I figured I'd give y'all a quick update on life the past few weeks. It has been weird not blogging. I mean, if I don't blog about it did it really even happen? ;)
Denver
We spent a full week in Parker, CO which is a suburb of Denver. We had a blast staying with my family there and spent much of our time visiting with them and playing games with my cousins.
Our first full day there we ventured over to Castle Rock and hiked the Devil's Head trail which ended at the fire tower lookout. The hike was just short of 3 miles roundtrip and took us just shy of two hours. It was a great hike and took us through tall aspens, by some near rock formations, and up to the fire tower were you could get 360 degree views of mountains. Unfortunately for us though that it was pretty foggy when we got to the top so we couldn't see very far. After we got back down we were shocked to discover the battery in the car had died, and with virtually no cell phone signal we were in a bit of a pickle. Luckily a family of hikers came down not too far behind us and they were able to get us jumped and on our way. Whew! Later that evening Matt and I went downtown to meet up with some of our Denver friends at Lodo's near the baseball stadium. We had a lot of fun and really enjoyed catching up with people. First day was a total success!
We had another big day the next day. We started off by going to the Aurora Reservoir with my aunt and the kids and I got to try stand-up paddle boarding for the first time! It was easier then expected and we all enjoyed paddling around the reservoir for a while and watching the boys trying to push each other off. That evening we all loaded up and met my Uncle Tad out at the Rockies game which was a ton of fun. We shared drinks and peanuts and got to watch the home team get a victory!
Saturday was mostly a lazy day but we did make it out to the gun range with my Uncle Tony so that was fun. That evening we had some other cousins and their little girls join us for a dinner so we had a fun time visiting with them!
Sunday we drove out to Red Rocks amphitheater. It's such a beautiful venue! We enjoyed the scenery while we watched an a capella group practice and the exercise enthusiasts run up and down the stairs. Then we grabbed some delicious pizza at Beau Jo's in Evergreen.
Our last day in Colorado we went down to Colorado Springs. We decided to go up to the top of Pike's Peak which turned into an adventure! When we got to the top we again had some unfortunate luck with the visibility, but we snapped some pictures and headed back down. Then a sudden afternoon storm kicked in and there was lightning all around us and hail raining down on us! That made driving down those curvy roads a bit more interesting, and I was also fretting about the hail damaging my aunt's brand new car! But we luckily got all the way down unscathed. We also got to drive through the Garden of the God's and admire all of the cool red rock formations, but since it was raining we didn't get out to walk around.
After a week we sadly had to leave; the kids were starting school and we needed to head east to see more family. I got to drive for the first time since February! I insisted on driving once we got to Kansas and I really enjoyed it since it had been so long. We made it the hours all the way to Wilson, KS where we stayed the next two nights with my grandma!
Wilson
We only had one full day in Wilson so we took advantage and did all the touristy things that we generally never make time for. Zuzu (that's my nickname for my grandma) first took us out to Wilson Lake, which Matt had never been to. We drove around a bit out there; it's such a nice lake! Then we went into the town of Wilson, which is where Zuzu grew up and where my mom and aunt went to school. While there we got to see the World's Largest Czech Egg! That was pretty cool; I'd seen it before many times but this was the first time I'd seen it completed. Then we took a tour of the historic Midland Railroad Hotel which was awesome! I'd never actually been inside before so it was really cool to see some of the unique rooms all with custom furniture. It would be a very quaint place to stay! Our last stop in town before heading back to the farm was to grab lunch at the local Snack Shack for delicious burgers and shakes! We spent the rest of the time there visiting with Zuzu and doing a few chores around the house for her. She made all my favorite food for us, including peach pie, roast with mashed potatoes and sauerkraut, and kolaches!
Coffeyville
We arrived in Coffeyville the next day and spent an entire week there during the annual Fair and Rodeo. It was so great to finally be home and it was the first time seeing my dad since February! We spent a lot of quality time with my parents visiting, sharing pictures, and doing chores around the house. I also got to see a ton of friends and eat at all of my favorite hometown restaurants. We went to the fair almost every evening and saw the demo derby, monster trucks, bull riding, rodeo, and LoCash in concert. I don't remember the last time I was able to spend a whole week at home and it was awfully hard to leave! My mom also spoiled us with all the best foods while we were there, including homemade salsa, homemade pickles, steak, stuffed peppers, and even homemade vanilla bean ice cream (made my Mark Jackson, which he promised to make me if I made it back home safely!)
Now I've made it all of the way to the other side of the country and I'm spending some time in South Carolina with one of my best friends! And luckily for me, I've made it just in time to see the eclipse tomorrow!
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