Epic Summer Vacation, Part 2

The kids and I returned to Denver and rested for about 24 hours before packing the car back up for a trip to western Colorado to see Nate's dad and step mom for the Fourth of July. We left after work on Tuesday and stopped about halfway at what has become our favorite campground in Colorado. The kids are becoming expert campers. They both turn "on" when they're outside.

We took a short hike to a nearby stream and Benny was convinced that we could build a dam. When we deterred him from that activity, he decided that he could re-route the stream by creating some channels. Lila has gotten old enough to understand that getting in the water is a bad idea. So she putzed alongside her brother and collected rocks.

We've settled into a nice schedule when we visit western Colorado: swimming in the hot springs and dining and drinking on a rooftop patio. This year we also checked out the Montrose Fourth of July parade. The kids collected a handful of candy, which made it a success for everyone - despite the heat. Benny entered a rock painting competition and won first-prize for his masterpiece (a flag, of course).

Then Nate and I took a night off to backpack near Ouray. I haven't been backpacking in seven years (!). I'll write a separate post about it, but I'll preview the trip by saying WOW! I can't believe I waited so long to strap a pack to my back and explore.

The kids are staying with their grandparents for a week, so Nate and I got to drive home alone. It was a surprising treat to have the time to talk and snooze. Nate left for his annual boys' backpacking trip yesterday, so I have the rest of the week to myself, which a little like an extended vacation - to spend time in the house by myself.

Epic Summer Vacation, Part 1

Two weeks ago, the kids and I embarked on a mini-Midwest tour. We picked my mom up on the way. And then we all stayed with my sister and her family in eastern Nebraska. I left the kids and my mom in eastern Nebraska and drove Highway 20 straight into central Iowa for my annual girls' spring break weekend.

Before the festivities began, I got to catch up with S. from Simply Bike and Bobbie from Run Bobbie Run. While I met these ladies through their respective blogs, I am so glad I was able to spend time with them in person. Both ladies are active, healthy moms with lovely personalities. It was also a treat to visit with S. about academia and motherhood and what it all means. There aren't many women in my life who can relate to that. I even got to take a short bike ride with S.

dinner with S. and Bobbie // an #everydayonabike ride with S.
Katie and Jayne in downtown Des Moines // only missing one spring breaker this year

Then off to Des Moines for our wild girls' weekend. Every year, I meet up with three old, dear friends from Iowa State. We used to attach it to spring break vacation because for the longest time, at least one of us was still in school. Between the four of us, we have four bachelor's degrees, two PhDs, one JD, three husbands and five kids! Two of us own our small businesses. One lives in Minneapolis, one lives in San Francisco, one lives in SINGAPORE and I live in Denver (obviously). The fact that we still make it a priority to go on these girls' weekends is impressive and important. This year, we did miss one friend who had just had a baby the week before the trip. It wasn't the same without her there.

When we were younger - before kids and jobs and middle age - we used to party like we were on spring break. Dance and drink and dance. Stay up late, sleep in late. Over the years, our activities have changed a bit. This year, we got massages and pedicures, went out for a nice dinner and then had a drink or two back at the hotel. We still stayed up late, but we mostly just talked. And enjoyed each other and our vastly different lives. We spent Saturday doing just about the same thing, and also included a one-year-old birthday party in the festivities.

I woke up early on Sunday to head back to Nebraska to pick up the kids and my mom. The kids were happy and exhausted from a long weekend of playing with their cousins, swimming nearly everyday and generally enjoying not having a schedule. We made it back to Denver with a full 24 hours to spare before our next big road trip.

Canadian Wedding Weekend

On Thursday, we packed up and headed to Calgary for my brother's wedding. My baby brother's wedding. It seems so strange that my youngest brother is now married (he's 30, so he's not a baby any more).

Calgary is lovely this time of year. We decided to spend a morning exploring the city by bike. It was the  perfect family activity. Benny had a great time on a tag-a-long. He'd never ridden on one before.

