We only covered about four miles of ground but, since I have yet to acclimate to the altitude, that was about all my lungs and legs could take.

The Colorado elevation has been doing a number on my fitness self-esteem. Normally, two weeks into a fitness routine and I would be kicking butt and taking names, but my body has not gotten used to the thin air, and even a short jog can leave my legs feeling rubbery and my lungs gasping for more oxygen. Next weekend, Doug plans to take on Pikes Peak, one of Colorado's famous "fourteeners" (14,000 feet). I want to join him on this adventure but I do not think my hiking track record has been strong this season. I feel like such a wimp! We will be doing a little bit of training this week, so I am going to decide whether or not I think I am aerobically up for the trek.

After our expedition near the continental divide, we hit the road for a scenic drive through the mountains and clouds, made even better by an awesome lightning storm that danced across the sky as we made our way back south. After a stop in Empire for a proper pancakes-and-eggs dinner at the "original" Hard Rock Café (named for the local mining community - nothing to do with the chain) we made it home to our warm and cozy apartment, a weekend well spent for sure.

twenty-eight.

Another year come and gone. This year, my birthday was a rather mellow one. Douglas and I woke up extra early to enjoy breakfast together at our favorite local eatery, Over Easy, before he had to go to work. Once he headed to the office, I began my quiet, contemplative day with a nap and my typical routine of intermittent tidying, random yoga poses, and perusing a few of my favorites in the blogosphere.

Today was a scorcher, about ninety degrees, but I hardly noticed the heat sitting under the awning of my newly-frequented coffee shop "office". The dry Colorado air does not hold heat the way it does in the Northeast and without the humidity, well, ninety degrees is almost downright pleasant. I was able to soak up some sun while reading Michael Pollan's slow but provocative Omnivore's Dilemma and took the season's first dip in our development's tiny swimming pool.

The evening began the real celebrations: Douglas brought me, bedecked in my new open-back dress, to the downtown gastropub, the Rabbit Hole, for dinner and drinks. Then, lucky girl that I am, I got to sit and look pretty while he baked me my requested strawberry cake (his very first authentic pastry pursuit), sang me "happy birthday", and presented me with a beautiful new ruby ring. What a lovely day.

I love a good birthday, but I cannot say I was thrilled about turning another year older this time. Shucks, I liked being twenty-seven. Yes, yes, I know: age is just a number and you are only as old as you feel, but sometimes, you just want to savor something a little bit longer. I do not always feel like I am where I am supposed to be, and that becomes all the more salient when commemorating another year spent on Earth. I know that I have accomplished quite a bit in the twenty-eight trips I have taken around the sun, perhaps more than many of my nearly-thirty peers, but there is always that longing for more. Good thing I have the whole wide-open summer ahead of me; lots of time to stockpile adventures before we head back to reality. Let's see what the next two months, and 365 days for that matter, have in store. 

glimpses.

Today marks the close of my first official week in Colorado and the first full week of summer vacation. Here are a few glimpses from the past seven days.

Strolling through the Garden of the Gods. Spending a rainy 4th of July waiting for the fireworks. Munching on an Alaskan reindeer sausage at Biker Jim's while Doug chowed down on a rattlesnake and pheasant hotdog. Watching Old Crow Medicine Show and the Avett Brothers jam at the famous Red Rocks amphitheater. Hiking in Palmer Park.

guten tag.

Well, hello there, finally. The past few weeks I have been outofmymind busy. I had the privilege of being sent on a two-week school field trip to Germany (yes, you heard right) but this meant that grades had to be done early, tutoring sessions and appointments had to be crammed in, and final projects had to be prepared and explained before my departure. So, phew. Despite the panic attack that ensued beforehand, and the constant stream of correspondence I had to keep during my time abroad, the trip was exciting and fulfilling, as every new adventure should be.

While we were in Germany, the students and I stayed with host families and I lucked out by having the most wonderful host family one could hope for. Christina and Holger, and their two blond babies, were the most generous, entertaining, gracious hosts you can imagine. I feel truly blessed to have met them and to have been the lucky recipient of their hospitality. Most evenings, despite having spent longs days sitting in conferences or exploring local cities, I stayed up till unholy hours simply because I could not get enough of the conversation.

