twosmallcones

Oh my goodness, folks! I am the luckiest lady in all of the land. I’ve been itching for a sweet getaway and E surprised me with the perfect outing. It was such an incredible weekend and I didn’t manage to take nearly enough photos to capture it all.

My absolute favorite winter warmer.

With an extra day off and with no shortage of stoke, we slipped out of Golden early, making our way west and then south, weaving in and out of those beautiful Rocky Mountains.

A surprise weekend getaway, laughter, lots of dreaming, and good food and brews made my big day memorable and special. We sampled several new beans from the cutest of coffee shops. My particular favorite: City on the Hill; a cozy coffee and espresso joint that’s full of character and has the tastiest beans around. This shop, sitting at 10,000 ft, was a warm welcome to the brisk, wintry temperatures and barren landscape that Leadville’s residents call home.

the best gluten-free birthday muffin out there.

A zesty blueberry muffin from Brown Dog Café guided us farther south, through Chaffee County’s picturesque landscape; there’s something very special about the rugged terrain and piñon pine that lure us in. Those prickly cacti and nearly 300 days of sunny skies contribute greatly, too.

Quickly learning about our two-night stay in the cutest Garden Condominium that the quaint town of Salida has to offer, we prepped our ski gear and headed up to Monarch for some creamy pow turns.

the outside of our cute little garden abode.

this studio-like condo was full of character. definitely a cozy spot to call home for a few days.

super excited!

A quick 22-minute drive and we were sitting cozy on Monarch’s finest, a two-seater named Breezeway. Several inches of fresh powder and no lift lines made for one of the sweetest riding days of the year.

awesome day at Monarch Mountain near Salida, CO.

What couples nicely with a few hours of powdery turns at Monarch? Beer! Forgetting that my favorite seasonal is crafted nearby, E surprised me with yet another delicious pit-stop: Elevation Brewing Company. Seriously, I would create the finest marketing plan for this brewery just to get more of their seasonal show-stopper, Señorita Imperial Porter.

great beer. excellent birthday getaway!

This fine beverage pours deep, dark brown in color and smells of vanilla, cinnamon and sweet chocolate. It is phenomenal and just when I was about to convince E that we needed a second pint, the owner slipped in two free bottles with our already large and tasty purchase. Definitely good beer and good folks!

The sweetness didn’t stop there. Throughout the weekend, we sampled one of the best wood-fired gluten-free pizzas ever made, more tasty microbrews at Amicas and Moonlight Pizza,  and an excellent dinner at The Boathouse. Coffee happened a few more times and a final stop at Eddyline Brewing Company for burritos and an IPA capped the weekend off beautifully.

beers at Moonlight.

Eddyline Brewing Company. cool place with tasty good and perhaps one of the best Java Stouts in Colorado.

we’ve been enjoying Belgium style ales. This one by St. Bernardus was delicious.

What a weekend. What a guy. I am never sure how to write anything to him right here, in this space, without coming off as a big cheese-fest or getting too personal, but folks, this guy of mine is someone I am so grateful for. He is wonderful to the core and I treasure every bit of him. My twenties couldn’t have ended any sweeter and I have this wonderful, caring, thoughtful guy to thank.

cheers!