Life on the Runn...

Each school year it seems that the work I am expected to do becomes more and more cumbersome.  With that comes lots of stress because, well, I really care about what I do.   To maintain some semblance of sanity, I began setting goals for myself, things I needed to be reminded of in order to preserve my own well - being as the year progresses. I've set goals for the number of hours I allow myself to work each evening, the time I'd spend working on any weekend day, the frequency I would check work emails, you name it.  This summer, I decided I should do some goal setting, too.  It was this: I was going to read -- and read a lot.  Any amount of time I spent on school work would be matched - or exceeded - by time devoted to reading books I wanted to read. I began compiling my list over Memorial Day weekend.  Some of the titles came from my classroom library and some came from colleagues and friends. By the time summer officially comes to a close tomorrow evening, I will have read

I would be a big, fat liar if I said that I was okay with summer coming to a close.  The school year is always draining - mentally and emotionally.  My husband can easily attest to the fact that the commencement of the school year means the return of a woman he finds far less fun than the one he lives with from mid-June to August.  Despite my desire to grasp tightly to the lingering days of summer - when I can read what I want, run when I want, check my email without getting a knot in my stomach, sleep through the night - I admit, the end of this summer is different, maybe not so bad. This is the first time in three years that I will not have to transition to returning to work AND living alone; yep, this time, my husband is coming home with me.  We love, love Colorado, and I do believe that we will find ourselves as permanent residents one day, but the past few years have been an experience when it comes to making that dream a reality. You know how they say that the stars have to ali

This past weekend was our only and final full weekend in Colorado.   Being that it was also Brian’s birthday weekend, we were sure to celebrate in the most Boulder way we could.   Having spent nearly every evening hiking the previous week, we started the weekend with less walking and more climbing.   The majority of Saturday was spent in Georgetown, where chilly morning temperatures were perfect for climbing.   Before long, the sun was doing its job and we were very warm, so once we had our fill of warm – weather climbing, we headed back to Boulder for margaritas and Mexican food.   We finished off the evening with a trip to The Outback, a local bar that can best be described like this: weird.   It’s a little like a cult favorite in that we all enjoy going, especially with our friend Peter, who loves it, but we cannot explain what about it makes The Outback worth visiting.   On Sunday, we headed to Chautauqua Park and hiked to the Third Flatiron, one of the iconic rock formation

We closed out our time in Squamish with more of what had become our norm - quiet days working (B), and running and reading (A), and evenings spent climbing or meandering about the town.  It was fantastic and neither of us wanted to leave.  Luckily, we had a lot planned in the days following our departure from Canada, and we were soon wrapped up in other fun. Our first post-BC stop was in Seattle, where our pals Ryan and Todd were nice enough to house us.  They have an amazing home and they give amazing tours of Seattle.  We took the Future of Flight Boeing Tour, visited the Public Market, walked past the Space Needle, went to the Experience Music Project (including the Star Wars exhibit), sampled locally-made bourbon, and went wine tasting. And that was only day one.  On day two, we visited Mt. Rainier National Park.  The weather wasn't terribly favorable - cloudy (and cool at first), but we were able to stretch our legs some and take in the majesty that is Mt. Rainier.  We retur