In an effort to prove to myself that 28 is the new 25, I took a solo trip up to Denver to visit my oldest friend, Erin Aschman. We met the summer before 7th grade in summer school and made fast friends. D and I visited Erin and her husband Drew nearly 2 years ago and I cannot believe how much time flew by since our last visit. Since then, they brought a little bundle of joy, Claire Elizabeth, into the world. Now 15 months, Claire is walking, talking and getting into everything. It was a good preview for what D and I can expect when we have kids.
I flew in on Wednesday and we went straight to the zoo. I honestly cannot remember the last time I went to the zoo. It was so fun to see how interested Claire was in all the animals. Just like her mama, Claire and I made fast friends too and she let me take her to see the tigers. Erin told me she was shocked how quickly Claire warmed up to me. Maybe I will be a natural after all.
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| Ellies at the Denver zoo. So sweet. |
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| Huge bats |
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| Erin knows why I took this picture. It was an inside joke but I think I will share. Ask yourself, have you every seen an elephant penis? Me neither, until this moment. I think I have been scarred for life after seeing that thing. It hung to the floor. LOL. Call me immature, that's fine. It was hilarious. |
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| Snuggly polar bear was enjoying the photo op. |
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| Beautiful giraffe |
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| Claire and I loved the tigers |
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| Hyena enjoying an afternoon snack |
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| These lions were spooning. Best buds. |
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| Mufasa |
On Thursday, we woke up early and went to Stroller Strides, Erin's outdoor work out class. I was a cool morning and we really enjoyed the exercise. Since I am not used to the altitude, the cardio was a bit harder than I had expected. After our workout, we took Claire to the pool to play around. This little nugget had a blast!
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| Look at that sweet mug! |
Thursday evening we meant up with my girl friends from OU for dinner at Lola in the Highlands. After dinner, we went to a rooftop bar called Linger with an amazing skyline view of downtown Denver. Linger was originally Olinger's Meatuaries...creepy!
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| Ladies night out! |
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| Boomer Sooner: Erin Aschman, me, Lori Taylor, Erin Underhill and Meredith Williams. Love you ladies. |
Friday morning, Erin and Drew had the great idea to get away from the 100+ temps in Denver and escape to the mountains. We drove up to Georgetown to visit Bob and Linda Maughan, Erin's parents, at their mountain home. Bob and Linda are like my surrogate parents. I practically grew up over at their house and they love me for better or worse! And vice versa :).
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| Where Clear Creek and Leavenworth Creek meet in the Maughan's backyard. With the living room windows open, you can hear the water flowing right by the house. It was so peaceful. |
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| Libby was enjoying a dip. |
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| The Maughan's historical house. All of Georgetown is so historical and the buildings have plaques indicating the year the structure was built. |
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| Downtown Georgetown. Georgetown is boxed in by the mountains, so no matter which way you look there is a lovely view. |
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| We did some afternoon shopping after lunch. |
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| Beautiful ladies. Erin, Linda and I took a break from the heat by stopping at a local tea house for a spot of afternoon tea. It was just the refreshment we needed. |
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| Luckily, I was just here as an observer :) |
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| This was Old Town Jail in 1883. See the plaque below. |
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| Poppies were everywhere |
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| It was so hot we had to stop for the best ice cream I have had in a really long time. I even splurged and had a waffle cone! |
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| Bob just bought this new riding lawn mower, so Erin took it for a little spin. |
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Poor Libby was so scared of the lawn mower she jumped into the safety of my lap.
On Saturday, we woke up and drove to Boulder to look around and have lunch. Then we went to a 1st birthday party for one of Claire's little friends.
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| Playing in the sprinklers |
Saturday night, Erin and I went out downtown for a night of dancing and drinks at Chloe. My friend Christian met up with us and we totally acted like we were 25. But, the next morning my hangover told me otherwise. It reminded me why I am ok with getting older. I need my sleep and my water! I also think the altitude had something to do with it, but saying that makes me sound like I'm in denial about why I felt so badly on Sunday morning :)
What a great trip! See you later Denver!
