Summer Reunion #2

Last July, my friend Jenna got married, and my three friends and former housemates, Jessica, Kim, and I met in Virginia to stand by her at her wedding. Unfortunately, we haven't all been together since then. So we planned to meet in Kim's hometown, Denver, this summer.. I am so glad that we did!! Last weekend, we all gathered for a few days of vacation and a much-needed reunion. I have been a bit, well, overwhelmed, at work, so a few days we three of my best friends was just what I needed.

Kim, me, Jess, and Jenna

On Sunday, we spent the day going to a neighborhood park, reading celebrity gossip magazines, and then preparing for "The Bachelorette" finale. As you all know, this was a few days after the theater shooting tragedy just a few miles from Kim's place, so we were all processing the event through the news and stories that were on television. I encourage you to continue to remember the families in Aurora who were affected. After a delayed start, and a dinner of pasta, we gathered around with our "Team Arie, Team Jef, or Team Sean" t-shirts. I don't watch a whole lot of television, but I have gotten into this season of The Bachelorette. (I'm also really enjoying the summer Olympics right now!!). I feel like Emily has made good choices along the way and has mostly stayed classy. Plus, she's from Charlotte. I was on "Team Jef," and I was pleasantly surprised by the ending when he was picked!! I really thought she would choose Arie, but she, again, chose well!!  :)

Monday we planned to drive up to Cheyenne for the annual Frontier Days celebration. They refer to it as "The Daddy of 'Em All" as they have rodeo events for over a week! I was really looking forward to it, and it did not disappoint. Plus, we got to be with Jenna as she attended her first rodeo. Although it was quite warm and long, the events were awesome, and they also have a wild horse race, which I had never seen.  We had a great day eating some fair food and enjoying the festivities, and getting to see Wyoming!

Royal Arch

Pearl St.

Tuesday our plan was to spend the day in Boulder. Kim attended school at CU, so she knew some nice places to visit. First, we went for a hike in Chautauqua Park. We slowly made it up the mountain to the Royal Arch, which had an awesome view of the area. We had lunch in Boulder and shopped some of the shops along Pearl St.

After shopping, we decided to take a tour of the Celestial Seasonings tea. Now, this may seem boring, but it was one of my favorite things...we got to taste any of their teas during our visit! After donning our hair nets, we took a tour of the only factory they have, there in Boulder. I was really impressed by their company and got to purchase some of the teas that we don't have at our grocery. After our long day, we headed back to Denver and had dinner with Kim's mom and sister. It was nice to see Kim's home and have a home-cooked dinner with her family.

After a pancake breakfast on Wednesday, we said good-bye at the airport before going our separate ways. Since I live long-distance from practically all of my friends, I am continually thankful for our commitment to reunite annually. I hope that continues for the rest of our lives.