Ahhhhhhh

It's late Sunday night. Chris, Sofia and I returned yesterday afternoon after an incredible whirlwind tour of the Rockies. We began our trip with a scenic drive to the southwest through several passes to the collegiate peaks. Nestled between the peaks is a small town called Buena Vista (BV) where our friends, Dan, Lauren and their two boys have an amazing cabin. BV is your classic mountain town with a stereotypical Main Street and one stop light. We arrived on Thursday afternoon just in time for Sofia to go down for her afternoon nap. Once she was sound asleep, Dan, Chris, Owen and I headed out for a hike around their mountain neighborhood. At 8600 feet above sea level, I was a bit nervous about huffing and puffing as we hiked around. To my surprise, it turned out to be okay...a great indicator that I am ready for the snowboarding season to begin!
That night, we had a fantastic dinner of homemade tomalies with Lauren's parents (who live in BV full time) and rested up for the remainder of our trip.

Friday morning, we had cinnamon french toast, packed up and headed for another hike near the Arkansas River. Sofia did great riding in her carrier on Chris's chest. Once we reached the top of the trail, we let her down on the ground and she had tons of fun playing with the dirt and stones. :) The hike was the perfect way to end our "family trip" portion of the long weekend. Next, we were off to Vail for Chris's conference.

The drive to Vail was equally as beautiful as it was to BV. Chris and I couldn't help but find ourselves in awe passed over one peak to the next. Those mountains have been there for a loooonnnggg time!

Our hotel was beyond decadant -- fully equipped with a granite-topped kitchenette and a fireplace! We checked out our digs and then Chris was off to his conference. (On a side note: I am so proud of Chris! He did such a wonderful job representing his company and making contacts with architects. Hopefully he gets asked to go to these types of events again!) Sofia and I drove around Vail for a while and then went back to our room for a nap and dinner. Dinner was hilarious as it was the first time that just she and I went out to eat where BOTH of us ordered from the menu! I felt like she was such a big girl!

Saturday, Chris was off bright and early so Sofia and I had another day to hang as mamma and daughter. :) We checked out of the hotel and headed for an amazing little park at the base of the western slopes in Vail. We swung, threw woodchips, went down slides and had lunch under the sun. It was a great afternoon and one that I will long remember.

So here we are, it's late Sunday night and we are going through the routine of preparing for our weeks to come at work. It was nice to get out of town...to have time as a family...to breath fresh, Rocky Mountain air.
The Collegiate Peaks
The trail along the Arkansas River
Sofia is a happy hiker!
We survived the high altitude hike (~9000 ft)!
Sofia, relaxin' in style in our ginormous bed at the hotel!