Castlewood Canyon : Inner Loop Trail

bon_vivi_ant_eats • Location: Castlewood Canyon State Park - Franktown, CO

♥ Having recently moved here to Colorado and being a singleton for a few months now, hiking has become my solace. The trees, the people, and the solitude bring me a comfort and calmness I was missing. Since everything that has happened, there is something about the mountains that gives me peace. Listening to the wind, smelling the trees, just staring as far as my eyes can see beyond the forest. I could stay for hours thinking about things or not really thinking about anything at all.

Castlewood Canyon, located outside Franktown, is a great hike if you are looking for something mild to moderate. The Inner Loop Trail is about 5 miles and takes you through the natural amphitheater and Bridge Canyon Overlook. The remnants of the Castlewood Canyon Dam that burst in 1933 sending 15-foot wave of water into Denver is also a great photo op spot.

#cardio #fitness #eatprickworkout #explorelocal #castlewoodcanyon #franktown #innerlooptrail #localparks #toomanymilestotrek #trailstoexplore

Happy Fireworks

There is no way to happiness. Happiness is my way.

Hello birthday plus one.

This moment marks the beginning of a milestone for me - the year that will hold and unfold more unknown surprises as I stay deeply rooted in the things I value: grace, kindness and simplicity. I had always wanted to change the world, make some impact. As I read the birthday wishes from each and everyone of you, it is a testament of how you celebrate me and I honor our friendships. I believe people should be treasured much like morning coffee and rain showers. I am thankful beyond the stars and moon for the friends and other people who care about me that I have in my circle. My loved ones will protect me. I am grateful for their loyalty. And for that I am deeply loved. We are deeply interconnected and I thank you so immensely for the love, fun, support and amazing memories.

Life is suppose to be about the journey, but all too often, we are so focused on where we think we are going, we never appreciate where we are. All I want to do is slow down and simply draw my family and friends close. My birthday wish for you is to soak up this moment with me, whether we share space physically or not, you are etched into my heart. A very very glad heart makes for a very happy face. I STINKIN ADORE ALL OF YOU!!!!!

Life is too too short and too fragile not to say what you mean and go after what you want. Not every day is good but there is always something good in every day. Give yourself a break. Give yourself credit. Give yourself time. Give yourself attention. Give yourself love. Give yourself power. Give yourself to you. I will be forever humble because I could have less. I will be always forever grateful because I know I have had less. This is how your crush. This is how you fall in love with yourself first. This is how you fall in love with life.

14 months, 58 weeks, and a whole lot of workouts later, I LOVE how my body is healthy and fit. Just having celebrated my birthday yesterday, I could not be more grateful. My body defies its age. I thank it for its bad assery, resilience, capacity to continue to be magnamious and beautiful. Age is of no importance unless you are wine, cheese or leftovers. But more importantly, I am even MORE in love with the soul that resides in that body... without a doubt a forever kind of thing.

This past year has taught me not to postpone enjoyment. Any opportunity to enjoy, take it. Happiness is more than a gift, more than a reward. I got more than I could ask for. THANK YOU for making this quiet birthday even more special. I really got spoiled more than I could ever give back. Here’s to another year of joy, success and a thousand adventures well lived ♥

#quietbirthday #celebrateeverything #bringyourbestself #inviteonly #chipmunkcheeks

Conquerable Self

The truth is, most of us discover where we are headed when we arrive. A different perspective about departure and arrival times do you not agree?

• We are so afraid to change careers, to end relationships, to outgrow people or places... but that is just growth. Choose to go toward the cracking in order to keep expanding, let the light shine through.

Sometimes what you are looking for comes when you are not looking at all. The mind is a powerful force. It can enslave us or empower us. Learn to use the power wisely. Because sometimes when you are in a dark place, you think you have been buried, but actually you have been planted.

There's an old saying "that which doesn't kill you, makes you stronger." I don't believe that. I think it is those very things that try to kill you make you angry and sad.

Strength comes from good things - your faith, your family, your friends, the satisfaction of a good soul, rewards of hard work. Those are the things that will keep you whole. Those are the things that you hold on to when you are broken.

Never sacrifice your #character, your heart, and your #family. If you don't stand for your #convictions, you cannot stand for anything at all.There is so much lacking and need for speaking from the heart, we are all living testimonies.

I know I have not been diligent in blogging because my life is as inconsistent as you could possibly graph the heart monitor of someone in ICU. But life is not just about recording it right? You are suppose to live, experience and make it a life you want to actively participate in. I told myself it is my social responsibility to this blog and to myself for the wonderful things taking place in my life. I cannot guarantee I am going to have a defined tone for this post, but I do enjoy this as a means for sharing vicariously through this platform.

I have always held the belief that if you strongly want something, the universe will conjure everything possible to give it to you. So when you get the vision of what you are, you do not necessarily have to make things happen but provide a way in which they may happen.

For the last year, I sometimes wept with rage. Why did my body quit me? Why was I forced to prick my fingers and monitor my carb intake? Why did I have to take #insulin and hide the bruising from my needle injections? Why am I sick? Why was I paying out the ass for medication I need to survive? It was so damn unfair. Bloody hell.

Here is the long and short of it. There is no why. You do not have a right to the cards you believe you should have been dealt. You have an obligation to play the hell out of the ones you are holding. I have carried the weight of my Type 1 diabetes and Graves’ disease diagnosis for over a year now, but I have not been defined by my diabetic identity.

I do not even know what a diabetic identity is. Do you? What is a diabetic identity?

Here is what I learned. Let me share a little directness. I am going to speak bluntly out of #compassion, not #judgment. I give myself regular reminders to stop feeling sorry for myself. I guess it is exactly what you are stuck with if you cannot get some perspective on the matter. It is a threadbare cape you can wrap around yourself composed of self-pitying half truths and it absolutely will not serve you.

No one is going to do your life for you. You have to do it for yourself. Whether you are rich or poor, out of money or raking it in, the beneficiary of ridiculous fortune or terrible injustice, no matter what sad, sucky things have befallen, you have to do it no matter what is true. Self pity is a dead end road. You make the choice to drive down it. It is also up to you to decide to stay parked there or turn around and drive out like a bat out of hell. I am an educated adult of sound mind, able body, and resilient spirit who has absolutely no reason to quit life. As I have said repeatedly, we can all do better than give up especially on ourselves.

My illness has changed my life for the better, though it took me awhile to understand its worth. It gave me faith in my own abilities. It offered me a unique view of worlds that were both exotic and familiar to me. It kept things in #perspective. It pissed me off. It opened my mind to realities I did not know existed. It forced me to be resilient, to sacrifice, to see how little I knew, and also how much. It put me in close contact with people who made my life big and contributed to its greatness. Some days we can conquer the world, other days it takes hours to convince ourselves to shower. And some other days, friends love you more than expected and it becomes the best love story ♥