A Weekend Away

Sometimes you need some good friends to get you out of your routine...
Our excellent friends, Kersten and Tai, decided to vacation in Vail, Colorado last week. I'm sure that one of the reasons they decided on Vail was because they knew they had a better likelihood of having us join them there than in say, well, anywhere farther than two hours away from Denver. That's the unfortunate truth. With both of us in grad school, our time and cash is fairly strapped meaning that our idea of fun is usually a nice hand-in-hand stroll around the neighborhood or ordering Papa Murphy's and watching Scrubs on DVD. Don't get me wrong, those times together are a precious few and ones I wouldn't trade, but getting out and doing something different is always fun. Especially when mountains, good friends, amazing food, and cozy hotel rooms are involved.

So thank you dear friends for making the effort to see us and helping us have a fantastic time up in the mountains. And Rachel--Thanks for joining us Saturday night! It made everything even better.

I knew the trip was going to be fun when a.) we got a screaming deal on a cushy Marriott hotel room via Priceline.com and b.) I went to the store to purchase snacks before the trip and ended up with chips, oreos, gummi bears, and snickers. Brandon and I have been watching our diet lately so I had fun splurging, obviously. We didn't get a chance to actually eat much of it at all, so now all that junk is taunting us. "Eat us and get fat" it says. "It will taste so good and make you avoid vegetables!" So so tempting. I succumb every now and then but Brandon is remaining strong. The oreos are just too good.

Colorado is truly a beautiful place. While Utah's mountains are more accessible, Colorado's are bigger and more striking. And the fall season combined with staying in a small town nestled in a ravine made the grandeur more apparent.
When we drove home on Sunday afternoon, we were well aware that winter is literally a hop skip and a jump away. Perhaps even closer than that. A snow storm had come during the night, making the roads slushy and the trees covered with white fluff. While I might complain about the snow and the hassle, there is no denying how beautiful winter in the mountains can be. Bring it on, I suppose!