Denver, CO

My trip to Colorado was amazing. I had such a good time visiting with the Webb's (Robert and Sharon) and with my friend Allison and her 3 boys. I have known the Webb's since I was 4 years old and Allison was 2. They moved out to CO about 4 years ago, and this was my first time getting to visit them. It was wonderful. I already am thinking about another trip out there, only this time with Jeremy and Jackson. They would LOVE it! I have never seen so much snow in my life! Here's a little re-cap of my trip!

Thursday: My flight leaving for Atlanta was delayed for an hour and a half due to rain. When we finally landed in Atlanta I was hoofing it through the airport to make it on to my next plane. I made it to the gate 5 minutes before they started boarding. I had anticipated eating in the airport but because I was so pushed for time, I ended up buying an $8 turkey sandwich on the plane. It was hands down the best turkey sandwich I have ever had! If you happen to be flying on Delta, you MUST try the turkey sandwich with roasted red peppers on tomato focaccia bread. It is heaven on a bun! Anyways, back to the trip....I bought the headphones and watched Top Chef for most of the flight. I love flying. It is so much fun until the plane hits turbulence and they have to stop drink service because you are afraid the male flight attendant is going to crash through the airplane with the drink cart. That's always nice.

So we finally landed in one piece and I found Allison and her boys, and we made it out of the airport. Y'all, Denver is really cool to see. It is completely flat and then, BOOM, there are the Rocky Mountains. Just right there. Mountains. And Snow. I was amazed at how big the Rocky's were. In case you were wondering...they are really big!

The Webb's house is about 45 minutes from the airport and after a quick stop at Starbucks, we took it easy for most of the afternoon. I was exhausted from the long day and I loved having the chance to catch up with Allison and play with her kids. They are 9 months, 3 years, and 4 years and they keep Allison busy! After the Webb's got home, we ate supper and hung out for the rest of the night.

Friday: Allison and I got up and got the boys ready. We decided to visit the Denver Zoo. Y'all, I am all about zoos. I visit them in just about every city I go to. It was a great zoo, but it was cold! We bundled up and I had to wear thermal pants under my jeans. After awhile we warmed up from all the walking around. They had lots of their animals inside because of the cold weather, but you could see them in their indoor exhibits. It was a HUGE zoo with lots of animals. We had so much fun with the boys. I even had Allison take my picture next to some snow on the ground because I didn't think I was going to see any falling while I was there. I had no idea how wrong I was going to be...

Friday afternoon we rested and then on Friday night Allison and I headed to a WinterFest in Thornton, CO. It was great. They had tons of Christmas trees decorated and ice sculptures to look at. We also ate a funnel cake that was divine!

Saturday: We woke up at the crack of dawn and headed into Estes Park, CO. We knew the weather was going to be bad in the mountains, but I had no idea what a ordeal taking a trip into the mountains was. We had to pack food, water, jackets, and a change of clothes in case we got stuck somewhere. That's kinda scary for a Southern girl! I ended up wearing 2 shirts, a pullover, a winter jacket, thermal pants, jeans, 2 pairs of socks (one Polartec and one regular) and my Timberland boots, and it still didn't seem like enough clothing. It started snowing on the way there, and by the time we got there it was really coming down. To get into the park you drive through Big Thompson canyon that is amazingly beautiful. A river flows through it and lots of places were frozen nearly solid. It was so pretty! We made it into the park and then parked to walk for a few minutes and get some pictures. It was FREEZING! I have never in my life seen anything as amazing as the Rocky Mountains. They were gorgeous, but unfortunately, it was snowing so hard that you couldn't see very far.

We then made it to Bear Lake, this gorgeous lake that is at the base of a huge mountain. It is normally frozen solid this time of year, and my parents have actually walked on it when it was frozen. While I was there it was not all the way frozen so you couldn't walk on it, but it was covered in snow. This huge rush of wind came off the mountain and swirled the snow up so much it was like you were in a snowy tornado. I have NEVER felt cold like that in my life. Bone numblingly cold...

If you have never heard, Denver is called the "Mile High City" because it is 5,280 feet above sea level. It can be somewhat hard to breathe with the lower levels of oxygen, and sometimes you can get a headache from the altitude. We made it up to just under 10,000 feet in the moutains. Simple things like walking around a lot got me more winded than I would normally be. Breathing can also be especially hard when you are laughing hysterically at yourself for tripping in the snow, and falling down, not once, not twice, but three times in a row. Sometimes my gracefulness shocks even me...

After hiking through the snow, we left the park and went horseback riding through the mountains. It was Allison's first horseback ride and we had a blast! We only did a 1 hour ride because we were too wussy to be able to stand the cold for longer than that. Did I mention it was FREEZING COLD?

After our horseback ride, we made it to the warmth and comfort of the Loveland, CO outlet malls. Oh mercy, the sales we found would have knocked your socks off! I bought so much for Jackson and the only thing holding me back from doing more damage was the 50lb. weight limit for my baggage. By the time we got home we were exhausted!

Sunday: I woke up to snow covering the ground, and even more falling. It was so pretty! It was 6 degrees outside, and the high for the day was 10. We left the Webb's house around 8:00 because of the weather, and made it to the airport okay despite the road conditions. I got dropped off and made it though security and then did a little bit more shopping. Our plane was delayed getting in, so we were late boarding, and then in turn, late leaving. We had to be de-iced which was pretty cool, and because things ended up moving so slow, I missed my connection in Atlanta. We landed 5 minutes after my other plane had taken off. I ended up catching a flight about 2 hours later and made it home exactly 12 hours after my journey in Denver begin. As much as I loved Denver I was so ready to see Jeremy and Jackson again. I really missed them!

It was an amazing trip, and I can't wait to go back with my boys. I will post pictures soon. Bye y'all!