Summer Ball

It may be summer, but Emma is still getting in plenty of sports! Her basketball team is playing (and dominating!) a tough summer league; soccer practice has been on a little break, but Friday evening skills are continuing (at the park at the end of our street ... could NOT be better!); softball double-headers in the heat have been lots of fun!

A couple of weeks ago, Emma, Steve, and Big Steve got last minute tickets to a Wednesday evening Rangers game and had great seats just up from home plate!

Added bonus: dollar hotdog night (plus a huge win for the home team)!

Warming up with Dad before a *hot* Thursday double-header ... after all that squatting, Emma has had some sore thighs on Fridays!

Since our social calendar pretty much relies on the girls' activities, we're loving the low-key but plenty busy summer ball life!

Celebrating 20 Years

Steve and I recently celebrated our 20 year wedding anniversary with a trip to Colorado. Several months ago, Steve found out that a band we wanted to see was going to be playing at Red Rocks, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to plan a little anniversary get-away. We had THE BEST time!

All good trips start with an airport bev, do they not?

We landed in Denver and drove west to Golden. Such a cute, fun little town with lots to see and do.

View from our balcony at The Table Mountain Inn

We didn't see any real bears, but this guy was in our hotel lobby. Very soft and I had to get a pic!      

We had fun exploring the little downtown area. Clear Creek runs right through it and up to the Coors Brewery.

The water was freezing, but I had to put my toes in. Look at that clear mountain water!

Of course we had to make a trip to the Brewery. We didn't take the whole tour, but we participated in a tasting, visited the gift shop, and got to read quite a bit about the history of the brewery.

We also enjoyed walking around the Colorado School of Mines campus in Golden. We learned that it's a pretty elite school for science and engineering majors, and there were several beautiful buildings to see, tucked into the mountains.

The highlight of our trip was our night at Red Rocks. As we were walking in, this guy was casually grazing next to the parking lot.

Had to get a photo with John Denver (and of course quote "Dumb and Dumber")!

Steve had been to Red Rocks before, but this was my first trip. When we got inside, before we stopped for anything else, we went to the top to take in the views. It's indescribable - completely breathtaking and nearly brought me to tears. The photos don't do justice.

After the opening act, we went into a lightning delay (within 5 miles). We were worried they would end up cancelling the show, but eventually the Avett Brothers were cleared to come on stage. It rained for most of the show (and continued to lightning, but luckily they played on). We sang and danced and enjoyed every moment in our RR ponchos!

Incredible

We decided to drive up to Boulder and spent part of a day there, first walking around the University of Colorado campus. We couldn't get inside the stadium, but walked the concourse and could peek inside at some spots. It's a neat stadium right on campus.

We then went to downtown Boulder - what a cool place! We parked and walked the mall area, which is filled with tons of shops and restaurants. We spent a long time in this idyllic, three-story bookstore with tons of nooks and crannies.

Then we found a great spot at a little pub across the way and pondered about whether we could lease the apartment space above the bookstore.

It is really hard to believe we've been married for 20 years. We met as 19-year-old sophomores at Iowa State (really as freshmen, but we didn't actually know it at the time) ... the time has flown by. Lots of moments haven't been easy, but they've been worth the work. I'm so proud of the life we've built and the girls we are raising, and that we've made the effort to choose each other every single day.

Here's to the next 20 ... can't wait to see where they take us! ❤