Celebrating by Celebrating a Frozen Dead Guy!

After Chris and Ashley made their way back to North Carolina, Eli and I worked until my birthday weekend which was made so nice by all the calls, texts, and cards from afar.  We decided to celebrate with Aunt Cyndi and our friend, Alex, by going to the Frozen Dead GuyDays in Nederland, Colorado.  Nederland is a small town with a population of about 1,500 situated in a gorgeous spot within the Rocky Mountains about 30 minutes from Boulder and about 3,000 feet higher in elevation (which we think the lack of oxygen makes them a little crazy!).  But they celebrate the small things in life...or death for that matter.  They have a man who was frozen when he died and his body has been kept in a shed in Nederland.  The family keeps him frozen in case science catches up and can bring him back from the dead.....and the town...well they just wanted an excuse for a big party!!!  They do it right with music, polar plunges, coffin races, etc.  We got to explore the cute town but missed out on some of the events because the wind was so high and the temperature was in the single digits, so some of the events were cancelled.  

We grabbed a bit to eat and some drinks at the Pioneer Inn, which was an old stomping ground of Cyndi's.  It was a bar full of people dressed up in different costumes not allowing the weather to dampen their time.  We spent time going in cute shops, watched the history behind the festival (which I recommend looking into...it's wild), and of course stopped to get Frozen Dead Guy ice cream.  

We made it home in time to get warmed up in front of the fire and watch UNC whip Duke in basketball.  What a great birthday present!!!  That evening Cyndi took us to the Black Cat which was a very fun and fancy restaurant in downtown Boulder.  It is a restaurant that has it's own farm so the menu constantly changes to what is in season and what is fresh at the time.  It is a very neat and "Boulder-ish" restaurant.  Then Sunday brought a lazy day with Cyndi.  We went to Dott's Diner for breakfast and then spent the afternoon enjoying the nice weather on Pearl Street Mall moseying in and out of cute shops.

This past weekend Eli went to Virginia for meetings at Massanetta to plan the summer camp he will be involved with for two weeks in June.  His initial flight got cancelled so he ended up not getting into Virginia until much later than expected.  Even though he was exhausted, his night was made when Brittany brought Kylie to meet him, Seth, and the staff for dinner in Harrisonburg.  He got to spend a lot of time all weekend with Seth and met a lot of neat people while putting in a few long days of planning.  Luckily, he was able to see the rest of the family as well for some good quality time together, including a trip to Josh's winery where he was able to visit with our good friends, Liam and Skye. He got back late Sunday night to Denver after a great weekend.  While he was at home, I got to catch up with my good friend, Lauren Eckard on Friday.  Then Saturday, I spent the day with Cyndi getting a pedicure and doing some shopping!  Sunday, I worked and got the house ready for Eli's return!! 

This past week was pretty uneventful but we thoroughly enjoyed several days in the 70s.  Yesterday we took a long walk around Boulder with the pups exploring some of the trails and watched lots of basketball.  Today, I worked a few hours and then we went to Lucile's for shrimp and grits.  We, once again, spent the afternoon watching basketball and cheering our Tar Heels onto the Sweet 16.  I am very excited to go home for a few days this weekend to Virginia to see family but wish Eli could join.  He, however, will get some time to hang out with Aunt Cyndi which is always a good time.

Chris and Ashley visit Colorado!

Our good friends, Chris and Ashley Sellers, flew from North Carolina to Colorado on Thursday, Febraury, 23rd, and staid for a long weekend, leaving Monday evening. It was a wonderful time being able to experience Colorado through other people's eyes as this was their first trip to Colorado and their first time in the Rocky Mountains.

On Friday we were up and at it, taking our guests to a Denver favorite for breakfast, Sam's Number 3, a restaurant featured on Dives, Diners, and Drive Ins. At Sam's everything is doused in green chili, which is a distinct characteristic of south western cuisine. After stuffing ourselves silly we drove down to Colorado Springs and took a four mile hike through the Garden of the Gods. This is a gorgeous area with all the red rock formations and views of the mountains, including the infamous Pikes Peak.

That night we made Dives, Diners, and Drive Ins a theme of the day by taking them to another restaurant that was featured on the show, this time a Boulder favorite named The Sink.

On Saturday we were once again up and out the door early, this time heading all the way up into the mountains. On our way we stopped for doughnuts, a must of any trip Chris and Ashley take!

On the frozen lake at Georgetown

Our final destination of the day was the ski town of Breckenridge and mine and Katy's favorite place in the mountains. On the way we stopped to walk on the frozen lake at Georgetown, and we also made several other detours to show off some of the insanely small, rustic, and quaint mountain towns of Colorado.

Once we made it to Breckenridge we ate a packed lunch and then headed to the Nordic Center so Chris and Ashley could get their first taste of Cross Country Skiing. While Chris, Ashley, and Katy went skiing I took the dogs hiking. I really wanted to go with the group, but have been having lots of knee pain and decided it probably was not smart. After three hours of hitting the trails (and that is meant both literally and figuratively) everyone was worn out and ready to call it a day.

Before leaving Breckenridge we all went and road the Gondola, an enclosed ski lift that provides free transportation to several of the slopes, and even though we were not skiing, it is still a cool ride that provides some great scenery! After our little trip on the Gondola, we headed back down the Mountain and into downtown Denver. We went to Larimer Square and to the 16th street mall where we ate at a place called Tokyo Joe's, a Japanese chain found only in Denver and the surrounding suburbs. 

When we got home we started a fire and roasted s'mores before calling it a day and hitting the sack.

On Sunday we slept in and then headed to Golden to tour the Coors Brewing factory. This took much of the day and we spent the evening eating pizza and once again roasting s'mores. Monday morning Katy and I cooked breakfast and then I had to head to work. Chris and Ashley's flight was not until the evening so Katy took them to the Pearl Street Mall in downtown Boulder where they enjoyed doing some shopping and grabbing a bite to eat at a local crepe restaurant.

It was a wonderful trip and meant so much to Katy and myself to have them out here, and while we are enjoying our time in Colorado, spending time with two of our best friends has definitely gotten us excited for this summer when we move back to North Carolina!