A WEEKEND IN COLORADO SPRINGS WITH MY BETSIES (NO, THAT'S NOT A TYPO!)

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 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 

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........

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.

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.

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.

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.  

  PIKE'S PEAK  

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. 

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.

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.

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.

View from Pike's Peak

View from Pike's Peak

Original Summit House built in 1873.

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. 😉

   US AIR FORCE ACADEMY    

 

Integrity First, Service Before Self, Excellence in All We Do. 

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.

Center for Character and Leadership Development

The eye-catching centerpiece of the campus 
is Cadet Chapel, an interfaith house of worship.

Cadet Chapel.

Cadet Chapel

Cadet Chapel

It was wonderful to spend a long weekend in Colorado with my squad.......
 a girls' getaway at its finest!

 

I 💖 my Betsies!

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