Mema's trip to Colorado

I had the pleasure of having Mema out here in Colorado with me for a week. She flew in on July 1st and stayed until the 8th. I had so much fun visiting with her. We did a lot of talking, and I loved hearing stories about when she and Papa were first married, what my Mom, Aunt Paula and Uncle Darrell were all like as babies and children, and about what Mema's childhood was like. Learning about those things are even more precious now that my mom isn't here. It is so interesting to hear about life and my family as much as 70 years ago!

While mema was here, we were able to make a couple of fun trips. The first was to Red Rocks. Red Rocks is in Morrison Colorado and is home to the ampitheater where many famous musicians have held concerts. We've always gone just because it is a beautiful place.

We were also able to take the Cog Railway to the top of Pikes peak. It's a great way to experience the mountain! Eric and I had drove to the peak last summer. Of the two ways to make the trip, I'd definitely recommend the Cog Railway. The trip starts in Manitou Springs and is about 3 hours round trip. Well, normally it's 3 hours! When we got to the summit, we learned that another train had broken down on the tracks and was blocking the way down. SO, what is usually a 30 minute stay at the peak turned in to a 2.5 hour stay! The first 45 minutes or so were fine, but after that you could really start to feel the effects of the altitude at 14,110 feet! We all started to get really sleepy, and were ready to get back down to town! The trip was great though, and the views were awesome. We learned on our trip that from the peak you can see Colorado, Kansas, and New Mexico!!!

I was finally able to meet Kim, Mema's cousin who also happens to live in Aurora! We only live about 10 minutes from each other! Small world! It was fun visiting with Kim, Carol, and Mary (Carol and Mary were both visiting from out of state). I enjoyed listening to them share memories of my Grandma Sexton and Aunt Geraldine.

The 4th of July turned out a little different than we had expected! Last year, they shot off fireworks from the top of the movie theater in the shopping center across the highway. We were able to watch the show from our own backyard! I had assumed it would be the same this year. Well, I assumed wrong! They canceled the show for really lame reasons and I didn't find out until early afternoon on the 4th! So, we looked around for other places to go, but ultimately decided it was better to stay home. We didn't want to battle the crowds and possible drunk drivers! We BBQd, but a strong thunderstorm rolled in just as we were about to eat, so we ended up eating inside! When the sun finally went down, we discovered you could see fireworks from all over the Denver area from the upstairs windows! There were also plenty of people in our neighborhood shooting off their own fireworks. After the big shows were over, we watched the Boston Pops fireworks on TV. It ended up being a nice night!

Mema and I had fun doing a little shopping and looking at things for the baby. Mema bought me a couple of nice glass plaques for the wall of the Nursery. One says "You are my sunshine" and when you press a button it plays the music, which means a lot because I remember Mema singing that song to Patti and me when we were little! The other says "Grandmas are angels in disguise" which she got in honor of my mom. They were such nice gifts, and mean a lot to me!

I'm looking forward to the next time Mema comes to visit, and hope that Papa can make it too!

Here are some pictures:

Mema and Me on Pikes Peak



Eric and Me on Pikes Peak



Mema, Eric and Me on Pikes Peak



A view on the way up