It's been an incredible summer. Cari and I have had the opportunity to not only travel back to the east coast for a week and a half, but we been able to enjoy spending lots of time getting to know our friends better here, playing indoor and outdoor soccer, and even got to see Gavin DeGraw, Train, and Maroon 5 in concert!
Cari has been amazing during the summer at cleaning, doing laundry, grocery shopping, cooking, etc etc. since she hasn't been working. To express my gratitude, and to enjoy her last weekend before work, I surprised her with a trip to Breckenridge, CO. Breckenridge is one of our favorite places out here that we've visited (having been once, almost a year ago), so I thought it only fitting to go again. We woke up Friday morning and I let her know why I hadn't gotten up for work several hours earlier. Needless to say, she was extremely excited. After spending a morning with her good friend Lindsey (visiting for work), we took off and headed north! We arrived in Breckenridge around dinner time and checked into our hotel, the Skiway Lodge (where we stayed last time, but too good of a deal/location to pass up!). We enjoyed a later dinner at the Motherloaded Tavern downtown and went back to relax in the hot tub and hang out.
On Saturday, we got up with the plan to explore a little bit. We took a free gondola ride from the town to the base of the ski resort. There was a lot of stuff to do for kids, but since it was a beautiful day, we opted to take a hike up the mountain. We ended up hiking up one of the ski slopes on a switchback trail, totaling 3.5 miles and 1500 feet in elevation gain. We were exhausted when we made it, but felt accomplished. Luckily, we got to take the ski lift down instead of having to hike (although the lift ride was a little scary!). After enjoying a BBQ lunch, we took naps/read back at our lodge before getting dressed and heading downtown. We took a nice walk by the river before enjoying an amazing Mexican meal (and Margaritas). Finally, we wrapped up the night with another trip to the hot tub and a movie!
We woke up somewhat depressed and sad to leave on Sunday, but still enjoyed breakfast at the Blue Moose and a walk around the farmer's market before departing. Overall, it was a great getaway...yet another fantastic adventure. We're looking forward to Cari's mom coming in for Labor Day weekend, a couple friends coming for the Balloon Fiesta, Grand Canyon camping, and Las Vegas, and of course, going home later in the year for the holidays. More updates to come!!
