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Today is the day! We leave for our trek back to North Carolina today. Six months ago, I was excited to move to a new city with my husband of just two months. Of course I was sad to leave the only state I have called home, but I was looking forward to being completely on our own and sharing new adventures together. We have made some wonderful memories here, met some amazing friends and learned a lot about each other and ourselves. Please say a prayer and keep us in your thoughts for a safe return! 

The light is what guides you home, the warmth is what keeps you there.  ~Ellie Rodriguez

Side note: Please also pray for those who have been affected by the wild fires here in Colorado and the firefighters and other responders who are doing their best to contain the fires. If you are interested in making a donation, a really cool way to do it is through the link below. You buy a t-shirt and all the proceeds go to help the victims of the Colorado wild fires.

Click link below:
Help the Colorado wild fire victims

Last week in Denver

This week was our last week in Denver. We didn't have much time since we did need to focus on packing, but we wanted to cross one more thing off of our list to do: Film on the Rocks (we still have some many things... I guess we were a little too ambitious and will have to come back to visit.) Since we were unable to make it to a concert at Red Rocks, we figured the next best thing was a movie! They show films on a huge screen that is located on the stage; the movies are not new releases by any means but that is what I like about it. And I know I have already talked about how sweet my husband is, but he really is! The movie for the evening was "The Notebook." He didn't even make a face when I asked if we could go, although there is a chance he was making one inside. Before the sun goes down and the movie starts, they always have a band lined up to play. I guess we can kind of say we say that we saw a show at Red Rocks, right?! The band was an English band from Leeds called the Dunwells. They were seriously good! Even though we had never heard of them or any of their songs, we found ourselves tapping our feet and moving in our seats! You should check them out. Once the movie started, everyone cozies ups to their loved ones, and I was just in awe of the setting. I grew up going to drive-in movies. It was one of my most favorite things about the summer. But there is nothing like watching a movie at Red Rocks...and I am sure this is what people also say about concerts there. And I don't know if it was the relaxing atmosphere or the fact that probably 99% of the people there had seen the movie before, but people would cheer when good things happened it the movie. Like when Noah and Allie get stuck in the pouring rain in the boat, after all those years have gone by, and they get back to the dock, and he tells her he wrote her every day for a year, and that it's not over yet, and then they have that dramatic kissing scene. Whew, tear jerker! The whole crowd clapped and "whoo hoo'd" together. It was cute. (If you have not read the book or seen the movie yet, I apologize for ruining that moment for you...oops!) Anyway, it was just a really cool experience, and I am so glad we did it our last week. Something we will always remember.

We also have made sure in the weeks leading up to our move that we saw as many of the great people we have met our here. Before I left for NC, we had dinner with two couples: one we met at church and the other we met at the Easter Brunch. And funny enough, they knew each other. We knew this prior to having dinner...that would have just been too wild! Sometimes, Denver seriously is not as big of a city as it is. We also had one more get together with our bible study group. We have been so blessed to have found a great church and fellowship out here in Denver. I got to say goodbye to my National MS office friends a few weeks ago at our committee meeting party. Oh, and I went by the office this week to take them homemade pimento cheese. They had asked me earlier what food I had missed back home, and of course Pawley's Island Palmetto Cheese was top on my list. They had never heard of pimento cheese (GASP!), so I insisted on making them some. They loved it :) This week, the girls from the Savannah group we have gotten close with threw a going away party for me. Zack got to hang out with the guys last Saturday night when I was out of town. And then after work yesterday, Zack's boss got everyone together at the office to go out for a few drinks to say goodbye. We have truly been blessed to have met so many wonderful and friendly people out here in Denver. It has made being away from home, family and friends just a little easier.

I will leave you with a photo from Film on the Rocks, when the band was playing. As I say many times with the photos we take out here, it just doesn't do the view justice (this is also due to the fact that I took it with my iPhone.) Oh, if you ever happen to go...don't just bring blankets, bring a pillow to sit on. Your rear-end will thank you!

