We took a quick weekend trip to Colorado to celebrate Aunt Marlene’s 90th birthday. She’s a personal favorite of mine ever since I met her more than 20 years ago, so I was excited when we had a reason to make the trip to see her!
We took the last flight out of O'Hare on Thursday, an unusual airport for us as we typically take Southwest out of Midway. We ended up in parts of the airport I didn't know existed, and passed by planes that were boarding nonstop to Dubai with the most beautifully dressed flight attendants draped in authentic headdresses. Plane tracker Mason even got to see a one-of-a-kind aircraft parked at a nearby gate.
When in the Denver area, it is imperative that I carve out time to catch up with Jenni, so I did! We spent Friday together hiking around Red Rocks, telling stories, and laughing until tears were pouring down our faces. Our friendship lights up my soul! Our families caught up with us at her house where we burned the rest of the day in a flurry of activity, laughter, and conversation. Watching our kids pick up right where they last left off is a special bond that I love to watch. It was a dream day!
{The moment Jenni and I were "discovered." A random lady with a professional camera interrupted us while we were enjoying our picnic lunch. We were having a hard time sorting through her thick accent, so when she was describing the beautiful scenery, we thought she wanted us to get off the rock so she could take a picture. Turns out she wanted us in the picture because she liked how the backs of our bodies looked against the backdrop. After she took our picture, we asked that she take one for us with the front of our bodies facing the camera...}
As luck would have it a solar eclipse was also happening on that mostly sunny Saturday, and Colorado was in the direct path. Mason—who couldn’t manage to pack sneakers—packed our eclipse glasses so everyone was able to view the 80% total eclipse!
Then off to celebrate Marlene with a lunch party! The thing about parties is that conversations become difficult, so I was so happy when we were able to hang out at her house for a few hours the next day and enjoy each other’s company.
Sunday was the one day with no planned activities, so we traveled down to Garden of the Gods and hiked a few trails. While beautiful, it was slightly disappointing after having seen Arches last summer. Jacob and I agreed that when in Colorado, one must focus all hiking within the beautiful stream-lined forests of the Rockies. But being able to see something for the first time is still a great experience, so I am glad we made the trip.
On the way back to Littleton, we stopped at the Air Force Academy where Mason was able to see an alternative way to break into the flight industry. Seems like a no-go for him, but he did walk away with a souvenir t-shirt.
Up early to catch an 8:20 flight on Monday and back to sport activities by mid-afternoon. The world keeps turning!
Camryn has finally joined her first organized sport of her choosing--competitive cheerleading. She LOVES it! It comes as no surprise that she is a flyer, and she has learned so much in the few months that she has been doing it. She practices four hours a week, with an extra 3-hour long practice twice monthly. It's a huge time suck as the gym is roughly 30 minutes away from our house, but she wanted to be serious about it, so here we are. Competition season will be ramping up next month--I have already booked rooms at the Dells and in Indy. Her team is expected to qualify for Florida in April, so I guess we could be traveling to Disney at some point as well. Spectators are not allowed at practice except for scheduled drop-ins, so it will be exciting to see the routine her group has worked so hard on!
When not at cheer practice, Camryn can almost always be seen in our family room choreographing routines, tumbling, using stools as her bases, and tossing around her stunt flyer "Maddie"--an apple juice jug half-filled with water. Her dedication and imagination impress me daily!
