birthday

42 for my 42nd

42 for my 42nd

Romey

Today is my last day of being 41 and after celebrating my last birthday with a drum cover, I decided to go back to biking to mark the completion of my 42nd year on Earth.

Back in 2020, I rode 39 miles for my 39th birthday. For this year, I marked the occasion by adding three miles. While I rode to Greeley in 2020, I opted to stay in town and do some laps around Windsor using the Poudre River Trail and the other great bike trails here in Windsor. Many great bike trails fell victim to our rainy June, but I was certain of the Windsor trail conditions. I also wanted to invite friends to join me, and figured people might be willing to join me for part of the ride if they didn’t have to worry about getting there and back.

A map of Windsor, Colorado, showing a bike route imposed on it, using red lines, along the trail, forming a connected shape.

I rode the “Windsor Loop” three times today, which spans about 13 miles each time. I also rode an additional 3 miles to meet up with my friends and back home. In the end, I rode 43.1 miles.

I departed my house at 7am and headed up to meet my friends Brett, Joanna, and Julia. With the highs in the upper 80’s, we were anxious to start early and beat the heat as much as possible. We headed out and started our first loop around Windsor, then stopped at Windsor Lake Coffee, where we met up with Shannon and her son. We did our second loop around Windsor, ending at my house to change my GoPro battery and re-apply sunscreen. Our final lap consisted of riding the Windsor Loop in the opposite direction, with me doing the last 1.5 miles on my own.

I got to capture a few fun pictures of the day:

Finally, I played with my GoPro’s Timelapse mode and constructed a video of part of the ride. There were certain points when the battery died, as well as times when the camera mount slouched toward the road, but it does a great job showcasing some of the great trails in my community!

Overall, I’m very blessed to be able to ride as far as I did, along with such amazing company along the journey. Here’s to 42!

Why I haven’t written: Part 2–Clara’s First Birthday

Jeromey Balderrama

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The weekend after returning from our SOB trip was the celebration of Clara’s first birthday.  I used to think it was funny to spend all of this time and energy to plan a party that your kid won’t ever remember, but sure enough when Clara’s first rolled around we wouldn’t have it any other way.  We decided to plan a party around her favorite song, “Old McDonald”, going with the farm theme.  Bethany put a ton of work into the party with features like a fruit stand, goodie bags with cowboy hats and bandanas.

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We had a lot of fun putting together some mementos like her “year of firsts” chart, as well as a picture from each month of her life.

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Clara had her first taste of something sweet at her party, devouring her Little Piggy cake that her mom made for her. When we set the cake in front of her, she didn’t quite know what to do with it at first.  After giving her a little dollop of the frosting, she went to down and devoured it with both hands.

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We also featured a piñata at her party, but Clara’s first inclination was to ride it.

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After two rounds of kids hitting it, the piñata finally broke open and gave way all of it’s candy.

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Thank you to everyone who helped make Clara’s day so special!

Celebrating 31

Jeromey Balderrama

After the big festivities of my 30th birthday, I didn’t think 31 would amount to much, but thanks to my family and friends, I was proven wrong and had an awesome day.

My schedule had me starting my day bright and early, but Bethany woke up early and made me a special birthday breakfast of stuffed french toast.

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We’re actually visiting Bethany’s family in Durango this week, which meant that I could be spoiled by going to one of my favorite places in Durango: Serious Texas BBQ.

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My birthday evening kicked off with a fancy dinner at a great restaurant called Ken & Sue’s, where I was able to enjoy a great steak and a birthday cake martini.

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But the ultimate end to my special day was brought to me by my lovely wife, who slaved through the day and made me an awesome cake! She was so clever that she actually incorporated my gift into the cake – I was completely surprised by both!

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I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday, especially since one of our gifts came a little early – in the form of a new buyer for our house. We’re back under contract!

Also above all, I was touched by all of the family and friends who called me, texted me, Facebooked me, giving me warm birthday wishes! I am thankful to have all of you in my life! Here’s to making the next year better than the last!

Birthday & Independence Day Pics!

Jeromey Balderrama

I’m sorry I didn’t get around to posting these before!  I had an amazing 3-day weekend, which started off early on Thursday with my 27th birthday!

Bethany managed to keep my birthday surprise up to the last minute, and revealed that she got us a couples massage at a spa. I never received a professional massage before, and it was truly an amazing experience.  We were both worries that nerves would get the better of me, but I managed to relax and get the most out of the massage.

Afterwards we met up with my family and had martinis at Eliot’s in downtown Fort Collins, then walked over to meet up with Bethany’s family at the Melting Pot for Cheese & Dessert. We had a blast at both places, I had an amazing birthday!

Here are pictures to share – you can also view them at your own pace.

On Friday our families went down to enjoy the 4th at the Rockies Game.  We gathered materials for tailgating/picnic beforehand at a park, then walked over to the stadium to watch a shoot-out between the Rockies and Marlines – with the Rockies winning!  The night was completed with some amazing fireworks!

Pictures from the 4th (or view them at your own pace):