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Seven Falls with Leigh

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On the way to Moab, Utah

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July

I went to Steph and Murph’s pool for the 4th of July. I made cowboy caviar and provided the tequila :) A few of us went back to Chelsea and Tylers to change and then got dinner at, my favorite, Postino. 

Chelsea works at a studio called Alchemy 365. They were having a free pop-up class one Saturday morning at Milk Market, so a couple of us went. We ended up getting brunch and bottomless mimosas there. Milk Market has a bunch of venues in it and I chose to get a chicken, egg, and cheese biscuit from Lou’s Hot and Naked - I highly recommend it. Also worth noting..the mimosas were strong aka minimal juice. 

Barb invited me to go to the Rockies game with her and her new boyfriend, Carl. I declined but said I would grab a drink beforehand. The game ended up having a 4-hour delay, so we hung out for a few hours longer than anticipated. I left and got Shake Shack to go and scootered home. I was anxious to try Shake Shack and wowowow I was impressed. 

Leigh was back to visit! We HAD to start the trip off by ordering Pizza Hut, duh. On Friday, we went to Uchi with Chelsea. It’s a pretty pricy place, but apparently, their happy hour is affordable so it’s always packed. Leigh and I had our typical lazy Saturday and ordered sushi. We spent the next day in Colorado Springs. First, we went to Seven Falls where we learned Leigh is terrified of walking down steps, lol. The next stop was the one thing we were looking forward to doing this trip - the Olympic Training Center. We got there and we were quickly told that absolutely no one was training, so it was recommended that we not take the tour. HOW SAD. We got back to Denver (depressed), showered, and went to City Park for Jazz in the Park. We got dinner from one of the asian cuisine foodtrucks.  

Chelsea and Tyler were going to see The Lion King that week and invited Leigh and me to go. I don’t remember the last time I went to the movies and I’ve never been to one of the fancy ones with alcohol/food service.  The movie was fine - Simon and Pumba really carried it for me. They were hilarious. 

Kevin threw a Christmas in July party the next weekend. I was still on my Shake Shack kick, so I ended my afternoon with that. I hadn’t seen Robyn in a while, so we got dinner at iFish that Sunday #tbt.

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May

A small group of us went hiking in Golden. It was an interesting hike in that the trail wasn’t very clear and we were pretty positive it was meant for mountain bikers. PSA: Belcher Hill Trail is a no go. BUT the brewery we went to after, New Terrain, is a must! It sits at the foot of the mountains in Golden and is very spacious. 

Robyn raved about an Italian place in LoHi called Marcellas. We heard it was closing, so we decided to go ASAP. Of course, everyone else had the same idea so it was packed. We went next door to Brider for a glass of wine while we waited. The portions were large and the food was good, but nothing amazing. I still think Anthonys is my #1. 

Robyn and I got tickets to see ARTY in January, but the venue closed and the show was canceled. Our tickets were refunded and ARTY thankfully scheduled a new show at Temple so Robyn, Chelsea, and I went! It was soooo much fun. 

I woke up and went to the pool for a little before meeting up with Chelsea, Tyler, and co. at brunch. We had ourselves a nice little Sunday Funday. 

I flew home mid-May to spend some time with my family. Leigh bought a donut puzzle, so I knew it was going to be a wild time. I spent about a week at home just hanging! I did leave to go to Kristi’s bridal shower. It lasted a couple of hours and then I went right back to puzzle town. Oh, and before I went back to Denver, Sara and I had to make time for Kumo Sushi yummmm.

Kevin’s friends go camping in Moab, Utah every MDW. Moab has been on my list for a while now, so I was pumped when I got invited to go with them. We loaded up the trucks, set up camp, and hung around the campfire the first night. The next morning they set up some activities, including volleyball. The entire experience was very neat; I felt like I was at an adult camp. We ventured out to a waterfall(ish) on Sunday and stopped in town for lunch before heading back to the campsite. Moab was gorgeous! 

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April

My parents got me a gift card to Jalan Facial Spa for my birthday. I scheduled myself a facial and my very first massage. It was a relaxing day for sure, but my massage was a little rough. I told her I was having a self-care day and wanted to relax, but she WORKED on my knots - ouch.

The guy Robyn met on St. Patricks Day, Kevin, invited us to brunch with his friends. We went to Barcelona and then watched the Caps game at Stoney’s. Kevin is from Maryland and also happens a huge Caps fan! We had no idea that Stoneys was considered the Caps bar - it felt so nice to be surrounded by people in jerseys. 

The VT Alumni group organized a 3.2 for 32 walk around Wash Park. Barb, Robyn, and I participated! The weather was great and they had pizza from Sexy Pizza afterward. I’ve heard of this place, but wowwww..some of the best pizza I’ve ever had. 