The field trip was scheduled as part of a global conference that one of our student organizations takes part in every year and, as of this year, I am the lucky supervisor who gets to escort the diligent students overseas. All year we have been working on research tasks to present at this year's conference, and it was such a thrill to watch the students finally show off all their hard work. While we were there on "business," rather than pleasure, and the conferences took up large portions of our trip, we were given day tours of the nearby cities of Hamburg and Münster and also got time to spend with our host families. Though the responsibility of chaperoning eight teenagers across the Atlantic is a serious one, and though I will admit my patience wore thin on more than one occasion, everyone had a great time and all that prep work beforehand was worth it. Summer adventure #1 - accomplished! Now on to #2, finding my baby in the midwest.

the weekend.

phew! I feel as though I blinked and the weekend whirled past... I think as a general rule, whenever I set out to be productive the hours just seem to pick up the pace and pass by before I even have time to think about the things on my to-do list. Another weekend come and gone; I cannot believe that mid-April has already found us. Douglas is busy with his last month of classes: databases, operating systems, and lots of other things I cannot begin to comprehend. I have begun my own programming adventures, however, as I start my web design self-education adventures: a combination of books, online tutorials, and "guess and check" fiddling. I am happy to say that I have actually made quite a bit of progress in the last 48 hours. Aside from our usual work-and-errands weekend routine, Doug and I managed to squeeze in a few beverages, some Ben and Jerry's, and, of course, lots and lots of dreaming.

Now, it is 10:30 and I am in the middle of my regular Sunday night panic attack - when the anxiety begins to set in that tomorrow will come and I, underprepared and without enough sleep as per usual, will have to kiss my sweetheart goodbye until next week. On the plus side, the warmer, sunnier weather seems to be settling in and the school year will slowly start winding down. More time with family and friends, more time out of doors, and more time to put slumbering dreams into action. I can't wait!

easter, birthdays, and dusting off the cobwebs.

Why, hello there... it has been quite a long time now, hasn't it? I am happy to be with you again today. Today is a special day. Along with being a day of celebration, a day of forgiveness and thankfulness and joy for many people around the world, it is also my mother's birthday and the fourth anniversary of my having started this blog. Douglas and I spent this beautiful day doing wonderful things with wonderful people... we started the morning off with a little bit of scrambling (I am a perfectionist, after all) and a few tears (I have to constantly remind myself that perfection is not attainable) but everything worked out, as it always does. Doug and I caught a nice sermon at church and followed it up with a family brunch at the apartment. With my pretty new pink glasses filled with bright, bubbly prosecco, some lovely spring flowers, and my "famous" potato salad, I was in hostess heaven. We followed up the nice visit from my family with an early Easter dinner with our dear friends Danielle and Jason. After a long nap we are still filled to the brim with food and slowly transitioning back into school mode. 

If you have not noticed by the long bouts of silence, this year is crrrrrazzzzyyyy! It is flying by and Douglas and I have so many exciting, overwhelming things in the mix. Weekends filled with classes, school field trips, interviews, frisbee matches, weddings. Oh, hello, life - did you have plans for me?! My tenure year is every bit the overachieving, long-houred, beautiful mess that I expected it to be, and Douglas is busy with internship applications and senior projects. I am happy to have a small break next week and the opportunity to visit two of my favorite girls, Carolina and Kim, in my beloved Boston. I have been filling most of my free time with reading, something that I cannot get enough of right now, so I apologize for the silence. April is expected to be even more swamped, as I start preparing for an upcoming festival that we are planning for one of the clubs I run at school with after-school rehearsals every day of the week. I promise I will try to fill you in during my free moments. So many wonderful things are going on it is hard to breathe!

glimpses.

1. Wishing that this "ball buster" wine was a little cheaper because we HAVE to try it - Doug's surname is Tait, and he is always "b'ing my b's"
2. Loving the soft, red scarf my aunt got me for Christmas!
3. Pretty painted nails and nearly broken toe. Me = klutz
4. Cheesecake. Just because.
5. First draft of a map project I am working on. More to come. I'm excited.
6. New winter staple: target shirt, black leggings, Douglas's hat. Maybe too cozy?
7. Dreaming that life had one of these little buttons... still learning how to let go and give up control on a daily basis.

