The Wedding!

It’s always surprising how fast a trip can go… We just spent ten wonderful days in the states catching up with family and friends and celebrating Amy’s brother’s wedding. It was a whirlwind of fun! 

We started our adventure on July 18 and decided to switch up our travels by training to Frankfurt on Thursday evening instead of catching the insanely early Düsseldorf flight to Frankfurt on Friday. We arrived in Frankfurt late Thursday evening, hopped in bed and woke early Friday morning ready for our ten-hour flight to Denver. Using the train definitely made for a shorter travel day as well as a more restful night! If we head back to the states again, this will be how we do it! 

We arrived in Denver midday, right on time to pick up our rental car and run to Costco to drop Amy’s glasses off to get new lenses. We spent the evening with Jeff’s parents, enjoying a home cooked meal and planning their Europe trip in September. We can’t wait for their visit! 

We woke early on Saturday (5:30 early... much earlier than we would’ve liked, thank you jet lag) but as a tradeoff, we were able to enjoy a cup of coffee out on the back patio, listening to the birds and soaking up the perfect summer morning sun. 

After our quiet morning, we made our way to Denver, stopping in downtown Littleton to replace our favorite spices and try some new ones (like dried green chilies since we can’t find anything spicy in Germany). With our spice cabinet sufficiently stocked, we stopped by Chick-fil-a for lunch (a must when we’re in the states) and took it to Jeff’s grandparents. We enjoyed catching up with Nana and Grandad while playing Canasta, cuddling with Sophia and watching one of Denver’s infamous afternoon thunderstorms pass through the city. 

#firstselfie

After saying goodbye to the grandparents, we made our way to Brit and David’s house for dinner and a slumber party. We spent the evening indulging in a delicious steak dinner followed by a walk around the neighborhood, drinks on the patio while watching the drag races at Bandimere and reveling in great conversation that lasted well into the night/early morning. Sometimes it’s just too hard to go to bed!

On Sunday morning, we said our goodbyes and made our way to a friend’s brunch with Tyler, Lauren, Jim, Heidi and little Brady. We spent the morning chatting away, filling our bellies and catching up on life. We followed brunch with drinks with the Olson Cousins. We gathered at Joyride Brewing Company near Sloan Lake and enjoyed our time catching up with the cousins. We finished the day at Jeff’s parents, making homemade pizzas and sitting out on the patio. It was a busy weekend but so fun to see everyone! 

We spent Monday morning on the golf course playing hooky with Jeff’s parents. We played much better this time around and had a wonderful time on the course in the morning sun. Too bad every Monday doesn’t start this way! We spent the afternoon checking out the new outlet mall in Thornton (dangerous!) and hit jackpot at Columbia and Under Armor. We also made sure to stop at Tommy Hilfiger for some swag so we can fit in in Germany (it’s a very popular and expensive brand over there!). We finished the day by enjoying dinner with the Buice family, swapping stories and soaking up our time with their little ones. 

On Tuesday, we spent the morning hiking to the Longmont reservoir. We took Jeff’s dad and Sterling (the family dog) and experienced a perfect hiking day, excellent weather, quiet trails and great company. On our way back to Longmont, we stopped by Liam’s beautiful new retirement home to check in on him and feed him some carrots (Liam is Pattie’s horse). The scenery around the ranch is incredible and looks like a horse’s dream environment. Enjoy your retirement Liam! 

As we continued on our way, we stopped by Snarf’s for lunch (another must) before taking a quick shower, packing our bags and making our way to Jeff’s uncle’s house to solve the mysterious treasure hunt that Jeff’s cousin created. In order to find the treasure, we had to answer several math equations, use those answers to find elements on the periodic, then use the mass of those elements to figure out the letters to key words, which then lead us to the treasure. It was quite elaborate and fun to be part of! We also got to see where Jeff’s cousins “run their business” of making Loom bracelets which of course we supported by buying a couple for us. After completing the treasure hunt, hitting a few baseballs, and testing Jeff’s pogo stick skills, we continued our journey to the airport to catch our late flight to Boise (thanks for picking us up at 12:45am Allen!). 

