Hey, everybody!!! Long time, no see!!!

Just to catch y’all up to speed…Chad and I are in Colorado for the summer! YAY!

We are working (and living) at a campground in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, and it’s SO beautiful here! OMG!

(Only problem is that one of my MANY fears is…BEARS! And they definitely call these mountains home! Ahhhhh!!!!)

Anywhooo…

We just LOVE all of the biking and outdoorsy activities in this area!!! So, we pretty much spend ALL of our free time OUTDOORS!

It’s been a looooong time since we’ve hit the mountain bike trails, though, because I’ve been recovering from some post-viral symptoms, so Chad was SUPER excited for us to finally get back out there the other day.

Sooooo… you can imagine the disappointment I felt when… just a few minutes into our ride, I whizzed by a huge mound of bear poop! Ugh!!!

Chad was riding a bit ahead of me, and he just kept pedaling (surely hoping with all of his might that I wouldn’t notice it because he knows darn well there’s no WAY I would keep riding if I did)!!!

I call out to him to wait up. Sure enough, he’d seen it and hoped that I hadn’t!! (Ha! I just KNEW it!!!)

I see all joy instantly drain from his face as he politely (??) asks if I’d like to turn back. Without hesitation, I’m like, “uhhhh…YES!”

Buuuuut…then I remembered these darn ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN bands on my wrist, and I just KNEW that I needed to readjust my perception…

I remind myself that if “ANYTHING can happen,” then it MUST be possible for me to finish this ride without being mauled by a bear…and hopefully without even SEEING one! Ya know, just like the MAJORITY of people who wander the trails in bear country.

Much to Chad’s delight, I decide to (try to) press on. It definitely wasn’t “pretty” at first…I heard a LOT of “bears rustling in the bushes”! And, since you weren’t there… you have ZERO proof that I was ringing my bike bell like a maniac! Lmao!!! But, I was out THERE riding!!

Eventually, even iiiiiii was annoyed by the sound of my own bike bell!! So, it was time to adjust my mindset even further…

I realized that…if “ANYTHING can happen,” then it MUST be possible for me to relax and enjoy this ride…without FEAR!!!! Wow…THAT proposal was a MUCH harder sell to my nervous system!!! But, eventually I got there! And, boy was THAT version of the ride WAY more fun!! (Scroll down for more pics from this beautiful ride at Lory State Park…)

Do YOU need a little reminder to stay optimistic these days? Or know someone *else* who could use a little boost right now?? My new inspirational wristband set is now available on Etsy by clicking here!!

Grab a set for yourself…or order a set as a gift…or BOTH!

Either way, keep scrolling down to see even more of that Colorado beauty I promised…

We are really trying to soak it all in because in about a month, we are heading back to Arizona for the winter!