I went with Kevin’s friends to the Rockies games - my first (and probably only) of the year!

It was time for the annual 420 Festival at Civic Center Park. Kevin came with us and we saw Jermaine Dupri and TI perform. The Caps were playing at the same time, so we walked to Stoney’s after. 

Sunday was Easter! I went to church in the morning and then Facetimed with my parents and Leigh while I opened the Easter basket my mom mailed to me. What a gem. I had heard great things about Bacon Social House, so I invited Barb and Robyn to get brunch there that afternoon. Everyone really loved their food! 

The weather was finally getting nicer and I was craving a hike. I didn’t feel like hiking with a group, so instead of joining Robyn, Kevin, and co., I hiked Mt. Sanitas solo. So many people do this hike, but I didn’t think it was that great. 

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March

Britt and Rich flew into Denver and before they drove to Vail we got dinner. I was planning to meet them the next day to ski, but a big snowstorm hit and I didn’t feel comfortable driving. I was upset about it but I was thankful I got to see them while they were in town. That weekend was also the beginning of many avalanches around Colorado. How crazy?! 

Shocker, but the next weekend I went to Keystone with Robyn’s family. Some of the resorts were closed because of avalanche risk, but Keystone reopened. It was pretty empty! 

Leigh flew in to celebrate her birthday! To add onto the crazy weather, Denver was expecting a ‘snow cyclone storm’. Leigh changed her flight to come in before this and we stayed inside during the storm and did a puzzle. For her actual birthday, we got dinner at Tamayo and then went to a comedy show! On Saturday, we went downtown with Robyn and Chelsea to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Leigh and I had a very lazy Sunday in bed eating unhealthy food and binge-watching Queer Eye. 

It was finally time to go to Lost Kings. Robyn met a guy (her now boyfriend) the weekend before and he suggested we all get a table. It wasn’t really necessary, but we had a yolo moment and decided why not? It was a lot of fun!

Cindy from work invited me to go to dinner with her and her husband. They chose Super Mega Bien in RiNo. I never branch out and try ethnic food, but this was really good and I continue to recommend it to people. 

Andddd Robyn and I skied our final day at Keystone :(

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February 2019

Sara's hereeeeeee! Sara flew in and we got dinner with Kerry at Sushi Ronin - so good. We went skiing the next day at Keystone...it was super cold so we didn’t last long. The next day we went to Kerry’s house to hang and see Addison! We picked up Robyn on the way home and went to Viewhouse to watch the Super Bowl. 

Finn and Landon turned 1...I can’t believe it! Lauren planned a birthday party at their house, so the whole fam flew in for it. 

Valentine's Day/weekend was upon us. Joy! Chelsea is the best and organized a Galentine’s dinner at Acova in LoHi. Robyn and I were sitting on my couch Saturday and noticed Borgeous was playing at Temple that night. She’s a huge fan, so I said why not and we bought tickets last minute. 

For our birthdays, Robyn and I decided to take a trip to Portland. We got to our Airbnb pretty late, so we passed out. The next morning was my birthday and Robyn had surprise breakfast sandwiches delivered - heaven. She also gifted me with tickets to see Lost Kings the next month! Once we were both off work, we decided to roam around downtown Portland until our dinner reservation. We went to a few breweries, celebrated with tequila shots from Sara, and had some of the best (sulfate-free) wine before dinner at Piazza Italia. 

Robyn’s birthday was the next day, so we continued to drink wine and pray that we could stay up until midnight. We made it until midnight MST, so we called it a success. Somehow we weren’t that hungover from combining all of the alcohols. 

We picked up our rental car and drove to Multnomah Falls. Robyn requested chicken biscuits for lunch and then we went to a nearby brewery. Later that night we went to a bar called Creepys. The bar was full of dolls. It was creepy.

We walked to get donuts from Blue Star the next morning and then started our road trip along the coast. Side note - Blue Star is a very popular donut place in Portland, BUT they only had cake donuts, so it wasn’t my favorite. 

It rained for the majority of the ride through the mountains. We made two stops before going to our Airbnb in Astoria. First up was Tillamook Creamery which had alllll of the free cheese samples. 

Next was Cannon Beach and I wasn’t sure I would understand all the hype. Once again, I was proven wrong and it was beautiful and serene - one of my favorite things from the trip. 

The drive along the coast was something I’ll never forget. It was so pretty and all I wanted to do was stop and take pictures. Now I understand the phrase ‘Keep Portland Weird’. Portland is 10000% weird and great for people watching. It was a one and done destination for me, but I’m glad I got to visit!

