Miscellaneous Posts From the Ultimate Blog Challenge

As you may have seen from a few previous posts, I am in the process of migrating a few miscellaneous posts from my old blog. The articles on this post are from a challenge I often partake in, called the Ultimate Blog Challenge. The goal is to write 30 blogs in 30 days. I don’t always do all 30 days but usually get at least 20 or so which I feel 20 is better than none, lol. I have done this challenge a few times, but these are some of my first ones, and thought I would make a small collection of miscellaneous posts that I shared in the past. They are in no particular order and some of the data is now old, but I still wanted to share. Happy travels.

Animals Love Road Trips. At Least Our Dogs do.

One of my favorite miscellaneous posts is about traveling with our dogs. We have traveled through a few countries,  but try to do a lot of road trips here in the US, so we can take our two little fur babies with us. Sometimes it is hard trying to find a place to stay where we can have the dogs or places where we can eat with the dogs, but it is all so worth it. We love having them with us and they love going with us. Here is a post about traveling with pets. that may give you some good ideas if you are planning a road trip with your furry friend (s).

Ours are very well-traveled.  Here is a list of the states they have visited on our travels:  AZ, CA, CO, ID, IA IL, KS, MO, NE, NV, NM, ND, OK, SD, TX, UT, and WY. As you can see they are well-traveled 🙂 That is 17 states which many people have said are more states than they have been in, lol. Since I originally posted this article, we have lost one of our furbabies, but the other one has since been with us to AK, MT, MS, TN. That brings her total to 21 states. Wow, she is a well-traveled dog, lol

They bring so much joy and excitement to our driving trips, even though we still have to stop more often for potty breaks and such.  They seem to understand the newness of places and love exploring and smelling anything and everything they can.  The pictures attached are pictures of them on some of our travels. I look forward to many more road trips with these two little girls. Loved writing this post about animals and reliving some of the fond memories while looking through pictures.

Bighorn Sheep at Hemenway Park in Boulder City, Nevada

On a trip to Las Vegas, we decided to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and casinos. We ended up taking a drive out toward the Henderson and Boulder City area. While we were driving around, we accidentally found the most amazing park called Hemenway Park. This park is comprised of approximately 10 acres and includes playground equipment, gazebos, basketball courts, horseshoe pits, and 2 lighted tennis courts. Plus, the 2 lighted softball fields in the adjoining flood control basin make this park a favorite in Boulder City.

However, one of this park’s main attractions is the Bighorn sheep that often come down from the mountains to water and graze. Their horns can weigh up to 30 pounds, while the sheep themselves weigh up to 300 pounds. They are very interesting animals.  Apparently, sheep from the River Mountains herd have been frequenting Hemenway Park for around 30 years, and as many as 100 animals can crowd the small field, escaping the sun for a few hours of shade and some high-protein greens.

We were lucky when we visited and saw a large herd of sheep right there on the park grounds. It’s great for a photo op, and they aren’t as shy as you might expect. It’s also not unusual to see sheep roaming around the nearby neighborhood, even congregating in residents’ front yards. We had our dogs with us and didn’t let them out of the car, but they were going crazy and wanted to get out and get to the sheep. Imagine these two little Shih Tzu’s wanting to take on the sheep, too funny, lol.  We had a great time sitting there and having lunch while we watched the sheep were grazing. Definitely worth checking out if you are in the area. This was another of the miscellaneous posts I enjoyed writing and sharing.

Blogging is like a Diary for Adults

Writing these miscellaneous posts was quite fun, but this one took me way back to my childhood. Writing in a diary made me feel like I was talking to an old friend who understood me so well that I didn’t have to explain anything to, but I did anyway, lol. Things just seemed so much better after purging my anger after a fight with a family member. It was also enjoyable to write if I had a crush on a boy in school and then go back and read it, again and again, to remember the moment until there was something new to write.

When I was a little older but still young, my mom and dad got divorced. We moved to another city, and it was really hard. My diary was a way to get my feelings out about the situation. Whether I was scared, sad, confused, or whatever. Again, I felt like I had a friend around even when everything else in the house and my world felt upside down or crazy. My diary and friend were still there no matter what. Sometimes I felt like it was my only friend. 🙁  Happily, we moved back a few months later, but it helped to be able to write about it while we were away.

I don’t actually know when I stopped writing in a diary. However, I think it was about the time I started writing little short fictional stories. They were horrible and pathetic, but I enjoyed writing and they kept me and my mind busy when I wasn’t doing homework, etc. I don’t remember a time when I didn’t enjoy reading and writing.

As I said, I still love to write and I see blogging as an adult diary, just not private. For those of us who blog, we share our lives, our stories, etc with family, friends, and followers. We tell stories of where we’ve been, what we experienced while there, and how we felt about it. Hopes and dreams are also expressed on blogs just like in a diary. That’s why I feel like a blog is like a diary. Agree? Disagree? Share your comments below.

A Tour of the City of Westminster, Colorado

Today is day 9 of the 30-day Ultimate Blog Challenge and here was one of the miscellaneous posts that I wrote that week. That day’s assignment/suggestion was to share our town and the scenery around us. I am happy to share this, as I live in the city of Westminster in the beautiful state of Colorado. We have been here 10 years this month, and feel it was one of the best moves we have made. I love all the beauty that is around us that we get to enjoy every day. With that said, here are some pictures and information about the city of Westminster.

Westminster is a northwest suburb of Denver, in Adams and Jefferson counties, and is the seventh most populous city in the state of Colorado. It is also the 237th most populous city in the United States and was ranked as the 24th best place to live in the USA by Money magazine, July 2006.

The main hub of this city is the City Civic Center or City Hall which is located at 92^nd and Sheridan. One of the joys from me of living in Westminster is being able to see and hear the bell tower which rings every hour from 8-5. If you are so inclined, you can climb the 181 stairs to the top of the tower for a fabulous view of the entire metro area and the Rocky Mountains. We haven’t done it, but it sounds amazing.

I also love the fact that there are so many stores, restaurants, and shops to explore and visit. I really enjoy hanging out at the Westminster Promenade. They even have a bowling alley that our church used for our league. I also love sitting out and enjoying ice cream while doing some people-watching. It is a great little center.

Saying the view of the Rockies from Westminster is beautiful would be a huge understatement. They are actually phenomenal. especially when they are snow-capped.  I head west to work every day and never get tired of seeing them as I drive each. Each day they can look different than they did the day before. I hope I never lose that sense of awe.

Westminster has been very good to us and I am very happy to be a resident of this beautiful state. If you don’t live here, and ever have a chance to come to visit, you should definitely visit our “little” city. The list of fun things to do in Westminster is endless, and you will find everything you need for doing business and having fun. The pictures above are used with the permission of the city of Westminster. Hope you enjoyed learning about the city we now call home.

I sincerely hope you enjoyed reading a few of the miscellaneous posts I have shared while being part of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. If you like to write and be a part of the challenge, check out the link above. Happy writing and traveling.