Photos
This post originally appeared on www.thekidsperts.com, a fantastic resource for parents and daycare providers.
Hola, Mexico!
Well, for Christmas 2015, my little family of three tried something new! We spent seven days at a gorgeous all-inclusive resort just south of Cancun.
That’s right; we (mostly) skipped the gifts this year and instead invested in an experience - six nights in paradise at Dreams Riviera Cancun, near Puerto Morelos, Mexico. This trip was absolutely more than we’d normally spend on gifts (I’ll get to the budgeting later) but was a wonderful family experience that we’d love to do again someday. If I’m going to be completely honest, knowing I’d soon be in warmer weather with a cold drink in hand was the light at the end of the tunnel after a busy fourth quarter.
If you’re looking for advice on how we selected the resort, the best advice I can give you is to contact our travel agent! Julie is amazingly wonderful and helped us choose the resort when my parents, sister, and I first went to Mexico in 2010. My family fell in love with the resort and returned in 2011 as well. This isn’t a “Spring Break, WOOOO!” resort. This is more of a laid-back, adults and families enjoying a vacation. Similar to a cruise, there were dress codes for the restaurants and has an overall high-end feel. After such a great experience, I knew it would be something the husband and the bonus-daughter would love.
We traveled as a group of six; me and my husband upgraded to a honeymoon suite, my bonus-daughter and sister shared a garden view room, and my parents upgraded to a suite as well. Yes, my husband is a saint for spending his vacation with his in-laws; but the truth is we had an absolutely wonderful time together!
Depending on the evening, we met up at the Preferred Club, an additional bar/lounge available to guests who upgraded. It was a great place to wait for a table before dinner or relax after dinner. We brought card games to play but found the game Heads Up on our phones to be a go-to for group entertainment. Speaking of entertainment, the resort had fire dancers, a market night, karaoke, movies, live bands and more to offer each evening. The vibe at this resort is they offer things to keep you busy and entertained from sunrise until midnight, but you have no obligation to participate.
Family-friendly resorts, like Dreams, often have activities and kids clubs to keep kids busy and having fun while mom and dad enjoy the resort. At almost sixteen, the bonus daughter was way too old for that scene but kept busy with books she had packed, and resort activities like yoga, volleyball, and swimming.
Paying for the trip:
Now, this type of trip may be common for the rich and famous, but our household is neither! We live below our means with aggressive savings goals and began planning this trip in January of 2015. Our rule with finances is to only finance needs (house, cars (sometimes)), and otherwise, we don’t buy things unless we can pay in full for them, and this trip was no different. Our trip did go on a credit card with twelve months interest-free and was paid off well before we left town. Not going into debt on this trip made it even more enjoyable as we sat by the pool knowing we wouldn’t come home to a mountain of debt.
We also made strategic purchases throughout the year with this trip in mind. When swimsuits and beachwear went on sale at Target.com and Kohl’s, we bought new swimsuits and clothes to tuck away until our trip.It was hard to leave the warm weather behind, but we were happy to arrive back in Des Moines on December 23rd, just in time for a snowy Christmas at home. Overall, we had such a great time on this trip. It was so worth saving up for a trip of this caliber and we really hope we get the chance to go again someday!
Vacation Flashback: Cancun 2015
Monday, October 9, 2017
This post originally appeared on www.thekidsperts.com, a fantastic resource for parents and daycare providers.
Hola, Mexico!
Well, for Christmas 2015, my little family of three tried something new! We spent seven days at a gorgeous all-inclusive resort just south of Cancun.
That’s right; we (mostly) skipped the gifts this year and instead invested in an experience - six nights in paradise at Dreams Riviera Cancun, near Puerto Morelos, Mexico. This trip was absolutely more than we’d normally spend on gifts (I’ll get to the budgeting later) but was a wonderful family experience that we’d love to do again someday. If I’m going to be completely honest, knowing I’d soon be in warmer weather with a cold drink in hand was the light at the end of the tunnel after a busy fourth quarter.If you’re looking for advice on how we selected the resort, the best advice I can give you is to contact our travel agent! Julie is amazingly wonderful and helped us choose the resort when my parents, sister, and I first went to Mexico in 2010. My family fell in love with the resort and returned in 2011 as well. This isn’t a “Spring Break, WOOOO!” resort. This is more of a laid-back, adults and families enjoying a vacation. Similar to a cruise, there were dress codes for the restaurants and has an overall high-end feel. After such a great experience, I knew it would be something the husband and the bonus-daughter would love.
