Denver and Beaver Creek Getaway

Oh, man. Trying to sum up an amazing trip like this is very, very, hard. Suffice it to say, these are (and will always be) my people, and my family. Yes, this girls weekend kicked off with a few hours spent with my ridiculously awesome nieces, nephew, sister in law and my big brother.

My face is slightly puffy from crying, because we hadn't seen each other in a very, very, long time. Also, I was operating on about four hours of sleep. My flight was at 6:30, and the security lines at SeaTac are notoriously awful (we waited for over an hour for our San Diego trip), so I set my alarm for 3:30AM to get parked and shuttled over to the airport on time.  Oof!

After spending quality time with my brother and his family, I headed back to the airport to await the other two gals flying in from Chicago and for our Denver girl to pick us up. And we didn't stop talking for three whole days.

Seriously, you'd think I'd crash early after so little sleep the night before. Nope. Stayed up talking until 2AM. Again, oof! 

This tasty Five Spice Old Fashioned kept me going. Linger in Denver is a seriously yummy restaurant.

On Friday we headed out towards Beaver Creek, with a stop in Vail for lunch at Mountain Standard.

And we had a fabulous time checking out all of the shops, our favorite (which also had an outpost in Beaver Creek) was a lovely boutique called Frinje. We probably spent an hour in there trying on clothes, sunglasses and jewelry. But the only jewelry I went home with was this AMAZING kitty ring that I gave to my daughter, though I may borrow it from time to time...

It was unseasonably chilly and rainy (which was fine by this Seattle girl), but still beautiful. Vail reminded me of our local little mountain getaway in Leavenworth (where I was last summer, actually), but on STEROIDS. 

Now that I think about it, a lot of things about the Denver and surrounding area reminded me of home: the mountains, the microbreweries, the hiking, lots of active-lifestyle folks, marijuana stores... Anyway! Once we got checked in at the fantastic Park Hyatt in Beaver Creek, I headed straight to bed for a power nap while the rest of the group hit the hot tubs. I woke up to my friends informing me that they were treating me to a belated birthday dinner! First we hit up Revolution for some complimentary apps (fresh tortillas with different dipping sauces - YUM.) and cocktails. 

The 'Up in Smoke' was delicious: marinated and grilled pineapple infused cachaca with lime. Then we had amazing Mai Tais at our dinner destination: Hooked. 

You guys. This dinner was an experience we won't forget! Even my one friend who is not all that into fish took one for the team and had fun with it. We did the 'you call it' option where you decide on the type of fish you want to eat and they choose one fish that can feed your entire party and it's prepared in as many ways as possible. 

For us, that was a 3 1/2 pound fish prepared SEVEN different ways, including sashimi, nigiri, a roll, ceviche, a filet and two ways (chimichurri and a ponzu like sauce) on the bone. DUDE. Plus we'd eaten TWO appetizers, an amazing fried shrimp and a poke trio. So full, but so happy!

The next day we walked off some of our huge meal with a little hike behind the resort. It was then that I realized, oh yeah - altitude. Like Bend, but worse! 

But it wasn't too strenuous of a hike and it provided some lovely views as well as evidence of the sun returning in full force.

So after a margarita lunch at the Coyote Cafe (their exclusive 'Old Soul' margarita was super tasty), we had pool time! I should take this moment to say that the Park Hyatt thinks of everything and was just a lovely place to stay. I guess you get what you pay for! The waiter at the pool came by asking if we'd like complimentary otter pops, there were toys and goggles available for use and everyone was just so very friendly.

There was also an art show going on the weekend we were there, which was awesome and now I want one of these crazy expensive lounge chairs that were for sale for my backyard...

The last night we ate tapas at Metropolitan and ended the evening with 'black and blue' Manhattans (containing smashed blueberries and blackberries), s'mores and my first game of Cards Against Humanity at the bar in our hotel. 

Now I get it! And I want to play more! We closed out the bar and got to see the bride from the wedding taking place on the property saunter in, so that's always a fun time. Surprisingly, we all felt pretty good the next day and were able to go for another hike before hitting the showers and the road to the airport.

Aspens really are beautiful and I learned that a grove of them is the largest living organism on the planet. So cool!

Saying goodbye is really hard, but even when we go years without getting together, I know we are just as close as ever. I love you guys. Let's not wait three years for our next shenanigans, though, ok?