Chasing My Joy

My journey to becoming an Ultra Runner and Ironman

Family Friendly Hike – Lily Lake

One of our favorite hikes is up in Rocky Mountain National Park called Lily Lake. It’s a very easy to navigate hike with great accessibility. It’s one of my go-to trails when it’s just me and the kids because I know it’s safe.

The main loop is just shy of a mile and can be navigated with a stroller.

Back in 2018 Cory made it around with our double stroller and a busted Achilles in a boot.

Now the kids hike on their own!

We brought lunch to enjoy while watching all the wildlife. I LOVE summer in the mountains so much.

We choose to add some elevation and distance by going up over the ridge. There are many other trails that connect to the main Lily lake trail so you can add distance if you like. You can also paddle on the lake and the kids want to bring our boards next time.

If you are in the Estes Park area we can’t recommend this trail enough! We have also visited in the fall and winter….all beautiful!

Previous years:

6 Days in Tulum: The Perfect Family Friendly Itinerary

Last year we had travel credits to burn with Southwest that were about to expire. We spent time looking at all the places Southwest flies and when I saw that Cancun was an option I knew immediately that I wanted to take the kids there. I love the mix of tropical ecosystem, beautiful beaches, vibrant culture and rich history. We think we came up with the perfect way to spend six days in the Tulum area as a family!

DAY #1: FLY TO CANCUN + DRIVE TO AIRBNB

The flight from Denver to Cancun is short and easy, it’s also very nice that a checked bag comes free with every Southwest ticket!

It was nice to fly directly into Mexico, customs was a breeze then we were out into the muggy heat to pick up our rental car.

Public transportation is very affordable and easy in the Cancun area but we decided to rent a car this time so we could move around more easily with little kids. Renting a car was also very affordable. We drove from Cancun down to Tulum which is just about an hour and a half. We stopped at a grocery store along the way to pick up some breakfast essentials. I always love going to grocery stores in foreign contries.

We choose to rent an Airbnb instead of going with an all inclusive resort and loved having our own kitchen and private roof top pool.

We loved our rental and highly recommend it if you are in the area. The complex was quiet and felt like a tropical retreat.

We got to our rental pretty late so we settled in and enjoyed the pool before heading to bed. We really enjoyed the air conditioners that each room had!

Day #2: TULUM RUINS + GRAND CENOTE

We stated our second day out nice and early so we could get to the Tulum Ruins before the crowds and heat.

The ruins are very close to where we are staying so we felt like we had the place to ourselves.

The littles markets at the entrance are bustling with lots of things to purchase.

We did decide to hire a tour guide for our visit because we wanted to learn more about what we were seeing.

The ruins are stunning set right on the edge of the Caribbean Sea.

It’s a bit of a walk from the parking lot but the tropical atmosphere makes it nice. The tunnel entrance was a highlight.

The kids did a pretty good job listening to our guide.

But when they got bored they just ran around in the fields.

This place is just gorgeous!

When we were done at the ruins we shared some Coco Frio, the kids were so excited to try drinking from a coconut, but they didn’t like it LOL.

We drove into town and found a little taco shop, the one Cory wanted to try was closed and the one we found was okay.

After lunch we decided to visit Grand Cenote that is really close to Tulum. This place was amazing, the Cenote was partially open to the sunshine and partially a cave. There were bats flying in and out, turtles and fishing swimming with us and stalagmites reaching down from above.

I was worried that it would be too cold or maybe scary in the caves with bats flying around, but she was in awe. Her face was lit up and she loved it all so much. Cannon loved it too, swimming around exploring everything, I was never worried about him not loving it.

We brought the kids’ life jackets from home so we always knew they would be safe have a jacket that fit well. This cenote did have jackets for adults and kids available. .

[Source]

After swimming there were showers and places to change before going back to our rental.

When we got back Emmy and Cory were very worn out so they took a nap. Cannon and I decided to test out the roof top pool and hang out in the loft together.

For dinner we drove down to the beach and found the cutest little pizza place.

This had to be some of the best pizza I have ever had.

We all loved it!

We walked around a bit after dinner, said hello to the ocean, then went to bed way too late.

It was a very full, magical start to our trip!

Day #3: XEL HA

For our third day in Mexico we visited Xel Ha.

Xel Ha is a eco water park in a beautiful inlet from the Sea. We swam with sting rays, jumped off cliffs and floated on lazy rivers through a Mangrove Forest. There were sea caves and Cenotes to explore. We had the best time.

Meals were provided with entrance at the park and we ate breakfast, lunch and dinner there. We stayed way longer than I thought we would there was so much to do!

We left after dinner and the kiddos ended the day with a swim in the roof top pool.

Day #4 – CHICHÉN ITZÁ, VALLADOLID + CHOO HA CENOTE

Our fourth day in Mexico we visited Chichén Itzá. It’s about a two hour drive to the Mayan ruins from Tulum. It was really interesting to drive through the Yucatan peninsula and see all the little towns. Seeing the ruins was amazing, and very interesting to imagine how life must have been in the past. We opted for an audio tour this day so we could move more at the kids’ pace.