We traveled as a group of six; me and my husband upgraded to a honeymoon suite, my bonus-daughter and sister shared a garden view room, and my parents upgraded to a suite as well. Yes, my husband is a saint for spending his vacation with his in-laws; but the truth is we had an absolutely wonderful time together!
Depending on the evening, we met up at the Preferred Club, an additional bar/lounge available to guests who upgraded. It was a great place to wait for a table before dinner or relax after dinner. We brought card games to play but found the game Heads Up on our phones to be a go-to for group entertainment. Speaking of entertainment, the resort had fire dancers, a market night, karaoke, movies, live bands and more to offer each evening. The vibe at this resort is they offer things to keep you busy and entertained from sunrise until midnight, but you have no obligation to participate.
Family-friendly resorts, like Dreams, often have activities and kids clubs to keep kids busy and having fun while mom and dad enjoy the resort. At almost sixteen, the bonus daughter was way too old for that scene but kept busy with books she had packed, and resort activities like yoga, volleyball, and swimming.
Paying for the trip:
Now, this type of trip may be common for the rich and famous, but our household is neither! We live below our means with aggressive savings goals and began planning this trip in January of 2015. Our rule with finances is to only finance needs (house, cars (sometimes)), and otherwise, we don’t buy things unless we can pay in full for them, and this trip was no different. Our trip did go on a credit card with twelve months interest-free and was paid off well before we left town. Not going into debt on this trip made it even more enjoyable as we sat by the pool knowing we wouldn’t come home to a mountain of debt.
We also made strategic purchases throughout the year with this trip in mind. When swimsuits and beachwear went on sale at Target.com and Kohl’s, we bought new swimsuits and clothes to tuck away until our trip.It was hard to leave the warm weather behind, but we were happy to arrive back in Des Moines on December 23rd, just in time for a snowy Christmas at home. Overall, we had such a great time on this trip. It was so worth saving up for a trip of this caliber and we really hope we get the chance to go again someday!
One of the perks of our somewhat unconventional jobs is the flexibility to travel without taking a ton of time off. As the dates solidified for my most recent trip to Arizona, my best guy offered to join me for the first week of my two week assignment. My wonderful boss was also joining in for the week, bringing her husband and two boys, and was staying a few extra days to visit the Grand Canyon. Add in my awesome teammates Skye, Jenny and Erin, we had a whole gang meeting up for some hard work and fun in the sun!
I flew out Sunday so I could be there first thing Monday morning, and James caught a flight Monday after work. We found a great deal on Allegiant that would arrive a little before 11pm in Phoenix. So after my all day meeting, I grabbed dinner and went back to my hotel to relax when the Google App on my phone reminded me that it was time to leave for the airport and it would take about half an hour. I looked at the pop up and thought "silly Google, Sky Harbor airport is like 10 minutes away!" Then I clicked on the email and realized I had booked his flight to Phoenix-Mesa airport, a small regional airport around 20 miles away. Thank goodness for the alert from Google; I can only imagine how it would have played out otherwise!
We spent our week dining out with friends, celebrating my boss' birthday with dinner and Ping Pong, and cooling off (it got up to 114 degrees!) in the pool. The obligatory stop at In-N-Out burgers did not disappoint! My rental Mustang was extra fun to zip around in, but less fun when we added passengers to the backseat. James daytime excursions included meeting up with our gang for lunch, checking out Mill Avenue, Alice Cooper'stown restaurant, and a Diamondbacks game in their air conditioned stadium.All in all, it was a fantastic trip, and we're already planning our next visit!
More Fun in Tempe
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
One of the perks of our somewhat unconventional jobs is the flexibility to travel without taking a ton of time off. As the dates solidified for my most recent trip to Arizona, my best guy offered to join me for the first week of my two week assignment. My wonderful boss was also joining in for the week, bringing her husband and two boys, and was staying a few extra days to visit the Grand Canyon. Add in my awesome teammates Skye, Jenny and Erin, we had a whole gang meeting up for some hard work and fun in the sun!