Mount Evans - 14,240 Feet!

This past Sunday, we took a trip to Mount Evans. The road to Mount Evans is the highest paved road in North America, and usually opens up Memorial Day weekend each year when the Colorado DOT has completely plowed it. Yup, there is still snow up there this time of year! It even snowed on us some while we were there...it was 80 degrees in Denver that day. The road up there is not for the faint of heart. On the way there, you pass through three life zones (a zone has similar animals and plants). You pass by ancient trees, forests and lakes, and will even travel above the tree line.

Here is a view of what we saw in front of us. Sometimes it looked like it would just drop off in front of us...and I think it some places, it did!

This was the view outside of the passenger side window of the truck. All snow! But it wasn't like this the whole way up, just in some places.

Frozen lake on the way up to Mount Evans

Purple Mountains Majesty! Views on the way up. 

Rain in the distance...

We made it to the top! You park and then walk up to the summit. 

Just hanging out at 14,000+ feet

The views were AMAZING...the photos are great, but seriously don't do the views justice.

Our little buddy...they were everywhere! We even had a contest on the way back down to see who could spot the most... Z won, which worried me since he was driving but he pointed out he saw the most because he was watching the road. Makes sense!

The parking lot in the bottom right is where we started the walk up.

Mountains for miles...

The frozen lake from above.

Proof of it snowing in JUNE!

Me and Z, the great trip planner and photographer!

One more mountain under our belts, and our first 14-er (well, not technically since we drove part of the way, but still pretty cool!)

We are approaching our last weekend together in Denver. I will be heading home next week for nursing school orientation and for the wedding of our dear friends, Dan and Michelle. I will be back just in time to pack and enjoy a few more days with Zack in CO. We have done so much over these past six months, made so many memories together and met some really great people. There is still so much that we haven't done, but I think it is safe to say that we will be back to visit! 

Memorial Day Weekend

This year's Memorial Day weekend was totally different for us. We are usually surrounded by friends, and on the water somewhere enjoying the sun. And although we missed those moments, we still enjoyed our weekend in Denver and had plenty to do!

On Friday evening, we ventured downtown for the Food Truck Renegade. Food trucks are a big deal out here in Denver, like many big cities, and house an array of different cuisines. The Food Truck Renegade is a gathering of of some of the city's food trucks so you can sample all of them at once (each time there are different trucks). There was live music and lots of fun. Our food choices were a BLT with fried green tomatoes and Rocky Mountain ribeye sandwich from Street Eats, green chili fries from Mike2 Kitchen, red velvet and raspberry almond cupcakes from Sweet 'Ness Cupcakes and creme caramel ice cream from Coaches Scoop. Oh, and can't forget the beer, which was provided by Left Hand Brewery.

Had to try it, considering I am left-handed!

Our eats

Left Hand Brewery

Yummy cupcakes!

Perfect ending!

Saturday we took Banks to the Cherry Creek Park, one of Colorado's State Parks. We have taken him here before, and knew what fun he would have. It was a little windy, but luckily the sun was out, making for a pretty nice day. Banks loves water and tennis balls, so this the perfect park for him. I don't think he would ever leave if he didn't have to! The park wore all three of us out, so we spent the rest of the day at home relaxing!

One happy pup!

He is out there somewhere!

