Another beautiful Colorado summer has come and gone and somehow we are well on our way through Fall already - Jeremiah’s favorite season! Per usual we have done our very best to take advantage of the beautiful weather and mountains this summer and beginning of fall. But first, rewinding a bit, we kicked off summer with a trip to AZ over memorial day weekend! It was a blast and as it always is on our trips to AZ, packed full. I helped put on my sister Emily’s bridal shower and bachelorette party, and managed to squeeze in some other family and friends time. The bridal shower was actually held in the same place mine was, but this time fit to Emily's style including all family china and glasses to be more eco-friendly, some simple games/activities, and delicious food! One fun/unique thing is that all of us had our mothers-in-law present at the shower and my sister-in-law had her mom, so it was one big family gathering! The bachelorette party was a blast and complete with a stay at an Airbnb in Scottsdale, a cocktail-making class, dinner at Culinary Dropout, and plenty of pool/hot tub time. I think Emily really enjoyed it as well, which is the main thing! She even used one of the cocktails from our class as a signature drink at their wedding.
This summer’s adventures consisted of our first CO backpacking experience with Mount of the Holy Cross 14er. We hiked in 3 miles, camped, and hiked 3 miles more to the summit the next day and 6 miles all the way out also on the second day. We had a pretty sweet set-up complete with hammock and camping chairs despite backpacking in. Only downer was a ton of mosquitoes at the campsite, but other than that it was an awesome experience! We also hiked Gray’s and Torrey’s peaks to complete a nice sounding 14 14ers. We had previously done Gray’s peak but due to weather had to descend before being able to double summit. This time it was still pretty unpleasantly cold, windy weather, but not bad enough to keep us from double summiting! We also did another little camping weekend and hike down near Woodland Park in Colorado Springs, which was simple and fun. And another gorgeous alpine lake hike near Arapaho Pass that was shockingly quiet and the clouds were hanging really low so it felt like you were kind of hiking through them. So that was another really great hiking day.
Also back in May and June two not so pleasant things happened… One, I had to have a small surgery - a gum graft. Does not sound pleasant but was actually way easier than I expected! Hopefully I don’t have to have any more, but it seems like there may be a small genetic tie and be somewhat a function of the orthodontics I’ve had. But glad it wasn’t bad, and at least now I know a good periodontist in Denver! The second was that my car was stolen. Yep, you heard that right! My whole car was stolen out of our apartment complex parking lot sometime between 8 pm on Sunday night and 7 am Monday morning. My parents were in town which was really helpful to navigate the situation with their guidance, but it was certainly not fun! The car did show up 3 days later abandoned after being in some sort of accident, and it was unfortunately counted as a total loss by insurance. So insurance gave us an estimate that we did not like as it was extremely low, so we had to go to battle with them, ended up getting a decent amount more money for a new car. And then shortly after that we went and bought a new car! We got the same type of car, a Kia Sorento, but got a little bit newer (2019) with fewer miles on it so it made it feel a little more worthwhile, if you can call it that. We also bought one of those bars that locks into the steering wheel when you are not using the car in the hopes that that would slow someone down enough to make them think twice about stealing this! Also I just have to say, the car was locked and nothing was visible inside of it, sooo it was just some very bad luck.
In July we did another quick weekend road trip to Kansas to visit Jeremiah’s grandparents, and aunt and uncle, while his mom and cousin also were in town! The weather that weekend was awesome so we pretty much spent the whole weekend outside just catching up and then jet skiing on a nearby lake as well!
In September was Emily and Bobby’s wedding! They got engaged back in the beginning of 2021 and decided to get married in Upstate NY near where I am originally from and where most of our extended family still live. The venue itself was in Skaneateles, NY surrounded by big green trees and fields, perfectly quiet and beautiful weather. It was just a gorgeous, happy weekend! We kicked it off with a cousins’ dinner in Rochester, stopped by my grandma’s apartment to see her finally after a year and a half, followed by a trip to the zoo for me and golfing with the boys for Jeremiah… We also mini golfed, ate hot dogs, pizza, and ice cream, among other treats! The rehearsal was smooth followed by a delicious and beautiful rehearsal brunch at an old inn in Skaneateles. My whole family stayed in a big Airbnb and despite the chaos it was so much fun to have us all under one roof and really special the night before the wedding to stay up late all catching up and talking after the kids went to bed. I cherish those moments so much, and to have a few opportunities like that in one weekend was just the best. Though since I am one of the ones without kids yet perhaps my brother or sister with kids has a different perspective on being in one house all weekend… So on the wedding day we got ready right in the Airbnb which just felt really casual and relaxed which was awesome! We did nails, hair, and makeup and suddenly it was time to get in the car and go to the venue! My brother-in-law George officiated and did an awesome job of making it both funny and heartfelt and Emily and Bobby shared personalized vows which were really beautiful. Emily of course looked absolutely beautiful too! We haven’t seen the professional photos yet, but I can’t wait! All 6 nieces and nephews were in the wedding and all did great! Mae, the littlest, was a little restless and took some bribing, but overall she did awesome. The reception was a ton of fun, dancing, speeches, catching up with family and friends, and some delicious apple desserts deserve a shout out as well! Jeremiah’s family was even able to make it out to NY for the wedding so that was nice to have them there. We got brunch with them the next day so we were able to catch up with them too! The days after the wedding we went to my Aunt and Uncle’s lake house, which just always makes the summer feel complete. We also went to a celebration of life for my Great Uncle Jack, and enjoyed apple cider and apple cider donuts at Kelly’s Apple Farm. YUM! It was definitely a highlight of the year, and I highly recommend if you have never been to the Finger Lakes Region of NY to make a point to visit some day!