Sigh. Another February break has come and gone. I am headed back to school tomorrow, and although I will probably perk back up when I am with my students again and slip right back into the ol' routine, for now I am ruing the fact that I have to return to work. Wahhh... complain complain.

In other news, I cannot believe that in a few short days it will be March already. Where does the time go?! Though I am someone who loves all seasons, I have to admit that this year I am very ready for warmer weather to get here. I have been sick more times than I can count and I am ready for some fresh air and time spent out of doors. I definitely had a small case of the winter blues this year. What do you do to keep up the positivity during the cold months?

raising arizona, part ii.

Snow. Can you believe it? And there I was, thinking that I would be trading the frigid Jersey air for a few days in the warm Arizona sun. Is there anyone out there who still does not believe in global warming? My second full day in Arizona was a sharp contrast to the clear day spent in the Santa Catalina Mountains. Freezing rain, enormous snow flakes, cold, wet toes, Christmas music on the radio... not really what I was expecting. Despite the inclement weather, it was still nice to visit with friends, experience the American Southwest, oh yeah, and EAT!

My brief trip to Tucson was filled with delicious treats. Spending time with my beautifully pregnant friend was a great excuse, um I mean opportunity, to stuff my gourd with the irresistible local fare. Authentic Mexican cuisine, my first In-N-Out burger (I personally like Five Guys better), fully loaded Sonora hot dogs... I mean, how could I resist? Here is a quick glimpse at some of the reasons Douglas and I are juicing this weekend:

The remainder of my vacation was spent digesting. We also made a lot of progress in Douglas's hunt for internships and Renée and I attempted to solve her poor little chickens' mystery murder case (we later discovered it was a bobcat attack). All in all, it was a short albeit fun-filled few days and I am so glad I made the trip. Thanks, Tucson, for showing me a good time. I cannot wait for my next adventures... a wedding in Philadelphia, a short trip up to Beantown... who knows what else is in store :)

raising arizona, part i.

I beat myself up quite often for not accomplishing all of things on my various to-do lists. Despite my constant failures, big and small, I am rather good at going places. I love to travel and I have found ways to sneak trips in whenever I am able. In the last seven years I have been to 27 different major cities, both national and international, not including my semiannual trips to New York, Boston, and Philadelphia. This week, I find myself in Tucson, Arizona, visiting my lifelong friend, Renée, before she and her husband, Mark, welcome their first baby. I have been in Arizona for about 36 hours now and I have already bore witness to all four seasons. I have experienced cool spring breezes, hot summer sun, chilly autumn rain, and even some short-lived winter snow. The weather is crazy here!

Yesterday, Renée took me up Mount Lemmon in Coronado National Forest. The temperature dropped about twenty degrees while we drove toward the summit. When we reached a nice lookout point, we stopped for some photos and a bit of sunshine - the views were incredible! My favorite parts were the rock formations and the saguaro, which reminded me of the dancing cacti in one of my family's all-time favorite movies, Disney's "The Three Caballeros." I had never seen either in person, and it made me feel like I was really absorbing a true piece of Arizona.

Today, I am huddled up in The Chocolate Iguana, an independent coffee shop in downtown Tucson. I have been watching the icy rain fall through foggy windows, contemplating my wet, frozen little toes and gulping down hot caffè latte in an attempt to warm up. I am here escaping the rain and struggling to lesson plan before Renée picks me up for some more culinary indulgences (this afternoon I enjoyed delicious tamales and cochinita from The Little Cafe Poca Cosa and I have been scarfing down fresh eggs from Renée and Mark's hens in the morning). No matter how lightly I plan on eating when I go on trips, I cannot help trying local cuisine and always end up eating way too much... juice fast this weekend, Douglas?

I really miss the mountains. Doug and I have been waiting for a bit more free time and some warmer weather; I hope we can hit the trails soon!