Away

We adore our kids.  We talk about how cute they are all the time.  They have delightful personalities and are just such a great fit for our little team. 

The kids before leaving for Grandma Judy's house

But I totally adore my husband.  He is the real deal.  No one has a work ethic like this guy.  If I need anything-- a drink of water, a pen, a piece of chocolate, he would run a marathon so that he could get it for me right away.  And I can't fathom it but he gets more handsome for every year we are married.  I am constantly asking myself "how did I get such a good-looking husband?"  Now that the gushing is out of the way . . . let me get on with the rest of the story.

We knew after the crazy couple of months a weekend away was just what we needed to celebrate nine years of wedded heaven.  Friday night, Chris dropped off the girls at his Mom's house (a.k.a. the reason we could have a weekend away in the first place).  I took pictures and video of the car driving away.  This was our first night without Claire since her birth. 

                                                                                       

That night we went out to dinner and came home to relax.  The next morning we were not awoken by Claire's pterodactyl screeches but instead by our own natural alarm clocks.  Bliss!  We took our time getting ready the slow, before children way.  Alert the media, instead of wet hair pulled up in a bun, I actually curled it.  After we were all ready to go, we dropped off a stroller at Grandma's.  We had forgotten to do it the night before but were excited for the excuse to see our girls again.  They were in heaven at Grandma's and could have done without us, but we loved that even though we had a "weekend away" we didn't miss seeing them one day.

Our view at CPK, replete with flavored lemonades

Our first stop on our getaway tour was the Denver LDS temple.  There was no better way to refresh than that.  We were able to go to our house of worship, listen to inspired guidance and instruction, and reflect on marriage, our life, and eternity.  I felt closer to my husband, closer to my Father in Heaven, and closer to my deceased family members.  Awesome!

A nice dude took a blurry, far away pic for us

After the temple, we headed to our hotel in Downtown Denver.  It was perfectly situated next to the 16th Street Mall so we had fun shopping, architecture, and food at our disposal.  Chris told me that good vacations to him are all about "great architecture and great food."  I concur.  This was the first time I tried priceline.com for a hotel rate.  I will do it again.  We paid $60 for a room that is normally $199 a night in a four-star hotel. 

The gardens in Denver are gorgeous this time of year!  I am a big-time gardener.  Correction, I have a heart of a big-time gardener, I haven't had the chance to let that talent flourish yet.  But someday, I'm going to be really good at it, believe me.  (It's in my blood).  I have read ten gardening encyclopedias this year . . . seriously.  I was amazed at how great the gardens at the temple and downtown were.  We saw a huge variety of flora and fauna and didn't even visit the Denver Botanic Gardens yet.

We ate like a king and queen.  Marlowe's and Crepes and Crepes are on our favorite's list now.

Wouldn't this be your new fav place too?

 

Besides extreme loves of food and architecture, Chris and I are history geeks!  Imagine our excitement at the King Tut exhibit at the Denver Museum of Art.  We were prohibited from taking photos in the exhibit, but Chris and I were speechless.  I almost cried on several occasions.  To see treasures that you have awed about in books for years now right in front of you. . . amazing!  We even got some little trinkets for my history teacher husband's classroom.

Great weekend!  Great husband!  Great mother-in-law for watching the kids! Great nine years married!