Calgary has an extensive network of bike trails and routes. We ended up riding along the Bow River from downtown to the west of town. Since Benny was using a tag-a-long, we could ride much farther than if he had been on a bike. I knew it was a success when Benny told Nate that "this was a really good idea, Dad." Nate agreed.

My brother met his wife, Reny, at my other brother's wedding (in Edmonton). It was great to meet Reny's family and friends and celebrate throughout the weekend. I got to spend some time with the ladies of my family for sushi on Thursday night. We spent a majority of Friday afternoon and evening at the rehearsal and dinner, but I did manage to squeeze in a henna tattoo, courtesy of Reny's family.

The wedding was a unique mix of Catholic and Indian traditions and was one of the most interesting and beautiful weddings I've ever been to. But, Benny and Lila were in the wedding, so I didn't have a whole lot of time to take pictures. Lila wasn't too interested in sitting down.

Lila coloring during the ceremony // Benny and Lila - no words // the beautiful bride // our family

The weekend kicked off our summer travels. Next up, a tour of Nebraska, Iowa and western Colorado.

We had a really great time, despite some lack of sleep due to schedules that conflicted with nap time and bed time. Lila was a trooper until about five minutes before the plane landed yesterday. She crashed. Hard.

Turkey Day and Beyond

A lovely trip to western Colorado is coming to a close. It's been a great trip. The weather: Gorgeous. The food: Delicious. The company: Engaging. The views: Amazing.

We spent a day in Ouray, my favorite mountain town. I finished my Christmas shopping there (on Black Friday no less!) with the pride at shopping at small, local businesses. We capped the day off with a soak in the hot springs. Now that the kids are more active in the water, it was less of a soak and more of a work out, but a great time!

We'll get home just in time to put our Christmas tree up and start preparations for the next holiday. Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend!

On the Road

With two kids a five-hour trip turns into an overnighter. Don't ask me how that happens, but somehow three hours is our magic limit. And by magic limit I mean that we are able to avoid major meltdowns by plying our children with food after hour two.

On our way to Montrose for Thanksgiving, we stayed at a cheap motel in Buena Vista. At this point in our lives, luxury isn't a big sell. No, luxury holds nothing to an indoor pool. Lila spent most of the ride last night declaring, "I want to SWIM!" And so swim we did.

Both kids were beat after their time in the water. After about five minutes of cartoons on the TV, they were ready for bed.

And then we were off in the morning. By 10 a.m., both kids passed out in the car. Driving in the mountains is hard.

We stopped at the Black Canyon for a quick hike before continuing on to Montrose. Everyone was ready to see the grandparents and get out of the car.

The weather in Colorado is nothing short of amazing lately. I ran comfortably in shorts and a T-shirt this afternoon. Looking forward another long run tomorrow to make room for some turkey.

Looking forward to filling our bellies tomorrow. Happy Thanksgiving!

2012 Family Vaca

Gondola ride near Telluride

We stayed pretty close to home for this year's family vacation. We spent the holiday and the remainder of the week with Nate's dad and stepmom in Montrose. It was an action-packed, fun trip. We camped the first night out at a gorgeous, idyllic campground called Monarch Park between Salida and Gunnison. The kids did not disappoint in their camping skills.

On the Fourth of July, we woke up early to meet Mike and Katrina (Papa Knucks and Kat to the kids) for a boat ride on the Colorado River in the Black Canyon. Gorgeous scenery, only broken up a few times by a rambuncious toddler. We spent the better part of a day in Ouray, soaking up the rays at the Ouray Hot Springs and then ventured to Telluride for a ride on the gondola and lunch downtown.