To kick off fall we did a quick road trip into Aspen where we hiked for our second time to the Maroon Bells. The drive in to Aspen is gorgeous on Independence Pass where you really feel immersed in the fall colors. And then of course the Maroon Bells are a gorgeous backdrop to the fall colors as well. On the car ride we even got pumpkin chai teas from Starbucks to really complete the fall feel! After wandering through the town of Aspen just a bit we headed out to find a campsite just off of the Colorado River near Gypsum, CO. It was a great impromptu campsite and the stars that night were probably the best either of us had ever seen! The following Sunday morning we drove in to Beaver Creek Resort and hiked to Beaver Lake which we had also previously done, but this time, with (what else?) fall colors!
The Dwights visited for a quick weekend in the beginning of October. We drove down to Manitou Springs with them and explored the town, wandering in and out of shops, went to a delicious brewery for dinner, and watched the Muppets Haunted Mansion! Since they/we are a Disney-loving family and know that particular ride so well it was fun to see what the Muppets did with it. Also of note, I somehow convinced them to try my favorite Vegan dessert place? And they actually liked it?? It’s hard not to like a blizzard-type dessert though… Jeremiah and Nathan of course snuck in some time for video games as well and we all had plenty of great conversation together, even if it was a quick weekend!
Just last weekend we worked out the time to do a 4-day trip to Ouray and Telluride in Southwest Colorado. The San Juan mountain range is absolutely gorgeous and was made even more so by the fact that it was snow-dusted just in time for us to visit! We stayed in Ouray and visited Telluride. Though they are physically close it does take an hour to get between the two because of how the towns are situated among the mountains. So we did two hikes in Telluride one day, both to waterfalls, and one hike between the two towns the following day to a beautiful alpine lake. The hikes were a little slow going because of the recent snow, but well worth it, and because it was kind of off-season, the trails were very quiet as well which is always nice! The rest of that weekend we enjoyed just wandering the towns, went to natural hot springs, and had a nice time just relaxing off of work!
Something very exciting that is coming up next year is a trip to Italy in March/April 2022! We booked flights for that trip (and travel insurance), a couple of months ago and we are sooo excited. We are going with our best friends Tommy and Emily so planning is well underway and we are just really hoping that it can happen smoothly despite never quite knowing what might happen with Covid. So, perhaps, cautiously optimistic I will say. It has already been 6 years since we went to Europe last so we cannot wait to get back there for 2 weeks in Italy! Maybe we will try to write a post for each town we visit kind of like we did on our last trip, but we will see…
Other events of note include Avery brewery for our anniversary dinner, a day of golfing for my anniversary gift to Jeremiah, a Rockies game, face timing and virtual chocolate tasting with Scott and Liz who moved to Grand Rapids, MI back in February, picnic and games in the park with our friends Lexy and Jared and Mel and Mason, and a fun night of food and drinks with Jeremiah’s coworkers at a food hall near his work.
Other things we have been up to include lots and lots of football watching (Go Cardinals! Go Devils!), regular Facetiming with Tommy and Emily, many a small group meeting, volunteering at church in the preschool for me and as a buddy for a boy with Autism for Jeremiah, puzzles, tv shows, and working through the Marvel movies in chronological order (though we are only 4 in, soo…).
In between our fun and adventures of course there is work, but really no big updates on that front! Jeremiah loves his job and coworkers at Stryker, and having recently met many of his coworkers I understand why! And I am working at University of Colorado which has been going well for me. In fact, I am at a training currently in Richmond, VA as part of my job which is kind of exciting traveling for work! Never thought I would be doing that!
Jeremiah and I are so thankful for so many opportunities to travel, enjoy fun activities right near our home, spend time with friends and family, and just really try to treasure the present. We have so many fun things on the horizon, which you can always read about on here... approximately 6 months after they actually take place!