I flew out Sunday so I could be there first thing Monday morning, and James caught a flight Monday after work. We found a great deal on Allegiant that would arrive a little before 11pm in Phoenix. So after my all day meeting, I grabbed dinner and went back to my hotel to relax when the Google App on my phone reminded me that it was time to leave for the airport and it would take about half an hour. I looked at the pop up and thought "silly Google, Sky Harbor airport is like 10 minutes away!" Then I clicked on the email and realized I had booked his flight to Phoenix-Mesa airport, a small regional airport around 20 miles away. Thank goodness for the alert from Google; I can only imagine how it would have played out otherwise!We spent our week dining out with friends, celebrating my boss' birthday with dinner and Ping Pong, and cooling off (it got up to 114 degrees!) in the pool. The obligatory stop at In-N-Out burgers did not disappoint! My rental Mustang was extra fun to zip around in, but less fun when we added passengers to the backseat. James daytime excursions included meeting up with our gang for lunch, checking out Mill Avenue, Alice Cooper'stown restaurant, and a Diamondbacks game in their air conditioned stadium.All in all, it was a fantastic trip, and we're already planning our next visit!
Three years ago today, I married my best friend. He's an amazing partner and father, and I often ask myself how I got this lucky. In celebration of our third anniversary, I wanted to share the story of our unconventional backyard wedding. Enjoy!
On a rainy summer day three years ago, my best friend and I exchanged vows and rings in front of our friends and family in our backyard. Never ones for the ordinary, our celebration was actually a surprise, as our guests thought they were attending my 30th birthday party!
Let's rewind a bit, shall we? When the topic of marriage came up, we both wanted something simple and wanted to avoid the big to-dos that come with big weddings. After recently combining houses, the last thing we needed was another toaster or crockpot, so we wanted to make sure we wouldn't get any gifts. Drawing some inspiration from one of our favorite television shows, a surprise wedding ceremony seemed like the perfect idea for us.
One of the first calls we made was to Woody's Smoke Shack for catering. Several of our early dates were at Woody's and their award-winning barbecue made it the easiest decision. One minor drawback; the owners are family friends of my parents! After swearing Cheryl and Woody to secrecy, we picked out our favorite foods and enough to feed a small army.
We sketched out plans to transform our backyard into a wedding venue, adding a privacy fence and ordering tables and chairs. Since the cover for the party was a surprise party celebrating my 30th birthday, we had to be creative with invitations. Most of our friends were invited via Facebook event, others by email, and a others received an actual invitation for the surprise birthday party.
A week before our big day, we needed to apply for a marriage license when we remembered our county publishes them in the local paper. With our newly-ordained friend as our witness, we drove to the next county over, and told them about our surprise wedding. We were nearly busted a few days before the wedding when James returned to pick up the license and he ran into a friend who works in the county courthouse! Making up a somewhat-plausible excuse, the friend offered to accompany him in the recorder's office - uh oh! He was explaining his false reason to the clerk, (who was thoroughly confused) until the friend was out of earshot and he whispered what he was really there for, and the clerk discretely found the license for him. It was a close call!
The week of our wedding we finished up a few backyard projects, printing programs, purchased flowers from Trader Joe's and drinks from the grocery store. The forecast looked more and more like rain, so we added a jumbo tent to our order from AtoZ Rental. My best friend since childhood was expecting her second baby, and I asked if she'd stop by after work on Wednesday, and I let her in on the secret and asked if she'd stand up with me. Tracey and I shared happy tears and it made me even more excited - it seemed so real to tell people! James, his daughter, and I spent the night before putting together center pieces and making bouquets. Around midnight we went to bed, taking time to write our personalized vows to each other.