It was very hot so far off the coast but we loved learning about the history of the area.

It’s always a good idea to arrive as early as possible to beat the giant tour busses. We had lunch in the little Colonial town of Valladolid on the way home.

The tacos were good!

Then stopped at Cenote Choo Ha to cool off. The water was cool and clear with lots of fish. We really have loved having a rental car on this trip so we can move at our own pace!

It was very cool climbing down into the cave!

By the time we got back to our rental we were ready to take one last dip in the pool then go to bed!

Day #5: AKUMAL BAY, SWIMMING WITH SEA TURTLES

For our fifth day in Mexico we visited Akumal Bay.

Famous for their abundance of sea turtles and magical little reef. We hired a guide to take us out to swim with sea turtles, rays and lots of amazing fish. We saw baby turtles and swam about a mile and a half in the bay, it was amazing! Our guide even towed Emmy and Cannon along in a buoy when they got tired.

I highly recommend hiring a guide from Akumal Dive Shop, we got to see lots of wildlife and it was done in a way that protects the reef and turtles.

After out guided tour we walked down to a little beach club for some amazing sea food for lunch. The kids enjoyed the pool at the club and got to explore some tide pools.

We really wanted to hit one more cenote but had to hurry back to our rental for the Covid tests needed for our travel home. We had one more swim in our rooftop pool, then had to pack our bags. Sad to leave out sweet little jungle house as the kids called it.

Day #6: TRAVEL HOME

Our travel day home turned out to be around 14 hours when all was said and done, it all adds up given that the flight is only about four hours! We had to get up around 5 am to get packed out of our rental and return the rental car.

Driving north to Cancun to the airport was a little sad we wished for a couple more days, but life and responsibilities call!

The Cancun airport is small and easy to navigate, we were all sleepy from our very early wake time and late nights.

These two kids have become such good little travelers, we really are lucky!

Favorites – Summer 2023

Summer is fast approaching and I thought it would be a good time to share some of my favorites for the season. I love summer and getting out with my kids is my very favorite. Here is some gear that makes summer even more enjoyable. 

1. Arizona Birkenstocks

I am in love with Birkenstocks and wear them year round. These Arizona soft foot bed keep my feet happy all summer. I also love the rubber version for beach/pool days.

2. North Face Back Pack

I love this pack for both a day hike and for travel. There are great pockets for your laptop and all your tech gear that can be replaced with a water bladder for summer hikes.

3. Hydro flask Mug

Everything is better outside in the summer, even coffee. I love my Hydro flask mug for camping, early mornings at the trail head and simple back yard hangs.

4. Peepers Sunglasses

These glasses are so lightweight and comfortable. They can be ordered with a prescription if that is something you would like.

5. Stanley Adventure Quencher

I know this water bottle seems over hyped but I think it lives up to it. I have both the 30 oz and 40 oz and love them both. I use the 40 oz in summer more because it really does stay cold even in a hot car. My kids are always “sharing” my water with me so it’s nice to have a sharing size. I also find I drink more water than I normally would when I have my Stanley.

6. Sweet Pack

I love this bag for summer, it’s so light and I don’t worry about staining the Vegan Leather. It’s also great for travel, I am excited to take it to Italy with my.

7. Bogg Bag

I love this giant bag, I use it all year but in the summer I use it almost daily to go to the pool. It fits everything (and more) that we need. It’s also great for soccer games and trips to the beach.

Please share some of your summer favorites so we can add them to our wishlists!

Soccer + Spring Break Prep + Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to everyone! I hope you are having a wonderful day regardless if you celebrate or not.

We gave the kiddos their Easter Baskets this morning because we wanted them to have some time to enjoy them before we left for our trip. We will still do an Easter Egg hunt in the morning.

I tried to do mainly useful items in their baskets with a couple treats and little toys.

They loved their baskets and can’t wait for the Easter Bunny to come tonight.

Normally we have soccer all morning on Saturdays.

This week Cannon’s team had a bye week so it was just Emmy who had a game. It was fun seeing her play but also nice because we had a lot to get done.

We spent the rest of the day racing around getting ready for our spring break trip. We were too sick and it was too snowy to go during our spring break in March so we moved it back three weeks and now we get to go! Cannon won’t miss any school because it’s testing week, his grade doesn’t test yet. Emmy will miss school but we think it’s worth it for the adventure.

We took some breaks to dye eggs and have fun but mostly it was trip prep today.

What are your plans for the weekend? Ever had to reschedule a trip?

It Was a Good Friday

My very favorite mornings are slow mornings where everyone is home and no one is rushing off somewhere. Cory worked from home and we did homeschool until it was time to go to gymnastics. We had some errands to run to get things ready for our trip that we are leaving for on Sunday.

Then more school and outside time because it was so nice out.

I walked while the kids road their bikes.