  

We woke on Wednesday ready to discover Boise. Jeff and Allen dropped Amy off at her brother’s so she could pick up their car. Amy enjoyed a relaxing morning catching up with her brother and getting the inside scoop on the wedding details before heading out to spend the afternoon with Sam. Sam and Amy started their adventures with a tasty lunch (2 GF sandwiches please?) followed by three hours of laughter as they floated the Boise river. It was the perfect day to be on the water, warm and sunny but not too hot.

Meanwhile, the boys (Jeff and Allen) spent the morning on the golf course followed by an afternoon playing Age of Empires, a throwback to their childhood. We reconvened for dinner and the four of us headed downtown for a delicious dinner followed by dessert at the new Reed's Dairy in Boise. Mmmm! 

The four of us split ways again on Thursday. Sam went to work, Jeff and Allen planned to go golfing (which turned into another day full of on Age of Empires) and Amy met up with her family for brunch followed by a walk around MK Nature Center, a trip to a wonky shop in downtown Boise, a stop to visit Oskar at the hotel and finally drinks on a rooftop patio with the bride to be. 

We enjoyed a leisurely morning on Friday, sleeping in before heading to Julie and Paul’s hotel. We spent the late morning in the pool playing pool games like little children. We enjoyed friendly competitions including body surfing, handstands and pool races. Jeff’s 6’9’’ wingspan makes him indestructible! Too much fun! 

For lunch, we met up with the Dickson crew who had arrived for the wedding. We enjoyed catching up with the relatives before heading out to get ready for the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. Once we were primped and ready, Jeff dropped Amy off at the church and he made his way to Juniper to enjoy drinks with Paul and the Smith clan. 

We met back up at Bacon for the rehearsal dinner where we were greeted by family and friends from all over. Family, friends, family friends… so many visitors! Jeff even met a few more of Amy’s relatives... there’s always someone new to meet with her family! Following the rehearsal, a group of the “20 somethings” stopped by Meriwether Cider House for one last drink before heading home to get some beauty sleep before the big day. 

Amy woke early Saturday morning to get her nails done with the bride. She picked her sister up from the hotel and they made their way to the salon. They spent the morning soaking their feet and chatting with the ladies while Jeff went to the Boise downtown city farmers market. He enjoyed looking at all the fresh local produce, beautiful flowers, delicious specialty food items, and one of a kind locally crafted art. 

At one o’clock we set off for the church! We took a few minutes to congratulate Brian, snap some family photos and prepare for the ceremony. And then, it was time for the big event! The wedding was beautiful! The love radiated from the bride and groom and the atmosphere was impeccable! It was hard to keep our eyes dry… 

Following the ceremony, we helped clean up the church before making our way to the wedding reception at a local country club. When we arrived, Amy and Julie immediately snuck off to complete their first task of decorating Brian and Amanda’s car. Once that task was complete, we were free to enjoy the evening, catching up with more family and friends, snapping photos in the photo booth, indulging in a delicious dinner, tearing up during the toasts and first dance and eventually making our way to the dance floor. The DJ played our two favorite swing dance songs (Shut Up and Dance and Wagon Wheel) as well as several others which included an off the dance floor interpretive dance by Amy, Julie and Paul (Jeff was nowhere to be found) and the traditional Smith family hug to Ain’t No Mountain High Enough. We laughed as Celia caught the bouquet and John took a knee to “tie his shoe” and cheered as we took turns dancing down the aisle of the dance floor showing off our silly moves. As the evening came to an end, we ran to the car door in an attempt to beat Brian and Amanda to it, making them turn around and go back to the lobby so all of the guests could form a goodbye tunnel for their big exit and send them off appropriately. It truly was the perfect evening! We’re so grateful we were able to be a part of their big day! 

As Sunday approached, we experienced all of the bittersweet feelings that come at the end of a big event. We spent one last morning sipping coffee with Sam and Allen before heading over to Brian’s for brunch with the family. At the brunch, we shared sips of Killepitsch, making sure everyone had a chance to taste the Düsseldorf specialty before saying a tearful goodbye and heading out to the airport to hop on a plane back to Denver with 16 of Amy’s relatives (we should’ve hired a private jet!). 

And just like that, our big trip came to an end… we spent Monday morning packing our bags before grabbing brunch with Kevin (Jeff’s cousin) and making our way to the airport. What a trip! 

Cheers to Brian and Amanda and a special thank you for giving us a spectacular opportunity to travel back to the states!