Summer Time: Chapter 7: Fort Collins, CO

Our final stop was Fort Collins, CO where Chris' folks are.  While here we have been able to camp, fish, eat great meals on the patio, and enjoying catching up.

Chris' brother, Paul, and his fiance, Brooke, came into town for the weekend and we had to make a stop in Boulder since three of us are CU grads!

Again, we have both families in town and are soaking up our last moments with them.

A trip to the children's garden with our niece, and a final jeep ride to downtown.

We leave tomorrow for our flight back to Cambodia and have spent our last few days packing, eating, and doing more packing.  The summer has been unforgetable and we can't believe all we have been able to do and see in 8 short weeks.  However, we do look forward to getting back to Phnom Penh and resuming our roles there. More to come on our thoughts as we transition back to Asia...

Summer Time: Chapter 6: Denver, CO

We can't spend a summer in Colorado and not go to a Rockies Game...so we at least got one in.  We spent the evening with Jeff and Amy Youngstrom and the Klakulak family.  It was awesome.

For the last week we have been staying with Shane and Lauren Harris' new house in Parker.  We have LOVED our relaxed time with them and the long hours we have had to reconnect.  Highlights for us have been the wonderful meals and drinks we have eaten on their back patio in the perfect CO nights.  However, one evening we headed to the batting cages in town and had a great time to say the least.  I haven't laughed so hard in a long time, as we watched the boys try to hit fast balls.

My stance isn't nearly of that of the Rockies.

The grand finale of our time with Shane and Lauren was going to the Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney concert at Mile High. We each walked away saying, "I have never been to a concert as good as that.  That was so entertaining!"  It truly was a summer highlight and something we won't forget.

Tim and Kenny didn't disappoint with their great music and wonderful cowboy attire!

Summer Time: Chapter 5: Denver, CO

As we left our time in Golden with the Williams we got in one last bike ride through Glenwood Springs Canyon.  And one last paddle boarding session.

We even got good enough to be able to do hand stands!

For both Sky and Chris' birthday we did the Coors Brewery tour and then headed into Denver.

In our time in Denver, I had my Girl's Weekend with all my dear friends from college.  This amazing group of women live all over the country (literally- Seattle, LA, DC, NYC, and Denver) and it was a highlight to get to see them all in one short weekend.  We rented a house in downtown Denver and spent the 3 days catching up with one another (every morning we had 4 hour breakfast chats on the porch) and relaxing.

Bloody Marys for brunch...

Afternoon at Sloan's Lake out on a boat...

Picnic in the parks...

Long breakfast meals...

Seeing one of our ladies, Mara, comedy show downtown...

The weekend was a treat, and I feel blessed to have been able to see all of these dear friends that I met nearly a decade ago at CU.

Summer Time: Chapter 4: Golden and Vail, CO

We have been staying at our dear friends, the Williams, for the past week or so and while with them we celebrated our 4th Anniversary by going to see Alan Jackson at Red Rocks.  It was as good as you imagine it to be.

For the 4th of July we went to Eldorado Springs Pool, a pool built in the 1920's, where we enjoyed their awesome water slide, beach balls, and eating fried chicken.  After than we had a wonderful BBQ and a chance to reconnect with lots of friends from Boulder.

While also in Golden we have enjoyed the mountain and creek side runs, paddling boarding, and being outside all day!

Another blessing for us this summer was to attend another wedding of our friend, Emily Stone.  There is no better place to have a wedding than Vail, CO so we were excited to spend the weekend with friends in the mountains, and dance the night away...

Men + Montana = Mantana

I had a chance to see my college buddies for four days in Montana. I will call it Mantana, not as a misspelling, but as an indication of the types of activities we enjoyed throughout our time. Dirt bikes, bonfires, meat-eating and general male shenanigans were the order of the weekend in addition to catching up with some of the fellas in my life who have shaped and impacted me so much.

We stayed at a cherry orchard near Kalispell and spent our time outside. The sun is up early and hangs out late, so we slept very little and enjoyed the perfection that is northern Mantana.

Seeing these guys was a complete blessing. In many ways, we grew up together at CU-Boulder and a lot of our individual success and growth has been determined by one another. It is not often that such good friends get to spend time together when each person is spread throughout the country, but we made it happen. It is Mantana, we had to.

Highlights:

• Driving a rented Chevy Impala like from Spokane, Washington to Kalispell, Mantana like we stole it. There is no other way to drive a rental car.
• Listening to each guy in the group recount their successes from the past two years. These guys may look like scrubs, but they are smart and successful. 
• Eating everything Huckleberry flavored. Ice Cream, shakes, pastries. I did not even know Huckleberry was a real thing, it sounds like something Yogi Bear would eat in Jellystone.
• Hiking in Glacier National Park and feeling tough because we had to carry bear spray. But nobody wanted the task of actually having to be ready to use it.
• Watching the sun set at 10:30 p.m. over Flathead Lake. Remarkable.
• Hanging out with these dudes. Excellent.

Here are a few photos of my trip.

Just some dudes hanging out at a cherry orchard.

Fellas loading up for a day of riding motorcycles and ATV's.

At Avalanche Lake in Glacier National Park

Evening fire time, still light out at 10:45 p.m.

Summer Time: Chapter 3: Santa Fe and Tent Rocks

To end our time in Albuquerque we celebrated our 4th Anniversary (woot woot) at El Pinto, one of the favorites in town.

We also hiked at Tent Rocks State Park with my mom, Ginger.  It was a great hike with amazing views.

Then we took the train to Santa Fe to meet up with Chris' folks and have one large family vacation with both families.  

Once we got to Santa Fe we ate at La Fonda, shopped at the Palace of the Governors and the Plaza, and had lots of pool time!