Hanging Lake in Winter

The past month has been an eventful one, and quite the whirlwind of new emotions.

To begin with, no longer am I known as Nicole A C***. Rather I am Nicole A C***, RN, BSN!!!!
That's right folks. I am a Registered Nurse :-) I passed my exam on February 5th and was issued my license number by the end of the day February 6th!! What a great feeling to have finally reached my goal. Now only to find an RN job. Been working on that one....
However, I will say, I'm not quite sure how they gauge anyone is appropriate to be a nurse. I walked out of that test utterly convinced that I had failed. I knew not a single answer to any question.

Next, I have stepped back into the dating world! That's right, after 2+ years of being single, I dipped my toes back into the world of dating. Um can we please admit how scary...and exciting...that is! With that, I will mention no more on the subject.

Lastly, a little getaway to Glenwood Springs was had last week. I thought it a good idea that since I have been continuing to work crazy hours since school stopped, that I should take a week off of work. With that, a little overnight trip to Glenwood Springs to enjoy the hot springs at night ensued. When we left Denver, it was snowing pretty good with a prediction of several inches to fall. Upon arriving in Glenwood, the skies were blue, the sun was out, and there was no fresh snow on the ground. An impromptu hike to Hanging Lake was decided upon. I have wanted to hike up there in summer. The pictures I have seen have been beautiful. I just have never traveled the couple hours to Glenwood Springs to do so.

I will interject and say that if you do go in winter, the hike is pretty simple and easy, pretty short in distance (a mere 1.2 miles) BUT it is quite slick, so if you go, make sure to back a sturdy jacket, gloves, and wear hiking boots with great traction (and/or ice spikes that you can slip over your shoes).

The last little bit of the climb was a little treacherous. I literally used the rail to hoist myself up. But once to the lake, it was absolutely stunningly beautiful!! So worth the entire time hiking up. Taking in the majestic and numerous icicles that are normally waterfalls was breath-taking, and to see the clear water underneath the frozen top layer was spectacular. Absolutely amazing!! So glad we decided to actually hike up it :-)

 

the view while on the hike (more near the top) 

 Upon first seeing the lake at the top of the hike

 aren't those icicles just amazing?!

 look at that crystal clear water

 taking in the view

 more icicles!!

a more vertical view of the

the top of the falls

 

 Eric and I with Hanging Lake in the background 

 

 

the sunset once we were back down at the bottom 

Like I said, if you get the chance to do this hike, DO IT! I will most definitely be hiking it again in the summer to get the wonderful contrast :-)  

Emerald Lake - RMNP

This past weekend I got the opportunity to go up to Estes Park with a good nursing school buddy, J and his wife Tricia, and some of their family. We spent the first night hanging out, drinking gimlets and playing Quiddler. Then on Saturday we went hiking up to Emerald Lake.

The hike was SOO amazing. There is absolutely nothing more peaceful or beautiful than hiking through God's creation. There was still snow in the mountains, which I've never hiked in before, and made the hike not only interesting at times but much more adventure-filled and beautiful in its own tranquil way. The most wonderful part of it was that because it was winter, there were less hikers on the trail, especially the higher up we got, which meant at the top we were the only ones there! To have that peace and tranquility, to be the only humans, on top of that serene mountain was wonderful.

At one point, while sitting on a rock and eating my sandwich at the top near Emerald Lake, a bird flew to the tree next to us. He was just as interested in us and we were in him. But his was so majestic. A beautiful royal blue with a breezy mohawk on top.

There are so many reasons why I love Colorado; Rocky Mountain National Park and it's treasures are one of them. Just wish I had more time to go hiking this summer!!

Here's some of my favorite pics from the day.

 Nymph Lake (first lake on the hike)

 another view of Nymph Lake

 some really cool trees :-)

 looking back on Nymph Lake after hiking up a ways

 a river runs through it

 Dream Lake (the second lake on the hike)

 Emerald Lake was frozen over!

look at the beautiful bird!!

Portland --> Whirlwind

There's times when I'm so excited I can't hold it in and my smile goes from ear to ear and I can't sit still to save my life, there's times I'm so excited I cry, there's times I'm so excited I giggle and giggle and giggle....and then there's times where I'm so excited I really just don't know what to do.

The latest would be me!!

I spent Sunday evening in Colorado Springs having dinner with two of my dearest friends, former roomies Erin and Rene. An evening spent sipping Sangrias and having delicious greek cuisine on the porch of Jake & Telly's followed by guzzling 36 oz of New Belgium brew, talking and singing Irish tunes at The Golden Bee. I expertly surfed Rene's majesticly comfortable couch and was awoken by Rene's friendly face, informing me yoga was in 45 minutes. Up I got, brushed my teeth, threw on trusty spandex pants and a comfy shirt and off to yoga we went.

