Jennifer's Journal: July 2008

Well, I have clearly been enjoying a technology free summer. I have hardly turned on the computer at all, and have kind of enjoyed that. I have had some guilt however from not updating my blog in so long. Since my last entry, my family has been to Colorado, I came home for a week, I went to Chicago for the American Sewing Guild's national convention to help teach two bra making workshops and help Anne out in her Needle Nook Fabrics booth, I came home to help finish up swimming lessons, and have been trying to recover ever since.

Our trip to Colorado was fabulous! I have not been home in 7 years, and this was a chance to show my kids some of my favorite things from growing up there. After we met up with my sister, we were able to take a drive down "Memory Lane". I drove by the old house, and could not believe the trees that I remember being planted that now hang over the street! I saw my old elementary school, drove by some of my friends old houses, and was even able to remember where they are even though they don't look the same anymore (Wendy and Amy's houses). I also could not believe that where we had to drive, at first down a dirt road to a grocery store, there are now two within walking distance from the house. And the mythical E-470 is actually complete. I drove by my high school, and found my favorite Chinese restaurant still in business, but the other adults in my car are not Chinese fans, so I just drove by. It was a lot of fun and memories, and a few adventures along the way. And we capped it off with dinner at Trail Dust Steakhouse. It was a nice end to memory lane complete with slide and dancing.

Then next day we took the kids to the Denver Zoo. One of my favorite all time places. We even ran into an old dance friend that my sister and I had not seen in years. We did get to see everything we wanted to and had a wonderful time. I even got to see one of my favorite animals - the tiger. Isn't he magnificent?

Then we took the kids to that all necessary trip to Casa Bonita. Oh, but first we did have to make a stop at a yarn shop, The Lamb Shoppe, where I had a great time and came home with yarn for 3 pairs of socks (te he he he). At Casa Bonita, we did get to sit down by the cliff diving pool. A first for my sister and I. The food was the same as I remembered it. But the atmosphere was different seeing it through a parents eyes than through a child's eyes. We got to see lots of cliff diving and shows, the puppet show, and my Big One got to break open the pinata. We did fore go Black Bart's cave after I walked through it and jumped twice. The kids definitely did not need to experience that one yet. It was a lot of fun though!

I did do some knitting. I was able to finish my Noro Arrowhead Stripes socks that I had been working on.

It was a good thing two, because I realized that I had brought jeans to wear in the mountains, but no long socks. So I finished them up just in time to go up to the mountains.

We were staying in Dillon, but we needed to check everything out, and I needed to refresh my memory on where everything was. I knew there was another yarn shop in Frisco, What's Needling You, that I wanted to check out. But it was Monday, and it was closed, so we just stopped to get some ice cream. This was the view from where we stopped to have a snack.

Then we continued our drive, and this was our overlook of Breckenridge, which has always been one of my favorite mountain towns.

Then we went back to Dillon and stopped for dinner at the Red Mountain Grill. This was just a really cool restaurant. This is what it looked like on the inside.

And this was our view from the table.