Life

Like most bloggers, I put a lotta PERSONAL content out there.  YouTube father-daughter dance, skydiving ‘bove Pikes Peak, sulphur-n-snow soak in Iceland, safari-video of Africa’s Big 5, Hobbiton/New Zealand, Moscow’s Red Square, Guinness tour in Dublin.  We’re seemingly crazy extraverted.  It’s the content we put out there – it’s our ‘best’ selfie.  Truth is, it’s complicated.

Heck yeah, I wanna see the world.  But on the inside takes a whole lotta high mountain hikes & long run days – to mentally get there.  Classic introvert.  Panic before big city races (too many people), stress boarding flights outside US/Canada, never EVER invite strangers inside the house one-on-one (talk to folks on my porch).  The anxiety/mental fear can be debilitating.

Over time I’ve self-taught myself tricks to ‘get on the roller coaster’.  From there, I’m already on & can enjoy the ride.  LOVE of life – it’s true, it’s real.  Goal: avoid a solitary one-room mountain hermit life, with my best pal Ro.  LOL>  Life is meant to be lived, not observed from inside a cave.

Best mate Stephen Christmas-gifted today’s one-on-one in-your-own-kitchen cooking lesson.  For a guy who LOVES food & consumes so many pre & post marathon calories – mighty cool gift, huh.

Unfortunately gift card & letter sat on my kitchen counter sooooo long that my Gifter had to take control, reach out & schedule the lesson.  Ugh, super sorry.  Not procrastination, fear.  Not of failing, that’s fairly normal.  Epic ‘FAILS’ can be the source of great laughter/good time.  My fear?  Allowing the vampire to cross your front-door threshold/come inside.  CRAZY I know.  Fear is still real.  No life nightmare to draw upon/overcome, no trauma relived – just made-up, solely in-my-own-head anxiety.

Fast forward 2 hours.  Kale quesadillas & breakfast frittatas – FLAWLESS.  Mike: trainer/nutritionist, schooled at CSU, young family/new baby – GREAT guy.  Easy to understand.  Focused his efforts on menu items I could add to my weekly planner – foods I already eat, add diet variety.  Came with all needed ingredients AND a muffin tin.  Thanks man.

Point to today’s post – we all have fears.  Real or imagined.  Own them, talk about them, you’re not alone.

In the end, you might even graduate & master breakfast frittatas – which you’ll probably only share with family & your best Pup, since you’re super shy, introverted & a freak in one-on-one situations.  Baby steps, folks.  Baby steps 😊

 

 

 

 

No matter the poison – sweet, savory, fruit, meringue.  Cake or pie?  It’s pie EVERY time.

Better than pie?  Hmm.  Pie WEEK!  With Stephen local thru Saturday, Ash upped the ante with TWO birthday celebrations.  But she’s cookin’ dinner just once.  HAHA – deal! 👍

Birthday Pie #1: HOMEMADE Strawberry Rhubarb.  Boiled/prepped raw rhubarb, crust from scratch, lattice top.  Deee-lish!

Birthday Dinner?  Shrimp kebob, corn on-the-cob, lamb & fresh veggies.  Outside grilled, the BEST!  Hey did I mention this was Ash’s FIRST EVER homemade PIE?  Perrrfect.

 

Friday nite treat:  Dinner theatre for 4.  Yep, ’tis the season – SUMMER – ’cause we theatre EVERY season.  LOL>  Back in Johnstown this quarter, that’s 3 in a row at Candlelight Dinner Playhouse.  Learned all ’bout the rough/seedy side of newspaper delivery in 1900’s Brooklyn – NEWSIES!  Dig our Colorado family tradition ❤️

 

 

 

 

 

Last day with the Grandpup – past week just flew by.

Fried egg each day on his breakfast, Greenie before my 15-minute work commute to Boulder, Pupperoni treat at bedtime.  Ro’s bro, BIG heart.  Everybody gets spoiled!

Colorado weekend home, AMAZING weather.  What to do?  Was given strict orders: NO hikes for Marty, recouping from an elbow injury.  Bummer.  Think, think, think.  Coot Lake by the Rez.  Flat, less than 2 miles ’round & a SWIM MECCA for dogs!

Party Marty’s not a swimmer.  Ro however couldn’t get enough.  Dog days of summer.

Afternoon SNOOZE fest for all 4-leggers; ice cream at Sweet Cow for Papa.

LOVE LOVIN’ Colorado summer 🌞

 

 

 

Coot Lake SWIM fest (Boulder)