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| Crystal Reservoir |
No, that is not a typo in the heading.
I specifically mean Betsies, not Besties,
although I am referring to a group of women
that I have a unique and special bond with.
Betsies is the plural of Betsy,
and now, lest you think I went to Colorado with a group of ladies all named Betsy,
please allow me to explain.
In my previous life, I was an executive at a popular television network.
I loved my job.
I must have.......I worked there for 32 years.
I must have.......I worked there for 32 years.
I was extremely career-driven, and wanted to advance.
Back around 15 years ago,
I heard about a program for executive women in the cable TV industry
I heard about a program for executive women in the cable TV industry
run by The Betsy Magness Leadership Institute.
It was highly competitive to get accepted,
and the application process was daunting.
But........I really wanted it.
And I think that passion came through on my application,
because lo and behold, they accepted me!
Suddenly, I was one of 25 women across the country
to be named as a Betsy Magness fellow.
These ladies and I spent several multi-day sessions together over the course of a year
honing our leadership skills through intense introspection.
There were times when even I didn't want to understand myself that thoroughly!
The culmination of the program included powerful,
yet gentle feedback that we gave to each other........
yet gentle feedback that we gave to each other........
insights that I continue to value to this day.
It was terrifying.
It was exhilarating.
It was draining.
It was invigorating.
It worked.
Soon after I completed the program,
I was promoted to a senior executive position
with more responsibility and a much larger staff.
It would not have happened had I not been a Betsy Magness fellow.
The 25 of us in the program became extremely close over that year,
and these woman will forever be known as my "Betsies."
They are some of the wisest, funniest, most giving women
I have ever had the honor to know.
They are some of the wisest, funniest, most giving women
I have ever had the honor to know.
In June 2018, twelve of us attended our third reunion,
this time in Colorado Springs.
We came from New Jersey, Connecticut, Georgia, Washington, DC, and California.
One came all the way from Germany with an infant.
We came from New Jersey, Connecticut, Georgia, Washington, DC, and California.
One came all the way from Germany with an infant.
I was a little nervous about going, since I'd left the industry
a few years back,
but I need not have worried.
Bonds are strong, and it was as if no time had passed.
We talked.
We laughed.
We drank.
We ate.
We explored.
We drank some more.
And we continued to offer support and advice to each other.
We talked.
We laughed.
We drank.
We ate.
We explored.
We drank some more.
And we continued to offer support and advice to each other.
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| Crystal Reservoir |
Over our three days in Colorado Springs,
We spent an afternoon at Pike's Peak......
a morning in Garden of the Gods,
and an afternoon at the Air Force Academy.
We arranged an afternoon tour with Manitou Springs Adventures,
as none of us had the stomach to do the driving up Pike's Peak Highway.
They took us up to the summit in jeeps, and I do mean up.......
and up.......
and up........14,115 feet to be exact.
We made tons of stops along the way to admire the scenery.
PIKE'S PEAK
as none of us had the stomach to do the driving up Pike's Peak Highway.
They took us up to the summit in jeeps, and I do mean up.......
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and up.......
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We made tons of stops along the way to admire the scenery.
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The views from the summit took our breath away........
and I mean that literally!
The air was so thin, it was hard to breathe,
and we all felt a little woozy at times.
No one had any serious problems, though.
We were intoxicated by the vista stretched out in front of us.
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| View from Pike's Peak |
In 1893, Katharine Lee Bates wrote America The Beautiful,
after her visit to the summit, inspired by the glorious views.
O beautiful for spacious skies
for amber waves of grain.
for purple mountain majesties
above the fruited plains.
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| View from Pike's Peak |
Since then, whenever I hear that song,
I visualize those mountain majesties and spacious skies that stretched out before us.
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| View from Pike's Peak |
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| View from Pike's Peak |
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| Original Summit House built in 1873. |
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| Original Summit House. |
GARDENS OF THE GODS
I must be truthful.......
It was HOT,
and I did not complete the hike to Garden of The Gods.
A couple of us turned back mid-way,
and surely missed some great photo opportunities.
In the heat of the moment (literally!)
I made a choice between continuing the hike,
or passing out on the trail.
In hindsight, I'm kind of bummed that I didn't stick it out.
Fainting seems a small price to pay for getting some amazing snaps. 😉
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US AIR FORCE ACADEMY
That's the motto of the Air Force Academy.
We watched a wonderful introductory video,
which brought us all to tears with the academy's mission:
"To educate, train, and inspire men and women to become leaders of character,
motivated to lead the US Air Force in service to our nation."
Integrity.
Service Before Self.
Leaders of character.
Yes, indeedy.......
what important traits to instill in our youth,
and those who represent our country.
There's an entire "wing" (pun intended!)
devoted to character and leadership development.
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| Center for Character and Leadership Development |
is Cadet Chapel, an interfaith house of worship.
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| Cadet Chapel. |
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| Cadet Chapel |
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| Cadet Chapel |
It was wonderful to spend a long weekend in Colorado with my squad.......
a girls' getaway at its finest!
a girls' getaway at its finest!
I 💖 my Betsies!
It sounds like the group of you had a great getaway to Colorado Spring. I enjoyed looking at the photos of your trip.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a wonderful trip and great group of ladies!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun trip and gorgeous scenery! I love those friendships that you can pick up as if no time has passed. They are friends for life.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous views, Amy. Looks like you had a great weekend with the Betsies. You should start a band.
ReplyDeleteAmalia
xo
This is fabulous, Amy. Wow -- talk about elevation! Those views are spectacular and the Air Force looks intriguing. But what I really love is connecting with these other women with whom you share such a big and important bond. There is something about having an experience like that in the long ago that is so significant that it binds the participants together, whether you knew each other at the time or met many moons beyond. It sounds like a remarkable experience to be part of that fellowship during a point in your career when it would really make a difference.
ReplyDeleteSuch a great trip and soooo beautiful too. I've heard high spots in the Colorado area can be an breathe issue.
ReplyDeleteYou saw beautiful sights.
Cindy
Amy, I think you know how very fortunate you are to have those connections. It’s rare when that many women forge such a strong, lasting bond. This trip was wonderful in so many ways, and I have to say I probably would have opted out from continuing on that climb too. Heat and I don’t get along, which is odd because here I am in NC lol.
ReplyDeleteHope this comment goes through. Google can be fickle. 🙄
It was fun to read this. I was at Colorado Springs in 2014. We drove up Pike's Peak and we hiked up the Manitou incline. My kids stayed back with their grandparents for the entire trip. My youngest was 2 years old and I was glad to make it up the Incline. It was in a sad state of disrepair and was being closed soon to be fixed.
ReplyDeleteWe saw the Garden of the Gods but did not do any hiking around it to speak of.
Crystal Reservoir and Pike's Peak were beautiful... it was a great experience.
Liberty @ B4andAfters.com
You truly did see majestic views all around you. Kind of makes you proud and humble at the same time, I would guess. What a rare thing to spend time with women who support and challenge each other. We sure need more of that happening and being passed along to girls just starting their careers.
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful, what a wonderful trip. Very nice.
ReplyDeleteWonderful trip and bond renewal.with your Betsies!
ReplyDeleteSomeone should take Donald Trump up there and show him those vistas, and explain to him that there is more to his country than strip mining and exploitation.
ReplyDelete