One of the couples that we have gotten close to, went to church with us Sunday morning. We met them Easter Sunday at a brunch (a college friend of mine set me up with some of her friends out here). Funny side story, when my friend Jodie sent an email introducing her friends to me (she has moved back South so she wasn't here to introduce in person), the first response was from a 'Sara Lewis.' At first I was confused, because that was the name of one of my best friends since childhood. But, she is now married so her last name is different, and she spells Sara with a 'h" on the end. After opening the email, I soon realized that this was another Sara Lewis! Long story short, they have the exact same given name except one is with a 'h' and one is without. What is even wilder, is that they seriously look like they could be related! Back to Sunday's events. After church, they invited us to go to brunch and the ZOO! It had been something I had been wanting to do, so I was excited when they brought up the idea. I am so glad that we didn't have anything else planned for the day...the Denver Zoo is huge! There were so many animals, and being a holiday weekend, so many people! But, it had been awhile since any of us had been to a zoo, so we really enjoyed it. We saw so many animals, so I narrowed the photos down to our favorites. The orangutans and gorillas were the most entertaining. While watching the mama orangutan show off her baby (not exactly how humans would show off theirs...see photo below), we hear loud noises coming from the gorilla area. We went over to see what was going on to find two females chasing the male. We weren't sure exactly what was going on, but he was dragging what looked like a blanket of some sorts. We decided that maybe he tried to steal it from the females and they weren't having it! It was quite comical!

They were so amazing in person!

One of the elephants in their new home, which we got a sneak preview.

He would come over for one second to say "Hi" then dart away!

Sara and me

This one did not seemed bothered by us at all and kept eating.

Posing for people looking through the window to the left.

It was amazing and kind of scary how she would just stare right into your eyes!

Regal!

Smiling at us! 

Showing off her baby.

Here is the chase scene, haha!

We could not get over how big they really are. 'The Lion King' did not portray them accurately!

El Tigre

They were SO cute!!! The only birds that I like.

Their stripes were so neat to see up close.

Banks was still out go commission from his trip to the park, so on Monday Zack and I drove to Colorado Springs, which is about a hour south of Denver, to the Garden of the Gods. Both of us were quite exhausted from the weekend's activities so we didn't hike long here but did get some really great view of the enormous red rocks.

Would never be as brave as the climber in the photo below, but I climbed just a little!

Can you see the climber? Look in the middle.

Couldn't believe he was right there in front of us!

We had a very busy, but very fun Memorial Day weekend this year. Thanks to all those who gave their lives so we can live ours!

Friends come to town!

We had our first house guests, Lindsey and Ashley, over the weekend...four whole days to be exact! I was so excited to play hostess and show them around the Mile High City. We packed so much into four days that I am still recuperating from all of the fun!
They got here mid-morning on Thursday, so once we made the long trek back into the city from the airport, it was time for lunch. We went to Vert Kitchen, which has amazingly fresh foods and a cute patio out back where you can enjoy the weather. Then I took them down to the S. Pearl St. shopping area where you can find little boutiques, quirky shops and local restaurants. We also stopped by Cherry Creek mall; I had been boasting about all the stores that were there...Wilmington pales in comparison. It was apparent that I had not been to Southpoint Mall (Durham) or Crabtree Valley Mall (Raleigh) in a long time, since the girls were familiar with many of the same stores. Oops! It was fun just to catch up and chat with these two! I miss all my girls! I wanted them to get a feel for what we love about our neighborhood so we walked to the S. Gaylord shopping area for Happy Hour, where of course we did more talking! We also enjoyed some local brews and tasty apps. We made it back to the house in time for dinner. Zack bought a small grill so we could have a real cookout...such a thoughtful husband! I knew we would be doing a lot of eating out especially with all the things we had planned, so I figured we could all use a meal in: grilled chicken, fried okra, sweet potato fries and a fresh arugula salad. Although I love our Le Creuset square grill pan, I forgot how good grilled chicken on actual grill tastes.

For Friday, I had planned for us to go to the Coors Brewery Tour, but first we went for a morning walk in  our local park, Washington Park. The girls couldn't get over how green everything was...one of the very first things I noticed too once everything started to bloom.

Wash Park

We made it to Golden in time to eat lunch with Zack at Woody's Wood-Fired Pizza before heading to Coors. Zack and I stumbled upon this place when we went to brewery tour, and couldn't stop thinking about their pizza. I have already probably told you about this place in a previous post, but it is seriously good eats! The crust is just amazing, and you drizzle honey on it when you have eaten everything but the crust. Don't knock it until you try it! Once our tummies were full, we headed off to the Coors Brewery. Even though I have done it before, it was so much fun with these two...all giggles! 

