climbergirl blog

On Sunday, I spent 7 hours gardening. It was a fantastic workout. My back and forearms are fatigued from digging. The following pictures show the results of my efforts (with exception of the 1 XL pot-the picture was blurry)…

I planted two hanging containers, 4 M pots, 2 L pots, 1 XL pot, and one 2XL pot (The Big Brown pot above, holds a 25 pound sack of dirt!).

I spent almost two hours at the Denver Nursery, checking out options and weighing alternatives. In the end I decided on planting the following: 3 pepper plants, 3 tomato plants, 1 french lavendar, 4 sage plants, 2 six packs of petunias, 2 six packs of assorted annuals, 6 small containers of ivy, 2 large geraniums, and 4 large annuals (white flowered things).

While working in the front yard, I met my neighbor, Clara. A fellow gardener (although decidedly NOT amatuer!). She was kind enough to give me a lily bush, which was left over from a recent project of hers. I planted it in the front of the picket fence, in a blank spot. How wonderful the front yard is looking, now that spring has sprung! Flowers are popping up everywhere, it’s crazy.

Climbergirl Runs!
On Saturday, I attended the Federal 5K Race in Denver. It was my second ever 5K race; I was determined to improve my outlook on running races since the last disastrous running event seven years ago. It was a very hot May day in Vegas, and it was held on a rubber coated dragstrip. I was almost certain of achieving my goal, under 24 minutes and no dry heaving from heat exaustion the next day.

The Goods: When we got there, I was delighted. The organizers had fresh oranges, bananas, watermellon, water & coffee, a funny emcee, good music, and the temps were lovely.

The Crux: Dennis & I milled about trying to find some folks from my office. There was a posse of 12 or so of us there, some runners & some walkers. We very quickly found Don, Mark, and Greg (the fabulous trio-hot off the Boston Marathon). I was to be the token female in our “coed” team, so they were happy to see me.

Results: I ended up getting 8th place overall in Women, 3rd place for my age bracket, and 51st overall. I’d say there were probably 200 or so competitors running. My time was 23:37, although they recorded it at 23:39. I guess it took them a couple seconds to grab my tab, and look at the clock. It was great to be under 24 (my goal!).

Highlights: The best part about the day was starting off with Dennis. That was exciting to be among a crowd of runners, with another person who is not really a “runner”. It felt good to start off the day with a race, on such a beauty of a day!, and to be among such happy competitors. It’s a very friendly group of people, and as a “non-runner”, I could start to see the appeal of the race.

Humble Pie: At mile 1, I got passed by an amazing 12 year old boy with brown curly long hair. He ended up running the race in 21 minutes and change. NOT BAD!!! Also, in the last 200 yards, I got passed by a 25 year old in pigtails, named Elizabeth, who was at an all out sprint, in good form. She ended up being the 2nd place contender in my age group, beating me by 7 seconds!

Awestruck: The 2nd place overall woman passed me at mile 2. She was beautiful runner, like a gazelle. I’m not even sure her feet were touching the ground. The 1st place girl must have been in front the whole time, as I never saw her 8^)

On Thursday, Dennis & I flew to Reno for the weekend. Dennis wanted to spend his 40th birthday with his family. We managed to surprise his Mom & Dad, by planning a party for Dennis in Reno. Joel & Sherry (Dennis’ brother & sister) were there, as well as Sherry’s kids Nick, Marc, Lucas, and Alexis and their Dad.

The birthday evening went well-we talked late into the night. We picked up KFC and had a cake (thanks to Sherry!). It was a nice birthday. Dennis was surprised happily that Joe came-we were not sure he would be able to come. (more…)

On March 28th, Dennis & I moved into our new(ish) home. After searching for 2 months, we were happy to have compromised on a style & type of home. We decided to buy in a planned community. And, as much as I dislike the idea, in the end I think it will work out just fine. We do not want to spend lots of time maintaining a yard, or the house, so this situation is ideal. (more…)

February was a very busy month. In looking back, all I have to show for the month are two pictures. One is a kickin salad I made for dinner, and the other is of me on the couch with the cats…Enjoy!

I did go climbing, but not outside. I went a few times in a gym Rock’n & JAM’n down in Centennial. It’s a nice gym, normal pricy fees, but a friendly scene and cheerful service. I like the auto belays, I can run laps and Dennis doesn’t have to belay me.

I spent most of the time looking for houses, and eventually found one we both were happy about. There really is so much on the market, that it’s mind blowing.

Our realtor, Sue Smith of Coldwell Bankers, sue.smith@coloradohomes.com, did a phenomenal job familiarizing us with Denver neighborhoods, providing flexible hours to accomodate our busy life, and really showing us the gamut of possibilities in our price range. She did *not* push us to spend as much as we could (which is something that I find particularly disrespectful). In general, if you want to find a place to live in Denver, and you are going to use a realtor, Sue’s great.