48 hours in foco

Wowee am I tired! In my quick weekend visit to Fort Collins, Colorado, I never did get over my jet lag. In addition to that, I can't imagine that going to bed at 5 a.m. this morning or having a 3+ hour layover in Chicago (meaning I won't touch down in New York until nearly 2 a.m.) is helping. But I wouldn't say that I'm not doing well, because I am, and I'm happy; it was a delightful weekend.

To answer a question before it's been asked: I flew out there to visit a friend of mine who had expiring frequent flier miles. You know me, always willing to help ;). 

I arrived late Thursday night, got a good night's sleep, and spent Friday morning and early afternoon exploring Fort Collins' Old Town while he was in class.

It is truly one of the most beautiful historic downtowns I've ever seen. I humored myself for hours with the many art galleries but there were also restaurants, craft breweries and boutiques to browse.

After admiring the many pieces of folk and fine art that I cannot afford, I stopped into the Fort Collins Co-op to pick up a few Crazy, Sexy supplies.

And then, lunch. I dropped into Tasty Harmony for the Big Macrobiotic Plate: daily steamed greens, daily steamed veggies, sea vegetable salad, beans of the day, millet/quinoa, and green onion tahini dressing. It was simply amazing.

Later, I met my friend on Colorado State University's campus for a tour... which began with a pint of the Friday happy hour local brew. My adventure cleanse hasn't allowed for alcohol, but, I couldn't help myself. In the words of Kris Carr, "if you veer off the healthy highway, cut yourself some slack. Of course you're going to take little detours every now and then. That's what life's about." 

So, I did, I didn't feel guilty, and dare I say I enjoyed the New Belgium White immensely. CSU's campus is really nice too. It was a nearly perfect evening stroll to mark the end of my night. I'd planned on being a fun guest but I was just exhausted. We made dinner, watched a movie and crashed before 10 p.m.

The next morning I dragged him to a vinyasa class. Actually, that's not true. I had talked up yoga and it's practice so much that he offered to join me at a local studio. I have good friends ;). (P.S. Don't you love this poster?!)

After some investigating, I chose Old Town Yoga. They offered a convenient Saturday morning beginner's class which was perfect for him and I spoke to the instructor beforehand to ask if she could include some advanced variations for myself. Both of us really, really enjoyed ourselves as we yoga-ed the hour away. If I ever go back to the Fort Collins area, I will most definitely revisit this studio.

We were also hungry again by the class' end so we moseyed our way over to BeauJo's for lunchtime "Colorado-style" pizza. Lucky for me, they offered gluten-free crusts and vegan cheeses. I made myself a custom yum Crazy, Sexy creation with all of the vegetables they had. It totally hit the spot and the restaurant itself housed some awesome vintage photos of the city.

The rest of the afternoon was spent driving. I don't know what it was, but I was dying to see more of Northern Colorado. We drove up towards Red Feather and through the Roosevelt National Forest. 'Twas gorgeous despite the overcast sky.

If you don't focus on the gorgeous background behind me, you might notice that I look sleep-deprived. I still was. Following our three-hour excursion I took a rare nap back at his house before dinner. And when I awoke, I was craving sushi.

We ventured to a local favorite, Mt. Fuji where I indulged myself with miso soup, edamame, a Chuka Maki roll (pictured), a Vegetable roll (avocado, cucumber, daikon, squash, yama gobo), and not one, not two, but three cups of green tea.

I needed the caffeine, you see, because Saturday night we celebrated one of his water polo teammates' birthdays in Denver. It included new friends, dancing, a limo ride... and many a reason as to why I didn't go to bed until 5 this morning. 

Zzzz... Today went as follows: I slept in this morning, ate a big bowl of rice cereal with sliced almonds, banana, and almond milk, got dropped off at Denver International Airport, and then found out that my flight had been delayed. That would explain why I'm stuck in Chicago even though I should be home, safe, sound, and sleeping by now. Hmph. Oh well.

Someone is going to need about 10 cups of green tea tomorrow and that someone is me. At least it was worth it. Let the work week begin again!