Vail, CO

Steve and I decided that for our anniversary this year we had better celebrate as can only be done sans baby. So back in March I began to think of places we could go that were fun and affordable. Unlikely as it may sound, I happened upon Cascade at Vail Resort and Spa. They had a special going on with rooms for $99.00 a night! I read up on the resort and found it was a "four star resort". Being a simpleton, and never staying at a four star anything (we usually camp) I thought, this seems like a deal.

Why would such a place be giving the rooms away? When I called and inquired on this matter, the gentleman explained that the resort would be "under construction". What does that mean? Well, PART of the resort would be getting a face lift and the work would ocurr between 8 and 5.

Hmmm...We talked it over and decided to go for it. When I made the reservation I kindly expressed that is was our anniversary and if we could get the best room possible we would be really grateful. He noted it on our reservation (confirmed via email and when we checked in).

We had NO IDEA what we were in for!

This room was gigantic for our simple lives! We walked in (hallway behind Steve) and noticed a "sitting room" type area. There's a desk in a little alcove to the right of the sofa. This picture was taken from the bedroom portion of the suite. (As seen below)

On the coffee table there were two flutes, a small bottle of champagne, beautifully decorated strawberries and a card with "Mr. and Mrs. Holly" hand written on it. We're not use to such things, but it was NICE!

The bedroom portion of the suite. I was able to enjoy the beauty of a zillion pillow adorning a bed. That was something that I gave up having because they drove Steve bonkers (and if you've watch Along Came Polly, you'll know how much time is wasted on taking pillows off and putting them back on again-lol). On the bed was a robe.

Relaxing like a tycoon after a long day?

There are few places outside Disneyland that are REALLY WELL EXECUTED. Vail just happens to be one of those extraordinary places! Usually when you visit a town, there are some buildings that are gorgeous and others that need a face lift. I'm fairly sure Vail hasn't always been this "perfect" but as we saw it this weekend, it was Disneyland for adults!

One of our favorite luxuries of being away is a good breakfast. We ate at Blu's and enjoyed the ambiance and awesome breakfast! Steve LOVES apricot jelly and we were surprise to see an entire jar of it on the table. Notice where it comes from.

Unplanned fun- the Teva Mountain Games were at Vail this weekend which only harbored more fun and excitement. We were able to watch a few events, some closer that others. One of my favorites was the watercross event. Kayakers would race down the river that runs through the village and when they reached a certain spot, other kayakers who were positioned on the edge of the river would paddle out in an attempt to knock the racers over or at the very least slow them down. The boaters seemed to be having such a blast it was fun to watch!

Other events that we saw from afar: mountain bikers raced up (obviously back down) Vail mountain (INSANE!), runners raced the same course, many of the same bikers shed their mountain bikes the next day for their road bikes and competed in a time trial up Vail Pass, fly fishermen (and women) competed as well as many other things we couldn't witness.

Possibly one of the best anniversary gifts a woman can give a man is hope: for Steve, hope someday I'd love to fly fish. Part of the fun of the weekend games were free clinics. Now was as good a time as any to take a free clinic on fly fishing! Steve's been breaking me in slowly yet surely and it seems like it will be fun. One ideal I must overcome is the rigid technique the dad used to teach the boys in the movie A River Runs Through It. That movie is the very reason I never wanted to attempt the sport! Low and behold, I think I may be ready to go to a very open calm lake to learn more about fly fishing.
River that runs through the village.

Doesn't this have a Disney vibe?!

For you dad: you can relocate!

The western edge of the slopes.

Can't forget all the free swag we got! Tee shirts, nutrition bars (bite size bars perfect for el preggo), water bottles, Yakima cycling socks....a lot of this is coming out to CA tomorrow for some very special people! Maybe it's you!

William's First Body Shots!

Warning!

Though this is our future child, his first facial photo is REALLY CREEPY! I actually don't look at this very often, but for our CA family and friends who haven't been able to see any of the latest ultrasound pics in person, here you go!