Woody's

Even though it started to drizzle a bit, we weren't going to let it get in the way of our time in Golden. There are so many cute little places on the main street so we stopped in a few of them before heading back to Denver. I wanted to show Lindsey and Ashley downtown so I made reservations at one of the restaurants Zack and I went to during Restaurant Week: Vesta Dipping Grill. It was even more amazing than I remember it being before! After dinner, we headed to one of the many rooftop bars that are located downtown. On our way there, Zack noticed that Pennywise, a band he listed to back since middle school, was playing. His eyes lit up like a little kid on Christmas. It was seriously too cute. He stayed there while us girls went on to the bar. Depsite the rain, we had a fun time! Old school music (think Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch), a hopping bar, and great friends! Zack met up with us after the Pennywise show where he had a blast and even brought me a t-shirt (so sweet).

All dressed up for a night out!

Saturday, we woke up to a dreary chilly day, but we were determined to get out and about. I took the girls to the REI store, which is the flagship store; it is enormous. It is typically busy, especially on a Saturday, but apparently it was also their anniversary sale which equals their busiest day of the year. Go figure! We didn't find any good deals though, and headed back to the mall. Since we had some time to kill before the Eric Church concert, and it was yucky outside, we saw "What to Expect When You Are Expecting"...a movie I knew I wasn't going to get Zack to go see! It was cute; your typical girl movie! 

Like I mentioned, Saturday night was the Eric Church concert at Red Rocks. Only Ashley and Lindsey had tickets, but Zack and I hoped to find some there. We underestimated the popularity of Mr. Church! There was not one ticket to be had out there! Well, we did come across ONE ticket but it was $150...and that was cheap compared to the tickets advertised that week on Craigslist. It was cold, but Ashley and Lindsey had a great time though!

View from our tailgating spot

The girls' view from their seats...love the city lights from Denver at the top.

Sunday's weather was a complete 180 from Saturday. We made our way downtown via the light rail for the Rockies game. You have to get there early for tickets in Rock Pile, which is the cheap seats area, but I swear the best view! We went to Falling Rock Tap House for lunch before the game; Lindsey's friend Kristen suggested it and what a great suggestion. The burger with green chiles and guacamole is a must! We had beautiful weather at the game. After the game, we met up with friends at a cool bar called 1 UP where you can play all sorts of games, like SkeeBall and large version of Jenga. So much fun! I have mentioned Steuben's before...our favorite food spot here, and the sister restaurant to Vesta Dipping Grill. We took Lindsey and Ashley to dinner there on Sunday night. I think the girls would agree about how good the food is! And we introduced them to the Moscow Mule. Another must!

view from the Rock Pile...if you sit high enough you can see the Rockies in the background.

Monday morning came too fast, and I wasn't ready for them to leave, but the time had come. I am so, so, so glad that they came out to see us, and I hope they had as much fun as I did!!! And thanks to Lindsey for all the great photos!!

Take me out the ball game!

After church on Sunday, we went to our first Rockies game together (Zack had been once already for a work thing..."how nice", right?!).
Zack and I have met some great people while out here. And even in a big city like Denver, we are still reminded what a small world it can be! One couple we met at church ended up being friends with the group of friends (which I met through another friend of mine) that we met up with for Easter Brunch. Did you follow all that?! Oh, and all of them are from the South! We have also met some great people not from the South...don't want to leave them out! But it is so comforting being around people similar to you while being so far from friends and family.
So on to this post... The couple from church invited us to a Rockies games. The Rockies were playing the Braves...another sweet reminder of the South :) And what was even sweeter was the SUITE we got to watch the game from. I'm not going to lie, I want to experience the cheap seats, what the locals here call "The Rock Pile." Those tickets are just $4 a piece (no joke!), but at Sunday's game, there was no complaining from us about "the suite life"!
We had so much fun with new friends, and definitely enjoyed watching the Braves win!