Tag-Archive for » Fort Collins «

Colorado–Part…? 3 I Think!

I forgot that I was suppose to continue on with my Colorado trip until Paula kindly reminded me. Sometimes you get too wrapped up living life to remember to reflect back on past occurrences. Colorado was awesome though so let me keep it going. I need to keep it fresh anyway, to motivate me to get back there more quickly.

The following morning, day 2 of the trip, Daniel A. and I woke up at 7am and hit the streets for a nice jog. The weather was, and always seemed to be, absolutely perfect! We jogged down Mathews street until the road ended, and then we looped around to head back home. I would say it was about a quarter of a mile one way. Not that far but, it was a nice way to get the blood pumping.

We made it back and waited for Daniel R. and Paula to wake up so we could head down town to rent some free bikes from the bike library. I think we finally made it out the door around 11am and took the walk, 5 or 6 blocks, to downtown Fort Collins. Here are some lovely discoveries along the way!

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The bark on many of the local trees were interesting to me. I’m not sure what type of trees these were but they felt so soft and spongy. I had to take a close up. Beautiful. We also kept passing in front of this one particular church that resembled a castle. I loved it.

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We made it to the Bike Library, a place where they let you rent out a bike and a lock free of charge for 7 days, as long as you bring the bike back. We each picked out a bike and headed out for a nice little ride around the down town area. Something I wish I had taken a picture of was the “Dismount Zone” signs. It was for the high traffic areas, where you have to get off and walk your bikes. I enjoyed the little sign dude. Smile Also, I was really impressed that the grounds had little sensors in the bike lanes that picked up whether a bike was waiting at the light or not. So very cool. I’m a big fan of Fort Collins, it really sucked me in with this first bike ride.

The picture below and to the right is where poor Paula got stuck at a traffic light in the middle of a high traffic intersection, all alone. Sad smile It was so cute though, she came around the corner and up the street just like a pro.

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Daniel and Paula led the way taking us to a little café called Indulge. I’m not sure of the origins, but it was very nicely decorated in a Mediterranean like décor. The interior was beautiful and very welcoming. The woman there was sweet and friendly. We chatted with her about how we were afraid of the winter weathers, being southerners, and the we had heard they were not very pleasant. She assured us there was nothing to worry about and that the winters there in Fort Collins is something  she looks forward to every year, as she really enjoys it so much. She told us that the snow never stays of the ground for very long and that the sun is always shining, so its never dreary or depressing. Sounds like I need to start planning a winter vacation! Winking smile We hung out for a bit, tried some teas, fruit drinks, and nice little treats.

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After the trip around town we stopped back at the apartment for a moment or two, but I couldn’t stay in-doors for long in the beautiful CO weather. Arbour and I saddled up again and hit the streets to go discover on our own. The apartment is only 2 or 3 blocks away form the college campus, so after strolling the streets for a bit (unintentionally, I sent us in the opposite direction) we made it to campus and plopped down on their huge gorgeous grounds! I snuggled up with a book and Daniel with his iPad and we laid out on the grass.

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The bugs started coming out after a bit so we headed home before the sunset.

That night the four of us relaxed and enjoyed each others company. I missed having us all hang out doing nothing together, just like back when we used to live together during college. It felt nice being there with my brother and Paula. Miss them already!

Paula treated each of us to our own little homemade mini apple pies. Perfect ending to our day.

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Day 2 way wonderful there. I loved every second of being in Fort Collins. Remembering this day makes my long for a quick return.

(BED TIME! For real this time! I’m going to be late for work if I don’t head to be NOW! lol! 2nd post complete! Sweetest Dreams, AGAIN!)

Colorado: Part 2!!

Adventures in Colorado: Take 2!! Hehe! I was just now looking through all my pictures from the trip when I realized I still had more to cover from day one!! Apparently that crashing on the couch photo was just a quick nap. Winking smile I had completely forgotten that the same day we arrived in CO was the same day that the Bohemian Festival was happening and being that it was Sunday, it was the last chance to check it out. It was only a couple blocks away from the apartment and completely free to the public, so the 4 of us took a stroll to check out the goods. Here are some lovely shots of the happenings from later that first day.

Let’s take a walk, Shall we?!

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I was amazed by how perfect the weather was in the middle of the day! The sun was out and shinning brightly. Gardens and veggies growing in every other lawn! IMG_1581There were bicycles everywhere! The trees were pretty amazing too! So different from home!

I couldn’t get over the bicycles! Everyone rode one! It was so biker friendly there in Fort Collins! There were bike lanes and bike sensors to activate the traffic lights! It was really neat! IMG_1583

 

 

 

 

 

There were colorful flowers all over the place! IMG_1585

<—I came across this neat painting of Buddha on the side of a garage. I LOVE IT!

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IMG_1593The houses there were older and beautiful! Everyone was different and full of character. I could imagine myself in each of them. The greenery, the life, and the colors pulled me in immediately. From the moment I arrived in Fort Collins and started walking the streets I began to dream of one day moving there.

