Final Day in Colorado

We started our final day at Red Rock Amphitheater with my friend from K-State that I haven’t seen in 15 years!

After that we had some breakfast at a little coffee shop and headed back out to hike more of Red Rock.  The hiking was beautiful!  
Finally we ended the night with a great meal at Jenny and Shawn’s house and then off to the airport to head home.  
by Categories: Colorado Leave a comment

Standing knee-deep in a river and dying of thirst

I have begun reading a book called Simple Abundance and it is has been a great book so far.  One short story discusses how the author heard a song called “Standing knee-deep in a  river and dying of thirst” picking up her daughter from work and how it brought her to tears.  So I naturally downloaded the song.

It is a great song if you listen to the lyrics that discusses friends being taken for granted, a world full of strangers just waiting to make connections with us and things in life we all take for granted.   We all have so much in our life but so often we don’t realize how lucky we are and simply look at others and refer to them as having the “good life”.

Sometimes it is hard to remember just how luck we are and how we have everything in our life that we need to make us happy.

by Categories: Random Thoughts Leave a comment

A day of fishing

We got up early this morning and headed up to a dude ranch close to the Wyoming.  Shawn was a great teacher as we all caught some fish (other than Jenny)!

This was my first fish of the day!  

Richard with his first fish.

After we got back to Boulder we headed to Evergreen for a few days at Highland Haven for some R&R.  Here are just a few photos of our cabin.
 Part of our little patio

 The living room and kitchen

Fresh flowers by the bed!  

by Categories: Colorado Leave a comment

Boulder day one

Day one of our holiday was great!

We started out by getting a workout in at Crossfit Roots.  The workout went really well for Richard- not so great for me.  It was 4 rounds of a 50 calorie row, 40 sit ups and 30 pull ups.  Because I hadn’t been taking care of my hands- I ripped on the first pull up I did (at least it was jus a small rip) then I had an awful time breathing on the row, so I ended up doing 3 rounds.  The altitude makes such a difference.  Richard made it through all 4 rounds I was really proud of him!

After the workout we needed some food so we headed down to Pearl Street.  We found a little cafe and had some breakfast and tea.  It was just a beautiful morning.  
We managed a bit of shopping in some of the stores on Pearl street and then of course settled into lunch!   So, for our challenge we are eating paleo- and not thinking we walked into a pizzeria.  However we managed to have a great meal that was 100% paleo!  Now we did have a beer with lunch… 

After lunch we couldn’t help but go to a brewery called Avery- as Richard was missing his kitten!  It was tucked away down in an industrial park and they had a really nice tasting room.  We missed the only tour of the day as it didn’t start until 4.  We settled on some sweat potato tots and a few 1 oz samples.  They were all really nice, but I think Karma was both our favorites.  
We then headed over to pick up Jenny from work and watched her office finals of “corn hole”, which Richard got a lesson on how to play.  Jenny’s team took first place!  
For dinner we headed out to meet up with Peggy and David at Frasca in Boulder.  It was amazing!  We had a 4 course tasting menu and everything they brought out was wonderful.  They did a wine pairing for us (only 1/2 glass) which was perfect.  The company was also wonderful- I think we spent over 3 hours talking and eating!   Peggy and I of course talked about our Morocco trip this fall…
We got home around midnight… of course I was wide awake at 6 am- I may need a nap later today!  

by Categories: Colorado Leave a comment

Crossfit Challenge

Our Summer Crossfit Challenge starts in the morning.  We have been weighted and measured…  basically here is what our next month will involve.

We will follow a Paleo approach to nutrition focusing on large amounts of vegetables with as much variety as possible, lean sources of nutrient rich animal protein, and healthy fats.

 

We will avoid grains and grain like substances, pastas and sugars (refined AND unrefined). We will also throw out beans for the time being. Maintaing a Paleo routine for the next month will allow you to, at the very least, reset your system. You will then be able to reintroduce those missing foods which will give you a better sense of how you operate with and without them.
Vegetables
The most vegetables possible during your day is the goal. We prefer a foundation or a bed of leafy green veggies, but, if you maintain variety, you are free to incorporate whatever colors you would like! Starchier vegetables will be considered a treat that should not be consumed daily. So sweet potatoes, summer squashes and other similar foods should be used sparingly (once or twice a week).

 



Vegetables are not always available for our meals, especially with breakfast. If you find yourself missing veggies at one of you meals, do not fret. Simply double up at the next meal or incorporate that missing serving over the next two.

 


EDIT: To be more specific about sweet potatoes: you will only consume these post-workout. Simply, you must get a worthy workout in. If you make it into the gym for class you can assume you’ve done enough. And if you don’t have the chance but you get something in on your own, treat yourself as well.

 


These carb sources are great for aiding in recovery!

 

 

Protein


During this challenge the goal is to have a palm sized (this is the starting point) piece of meat with each meal. For those that are more comfortable with meat, you simply need to have what you would consider to be one serving of protein with each meal.
During this challenge we will adhere to a 90/10 lean to fat ratio with our meat. This will prevent us from consuming too much fat from commercially raised animals. Lean sources of protein include turkey, chicken, lamb and beef.
Also, EGGS ARE GOOD TO GO! And be sure to eat the yolks!
Fat
We will be utilizing fat as our energy source so please do not avoid it. Without fail a number of y’all will report dragging during the middle of your day. FAT DOES NOT MAKE YOU FAT! Stick to plant based fats. Cold pressed oils like coconut and olive oils are ideal while avocados, almond butter and mixed nuts are all excellent as well.
Meals and Snacks
You must eat when you are hungry, and you must be full when you are finished. This should be music to your ears! You are not to be hungry EVER! If you are hungry you are wrong!
Snacks are so important during these challenges. Finding a rhythm with meals usually does not take very long. But snacks can conquer everyone. You must find foods that you enjoy and that pack and carry easily. Boiled eggs, carrots and almond butter and mixed nuts are my favorite. Ideally you would have a fat source because that will keep you satisfied longer. Beef jerky is also an option (be careful with all of the extra stuff often included though).

 

Cheat Night

by Categories: Crossfit Leave a comment

Avery

Avery had her check up and got the all ok from the vet this morning.  We also had her soft paw put on  properly this time by them…  after seeing them do it I may make a trip every 5 weeks to let them replace them!  She wasn’t a very happy kitten… but did good.

Next time they will be pink with sparkles!

by Categories: Avery Leave a comment