On Our Way!

Day two of vacation!

This morning, we woke up and packed, thinking we'd go for a walk before my parents would be picking us up at 11am.  But true to form, Dad showed up hours early!  Ha ha ha.  So we enjoyed a lovely morning on the hotel patio, sipping lattes, and talking about all the things we were looking forward to at the Huck Family Reunion.  (Gotta say, if this was typical weather, then I LOVED my Denver morning!)

Mom and our close family friend, Rhonda, showed up around 11am.  We packed up the car and headed out to an early lunch at the Denver Biscuit Company.  (All the sandwiches were made on biscuits!  I had pulled pork and slaw - on a biscuit - YUM!)  We chatted and had a fun lunch, then Rhonda headed back to Colorado Springs and my parents and hubby and I got on the road to Avon, Colorado for the reunion.

(Rhonda, Mom, and Dad)

It was such a pretty drive through the mountains and towns - and tunnels through the mountains!  We arrived at Beaver Creek Resort in the afternoon with plenty of time to explore, unpack, and relax before the first family reunion event.

(The drive - it was like being a kid again.  Back seat, suitcase between me and the hubby...)

(The view from our room - Not bad!)

Our first family "mixer" was at the poolside - appetizers, sandwiches, and drinks.  It was so fun to see everyone again - some I saw as recently as 4 years ago, others were at least 20 years ago!  We re-introduced each other, heard about each other's lives, and had some fun laughs talking about past reunions.  It's funny, for as awkward and shy as I usually feel - I did pretty good here!  (It helps to know everyone's family, right?)  It was a beautiful night, in a beautiful setting - especially when the sun started setting behind the mountains...  Gorgeous.

When everyone started leaving the get-together, it was only 8pm...  The hubby and I looked at each other like, "Really?!  Now what?!"  Fortunately, we hitched a ride with some cousins back to the end of the resort where we were staying, and ended up going to their condo for an hour or so.  It was so fun catching up with two of my cousins (Jason and Jenny - whom I hadn't seen in 20 years!) and their spouses and parents.  There were a lot of laughs and "remember when...?" moments.  Very fun.  So cool to reconnect after all this time.

When the hubby and I finally walked back to our condo, we both said aloud how glad we were that we made the effort to come to the reunion this year...  And this was only Day One!

Things I am thankful for today:

1.  Old friends.
2.  Beautiful weather!
3.  Mountains!
4.  I saw an elk today!
5.  Reconnecting.
6.  Meeting new cousins and spouses of cousins.
7.  Patience.
8.  Confidence.
9.  Laughter.
10.  Memories.