05.15.13

Everyday Adventure // Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

The zoo is one of those classic places you look up when you’re visiting a town – and the zoo here in Colorado Springs is probably one of my favorites. It’s not because of the crazy-rare animal sightings or for its fancy facilities.  This zoo is probably a bit boring in both those regards.  My love is actually two-fold: one, the location is amazing and two, the animals are rightthere.

There’s a whole section on Rocky Mountain animals – many of which I’ve seen on hikes around the state and a few I, thankfully, haven’t.

The zoo is pretty vertical and requires a bit of hiking (though there is a chair lift running during busy seasons), as it’s right on the side of Cheyenne Mountain.  But hey, you can accomplish a few Colorado milestones at once: go for a pretty hike with a view, see a mountain lion, don’t get mauled! It’s a win-win, really.

One of the highlights of the zoo is the giraffe exhibit.  The balconies put you at eye level with the giraffes, and petting them is allowed.  They love the little snack pellets you can buy to feed them, so no shyness from these giraffes – they will get right in your face.  One of the highlights of this zoo is definitely how up close & personal you can get with different kinds of animals.

Looking at all the different colors & patterns & textures you see on zoo animals never fails to inspire me!

Let me just say that fox up there was actually outside the zoo – spotted in the parking lot!  This place definitely has that “in the wild” feel to it because of the great location.  I have a feeling I’ll be seeing a bit of the zoo this summer, as the husband has plans to volunteer there, but you won’t hear any complaining from me!

Want to visit the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo? Check them out here.

Filed in:Travel
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05.08.13

Daydreamer // 10

{ sit / sip / style }

Today it is rainy and I am so excited, if only for the fact that it isn’t snowing, at last! It’s misty and lovely out, and reminding me of Prague.  When I visited Prague, it was snowing – but it had the same misty and magical vibe that today’s rainy day does.  I feel head over heels, quite unexpectedly, with this beautiful city, so today’s daydreaming is all about Prague – paired with an unexpected cocktail (coconut water…what?) and an outfit that naturally balances both classics & surprises.

Filed in:Daydreaming
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05.01.13

AdventureWear // Spring Day in Norway

After my recent Daydreamer post all about Norway, I’ve been wandering there more and more often in my mind – it’s perhaps not the most “spring” of destinations, but we’ve had a boatload of snow in Colorado lately and it just won’t stop.  Norway seems like the perfect place to wander off to, if I must be covered in snow on the first day of May.

{ stamps / sweater / top / jeans / booties }

I thought it would be fun to add a more regular fashion feature here on this travel-life-inspired blog of mine – since Fresh Friday seems to have taken a bit of an absence lately.  And if you’re going to incorporate travel into everyday adventures, why not let it help you pick what to wear?

On that note, here’s a springtime snow day outfit inspired by some vintage Norwegian stamps.

So – what do you all think of AdventureWear? Want to see more? Or have a request for some destination-inspired duds? Let me know!

Filed in:Daydreaming | Style
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04.30.13

Beautiful World // Waialea

I’m thinking this little family needs to plan another beach vacation pretty soon.  These past couple days of sunny weather (even though there is snow, SNOW! being forecast for tomorrow) have had me dreaming of reading on the sand and listening to the waves roll in.

Out of all the beaches Husband and I visited while we were in Hawaii (we were on the Big Island), I think this was probably my favorite.  I loved the lava arches and the shady spots and the fact that it wasn’t as crazy crowded as some of our other discoveries.  I may also have loved it because we spent our last day here and it was just about as perfect as you could imagine it being.

It wasn’t one of Cory’s favorites, as he’d rather spend all day snorkeling and this beach didn’t have much interesting going on under the surface.  He did, however, swim out to a big sea arch and caught a few pretty schools of fish.

Word to the wise: don’t forget the tops of your feet when you’re applying sunscreen.  I made it through our entire trip, miraculously, without any serious sunburn until that last day, when I missed the tops of my feet.  That oversight made for a very uncomfortable return trip that evening. One of those things I will never forget again because of that memory!

What are your favorite beaches? Any I should know about while I’m planning my (most likely imaginary) next vacation?

Filed in:Travel
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04.29.13

Quotables // Like The Sea

I’ve posted about this lovely lady before, but I was listening to Annie Brooks this past weekend and was really inspired by this verse from her song, “Truth.”  It pretty much sums up exactly how I hope to be traveling through life.

Father, make me like the sea, to roll and bend effortlessly,

To carry ships differently every time,

To travel with the folds of earth, accepting death, embracing births

of new and unexpected shades of life.

God forbid that I become just like the concrete, cold and numb,

who splits and cracks with each unwelcome dip and climb,

built just for efficiency, and marked with law so carefully,

to arrive how I expected and the same way every time.

{ Image by Annabelle Mintz }

Filed in:Inspiration | Music
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