Day 1//
Early Christmas Eve morning we boarded our flight to Denver. Zack has spent quite a bit of time in Colorado, but it was my first trip to the state. Needless to say, I was super excited to see if CO lives up to the hype (SPOILER ALERT: it did!).
The flight gave me time to begin reading “The Fine Art of Small Talk”, a book Zack ordered for me off of Amazon awhile back that I hadn’t found time to read because I had been too busy reading my textbooks this semester.
Pearl St. in downtown Boulder
After landing, we checked into our hotel, ate some Chick-fil-a for dinner (Seriously, I love that place, I wish there was one in Ann Arbor!), stopped by a friend’s apartment in Boulder, and finally snuggled up in bed for an early night.
Day 2//
We woke up super early on Christmas morning and headed to Keystone. It was my first drive through the mountains ever, and let me tell you, they took my breath away. I had never seen anything so beautiful.
Keystone was practically empty and there had been a nice layer of fresh powder fall overnight, which made for perfect skiing conditions. After spending all day on the mountain, we headed back to our hotel, stopped at Ihop to have breakfast for dinner, and finished the night by cuddling while watching a movie and drinking hot cocoa. It was a perfect Christmas.
Day 3//
On day 3, we made our way back into the mountains to go to Vail (aka. the cutest ski resort I have ever saw, I definitely want to make it back at some point). Here we were able to ski with Zack’s cousin, explore the town of Vail, and have dinner with his family at delish German restaurant. At the end of the day, we were super exhausted and passed out the second we got back to the hotel. This day (might) have been my favorite.
Day 4//
This day was dedicated to relaxing! We did a little exploring of downtown Denver and went into REI. For dinner, we may have had Chick-fil-a again (Yes, we do love it THAT much!). Later in the day, Zack’s brother (Jaime) got into Denver. It was his birthday so we finished the night by going out with him and a couple of friends who also made it into town this day. I forgot to take pictures this day. Oops!
Day 5//
We headed back to Keystone to spend the whole day skiing! We weren’t ready to be done, but around 5pm it got down to -2 degrees (BURRRRRR), so we had to stop. On the way home, our GPS took us down what is called “the Loveland pass”. BY FAR, the scariest road I had ever been on. I am talking steep roads, right on the edge of the mountain, no guard rails, and it was snowing so hard that you couldn’t see 6 inches in front of the car. WOAH. I was so glad to finally reach the highway when we did (and so thankful at this point that Zack made sure to rent a four wheel drive truck for us).
Before we got back to the hotel for the night, we stopped at the Denver Zoo to see their Christmas lights. I was blown away by how spectacular they were-These pictures do not do them justice!
Day 6//
We started the day off by doing a little exploring in downtown Boulder. I still cannot get over how much character that town has! It is one of the first cities I have been to that I could truly see myself living in. I fell in love with all the local restaurants, cute shops, random street performers everywhere, and beautiful views. We finally got to bust out our dancing shoes that night because it was the first day of The String Cheese Incident’s 3 day run at the 1st Bank Center! Let me tell you, they put on a crazy awesome show! Their set list was all sorts of epic.
Day 7//
On this day we had a super awesome Sunday morning brunch at The Bluff in Boulder. After we filled our bellies, our friend John took us up into the flatirons for a mid afternoon hike. After being in Colorado for 7 days at this point, I was expecting it to be pretty where ever we went; yet, I was still blown away by how breathtaking the views were. How is Colorado so amazingly beautiful?!
We ended the day by going to the second night of SCI.
Day 8//
In the morning, I was able to find a little time to blog a mini recap of some great moments of 2012. I really loved doing this because it reminded me how great of a year I had. We made reservations at the Boulder Café where we ordered a bunch of small plates to split as a group. Of course, we had to indulge in some fondue (a great NYE treat!). After, we were off to ring in 2013 at the final night of SCI. They put on a great show! At midnight, balloons were dropped, confetti fell, and there were dancers hanging from the ceiling- the whole crowd was in awe! If that moment was any sign of how this year is going to go, it is going to be great! CHEERS TO THE NEW YEAR!
Day 9//
I was sad to have to leave Colorado. After staying at the Westin for 9 days, I was starting to almost feel at home. I feel so blessed that Zack took me on this trip with him. Seriously, he is the best. I am lucky to call him all mine. With that being said, I so happy to be reunited with our baby boo, diesel, and being back in our spotless (It is my rule to make sure everything is cleaned before leaving for vacation- something that my mamma taught me) apartment. Now, if only the laundry and unpacking would do itself…HAHA!
I’ve never been to Colorado, but after seeing your BEAUTIFUL photos, I think we may have to visit now. LOOOOOVE these! :)