They say it's your birthday.

So, my birthday trip was awesome. I am still gleefully in disbelief over the fact that we live somewhere that allows us to take such fantastic weekend trips to such gorgeous places. We went to Glenwood Springs, about 150 miles west of Denver. We picked it for the hot springs, but that actually turned out to be the least interesting part of the trip (although still relaxing). The whole weekend was just great. You can see the full set of photos here.


I don't quite know what I was expecting, having never been to a hot springs before, but it wasn't a huge outdoor pool full of kids. You know? The water was lovely and we did find our own little spot to relax for awhile, but there were screaming kids with squirt guns everywhere, and the day was a little warm for such hot water, and we were both turned off by the fact that the pool charged separately for EVERYTHING--towel rental, to turn the bubbling jets on, to use the water slide.


Still, it was lovely and relaxing and I think we'll definitely go back there with our kids someday. And the town itself was gorgeous. We had a GREAT time. Somehow it hadn't really occurred to me that the drive would be through the Rockies (even though duh, west = mountains), but we did go through the mountains and it was BEAUTIFUL. We went through Vail and other gorgeous mountains, and at the highest point we were at about 10,600 feet.


The city itself is in Glenwood Canyon, and our hotel was right on the Colorado River. There was a little river walk that was perfect for quick walks with Montana. She was very well-behaved, but it definitely felt a little weird to be in a hotel room with a dog. And at first she freaked out in the elevator (she doesn't like new surfaces, and she was also scared of the movement), but by the end she was a total pro. And she's really good in the car. Basically, she's perfect and also adorable.



There was an excellent brewery nearby, and we drove up a random country road and stopped every little while to take photos of the stunning view. Then yesterday we took a tram up to the top of a mountain (Torsten nearly peed his pants on the windy tram ride, but it was totally worth it), and then took Montana for a little hike along the river through the canyon. We also had a yummy birthday dinner on Saturday night, and did a bit of outlet shopping on the way back, and then got home in the late afternoon and spent the evening relaxing.




And now here it is, my 25th birthday. I feel pretty great about being 25. When I was younger I don't think I ever would have imagined that I would be in this place in my life at this age, but I'm so happy with everything that's going on. This has been an amazing year, and it's only March. I have high hopes for 25 being even more fantastic. Starting with Mexican food and birthday cake tonight.