staycation : the finale

After my very very LENGTHY last post about our Staycation, I'll make this final Staycation post brief :) {Not really as a courtesy to you, but mostly because the last day of our Staycation (Weds) was short}

Wednesday morning we woke up on our own, and were grateful not to have a band of drumming protesters as an alarm :) We went downstairs where, BEHOLD, Hotel Monaco officially won my heart over with complimentary iced coffee bar ---

complete with vanilla, hazelnut, carmel, and raspberry flavoring syrups!

For our last foodie adventure of the Staycation - we headed down to Crepes and Crepes, a charming little French restaurant that specializes in...well...crepes! 

We lounged at our little table, enjoying the sunshine and the light morning bustle of people at Writer's Square on 16th Street. A lovely, relaxing, delicious end to our Staycation :)

We said adios to Hotel Monaco, I promised to return for complimentary wine and coffee hours again soon, and we were off to Camp BowWow for a puppy reunion. At Camp BowWow they told us Penny's anxiety was minimal, except for the time where she jumped on the countertops and trampled the keyboards everyone was working on, or the time where she started eating the fence...but other than that, our furry little anxious girl managed for 48 hours without us :) Gryffin of course did fine, that social butterfly. 

I'm sure you are ready for the Staycation Chronicles to be over {as am I}, but I want to encourage you and your loved ones to plan a Staycation of your very own! Wherever your home is, take a few days to do those things you've been meaning to do but never have. Splurge a little for some luxuries life doesn't typically afford you. We all deserve it. Plus --- I finally feel like I can say I'm a Denver local!

Cheers!!!

staycation : part 4

Haven't been keeping up with "The Staycation Chronicles"? Realizing you've just clicked on part 4 in my little series documenting our adventures in Colorado in the last week? No worries - you can catch up here :) 

Tuesday morning began with a bang --- quite literally --- when we woke up to the sound of protestor's marching beneath our hotel room window! 

So that was interesting! Because we didn't feel like paying $10.95 to use The Brown Palace's internet for 24 hours {lame!!!}, we decided to pop down to Starbucks {like 100 feet away} to grab some bagels and chai, and to take advantage of free internet. I thought you might enjoy seeing the interesting way the cashier came up with to spell my name! haha

 And yes...I am checking in on my puppies on the Camp Bow Wow website :) They have puppy cams available online 24/7 so you can watch your furbaby during the day while they play with other dogs! Love it!

After our quick breakfasts - the time had finally come to venture to the Brown Palace Spa! I made appointments for us to have 50 minute Swedish Massages in the Couples' Suite, and had high expectations given the Brown Palace's reputation --- and let's just say that my expectations were totally beyond met! This was my first spa experience ever --- and it was amaaaaazing! Everything about the Brown Palace Spa is synonymous with LUXURY. I was escorted by a spa staff member to the ladies' spa lounge, where there was bottled water, yogurt-dipped pretzels, mixed nuts, delicious hot tea, and current magazines awaiting me. Before the massage began, I was invited to spend a few minutes in the steam room --- which I totally took advantage of! I had the spa lounge all to myself, and I totally reveled in having that time and space! The ensuing massages were so wonderful! My masseuse was soft-spoken and had serious skills! I usually find myself squirming a little as the masseuse finds the right pressure for my back, but this woman nailed it! What a relaxing hour it was, and it was so nice for us to both be getting massages together! Total splurge of our staycation - but I'm glad we did it!!!

After our massages, we went back to our private spa lounges again. I took a few more minutes in the steam room and then enjoyed the fun products they had for clients. The most amazing lemongrass shampoo and conditioner, silky lotions, and complimentary hair brushes and hair products. You had me at complimentary. 

 We said goodbye to our beautiful palace, in total states of zen, and hit the road to head to our next adventure --- INDOOR SKYDIVING!

On the way, we stopped for lunch at the Irish Snug - a fun little pub I have been wanting to try for over a year! I am that girl who orders eggrolls whenever it is on the appetizer menu --- Southwest Eggrolls, Avocado Eggrolls...I get them every time! The Irish Snug had Corned Beef Eggrolls! Essentially Reuben Eggrolls --- Yum! Had to try them. They also had the cheesiest, spiciest, yummiest, worst for you appetizer I have ever had --- Spicy Buffalo Waffle Chips! Mmmmmmmm

After that delicious lunch, we had a few hours to kill before our skydiving appointment, so we went shopping at Park Meadows. We had great shopping success at Marshall's, including these cute new shoes for me :)

Next --- we actually got to our adventure destination of the day! Indoor Skydiving!!! I first got the idea to go indoor skydiving from this website that lists "100 things all Coloradans should do" --- and so it has been on our list for over a year, and we finally did it! Tyler has done real-deal skydiving (for his 18th birthday), but this was my first taste of  skydiving! This facility has these incredible wind tunnels with simulated winds of 120 mph and it is used by novices and professionals to improve their skydiving skills. It was SO. RAD. 

 After indoor skydiving, we headed back downtown to check in at our second hotel - Hotel Monaco. As fate would have it, we arrived JUST in time for the hotel complimentary wine tasting! Score! They had a WONDERFUL watermelon sangria that I could drink by the bucketfull!!! But I didn't. They were out of buckets. 