(Also, I finally completed a post about the 20 week ultrasound. Vacation is good!)

This shot is Liam's "profile"

Imagine Liam is sitting on a glass table and you are looking up at his tushie. Yes, he's a boy!
Liam's little foot.

I forgot in the 20 week ultrasound write-up to mention that we learned he is developing accordingly and is healthy. Annie took cross section pictures of his heart- four chamber, his intestines- inferred showed his digestive tract to be in tack from the mouth to the stomach, he has: 2 kidneys, a liver, a gall bladder, pancreas etc. Also, he does not have cleft palette.

Now I just gotta put some weight on my bones!

Men At Work!

L-R: Andrew, Josh Steve, Mike

Quite the gentlemen here! At a typical get-together, the women usually assume the role in creating delicious food. Last night, the roles were unintentionally shifted as the men created an amazing "breakfast for dinner".

Steve has been trying to learn how to make the "perfect omelet" and is more optimistic having watched Mike bust out a dozen perfect and fluffy omelets. Josh, we were totally impressed with your seventh attempt to recreate your grandpa's pancakes. We thought they were AWESOME and that you've reached the pinnacle!

C470 Bike Day!

Heading out on a ride with people I haven't ridden with is usually a little nerve racking to me. What if I can't keep up? What if they're unsafe? Throw in being five and a half months pregnant, and the nerves were flared a bit more. Fortunately, I was able to talk with the girls before we even road and was feeling pretty good about our planned outing.

Connie, our fearless leader! (Obviously we're going to have fun!)

Kemora and Jenny ready to roll.

(Kemora, Connie and I work together and Jenny and Kemora are sister-in-laws always out for adventure.)

Steve adding the finial touches before heading out. Aside from enjoying riding with my Love, it's convenient, as Connie pointed out, to have a man around!


Regrouping. The mountains are so much bigger in person! The views along this trail were fantastic!

I realize this picture is blurry, but I was riding at the same time. This portion of the trail was gorgeous! At one point we were beside a creek that reminded me of a ride at Disneyland. It was like a bird sanctuary! Beautiful path, lots of shade (but still got a burn from Colorado's brilliant sun).

*Nicole* This reminded me of the stretch through the walnut orchards when we did the Lodi Wine and Cheese Century last year.

We passed a dog park at one point and I'll estimate there were 50 dogs out enjoying the water.

William was kicking along the way as well as sitting on my bladder which makes life interesting.
I'm SO grateful that I'm able to still head out for adventure! Don't worry, I'm not pushing myself the way I otherwise would, but I'm still out there. Because we're halfway through the pregnancy and everything looks "normal" I feel confident that our adventures are safe, really, beneficial for Will and I. Also, we're not out on country roads without a shoulder for cyclists. This is a huge peace of mind factor as auto traffic is not an unpredictable factor.

I took a moment to stop for this huge dandelion! It's about four inches in diameter- no exaggeration!

Because I stopped, I got to capture Connie in motion! We're incredibly spoiled with these trails in Colorado! They're wide enough for the flow of cyclists coming and going, passing etc. and so smooth. At one point while we climbed to the top of a reservoir, we were on regular road. I was reminded how it just sucks your tire into it!

More Memorial Weekend Fun!

As if biking wasn't a great enough thrill for just coming out of the cave, we went fishing and hiking with our friends Nick and Laura Lee. What a blast!!!!

Steve wasn't so excited about my bright green rain jacket frightening the fish off.

While our husbands fished, LL and I decided to hike/scramble up the closest hill. It was rejuvenating! It only took about 25-30 minutes to make it to the top. Once there we were delighted with the view of Estes Park. But one must never forget- what goes up, must come down. Our creative path up made for an even more interesting way down!

Successfully making it down a slab! Yea!

Laura Lee always looks terrific! Behind her is the "slab" we came down from.