Saturday morning, we woke up and got a jump start on our to-do list. As we started setting up, our dear family friend Judy stopped by with flowers and a balloon, so we quickly scrambled to hide everything. My sister had been tasked with taking me out to lunch - remember, she thought it was a surprise birthday party! My mom had asked what I was doing on my birthday and I lied, telling her that Meredith and I were going out to lunch and that James wanted me out of the house while my birthday present was delivered, and that I thought it was a hot tub. Oh the tangled webs we weave! So a little before noon my sister arrived to take me to lunch when I asked, "Will you be my maid of honor?" She squealed "YES! Are we going to Vegas?" and I replied:
"The wedding is tonight. I know about the surprise party,
and we've got hair appointments in twenty minutes."
She was overjoyed and asked what to wear, so we went to her place to grab a black dress. In true little sister form, the dress she picked was actually one of mine, she had stolen it! Then it was off for our hair appointments followed by lunch. My friend Melissa had been in on the plan for about six months and by some miracle happened to still be in town, and she joined us briefly at the salon before heading home to get ready as my third bridesmaid. Meanwhile, James and his daughter set up the tent, tables, and centerpieces before cleaning up.
After a couple quick stops, we collected my future bonus kid and met up with Tracey for manicures as the caterers and guests arrived back home. James kept a close eye on the weather from our home office and he kept the tent structurally sound by clearing the rain that had collected. Our friend and photographer Sarah Franczyk captured all the details, with special instructions to capture our parents' expressions at the big announcement.
All photos provided by Sarah Franczyk - Sarah B Photography.
Our guests mingled inside our home as they waited for the rain to pass. When the time came, we made the drive back to the house, and I was full of excitement. James greeted me in front of our house with an umbrella and we made our way around to our side gate. Everyone shouted surprise and I pretended to be shocked - trying to hide my giddiness at what was going to happen next.
After a few minutes, James took the microphone and thanked everyone for coming and announced that we were liars because they weren't here for a birthday party, they were here for a wedding! My mom's reaction was absolutely priceless! My parents had returned from vacation a day earlier than they originally planned after James had visited and told them about the birthday party.
Without a rehearsal, I had made a list of the order we'd process in. As the rain changed to a slight mist, I queued up the music and our short ceremony began. Our guests stayed huddled under the tent and umbrellas, we exchanged our vows and rings and said 'I do' and then the party started! We ate, drank and danced until long after the sun went down. Our first dance as husband and wife was to Etta James' At Last, fitting for this moment after a decade of friendship. Despite the rain, it was an absolutely perfect day. Enjoy these photos, courtesy of Sarah B. Photography.
Happy Anniversary to my best guy!
Our Surprise Wedding - June 2014
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Three years ago today, I married my best friend. He's an amazing partner and father, and I often ask myself how I got this lucky. In celebration of our third anniversary, I wanted to share the story of our unconventional backyard wedding. Enjoy!
On a rainy summer day three years ago, my best friend and I exchanged vows and rings in front of our friends and family in our backyard. Never ones for the ordinary, our celebration was actually a surprise, as our guests thought they were attending my 30th birthday party!
Let's rewind a bit, shall we? When the topic of marriage came up, we both wanted something simple and wanted to avoid the big to-dos that come with big weddings. After recently combining houses, the last thing we needed was another toaster or crockpot, so we wanted to make sure we wouldn't get any gifts. Drawing some inspiration from one of our favorite television shows, a surprise wedding ceremony seemed like the perfect idea for us.
One of the first calls we made was to Woody's Smoke Shack for catering. Several of our early dates were at Woody's and their award-winning barbecue made it the easiest decision. One minor drawback; the owners are family friends of my parents! After swearing Cheryl and Woody to secrecy, we picked out our favorite foods and enough to feed a small army.
We sketched out plans to transform our backyard into a wedding venue, adding a privacy fence and ordering tables and chairs. Since the cover for the party was a surprise party celebrating my 30th birthday, we had to be creative with invitations. Most of our friends were invited via Facebook event, others by email, and a others received an actual invitation for the surprise birthday party.
