Last week, we got back from a week long vacation to the great state of Colorado! Andrew and I moved to Colorado right as he finished college in 2006. We lived in Greeley and then Sterling and moved to Nebraska in 2010. During that time, we adopted Jessica and her birth family doesn't have the crazy opportunity to move as often as us, so they still live there. We planned up a trip to go visit them and some other people and places and it was so fun! Basically our trip could be divided into four categories: visiting friends, driving, camping, and swimming.
It was a great trip! But as with most vacations, it is nice to come home to your own bed, real food, and a schedule. So, while it means Andrew has to go back to work and I had to wash what felt like ten loads of laundry, it also means Jessica goes to bed at 8 and falls asleep on her own instead of staying awake until 10 every night! Now, a few weeks later, we are ready for another vacation, but this time, we want to go to the beach.
1-Visiting Friends
We first stopped in Sterling to visit some friends there and go stop by the church to see people. It was so fun seeing the town, our old place, and also noticing that nothing has changed there. Well, actually, we noticed two new stores, but that is it. Sterling is still Sterling. The next day we visited the scouts at scout camp nearby and Jessica had a great time playing in the sand and charcoal near the reservoir. She was a mess...but she had fun! We stopped by Andrew's old work in Greeley for a quick visit and then headed to Denver to see Jessica's birth parents that night. We hadn't seen them for 2 1/2 years so it was so good to see them again! Later, we were able to spend more time with them and lots of others from Jessica's birth family on both sides. We loved meeting everyone and putting faces with the names.
2-Driving
We tried to break up the trip in manageable chunks, so our longest drive was a 6 1/2 hour drive. But, we also hit a lot of road construction, so one drive which should have taken just over 1 1/2 hours took twice that long...which wasn't fun. We drove just over 1,500 miles round trip and drove through four states. But, we made it through with lots of junk food and snacks, and fortunately Jessica is a great traveler.
 |
| This was the view of the back window of our car often. We had to dry those swimming suits somehow! |
3-Camping
We only went camping one night, but it was a great night and fortunately, the weather forecast was wrong, and we only got a few sprinkles of rain. We stayed in Rocky Mountain National Park near Estes Park, Colorado. We used to go often when we lived in Greeley and it is beautiful! We saw lots of chipmunks, squirrels, deer, and some elk. We had pretty much the worst night's sleep of our trip, but hey, it was fun!
4-Swimming!
We went swimming EVERY day except Sunday. Some days we went swimming twice in one day. It was a lot of swimming in cold hotel pools, but Jessica loved every second of it! Really, this is what made it a vacation to her. We had fun too. The best pool (and the only one photographed) was at Little America in Granger, Wyoming. (The place that posts billboard signs all over Wyoming about their ice cream cones, playground, on site mechanic, and marble showers.) It was the best pool because it was warm...80 degrees! It was outside, so once you get out of the pool and walk back to your hotel room three buildings down in the Wyoming wind, you are cold, but that pool was nice!
It was a great trip! But as with most vacations, it is nice to come home to your own bed, real food, and a schedule. So, while it means Andrew has to go back to work and I had to wash what felt like ten loads of laundry, it also means Jessica goes to bed at 8 and falls asleep on her own instead of staying awake until 10 every night! Now, a few weeks later, we are ready for another vacation, but this time, we want to go to the beach.