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Sup 2019

Leigh and I stayed in Atlanta through the new year. Tidying Up with Marie Kondo quickly became the most popular thing to watch in January. We binged most of the season and, as an organization freak, I was excited to get back to Denver to ‘tidy up’ my apartment. I got back and did just that! 

The engineering team at work threw a delayed holiday party in January. We went back to the ax-throwing place and...spoiler alert...I still suck. 

Robyn and I went skiing at Keystone. It had just snowed so it was super pretty. The next day, I had my very first facial at Sesen Skin Body Wellness. It was incredibly relaxing and I loved it. I made a promise to myself that I would keep up with it for a least a couple months. 

The next weekend, I went to my first Denver Nuggets basketball game. The seats weren’t great, but it was still a lot of fun. It was a good change-up from the normal ‘let’s go out in RiNo’ weekend (even though we went there after the game). 

I was ready for the next week to fly by. HELLO X-GAMES IN ASPEN. Sure, people go to see Olympic athletes compete, but we were going for the music. We left Friday afternoon and stayed in a tiny home/trailer type thing. It was so cute and all we needed. The next afternoon, we caught the bus(es) to the event and saw Louis The Child. It was freaking freezing and it felt like the only way to stay warm-ish was to keep drinking :) They kicked us out of the stage area and then we had to wait in line to get back in to see The Chainsmokers. I wasn’t really excited to see them because I haven’t liked their newest music BUT WOW that was one of the best shows ever been to, even with minor frostbite. We had a great spot, they put on a great show, and I could not stop dancing. 

The next day was Kygo. He’s my all-time favorite. It was surreal to see him so close and hear him play all my favorite songs but, unfortunately, it wasn’t as crazy as I had hoped. I blame it on the fact that it was light outside/the middle of the day. I wouldn’t be mad if we came back and did this all again next year.

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December

It was time for the annual Christmas Tree Tailgate! I invited Robyn and Barb to come with me. We fell in love with the pup below anddddd I put my tree up on Sunday..it’s never too early. 

Chelsea’s fiance, Tyler, rented a place in Breck to celebrate his birthday. We drove up Friday after work and our big group spent the night playing games. We skied Keystone (first ski of the season!!!) the next day. It felt so good to be back and made me fall in love with Colorado all over again. 

Barb, Kerry, and I decided it was time to get together and catch up. I hadn’t seen Kerry in foreverrrr. What better way to catch up than while hiking? 

CHRISTMAS TIME. I flew to Atlanta Tuesday, the 19th, after work. I worked Thursday and Friday and not again until the new year! I thought leaving the 19th would weed out some of the crowds, but I was wrong. When I saw the security line, I was super thankful for TSA Pre-Check. 

While Leigh and I worked, my mom and Lauren ran some errands. They brought back donuts - happy Erin. 

We took Landon and Finn to see Santa - it was the cutest thing ever. They were so confused. Most of our time in Atlanta was spent hanging with at the house with everyone, taking nightly walks, eating more donuts and...one by one getting sick. Lauren’s little family all got the stomach bug before we arrived for Christmas. They cleaned, but somehow I still got it Friday night. Leigh was the next victim two days later, and sadly my mom got it on her birthday. It was sad not having her around Christmas day, but we decided celebrate her birthday the later at Holy Taco. We all wore crowns and had cake once we got home. It was my first Christmas not at my parents and it was still just as great. Being with my family is all that matters awwwwwww.

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November

My friend Chelsea celebrated her birthday with a potluck brunch at her apartment. Afterwards, a group of us walked to Luster Pearl, our new go-to spot. The next day, I finally got around to trying the butternut squash mac n cheese from Trader Joes - it definitely lived up to the hype! That night, Barb and I went and got ice cream from Sweet Cow.

The next weekend I woke up to my first Denver snow of the season. I was dog sitting, so I took him for a walk and it was so pretty out!  We have Rosenberg bagels with cream cheese every Wednesday at work, but I had yet to try their breakfast sandwich. I ventured to Rosenbergs, waited in the long line (which was expected), and ate the very fluffy bagel at home. It honestly wasn’t that great. I would prefer a bagel with cream cheese over that. Team Moe’s breakfast sandwich all the way.

The Caps played the Avs in Denver the night before I left to go home for Thanksgiving. My boss gave me a pair of tickets for free, so Barb and I went! WE WON. 

