It's a Date...

...a date weekend in Colorado. 

I must begin by thanking our longtime mutual friend (but probably he was my friend first!), Rob, for hosting a wedding weekend in one of our favorite places. I’ll continue by thanking my parents for watching the babies and BRunn for reminding me that it is both healthy and fun to take some time [Uhm, how does it feel like it has been seven years — instead of three months — since Cabo?] for just the two of us.

We headed west early, early Friday, which gave us plenty of time to soak in the Colorado goodness. We braved the traffic and made use of our entry pass to Rocky, where we spotted plenty of elk and fall colors, and hiked to Dream Lake. Then, we stopped off at Kind Coffee before making our way back to Denver to meet up with Matt, Brian’s college roommate (and also my friend and fellow Law & Order SVU fan).

It had been ages since we saw Matt, and it was simply wonderful to give him a much overdue hug (Real talk: I spent a good portion of the plane ride pondering the acceptability of and my comfort level with hugs..and listening to Dateline). I was relieved when Matt also inquired (Like minds, they say.) and we both agreed this hug, at least, was a must). 

After dinner - with adult conversation and drinks -  we had an impromptu college reunion (That's an ol' Flashback Friday, right??) in the hotel lobby. We learned we’ll soon be nearly-neighbors with our once nearly-neighbor.  And if that weren't enough to make me smile, imagine my joy when I learned our very parent-worthy purchase, a minivan, made us the third member of the Sienna tribe; yep, we’ve reached a point in adulting where vans are necessities and hot topics of conversation (Think of the freedom those sliding doors create). From rollin’ deep to parties rollin’ deep in that van life through the suburbs….welp! 

Saturday was another wonderful day. We took a small crew on one of our favorite Boulder hikes up Green Mountain and then headed to Pearl Street to check out some bikes, grab lunch, and enjoy a perfect October afternoon. Then it was back to Denver via Golden and off to the main event, Rob and Niki’s wedding. 

It’s hard to believe it has been 15 years since Brian and I had our big day, but it was perhaps more incomprehensible that so many of the people present at Rob’s ceremony were also at - and a part of - ours. So much can change in life, but those bonds haven’t, and that’s something to be grateful for! 

And then it was over. The wedding. Date weekend. Our time with friends. Grown-up life, geography, and a pandemic have seriously impacted face time with this crew. This weekend was perfect in so many ways, one of which being that it erased, as much as possible, those barriers, and reinforced the value of true friendship. 

Thanks, friends, for the great time a la Madison in the early 2000s…with a bit more sleep and a bit less of a red solo cup vibe. And thanks, Bri, for taking me on this weekend-long date.