wildflowers of Lost Lake

A few weeks ago we went on a hike and had the chance to see a few of Colorado's best wildflowers. The hike was ironically called "Lost Lake." I'm still not sure if it is at all related to the beer. Unlike the drink, I left with only a minimal headache from the altitude.

 Mariposa Lily

 Columbine

 Indian Paintbrush

Fireweed

 

 Fireweed

 Little Red Elephant

Pesto, Peaks, Petals, and Planning

Yesterday I woke up early to take a hike with my friend Ellen in Golden, Colorado. I am trying to find productive ways to spend my time while most of my friends are starting work and DJ is in orientation all day. In short, I've been hiking, cooking, finding Colorado wildflowers, and slowly planning my first few weeks.

 We've also been sampling the local Colorado beers such as O'Dell Brewing Co. St. Lupulin (Loop-you-lin) is a particular new favorite of mine.

 I ventured to a nearby used bookstore and picked up a few books to use in my classroom.

 Mmmm pesto pizza. I've been trying out a few recipes from Fresh From the Farmer's Market and Super Natural Every Day. It helps that we have a whole foods just blocks away!

 I've also been indulging in the local flower markets. Gladiolas are one of my favorite flowers, I prefer them to roses.

 This is the view from Windy Saddle Park on the Chimney Gulch trail. Beautiful views of the Rockies and Denver.

 Even though morning glories like this are technically an invasive weed, they're still pretty cute.

 On our hike we found a bunch of these giant thistles, so did the bumblers!

 View from the top of Lookout Mountain trail.

Morning Glory

Prickly Poppy

Gum Weed

Dotted Blazing Star; Dotted Gayfeather

The end of waiting

I've gotten so used to the waiting;  the countdown calendars and just "a few more days" became my normalcy. Now, I am sitting in my, or rather, our apartment wondering what to do when the waiting is over. What a strange feeling to finally have what you want after nearly 4 years of waiting. Now we have this whole life in Denver, Colorado of all places. We will both be teaching and figuring out how to be adults, you'd think the latter would come before the former.

Here are a few pictures from the last two weeks. We took an amazing wildflower hike in Boulder to see the sweat peas and prickly pears in bloom. We have also been making delicious, but over garlicy hummus weekly!