Monthly Archives: May 2012

You know those times when there’s so much going on that you want to shut the computer, turn off your phone and just be still a while?  I’m having one of those times.  And I think I just might.  But I’m always reminded of something that is, I suppose, as close to a mantra of mine as you can get:  one thing at a time.

If the water’s deep and a bit overwhelming and you feel like you have to swim for ages?  Just take it one breath at a time.

Or maybe, you should grab one of those floaty noodles and chill out.  Sounds like a legitimate plan to me.

This past weekend, I ran my first registered run since the Toronto Marathon in 2009.  I needed a break – and I think this was the perfect run to ease me back into the whole thing.

My friends and I tackled the Color Run 5K in Denver’s City Park (right next to the Zoo).  It was a perfectly sunny day (actually a bit warm for running) and the park couldn’t have been prettier.  It was really crowded, but I thought they did a good job of staggering the starts so the course was not too packed.  The race is all about getting rainbow-ed up, so we started out in white:

Then we ran through a series of coloring stations where we were covered with clouds of colored dust.  There were 4 stations total: orange, blue, yellow & green.  I was thankful my husband was with us to snap photos and save my camera from certain doom!

By the end, we were totally covered in color – and so was the road! Mission accomplished.

When we reached the finish line, we all had our own packets of colored dust to make a huge celebratory cloud.  Cory snapped some great photos of Brandi, Michelle and I throwing dust at each other.  That was probably one of the most fun parts of the whole day!

If the Color Run is coming to your city, I’d highly recommend it!  It reminded me of all the reasons I love this sport – the camaraderie everybody has with each other (I haven’t ever been high-fived more times in 30 minutes), that your only competition is yourself, the spirit of “if you finish, you win” that I think is really unique to running – and that making to the end is worth celebrating.

So, running world, I think you might have me back.

A brief post today – just want to say thank you to our military for all of the sacrifices you make for us.

Photo is from the National Memorial Cemetery of Phoenix, where Edlee Mintz, Cory’s grandfather & a WWII vet, is buried.

Seriously. Thank you.

Well, it’s been a crazy busy week and now I’ve got a three-day weekend to enjoy! What have I been up to? (These are the prettiest parts, mind you, not all the tedious things I’ve been occupied with.)

1. Evening after-dinner walks with some dear friends who are moving away (so sad).

2. ‘Tis the season for Pulse sand volleyball.

3. & 4. Apparently spending a lot of time on this gazebo, photographing my feet.

5. Classic Colorado Columbines.

6. No filter here, folks.  This is a legitimately ridiculous sunset.

7. Color Run in Denver – can’t wait to share more photos of this…what a fun time!

8. This hair tutorial. Of course, her’s looks way cooler.

Happy Memorial Day – enjoy the fabulous weather.  So thankful for the day off, and for everything it stands for!

(Find me on instagram : @bellatheball)

Yesterday, I shared some of my favorite color photos from this past (gloriously green) weekend in Garden of the Gods.  I had trouble narrowing it down, so I decided to post round 2 today: my favorite black & white shots!

Our recent hike took us on the Palmer trail (we crossed the street from the main parking lot and turned left) which loops around and then connects to the Central Garden trails (aka the paved ones).  I don’t think I’ve ever hiked this way before and I enjoyed that you were hidden from the road and most of the pedestrian traffic.  Even though the main parking lot was packed, we only passed six hikers on Palmer trail, at the most.

The trail was an easy climb and it was really well taken care of – as long as you keep an eye out for leftovers from the horseback trail rides, you are good to go!  We even saw a few younger kids (maybe 6-8 years old) hiking with their parents.

Do you have trouble taking photographs of landmarks?  I feel like they are so well known that it’s hard to take a photo that stands out; they all start to look the same.  For me, seeking out the less-traveled paths helps a little because it puts you at a slightly different perspective.  You can still tell it’s the landmark that everyone and their brother have photographed, but hopefully you’ve captured a bit of uniqueness.

Of course, the great shots are great for a reason.

Do you have a famous landmark where you live?  How do you photograph it, or do you just avoid it?