Colorado Rocky Mountain High

This past weekend I went on a little adventure with my cousin (and BFF) to Colorado! My cousin Kate, is an amazing photographer (see her work here) and had a wedding to shoot in Silverthorne, CO so we decided to make a trip out of it. I've never spent much time in Colorado before and could hardly believe how gorgeous it was out in the mountains! We were close to 2 hours out of Denver in the Colorado Rocky Mountains in little town called, Silverthorne.  It is near the famed Breckenridge ski area.

Every day we were out there it was sunny and gorgeous!

Kate & I

Silverthorne is situated right on Lake Dillion, the water, the mountains, the blue sky...gorgeous!

We ate at a few of the local spots, Hacienda Real in Frisco and Red Mountain Grill in Dillon. Both were delicious. We loved the hanging lanterns at Red Mountain Grill!

Apparently we came to Colorado at the perfect time, it was Aspen season. Aspens are the most common tree in Colorado (they remind me of birches) and there is a short window of time in September when they all turn yellow. It was just beginning when we were out there and it was beautiful.

Any readers out there from Colorado? What a great state, just reminds me how many different and gorgeous areas we have right in the United States. It's pretty cool that we have a little bit of everything, from tropical to mountains, desert and farmland. Hope everything is having a good start to the week!

*all pictures taken by a little ditty

Happy Labor Day and the largest American flag

I don't know about you, but I am beyond excited to have a day off of work! I never got a chance to post these pictures I took at the State Street Macy's from around the 4th of July, but I thought they would be extra fitting for today, too. It's the largest flag ever to hang in a department store, it's 5000 sq ft! Macy's first hung a flag of this size in 1916.

The flag they had hanging in July is a reproduction of one used in the 1940s and was created in 2003.

Who's feeling extra patriotic now? Enjoy the day off!

Olympic Spirit

It's Olympic time! I love this time of year, so fun cheering on Team USA. I especially love watching the Men's Swim team...Ryan Lochte anyone? I was drooling over his shoot in Vogue. He's only the fourth man to appear on the cover of Vogue. I can see why they put him on :)

Via Vogue

There's a new guy in the mix this year too, let's hear it for Nathan Adrian! I was so happy for him when he won gold the other night.

 Who else is feeling extra patriotic these days?!

Words for Wednesday

Via

Our greatest happiness does not depend on the condition of life in which chance has placed us, but is always the result of a good conscience, good health, occupation, and freedom in all just pursuits.

{Thomas Jefferson}

Celebrating 'Merica today, Happy 4th of July!

Reflections on 9/11, the 10th Anniversary

As we approach the 10th Anniversary of 9/11 I wanted to take a few minutes to reflect on the day that forever changed America. It's one of those events where you will always remember exactly what you were doing when you heard. I remember how my Mom always tells me she will never forget what she was doing when she heard that JFK was assassinated. I think 9/11 is that kind of event for a whole generation of Americans. I was a junior in high school at the time and I think we were on our 10 minute break between classes that happened in the morning. I remember walking into my math teacher's classroom and seeing the Twin Towers on the TV. I don't think I even grasped what was going on. Who could?

Via

Besides the obvious sense of shock and horror at what was going on, what really sticks with me the most is how in the coming hours, days and months the country pulled together like I have never witnessed before. It seemed like sense of community, helping one another and pride in America was at an all time high. That was such an amazing outcome to the acts of destruction and one I'm sure the terrorists never expected. I remember the chants of "USA, USA" and people lining streets to cheer on and encourage fire fighters and first responders.

2,997 flags, one for each person who died in the attacks, via

I've been watching a lot of 9/11 specials on TV, my favorite has been the series produced by Steven Spielberg, Rising: Rebuilding America. Have you guys heard of this one? It's a 6-part series, each episode talks about a different aspect of the memorial from building the museum and the new towers to how the people working on this project are connected to 9/11, it's fascinating and brings me to tears each time. A few of the things I've learned from the show...

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The Survivor Tree

Have you heard about the survivor tree? I love this story. They say that the survivor tree was the last living thing pulled from the rubble of Ground Zero. It was not even found until weeks after the attacks. When they did find it, most of it's branches had been crushed by the towers and it's trunk scarred, but someone decided they should try to save it.

It was moved to a nursery in the outskirts of NYC and amazingly nursed back to health. One of the project managers at the memorial, Ron Vega, made it his personal mission to make sure the tree had a special place on the site. He was a first responder to the scene on 9/11 and must have felt a special connection to the tree. He is profiled in Rising and it is such a moving story. The survivor tree was brought back to the 9/11 Memorial site in December of 2010 and is now thriving in a prominent spot at the site. I watched the tree being brought back in on the special, it was such a triumph to see it return to the site.

Arriving at the site, almost 10 years later. Via

On the show everyone talked about how the survivor tree symbolizes the resiliency of the human spirit and rebirth. How fitting for the 9/11 memorial site.

The survivor tree blooms at the site, photo by Amy Dreher, via

I can't think of a better sign of hope...

Gorgeous pictures taken by the 9/11 memorial photographer, Amy Dreher

 

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Rising: Rebuilding Ground Zero will air in it's entirety on Sunday, September 11th beginning at 5PM EST on Science. You can learn more about the series here.

To learn more about the 9/11 Memorial site where the survivor tree is housed visit here.

Words for Wednesday

Today's Words for Wednesday are a little different than the typical quotes I post. This is just a little something I liked and wanted to share as we approach the 10th anniversary of September 11th. I found it here.

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As you might know, the head of a major company survived the tragedy of “9/11” in New York because his son started kindergarten.

Another fellow was alive because it was his turn to bring donuts.

One woman was late because her alarm clock didn’t go off in time.

One was late because of being stuck on the NJ Turnpike because of an auto accident.

One of them missed his bus.

One spilled food on her clothes and had to take time to change.

One’s car wouldn’t start.

One went back to answer the telephone.

One had a child that dawdled and didn’t get ready as soon as he should have.

One couldn’t get a taxi.

The one that struck me was the man who put on a new pair of shoes that morning, took the various means to get to work but before he got there, he developed a blister on his foot. He stopped at a drugstore to buy a Band-Aid. That is why he is alive today.

Now when I am stuck in traffic…
miss an elevator…
turn back to answer a ringing telephone…
all the little things that annoy me…
I think to myself…
this is exactly where God wants me to be at this very moment.

The next time your morning seems to be going wrong,
the children are slow getting dressed,
you can’t seem to find the car keys,
you hit every traffic light…
don’t get mad or frustrated;
God is at work watching over you.

May God continue to bless you with all those annoying little things – and may you remember and appreciate their possible purpose.

(Author Unknown)

In remembrance

Nine years ago today most of our lives changed forever. Maybe not in significant ways, but the tragedy that happened on September 11, 2001, left us all a little different.

What I remember most about those days was the way everyone united following the attack. I have never seen such strong patriotism and care for one another other. I'm dedicating this post to the brave men and women who lost their lives. The firemen and police officers who rushed into the buildings to offer help, the unsuspecting office workers going about their day and the heros who brought a plane down in a remote field. We will never forget.

Picture via here.

For some reason the speech that stands out the most to me from that time was the impromptu speech given at Ground Zero by President Bush. I still get teary eyed. For me it embodies the way everyone was feeling during that time.