Amazing morning spent doing an hour-and-a-half of relaxing yoga, in which the instructor concentrated on celebrating our bodies how God made them and respecting where our bodies were at this point in our life. Our body is beautiful...God made it that way! No matter what it can't and can't do. Such a great reminder.

After such peace, I wondered with Rene while she searched apartments and finally home to get a blissful hot shower. Upon stepping out of the shower I saw that my cellie was blinking green (indicating I had an unread email). Of course standing dripping in my towel I looked to see what random advertisement email I had gotten this time...

Only this time it was an electronic correspondance from Regis, congratulating me on my admittance into Regis' accelerated program!!

FINALLY!!

I got in :-) Finally, I was good enough to be admitted into nursing school. Somehow between my paper and my interview, I showed Regis I was a good enough candidate!!

Now I have to live up to that. The intensity and craziness of the program is going to be SO chaotic...but isn't all of life?! Wow, Jan 9th is fast approaching and I have to get financials and housing taken care of...just some of the preparation for 11.5 months of nursing school whirlwind.

Can I survive?! You betcha!!

So excited I don't know what to do. It still hasn't sank in yet.

YIKES!!!

On the brink...

Almost three crazy weeks of working straight through, and there's a light at the end of the tunnel.

PORTLAND!

In T-minus 2 days :-)

It's hard to verbally explain the importance of this trip...but it is important, and symbolic.

For the first time, I am traveling somewhere I said I wanted to go. Instead of just saying, I am doing. Throwing caution to the wind. I have no plans, no map, and absolutely no idea what it is I will actually do with myself.

Granted I will be surfing my cousin's couch, but I will be in a new city...representing the gateway to this vast yet small world that I am so desperate to explore...all by myself, with only me to pave my way and go frolik as I see fit.

It's only 6 days, but it's six days of something completely new.

That seems to be a theme in my life and I'm loving it!

I'm on the brink of something wonderful, and beautiful, and spiritual.

I am back, and I am doing and going, and I couldn't be more proud of myself.

Never before has the fear of failure ever been so prevalent, in so many ways. But isn't that the beauty of life?! That despite stakes being high and the fear being legitimate that something wonderful and blessed might just be what awaits us?! Part of the inherent beauty of life is the risk-taking. And here I am, walking to the ledge in so many ways, still fearfully looking down at how far I could fall...but then I lift my head up and see how majestic the view is and it's totally worth it!!

Live a beautiful life, passionately....in whatever way that means to you.

Portland, I can't wait to explore you, and see what new things you awaken in my soul...and I can't wait to see what I bring back. An eye-opener is in store, more dreams will be rekindled and new dreams will be born.

Did I also mention my passion for love is coming back. So amusing how I shut off all of love last year. But love is what life is about...all forms, shapes and sizes of love are essential. And it feels SO good to love again. And it feels SO refreshing to be IN LOVE with life again. How did I lose that?! That doesn't matter...it's back, and I'm grateful for it.

Love Love Love, Me

These past couple weeks have been CRAZY!!

Wow, so I totally forgot how demanding school can be! Either that or these online classes are abnormally demanding. I'm pretty positive it's the former more than the latter but eh, ya never know!! Either way I'm loving my classes. Well, I'm absolutely loving my Philosophy of Religion class. I love how it pushes me to think in a way I haven't been pushed for awhile. It bites at some controversial issues and I can't even tell you just how MUCH I missed those hard conversations and people pushing my beliefs and opinions. Totally flourishing in it. The other class is nothing but a bunch of Christians talking about western religions from their sheltered point of view but the readings are extraordinary! I'm loving being back in some sort of education setting, even if it is from my computer.

I submitted my nursing application (albeit, PUSHING THE LIMITS) and send for my transcripts. Now I'm sitting here figuratively biting my nails and literally watching the NursingCAS website to see if my last transcript gets in by tomorrow. Oh how I hope I didn't shoot myself in the foot. Procrastination, though art just awful and I need to get rid of you, you awful dirty habit!!

With that, I hope that in 4-6 weeks I am getting an offer to come in for an interview so I can prove myself. Fingers crossed, hardcore crossed, white-knuckling crossed almost. AH!!!

Work is great. I'm FINALLY down on my home unit, the Correcitonal Care Unit. It's scary and fun and exciting. Trying to learn how to fit in and really hoping I'm doing well. It's a small unit, a small family. I'm new to it so it's sort of like starting from square one (yet again). And in a couple weeks I will be doing my healthcare tech training! Which will also be a square one spot again. And I might have my nurse educator send me up on another floor at the end of that sometime, so I can get a taste of another floor. Which will again be scary but WOWEE!! Talk about a long time of being out of my comfort zone! So good for me though. I've enjoyed getting to know everything and being on the edge of my seat. Sometimes it's so exhausting but great character building that's for sure :-)

Grams is back in the hospital as of this morning. COPD - Liver Failure - Retaining lots of water - Hit her head - Disoriented - Hiatal Hernia - Epigastritis - Gastritis - Colon polyps - Precancerous Tumor. The list goes on and on. Grams fell down and hit her head at some point last night and didn't even recognize us this morning. Just kept trying to go potty (though she didn't have to go). So she's back in the hospital and will be admitted into a nursing home probably, because she needs 24-hour care.