I flew home the following afternoon and I ordered a glass of wine to calm myself. I was so anxious because I was surprising my parents 2 days earlier than they were expecting me. Of course my flight was delayed, but I made it and they were shocked! It was so nice to be at my parents all week. We spent the better part of that time in our PJs watching Hallmark movies <3

I went to Arlington on Friday for my 10 year high school reunion. Crazy. It was wayyyy better than I expected it to be. A good amount of people showed up and it was great catching up with everyone. The next morning we were hungover, so we hopped in the car and went to Silver Diner for hours. I spent the rest of the weekend in Arlington seeing more friends! 

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October

I was ready for October to be here. October meant it was time for our family vacation. We decided to skip last year’s because my sister was pregnant with twins and was on strict bed rest. That meant this trip was 2 years in the making. Since the twins were still so young, we decided to pick a destination that was within driving distance for their family - Florida! The house we rented was very Joanna Gaines - tons of white. We made it to the beach two of the days and the weather was actually pretty great the entire trip. We spent a lot of our time at the pool given it was a bit more convenient for the twins. I was very okay with laying by the pool, Yellow Claw in hand, and reading Girl Wash Your Face (best book ever). One of the nights we ventured out to grab dinner at a restaurant on the beach. On another gloomy day, we went to the Alligator Farm and got ice cream on the way back. Family vacation is the best. 

I was back at work for 2 days before catching my next flight out. Next stop: Austin for Austin City Limits music festival. I worked a half day on Friday and then Robyn and I went to the music festival all weekend. It was hot as shit. So much sweat.

On Friday we saw...Sasha Sloan, Sir Sly, a little bit of Khalid (very crowded, hard to hear from far, anxious to get to..) Gryffin, ODESZA (life changing, best of the entire weekend), and Paul McCartney.

On Saturday we saw...Trampled by Turtles, San Holo, and Metallica. It was a very low key day for us, so we went out that night!

On Sunday we saw...ARIZONA, X Ambassadors (i surprised myself and loooved their performance), REZZ, attempted Shawn Mendes (easily the most crowded show, didn’t stay long), Illenium (we were were front and center, but moshes took over so we left and went to the sides), and sat down/listened to Travis Scott from afar. We...were..exhausted. 

We worked from our Airbnb on Monday and then flew back to Denver that night. ACL was a sweaty one.

The weekend before Halloween, we celebrated with a pregame at Robyn’s house. Before the pregame, we rode scooters around City Park and got sushi at a new spot for lunch. I took my obsession to a new level and requested Robyn and I dress up as Hailey Baldwin and Justin Bieber :)

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September

I had yet to visit my friend Mallory in LA, so I decided to go for her birthday. We both worked Friday and then went to the stairs in Santa Monica to workout. We grabbed HH drinks, caught up, and then walked to the beach to watch the sunset. I had no idea that Marina Del Ray has no humidity, like Denver. It was bizarre to be by the water, but not be constantly sweaty and gross. We picked up ice cream on our way back to her place and went to bed nice and early. 

The next day, she organized a party bus to Malibu Wine. The ride there was so, so pretty and her friends were all really nice. I’m glad I finally got to go see her. 

Robyn’s parents were in town the following weekend and got an Airbnb in Steamboat Springs - another bucket list place to visit. On the way there, you couldn’t miss the wild fire - it was crazy to see. I ended up pulling over and taking pictures/videos. I had never seen anything like that. Once I got to Steamboat, I immediately fell in love with the place. It was like Breck, but better. The town was so cute and you just get that sense of community. It wasn’t ski season, but there were a solid amount of people there. We got sushi for dinner and a round of drinks at a nearby bar that had an outdoor fire pit. We went to their local Oktoberfest on Saturday and on Sunday we took a gondola ride to the top of the mountain and ate lunch. The Aspens at the top were so bright ..the views in general were breath taking. I’m always so thankful when I get to tag along with the Diseatis :) 

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Annie and Donald’s first dance

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View from the top!

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August

I flew home the first weekend of August for Annie and Donald’s wedding in DC. It was the first time all of us girls had a reason to get together in a long time. We went to Natalie’s new apartment beforehand for apps and champs. The wedding was nice as shit. I repeat, nice as shit. Annie’s dress was so her - very unique. Jackie, Sara, and I got Five Guys the next morning..god bless that place. It is so good. I spent the majority of the week at my parent’s and worked remotely from there. Thursday could not come soon enough..

Sarah, Crisci, and I drove to Baltimore on Thursday. It was time to get Brittany and Rich’s wedding weekend started! Our group and Rich’s sister and her boyfriend all went to a nearby bar to cheers to the weekend. The next morning, we got breakfast with Brittany, went to the bridal luncheon on the water, and then met everyone later on at the church for the rehearsal. The rehearsal dinner was everything - casual and perfect. We went to the bridal suite early the next morning for hair and makeup. Brittany...looked...royal. We took a trolly to the ceremony, stopped at a park for pictures on our way back to the hotel, and then danced the night away at the reception. Yes, I cried at Brittany’s wedding. I was just so happy, not to mention it was the first friend wedding I was in. Very special. 