A week before our big day, we needed to apply for a marriage license when we remembered our county publishes them in the local paper. With our newly-ordained friend as our witness, we drove to the next county over, and told them about our surprise wedding. We were nearly busted a few days before the wedding when James returned to pick up the license and he ran into a friend who works in the county courthouse! Making up a somewhat-plausible excuse, the friend offered to accompany him in the recorder's office - uh oh! He was explaining his false reason to the clerk, (who was thoroughly confused) until the friend was out of earshot and he whispered what he was really there for, and the clerk discretely found the license for him. It was a close call!The week of our wedding we finished up a few backyard projects, printing programs, purchased flowers from Trader Joe's and drinks from the grocery store. The forecast looked more and more like rain, so we added a jumbo tent to our order from AtoZ Rental. My best friend since childhood was expecting her second baby, and I asked if she'd stop by after work on Wednesday, and I let her in on the secret and asked if she'd stand up with me. Tracey and I shared happy tears and it made me even more excited - it seemed so real to tell people! James, his daughter, and I spent the night before putting together center pieces and making bouquets. Around midnight we went to bed, taking time to write our personalized vows to each other.
Saturday morning, we woke up and got a jump start on our to-do list. As we started setting up, our dear family friend Judy stopped by with flowers and a balloon, so we quickly scrambled to hide everything. My sister had been tasked with taking me out to lunch - remember, she thought it was a surprise birthday party! My mom had asked what I was doing on my birthday and I lied, telling her that Meredith and I were going out to lunch and that James wanted me out of the house while my birthday present was delivered, and that I thought it was a hot tub. Oh the tangled webs we weave! So a little before noon my sister arrived to take me to lunch when I asked, "Will you be my maid of honor?" She squealed "YES! Are we going to Vegas?" and I replied:
"The wedding is tonight. I know about the surprise party,
and we've got hair appointments in twenty minutes."
She was overjoyed and asked what to wear, so we went to her place to grab a black dress. In true little sister form, the dress she picked was actually one of mine, she had stolen it! Then it was off for our hair appointments followed by lunch. My friend Melissa had been in on the plan for about six months and by some miracle happened to still be in town, and she joined us briefly at the salon before heading home to get ready as my third bridesmaid. Meanwhile, James and his daughter set up the tent, tables, and centerpieces before cleaning up.
After a couple quick stops, we collected my future bonus kid and met up with Tracey for manicures as the caterers and guests arrived back home. James kept a close eye on the weather from our home office and he kept the tent structurally sound by clearing the rain that had collected. Our friend and photographer Sarah Franczyk captured all the details, with special instructions to capture our parents' expressions at the big announcement.
All photos provided by Sarah Franczyk - Sarah B Photography.
Our guests mingled inside our home as they waited for the rain to pass. When the time came, we made the drive back to the house, and I was full of excitement. James greeted me in front of our house with an umbrella and we made our way around to our side gate. Everyone shouted surprise and I pretended to be shocked - trying to hide my giddiness at what was going to happen next.
After a few minutes, James took the microphone and thanked everyone for coming and announced that we were liars because they weren't here for a birthday party, they were here for a wedding! My mom's reaction was absolutely priceless! My parents had returned from vacation a day earlier than they originally planned after James had visited and told them about the birthday party.
Without a rehearsal, I had made a list of the order we'd process in. As the rain changed to a slight mist, I queued up the music and our short ceremony began. Our guests stayed huddled under the tent and umbrellas, we exchanged our vows and rings and said 'I do' and then the party started! We ate, drank and danced until long after the sun went down. Our first dance as husband and wife was to Etta James' At Last, fitting for this moment after a decade of friendship. Despite the rain, it was an absolutely perfect day. Enjoy these photos, courtesy of Sarah B. Photography.
Happy Anniversary to my best guy!
I've made the drive from Des Moines to my grandmother's home in western Nebraska a dozen times or so. For those of you unfamiliar with the drive through Nebraska, once you're past Lincoln, if you've seen one mile, you've seen 'em all. And she's clear across Nebraska, only about 30 miles from the Wyoming border.
I've only actually done the driving once, the rest of the time as a passenger and that drive is exhausting. So when cheap fares pop up on Frontier Airlines, it's tempting to book a quick trip to see my grandma. I'm sure I'm the only person from Iowa flying to Denver to visit someone in Nebraska, but I find the 2 hour flight and 3 hour drive much easier to swallow than the 8+ hour trip in the car. 
So James and I packed our bag for the cheap flight to Denver. Since Frontier charges for carryons and checked bags, we shared a checked bag, and somehow managed to only pack 26.6 lbs for three days. New personal best. On a rainy Wednesday, we boarded our flight to the mile high city. 
