Skip to main content

Summer part three...Colorado!

 


I did it! We did it! Our road trip to Colorado was a complete success. It was actually magical. Honestly, I haven't blogged about it because it's hard to put into words. I'm going to do a quick day-by-day account of what we did, and hope it doesn't take the magic away. We took over 200 photos of so many moments. And I didn't share much on social media because I was savoring the moments for ourselves. 

In a nutshell...

Day 1: 

Saturday, July 30-left home and arrived in Lubbock at 5:00 p.m., 6 hours of driving. Explored the city and Texas Tech. 




Day 2: 

Sunday, July 31-Lubbock to Estes Park, Colorado arrived at 7:45 p.m., 10 hours of driving. Cried tears of joy to see our adorable cottage and lodge. Ate at Boss Burgers and Gyros and grabbed some groceries at the local Safeway. 













Day 3: 

Monday, August 1-Slow morning at the cottage, made breakfast and packed a picnic. Headed to Rocky Mountain National Park for 6.5 miles of hiking. Exhausting and exhilarating! Dinner again at Boss Burgers and Gyros because the kids loved it so much. We got it to go and ate on the great patio at the Lodge. 










Day 4:

Tuesday, August 2- Jonas and Lorelei started their day with a hot tub trip. It was the only time to squeeze it in. Then we adventured around Estes Park: coffee, souvenirs shopping, mountain coaster, and great food. I even ran into a previous student from Wernli in front of the Estes Park Town Hall. We drove into Denver around 6:00 to pick up John and headed to our next hotel in Littleton, Colorado the city where John and I lived for a year in 1997. We grabbed dinner and relaxed at the hotel. The kids went for a late swim. 












Day 5: 

Wednesday, August 3-Breakfast at the hotel (it was awful!). We drove around Littleton to show the kids where we used to live. We went to Red Rocks for the afternoon. We had lunch at the best little grill right in the Red Rocks Amphitheater. We headed to Colorado Springs. We arrived at a really unique hotel, called The Academy. We settled in, relaxed, had appetizers in the hotel restaurant, and went for ice cream. 













Day 6:

Thursday, August 4-After an amazing breakfast, we hit the road home. John drove the whole way. We arrived home at 1:00 a.m., safe and sound. 






Since we've been home we've been squeezing in all those last-minute back-to-school things, like doctor's appointments, haircuts, organizing, lunch with friends, quick visits with family, diving, etc. 










Jonas went camping with friends, Lorelei saw Mean Girls with Brieley and we made a quick trip to Austin one last time to see Savannah and Emily and their new puppy Rio before school starts. We squeezed in a lot of fun, in a very short time in Austin.





We went to IKEA too for some things for their apartment. What a hoot that was!










I'm super sad to see summer end, right when I was getting the hang of relaxing and living in the moment. Seems like it takes me the whole summer to wrap my head around that concept, and when I finally do, it's over. When will I learn!?! 

Back to school starts tomorrow...ready or not!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Back-to-school 2024

  I've been avoiding writing again. If I write about back-to-school, I must admit how hard things have been.  My heart has been broken by the harsh reality that my children are grown up. Being a teacher during back-to-school is easy for me. I'm a pro at that. My ELA buddy teacher even told me I could do it in my sleep. But facing the challenges of parenting young adults making major life transitions pulls at my heartstrings.  This school year, I only have two active students right now, and Bailey is in the works for a return to Texas Tech in the Spring semester. Lorelei started back first. She's a Senior! She had her first college visit at the beginning of August and most likely her last! She loved Texas State.   This was followed by Senior pictures.  We grabbed some sushi from our favorite restaurant after.  Then it was Senior Sunrise and the first day of school for her.  My first days back were great. I always enjoy reuniting with my team and We...

Chasing fireflies...Spring of 2024

In April, while in Austin, I was enchanted to see an abundance of fireflies in Savannah's backyard. It brought tears to my eyes, not only because I find fireflies (or lightning bugs as we called them in the Midwest) intriguing and nostalgic, but because it was so fitting for where the Boyen Bunch is in life right now. After several attempts of "chasing" these fireflies with my camera, I captured a picture of one bright one lit up. Nature imitates life. The milestones my kids are reaching this spring are life-changing! The idiom chasing fireflies means chasing dreams, moments, and experiences that are captivating and elusive. We have two graduates this year. Savannah graduated from UT and Jonas graduates today from Comm. Arts HS. The moments this spring are fleeting, just like the light of a firefly. Here one moment and gone the next... I have referred to May as Mayhem for years (not claiming the idea, just saying I've been using this term for a bit). I have many previ...

Roaring 20s~Boyen Bunch Style!

Is it just me, or were your 20s the best time in your life? The things I did in my 20s were memorable, adventurous, and not too crazy, but life-changing.   Here's my 20's list of accomplishments: I graduated from college with a BAE and an M.Ed.  I got my first real job (and three more teaching jobs to follow). I got married. We had the best time exploring the world together.  I moved more times than I can count, from Florida to Denver, to Houston, to finally settling and buying our first house in San Antonio. I was active: biking, hiking, snowboarding, playing tennis, and more. I made so many meaningful friendships and connections. I had not one but two kids! I had both Bailey and Savannah in my 20s!  I sure squeezed a lot into that decade. Looking back now, I cherish those years. But you know what maybe even a little more fun? Reliving your 20s at 50+ with your young adult kids.  Savannah has been living it up! She got a job she loves, her own place, and many g...