Some of my favorite memories of this trip...
1. Benny and Lila entertaining each other in the back seat (Lila is forward-facing now - yeehaw!).
2. Lila chasing after the dog and cat telling them to "Come here."
3. Benny using goggles to dive under water by himself.
4. Benny eating like a champ for EVERY single meal.
5. Lila eating again in general.
6. Meandering down the Colorado River while Lila ran up and down the aisle on the boat with another rambuncious toddler.
7. Enjoying cooler temps and air conditioning.

This is the first year we won't be embarking on a longer trip to Iowa or taking a parent-only trip. There's really no reason other than our schedules filling up too fast and desiring to spend some more time camping in the mountains of Colorado. It doesn't hurt that it saves us money and time!

Westward Ho!

Over Father's Day, we made the trek to Nate's dad's new house in Montrose, Colorado. It's a relatively long (but gorgeous) drive to the western part of the state. We had a wonderful weekend and the the kids were just amazing. Nate's dad moved here from Iowa, so I suspect we'll be seeing much more of him and his wife. This is good for our kids. It will be nice for them to have both sets of grandparents so close.

We made a day trip up to Ouray, an absolutely lovely and picturesque town settled in a small canyon. We had hoped to take a dip in the hot springs. Unfortunately, the city was hosting a swimming meet there that day. Plan B included drinking craft beers on the rooftop of a fantastic little pub, with views of mountains all around. Everyone (especially Benny) was disappointed about the hot springs, but Plan B wasn't too shabby for the adults in the party.

Lila loves her papa

Long Weekend in Iowa

Wine and Waves

After several "takes" we finally got a good picture... See below.

Turns out that riding bikes and tasting wine is 1) fun and 2) tiring. We rode 25 miles this day and tasted at five wineries. I was tired and tipsy most of the day. We rode all around the Alexander Valley in Sonoma County. It was gorgeous!

Our lovely home for two days. We have some interesting stories from other guests.

These photos from our trip to California in early October are a tad bit late to arrive to the blog. It's been a crazy couple of months. We did have a nice time though. And, very surprisingly, we haven't had a drop of the 12 bottles of wine we brought home. That will probably change soon (between the terrible twos and the kitchen remodel, that is)!

The Big Trip

We had a lovely time in California. Here are a few pics that Smaifeld sent me. One is at the speakeasy ("anti-saloon league"). The other is of the morning after. We look surprisingly bright eyed after a night at the speakeasy. Once I finally upload photos of wine country, I'll post those too with more details of the fantastic trip!

CELEBRATE!

In about 12 hours, Nate and I will be taking off on our first adult-only trip since Benny was born (probably since he was conceived!). We are heading to San Francisco to spend some time with friends and to experience Sonoma wine country in all of its glory.

We have a lot to celebrate this week: I finished my dissertation and graduated, Nate passed the professional engineering test and is now an official P.E., and I got a job. And on top of all of that, we celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary in May (in September we celebrated being together for EIGHT years)! We have a beautiful, amazing son and a house that will be beautiful and amazing some day.

So, while Nana and Papa spoil Benny all week, we'll be spoiling ourselves. On the itinerary: Staying at a B & B in Healdsburg so we can bike around to different wineries and taste without risk of driving after too many tastings. Spending Friday and Saturday in the city, one of my favorite cities. We'll cap the trip off with an evening at a speakeasy with four friends. It's going to be great!

Family Vaca

Tomorrow we will embark on our first family vacation. We're visiting my aunt and uncle in northern California and meeting some friends along the way. For the most part, I think it will be an exciting adventure. We did run into a snag however. We're staying at Yosemite National Park for two nights and it turns out that the "heated" cabin we reserved doesn't have heat in the summertime (even though it still gets down to 30 degrees at night). I'm hard core and all, but Benny, well, he's not a hard-core bear... yet. I must admit, I'm a little nervous about that part of the adventure.

I'd like to blog while we're on vaca because I'm sure stories will abound. Not sure if we'll have a computer or access to the Internet. That seems weird to say because NOT having access to the internet or a computer is so uncommon these days. But I digress. I'll try to post stories. If I don't, wish us luck!!!