Denver Part II

The Labor Day trip continues. On Friday we got up, and had lunch at Steubens. A Denver staple. I can still picture the Philly Cheese steak we had, which seems to be a really popular sandwich in this city. Strange, huh?

After lunch we headed out into the mountains to do some light hiking and sightseeing.

After playing around in the mountains, we went into Boulder and walked around in the downtown area, which was really neat. We grabbed dinner in Boulder, and then went to see a band called Vinyl (described as old-school funk, Latin percussion, reggae, and R&B into signature California grooves) that night in Denver.

I have to say, a good day.

Labor Day In Denver

For Labor Day 2009, Brett and I traveled to Denver to visit our really good friends, Mike and Carrie who moved there from L.A. in April. It was my first trip to Colorado.

We flew out of Midway in Chicago, and found traveling out of that airport to be incredibly easy, and just as far as driving to Detroit from Grand Rapids. The airfare was the best deal we could find between Detroit, Grand Rapids and Chicago. I would definitely fly out of Chicago again.

Carrie picked us up in Denver in the early afternoon when we arrived. Our first mission was to find a liquor store to pick up some Fat Tire beer. So very tasty on that incredibly hot day. I have to remind myself to ask Mike to bring some home with him the next time he visits. It's that good.

After a beer and settling in, we decided to hit Happy Hour at Trios Enoteca Wine Bar. I loved this place. It was so posh, but yet, so laid back at the same time. Apparently happy hours are big in Denver. They have them everywhere. And some places have them twice a day; one in the afternoon and one again late in the evening. Half off wine by the glass and half off pizza. Yes please. I got a Pancetta, Caramelized Onion, Mozzarella, Mushroom and Chevre Cheese pizza with a glass of Pinot. Pure bliss.

Mike and Carrie have this urban apartment in the Lodo district of Denver (lower downtown district of Denver), so it made walking to all of these places pretty easy.

After chilling at the wine bar, we hopped in the car and drove out to Boulder. We went up into the mountains a bit, parked the car, climbed some rocks and threw back a couple more beers while enjoying the sites.

A great start to a fun filled trip.

Much To Be Thankful For

On Thanksgiving Day the Husband and I found out we’re going to be parents!

I had a that feeling. It was just there. Something felt different. For a couple of weeks, at night after dinner I was feeling “off” and not very well. I had what I thought were menstrual cramps, with no period to show for it. I had also starting waking up in the middle of the night having to go to the bathroom, which was unusual for me. And let’s not forget the swollen, painful breasts. Painful is not an exaggeration. All of these signs had me clued in before the missed period.

I missed my period on the Monday before Thanksgiving, but was just kind of rolling with it. It had shown up a few days late before. On Thanksgiving morning, after I was all ready and packed to go to Detroit overnight, I was sitting around waiting for the Husband to finish up, and he told me “Just take the test. Don’t you want to know?” I can’t remember for sure, but I assume I was talking about all of the symptoms and the fact that I was now three days late, which led him to urge me to test.

I had taken a couple of pregnancy tests before, but re-read the instructions just in case. OK, here we go. I did my business, put the cap back over the test strip, and set it on the end of the counter. Got myself decent again, flushed the toilet, and had a moment where I thought “I better move that stick to the center of the counter, just so I don’t knock it off.” I picked it up, and before I could even set it back down, the word “PREGNANT” was clear as day! I think it took less than 30 seconds to show up.

Let me start off by saying, I’ve taken these tests before, and when they aren’t positive, they take the full three minutes to process and give you the “Not Pregnant” results. I’ve set the timer and waited. I couldn’t believe it popped up that fast! I didn’t even have time to wash my hands. And in the excitement of the moment I don’t think I ever did, now that I think about it. Oops, don't judge me. It was a big, exciting, distracting moment.

As soon as I saw the “PREGNANT” come up, I called for Brett to come into the bathroom, and held it up for him to read. Oh my god, we’re pregnant! Eeeee! We’re having a Babeski!

Thursday, November 26: 4 weeks and 6 days pregnant.

And So It Begins

Bathroom Renovation - Take One.

No turning back now.

Captions for the photo my Dad sent me:

"There! Finally, got that damn mouse."

"Ut oh, you meant the other bathroom?"

"You want it put back together by WHEN?"