Colorado Trip - Denver

 (sculpture downtown Denver)

This past summer we took a family trip to Denver, Colorado. My husband is a pretty avid cyclist, and had decided he really wanted to bike to the top of Mount Evans. It is known for having the highest paved road in North America, and he wanted to take on the challenge. The more we talked about it, the more we realized it would be great to turn it into a family vacation so he would have us there for support.

We left on Sunday, June 3rd and began the 12 hour drive to Denver. Mike and I took turns driving until we were about twenty miles outside of Colby, Kansas where we dropped him off so he could bike the rest of the way into town. The kids and I drove to the hotel to check in and find some dinner for when he arrived.

The next day we drove the final four hours or so to Denver, where we were able to drop our luggage off at our Airbnb. It was a little early to completely check in, so we went to find lunch and see downtown. We had pizza at a little restaurant called Pronto, and then drove over to the capitol building.

We walked around inside for a bit and checked out the Senate and House of Representative rooms, but they were not in session. At that point we left the building and walked through Civic Center Park

(taking a break)

By this time we were all pretty hot and tired (Erin pretending to be passed out lol), so we decided to return to our Airbnb and officially check in.

Loved the house we picked out!

It was in a great location know as LoHi right by downtown. We decided to splurge a little on a three bedroom home with two baths so each of our kids could have their own room.

Living and Dining room area

Kitchen (refrigerator was right to the left) The owners even stocked it with some snacks and drinks.

Master bedroom with a huge walk in closet on the opposite wall and a door leading out to a deck with a view of downtown.

Upstairs bathroom

Erin was super happy with her bedroom and...

that it had it's own little writing desk where she could put her laptop. We also loved that it had a Frisco, Colorado print hanging above it which was going to be our next destination after Denver. But more on that to come later!

This was the downstairs bedroom off the kitchen where my son, who is a teenager, stayed. It had a door that led to the garage, and definitely gave him some privacy.

This house was such a good choice for our stay in Denver.

After resting for a little bit, we headed for dinner at the Ale House which was within walking distance of our house. It had pretty good food, and a great upstairs patio.

We decided to walk down to the river after dinner for a little bit before heading to Little Man Ice Cream.

It's a pretty popular ice cream place I had found on line knowing how much my husband and daughter love ice cream! The line was so long it was a 45 minute wait, but my family said it was worth it. We went back the next day in the afternoon and the line was quite a bit shorter. Evenings in the summer are typically pretty busy though.

And that was our first day in Denver. Up next Red Rocks Amphitheater!

Different Directions

My blog has not been something I post to regularly the past three or four years. I was on a roll again for awhile blogging a few times a month and then I decided to take this past summer off. Summers tend to be pretty busy for us and we did a lot of traveling this year as well.

I used to be an avid "blogger". I loved to read them and had quite a few I followed. I belonged to a fun community of women who supported each other and our blogs. And while writing posts can be a lot of work at times, I am so glad I have shared so many. I think the posts about our trips are my favorite. When I go back and read those posts, it's almost like reliving them a little bit all over again. They totally make blogging worth it for me!

I have had several discussions with friends about blogs lately. And the debate about whether or not people even read blogs anymore or whether they are worth it, is always happening in facebook groups and on the few message boards I participate in these days. With Instagram and Facebook being so quick and easy, many people have moved there to record their memories and share photos. And while I love to post on Instagram, I don't feel you can tell as much of the story there as you can on a blog!

I have had some friends and family tell me "oh I saw that on your blog", so I know someone is reading what I write here! But truthfully it's ok if only a few people see my posts, because I've never been one to seek a lot of attention through my blog writing.
Although if I recall correctly, I mainly started blogging for scrapbook design team purposes. It did bring in a larger audience at the time, but I left that world behind several years ago. My blog is for me these days, even if it just evolves into a place to write about our travels.

Because this is so me! I know I caught the travel bug last year in Europe. I used to laugh at that expression, but now I really think it's true. Some days it's all I can think about - where can we go next? It doesn't matter how big or small. Even adventures that just take us away for a day or two are fine with me.

If you are still reading my blog though, or even stumbled across this post accidentally, don't be shy and say Hi! And if you are still keeping up a blog, let me know and I will come by and return the favor. :) The blog community may not be as big or as popular as it once was, but there are still a few of us old timers here keeping it alive. And you never know, blogging may come back into fashion again, kind of like vinyl records. For those of us who listened to vinyl growing up, we've learned to never say never (lol).

Netflix Binging

Time for another "what I'm watching on Netflix" post!

I am all caught up on most of the shows I have been watching and mentioned in the past. (Supernatural, The Good Place, Riverdale and Stranger Things) So I decided to give a few other shows I've had in my watchlist a chance.

1. Once Upon a Time
I am completely addicted to this show! In fact, I blew through the first season in less then two weeks. I can't believe it has taken me this long to discover it! It is such a clever twist on fairy tales especially with the way they have brought them into modern times. Hopefully the rest of the seasons are as good as the first season. So far so good on the second season!

2. Haven
Being a Stephen King fan, especially of his earlier work, I decided to give this show a chance. It's loosely (very loosely) based on one of his novels called The Colorado Kid. In fact, it really doesn't have a lot to do with it. But there are a few fun references to some of his other work, which I like.

I wasn't too sure about this show at first. It kind of comes across as one of those cheesy made for tv movie series that doesn't always have the best special effects. It is growing on me though, mainly due to the mystery aspect. Every time I think I have things figured out, another twist is revealed. And I am really starting to like Audrey and Nathan, but the jury is still out on Duke. Something about him just bothers me.

3. Sabrina
Ok, not 100% sure I am going to stick with this show, but thought I'd give it more of a chance since I'm only one episode in. It's kind of a mix of Supernatural meets Riverdale. And as I look at the photo posted and see at the top "from the Executive Producers of Riverdale" I can see why (lol). This is another one of those CW teen type shows that I didn't think I would ever watch. But after finishing two seasons of Riverdale and being able to look past some of the unrealistic annoyances, I may be able to do that with this show. Time will tell. The only thing I'm kind of uncomfortable with is they pretty much associate witchcraft with satanism, and I'm pretty sure that is not the case.

4. Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee
I've always kind of loved Jerry Seinfeld. He definitely has a carefree attitude that I sometimes wish I could emulate. I like this show because it is a unique concept. But it's kind of hit or miss for me depending on the comedian he has on that episode. And frankly, some of the shows fall flat because Jerry and his guest don't have good rapport. It's still a fun watch for me though.

5. Norm Macdonald Has a Show
Another favorite comedian of mine has his own show on Netflix. I thought it was pretty funny in a typical Norm style. Definitely not for children! Most of his guests were great and I learned some interesting facts about a lot of them! I flew through Season One without even realizing it in less than a week. I guess I can actually add this show to my "all caught up list" because it's only one season so far. But since it's new, I thought I would mention it here.

For the record, I must add that I am not a lay around Netflix binger. I mostly watch these shows while I am cooking dinner, cleaning up the kitchen, folding laundry or working out on one of the cardio machines at the YMCA. If it's a quiet day at home, I might watch an episode in the afternoon before school pick ups. But otherwise I like to stay a little active during my TV time.

So between Once Upon a Time, Haven and Sabrina, I have plenty of episodes to keep me busy for a while. Now my husband and I just need to find another good show to watch together. We just finished Sense8, but are having a hard time settling on the next one. Any suggestions? :)