I LOVE Fall!!!.This has got to be my all time favorite time of year! Really, I love every season in Colorado, but truly, Fall beats out. Its just such an amazing transition time for everything and everyone. Not only is Mother Nature in high gear with gorgeous colors, but it seems like things are starting to slow down. Become at peace, quietly settling into a season that will soon be at rest.  In Colorado the aspens change, and wow is that a sight!
I spent last weekend in Steamboat Springs with my boys and hubby doing a little fly fishing and hiking and I'll tell you what, I haven't felt that at peace in a long time. Driving up, seeing all the trees changing, nature becoming a whole new wonderful, and just the overwhelming feeling of joy as I just couldn't get enough. The lakes in Steamboat are amazing. We hiked around Pearl Lake which it just so happens that day, there was no one around and it was so incredibly quiet, all we could hear was nature. Fish jumping, hawks flying overhead, critters scampering, and our voices that were forced into a whisper.  We were all in awe. My youngest son caught an artic grayling fish, which apparently isn't that common in Colorado. We always catch and release, so he unhooked it and it swam away unscathed.
After our hike, we went back to the room. cleaned up and headed over to Moe's smokehouse for dinner. It was at the edge of town and the kind of place where you can wear a ball cap and flip flops and feel dressed up. I loved it! Had a lot of personality and while we waited for our food, we carved our names in the table among the many before us. We ate smoked turkey and wings, yes I know not the healthiest thing in the world, but hey, everyone needs a day, and potato salad which I'm sure was made fresh just before we got there.  The next day we did our usual routine of visiting the candy store, we visit the candy store in every town we vacation, and headed out, back to our lives.

After spending the weekend among the aspens, the colder weather and fishing, I felt refreshed and totally ready for change of the season. Embrace this time, settle down and enjoy. Take advice from the critters and nature around you who are settling down, and savor the time to take it down a notch or two. I'm going to.  Give it a try. Breathe deeper, sleep longer, smile more and observe the things around you.  Let me know your thoughts.

Cheers!

Crazy times are to be had!! And this has been a crazy time! I've gotten like a million messages from people asking me where the heck I've been! I'm here! Always! I just haven't been blogging like I should  be. So, I've made a vow to blog once a week.
Last week I was plagued by the most horrendous virus human kind has ever manifested since the Ebola. Well, ok, I'm exaggerating,  but it was pretty horrible!!!  Strep throat like symptoms, fever, chills, achy, exhausted, feeling as though I'm swallowing knives  and basically that in the beginning feeling of 'I want to die', then halfway through 'I hope I don't die from this!' feeling.
I went to the doctor and they did what's called a rapid strep  test. I'm sure you've all heard of this.  80% accurate, but if you have the symptoms the doc basically figures you have strep, and errs on the side of caution. I have not had strep in 30 years. Neither have my children, as  I have done everything in power to avoid it. Its nasty, extremely contagious, can infect your entire body at times and can be tough to get rid of.
The doc offered me antibiotics, but knows me and knows that unless I'm bleeding from the eyeballs and even then, I'm most likely not going to take them. That was a risk, I  know that, especially with strep throat.  I researched the risks involved with nixing the meds and decided I wanted to go full on au natural,  and if, for some reason I wasn't getting better by the 5th or 6th day, I would then, and only then, consider the meds.
So, although I felt like death warmed over, the pain was truly amazing,  I stuck to my guns and proceeded to pull out all I knew holistically to bomb the heck out of this nasty bacterial invader.  I wont list what I did here, simply because its too much, but if you're interested in how I finally eliminated it, send me a message and I'll be happy to respond with what I did.

Now its day 6 and I'm feeling nearly 100%. My throat is still slightly agitated, but on the scale that it was where I couldn't eat, drink, talk or swallow, its amazing and I'm very happy with the results!  So while I believe western medicine has its place, I try and stick to doing what I can naturally and believing that my body can pull through it. I don't recommend this for everyone. If you do have an illness, always consult with your doc first before deciding to go au natural.
Good luck and enjoy your week!!!
Cheers!