Monthly Archives: May 2012

We’ve been having some perfect weather lately – incredible sunshine and equally lovely rains.  Normally, I’m a sunshine person all the way, but the last few rains have been most welcome for two reasons.   One: it makes the perfect soundtrack for lazy mornings cuddling in bed.  Two: it is ridiculously, vibrantly, unusually GREEN.

In the four years I’ve lived here in the Springs, I don’t remember greens like this – there are rare moments I even imagine myself back in the Midwest.  My husband and I have been taking full advantage and spending some time in one of our favorite spots (albeit a “touristy” one – pretty sure most Colorado Springs postcards feature this landmark).

But really, what more can you ask for?  Scenic views with mountains and red rocks, an extensive mix of paved and dirt trails (stick to dirt to avoid, well, everyone else) and all a short drive from home.  This isn’t the first time you’ve seen Garden of the Gods on this blog and it surely won’t be the last (in fact, tune in tomorrow to see my favorite black & white shots from the last few days).

The easiest spot for the paved trails is to park in the main parking lot (pull off 1) but there are tons of pull-offs along the drive and I’d recommend finding another one – Pull Off 1 can get very crowded and as a result, so can the paved trails.  The photo above is from my favorite pull-off and there is rarely more than one car stopped there.  There’s really a lot more to this park than what you see on the postcards.

See why I don’t mind the rain?  I love how the mountain gets all snow-covered and the foothills turn bright green and flowers are popping out like champions.  It’s like nothing else and I know the more it rains, the longer all this will last!

This is as close to a postcard as you’re going to get from me today – a great photo of my love from our hike yesterday.  Wish you were here!

Filed in:Everyday Adventure | Travel

In the search for simplicity and paring down my possessions into what I really love/need/use, I discovered Kendi’s 30×30 challenge and fell in love.  If I’m right, this will be my 4th round?

The basis of the challenge is to pick 30 items and make 30 different outfits with them over the course of 30 days.  I’m also refraining from any shopping during this month – I feel like it’s important for me to focus on being grateful for what I have and make the most of it!  So if you follow me on twitter or instagram (@bellatheball), you’ll likely be seeing daily updates, but every Friday I’ll post that past week’s outfits.  If you want to see how a previous challenge I did turned out, see my winter challenge recap here.

If you count, you will notice that I left one wild card open – it’s a little bit of a safety (you never know what will come up!) but once the spot is filled, that item stays in the mix for the rest of the 30 days!

Anyone interested in joining me?  I know it sounds kind of crazy, but a lot of us have more than 30 things in our closets and hardly come close to wearing everything that’s in there.  When I picked my items, I included a few closet orphans that I want to find ways to actually wear (or they’ll go to someone who will wear them after the challenge), a few things I’m loving lately but may be a little bit crazy or hard to style, and a few basics that are easy to remix.  My goal is to look at my closet more creatively and get some inspiration for the pieces I do have, instead of getting caught up in what I don’t have or wish I had.

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Also, just want to give a shout-out to the awesome Go Chic or Go Home community – if you’re not a member and you like fashion/clothes, you should definitely check them out.  It’s like Cher’s closet from Clueless – you can upload pictures of your clothes, organize them into outfits – and it makes this 30×30 Challenge way easier to keep track of.  Plus everyone I’ve met on there is super sweet and full of good ideas.  You don’t even have to be a fashion blogger (I certainly don’t consider myself one by any stretch).  Let me know if you request an invite!

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The breakdown:

4 dresses: Grey floral (American Eagle) / Pink ruffles (Madewell) / Red Tribal (American Eagle) / Chambray (Old Navy)

2 skirts: Striped (Shop Kempt) / Green (somewhere in Australia)

6 pants: Cargo skinnies (JCrew Factory) / Skinny jeans (Ross) / “The weekend jeans” (Buckle) / Leopard jeans (Target) / Red jeans (Forever 21), Jean Shorts (Old Navy)

7 tops: Grey tank (Target) / Lace tank (JCrew) / Bird tank (H&M) / Pink Tee (Target) / Striped Tee (Gap) / White Tee (H&M) / Gingham Shirt (JCrew Factory)

5 layers: Navy vest (Target) / Orange cardigan (JCrew) / Dolman sweater (Target) / Moto Jacket (Shop Kempt) / White Blazer (JCrew Factory)

5 shoes: Gladiators (Madden Girl via DSW) / Pink oxfords (Zara) / Red Converse / Leopard flats (Target) / Floral Flats (Rocket Dog via DSW)

Filed in:Style

Well, yes, I’ve already talked about my great need for walks in my creative life.  But today I’m talking about a different kind of walk, one where your camera is more important than your company.

These are some of my favorite photos that have resulted from just walking with my camera and attempting to see things through the lens instead of my own eyes.

You notice different things when you’re being intentional.

I walk a lot slower when I’m with my camera, and look places I wouldn’t normally look if I was just on a leisurely stroll.  And I’ve discovered some cool things – like these ice patterns, I can’t explain to you why I love them so much but it’s probably one of my favorite photographs.

This particular path I’ve walked and run probably dozens of times – yet when I really looked at where I was going, instead of taking steps by memory or habit, it was almost a completely new path.

(Aside: isn’t it great how plane trails in clear skies look like shooting stars? Favorite.)

If you’re feeling a little burnt out from your routine, I’d suggest looking at your surroundings with fresh eyes and a new intention.  If you’re a painter, look for color; if you’re a sculptor, look for shape and texture.  Even if you aren’t a photographer, there’s a lot worth learning when you look through a pair of eyes that isn’t your own.

Never stop exploring!

Filed in:Inspiration

Hey guys!  I’m guest posting over at the Pulse blog today, talking about piñatas (of all things – I’m known to love a bizarre metaphor or two) and what worship means to me.

For me, God is not only present, but also full of goodness – if you’re interested in reading more, check out my little guest post here.

Thanks!

Filed in:Misc

When my husband’s family was staying in Breckenridge, we drove up to see them for the weekend.  One afternoon, we rented a set of mountain bikes and headed up the trail from Frisco to Vail Pass (14 miles one way!).

It was hard work (well, on the way there, at least – on the way back, we had gravity on our side!) but the views were stunning and scenery was well worth the effort.  There’s a rest area at the summit, so we were able to sit at a picnic table to eat our packed lunch.

And for those of you who might wonder, yes, there is still plenty of snow in Colorado in May – at least on the peaks.  We had some just last week and Pike’s Peak is definitely still snow-capped.  The day of our ride it was gloriously foggy (I have a soft spot for fog).

I love that there’s so many ways to enjoy the outdoors here in Colorado, and a seemingly endless network of trails.  Although – posting this makes me feel like I was kind of lazy this past weekend!  Spent most of it cuddled from the rain with the Mister enjoying the last few days of Starbucks happy hour.  Life is all about balance!

What did you do this weekend? Anything special to celebrate Mother’s Day, perhaps?

Filed in:Everyday Adventure | Travel

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