Maternity Shoot

I haven't blog much about my pregnancy, or at all. I thought I was going to be that girl who documented and shared everything, but unfortunatley life got a way from me.

 But I wanted to share how things have been going. I am currently 36 weeks pregnant and loving every minute of it. I've been busy,  and tired, but things couldn't be better!

I couldn't wait to get Maternity photos done and now that I look back I should've waited a bit, but I'm glad I didn't. At 32weeks, my wonderful and talented friend MaryKate Romagnoli was able to fit me into her busy schedule and snap some photos of us at Garden of the Gods.

I love this place. It just screams "COLORADO" to us!

Here's a few of my favorites! 

 

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El Santuario de Chimayo

El Santuario de Chimayó is a Roman Catholic church in Chimayó, New Mexico, United States. (Santuario is Spanish for "sanctuary".) This shrine, a National Historic Landmark, is famous for the story of its founding and as a contemporary pilgrimage site.

Situated in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the village of Chimayó, New Mexico is just 40 minutes from Santa Fe along The High Road to Taos Scenic Byway. This special place has known for its historic church also features several weaving shops and delectable food.

By then it will be time to reconnect and see why so many journey to Chimayó. El Santuario de Chimayó, is known for its side chapel where the dirt floor is reputed to have healing powers. You’ll want to see “el pocito”, the small pit of Holy Dirt many people claim possesses remarkable curative powers. Every Good Friday, tens of thousands of pilgrims make their way to this “Lourdes of the Southwest.” The santuario is open to visitors 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (October-April) and 9:00 am to 6:00 pm (May-September).

Legend has it that a guy found a shiny crucifix in the dirt and took it to the local friar. The next day, it disappeared from the friars place and reappeared at the same location where it was originally found. This process repeated itself several times until the man and friar decided to just build a chapel/shrine/church on the location where it was found. 

Later on, legend has it that miraculous healings happened in the area of the church. A room to the side of the church was built with an approximate 2 foot diameter hole in the foundation. 

In the hole, is dirt that is supposed to have healing powers and people/pilgrims can scoop up some to take with them. From what I read, the dirt is replaced several times a day and over a year, 25 to 30 tons of dirt is used.

It was such a cute stop off . If you're ever in the area it's something I would suggest stopping off at, if only to grab some healing dirt.

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Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, CO

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is the only mountainside zoo in America. It is located southwest of downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Cheyenne Mountain it has an elevation of 6,800 feet above sea level. 

The zoo covers 140 acres, only 40 of which are in use. It is located west of The Broadmoor resort along the slopes of Cheyenne Mountain's lower north end. The animal collection includes more than 750 animals, representing nearly 150 different species, with more than 30 endangered species. 

The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo was founded in 1926 by philanthropist, Spencer Penrose to house his growing collection of exotic animals. In 1938, after substantial development, Penrose incorporated the Zoo as a non-profit public trust to the people of Colorado Springs.

I'm not really a big fan of zoo's. BUT when searching for things o do in Colorado Springs, visiting the Cheyenne Mountain zoo, is a MUST. On Yelp or Tripadvisor it is in the top 5 of things to do. So after almost a year here, we decided to visit the zoo. I have to admit, it was worth it. I wish I would've waited until the "off" season, only because it was expensive. But the views from the zoo are totally worth it. 

My favorite part of the zoo was being able to feed the giraffes. Although you pay $3 for a little bit of lettuce, the lettuce looks just like the iceberg lettuce you can buy for $0.99 at the grocery store, we were told that the zookeeper's make sure the lettuce is washed properly without all that extra residue. It might just have been a ploy to make money, but I didn't want to risk the health of the animals.

 If you're visiting Colorado Springs, make sure to visit this zoo, after all a trip to Will Rogers Shrine is included with your admission!

Location: 4250 Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Rd, Colorado Springs, CO 80906

Hours: 9a-5p Daily

Cost: Depends on time of the year, Click Here for More info

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Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun, CO

If you're visiting the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, you'll be happy to know that included with your admission (the outragous price that it is) is admission to the Will Rogers Shrine. The Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun, also known as Will Rogers Shrine, is a commemorative tower and chapel on Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

 

It is named for Will Rogers, the American humorist, who died in a plane crash in Alaska in 1935 during construction of the shrine. It is also a tomb for the remains of Spencer Penrose – who built the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and The Broadmoor resort – and his wife Julie.

This historic monument is only 1.4 miles up the Russell Tutt Scenic Highway from the Zoo entrance. The Russell Tutt Scenic Highway, originally named the "Wonder Road" after its miraculous construction. A trip to the shrine is included in your Zoo admission for that day and is a 1.4 mile drive up from the Zoo's entrance. The only way to get up to the shrine is to drive yourself.

Checking out the shrine was something Drew has wanted to do since we arrived, so when we headed to the zoo, it was only fitting that we go up. Within the stone walls, there are statue's of Will Rogers, Chinese sculptures, and landscaping with plants native to the region.

The building is constructed of granite, steel, cement, iron and brass. Its roof was built of ceramic tile. There were no wood or nails in its construction. The interior has terrazzo floors, marble, and ironwork. Stairs lead to the upper floors. For me, the views were what made it worth it. I wasn't impressed with the tower, BUT I was impressed with the views we got from it!

It was something cool to check out on a Sunday (even though things are open in the States, we still have that European mentality) If you are not planning on visiting the zoo, I wouldn't suggest going up. Luckily your ticket is good for 2 weeks after your visit to the zoo!

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Ottawa, Canada

Back in July, over 4th of July weekend we headed up to Canada. I know it's very un-American. But technically July 1st is Canada Day, so it's North America's weekend! Last year Drew and I spent the weekend exploring Arizona (I would highly suggest it!) 

This year we decided to do something different. Since Drew has family in Canada, we talked about what would work best for us and decided back in January that we would go up to Canada for Canada day weekend, instead of going up for Christmas. Looks like it was a good choice, because come Christmas I won't be going anywhere.

It worked out in the long run for us, at the time I was only 18 weeks pregnant, barely showing and apparently the "perfect" travel time. It was the perfect time...I know now that I won't get on an airplane for the rest of this pregnancy.

Since we've both been to Ottawa before, we wanted to just spend the weekend relaxing, but we did spend a day playing tourist around the city. It was Canada Day after all!

We hit up the major sites, the downtown area, parliament, we even got to see the changing of the guards at their tomb of the unknown solider. I love being able to see the tombs in other countries. I feel like it's something we all have in common.

Most of the weekend was spent eating. When in Ottawa, a Beaver tail is a must.

A beaver tail is fried dough with toppings on it. There is a list of them, We picked the chocolate and maple syrup one (because you have to have maple syrup when you'er in Canada!) Seriously, it's so good you HAVE to try it.

One of the things I loved about Ottawa, was how much it reminded me of Europe. Maybe it was that old town feel, or it was probably just the market where people are outside all the time buying fresh fruits and veggies. But I think it was mostly the bakery. Walking into the bakery and smelling fresh bread and looking at the fresh pastries. I was drooling the whole time.

There were do many things to do and see while visiting Ottawa, fortunately we've already visited so we didn't play tourist as much as we usually do. But if you ever get the chance to visit. Ottawa is a must. It is Canada's capital after all!

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