I can't believe that Lil' Miss has been out of school for a few weeks. She's already had a week of gymnastics camp, a week of VBS and we've been packing in all the summer fun. We've settled back in at home after H's birthday trip to Colorado, we celebrated him at the house with friends and have been enjoying trips to get ice cream, a fun experience at the Museum of Illusions, leisurely meals on the patio and of course lots of pool time.
I worked with our cake baker (a former neighbor who makes the BEST cakes - they taste as great as they look!) to create a birthday cake that reflected his favorite things: The Kansas City Chiefs (not a bandwagoner - he's been a huge fan since he was a kiddo. When I met him we used to be the only people wearing red jerseys in a sea of green at Giants Stadium when they played the Jets and only had 2-3 wins for the season), travel, the Colorado Rockies, golf and Blue Moon beer. I just forgot to add a PS5 controller.
Update on my chronic pain - I still get monthly massages which help immensely. When the virus that shall not be named shut everything down, the pain was out of control when I couldn't go for a few months. Ideally, I'd go weekly but ummmm that'd be super expensive. Monthly does the job!
I also had my 1st ever Sugar Factory experience, and let me say YUM! However, the sticker shock when we got the check for just 2 drinks was YIKES! Definitely touristy pricing (it is in the ICON Park area on International Drive so totally makes sense, but still) so I don't foresee us going back anytime soon.
We also renewed our Universal annual passes and booked a weekend staycation to celebrate our anniversary. It's even more magical when we get off a ride after the park is closed, and it feels like we have the place to ourselves.
And we are back from our long weekend celebrating H's birthday in Colorado. We had planned and cancelled multiple trips there for the past several years and are so thankful we finally got to go. The 1st time we cancelled because he was out of state for several months for work unexpectedly, the next cancellation was because the virus that shall not be named had just started and another time we cancelled because we were originally going to go just the 2 of us and my mom who was going to watch Lil' Miss and she had a health scare. So, this time we planned on all 3 of us going and it was the perfect family trip to the mountains.
We flew in early Friday afternoon and had originally planned to go to Golden and Red Rocks, but we had a terrible experience with getting our rental car. We waited a long time for the bus to take us to the lot (after seeing every other rental car brand's bus go by multiple times), and then waited in a long line and then another long line before they finally gave us a car we hadn't even reserved. We just wanted to finally get on with our trip that we took it. The whole process took well over 2 hours - I don't usually leave bad reviews but for this experience I had something to say. Sorry, not sorry. We were hangry at that point, and stopped in Aurora to eat before getting to Downtown Denver to check in to our hotel.
We chose the Hyatt Place Downtown Denver since it was within walking distance to restaurants and to Coors Field for the game later that weekend. Plus, they had king bed rooms with a sleeper sofa for Lil' Miss. After unpacking, we got ready for dinner with friends who live in Littleton which is just south of Denver. They even surprised Lil' Miss with the new Little Mermaid doll and a frosted mermaid tail cookie so they were officially her new best friends.
The next morning we had a quick breakfast (which was complimentary each morning at our hotel - yay!) and headed out on the hour and a 1/2 drive to Rocky Mountain National Park. I was thankful we had a reservation window because the line to get into the park when we left in the afternoon was insane!
We did the hike around Bear Lake which had spectacular views, and then did the mile hike up to Alberta Falls. The biggest surprise was the snow still on the ground at that elevation. Lil' Miss was SO excited since she's never seen snow before, but then quickly realized it's cold. Ha! Definitely a Flo-grown kiddo!
I finally caved, and picked up a belt bag for the trip. It was perfect for hiking and for the baseball game the next day as they have bag restrictions when entering the ball park. My only wish is I had purchased it sooner since it was only $38 (plus free shipping!) and is super convenient for being on the go.
After hiking, we drove through Trail Ridge Road where we were treated to even better views and a bunch of wildlife sightings including two very large elk grazing in the grass.
We stopped at the information center on the way out, picked up some souvenirs and headed to Estes Park for lunch and a nice walk through the village before stopping at the famous Stanley Hotel for a drink and to take in more beautiful views.
We were absolutely exhausted by the time we got back into Denver that evening, and just ordered dinner from the hotel bar and crashed. The next morning, we had breakfast before heading towards Coors Field for the Mets vs. Rockies game. H is a huge Rockies fan, so this was the perfect way to conclude his birthday trip celebration. I put away my Yankees gear for the day, and rooted for the Rockies especially since they were playing the Mets.
The next morning, we enjoyed breakfast at the hotel again and did some exploring around the city, grabbed lunch and checked out to fly back home. Even after a bumpy start getting our rental car, we had an amazing trip and it was the perfect way to celebrate H turning 40. Up next is me in August - eeek! Everyone keeps asking me how I'd like to celebrate and I honestly have no idea yet. Stay tuned!
