Colorado (and my family) You are TOO Good to Me!

i am SO excited to be reunited with my husband later today but i am also very sad to leave Colorado. it was a quick, but much needed trip back home but good thing i get to run into the arms of a very handsome man that is equally excited to see me! he will be there to wipe away my “i miss my family” tears and probably buy me an ice cream cone.

here’s a little secret about me…my mom is my personal shopper. the other day my husband had me go through an outfit i was wearing and where i got the clothes from…79% from my mom. she’s fashionable and has an eye for picking out super cute things at a great prices. i have neither the eye or the patience for this but thank goodness she does otherwise i would always be wearing yoga pants and one of my husband’s comfy shirts.

while i sort of hated matching with the same clothes while i was growing up…i sort of love it now. do you like our new we-won’t-get-hit-if-we-are-walking-the-dog, shirts?
i also have photographic evidence that i may in fact be addicted to stripes. i found the perfect new wifestyle dress that i will be sporting at one of our next events and i’m SO excited about it i even dreamed i was wearing it last night. weird, maybe.

when i got to the house, my mom and stepdad had gotten a little and real christmas tree so that i could enjoy the holiday spirit while i was there! isn’t that SO nice of them…they aren’t even going to be here for christmas but they knew how much i was missing christmas at home so they set up other decorations throughout the house. i feel so lucky to have such a wonderful family.

that’s our dog, Finbar and he’s the chillest dog you’ll ever meet.

the rule in our family is that if you cook, the other people have to do the dishes. my stepdad is a great cook and i would totally choose doing the dishes over meal preparations. he made one of my favorite home cooked meal of chicken, broccoli and pastas covered in shredded parmesan cheese!

they even pulled out the big guns for last night’s dinner on the christmas plates! i squealed.

my mom offered to do the dishes but i strangely said “actually…since i’ve been on the road for so long i miss the normalcy of doing the dishes so let me in there!” that’s not even fake happiness of getting my hands all soapy and prune-y. those are some of the postcards i’ve been sending them from our travels with the North American Tour!

here’s another reason i love Colorado…this was our view as we were eating breakfast:

how Colorado is that scene right there?! they all were looking at a dog that was on a walk a few yards away before they scurried off.

here’s another photo of Finbar, who was WAY more excited to see the dog pass by rather than the elk. he’s adorable and loves his portrait.

while i was in Colorado, i also got the opportunity to meet with Holly Duckworth, an amazing business woman who is the CEO of Leadership Solutions International. we chatted about life, being women entrepreneurs, how we got to where we were at and where we want to be going. after i left our meeting, i had a sense of feeling recharged and inspired by this intelligent, funny, and caring woman and i am excited to work together in the future!

i obviously had to take a picture of us for this here blog so we jumped in front of the christmas tree for that added holiday spirit. turns out…i make a better door than a window (did anyone else have family members say that to you?)

it’s been a whirlwind of a trip but much needed for both my soul, heart and brain. it is somewhat strange to return to the place where you grew up, look out the same window you looked out of when you were 15 and think “whoa…i never could have even dreamed that i would be doing what i’m doing” as i reflect about the life i’ve created. powerful and intense are the feelings that stuck with me most and i feel so thankful to have Colorado as my roots.

the new wifestyle: always remember where you came from but create where you want to be going.

questions:
1) do you like shopping?
2) what is your favorite thing about the holiday season?
3) what are some of the feelings you have when you return to where you grew up?