boulder love

hello again -

Well, Boulder was just as amazing as I imagined.  Gosh, I loved it!  That city has pretty much everything I could dream of, right at your finger tips!

The first day we arrived, a good college friend of mine came to pick me up and hang out.  It was so good to see him, after so much missed time.  We went to some rooftop bar that overlooked downtown boulder.  We caught up over a few beers, surrounded by mountains - it was pretty fantastic.  Since he lives in Denver (30 minutes away), we got to hang out a couple times while I was in town.  I got to see Denver while I was in town, too.  Totally different vibe than Boulder, but also pretty great.  Seeing old friends can be so fun.  So much has happened, yet we haven't skipped a beat.  It was definitely just like old times.

My first morning in Boulder, I was out and about at 6:30 am.  First to a yoga class at Om Time with Jeannie Manchester, then coffee and reading at the Unseen Bean.  It was really cool to watch this little city wake up and start stirring around.  Lots of active people and dogs.  Just my style :)  After breakfast, I was on a mission to set up at least a half day climbing while I was there.  With a little advice from my brother and talking with the guys at the local climbing gym, I made plans to climb at Eldorado Canyon on Thursday morning.  It was kind of hard to figure out without my brother.  I usually climb with him...and let him do all the work (thanks, Tim).  The rest of the day, I just wondered around town.  I ate lunch by the boulder creek path, I shopped a little, I people watched.  Then, at 5:30, I went to my second yoga class of the day at Om Time.  This time Amy Ippoliti was the teacher.  I was so excited to meet her, she is an amazing Anusara teacher that travels the world teaching Anusara yoga.  Boulder is so lucky to have her in thier community.  Going to her class was the cherry on top for my perfect day in Boulder.

Yoga in Boulder is just incredible.  The Anusara community there is huge.  It was so cool to walk into such a warm and welcoming group at Om Time.  Both the teachers and the students have such a love for yoga and really live and breathe the Anusara principles.  It was really unique in culture.  I was deeply challenged in both classes I attended and spent a lot of quiet time after class, trying to digest everything I learned.  Jeannie and Amy are two teachers I hope to work with a lot more, in the near future.  They are both so full of life and knowledge.  

Thursday, I was at the foot of Wind Tower in Eldorado Canyon by 8:15 am.  We had our gear on and were set to go, just minutes after leaving the city.  Can you imagine, having the mountains as your playground on a daily basis?!  Pretty cool.  So, we climbed some multi-pitch routes (new for me) and a few single pitch routes.  It was so much fun to play outside.  I felt like I could have climbed forever, but we had only planned for a half day.  Good thing, too, because minutes after we left rain and hail came beating down.  Wouldn't have wanted to get caught in that!  On my way back to the hotel, I was ready to burst with excitement.  I am not sure why, I was just really happy to be there.  Those first two days in boulder were so jam-packed with fun and excitement, I could barely handle it.  It was a great feeling.

Over the next day or so, I hung out on Pearl Street a lot, spent time relaxing and just exploring the area.  Our event was 3 days, since it was Memorial Day Weekend.  The event was a lot of fun, too.  The people in Boulder are interesting, in a good way.  Everyone was very eager to come practice yoga and learn something new.  Young and old, every mat was full.  When I went on break, I came back to a class full of eager yogis ready for their yoga.  The Boulder Creek Festival was a great event to be a part of in Boulder.  Perfect fit for Kashi, too.  Everyone loves Kashi, there.  Of course, right... there are a bunch of granola-eating hippies that live there :)  Just one more reason I love Boulder!

 

Well, after a lot of yoga, a little rock climbing, time with an old friend, lots of god food and smiling faces everywhere....it was time to move on.  I have to say, I was a little sad to leave this place.  Guess I will just have to go back soon :)