Labor Day Visitors

We were so lucky that our great friends, Cole & Maura, were able to come out and visit us over Labor Day weekend. We planned a full weekend and had an absolute blast with them! They flew in Thursday night and we picked them up and then stayed up late chatting away and catching up.

Friday, the boys went golfing in the AM and Maura & I slept in, chatted some more and went for a brisk walk. After lunch, we headed to Estes Park to check out what it had to offer.

In our online research we had found this giant slide and were very excited to go ride it! However, it is only open on the weekend and apparently Friday evening isn't considered part of the weekend! :(


However, we did walk main street and browse lots of fun shops. Estes Park has a plethora of candy/ice cream shops. A few of them had lots of old-school candies and this one even had a tiny door. They looked like such old-fashioned shops!


We (Me, Jar, Cole & Maura) stopped at this one and enjoyed some carmel apple and fudge.

After browsing we had dinner at a local restaurant and then drove over to the famous Stanley Hotel. The Shining movie was filmed there and according to some, the hotel is still haunted.

Haunted or not, it was a cool looking hotel.

Saturday, we decided to hit up Denver. We planned to go to the Denver Art Museum but lucked out because the Taste of Colorado was going on right next to the museum too! There was a lot of vendors, both food and trinkets and random stuff. It was fun to be outside enjoying live music and just seeing what there was to see.


Yum...I'm hungry! Jarad was too cool to be hungry with me! :)

We did go to the Denver Art Museum as well. They had not one, but two buildings full of different exhibits! We got in our fair share of culture and art and then headed back out to the Taste of Colorado.

Jarad & I posing in front of an art sculpture outside the Art Museum.


We were getting hungry for some lunch, so we finished up with downtown Denver and heade to Buffalo Wild Wings!


We had some grub wings! Then we had to take a picture by the hotness scale! Yes, Jarad is down by the "mild" end and I like things a little hotter!

After a delicious lunch, we headed south to the Castle Rock Outlet Mall and did some shopping!

I shopped, and Jarad legged-up a moose!

Next, we continued south to Colorado Springs to my parental's house and hit the hay for the night.

Sunday was a relaxing day...church, naps, games, dinner and making posters for Jarad's big day!

Maura, Lori & I made up some fantastic posters.


And the boys (Cole, Kevin & Jarad) played some Tiger Wood's Golf on the Wii to try and talk Jarad's mind off of his nerves.

Later that evening, we enjoyed the evening with a fire and s'mores and roasted starbursts (don't knock it till you try it!).


Thanks Dad for starting it up for us!


Cole & Maura keeping warm by the fire.


Jarad & I snuggling by the fire too.

Then came Monday...MARATHON DAY! (see next post)