We are feeling very comfortable with it being full on summer here.

We started the day with a very lazy morning and then some yoga.

We have played outside a lot!

Shared popsicles.

And eaten our meals outside.

We also enjoyed some lazy afternoon time, after a few busy weeks. Have you ever looked at your little kids and felt like you were getting a glimpse into their teenage future?

I read this article about a year + run stresk:

Lessons Learned from a Year of Running Every Day

It was very interesting….and tempting. Last August I challenged myself to blog everyday, and while most of the time it’s not that interesting and sometimes very short I have made it so far and I have loved it. I love being able to look back on what we were doing on certain days and now I am so used to it, it’s much easier than it was when I first started. Now I am wondering what it would be like to run everyday, what could I learn? Could I do it even when sick, or busy, or traveling, etc? Could I figure it out?

_____________________________________________________________________

Could you run every day for a year? Would you want to?

Right after Cannon got out of school on his last day we scooped him up and headed into the mountains for a long weekend.

We camped for one night just south of Grand Junction, at Escalante Canyon Road.

It was just a stop over spot but it was still super pretty and the kids had fun exploring the site.

On Friday we drove south into the San Juan mountains and the views were spectacular. We camped along the Million Dollar Highway, then drove on to visit Silverton.

Silverton was a very quaint Colorado mining town and also the home of the Hardrock 100.

The park that is home to the Hardrock rock has instruments that the kids loved playing.

The kids also got to pan for gold.

We would have loved to take a mine tour as well but since the kids haven’t gotten vaccinated, being in a small space with no air circulation didn’t seem like a great idea. Fingers crossed they can get vaccinated soon.

• 

• 

On the way back to our campsite we visited the Ironton townsite. I think I was the most creeped out, the kids wanted to go inside the houses that were falling down and full of rat droppings. It was fun to walk around but I was a hard NO on entry.

On Saturday we spent the day exploring Ouray (we spoke to locals, it’s pronounced U-Ray). First stop was Box Canyon.

There is just a short hike into the slot canyon to see an epic water fall.

You can take the stairs down to the bottom where you can feel the mist from the falls and explore a little.

We then hiked to the top of Box Canyon, which was not far but was steep and technical. The payoff was a bridge over the canyon and a cool tunnel.

After our hike we went into town to get some well earned ice cream.

We parked just off the only paved street in town but ended up with a very tired little girl. Emmy was ready for a nap so we decided to take a scenic drive along the million dollar highway while Emmy took a nap.

There are incredible views all the way between Ouray and Silverton.

In the afternoon we moved to Kendall Campground closer to Silverton to a spot right on the river.

We played in our campsite for a bit before going back to Silverton for Dinner. We haven’t eaten at a restaurant in about a year so it was an exciting experience.

The next morning we let the kids play at our campsite while Cory got in a bike ride in the mountains.

We reluctantly packed up our camp site and drove back into Ouray to hike Baby Bath Tubs.

This is an easy little hike great for kids along the Ouray Perimeter Trail, with little “tubs” of water in the creek you can hike through. After our hike we drove on towards Telluride.

There were a few things we didn’t get to in Ouray that we would love to do on another trip down here:

• The Ouray Perimeter Trail looks amazing, it is 6.5 miles with lots of climbing and descending. Cannon isn’t up to that long of a hike and we aren’t up to carrying him that far. Maybe in a few years.
• The Ouray Hot Springs – We were planning to visit but the kids were fighting colds (negative Covid test before we left town) and they don’t want sick people visiting (understandable) so we skipped it this time.
• Cascade Falls – Very close to town, short hike to the bottom of the falls or more strenuous hike to the top!
• There were many places along Main St. we wanted to stop and eat as well but since the kids aren’t vaccinated and fighting a cold we avoided all crowded places.

The drive into Telluride was as stunning as the Million Dollar Highway, maybe even more beautiful. I can see why people are in love with the San Juan Mountains.

We found camping just outside of Telluride on Last Dollar Road with the best view.

On Monday morning we went into Telluride and found coffee + breakfast at a cute little coffee truck called Cowgirl Coffee.

Telluride is STUNNING and probably our favorite of the three towns we visited. The main strip was very cute with lots of restaurants and shops.

We rook the gondola over to Mountain Village, it is very nice that it was pet friendly!

• 

• 

When we got the village we walked around a bit then we were ready for lunch.

Cannon was extra excited to eat inside a gondola that they had set out in the courtyards.

