Birthday Weekend! YAY!!

So, I just turned 36.  Thirty. Six.  I'm never going to be someone who doesn't admit to my age, but I will admit 36 sounds old (yeah, yeah to all those older than me who are grumbling--but you know exactly what I'm talking about!  And, I don't mean old as in "it's all over!", I mean old as in "*grimace* I need to start acting like more of an adult")  Another birthday just offers another opportunity to remind myself of my goals and make sure I'm on track to achieve them.  And, it means lots and lots of FUN!

The Celebration started Saturday.  While B was at work, I met Jill, Lainey and Scott at the Denver Zoo.  I was honored to accompany them on Lainey's first trip to the Zoo.  It was hotter'n Hades, so most of the animals were hiding out or not doing anything.  But Lainey still noticed a few.  Like this zebra:

Who just kind of stood there.  For a really long time.  But, hey--she got to see him up close.

And when we got to the elephants, they (there are 2) were sharing a cozy little pool, so she got to see them up close, too!  And at least they were entertaining.

So after the Zoo, Brian presented me with my birthday present (mostly because he couldn't wait):

*BIRTHDAY PRESENT NOT PICTURED*

It's a lovely picnic basket from Crate and Barrel, filled with delightful items such as:
*a picnic blanket
*bamboo silverware
*bamboo plates
*large plastic tumblers

I am SO excited to use it!!  And will be soon!

Then we hit the road.  We spent the night at Jill's in Eagle (since they were in Denver for the weekend) which was lovely.  We cooked, ate and sat outside until the moon rose over the hills behind Jill's house and it got too cold for the likes of me (old bones and all).

Sunday morning, we got up early and headed to Steamboat Springs.  If you've never been there, I highly recommend it.  It's got beautiful surroundings, an adorable downtown and plenty of goings-on. 

B dropped me off for an hour-and-a-half massage at the Waterside Day Spa, which faces the Yampa River.

That's me, pre-massage, standing with my Starbucks next to the river.

I haven't had that many massages, but I can tell you this one was awesome.  I had a sore back and shoulders from work which disappeared after my massage!

And, I would highly recommend scheduling a massage for over an hour.  You need the extra time to truly relax!

I chose a lavender and lemongrass aromatherapy treatment.  When I met up with B, he kept telling me how good I smelled.

After my massage, I met B on the golf course and spent the next few hours riding around and watching him play.  Not only was the course gorgeous, but I really like watching B play--pretty sexy to see your guy in his element!

There was also plenty to look at (apparently 10+ holes of golf doesn't completely hold my interest):

This bird kept doing these crazy dives over the water...

The river was high...

And these mysterious specs turned out to be hang gliders (I took a picture so I could zoom in to see).

After the golf outing, I felt woozy.  I think it was a combo of: just having had a massage, not drinking enough water, drinking instead a Mike's Hard Lemonade, and scarfing down a leftover cheddarwurst in the car.  Just a guess.  But I was determined to eat dinner downtown, so we stopped by the Safeway and I got Advil and Dramamine, a magical combination.  I felt better shortly, even if I wasn't all that hungry.  We ended up at a steakhouse where you select your meat and then they send you over to the grill to COOK IT YOURSELF.  It sort of defeated the purpose of going out.  I mean, B cooks me gourmet meals all the time.  He wasn't too psyched to pay someone else so he could cook.  AND *suddenly enraged at the memory*--we each ordered Cokes and they came out flat.  So I told the waitress, who then brought out two more and said something to the effect of "there's nothing I can do about it".  And then the couple of times she checked back with us, I saw her glance at our untouched Cokes at the far end of the table but she never asked us about them.  That's bad service, people.  Had I been leaving the tip, I would have tipped 15% with a note about the Cokes, but SOMEONE doesn't believe in leaving less than 25%.  Harumph.

We left after the salad bar and crab cakes.  Then we watched the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory before we fell asleep.  God, that's a weird movie to fall asleep to...

View from our hotel room.

Monday we headed to Freshies for breakfast.  It was PACKED on Sunday when we drove by and the crowds didn't lie--it was GOOD.  I had an omelet stuffed with guacamole and cheese and B had the 2 eggs *yawn*  On the way out, I eyed a coconut white chocolate cookie, but decided against it.  I am still kicking myself.

The plan for Monday was to hike Fish Creek Falls.  

What we understood about the hike was that you can hike 1/4 mile and see the first falls, then continue on the trail for another 2 miles and see the 2nd falls, which are, as described to us, "totally worth seeing".

I should explain that while I love to hike, I have not been working out at all this summer or spring.  (See my post on my last trail run.)  And B is a smoker.  So, while I am out of shape, I sort of relied on him being MORE out of shape.

Here's me at the overlook.  Since that's as far as this trail went, we realized we had to go back down the 1/4 mile and take the OTHER path to the base of the falls.  *already tired*
















After spending quite some time on the historic bridge at the base of the falls, we decided to forge ahead.  Keep in mind:
*it was hot.
*it was steep.
*it was rocky.
*everything I just mentioned.

This was my view for most of the hike:

What a trooper B was.  Besides rigorous sweating, he was FINE.  I mean, he admitted the hike was tough, but he certainly didn't have too much difficulty with it.


I, on the other hand, would breathlessly beg hikers on their way down for information on how much farther the 2nd falls were.  They all lied.  "20 minutes" turned into what seemed like days (which, in retrospect, couldn't be because B estimated it only took us an hour to get up there).  And then we would turn a corner, expecting to see them and it would only be yet another switchback.

On the way, there were some volunteers working on the trail, cutting down trees and such.  It made me think of Carrie and the summer she spent doing the same.  I can't imagine how tough that must have been, Carrie!  But thank you and to all the volunteers who make the trails passable!

So, anyways.  We FINALLY got to the 2nd falls which were, in fact, worth it, but only for the sense of accomplishment--we both thought the first falls way more impressive.

It was a great hike and we both expressed out interest in hiking more (yay!), so look for more posts re: hiking!!

We took Hwy 9 through Kremmling to Silverthorne on the way back.  The prettiest part was Green Mountain Reservoir--it was HUGE!!

It literally went on for miles!  Which made us wonder where the water goes.  And if it weren't WELL past the time I usually leave for work, I would look it up.  Alas.

We did stop at the Outlets in Silverthorne, but had to cut ourselves off when our first stop cost us $50+ (new pillows and bath sheets!).  Once home, B grilled BBQ chicken and corn and I made a rockin' wedge salad.

It was a WONDERFUL birthday weekend!  I am so spoiled--not only did I get an entire weekend of fun from B, but I get to continue the celebration tonight with my mom and Thursday with most of the Denver peeps!  Fun!  Fun!  FUN!!!