What to Do In and Around Ridgway, Colorado

Okay, okay. For all who need to know, we went to Ridgway, Colorado for our honeymoon. My husband found this cute little town, so I can't really claim any credit for our getaway, okay other than one hike, which we'll get to. Here's what we did in and around Ridgway:

Ate breakfast at a cute little restaurant called Kate's Place:

Homemade waffles, white cheddar grits, gigantic omelets, and homemade sourdough, yes please!

Visited Box Canyon Falls in Ouray.

It costs $5 per adult to get in, and it's really a walk rather than a hike to the falls, but it's totally worth it.

And from there, you can hike the Ouray Perimeter Trail (of which we did part).

Next we visited Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.

Pictures don't really do the magnitude of these crevices justice.

And praise the Lord, we didn't fall into the creek when we decided to scale down a steep cliff toward it....

The next day, we went to Telluride, Colorado. I take a little credit for the activities here, because this is a location my family frequents. But he drove, so he gets credit for getting us there.

First, we hiked up to Bridal Veil Falls.

And saw a few avalanches along the way.

Then we rode the gondolas, one of my favorite things to do there. (And it's free!)

We ended the afternoon walking around Ridgway. It's a small town, but still worth visiting. We ate most of our meals at our Airbnb, but it was still fun to see what the town had to offer (including a small grocery store).

It was good to get away for a few days (maybe more on that later), but also nice that Ridgway was within driving distance. So for now, that's a (pictorial) wrap of our honeymoon.

Scary Things I've Done Lately

In the nature of embracing fears, I thought I'd share just a few scary things I've done lately to live life free:

(Here's a list I previously made.)

I cut my hair. To be precise, I cut 10 inches off my hair. 

I've cut my hair before. But this time I was afraid. I was afraid of what others would think, specifically my dad. I was afraid I wouldn't like it. I was afraid I'd look ugly. I was afraid I wouldn't feel like myself. But then on the cruise I had this flash of inspiration that I'd be myself, haircut or not. I could belong to myself (Cue Brene Brown's Braving the Wilderness book, which I was reading at the time) and to God, long- or short-haired. So I did it. 

In hindsight, I'm glad I cut my hair now. The hairdresser did a great job and styling my hair now is fast easy and convenient. I've received a lot of compliments. Even my dad says he likes the cut. I like it so much I think I might even keep it this way for awhile. But I wouldn't have known the joys of my new 'do without facing my fears of it.

I've been speaking my mind more. This can get me into trouble, and I definitely need to speak the truth in love (Eph 4:15). But I'm tired of being the quiet, meek girl in the back row pew pretending to be dumb. (Cue Matt Chandler's exhortation in his Beautiful Design sermon series.) I've got an opinion and I'm trying to learn to share it, albeit respectfully.

I climbed a mountain. This is a traditional hike for my family, but I haven't done it in a while. The trail was steep and the terrain loose and scary. Mom told me to look down and see how far we'd come. Since my fear of heights has grown as I've aged, I just kept looking up until I got to our final destination, and I made it. I looked down only on the return hike, because I had to.

Embracing fear doesn't always pay off. Sometimes it results in hurt (physical, mental, and/or emotional), hangups, and heartbreak. But in the long run, if I want to live life free, I've got to take some risks and feel some pain. In the face of that pain, victories like these feel even more freeing and joyful.

Friends, has embracing fear and/or taking risks brought joy to you lately? Please share your experiences in the comments section.

Redeeming Memories

I have not been to Colorado for almost ten years. The trip this weekend was supposed to be a getaway, a peaceful pause from life and a celebration of a milestone birthday for my mom. But I was really grumpy and moody that first day. I was overwhelmed with discomfort and dread and memories of times I'd like to forget. They seemed to pop up at every turn, and I wasn't quite ready for them. The memories were not devastatingly bad, but linked to times in my life that I was not in a good place and had very negative thoughts and emotions about the world and about myself. That first day I told my parents how I felt and then prayed like crazy that God would redeem the time. This trip wasn't about me anyway. It was a gift to my mom. 

As the days went on, God did redeem the time. He showed me the gift that it was to get away with my parents. He showed me the beauty of His creation.

He gave my parents and I strength to hike up to a lake at almost 12,000 feet elevation.

He gave us good conversations and tasty food and solid time together (albiet a lot of time being in the car.

Trauma with a capital T, the big stuff, does not resolve quickly or readily, but sometimes the small stuff, the little trauma needs to be relived and restoried and replaced with new memories. That was what God did for me this weekend.

Colorado is beautiful and I can honestly say I enjoyed my time there. But I can also say that I decided it is not my favoritest place to vacation, so I might not be back super soon. And that's okay, because the beauty that remains is the beauty of restored memories, and those will last a lifetime.