You could get food from any restaurant and take it to your own gondola to eat.

It was extra nice because it started raining while we were eating. Humphry also enjoyed such a dog friendly town and going on all the adventures with us.

After exploring Telluride a little bit more we picked up our trailer and drove home. There was a storm coming in and we didn’t want to get caught on the side of a mountain in a storm. We drove through lots of rain and some snow to get home around 10 pm.

It was a great kick off to summer trip and we can’t wait to explore more of our home state!

It’s June and I am so excited for trips to mountains, lazy mornings, hiking, swimming, splash pads and all celebrating Cannon’s birthday! I counted and we only have 11 weeks of summer before both kids start school in August. It is my intention to enjoy this summer together as much as possible!

Some quick highlight from May:

We went camping with friends.

We had lots of rain to play in.

Emmy went back to gymnastics.

Cannon finished his second season of soccer.

We visited Great Sand Dunes National Park.

We went to an amusement park.

We celebrated the end of the school year.

And, we went on a graduation trip to the San Juan Mountains. We visited Silverton, Ouray and Telluride and had a wonderful time, the campsites we stayed in were spectacular.

We were outside about 130 hours, spent 9 nights camping and went on 4 hikes, we are really nailing the family goals!

May was pretty great and we are looking forward to even more adventures in June!

June Goals

• At least 100 hours outside.
• At least 4 Hikes this month to work towards our 52 hikes a year goal.
• Run everyday
• Core work everyday
• Run on a trail at least once a week
• Strength Train two times a week
• Run/walk at least 100 miles this month
• Visit a splash pad
• At least one camping trip
• Go to the neighborhood pool

So much to share about our tour of the San Juan Mountains! For now I will say Telluride is in my top five Colorado mountain towns.

We keep asking is it oooo-ray or U-ray. We haven’t heard for sure, if you know please fill me in!

Regardless of how it’s pronounced it’s gorgeous here. Full trip report once we are home and have wifi ☺️

we are still debating how much it’s like Switzerland here…..

We are spending the day exploring historic Silverton where the Hardrock 100 starts and finishes. Very tempting to come back in July!

We officially have a preschool graduate!!

And now we are off on our kick off to summer/graduation trip.

I am excited to just be together in the mountains.

what are you doing for Memorial Day weekend?

And just like that another school year is over!

This year was such a roller coaster, we came very close to not sending Cannon at all to in person school to keep him (and us) safe from Covid. But nervously we sent him and now I can say it was a really good choice. Cannon loves school so much and is looking forward to full day Kindergarten.

He started at this preschool when he was just barley three years old two years ago, now he is almost five and has gown up so much!

I feel lucky that he gets to stay in the same building for Kindergarten, in fact, assuming we don’t move he will go to his school until he finishes eighth grade.

I Can’t believe that Emmy will be starting preschool in just a few months!

• 

• 

I can’t believe how much they have changed!

• 

• 

Fall 2020

• 

• 

Spring 2020

• 

• 

Fall 2019

It has been kind if crazy around here as we wrap up the end of Cannon’s school year. I know as the kids get older things are just going to get even crazier. I am just trying to brace for impact.

Here is what we have been up to in this last week:

Celebrating birthdays and hanging with good friends.

Enjoying lots of treats

Confronting fears.

Putting together thank you gifts for Cannon’s teachers.

Writing out Cannon’s end of year boars, here are his stats from his first day back in August. His board, and Emmy’s are made by Chalk Designs by ME

**Also noticing how much our bulldog has been shedding on Cannon’s bed!

Cannon had crazy hair day at school and let me spray his hair green. I was very happy when it all washed out, I was a little worried he would finish the year with slightly green hair.

• 

• 

The kids have been on a mission to find heart shaped rocks for me, these were their latest finds.

Afternoon popsicles in the backyard make it feel like summer!

Just one more day of school for Cannon tomorrow and then we are off for a long weekend in the mountains!

____________________________________________________________________

What is the end of the school year look like for you?

I loved this article from Trail Runner Magazine about Imposter Syndrome:

Bust Imposter Syndrome For Better Trail Running

I have often struggled with imposter syndrome both in running and my professional life, I love the advice give.

I love all the movements now like “I have a runner’s body” and inclusivity of all paces, but sometimes I still feel like I am not a “real” runner if I am not running 60 mile weeks or sub 3 hour marathons.

I am working on it because it is worth overcoming these feelings for these views:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

**All places I have LOVED running because I didn’t let imposter syndrome get the best of me**