Happy Living Single Thursday, everyone! 

Single Gal Mini Adventure

The good news for me is that I am on spring break.  The frustrating news is that I am STILL recovering from the never-ending virus. Therefore, I have not been out and about enjoying life as much as I would like. Today, however, I was determined to do something out of the ordinary even if it was a few mini adventures. Being single, I do not have to worry about affecting anyone else’s day. I love just being able to go when the mood strikes. 🙂

The Green Smoothie Experiment

Number one on my agenda was to try a green smoothie at Inta Juice. I usually get a berry smoothie of some sort. Berry smoothies from Inta Juice are absolutely delicious but they add sherbet to the smoothie and when you add the sugar of the sherbet to the natural sugar of the berries it is an astronomically high level of sugar; about 76 grams. So, I thought I would try a healthier choice and go green. I like Kale, celery, and apples so I thought it would be a tasty way to get my greens in for lunch. The quickly reached verdict is that I am sticking with kale and celery in my salad from now on! I am glad I tried it, so now I know how I do not like my greens. Sometimes an adventure fine tunes our likes and dislikes and a miss instead of a hit is not wasted time when we learn about ourselves.

Spontaneous Drive to Cheyenne

After the smoothie experiment I started driving north on a whim and soon found myself in Cheyenne Wyoming. I live in Northern Colorado so it is not a far drive. The drive was very peaceful and mind clearing. There is very little traffic between Greeley, Colorado and Cheyenne, Wyoming and a whole lot of empty space. Most people think of mountains when they think of Colorado. I live between the Rockies (which I love with my whole heart) and grass lands on the edge of the Great Plains. The plains have a different kind of beauty which not everyone appreciates, but I do. I can feel the ghosts of the native people and buffalo as the wind carries the echoes of the past across the vast empty space. Haunting is a word I would use to describe the plains. Long periods of time alone on the plains will either clear your mind or make you lose your mind, depending on your disposition. I can see how pioneers developed prairie fever.

Yay! A Good Discovery

When I got to Cheyenne I had no plan and not a lot of time since I left late in the day. I was determined to see one new thing I had not seen or known about Cheyenne before. I found it. I turned east after reaching downtown Cheyenne and after driving through some residential neighborhoods came to an unassuming park. I pulled into a parking space and noticed an old Victorian house in the park with a sign that read “Cheyenne Artist Guild” there was also a gift shop attached and the door was open. I did not know Cheyenne had an active artistic community with their own building. A great find, indeed. They had an Easter exhibit on display containing over 120 pieces of art. Since it was a week day and during school hours I was the only one there and had a nice chat with the artist running the gift shop. She was very proud of the exhibit and excited that I just happened to stumble upon the shop. My favorite painting was of a group of women in late 19^th century attire grabbing their hats as they tried not to get blown over by the wind. Cheyenne is windy much of the time and so I though this artist had a great sense of humor.

After leaving the guild I noticed that the park was part of a historic district and found listings of several historic homes in the area that I drove by on my way towards down town. I must have never really looked at down town Cheyenne before because it is a picture of history.  There are so many old and grand historical buildings that it would take hours to fully explore. It is amazing to me that Denver and Cheyenne are both old cow towns, both state capitals, and both about an hour drive from Greeley, and yet these cities have grown into two totally different types of places to live. Denver is urban chic and considered a top place to live in the west while Cheyenne has much more of an old west cowboy feel about it. Today I found the old west feel totally charming. I stopped at a few antique shops before heading for home. As I was waiting for traffic so that I could get into my car a truck stopped beside me waiting for the light to change. A man tipped his hat (yes, tipped his hat) and asked me how I was doing. It was very sweet. A pleasant tipped hat and greeting was just what I needed to make the day special. J

Driving back to Greeley I made a resolution to get back to Cheyenne this summer and spend a full day exploring the historical sites and buildings. I also resolved to get out to Pawnee Buttes and spend some time in the grass lands. I am overdue for some time there. Oh, and no more green smoothies for me, just the salad, thank you very much!

Well, that was my mid-week single gal adventure. What about you? Do you ever take off and explore nearby places? What have you discovered? I would love to hear your stories.

Until next time,

Laura