Colorado Getaway

I heart Colorado. I have loved it since childhood, when we'd take long family road trips there in the summer. And my love for it definitely grew during our three years of living there (see the Ode). The love lives on, of course, despite the fact that we live over a thousand miles away.

I was able to travel to Colorado this weekend. It was a very last minute decision. Jonathan had been planning on attending a conference there for months now. Since he was planning on spending 90% of his waking moments learning about sticking people with needles, I had originally planned to stay home. (More accurately, he learned "dry needling" or "intramuscular manual therapy". He is now the first PT in Spokane to know the technique, which is used frequently in CO and other states - as well as abroad. He learned about it for the first time during his internship in Australia).

After the events of the last few weeks, however, my husband insisted that I come along. He thought it might be a good opportunity to get away. The amazing flight/fare made it an easy decision. And so I went. And Clara came too, of course. Here are the highlights of our time in Rado (according to Clara)...

Flying on an airplane was pretty darn good. This time it was way more exciting since Clara knows about planes. She said airplane over and over as we flew. And we definitely broke the "binky in bed" rule for the trip. She was a championship companion, thankfully. This was huge since it was the first time I've dared take two flights alone with the bambino.

Time at my grammy's care center was special. She's suffering from Alzheimer's and just broke her hip. Despite all of this, we were happy to see her in such good spirits. She enjoyed time with Clara, even though I'm not sure she knew that she is her great granddaughter. It was still sweet seeing them together.

We had a lovely time staying with Jono's great aunt & uncle, Jack & Marj. I don't know how I managed to forget to take a picture of them. They're the greatest, and always graciously host us during our visits.

I got to see my dear friend, Katie. She is my teaching/coaching kindred spirit, and I could teach for 30+ years and never find another friend & coworker quite as dear. We grabbed coffee and went for a nice walk along a trail we used to bike.

Spending the day on Saturday with Hayley and her girls, Bella & Grace was wonderful. Of course I forgot to get a picture of Hayley. I took this one of the three girls as Hayley went to feed Joseph in the hospital. He's now tipping the scales at 5 pounds which is wonderful since he was born weighing 2.1 lbs at just 26 weeks. We love the Foresman family and I know they'd appreciate prayers for sweet Joseph's continued health and growth!

Sunday brought forth the A Team's day of adventure in the mountains. Andrea and I woke up early to make it for breakfast in Breckenridge at Daylight Donuts. Chocolate, maple & pumpin donuts + a split breakfast burrito = yum. Then we shopped at the outlets and took a two hour very bundled walk so that Clara could nap in the stroller. We swung by and saw a few of my all-time favorite students on the way back to my aunt Gayle's house that evening. The leaves in her yard were a 17 month old's paradise.

Then we were lucky enough to spend the rest of our time with Barry, Alyssa and Kendyl. We love being with them. Getting our girls together is a treat because they're right at the same stage and their interaction is so fun to watch. On Monday Alyssa & I took them to the Children's Museum and the girls loved it.

And I must include a few pictures from the Kendly/Clara baths. The girls were hysterical together in the bath. Check out the first picture of them both trying to climb in. That pretty much summarizes their enthusiasm.

As you can probably infer, I didn't get much quality Jonathan time. He was busy in class or studying most of the weekend. We did, however, get a great date out Friday night thanks to Jack & Marj. We went to a darling little restaurant just two blocks from our old place. Oh, how things have changed since we lived on Fillmore Street!

As you can probably tell, I'm glad I went. It ended up being a great weekend of reconnecting with family and friends. And Jonathan now has a special new skill. So if you live close and want someone to stick a few needles in your back (or arm, or leg, or shoulder, or neck), you know where to go. Even if it sounds a bit scary, I can assure you that Jono actually won 300 needles because he had the highest test + practical score of anyone in the conference. How many of you can say your husband has ever won 300 needles? Probably not many of you. Ha ;)!