Estes Park 2015 Tree Lighting

So I braved the cold and wind and headed to downtown Estes Park for the 5th annual Tree Lighting.

There were a lot of other people out and about this evening bundled up and enjoying the free hot chocolate and cookies, s'mores and of course Santa Claus!

There were other celebrities too - Mr. and Mrs. Frosty the Snowman

And Blue Santa - here in Estes Park - Blue Santa helps the Estes Park Auxiliary Police Department deliver food and gifts to the elderly and infirm during the Christmas season, while Red Santa of course takes care of the children. 

There were Christmas Carols sung by Mountain Echoes (a local youth choir) and The Mountain View Church Choir and an honoring by the Estes Park Non Profit Resource Center of the Philanthropists of the Year for Estes Park - Youth, Business, Katie Speer Individual Award and Enduring Service Award. 

Then there was the Tree Lighting. 

This is what truly makes Estes Park look like a picture postcard  - there is supposed to be snow this week - that will just add to it. 

Welcome to the beginning of the Holiday Season in Estes Park. 

Estes Park Travel Blog – Thanksgiving Weekend

It’s that time of year! Your family has been planning this for a long time and Thanksgiving weekend is upon us. This is your first time to Estes Park. You saw a friend’s blog on their great summer vacation and the family decided that spending Thanksgiving weekend in the mountain town was a great idea. But what do you do to make it great for your family and when you post your blog, make all of your friends go, “Ooo, Ahh?”

Here’s a little taste of a Thanksgiving weekend in Estes Park sure to fill the family with a ton of great memories and make all of your friends jealous (you know that’s what you really want!)

Thanksgiving Day in Estes Park, Colorado. What a way to wake up with elk and deer in the yard outside of the cabin; a virtual wildlife parade while you sit and enjoy your coffee. It’s just amazing that these creatures seem to have no fear of humans.  You are responsible and don’t try to pet them; they are wild animals after all; who have just adapted to human habitation. The camera is loaded with some great photographs!

Photo Courtesy of Melissa Addison

The family is ready to celebrate Thanksgiving. There are many choices to eat Thanksgiving dinner in town. You decide on the Mountain View Bible Fellowship Church Community Thanksgiving Dinner where you can sit with locals and other visitors, talk and be served by the Mayor of Estes Park and other community members, and buy homemade treats of all kinds. You walk away completely stuffed. But what else is there to do?

Reel Mountain Theater is open seven days a week, 365 days a year. A movie is the perfect ending to your Thanksgiving day and they are playing the one you wanted to see!

The day after Thanksgiving (that day some retailers call Black Friday, but here in Estes we call just another beautiful day in paradise), you decide to go into town and shop. There is something for everyone in Estes Park and you are a little afraid your wallet might not handle the strain of hiking stores, bookstores, gifts and trinkets, and great food.

But it’s not over with a day of shopping., You have staked your place along Elkhorn Ave. With your hot chocolate and blankets, the family is set to watch the Estes Park Catch The Glow Christmas Parade. It’s chilly and as the sun sets flakes begin to fall but the parade goes on. With the street lit buy hundreds of lights on the trees, there is a plethora of floats celebrating Estes Park, Christmas and Rocky Mountain National Park and the favorite float of all – SANTA!

Photo Courtesy of John Cordsen

Saturday you brave the clear but chilly weather to take the horse crazy family member on an hour ride at one of the stables open all year round. It’s cold, but you see some beautiful views, that you follow up by a nice breakfast in town to warm you up, some shopping at a local holiday market and a ghost tour at the Stanley Hotel. A ghost tour –this isn’t Halloween – it’s Thanksgiving and the beginning of the Christmas Holiday. Well if you remember, there are three Christmas ghosts – perhaps they are at the Stanley!

