Colorado Trip

In early July Nick and I had a Mommy & Daddy getaway to Steamboat Springs, Colorado.  It was our first time away from the kids, together, for a long weekend. Getting away without kids was rough for maybe the first 15 minutes after we dropped them off. Then we realized they would be so spoiled by all four grandparents the entire time we were gone that they wouldn't miss us. And let's face it--- we deserve the getaway!

Our first activity was to head up to Strawberry Springs. There are several pools, hot springs, that you can relax in. It's like sitting a natural spa surrounded by trees! It was so peaceful. If only we had been the only ones there it would have been pure heaven.

 

The original gameplan was to stay after sunset to see the stars. Howevs, policy changes to "clothing optional" after dark and there were several unsavory groups we'd have preferred not to see. (or have them see us, rather. Because we have huge egos and think that of course they'd rather stare at us than us stare at them. Right?) Actually the drive up to the Springs was so windy and such a small road and we noticed ZERO streetlights, so we thought we'd rather not risk our lives trying to get back down after dark. Is getting older that has turned us into huge nerds or being parents that has done this to us?

The next day we took the Gondola up to Mt. Werner. We hiked along the ski trails and it was gorgeous. Tough as hell hike! Maybe not being used to the altitude made it tough or our lack of mountain hiking experiences...or maybe just being out of shape. We were huffing and puffing by an hour in. But we wanted to see how high we could get. When an old Asain guy ran past us going up the mountain we had a huge "wtf" moment. So we opted to take some pics instead. And we ran into a crazy mountain lady.

One of the not-to-miss things to do in Steamboat Springs is to check out Fish Creek Falls. It was so spectacular. If I haven't already shared my lovefest obsession with my Canon Rebel T3i yet, maybe these pics will convince you. I am OBSESSED! I could totally move to Colorado just to take pictures all day long. It's so peaceful and relaxing there. I loved just being out in nature and having a clear head to think about nothing and everything all at once.

 

My handsome hubs. Seeing each other as people again and not "Mommy" or "Daddy" was eye opening too. We can't let another 3 years go by without another honeymoon. Seeing him in action as Daddy is wonderful, but seeing him as just Nick was pretty damn amazing.

We headed out to Hahn's Peak Roadhouse for some horseback riding. My lame sense of direction in Colorado lead us an hour in the wrong direction, but luckily hubs didn't hold it against me. We got on Magic and Cody and a blast! It was Nick's first time riding a horse and my first time since 2002. I adore horseback riding, just taking a chill ride and connecting with these beautiful animals (sap alert- vomit in your coffee right now). We're good Texans, huh? Practically horse virgins the two of us.

 

More pics from Fish Creek Falls. We met a sweet couple and we swapped cameras and took pics of each other. They did such a great job! I wish I'd gotten their names so I could thank them for taking pics of us that don't make us look like fat jerks. Love them!

Oh yeah, so I mentioned we were nerds? We hit up Space Station Gas for snacks the entire trip. The ladies' room was even decorated with kid cut-outs of planets hung from yard and paperclipped to the ceiling. My kind of joint.

 

Gorgeous downtown Steamboat. We ate at Mambo Italiano before the Rodeo Saturday  night and practically licked our plates clean. Totally worth the wait! We also enjoyed drinks on the back lawn of Boathouse Pub, watching the tubing crowd float down the Yampa Valley River and sitting on a handcarved wooden bench. That was the highlight of the trip for both of us. Enjoying a long conversation and lots of laughs together. We had some appetizers for dinner and they were beyond scrumptious.

 

Just the two of us.