I tried to be as productive as possible the following week once I got back to Denver. I continued to try and make my new apartment look presentable and ran 148290 errands. Rachel, Robyn and I got brunch on Saturday at The Universal - I highly recommend it (no reservations, so the wait can be long). The next morning, I picked up my parents from the airport and we ate breakfast at Snooze droooooooooool. They roadtripped to different part of CO than last time during the week while I was at work. While they were in town, they helped me make some final decisions with my apartment decor. I took them Odell and New Belgium breweries in Fort Collins to celebrate their retirement! I’m so proud and happy for them! We spent multiple nights on the balcony drinking wine, found a good bbq place for dinner, and even had a relaxing day at the pool. 

My parents left Tuesday evening. Robyn and I went to see Illenium at Red Rocks the following night. 

The next afternoon, Leigh flew in! Naturally, we got Pizza Hut that night <3 We decided to hike the Manitou Incline in Colorado Springs on Saturday morning. We left my place around 6am and finished the hike in less than 3 hours, I think? This is a straight incline (duh) up a mountain...they used to be railroad tracks and they turned them into steps. Again, finishing it felt awesome - another check off the bucket list. We were dead and stayed in my bed the rest of the day.

Downtown was having a free LDW music festival thing, so we walked around and saw LeAnn Rimes that night. Monday was a holiday, so we went back to see some more music. This time it was Sugar Ray and Smash Mouth. We worked on Tuesday and then went to see Crystal, our hair girl, that night. We both chopped our hair short - so fresh. 

Leigh left Wednesday afternoon and I flew to LA Thursday. I. DON’T. STOP. 

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July

The 4th of July fell on a Wednesday this year - super awkward since it’s on a school night and in the middle of the week aka you can’t make a long weekend out of it. Erin, Robyn, and I decided to hike our first 14er! We picked one of the “easier” ones - Quandary, in Breckenridge. It was TOUGH, but the view was absolutely incredible. The accomplishment in and of itself made it completely worth it...but I’m still not sure I would do another one. If I did, I would probably do it a little differently. Live and learn!

This last push was the death of us. It was steep, pure rock, and super hard to breath. We had to constantly stop and take breaks. 

We stopped at Eric’s in downtown Breck for a big dinner before driving back to Denver. 

My friends Rachel and Nick got married that Friday, July 6th at Copper Mountain. All ~15 of us got a huge condo and stayed the night. The ceremony was outdoors and she looked beautiful. As they were walking away, it started to thunderstorm - get timing. It was the perfect excuse for a nice little getaway with friends I hadn’t seen in awhile. 

The following Friday I left at the buttcrack of dawn to fly to Austin for BRITT’S BACHELORETTE! I was so freaking excited. When I got to the Airbnb, everyone was still asleep. Most people got there the night before, so they went out and were in recovery mode. We got ready, went to brunch, then to Rainey Street and bar hopped the afternoon away. We took Ubers to dinner and then went on a PubCrawler around downtown. The PubCrawler is one of those bike things where you peddle and drink...ya know? 

The next day we went on a boat for half of the day - so fun. We didn’t ride for long before anchoring. We were one of the first ones there, but tons more showed up. Pretty much everyone was a bach/bachelorette party! Later that night, we went to a gay bar and then bar hopped on dirty 6th. Sunday was the death of me...not because of a hangover, but because of Southwest. They cancelled my 11am flight once I was to the airport and had to go standby on the next two. I didn’t make it on, so I had to fly out on the 10:30pm flight to Denver. I was so annoyed... I even cried. BUT i made it home safely, so that’s all that matters, right Mom? 

The nextttttttt weekend, a bunch of my guy friends from Virginia came to visit. I was sooooo happy they were in Denver. I went to their Airbnb on Friday. We drank on the roof and then went out in RiNo. The next day, we all took a party bus to see The String Cheese Incident at Red Rocks which is always a good time. Dylan and I bought matching t-shirts :)

The last weekend of July = MOVING WEEKEND! I was anxious to get the hell out of my old place. Robyn and 2 strangers I hired via an App helped me move Saturday morning. Once we got everything in my new apartment, Robyn and I got lunch and then ...of course..decided to make moves in RiNo. Since I didn’t have a bed yet, I slept on Robyn’s couch. Sunday was spent unpacking and organizing - my fav (seriously). I am obsessed with my new place...talk about an upgrade. I will never go back to apartment living again - condos for life.