Wildlife and wildflowers

My dearest faithful readers...

I'm trying to be better at this... I really am, I promise! So thank you x 1000000 for sticking with me throughout my blogging/not-blogging. (this is my 25th post!! woohoo!)

Let me tell you something, 3 day weekends are fantastic!!! A) I got to catch up on sleep. B) i got to spend time outside in this beautiful state C) I got to catch up on sleep.... did I mention sleeping? Apparently it takes a good month to two months to acclimate to living in this altitude (apx 6500 ft above sea level).  What do I have to say to that? well it's a four letter word that I'm not going to spell out for the masses... but you get it. So that blows. What does adjusting to altitude feel like you may ask? Well... it mostly feels like dehydration, brain fog, GI distress, sleepiness, brain fog, dehydration, and a constant state of exhaustion (or maybe thats from working 10 hour days and the stress of being new?). Anyway thats the general idea...

But this weekend was wonderful, my bosses/mentors took me golfing. I was really bad until about 5th hole when the girl in the cart came around with beverages. I had a captain and lemonade, and got picked on for being super southern (imagine that?!). Afterwards, my golf game greatly improved. It was really sunny, and warm enough for capris and a polo shirt, but as the afternoon progressed the clouds came down over the mountains and you could literally see it snowing up on PIke's Peak. I wish I had had a camera... it was beauuutiful!

Sunday I mostly slept and did laundry and other odds and ends. Monday I decided I was going to attempt a run.  My lofty goal was to run the .4 miles (maybe less) down to this regional park, then run around the trails through. Well I get to maybe about .25 miles and have to stop because I feel like my heart is going to pound right through my chest, so obviously this is going well. I finally alternate walking and running and make it to the park. I get there and realize the running loop is at least 1.5 miles (maybe 3 total loop) and so I start to attempt... run... wheeze... walk... run... wheeze.... walk. It is really sad actually. So then on the way back (uphill) to my apartment, I start running again and suddenly slam to a stop... there is a HUMONGOUS DEER about maybe 2 car lengths in front of me in the middle of the path, with his horns poking up, and two female deer with him. The male is staring at me what I considered to be sinisterly. So I anxiously waited for cars to clear so I could cross the road to the other side and not run into giant deer. I mean, I'm used to deer being from NC, but these were HUGE (and no, not elk, just plain deer) and didn't seem to care that they were smack dab in the middle of my sidewalk. Thankfully I made it home safely without having a massive MI or getting trampled by wild deer.

Another cool thing about CO (besides run in with deer, and bad altitude side effects) is the wild sunflowers. You see them on the sides of the highways, in the parks, spurting through sidewalk cracks. They are wildly beautiful.

Such a gorgeous state I can't believe I live here (as I've said many times).  Can't wait for the snow!!!