Rocky Mountain High

Well, it's been a very exciting trip in Colorado! I worked most of Thursday, then Mom drove me to the airport. The flight was uneventful, I flew Frontier (which was REALLY nice - had the personal TVs for a domestic flight, pretty impressive - I splurged and paid the $5 for the TV since I graciously moved from my window seat so that some friends could sit together) and arrived in Denver on time. After a fun trip on the little trains, I met Annie and her friend Adrianne at the baggage claim. It was really wonderful to finally meet Adrianne after hearing about her for so long. We drove back to Annie's apartment and ate some food, then basically just chilled out and talked. It's so nice to see Annie, meet her roommates, see where she's living - I feel like I can finally fill in some pieces that I've been missing about her life. Friday, Annie got up and went to class and I snoozed until she got back, around 10. We ate some lunch and then took a walk around campus, which was really neat. Annie gave a great tour and I took lots of pictures. We went back to her apartment and then went out food shopping, to get food for the weekend and for the camping trip we were planning. Then, we went on a hike up to the Flatirons, which was SO COOL. The trail was kinda hard and steep (even Annie was huffing and puffing) and we got lost a little at first. The hike ended at an arch and a great overlook of Boulder. There were lots of great views and I really loved the hike (what a switch from my last trip out here!) We double-timed it back down from the top (took 2 hours to get up and only an hour to get down) and headed back to the apartment. Adrianne was working, and Annie's boyfriend Tom was coming over after he finished work, so we sat around and talked while we waited for Tom to arrive about serious matters like Harrison Ford and Batman. So nice to finally meet Tom - he is a super nice guy and he and Annie seem very happy together. We drove uptown to meet Adrianne at work and I got my first taste of Boulder nightlife - woo! So fun and chill. There was an awesome drum circle that I watched for awhile, and Tom checked out a bookstore while Annie and I sat and waited for Adrianne to finish up. Then we headed back to Annie's and made some MARBLE COOKIES!!!!! and just chatted and got to know each other. Very nice night. The next morning, we all slept in and I got up around 11:30 to meet Mark and Mary Jo (Mom and Dad's friends) for lunch. It was nice to see them and get to visit for awhile. I met Annie and Adrianne after lunch and we wandered around Pearl Street then headed back to pack up our stuff for our camping expedition. We chose a site that was about a half hour away and called Tom to tell him where to meet us after he finished work. We drove to the site and it turned out to be a very full campground. We wandered around in the woods, ate some food, had an altercation with a neighbor, gathered firewood, took pictures, and engaged in other such entertaining activities until Tom arrived around 9:30. THen, we roasted marshmallows and made s'mores and then had some soup, hummus, and pitas for dinner. Yum! After playing some Great Dalmudi, it got a little too cold for us (it was FREEEEEZING. Tom showed up with loads of extra clothes so we all piled it on and felt better, but our plans to sleep under the stars rather than in the tent went out the window with the wind that was blowing) so we packed into the tent and then played some more. Made it to sleep and then woke up nice and early - ate some breakfast and basically just sat around and had a good time. We stopped in Nederland on the way back from the campsite and checked out a used book store and got some coffee, then stopped at Boulder Falls on the way back to Boulder. Once we arrived back, we ate some moreeee, played some more Dalmudi, and then Tom took off to go home. Adrianne and Annie did some homework while I napped and read a bit. The three of us got into a great discussion, then we had some dinner. Now, Annie is showering (finally! she smelled!) and their friends Matt and Brian are on their way over. I'm headed back tomorrow - kinda sad, the trip felt too short. I was totally glad to get to see all this, though, and I had a blast. Hopefully I can come back to visit again soon.