Colorado - Day 2

Last we left off, we zonked out camping in Colorado after a long night. We woke up the next morning bright and early. Eric was ready to get up and find food; I was ready to continue sleeping for another 5 hours. We got up and got ourselves ready to head into town to find some food and coffee.



We had a very slow morning which was nice. Once the rest of the crew was up and moving we decided to make the most of our last day and go for a drive and maybe a small hike in the mountains. We met up with Jeanne and Kevin downtown so they could come with us.



Then we were off to the mountains! Everyone was moving pretty slowly that day.



The drive was absolutely beautiful.



We got to an overlook and walked a little bit to enjoy some fresh air.



The temperature dropped about 30-40 degrees pretty fast. It was cold!



Can't wait to have these girls in our wedding!



I found out we were actually walking around in the tundra. Its the first time I've ever been in a tundra so that was really cool - but it was very cold. We hadn't thought to bring winter jackets.











On the drive back we passed tons of elk and different wildlife. They were not phased by the roads and cars driving by... which made for some nice pictures.



Once we got back we had a couple hours to just hang out together, relax, play some frisbee, and say our goodbyes as people left one by one.







One of my old roommates actually had a flight that left at the same time as ours (11:59 PM) but on a different airline. It was nice she got to ride with us to the airport and catch up. As great as the weekend was, we were definitely ready to get home and catch up on some rest. We had a long night of travel ahead. We finally walked in our door around 6:30 AM Monday morning and crashed until about 11 AM. It was a much needed day off.

It was such a fun trip with some amazing people, and it couldn't of been a more beautiful weekend. I am so happy for Jeanne and Kevin starting off this new adventure of marriage together - Congratulations!

Colorado - the wedding

Last weekend Eric and I were in Colorado for one of my best friends' wedding. We knew this trip was going to be a whirlwind for us. With us in the midst of planning our own wedding, we've been saving money wherever we can. When I found airline tickets for half the cost of any I'd seen before, I knew we had to jump on them. Basically they were for redeye flights through the night on Friday and flying home through the night on Sunday.



We worked all day Friday. Later that night my brother was nice enough to let us keep our car at his place for the weekend and take us to the airport. We got to our hotel near Denver at about 2 AM. I ended up waking up at 4 AM (thinking it was 6 AM thanks to my phone not updating to local time) and showered, got ready to head out. I realized my mistake once I was completely ready and about to wake Eric up to head out the door. Discouraged, I laid back down for another hour. Then we were in the car and ready to finish our drive to Estes Park!

We couldn't help but be re-energized after the beautiful morning drive and then seeing this upon our arrival.



We saw my old roommate Annie pretty much by herself getting everything ready so we jumped in and got to work decorating/setting up tables as soon as we got out of the car. The whole place was looking absolutely beautiful.





Jeanne made some amazing chalkboards (I was so thankful she offered to help with ours if we needed any as well).



Then it was time for me to head inside to get ready with the girls.



The beautiful bride :)



I realized a little too late I never got a picture of Eric and I dressed up together. He was so awesome and patient that day though. We pretty much didn't get a chance to see each other at all until later in the afternoon at the reception (after getting ready, the ceremony, and all the pictures). He said he had a great time with all the guests and meeting new people.



She looked absolutely stunning.



Cannot beat this view. Apparently the weather had been overcast every day until Saturday. The sun was shining all day long.



Once all the bridesmaids were lined up, the bride was ready to make her entrance.



It was such a sweet ceremony. It was very personal and with a little help, they pretty much wrote the whole thing themselves.



I don't think there was a single dry eye when Kevin said his vows to Jeanne'.





Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Sherman!



There's not much that trumps seeing someone you love this happy.



First dance.



First dance with her stepdad.



Lasagna for dinner - everyone was definitely ready to eat by this point ;)



The rest of the night was full of dancing and mingling around the fire.



The dance floor was full of people all night long.



Jeanne' and her mamabear. Please notice in the background the guy who split his pants. I kid you not, THREE guys split their pants - not on purpose. Obviously there was some serious dancing.



Some of the roommates from college. We've been loving all the excuses for reunions lately.



It was such a fun night but I was pretty exhausted but by about 10 that night. However I was the getaway driver for the happy couple - ain't no rest for the wicked ;) Around 1 AM they were ready to leave. Luckily when Eric and I got back, someone had an extra tent set up for us so we washed up, threw our sleeping bags in the tent and passed OUT within seconds.

