Surprise trip to the states!

Goodbye Germany!

Hello Greenland!

What a whirlwind! We recently returned to Düsseldorf after spending two wonderful weeks in Colorado visiting friends, attending a wedding, celebrating the baptism of our Godson, personally wishing happy birthday to Jeff’s dad, singing to Pink Floyd at Red Rocks, spending time with friends and family from out of town, enjoying the outdoors at the cabin and wandering the mountains at Rocky Mountain National Park. It was jam packed but perfect!

Earlier this spring Jeff booked a flight to Orlando for a work conference and was able extended his trip so he could also visit Colorado for his dad’s birthday. He had the trip booked and at the time we didn’t realize just how many wonderful things would be happening in Colorado while he was there. As his departure date grew closer and his calendar grew fuller, we started looking at flights for Amy to join. One week before she left, we found a ticket to Denver, booked it on our second try and decided it would be the perfect way to surprise several friends and family members.

So, after a long day of traveling (but successful thanks to Jeff’s cheat sheet) Amy made it to Denver one day before Jeff. She spent the evening catching up with the parents before hitting the sack awaiting her 4am alarm (due to the last-minute travel plans, her teaching schedule couldn’t be changed so she had to wake bright and early on Thursday to teach). She spent the afternoon working in the garden planting flowers with Pattie and later that evening picked up Jeff from the airport.

We spent Friday running a few U.S. errands (buying more toothpaste, deodorant and lotion) and indulging in some very missed Mexican food. We made our way down to Denver Friday afternoon, picking up our Montana friends and meeting up with more Colorado friends at The Infinite Monkey Theorem for drinks followed by dinner at Improper City. Man that area of Denver has grown up! #hipsterville

On Saturday, we woke early and spent the morning on the golf course celebrating Jeff’s dad’s birthday. It was definitely the first game of the year but still so fun to be out on the green! Later that day, we set off to our old stomping grounds (aka Greeley) to celebrate our friend’s wedding. We were excited to congratulate the new couple and catch up with college friends.

Congratulations Patrick and Rebecca!

We spent Sunday relaxing in Fort Collins while sipping some drinks at New Belgium brewery with our friends. We took the famous tour (casually sharing that we’ve been to the brewery in Bruges where it all began) before heading back to the parents for Dave’s celebratory birthday dinner.

Monday through Wednesday were a whirlwind of fun! Jeff spent time golfing with his cousin and other friends while Amy spent time catching up with her friends and we both spent time enjoying meals and drinks with our couple friends. We were able to visit Jeff’s grandparents and although we didn’t have time to play games, we did get to delight in some homemade sourdough pancakes! Mmm! We also enjoyed a cousin’s night which included shots of Düsseldorf’s Killepitsch and Skyping our cousins in Alabama.

We love Sophia!

What a swing!

Casually playing at the mall with Cooper!

We escaped with time to spare!

Cheers to cousins!

Jeff’s sister and her husband arrived in Colorado on Thursday. We spent the afternoon catching up before the Pink Floyd fans left for the annual Brit Floyd concert at Red Rocks while Pattie and Amy had their own party with dinner, a movie and a puzzle.

On Friday, we had the perfect Colorado day. We spent the day at the cabin eating, playing horseshoes (Jeff was on fire with 4 ringers in one game!) and working on a puzzle at the picnic table. It felt great to be out of the city and in nature again!

Rockin the Ringers!

On Saturday, we ran our last few errands before celebrating our Godson’s baptism. He’s a cheerful and adorable little guy and we couldn't be happier to be a part of his life! After the baptism, we made our way back to the house where we enjoyed our last family feast out on the patio. It was bittersweet as we anticipated everyone’s departure the next day, but it was still so nice to be together!

Then somehow, as we blinked the week away, Sunday came and we found ourselves heading back to the airport. Amy dropped Jeff, Kristen and Seth off to catch their flights then made her way down to Pueblo to spend the day eating Old Chicago pizza and working on puzzles with her grandma. Amy had a couple bonus days in Colorado as her flight didn’t depart until Tuesday, so for her final day in the states, she and a friend spent some time hiking in Rocky Mountain National park. We ventured around in the Wild Basin area to avoid the snow in the main park. We hiked by Calypso Cascades and bathed in the mist from Ouzel Falls before settling down to enjoying a picnic by the river. As much we love exploring new cities, it’s still a treat to get out and explore a new (or old) hiking trail!

  


 

And then, just like that, here we are, back in Germany without any time to settle back into a routine. We’re busy doing laundry and packing our bags getting ready for our trip to London! Pip pip Cheerio!