Chataqua Park--Boulder, CO

The view from the park entrance

With the mountains so close, there is always something to do that involves nature.  Normally we settle for hiking close to home at a nearby resevoir or nature reserve.  Since we were in Boulder to see the Celestial Seasonings tour, we just had to stop and take a hike at Chataqua Park.

Colorado University campus down below

The park is located off Baseline road which makes it pretty easy to access.  It sits just west of Colorado University, home of the Buffs.  What I love about the park is that all of the trails are easily accessible (without getting lost) and have great views of the city below.  Near the entrance there is a nice open park and playground where families can picnic.  There is a Ranger station where you can learn more about the trails and pick-up maps and a restaurant for a bite afterwards. 

Flat Irons

I have hiked Chataqua with just my oldest son (8 yrs old) and myself before, but this was the first time at the park for the twins who are 5.  My boys and I have been hiking ever since they were very young and now hiking is just how we roll.

The only way to get to the trails is up.  I noticed right away that I was huffin' and puffin' a lot more than the last time I was up there.  I'm glad my husband was there because the boys were jumpin' on every boulder in site. The outstanding views made for a great payoff.  I figured, "What the hay, it'll be awhile before we make it back," so I trudged on. 

Celestial Seasonings Tour

Boulder, CO

Nestled in the Foothills of Boulder, Colorado is the headquarters for Celestial Seasonings Tea.  The company was founded in 1969 and has been producing herbal teas ever since.  Here in Colorado, it is common knowledge that the company offers a free tour of the facility.  So, we packed up the kids and made the 40 minute drive out to Boulder. 

Our "Tickets"--Packets of Herbal Tea

While waiting for the tour to begin, we sat down and enjoyed some tea samples.  The visitor area was decked out with lots of original artwork and information about the companies' history.  Next, we viewed a short film about how it all began during the, "Summer of Love," when life (and the company) were much simpler.  It went on to talk about all of the places throughout the world where the tea leaves and botanicals for the herbal teas are produced.

After the viewing, we were led on a tour through the factory.  We were all fitted with lovely hairnets prior to entering.  My husband laughed when I could just barely fit my curly fro into mine.  I got my revenge when he was outfitted with a "beard net" for his facial hair. 

One of the highlights was the much anticipated Peppermint room.  The smell was so intense from all of the Spearmint and Peppermint stocked to the ceiling, that it cleared the sinuses and irritated our eyes a bit. 

Lastly, we ended up in the Gift Shop where we bought a few boxes of tea at discounted prices.  We love drinking tea on a daily so we were in "tea heaven". 

Stay Relaxed or Go Natural?

So there I was without a flat iron and wondering how on earth I was going to start growing my damaged hair longer.  I was already certain that my hair was suffering because of the lighter hair color I decided to use for two years.  What else was I doing wrong?

I jumped on Google and did a search on growing african american hair longer.  I found a site called "growafrohairlong.com".  I read about how the site's founder, Robin Woods, grew her hair to about waist length by using the "Crown & Glory" method.  She talked about using braids as a protective style to help retain hair growth. She also gave suggestions on how to care for the hair like, how to comb it and deep conditioning.  The thing I remember most was how she explained that she only did a relaxer 2 times per year.  Say what!  She would go 6 whole months without a relaxer!  That seemed like an extremely long time to me considering the longest I went between relaxers was 8-10 weeks.                  

My hair after my 1st pregnancy

Summertime Lemon Iced Tea

My husband and I love Iced Tea.  I came up with a recipe that is quick and not too sweet.

Tools

1) 2 quart Pitcher

1) 2 Cup Measuring Cup

Ingredients

2 Large flow thru Iced Tea bags

Luzianne or Lipton brand

2 Cups water (for brewing)

1/2 Cup sugar

4 Lemon slices

Place the two tea bags in the measuring cup and fill with water to the 2 cup line.  Brew tea in the microwave for 2 minutes and 45 seconds.  When the microwave stops, leave the cup and teabags to steep in the microwave for 12-15 minutes.  While the tea is brewing, slice a small lemon in half and thinly slice one half to make 4 slices.  Place the slices in the bottom of the pitcher.  Add in the sugar.  Once the tea is finished brewing, pour into the pitcher covering the sugar and lemons.  Stir the mixture until the sugar dissolves.  Fill the pitcher to the top with cold water.  Slice up the remaining half lemon for garnish.  Serve and enjoy!

Photo Credit:  Suat Eman/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Why I Went Natural

My hair was neck length to shoulder length and back again for as long as I could remember.  My husband kept telling me that the reason for this was that I kept cutting my hair so often. To that I would say, "I have to cut it. Look at all these split ends!". 

My hair was relaxed and had been since I was 11 years old.  I never even considered that there was any other way.  Once I saw new growth, I went out for another relaxer. Of, course I was doing it all on my own; Haircolor, trims and applying the relaxer myself.  My hair was in a state but I always knew how to mask the damage so that it looked presentable. 

I never thought about the exact cause for my lack of hair growth.  I honestly thought that having long hair was not possible because of my ethnicity (ridiculous, I know, but it was how I thought then).  I didn't start to question it until I watched my husbands hair grow to nearly Mid Back Length in as little as a year and a half.  I asked myself what does he do?  The answer?  Nothing!  He washed and conditioned each day (his hair is straight and will get greasy if he doesn't) then applies a leave-in.  Then he would put on a hat or put it in a ponytail.  That's it!  Then I thought, "What do I do to my hair?".  Let's see there were relaxers, haircolor, blowdrying and using heat daily.  No wonder why my hair was so damaged!

Then, out of nowhere, my flatiron broke.  I am still not sure what was wrong with it but it just quit working.  My first thought was to replace it, but then I thought that it was some kind of sign (I'm funny like that).  I decided to hold off and began searching for an alternative.  Little did I know that this would be the beginning of my natural hair journey.

Next time...Stay relaxed or go natural?