Goodbye to Cheryl

All good things must come to and end and it did for us and for Cheryl. Her visit was short and sweet but it was time for her to return to her kids and to her new job. We all saw her off at the airport where there were lots of tears and hugs. Hopefully we'll be back together again soon!

New Years Eve

We started off the morning at one of our favorite breakfast places - Einstein Bagels. They have a wonderful selection of savory and sweet bagels with toppings such as pizza or ham & cheese or strawberry whipped cream cheese, etc. We usually go to Einstein Bagels on New Years Eve because its a day that we spend out and about and starting off with a good breakfast is always a 'must'. Also to note is a Starbucks right next door to Einsteins so we kill 2 birds with 1 stone!

Cheryl tried a new chocolate and vanilla braided bagels while I stuck to my favorite of half a bagel with smoked salmon cream cheese and the other half with honey almond cream cheese so I can have my savory but then end with a sweet one. I am sure it has over 1,000 calories but it tastes so good!

Jordan had his pizza bagel while Cullen tried a hot dog bagel. I have no idea what Warren had because I don't have a photo of his bagel but if I could guess, I'd say he had a breakfast bagel with egg, bacon and cheese.

Before getting into the car, we stopped off at Starbucks to get our drinks and then set off for Estes Park. We stopped off at a lovely stone church called The Chapel on the Rock which is now a Colorado landmark.

We arrived in the town of Estes Park and it was very cold. We braved the weather and walked along the river that runs through the town. Most of it was iced over and we could see the stream running under the ice.

We ended up in Flat Irons Crossing area for dinner and to see a improv act by a group called Mad Cap. It was hysterically funny and also 'clean' so the kids enjoyed it as well. We saw some fireworks on the way home but didn't stop anywhere to see them. We came home, watched the crystal ball fall in Times Square and went to bed. What can I say? We're getting old!

Girl's Day Out

We had a girls-only day and we started the day by going to breakfast at Le Peep. That was followed by shopping at Mardel, the mall, lunch and more shopping plus a coffee thrown in along the way.

Leana was in town and working at Kong and so we met her at our favorite restaurant Wild Ginger where we had dinner together. I'd booked tickets to see the Girls Only show which was downtown in Denver and we made it down with time to spare.

The show was very funny and was perfect for girls, showcasing the teenage gawky years with periods and boyfriends right through to menopause. We had a good laugh.

It was a good Girls Day out and Warren & the boys had a fun time at home together - he was generous enough to take the day off from work to spend it with the boys so that Cheryl & I could go out together. Something I do once in a blue moon.

Garden of the Gods

Garden of the Gods is a favorite spot of Cheryl's and so we drove down to Colorado Springs on Tuesday morning. Warren had to work so he wasn't able to join us. It was cold but the skies were blue and the rocks looked amazing next to the blue skies. We had lunch at the little outpost and I had fun buying some of the weird gifts they have at the outpost for Cheryl's kids.

How did the park get its name? In August 1859 two surveyors were helping to set up nearby Colorado City and were exploring the nearby areas. When he discovered the site, one of the surveyors suggested that it would be a "capital place for a beer garden." His companion, awestruck by the impressive rock formations, exclaimed, "Beer Garden! Why it is a fit place for the gods to assemble. We will call it the Garden of the Gods." The beer garden never materialized, but the name stuck.

Zoo Lights

Every Christmas season we go to see the Denver Zoo Lights and even though we see the same thing each year (with a few new displays each time), its always one of the highlights of our Christmas season. We are a bit sneaky because we use our zoo membership to get into the zoo around 2:30 pm before the zoo lights display starts (at 4 pm) so that we don't have to pay the extra to see the zoo lights. At 2:30 pm its still light enough to see the animals but as the sun starts to set around 4 pm, the zoo lights start to come on and the whole zoo changes to a gorgeous display of animal & tree lights.

We always stop off at the restaurant for hot chocolate because its so cold that we need some time to warm up and rest our legs. We usually wear long underwear and dress up with hats, gloves and scarves and its really fun and festive.

The other stop we make is in the tropical reptile area because its heated for the tropical animals and its a great place to stop off in when the cold gets the better of you. Of course there comes the time to leave the tropical display and brave the cold again and sometimes I wonder if its worth stopping in to get warm because the cold always feels colder when we go back out into it.

There is always a stop at the zoo store on our way out and the boys love to look at the unusual toys and displays. There is usually some pleading that goes on but then we remind them that they've just opened Christmas presents so buying more toys is out of the question.

That is where the 'puppy dog' face came into being, when Jordan found a toy that he thought was cute and pulled the same face as the toy and we dubbed it 'the puppy dog face'. Now whenever the kids want something, be it a chocolate, to watch a movie, help with something or other, they pull 'the puppy dog face'. Sometimes it works but most times it doesn't. I still like to see them pull it though.