Frontier Airline's planes each feature a different wild animal, which they proudly display as you enter the aircraft. Overall, the flight was okay. Anytime I fly a discount airline, I miss the cushy comfort of Delta and American. But then I remember we had to pay for our tickets (not my employer) at about half the cost of the major airlines, so it's worth minor annoyances. We paid for a couple cans of soda on our flight in hard plastic seats that didn't recline. Since I was in the middle seat, I was particularly grumpy but a couple episodes of The West Wing Weekly podcast kept me distracted until we landed. 
After making our way through the airport, we waited for the Avis shuttle and discovered we had been assigned a Suburban for our four day adventure. I laughed as the last thing the two of us needed was a car that seats eight, so we checked in with the Preferred desk and they mentioned a shortage of cars but let us pick between a Ford Explorer or a Lincoln Navigator. James quickly chimed in that the Navigator would be just fine. After figuring out a few of the bells and whistles (including the best navigation system I've used, and lights with the Lincoln logo), we left for my cousin Melissa's house in Brighton, grabbing pizza so we could catch up with her and her two kids. As the sun started to set, we said our goodbyes and left for Scottsbluff, Nebraska. 
As the sun quickly set, we drove on the two lane highway that was only lit by our headlights, only passing by a few cars. After crossing from Colorado into Nebraska, we stopped to stretch our legs in Kimball, about 45 miles outside of our destination. This small town had a few businesses that caught our attention, so I snapped a few pics before we decided to check out Beer and Loathing bar, an homage to Hunter S. Thompson and his book Fear and Loathing. The bar was great and the bartender was awesome. After about a half hour, we figured it was time to get back on the road and get checked into our hotel. 
Our time in Scottsbluff was short, but highlights include cabbage burgers at The Mixing Bowl, Gering Bakery, but most of all - spending time with family. In addition to my grandmother, my Aunt and Uncle live nearby, and I got to see my cousins and meet my cousin's new baby too! As we packed up to head back to Denver, I laughed at the difference in our packings styles. I may be the one that travels most for business, but clearly he's winning at the adulting game.
We took our time on the trek back to Denver, refueling at this cute gas station/diner in Scottsbluff and grabbing lunch at Beer and Loathing as we made our way to Wyoming. The drive was relaxing and the views were magnificent. When we found ourselves in a construction traffic jam, we hopped off the interstate for a quick pit-stop, when I realized we were near the town where my grandparents lived for most of my childhood. Every year, we'd spend a week or more with them over the summer or Christmas, and it had been sixteen years since I had last seen their little subdivision, and the amazing views of protected state land directly behind their townhouse. 
A quick call to my dad, we were able to remember the name of their street, and google maps narrowed down the neighborhood when I recognized the King Sooper's grocery store. It once sat all alone in a field, but the entire county has now been developed. Turns out we were only about fifteen minutes from our destination. We drove by the pool where my sister and I used to swim, and I got to see the roses and aspen trees my grandfather had planted. The yard wasn't quite as manicured as he kept it, but I could tell the home was well loved by it's current owners. We totally tresspassed through their side yard and I snuck a few photos of the gorgeous view. It was a bittersweet trip down memory lane.
James had researched and found the 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver as our destination. On our way, we got to see a packed Coors Field. The road we were on led right to the stadium, almost looking like it reached center field. On 16th Street, we picked up souvenirs, did a LOT of people watching, and grabbed dinner at Illegal Burger, a funky burger place, on par with Zombie Burger in Des Moines.
Exhausted from the day, we made our way to our hotel near the airport and got ready for our early flight the next day. Our checked bag weighed 19.5 lbs more than our trip out thanks to a purchase of Tab Cola that isn't available in Des Moines. Surprisingly, every can made it home intact! Since we arrived to the airport early, I wandered around taking photos and timelapse videos. Click the Instagram image below to see a quick timelapse. 
I'm so grateful for the chance to visit family and enjoy some quality time on the road with my best guy.
