It feels like a count-down.

February was hard. Between the day after I arrived back from Moscow, on January 27th, and the day we arrived to Colorado for a few days' stay, on February 26th, I worked 30 days straight with my massage practice...for approximately 40 hrs of massages given each week. But indeed, if there's a "why", there's a "how". This is my final stretch of full-time heavy-duty job. It's not that I am not going to work comes the move - I truly can't even imagine myself not working, period - but in my line of work, and with transition to boot, the downtime is inevitable, and getting older means being wiser, pickier with the potential employees and clientele. So I pushed...

Somehow I survived, although getting older also means breaking down more easily and faster. Last week I was holding on to a dear life, counting days and hours until this mini-vacation. And the trip didn't disappoint.

As always, Colorado Springs hit us with dry high air, extremely friendly people, and amazing weather (which, actually, was a good change from the previous couple of visits). 20's at night and 40's during a day was my idea of paradise. We took it to the streets for daily before-dawn runs, and whenever one looks over the shoulder, either right one (on the way out) or left one (on the return) - there it is, Pikes Peak, in all its glory, changing colors with the rising sun.

One morning I actually ran all the way to the Garden of the Gods, which constituted my longest, hilliest, and yet fastest run to date since last June. Go figure. Somehow, I always run faster (not by much, but still) in COS at 6,200 feet, than I do in Austin, at mere 800 or so. Whatever kind of miracle it is, it gives me hope, or, rather, confirms the hope I have held in my heart all these last 5+ years since my body gave up on my running, that I will, indeed, come back, re-birth, re-kindle, of course not to the capacity I used to be, but to the state of free gliding and feeling the natural state of movement as part of my being.

One mid-day we spent visiting Air-Force Academy. Larry once had been here, when he was about 14 years old, with his family - and for me, it was a dedication to my Dad, who served in Air-Force (of a different country, but who cares about such details) since he was 14 until mid-50's. As a military brat, my life is coming full circle - from a childhood growing up on air-force bases to a mature adult living my sunset years near one, again. I shed a few tears visiting a museum and a Chapel there.

On another afternoon, we ventured to a Pioneer Museum downtown, completely free for visitors, and enjoyed learning history of COS, as well as eyeing Van Briggle collection of pottery and art.

This time, because of the weather treating us nicely, we also made our way to the mountains and scratched the itch of real trails - and what an amazing paradise within 15 min from downtown these mountain trails are! We can not even begin to comprehend what at store for us. Total playground!

One of those 2 days was to check out the beginning climb of a race course we gingerly signed up for as a welcome in...sheesh, this will be so incredibly humbling! Personally, I am just looking for the finish line,,,and for checking out the trail running community. So I am good with coming in near-last!

We checked out local burger place, and lounged on a couch, and I knit, and read, and cooked meals...and COS is becoming more home than I thought it would prior the move. This city was meant to entice us, invite us, showcase itself, and welcome us in. The air, the views, the people, the history, the architecture of old homes...our hearts are filled with love and peace and calm.

Now it's a 3-month count-down. It is practically scary, how close it had suddenly come, this time. Dreaming for so long, and here it is...so much to do, the head is spinning, the emotions are rampant, swinging from low to high and back. What's life holding ahead of us? No reason to fret. For now, we need to focus on what's at hand. Here and now.