Our week there would be spent playing 'round the block hide and go seek', going downtown to get sodas from the real soda fountain at Woolworths, running all over town with my cousins Tony and Angie, spending nights at their house often, and watching Angie's softball games. Often I would stay a week or two longer and it is the memories from those trips that I will cherish forever. I remember one time staying the night with my Aunt Linda-I would have been about 9 yrs old-and we walked the two blocks or so to 7-11 for Big Gulps of soda and a huge bag of M&M's. Back at her house we snuggled up with her dobermans, Camille and I can't remember the other one's name, but both big dogs that looked really mean, but were sweethearts! We watched 'The Shining' that particular night-yes I was 9!!! It has been my favorite scary movie since. I hope we created some of those same cherished memories for our children on this trip-and I'm pretty sure we have.
Brian, Hailey, Ethan and I returned after 9 days, but we left Parker there with my Aunts Mici and Kathy-much like my old summers were spent. He is due to fly home this week, and in talking to him every night, I know this trip has been as great for him as my childhood ones were for me!
If I journaled every detail, I would need to write a book-so I have included some pics below I will write a short blurb about. Many, many more pics are on my facebook page though if you are bored!
Our trip began after I got off work early on a Thursday morning about 7am. Momma's new ride packed to the hilt with kids, suitcases, oxygen, wheelchair, cooler and Brian and I. Ethan made it about 30 minutes before the temper tantrums started, a trend which unfortunately lasted much of the trip. At one point I was ready to leave him on the side of I-70, but then we covered him with a blanket and turned on one of his CD's-must you ask who??? and he did ok. For a little while anyway.
We pulled into Thornton about 4pm and my Aunts were sitting in the garage with cold beers in hand. Really. Sitting outside in the garage and not melting from high temps and ungodly humidity. The weather was beautiful the entire time we were there! 70 degrees was the average, and on the days it actually hit 90+, the fact that there was no humidity made it oh, so wonderful!!
The busy trip began! Late night Thursday with dinner at a cool little brew pub with a gorgeous view of the mountains to the west! Then up late talking and planning what we wanted to do while there. I was really just so glad to be out of KC, I really didn't care what we did! Being with my awesome aunts made it even better!!
Friday we went to see my cousin Tony and he cut my hair and cut and colored Hailey's. Her first highlight ever!! She was so excited!
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Hailey's highlight self photo! |
Saturday night Brian and I had a date with my cousin Tony and his partner Jim. We first hit Hamburger Mary's for cocktails, then off to Pagliacci's for absolutely delicious Italian food. Then to Stueben's for after-dinner drinks. Stueben's has been visited by Guy Fieri and featured on 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives' and is unique bar/restaurant in a mechanic's garage! Our bartender was the very attractive Randy, along with equally gorgeous twin brother Ryan whom I let offer suggestions for my drinks. My first was great with ginger beer, and my second was made with Absinthe and tasted like 140 proof Good-n-Plenty box of candy in a glass! Needless to say we had two drinks there and headed home! Thanks for a great time Tony and Jim-we miss and love you guys bunches!
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| Amelia, Parker, Madison (the dog) and Olivia |
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| Aunt Jeanne and Oliva |
Sunday afternoon we had a BBQ with my Aunt Jeanne and cousin Angie, her hubby Dustin and kiddos Olivia and Amelia. Brian and Aunt Kathy made ribs, green chile, beef tenderloin, smoked chicken, corn salad, home-made salsa and I made 'summer beer' me and Aunt Mici to enjoy. For those of you who would like the recipe just email me-it's a fabulous summer twist on regular beer. All was going fantastic with a cornhole game, eating and enlightening conversation until a trip to the ER was needed for stitches for my cousin Amelia. She got a little too friendly with Madison the dog and sustained a bite worthy of 5 stitches to her cheek. Hence the bandaids on her cheek in the following pictures! In our family-it's simply not a party til a trip to the ER is made. At least this time it wasn't the bald kid!!
Monday we took a trip to Estes Park and up into Rocky Mountain National Park. Because Ethan is permanently disabled, he received a pass which entitles him, and his entire party, admittance to any National Park in the US free of charge forever. It was a lovely trip with the prettiest views ever! We were nervous about taking him up to that high an elevation, but figured now or never. Ethan is a member of our family and we didn't want to exclude him because of his oxygen need. We just packed extra O's and up we went. He had a meltdown at our first photo op, hence the picture of Brian holding him and the lovely temper tantrum, screaming look of pure pissed offness on his face. It was actually quite hysterical for us, and as we laughed harder at him, the more mad he got. We got to the top at Trail Ridge Store, an elevation of nearly 12,000 feet. I had to have the picture of him in front of the elevation sign. *many heart kids are not advised to travel to very high elevation, thus all the talk of elevation. We were actually advised to go no higher than 8500, but what the heck-thus the picture.
Anyway-he had another temper tantrum meltdown there so I grabbed him and high tailed him back to the car to warm him up-the temp up there was about 47 degrees. So here I am running across a football field length parking lot hauling his 36 lb skinny butt, an oxgyen tank, feeding bag and him wiggling all over the entire time making it quite difficult for me. By the time we reached the car, I needed to share Ethan's oxygen with him!!! I'm in much better shape than I was, but doing that at 12,000 feet proves to be quite a cardio work-out!
Down the mountain we went, passing snow still on the mountains, a herd of elk and a couple of huge Moose grazing in a field. Beautiful I tell you, simply God's country at it's finest. And the air was so clean and pure!
The rest of the week Ethan had appointments at Children's Hospital of Colorado, which were finished by mid-morning, so we filled the afternoons with trips to the Water Park-Hailey and Parker and Aunt Kathy that is. Brian and Mici and I took Ethan to the Denver Zoo!
We met my cousin Angie and her girls at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and toured the pirate exhibit. That night for dinner we hit Quaker Steak and Lube-a very cool bar/grill complete with a 100oz tube of beer called a 'lube tube'. Yep, we drank 3.....
We went to the Denver Aquarium and did the Coors Brewery Tour. Coors tour was neat-free and three free beers at the end of the tour! They are brewing pre-prohibition beer from a recipe used in 1919 that is only available at the brewery. It's called Batch 19, and my favorite by far! I can't wait for them to release it nationwide. If not, my Aunts will just have to make weekly trips to Golden and pick us up 6 pks to mail!! And get their three free beers.....
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| the kids and Sharky at the Denver Aquarium |
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| Amelia, Parker, Hailey, Olivia, Angie and Ethan at the Museum |
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| Arrgh, a pirate's life we lead..... |
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| There's his happy, smiling face. At the Coors Brewery of course, you can tell he's our kid!!! |
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| Batch 19, my new fave! Good thing I can't get it here in KC yet!! |
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| cute pic if the bald kid had been looking at the camera! We had a memory making, fabulous time, and are ready to move out there. Once Ethan got over himself and stopped having fits, oh, and pooped, he did so well with the easy to breathe in weather and cool nights. I miss everyone so much already, and appreciate the hospitality of my awesome Aunts Mici and Kathy for putting up with us and sharing such a memorable trip with us. And like all the other times I loaded up into a packed car and headed back to 'Kansas', tears were shed and promises were made to visit again soon. This time, I know we will keep that promise and go back to the gorgeous state of Colorado very soon!  I had to include this photo-jackholes who park in handicap parking without tags are my pet peeve!! I'm gonna make up cards that look like tickets with this picture on it and start putting them on folks cars who park there so they know who they took a spot from!!!! |