Colorado/Wyoming/Nebraska - May 2017
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
I've made the drive from Des Moines to my grandmother's home in western Nebraska a dozen times or so. For those of you unfamiliar with the drive through Nebraska, once you're past Lincoln, if you've seen one mile, you've seen 'em all. And she's clear across Nebraska, only about 30 miles from the Wyoming border.
I've only actually done the driving once, the rest of the time as a passenger and that drive is exhausting. So when cheap fares pop up on Frontier Airlines, it's tempting to book a quick trip to see my grandma. I'm sure I'm the only person from Iowa flying to Denver to visit someone in Nebraska, but I find the 2 hour flight and 3 hour drive much easier to swallow than the 8+ hour trip in the car. So James and I packed our bag for the cheap flight to Denver. Since Frontier charges for carryons and checked bags, we shared a checked bag, and somehow managed to only pack 26.6 lbs for three days. New personal best. On a rainy Wednesday, we boarded our flight to the mile high city. Frontier Airline's planes each feature a different wild animal, which they proudly display as you enter the aircraft. Overall, the flight was okay. Anytime I fly a discount airline, I miss the cushy comfort of Delta and American. But then I remember we had to pay for our tickets (not my employer) at about half the cost of the major airlines, so it's worth minor annoyances. We paid for a couple cans of soda on our flight in hard plastic seats that didn't recline. Since I was in the middle seat, I was particularly grumpy but a couple episodes of The West Wing Weekly podcast kept me distracted until we landed. After making our way through the airport, we waited for the Avis shuttle and discovered we had been assigned a Suburban for our four day adventure. I laughed as the last thing the two of us needed was a car that seats eight, so we checked in with the Preferred desk and they mentioned a shortage of cars but let us pick between a Ford Explorer or a Lincoln Navigator. James quickly chimed in that the Navigator would be just fine. After figuring out a few of the bells and whistles (including the best navigation system I've used, and lights with the Lincoln logo), we left for my cousin Melissa's house in Brighton, grabbing pizza so we could catch up with her and her two kids. As the sun started to set, we said our goodbyes and left for Scottsbluff, Nebraska. As the sun quickly set, we drove on the two lane highway that was only lit by our headlights, only passing by a few cars. After crossing from Colorado into Nebraska, we stopped to stretch our legs in Kimball, about 45 miles outside of our destination. This small town had a few businesses that caught our attention, so I snapped a few pics before we decided to check out Beer and Loathing bar, an homage to Hunter S. Thompson and his book Fear and Loathing. The bar was great and the bartender was awesome. After about a half hour, we figured it was time to get back on the road and get checked into our hotel. Our time in Scottsbluff was short, but highlights include cabbage burgers at The Mixing Bowl, Gering Bakery, but most of all - spending time with family. In addition to my grandmother, my Aunt and Uncle live nearby, and I got to see my cousins and meet my cousin's new baby too! As we packed up to head back to Denver, I laughed at the difference in our packings styles. I may be the one that travels most for business, but clearly he's winning at the adulting game.
We took our time on the trek back to Denver, refueling at this cute gas station/diner in Scottsbluff and grabbing lunch at Beer and Loathing as we made our way to Wyoming. The drive was relaxing and the views were magnificent. When we found ourselves in a construction traffic jam, we hopped off the interstate for a quick pit-stop, when I realized we were near the town where my grandparents lived for most of my childhood. Every year, we'd spend a week or more with them over the summer or Christmas, and it had been sixteen years since I had last seen their little subdivision, and the amazing views of protected state land directly behind their townhouse. A quick call to my dad, we were able to remember the name of their street, and google maps narrowed down the neighborhood when I recognized the King Sooper's grocery store. It once sat all alone in a field, but the entire county has now been developed. Turns out we were only about fifteen minutes from our destination. We drove by the pool where my sister and I used to swim, and I got to see the roses and aspen trees my grandfather had planted. The yard wasn't quite as manicured as he kept it, but I could tell the home was well loved by it's current owners. We totally tresspassed through their side yard and I snuck a few photos of the gorgeous view. It was a bittersweet trip down memory lane.
James had researched and found the 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver as our destination. On our way, we got to see a packed Coors Field. The road we were on led right to the stadium, almost looking like it reached center field. On 16th Street, we picked up souvenirs, did a LOT of people watching, and grabbed dinner at Illegal Burger, a funky burger place, on par with Zombie Burger in Des Moines.