IMG_1590IMG_1592I kept passing each house and seeing a veggie garden front and center or tucked away in the back yard…! It reminded me of how difficult it was for me to keep everything in my veggie garden at home alive and thriving, with the constant heat and having to water all the time. The heat made  it difficult to tend the garden at home. BUT HERE!! Everything was flourishing!! I could picture myself here spending so many joy-filled moments in an organic veggie garden of my own. How wonderful!?

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We finally made it though all the cuteness several blocks and to the festival. There was much going on there! Blocks and blocks of tents and people. Selling everything you could think of: spices, hoops, tai chi classes, dresses, dunking roller derby girls for charity! Even Encouraging words! Well, those were free!

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We walked around down town and scoped out what everyone had to offer! It was a lot of fun! Check out the Zombie band we saw and the bicycle-built-for-many down below! Even the electrical boxes are pretty in Fort Collins!

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We walked around a bit, Paula purchased 2 prints of some paintings from this really great artist. I wish I would have gotten shots of the prints at the time but it slipped my mind. I purchased some seasoning that accompanies bread and olive oil. After sampling some I couldn’t pass it up. 

On the walk home we stopped in at the grocery store and picked up a few things to make dinner that night: Vegan Spaghetti and “meat” sauce! Yum!

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We called it a night with a game of Apples to Apples! I totally whooped ass! And check this out! The final score was Daniel, Daniel, and Paula, tied for 2nd place with 17 cards each! And me placing first with 27 cards! What are the chances of THAT! Pretty neat, huh?!

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Well, that’s all for now!! I’ll post again tomorrow! Its off to relax before bed for me! My brain is about to explode. I apologize for the scattered and unpolished post, but I’m tired! Nighty night, everyone! Sweetest dreams!

Colorado: Part One

Morning!! It’s a beautiful Sunday here in Louisiana! It’s 90 degrees outside, but the wind is blowing and the humidity is down so its been a great day so far. I woke up around 7am and took the motorcycle for a cruise this morning. It’s been about 4 weeks since I’ve actually ridden it (the heats been unbearable!). I’ve cranked it up a few times to let it run, but I haven’t had much time to do more than that with all the running around I’ve been doing lately. So, after 4 weeks it felt amazing to hop on and enjoy the nice weather.

Right now it’s a little past 12 and at this very moment I’m at my house relaxing and enjoying the beauty of being home with nothing to do on a Sunday! Its GLORIOUS! haha! It’s been so long since I’ve been home and able to just relax and be. I feel like I’m constantly doing! GoGoGo! But not today! It’s a Rachel just BE Day!

With some of my free time I thought it would be nice to catch up on filling you in on my recent Colorado trip. It’s been exactly a week since I’ve returned home so I need to get the experience out of my head before I forget too many details… But, really, how could I forget this?!

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IMPOSSIBLE!

This year for my 26th birthday I was surprised with plane tickets to take a trip to Fort Collins, CO to go visit my brother, Daniel, and his girlfriend, Paula, and check out their new home. Paula is attending grad school at the college in town so both her and Daniel moved there about 2 months back. I had always wanted to visit Colorado, so I was super stoked about my birthday trip! Daniel A. was sweet enough to set up everything with my work to allow me to take the trip on such short notice, as he only gave me a 2 week heads up! What a nice birthday gift, eh?! Round trip to AmazingThisTownWasMadeJustForRachel Town! In love Rolling on the floor laughingRolling on the floor laughing

We had tickets to head out of New Orleans for a 7:30am flight. The day before we had the Red Dress Run shenanigans in New Orleans and rather than taking the trip back home, Daniel’s brother, Ryan, was nice enough to let us stay at his place and drop us off at the airport the following morning.

Flight took off at 7:40am and it was a 2 hour and 45 minute flight. We had fun! It was the first time Daniel and I had ever taken a plane together (or any vacation at all, really!) so it was nice to just have the two of us there. Usually on a plane I don’t have someone sitting next to me that doesn’t mind that I’m sitting Indian-style in my seat and bumping knees and elbows every few moments, so I enjoyed the experiience. Winking smile

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We arrived in Denver in no time at all (or so it seemed). Paula and Daniel were there waiting for us and the moment we stepped of the plane we could feel the “amazing” that is CO weather! Fresh, crisp, clean, cool air! Aaaaaaaamazing!

IMG_1552This picture to the left is the first photo I took of my new found love. Colorado! Oh how I’ve come to adore you in such short time… ::sigh::

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This photo to the right is of one of the many “Kum & Go” gas stations that seem to be all over the state! Daniel and Paula made sure to point it out to us for good for a giggle. Smile with tongue outSmile with tongue outSmile with tongue out

When we finally arrived in Fort Collins the 4 of us were starving!!! Daniel and Paula were so awesome, they brought us to this (VERY!) vegan friendly restaurant a few blocks from their home, called Rainbow. Everything on the menu was either healthy, organic, vegetarian, or easily made vegetarian, with many vegan options as well! I was so impressed! 1st experience in Fort Collins and I was already falling in love.