After your tour (where you are pretty certain you saw at least ONE of the Stanley’s many ghosts), you join local celebrity Cowboy Brad for his annual Christmas Concert. The hall is packed and you are glad you bought the tickets online before the event, because it’s sold out. With his band, Cowboy Brad gets everyone in the Christmas spirit and the children are asking to come back to Estes Park on Christmas!

                                                                             Photo Courtesy Country Roads LLC

One more day, and that is spent in none other than Rocky Mountain National Park.  While Trail Ridge Road is closed for the season over to Grand Lake, it is open to Many Parks Curves and the sites are beautiful. Words can’t describe it, but you know every picture is worth a thousand words and you have plenty of pictures.

Photo Courtesy of Melissa Addison

On the way home, the children are still asking about an Estes Park Christmas and you are trying to figure out how to break your blog down; otherwise it will be a one-hundred-page essay! Thanks for coming – Estes Park hopes to leave you with such great problems again!

Affairs of the Heart

No I am not going to talk about relationships – I am the last person that needs to be doing that.
What I am talking about is the actual heart.

On November 12, 2015 I was admitted to Estes Park Medical ER with every one of these symptoms:

1) Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of chest. It lasts more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back.

Mine woke me from a sound sleep.

2) Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.

Mine was neck, back and stomach

3) Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.

Mine was without chest discomfort.

4) Other signs such as breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.

Mine was cold sweat and stomach though not completely nauseous.

I also had a horribly high blood pressure (and I had taken my blood pressure medicine 2 hours prior) and a pulse rate that was very high.

I am not one to go to the doctor unless I absolutely have too. This scared me.

The two nurses and the doctor on call were excellent and after EKG and everything else (I had a lot of things stuck to me!) I was told the old ticker was a work horse and fine.

So what was all of this?

It was a massive panic attack. :(

Now, I have had attacks in the past (none in the last 3 years), but mine always had substantial triggers and had never EVER awakened me from a sound sleep. This one was different. And a whole new, and not so exciting, experience for me.

I felt I needed to share this with other people, especially other women, because it’s no joke. While I am glad it wasn’t a heart attack, panic attacks are not something to joke about or trifle with. It’s your body letting you know something is amiss and it's best to let the professionals help you out!

Please ladies, and gents, go get checked out, even if you think it’s nothing. It’s better to be broke and safe, than sorry.

First Snows in the Rockies Fall/Winter 2015

Photos First Snows in the Rockies Fall/Winter 2015 - Just thought I would share some photos.

Fall Colors Starting to Show

My Hike today was 3.83 miles - along Glacier Creek and the Big Thompson River in Rocky Mountain National Park.

The Fall Colors are showing!

Halloween Model Horse Art Swaps

So this year I really over did it and joined 3 Model Horse group art Swaps. When I got my partners I had the models I needed and had ideas. I managed to get them done and shipped BEFORE October 1 and all 3 have landed at their new owners - 2 liked them 1 has not responded.

Here is a look at them:

Epic Thread Facebook Swap

Only Model Horses Swap

Model Horse Blab Swap

I don't know that I will do 3 Swaps again - mainly because it was just a lot of work and I was afraid my mojo was going to exit before they were done! But it all worked out! 

Vacation with Mom

My mom came out to Colorado this past week. She hasn't been here in 20 years since the last time I lived here. It's been since Christmas 2014 that I saw her (and before that it was 2 years) so it was great to see her. We had so much fun!

She got in Saturday September 5 and we went to the John Denver Tribute Concert in Estes Park put on by CowboyBrad.com and the Tropicowboy Band. 

Sunday was a loaf day around the cabin and a short trip into town. Monday was a trip of Trail Ridge Road to Grand Lake Colorado. 

It was a bit rainy but still nice. 

The rest of the week I worked 1/2 days at work from 8 AM to Noon then our afternoons were spent shopping, going down below and going on a short hike.

She left Saturday September 12 to go back home so I spent my day binge watching Longmire Season 4 (that's a whole different blog when I recoop from the binge watching). 

I can't wait for December and a trip back to see mom.