Weekend recap from October 27/28.
I wrote about last weekend being a turning point for my campaign, where I finally ditched my imposter syndrome and started feeling like I might actually win this. However, that made me a little worried… was I getting overconfident, and would I hit some major snag that would make me regret feeling so good? This weekend, at least, the answer was no.
My weekend kicked off Friday promptly at 5:30pm, with a coffee meeting with two people who live in my town’s new downtown center. Most of the downtown center is still under construction, so there aren’t a ton of residents living there yet – I was excited to chat with a few and hear their perspective on how the town should grow!
From coffee, I jumped in my car and made the hour’s drive south to my friend Sarah’s house, where I did a quick change from jeans and a button down to a medieval gown. Our friends Heather and Kirk were hosting a Halloween party, and I was really excited that my campaign obligations were ending early enough that I could go hang out with my non-Superior (oops, that sounds bad) friends for a little while. I have been so caught up with town events / campaigning that it had been forever since I’d seen so many of my good friends outside my town!
We had a blast enjoying food, drinks, and catch up conversations. I also loved checking out Heather and Kirk’s newly refinished basement, which has a gym, a bar, and a wine cellar. I was really envious of the wine cellar, in particular, which Kirk built himself – complete with stone walls and flickering wall sconces! May need to figure out if I can do this in my basement closet…
I stayed over at my friend Sarah’s house rather than making the long drive home late at night. And as Sarah pointed out, I always sleep so well at her house – both thanks to her super comfy guest room and the fact that I’m away from any obligations! 🙂 Unfortunately, while we had been planning to go for a trail run together in the morning (which would have been our first together in months), I woke up to a text calling me back up to my neighborhood for breakfast with a constituent at 8am… so I hightailed it up there. I felt really guilty the rest of the weekend for missing out on our planned trail run, and definitely need to make it up to her after the campaign wraps.
After breakfast, I was still really bummed that I didn’t get to run with Sarah, so I headed out for my own trail run around the neighborhood. Not quite the same, but it was still nice to get out on the trails. It was super windy, and I found myself going really slowly despite feeling good. But, I was very proud to make it up the Rock Creek Sign to Top Ascent segment in just 2:22… my second best time! (That hill is brutal, climbing 119 feet in just 0.17 miles, which equates to a 13% grade.) Although I know that part of being a good trail runner is knowing when to take strategic walk breaks, I have been trying to force myself to run this whole segment, and I think it’s helping me get a lot stronger / tougher.
Post-run, my workout for the day wasn’t done. I changed into fresh gym clothes, then headed off to Monarch High School, where the local cheerleading / pom teams were hosting a Zumba class as a fundraiser. The kids were all dressed up in costumes, including one girl in a giant t-rex costume, which was hilarious! Also hilarious was how poorly I kept up with the dancing… I used to be good at Zumba but felt completely uncoordinated compared to the kids, who seemed to know every move even though the instructor wasn’t cueing.
Finally, I got to head home and shower. But there wasn’t time to lounge around after that! After a very fast shower and lunch, it was off to the grocery for some extra supplies, and then to the park to set up my final Sunday Sundaes event of the campaign. With temps in the mid-70s, I had been surprised to learn earlier in the week that it would be warm enough to host one more – and I was psyched.
When I got to the park, the wind ended up whipping around so much that it wasn’t really ideal ice cream weather. One neighbor had her sundae blow right off the table and onto the ground! But I still had a bunch of neighbors come out, and the kids were all thrilled to get their sugar highs, even in the wind 🙂
In talking to one neighbor I hadn’t met before, we learned that he lives just down the street from me. And, he used to rent my exact house before I bought it! What a small world. He said his daughter really missed the house, so I invited them to come over and visit next weekend; meanwhile, he sent me the old inspection report from before he moved in, which is really helpful. Serendipitous connections like this are why I love living in a small town!
Another guest at Sunday Sundaes was our local rep from Tesla, whom I had met at a happy hour earlier in the week. We had an appointment after Sunday Sundaes to talk about installing solar panels / an electric charging station at my house, and after the ice cream social was over, we headed back to my house to discuss. I am already pretty energy efficient (LED lights, brand new energy-smart appliances and a furnace, and a Wifi thermostat that adjusts when I leave the house) and also have a fairly low electric bill; as a result, I was surprised to learn that the payoff time for me for solar panels is a lengthy 12 years. I do think it might be worth it, but I’m still thinking on this one.
After that appointment, my mom and I were looking forward to a night flopped on the couch… until a few neighbors texted us to come join them at El Tapatio, the Mexican restaurant down the street, and we couldn’t resist. I’m really glad we didn’t – we had a wonderful night with them and their kids! And I made it to bed especially early after two of El Tapatios awesome margaritas 🙂
Good thing I went to bed so quickly, because Sunday morning we had an early start. At 6:30am, my mom and I hit the road and headed out west to the mountains, where I had arranged for her to get to see the new mountain house I have under contract. I won’t be closing till mid-November and taking possession till December 1st, so this was great to get to head back up and refresh myself with what it looked like! I was so excited to show it to her, and also needed to take some measurements of various rooms and figure out what furniture I’d be needing.
My mom took the wheel while I spent the drive trying to catch up on some work in the passenger seat… which was not quite as productive as I hoped. I ended up getting distracted by a Facebook post asking my opinion on something (as a candidate), and had to jump into that fray rather than focus on the task at hand. One thing’s for sure – I will be really happy when the election is over and I don’t have to feel pressured to respond to social media instantly! But I think I ended up answering well, and was happy with my response.
Once we got up to the Vail Valley, my mom and I had a lot of fun checking out the house and making a tactical list of all the furnishings I’ll need to get before taking possession. It’s not very big (only 1400 square feet), and the current owner has it furnished in a minimal style that I really like and am hoping to copy, so hopefully it won’t be too expensive to get it all set. I already have a few pieces I think will work, and will be scavenging consignment shops / Black Friday sales for the rest.
After our house tour was done, we headed down Main Street for brunch at The Turntable, one of the go-to restaurants in the tiny town. I got a southwestern twist on eggs benedict: crispy tamale cakes and poached eggs, topped with pork green chile. It was awesome! I can’t wait to have this as my regular breakfast spot before hitting the slopes for skiing… and with that kind of activity, I can even justify the delicious-sounding chicken and waffles or banana bread French toast. (Maybe.) But indulgent breakfasts or not, I’m getting excited for ski season!
We made the drive back to Superior after lunch, and then my mom spent the afternoon heading to a soil conference in Boulder while I wrapped up some work and packed for my last week of travel before the election. Eee – it’s almost here! Just ten days to go.