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The building was actually an older home redone as a cozy little café type restaurant. There were many open windows allowing in the fresh air and sunshine. Hey! Did you kinwo that most homes in Colorado don’t have central air conditioning?! Yep! No need!! you can just keep the windows open for fresh air flow and the weather out side never gets hot enough were its uncomfortable! I’ll bet you the people here benefit mentally and physically because of this! Nothing like breathing in fresh air! Aaaaaahhh! Love it!

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I wound up ordering a tofu and veggie scramble with the potato wedge hash browns. I’m not sure what they did but that tofu was really good! I have attempted a few times before to do a tofu scramble but I could never get mine to come out anywhere near as good as theirs did. The seasoning on the tofu was super flavorful. I really enjoyed it.

We had a lot of fun here and we had the best hosts!! hehe! I love my family (Paula included!)!

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After getting some food in our tummies we drove a few blocks down to the apartment. Daniel and Paula’s place is in the perfect location!! Literally 2 blocks from the college, shops, grocery stores, and down town!! Open-mouthed smile 

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IMG_1577The first day was a lot of fun, but we wound up crashing pretty early (from what I remember). I don’t think we did much more on this first day, besides walking the streets a bit and seeing many many adorable little houses every where! I’ll show you how lovely and cute everything is there in my next post. I took tons of photos!!

So, yes! We crashed early so we could have a fresh start the next day!

See you tomorrow for part 2! Hope you come back, because that’s when it starts getting good! Beautiful pictures to come!
Happy Sunday, Everyone!

Returning Home from Vacation!

Coming home from vacation is exhausting. I had the perfect week long vacation of waking up to perfect weather and fresh air each morning, strapping on my running shoes and jogging, or taking the bike around the down town area of Fort Collins, CO. It was perfect! Going from complete freedom and then hopping off a plane and waking up for work the next day takes a lot out of you. Re-adjusting to the weather, and the schedule, and the florescent lights rather than fresh air an sunshine… ::sigh::

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After making it home Sunday afternoon I was so full of energy I cleaned my entire house! I was emptying boxes that had been sitting around since the move in (::cough::a year ago!::cough::). I was so refreshed and full of energy! I made plans to head straight to Whole Foods the next day after work to get a bunch of fresh produce and prep a few meals so I could have something healthy to bring to work for lunch all week. I was pumped!

Well, after 4 hours of answering constant ringing phones, having my eye balls glued to a computer monitor, and tediously punching in insurance information, (with no open windows and a fluorescent light shining on me all day, might I add!)… I WAS READY TO CALL IT A DAY! And I had 4 and 1/2 more hours to go! I looked like poop, my eyes were burning, my ears were ringing, and I had a headache the size of Montana! Gah!! By the time I got off of work you probably could have poured me out of that chair, I was so limp and drained. (Can you tell, I’m being a total bummer in this post… Oooo, yea, I need to re-adjust my thinking!)

I almost talked myself out of my Whole Foods run, but I convinced myself if I didn’t make it, it was going to screw up my entire week of eating healthy as I had no other time to go (with kick ball practice and games and having a guest over Wed night). So, I downloaded Pandora Radio on my iPhone, pumped up the Beyoncé Station, rolled down my windows and headed across the Causeway! And I’m so glad I did! Singing, cruising over the lake, and shopping for colorful nurturing foods was just what I needed for a revival!

IMG_2328Here’s what was on my list! I needed beans! And lots of them!  Need My Protein, People!! And fiber!! lol! Winking smile Also some peppers, both red and green, onions, corn, cilantro, and dressing for a huge batch of my Mexican Bean Salad! Then I got some apples, bananas, raisins, and celery (I was thinking for healthy shakes and “Ants on a Log” snacks for breakfast and the office).

I also needed some bulk dry goods! The bulk section is my FAVORITE in Whole Foods!!!
Its like the adult candy store! Saves you money and there are so many yummy choices!IMG_2331 I had brown rice on my list as I had finally run out. I also needed the raisins for my celery, sun-butter, raisins snack. I’ve been wanting to try quinoa as I  keep reading over and over again how healthy it is and how it’s a complete protein, so I finally remembered to nab some of that. But while I was in the bulk section I had to grab some bulk raw organic nuts! Almonds and walnuts are my favorite! 

When I arrived home I got straight to work making a huge batch of this stuff so I have a healthy go-to food for the week:

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And after that I gave a new recipe a go! It was inspired by something I saw in the grocery store the other day that looked so tasty but wasn’t vegan friendly. I took note of what was in it and made my own version. It was quite good!! I call it Broccoli Crunch! *Recipe to come!*

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Well, I’m running out of precious minutes! I have to head off to work again, as its about that time. Hope everyone has a beautiful day! And if you happen to be off and outside in the sunshine, enjoy it a little bit more than usual, just for me! :)

*Today I’m grateful for preparation and planning ahead (my meals and exercise, that is… but with everything else…I’m all for spontaneity!), as it seems to make my life a little bit easier when I have some much to squeeze in.

I’ve Been in Colorado!

I have much to fill you in on, but I’ve been enjoying my vacation in Fort Collins, CO! SO! Many posts to come! A few topics being my 26th Birthday Shenanigans, The New Orleans Red Dress Run, and the amazing that is Colorado! Here is a little teaser! :) IMG_1356IMG_1747

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