summer recap #2: salida/crestone

last spring rob talked me into training for a 10k.
the furthest i had ever ran up to that point was 3 miles.
in college.

we settled on running a 10K in Salida during the
FibArk whitewater festival.

liz, the other autism teacher at rob's school, ran too!

not only was it a great place to meet our goal of running a 10k,
it was the perfect opportunity to get out of the city for the weekend.

which is good for this country girl's soul.
so good.

we stayed the weekend in Crestone.
nestled against the Sangre de Cristos Mountains (blood of Christ)
in a beautiful, charming casita (little house).

the casita belongs to my mom's best friend from high school.
her talented husband built the ENTIRE thing by himself.
wow.
i loved everything about it.
but my favorites were in the kitchen.

the old farmhouse sink.
blue spanish tiles.
handmade wood island.
copper pots hanging.
(copper reminds me of my mom's kitchen growing up)
wood beams.
and these doors.

these incredible blue doors.
old doors, painted and distressed.
my favorite shade of blue.
love!


we could literally walk out the front door and start hiking.
so that's exactly what we did sunday morning.



it was perfect.
the other day I looked back in my journal from the entry i wrote that weekend.
it started with...

"my soul is at rest. it took about 24 hours after escaping the city
to finally feel like my mind was clear and my spirit still..."

tracee and jim,
thank you for opening up your beautiful home.
it has become one of my favorite places.
you both have incredible taste and amazing talent.
thanks for sharing with us.
love,
erica and rob

get what you give.

we saw zac brown band at redrocks two weeks ago.
so. much. fun.

they were awesome.
super talented.
i've been listening to their cd all summer.
so when i heard they were coming to Red Rocks...it just seemed perfect :)

they opened with this song.
and the crowd went wild.

She'd trade Colorado if he'd take her with him, Closes the door before the winter lets the cold in, And wonders if her love is strong enough to make him stay, She's answered by the tail lights Shining through the window pane

and then they played their cover of the DevilWentDownToGeorgia.

it was better than this video.
because it was redrocks and a live concert.
but you can get the picture of how talented their fiddle player is.




it was drizzling rain throughout the whole concert.
not enough to get wet, just enough to add ambiance.

we stood the entire time.
dancing.
singing.
loving every minute.
it was on my summer list to go to a concert at RedRocks.
and Zac Brown was the perfect choice.

KP went with us. i love this girl. so much.


great location.
great company.
great seats.
incredible music.
they put on a great show.
gosh, i'd go again tonight if i could.

for now i'll just listen to this song and quiet my mind. :)

and enjoy the ride!

two-steppin'

rob bought me cowboy boots for Christmas last year.
and i have been waiting for a chance to use them on the dance floor.

turquoise!
nothin' says cowgirl, like some turquoise accented cowboots!


so in honor of my 27th year of life,
we hit up with Grizzly Rose.

and Kristen & Chad came along, too!

we heel-toed-dosey-dowed with the best of 'em.

here's a fun fact about me:
i really love to dance.
if you know me well at all, you already knew this about me.
but just in case you didn't know, now you do :)

and once I get going,
it is hard to get me to stop.

partner dancing is not only good exercise and really fun,
but it is really great practice for me when it comes to following.
and allowing others to lead.
ah-hem, allowing Rob to lead.

when we first hit the dance floor that night,
it was...well, a little rough.
let's just say he was scuffin' up my new boots!

I wanted Rob to lead, but I didn't think he really knew what he was doing.
which he didn't.
but he wasn't going to learn unless I let him figure it out.

he called me on it.
which I love. (honest, I do. I love that he calls me on my crap.)

allowing him to learn to lead meant I had to
be okay with mistakes,
and looking silly at times.
it meant i had to trust him.
and let go of my idea of what it "should be like."

this is difficult for me.
i'm being very honest here.

and now you have a better picture of our marriage!
:)

I love you, Rob.
Will you please lead me around the dance floor for the next 50+ years?
I would love to celebrate all the rest of my birthdays dancing with you.

my favorite month

March is my favorite month.
and yet I haven't even blogged ONE TIME this entire month.

kinda pathetic.
scratch that.
it's okay that I haven't posted.
i don't really have an excuse.
i just haven't.
and that is okay.
right?
:)

(I decided to give up GUILT for lent this year.
along with desserts & sweets
I realized that I begin a lot of phrases with "I should..."
and sometimes I need to just let myself be
can anyone else relate?)

anyway, I decided to break my fast this morning.
and to quickly summarize why I love March:

my birthday! celebrated #27 this year.

the beginning of spring. ahhhh, sunshine and warmer weather. it is good for my soul.

lent. a season of preparing my heart and mind for Easter and the celebration of Jesus conquering death so that I could live. what ways to you practice lent?

spring break. which I no longer have, but I still appreciate for my husband's sake :).
this is one of those times when i think I should have been a high school English teacher. oh well.

March Madness! we have watched a.lot.of.basketball. my bracket is TERRIBLE this year and K-state broke my heart a little, but that games have been fun to watch. I'm just getting a little burned out of the TV being on. There is only 7 more games. And then we'll have to wait 7 more months for them to begin again. :)

and a special thing about this March,
is that we get to go to CALIFORNIA!
We haven't seen Rob's family since Thanksgiving.
It has been FAR too long and I can't wait to
meet little Hudson Haude,
wrestle with Jakers,
watch Gabriella and Melonie's first soccer game,
and spend hours laughing, crafting, talking, shopping,
and GOING TO DISNEY :)
I can't believe I almost forgot that we get to go to Disney!

Rob leaves Monday.
His dad will be there for two weeks,
on leave from Afghanistan.
I fly out Wednesday evening after work.
it will be so wonderful.
i dread how short it will feel,
but am thankful for time we do get.

i can't wait!