Exhausted from the day, we made our way to our hotel near the airport and got ready for our early flight the next day. Our checked bag weighed 19.5 lbs more than our trip out thanks to a purchase of Tab Cola that isn't available in Des Moines. Surprisingly, every can made it home intact! Since we arrived to the airport early, I wandered around taking photos and timelapse videos. Click the Instagram image below to see a quick timelapse. I'm so grateful for the chance to visit family and enjoy some quality time on the road with my best guy.
Word of caution to my friends; if you joke about me joining your vacation, there's a good chance I'll be emailing you my flight confirmation shortly after! When our friends Jim and Angie decided to renew their vows in Las Vegas, Jim make a comment about the expensive photography fee and said he wished he could just hire us to go with them. About two hours later, I had booked tickets for James and me to join them! Once again, flying through Allegiant Airlines, we booked airfare, hotel, and ground transportation for $777 - a lucky sign for a Vegas trip, right?
Work travel threw a wrench in my plans when I needed to be in El Paso the week before and after our trip, but I was able to coordinate direct flights from El Paso arriving about the same time. As I packed my bags, my mom playfully said "You better not get married in Vegas too!" - ha! Little did she know we had bigger plans for our own wedding a couple years later! I traveled with my camera gear in my carry-on, and a small bag for our two nights in town. I arrived in Vegas about an hour before James was scheduled to arrive, which turned into two hours as his flight was delayed. I was worried we would miss the sunset ceremony in front of the fountains at The Bellagio Hotel, so we skipped the transport and took a cab to the hotel and arrived in plenty of time! With Jim and Angie were a couple family members, and our friends Allen and Rachel whose wedding I also photographed!
Their lovely ceremony was performed by a minister who took time earlier in the day to get to know Jim and Angie, and did a fantastic job when describing their relationship. We saw a few other weddings, and I think he provided the best service, hands down. 
After the ceremony, we took more photos, and waited for the sun to set to capture the image Angie dreamed of:
While we waited for the next fountain show, we watched another couple get married at the same spot. They traveled from the east coast to elope, and their photographer left after a few photos, so we captured more for them. They were so sweet, but we never heard from them!
Do you know this couple? Have them contact me!
Vacation Flashback: Vegas 2012 - Part 1: Jim & Angie's Ceremony
Sunday, April 23, 2017
Word of caution to my friends; if you joke about me joining your vacation, there's a good chance I'll be emailing you my flight confirmation shortly after! When our friends Jim and Angie decided to renew their vows in Las Vegas, Jim make a comment about the expensive photography fee and said he wished he could just hire us to go with them. About two hours later, I had booked tickets for James and me to join them! Once again, flying through Allegiant Airlines, we booked airfare, hotel, and ground transportation for $777 - a lucky sign for a Vegas trip, right?
Work travel threw a wrench in my plans when I needed to be in El Paso the week before and after our trip, but I was able to coordinate direct flights from El Paso arriving about the same time. As I packed my bags, my mom playfully said "You better not get married in Vegas too!" - ha! Little did she know we had bigger plans for our own wedding a couple years later! I traveled with my camera gear in my carry-on, and a small bag for our two nights in town. I arrived in Vegas about an hour before James was scheduled to arrive, which turned into two hours as his flight was delayed. I was worried we would miss the sunset ceremony in front of the fountains at The Bellagio Hotel, so we skipped the transport and took a cab to the hotel and arrived in plenty of time! With Jim and Angie were a couple family members, and our friends Allen and Rachel whose wedding I also photographed!Their lovely ceremony was performed by a minister who took time earlier in the day to get to know Jim and Angie, and did a fantastic job when describing their relationship. We saw a few other weddings, and I think he provided the best service, hands down.
After the ceremony, we took more photos, and waited for the sun to set to capture the image Angie dreamed of:
While we waited for the next fountain show, we watched another couple get married at the same spot. They traveled from the east coast to elope, and their photographer left after a few photos, so we captured more for them. They were so sweet, but we never heard from them!
Do you know this couple? Have them contact me!
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