We sure packed a LOT into the three days that they were here! They arrived on Monday morning after an overnight drive (a 17 hour trip!) and I went to work that day while they checked into their hotel and spent most of the day sleeping. Monday night we went over to Cheyenne to have coffee and dessert with some good friends of ours. It was a nice time visiting and it was good to catch up with them. Next on the list, for Tuesday, was a trip through Estes Park and the Rocky Mountain National Park. What amazing sites!! We crossed a pass that was around 13,000 feet up! It was spectacular! However, mom was not so thrilled to be so high up so I'm not sure that she had as great of a time as dad & I did! Below are a few pictures from the day. The first one is of mom & dad and I believe that we were about 11,000 feet up on one of the passes in the RMNP.
A pretty visual of the gorgeous flowers that we saw throughout the day. Of course, I wasn't able to catch some of the beautiful bold/bright flowers, so these quiet purple ones will have to do. :)
Another couple views of our sights during the drive. It was just amazing!!
And what would a trip like this be without some wildlife? :) Our first viewing was of a small group of bull elk. As we continued our drive up the mountain, we witnessed a herd of around 100 elk! It was so cool! For those of you who are used to seeing such sights, this might be a bore for you to read. However, it was really a neat sight for us and it was just what dad was hoping to come across as we went through the mountains. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to capture the entire herd on film, but I did get a nice shot of a bull elk.
As we continued on down the road, I commented to dad, "The day would just be complete if we saw a moose!" He looked at me like he wasn't too sure we could be that lucky, but lo and behold, along came "Lily"! :) The picture is kind of blurry because we were a bit too far away to get a good picture, but it's a nice enough one to post, so here you go!! :) I chose to name her Lily. :)
After a day on the road, we got back to Laramie and joined some folks at the park for a nice evening of grilling out and visiting. For some reason, though, I didn't take any pictures of it! You can know that we had a good time!! :)
Dad, Mom and I...
So, after two full days of activities, Thursday was spent relaxing and just giving mom & dad a break before they hit the road again today. We met up with a friend for lunch and then for supper we had an invite to another friend's house, so we got our share of visiting in, as well.
As we continued on down the road, I commented to dad, "The day would just be complete if we saw a moose!" He looked at me like he wasn't too sure we could be that lucky, but lo and behold, along came "Lily"! :) The picture is kind of blurry because we were a bit too far away to get a good picture, but it's a nice enough one to post, so here you go!! :) I chose to name her Lily. :)
After a day on the road, we got back to Laramie and joined some folks at the park for a nice evening of grilling out and visiting. For some reason, though, I didn't take any pictures of it! You can know that we had a good time!! :)On Wednesday, the 4th, we went to the park to enjoy some sites and music. The park here celebrates America's birthday with a "Freedom Has A Birthday" extravaganza and they have food, live bands, and a whole slew of stands that do everything from sell you stuff to teach you things (karate, for instance) to giving away free stuff! It was great! Below are some sights of the day.
Dad, Mom and I...
We were lucky enough to have Monique come along and enjoy a part of the day with us, so that was super nice, too!
One of the bands we caught was the Means Family Bluegrass Band. It was awesome!! Some of the band members have opened for other bluegrass bands in the past in Laramie so it was good to see them again.
After the day in the park, we headed over to Monique's to grill out and visit. It was great! We were glad we were inside, too, when a storm hit and it just poured outside! :) After supper, we went to meeting and then back to Monique's to get some dessert and head over to the fireworks show! It started a bit late, but was fun to see once it got going. A quick visual...
So, after two full days of activities, Thursday was spent relaxing and just giving mom & dad a break before they hit the road again today. We met up with a friend for lunch and then for supper we had an invite to another friend's house, so we got our share of visiting in, as well.
It was a super nice week that went too quickly! I did get some good use in with my new camera and I was so glad for it! I think we have a winner with this one!! :)
Now for the weekend...my plans are to catch up at my apartment and get things cleaned and organized. It's been awhile since I've focused on such tasks! :) I hope you have a great weekend!
8 comments:
Well how grand is this?! You've got your folks, COOL vacation spots, a national holiday and a new camera to plunk it all onto your blog for us to share in. LOVED the photos, loved seeing your dad and mom - you know it's such a bummer to have a good friend and not know their folks. Maybe someday when they're here I'll get to meet them.
But this is an awesome post - thanks for taking the time to do it. Sounds like you're making the most of every day. =)
Your camera takes great pictures...day and night. Keep up the good work!! Glad you could have your folks visit...that is special.
Wow Jen, you are on the ball! I bet you did all this at work instead of what you should have been doing. Way to work the system. Just kidding....the pics turned out great and we can't wait to see how the rest turn out. Especially of the elk that was right next to our car! That was awesome. Miss you tons and tons already! Maybe next time we're in town, you can give Andy and Michelle a call and they can come vacation with us!!! Love you, Mom
Jenivive, I saw and heard commentary on a lot of your visit already, but what a post! Its tough to have relatives who aren't close by, especially your parents, so it was a special time! It was so great to meet them, and tell them they need to come again soon. Tell your dad that there's more trees up by my folks ;)
Love the pictures you took with your new camera...looks like it does a pretty good job! (or you do, one or the other!)
Wow...it's nice to have a "visual" of your parents and they aren't imaginary anymore! :)ha, ha! I loved all of the pictures from your visits...I need to go to RMNP myself someday! We all wish our families could be closer! :( Thanks for the great updates! LW
I see ye old woodtick loves Wyoming. I can tell by the shirts. :-) I wish I had the fast food one.
I am impressed with how clear the fireworks picture is - nifty camera! Like everyone else, I was glad to see a picture of your parents after hearing so much about them. Why is it that when parents visit, time speeds up and it makes 4 days seems like 1?! Not fair! :)
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