I hate to say it but that's a good thing. My mom has been stressing so hardcore trying to take care of my grams, even with everyone else's help. It will be good for us to not have to worry about changing every aspect of our lives as my grams' care needs are just SO high demanding right now. Not to mention, my mom is petrified of coming home to find grams dead so it will be good for that not to even be a possibility for her right now.

Just so crazy, and so stressful.

Other than that, just trying to plan a trip to San Fran & Portland. And also trying to plan a couple 14ers!! Hopefully the first one will be at the end of June :-)

Hakuna Matata!!

[Film on the Rocks watching Footloose with one of the besties!!]

Beaver Lake Trail

Today I drove just up the road to Beaver Creek Resort to hike up to Beaver Lake. I parked in Beaver Creek Village, took 5 Senses Trail which connected to Beaver Lake Trail which lead all the way up to Beaver Lake. The hike itself proved to be very difficult for me. I have come to figure out that there is probably something wrong with the tendons and ligaments on the inside of my right thigh as every time I've hiked this summer, that is an area that throbs from almost the get-go and then when I get home it is SO sore. The climb up was quite steep and more strenuous than I expected. I found I really had to dig deep to keep pushing myself along the hike....it's easy when you're with someone else to just keep going. The other person motivates you. But when you are by yourself, well it has to come from within.

And this was what motivated me: if I don't finish this hike, no one else will care. But if I don't do make myself keep going then I've allowed myself to give up on me and fail knowingly. Well this just wasn't an option once I stopped bitching to myself about how bad my right leg was killing me and how bad my lungs were burning. I HAD to keep going and I HAD to get pictures of that lake as proof that I made myself do the whole hike!

I spent the walk talking to God about a lot of things. About all the battles that I have had in my heart and in my head recently. And wouldn't you know, God just listens. And then He responds!

I hiked all the way up to Beaver Lake, and decided to keep going on the trail to get to the other side of the lake. Well unbeknownst to me it just keeps going up and so after awhile I went a little off the path and sat on a fallen tree trunk covered by Colorado's version of moss to journal and think. Once I decided to head back down the path to the lake again, I started praying fervently to God: "God PLEASE just take my problems, please I can't handle them. Yes I know I'm being too damn independent again but Lord, really, I need and WANT you to take them. This weekend has shown me that I just don't know how to handle them..."

And voila, up popped the path to go down to the lake. (Ok God, I know you heard what I was saying and am responding to my prayers....you're helping me find my way to the part of the lake I want to go to.)

As soon as I got down there I saw two fisherman that I didn't want to bug. I knew going down there I was going to dip my feet in the lake and as soon as I saw the shallow areas of water at the mouth of the lake with a little waterfall I just KNEW I had to go down there. So I took great lengths to not go near any water that the fisherman were next to. Instead I put down my pack about 100yds away, quietly took off my socks and shoes and rolled up my pants, picked up my camera and started traversing in the freezing cold water. WOOOOO how cold was that water!! When I say cold I mean COLD! Well after a little while of them probably finding it amusing of me hopping around in the water and getting my feet stuck in the mud, one of them asked me to take a picture of them. HA! Of course I had to pipe up and say that I was a Canon fan as he had this REALLY fancy Nikon camera on him. And then somehow we got to talking. Turns out Andrew Slowenski manages the Beaver Creek area of a company called SharpShooter Imaging. After a half hour of talking about everything under the sun, he told me that if I was interested, in the middle of October to call him and I would have a job for the ski/snowboard season as a photographer with them. He told me "consider this your interview, you are hired, if you call me you have a job. you have the mindset, you have the drive, you seem hardworking and obviously you have no problem talking to anyone, and you want to learn. you're hired if you come to me."

So I might have a job in a couple months depending on whether I get into nursing school or not!

So there it is, God took my problems, led me, opened up opportunities, and He allowed me to enjoy the beauty of this small majestic lake and all the serenity that it can offer for the afternoon.

It proved to be a tiring but peaceful and rejuvenating day for me.

And of course, I got to take some really cool pics :-)

(pics coming soon whenever i can get them to upload to!)

Little getaway to Avon, Colorado coming up here in a few days....I honestly can't wait!

I need to get away and think and rejuvenate....