I am trying to get at least 7000 steps a day for my health outside of any exercise I do. It is going to be a lot easier to hit that goal now that the days are getting longer and nicer.

I am super jealous of Cannon’s fat bike, but I am excited to start riding on trails this summer. Cory bought me a sweet new mountain bike, I love it!

In the evening we had a glow egg hunt for the kids, it was too bright to really be a glow hunt but they had fun and were up way past their bedtimes anyway.

Everything is better with friends!

What are your plans for the weekend?

Past Our Limit

We were supposed to get 4-5 inches but woke up to less than an inch, it’s always hard to predict the weather here.

regardless it was VERY COLD so we stayed inside all day.

I do believe in no bad weather, just bad gear…..we just don’t have gear for 25 below zero wind chill. I think anything below zero is past our limit and I am okay with that.

We did our normal school things, we started reading the classic Winnie-The-Pooh and I have never read it so it’s fun to do so with the kids. This book was given to my brother when he was just four years old so that is pretty special too.

In the afternoon the kids played in the basement while I did some PT and ran a few miles on the treadmill. I watched a couple Billy Yang videos while running. I loved his A {Trail} Love Story.

I do my strength training without shoes to strengthen my feet, but always run on the treadmill in shoes. I once ran in socks on a treadmill for a running gate analysis and got a terrible heat blister.

After dinner Cannon had his first night of basketball, he LOVED it. Emmy loved that her friends showed up too so she had some girl time.

What is your limit for enjoying time outside?

Something to Work On + It’s A Wild Ride

I woke up a little early today to get a couple miles in. I am happy with my long runs but really need to work on getting more miles in earlier in the week.

It was back to our “normal” routine….this is Emmy’s concerned face that dad was doing her hair (he did a good job).

We changed up the sensory bin from Valentines to St. Patricks Day.

We did our normal school things and started a mountain biome mini unit study. It was fun to do a little guided drawing with the kids with our Snow Bear read aloud.

We played outside when we could because it was 60 degrees and we are expecting 4-5 inches of snow tomorrow and temps in the teens.

Weather here in Colorado is always a wild ride. We have already had a VERY cold snowy winter but I welcome that over a drought any day.

I had a check up with my GP in the afternoon, seems as you get older the more and more time you get to spend at the doctors office. In a few years I will need to start getting all the really “fun” screenings.

We decided we needed a fun pizza picnic.

Humphry was very hopeful he would get some, he did not.

How has your winter been?

A Day Off + Big Deposits

We decided to take the day off of school because the weather was nice and our friends had the day off as well. We decided we wanted to go to a fun park down in Denver so we scooped up our friends and took them with us.

We spent all morning playing and enjoying the warmish weather for this time of year.

We are supposed to have a snow storm come through so we are enjoying the dry playgrounds while we can.

We came home for just a bit then back out for a “hike”.

The fire department was at the lake near our house practicing ice rescues so that was fun to watch while we were there.

It’s still pretty muddy on the trails, but no coats in February was nice!

We stopped and watched the ice rescue practice for a bit before heading home.

Then we went home for dinner, playing and bedtime. It was nice to put a big deposit into our 1000(+) outside goals.

Broken Long Run + Meal Plan Monday

We had a long run to complete and wanted to go out together.

The kids wanted to ride their bikes with us.

It was so fun to have them join us for the first 6.5 miles of our run. I think Cannon would have ridden all ten miles but it was so windy I think he got sick of it. I do think that this year we finally have good winter gear so we can keep being outside in the cold.

When we got home I took the kids to the basement playroom where I could finish my ten miles on the treadmill.

I bought a new pair of Hokas to get me through this marathon in May.

In the afternoon we had some family friends over for dinner and games. It’s so nice to have friends that have kids that our kids love like cousins.

I thought I might start sharing our meal plans for the week, since sometimes it’s nice to see what others are doing. It’s always a little bit of a chore to try to figure out what to eat for the week but nice to have a plan. We sometimes assign meals to days in advance and sometimes just plan out seven meals and choose each night what works or sounds good. I will link recipes when I can.

This weeks’ list:

BBQ Chicken
Salmon Cakes

Ever had to get creative to fit your training in? As our runs get longer we will have to change things up again.

What are your favorite meals from the week? Do you meal plan or just figure it out as you go?

Positive + Parties

Cory had to work on a Saturday, which is very rare, but luckily the kids and I had a fun day planned.

In the morning the kids took their scooters out while I ran.

We get a thumbs up for clear sidewalks.

Then we had a fun birthday party to go to. I need to start planning Emmy’s 5th birthday in April (cue the tears, 5 seems so big).

The party was so cute, they had Mirabel from Encanto come to the party and it was so cute.

When Cory got home from work Cannon helped him put together a new cart for our school. I love how much Cannon likes to help, with anything really, he has a heart of gold.

Then we had our family over for dinner, I don’t want to take for granted that we live close enough to have family dinners often.

Do you live close to family?

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