For dinner, we decided to go to Marlowe's. I had eaten there once before, but Tyler had never been, so that's where we ended up! Marlowe's included some fab happy hour --- including this delicious melted bacon mozzarella appetizer!!! Delish.

Next stop --- Jazz@Jack's - a jazz lounge we have been wanting to try! It had a great atmosphere, some awesome funk music, and the most incredible frozen hot chocolate drink I have EVER had! Okay maybe it was the first and only frozen hot chocolate I have ever had --- but it was delicious!!!

Last stop of the night --- The Tilted Kilt, an Irish bar, and got a few drinks, because drinks had been in short supply that evening ;)

And then there's a chance Tyler was a little energized from all the Happy Hours we had taken part of throughout the day, and we stopped by the hotel gym for some quick hula hooping! And then we may or may not have had a dance party in our hotel room. All before midnight :)

Man, last Tuesday I learned that we really know how to pack 24 hours with fun!!!

Phew and Cheers :)

staycation : part 3

Hey all! Thanks for joining me --- if you missed the first parts of the "Staycation Chronicles" --- you can click HERE.

After spending a lovely Sunday with my family perusing spice shops at old town (and picking up some delicious lemon sugar!) and having a relaxing evening in, the Aurora crew (myself, hubs, and puppies) left for home early on Memorial Day. 

Memorial Day side note --- the past couple of years I have been really into celebrating the meaning behind our holidays, instead of just being ecstatic that I had another day off of school. Memorial Day especially means more to me the older I get and the more people I know who serve our country. Having my little brother as a Marine for the last 3 years, I have gained a lot of insight about the sacrifice and bravery involved in serving. My brother is to be deployed to Afghanistan this summer, which scares the crap out of me...but I also respect his pledge to protect the USA. It is a bittersweet holiday, one in which we are reminded of the many losses our country has experienced over the years, but we are also reminded that our servicemen and servicewomen never stop working toward what they believe in. And that is inspirational.

Okay, side note taken care of :) Back to Staycation. Monday was SO much fun because we decided that we weren't going to really have a set plan (how shockingly spontaneous of me, I know!). We took the puppies to Camp Bow Wow (an overnight dog boarding facility), and I definitely almost cried when we dropped them off. Haha. I'm silly like that. From there, it was off to the BROWN PALACE!!! :) I have ALWAYS wanted to stay at this hotel - known for its luxury spa treatments. Here are a few pics of our hotel:

Travel-sized bottles of luxury :)

Super excited to be there!!!

Tyler insisted on jumping on the bed! haha --- that's my man!

After checking in, we carried on with our plan of not having a plan, and just began strolling down 16th street. We decided to go in to whatever bar/store/restaurant seemed fun, and just do whatever we want! This game plan turned out to be awesome! Because we decided to have small meals everywhere we went, we were able to try out lots of places we have never been! In a nutshell, here is what we did on our "no plans" Monday :) 

Bought a new book --- because it's not like I have a bookcase already full of books I need to read...but I've heard this one is really good! And I had a 20% off coupon, so had to use it obviously!

Stumbled upon Appaloosa Bar and Grill --- where we had the BEST Thai Curry we have EVER ever ever had. So delicious. I could eat this for every meal for the rest of my life. Did I mention we HIGHLY recommend this?!?!

After walking around with a thai-curry-induced smile on my face for a while, we decided to pop into Mellow Mushroom, a pizza place I have wanted to try out for a long time! We weren't very hungry, so we ordered beer tasters and a slice of pepperoni and pineapple pizza to share. This place has EXCELLENT pizza! That greasy on top, crunchy on bottom, not too much sauce style that makes it comparable to NY pizza. Fabulous!!!

After Mellow Mushroom, we popped into Sports Column for a few beers while we waited to head over to Coors Field for the Memorial Day Rockies Game. We went to the game with our friend Manuel, and we had such a blast! 

Coors Field, Denver

Indulging the 7-year-old within me :)

 I swear --- the best sunsets in Denver are from Coors Field!!! LOVE THEM.

The game was tied 6-6 after 9 innings, and I was admittedly getting a little antsy by that point. I mean, turns out I really only enjoy about 5 innings of baseball, then I'm over it. Luckily, at the bottom of the 10th we scored a few runs! Big win for the Rockies! Beat the Astros 4 times this week --- I like it!

After the game, there were even FIREWORKS!!! It took awhile for them to get set up, but man it was worth the wait! They did AMAZING! Plus - I am pretty sure I saw 3 types of fireworks at this show that I have never seen before! Since I'll be gone for 4th of July (working at a Diabetes summer camp for kids), I was thrilled that I at least got a summer fireworks show in :)

After the game, we were a little hungry from all of our snacking throughout the day, so obviously the most logical food option was a late night slice of cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory! We got a heavenly White Chocolate Blueberry cheesecake and enjoyed it in our luxurious Brown Palace hotel room --- doesn't get much fancier than that, folks!

And that tops off Monday :)

CHEERS --- stay tuned for Tuesday's adventures!!!

staycation: part 2

In case you missed the first part of "Staycation Chronicles" --- you can go here.

