Made it to New Mexico!!

 For spring break, I planned on driving my new car to New Mexico! My childhood dream was to own a hacienda in New Mexico near a lake with horses and a chef while I write my novel. We'll see if the dream comes true! I absolutely loved the adobe houses and maybe that's what started my childhood dream in the first place! Who knows!

Three weeks prior to my spring break, my car's engine seized due to the mechanic who did my oil change the week before. He decided not to replace my oil pan's stopper when it clearly needed to be replaced. So, as I am driving home on I-25 around 9pm at night, all of the oil cascaded down the highway. Yeah....on the bright side, the dealership bought me a new engine AND replaced the coolant container for free. They also gave me a loaner car for three weeks -- for free! So essentially, I got a new car haha 

The loaner was annoying to be honest. It was a 2022 Outback with all the bells and whistles. The console was one big screen. NO THANKYOU! I like my knobs. I didn't realize how old school I was till I sat in that car! 

Anyway, I got my Red Queen back just in time for spring break! Didn't get to do everything I want to do but I enjoyed my time there and can't wait to go back! One of the days, we hiked to a natural hot spring and it was worth it! 

Side note, we found El Dorado!!! Super cool right! Sadly, no gold. Darn it! Funny enough, there were so many buildings called El Dorado HAHA

Melanin on the Move!

Awhile back, I had joined a Facebook group called Melanin on the Move and last weekend was the first time I was able to join them. They do hikes and activities mainly around Colorado Springs and of course, everyone has at least a little bit of melanin. Sadly, many Black and Brown people don't get outside much at all. I understand why we aren't seen on the white slopes (because of the expense) but just hiking for whatever reason, it's really hard to find others who look like me who want to enjoy the great outdoors and move those sexy legs! lol

At any rate, I joined two women on a hike on Saturday at Garden of the Gods. I hadn't been there since I moved to Falcon in 2016. The Wulf's aren't hikers so all I did was take pictures from the car and walked around a little bit. This time, we trekked through Garden of the Gods and climbed to a peak overseeing much of the area. It was cloudy but gorgeous views! When we started hiking, it was a tad chilly and windy. Jimmie was supposed to come with me but because it was just the other two women, he decided to go home and picked me up later. Another time, I hope the both of us can join Melanin on the Move for another hike and/or activity. 

I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know both of them and I am glad I went. They were both older than me, but conversation was easy with them. It was about a two-hour hike and by the time we were heading back to the car, the sun came out and it was around 45 degrees. When I got back home, I fell asleep for an hour! 

ICE ICE BABY

 I successfully convinced Jimmie to go for a drive to Cripple Creek where an ice festival was happening. While it wasn't as big as I was expecting, it was still pretty cool to see all the ice sculptures that various people worked on. Of course, I got all giddy when I saw the MILLENIUM FALCON! and R2D2!! Had to get a picture! 

In other news, my car had to go back to the shop last night. This is the first car that I have owned, and I am so proud of myself for this purchase. So, to see my Red Queen being towed broke my heart a little bit. Come to find out, a service technician who did my oil change the week before, decided not to replace the plug for my oil pan even though it didn't look sturdy enough. So, on my way home Sunday night, the plug came out and all of the oil spilled out and the engine seized. When they looked at it on Monday morning, they instantly knew what was wrong and have already taken steps to rectify the situation. YAY! 

At the time of this blog post, they have given me a rental car - 2022 Outback for free AND they are replacing my engine for free. Double YAY! I am so grateful to them and to God for keeping me safe and practically giving me a new car. Praying this all goes well! 

Snow Tubing Time!

Oh my goodness, this was so much fun! When I first saw the tubing hill at Echo Mountain, my jaw dropped a tad. It's pretty high and I am a little afraid of heights. However, after my first run down the hill, I was in heaven. Jimmie, my boyfriend, and I must have gone down 20+ times. We loved it so much, we asked for another hour. The way tubing hills operate up here is that you pay per hour. We originally booked the 3 - 4pm hour and then we decided to ask for another hour since it's discounted. Super cold by the time we left but we had a blast. There are three tubing hills that I know of in Colorado near Denver. I honestly can't wait to check out the other ones!!

The hardest part was getting on and getting off the people mover going up the hill! HAHA That takes some finesse and eye foot coordination.

Overall, this was a fun way to spend Valentine's weekend. I am glad Jimmie and I decided to do experiences together instead of giving each other gifts. I feel like this is a better way to spend money. Gifts can sometimes just collect dust unless it's super useful. My love languages are gifts and quality time and I know Jimmie is the same way. Happy Valentine's Day!