Stay tuned for the second half of our trip..!

Happy birthday my love

Yesterday was Eric's last day of being 33. Last night I started asking him some random questions about how he felt about 33. It was fun to reflect with him on the last year and I think he enjoyed answering them. So I decided to come up with a few more and maybe try to make it a tradition to ask each other these questions on our  future birthdays.



Eric's birthday questions (33):

Favorite memory of 33: Getting engaged

3 words/themes to describe 33: Progress, excitement/climactic, adventurous/fun/a lot of new things

Something you learned: (more of a lesson re-learned) perseverance/hard work can pay off in all aspects of life (relationships, work, etc)

Favorite trip: Colorado in March 2016 (specifically hiking during a blizzard in the Rocky Mountains)

Favorite holiday memory during 33: All of us being dressed up in the same outfits during Christmas

Something difficult you went through/learned/dealt with: Understanding and coming to terms with the fact that some things are out of our control, and learning to identify and deal with those things that may subconsciously affect us

Favorite weekend activity: Spontaneous trips (Ophelia, Williamsburg, amusement parks, Jones Point, Demolition Derby, etc)

Somebody who entered your life during 33 and someone who left: (entered) Sydney and Jane (left) Uncle Larry

Favorite morning during 33: Waking up in the fort, going fishing at Lakeridge and Lauren catching her first fish. Also the morning I proposed - I had been nervous all week but the nerves had gone away that morning, all of our family knew, and I just remember being very, very happy.

Favorite game played: Harry Potter at Rehoboth Beach with the Hall family

What you want to focus on during 34: Nurturing our relationship, exploring a career path outside of D.C.

What are you excited for during 34: Getting married, traveling internationally together, the potential of moving

I don't want to embarrass Eric too much - but I have to brag a little bit; he truly is an amazing man. He has more patience then just about anyone I've ever met. He cares deeply about our family and friends. He keeps such a positive attitude, even in situations that can be frustrating or take a lot of time and energy. He isn't just willing to help - he is eager to help anyone, anywhere, anytime; he has a heart to serve. He is calm in stressful situations and is always able to put things into perspective. Obviously I could go on, but I'll stop there. I'll just say that I'm very blessed to have him in my life.

We just got back from an amazing (albeit exhausting) weekend celebrating a friend's wedding in Colorado. I'll try to get pictures up soon. We are going to have dinner with Eric's parents tonight to celebrate him :) Then we are already looking forward to the weekend to catch up on some rest and do something fun for Eric's birthday.

Happy birthday my love. I can't wait for many, many more birthdays with you!

Nats game and Labor Day weekend

Not too long ago Eric and I had the chance to finally get to a Nats game and meet up with a couple of his friends. It was a hottttt day and our seats were right in the sun so we spent a lot of time up under the overhang just catching up with his friends. It was really great to finally get to meet them!

One of the Nationals' photographers got a picture of all of us for their website but said it won't be posted for another couple months so unfortunately I didn't get a picture of us all.



Our passes to Six Flags were due to expire on Labor Day. This past Saturday Eric and I headed to the park. It was pretty overcast that morning and the park wasn't very crowded which worked out very well in our favor.



We went straight to the Super Man and road it 3 times in a row because there were no lines. It was so fun!



We went on another couple rides and then decided to head out. It was too cold for any water rides and we got to do so much in the three hours we were there. Once the clouds parted and it started getting busier, we were ready to go.



The weather over the entire weekend was so pleasant. It really did start feeling like Fall was upon us (until it got back into the 90s this week). We got to relax a lot this weekend which was HEAVEN. I can't tell you the last time we just got to lay around all day.

Sunday afternoon we had been pretty lazy all day and felt like we needed to take advantage of the weather so we took a walk at Jones Point Park to explore the some of the stuff we didn't get to see last time.



The lighthouse (there was a wedding going on last time we were here).





We explored further down the bike path and ended up in Old Town Alexandria on the waterfront.





Taking a break on a bench overlooking the water.



It was a great three day weekend for us. With everything going on right now life stays very busy! It's really nice to get a chance to slow down and relax a little bit. This Friday we'll be off to Colorado for one of my very best friends' wedding!