Did I mention that we had the most wonderful weather luck during our staycation? It was seriously gorgeous every single day. That beautiful sun shining high above Colorado was complemented nicely by the perfect amount of breeze to prevent that sweat-drenched look I despise so very much. But I suppose that's what you expect living here --- I am so weather-spoiled :)

The remainder of the FoCo leg of our Staycation was spent with my parents and my Grandpa, and it was SO nice to just relax with them. I have been so tightly wound up for the last year, that I feel like the kind version of myself was greatly missed. We laughed, we ordered delicious Cozzola's Pizza, we watched Tower Heist (better than I expected from an Eddie Murphy and Ben Stiller flick!), we ate BBQ leftovers on repeat...

And on Sunday we journeyed to Old Town, Fort Collins for an afternoon stroll and some tea. While walking around Old Town, we noticed a lot of leather-clad folk. Nothing against bikers or anything, but they were definitely overrepresented...and it turns out there was a biker convention/rally/festival happening right in the heart of Old Town. 

So funny! Grandpa, my mom, Tyler, and I gawked at the thousands of motorcycles that lined the streets on our way to Happy Lucky Tea House. Loved the zen Happy Lucky's sign with motorcycles lined up behind it :)

Happy Lucky's has hundreds of kinds of loose teas! You can smell them all and choose which one you'd like --- here's a glimpse of the tea wall ---

My personal favorite is Dream Weaver ;) But really I got this Chocolate Raspberry tea that was out of this world!!! Do people say that anymore? "Out of this world"??? Turns out I do! 

We just had the best time sippin' our teas, laughing, and just being together.

I adore my family and I adore Old Town. Living away from Fort Collins has certainly helped me to find truth in the saying, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" --- because every time I am in beautiful Fort Collins, I yearn to make a home there with my family one day! One day :)

Stay tuned for the real meat of our Staycation --- our Denver adventures!

Cheers ---

staycation : part 1

Hello there!!!

This post is the first in what may end up being a handful of posts about our last week! Tyler took his Step 2 Boards for med school last Friday, and Friday evening marked the beginning of our vacation time together. That's right --- the med student and the PA student finally have overlapping time off!

For our vacation, we considered traveling to a variety of places. Up to Napa, down to Florida, up to DC...all fun places, but all requiring lots of effort to plan. After the anxiety-ridden year we've had, the last thing I wanted to do was get stressed out over vacation planning. Then, when I was looking at our lengthy list of Denver-To-Do's...and an idea came to me! Instead of finding flights and planning a vacay in an unknown city, how about we stay in Denver at some fun hotels and spend some time and money in the city! We are usually pretty frugal and don't have the time to do fun things locally, so this was totally out of the ordinary for us to just relax and do WHATEVER we want here!

Stoked about the idea, I immediately made some reservations at hotels I've always wanted to stay at and looked up the city's best happy hours --- because, let's face it, Tyler and I go where the happy hours are. WE. LOVE. HAPPY HOUR. 


From here on out, the last 5 days will just be referred to as Staycation --- despite the fact that my computer is insisting that "staycation" is not a word. 


Staycation began Friday evening with a trip to the dog park, dinner from Bono's Pit Bar-B-Q (I don't blame you for being skeptical of this Aurora BBQ joint, still sounds sketch to me and I have eaten it!), and Iron Man (because we realized we loved The Avengers, yet hadn't seen any of the superheroes' individual movies!). Not exactly a rowdy night, but it was time together, at long last! 


The real fun started on Saturday when we headed to Fort Collins to watch my baby sister graduate from high school! Everyone who has younger siblings has always said, "Ohmyword I can't believe that so-and-so is old enough to graduate highschooooool!!!" First of all, no one actually says ohmyword. My situation must be different, because I kept waiting for that moment where I couldn't believe Linds was moving on in the world. But the truth is, for better or for worse, I've always kind of ignored the 9-year age difference between us (minor detail) and treated her a lot older than she is. So I was actually kind of like, "Finally!!!"


Got a little RMHS pride on at the graduation, but after we were about an hour in... I was kind of over it. And let's just say the speeches were less than awesome. Like really far less than awesome. Watched the tassels get turned, watched the balloons rain down on the 500 seniors, and watched them fling their caps up into the air. 

{How great are these graduation cap toppers my mom and sister made for her party cupcakes?!?! Love it} 

Headed back to my parents' house and the mad dash for last minute party preparations began. I have to hand it to my mom, she had all the details planned - and she rattled off our duties like a pro. Hearty food, laughter with family, and a couple of memorial day weekend beers made it a blast! One issue, however --- I decided to stop being the annoying family member with the camera in everyone's faces, so we didn't really get any extended family photos...and my mom made it very clear that while I am in fact annoying at family gatherings, I certainly am expected to be the event paparazzi and to never fail her again! haha. Said with love, of course :)


At least we got this shot ---

Staycation Chronicles to be continued...
Cheers!


PS --- you know you're a nerd when you can no longer read the words "vacation" or "staycation" without seeing the word "cation" in there...thanks a lot, biochemistry...