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Sunday, June 12, 2016

Colorado: Day 1 (Boulder)

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Let me preface this recap by saying that I am really scared of flying and I get very homesick- mainly because of the cats. For the two days before this trip, I was basically running around like crazy trying to get everything ready while simultaneously not letting the cats leave my side. Then the night before the trip I started drinking and coloring to get my mind off of the impending doom that in just a few hours, I was going to have to fly in an airplane. Also, I did not sleep well. Two nights before the trip I got 4 hours of sleep, and the night before the trip I got 3 hours... because we had to get up at 1am!!! Paul's dad arrived at 2am to take us to Baltimore Airport!!!

After a long, sad goodbye to Chrissy and Jelly, we made the 1.5 hour drive to Baltimore. The whole way there, I wrestled with anxiety and an upset tummy. When we arrived at the airport at 3:37 (our plane left at 6:10 but I was afraid of security lines!), I had a new kind of anxiety. I just get very worried about the whole process of getting boarding passes, checking bags, going through TSA, and boarding the plane.

I have never flown Southwest before and I must say so far I am very pleased. Everyone was extremely nice and I loved the organized boarding process. However, I still don't understand how 65 people were able to board before me. I got up exactly 24 hours before the flight (6:10am) and checked in right when the clock ticked 6:10. Anyone know what is up with that?

Southwest let's you check two bags for FREE!! Can you guess what is in Paul's long, skinny bag???



This is me on the plane a half hour after taking 1mg of Ativan. As you can see, I am still very concerned about dying. I will say that I like how chipper the pilots sounds over the intercom when they welcome us aboard. "We're looking forward to a nice flight over to Denver," the pilot told us cheerfully.

How can he be so cheerful? Doesn't he know WE ARE GOING TO CRASH AND DIE?

I spent the whole 4 hours plane ride going in and out of Ativan dreams. Ativan dreams are when I see movies in my mind and they are all bright colors and starbursts like in kaleidoscopes. It's probably a lot like being on 'shrooms...


Me, happy to be on solid ground waiting for the car rental shuttle! By the way, everyone at Alamo Rental Car was super polite!


At this point I knew I just need food and a coffee, so we swung by a Starbucks on our way to Boulder. My students get me gift cards for Christmas, Teacher Appreciation Week, things like that, so we reap the rewards on vacation!


Then we stopped at a dispensary so Paul could get some treats! I don't partake. I have a different mind altering drug I enjoy, and it's called wine.

Then we went to Chautauqua Park to hike.


This is why:


I wanted to be IN THAT.



Not in front of it. IN IT.





We hiked together for about a half hour but Paul wasn't feeling well at all. He still gets tummy aches a couple days after chemo and that's what was going on this afternoon. It didn't help that it was a humid 96 degrees, either.





After Paul could no longer stand it, he took a seat in the shade at the intersection of a couple busy trails, and I pressed on to attempt to climb up Flatiron #1. Buuuuut... there was a point where it was just loose rocks you had to scramble up. I am not a CLIMBER. I don't have GEAR. This wasn't going to happen for me. So I kept going to see about the trail for Flatiron #2 and #3 but that trail seemed to just abruptly stop. There were two young guys hiking together and were looking for the same thing I was, but between the three of us, we couldn't figure out where the trail went. So I decided I better hike down to Paul since I had already been gone longer than I said I would be.






This was as high as I got. That's Boulder!






Sorry for all the pictures, but it would have been a crime not to share them with you. And speaking of crimes...

Many of you know I love reading about true crime, the judicial system, investigations, criminal profilings... things like that. Well I have recently gotten back into the JonBenet Ramsey case. Well the old Ramsey home was only about two miles from our hotel, so we had to swing by...

It's overgrown, but if you are familiar with the house, you can see that is clearly it!



It had already seemed like a long day and we were tired, but it was only 2pm! (We arrived in Denver at 8am) We checked into our motel- Foot of the Mountain Inn and chilled for a bit. Paul napped and I fiddled on my computer and organized my suitcases. I can't sit still!


Then we headed down to the Pearl Street Mall where we had a yummy dinner and did a little shopping. Shopping is tricky there because it's a lot of expensive stores. But we did find some fun places!

It seemed like there were a lot of hippies in Boulder. That's the best way I can explain it.


On our way back to our motel, Paul wanted to drive through the University of Colorado Boulder Campus. It was beautiful!


This is a really weird picture of me but I wanted you to see our room. I cuddled in bed like this as it was STORMING! Thunder and lightening. I loved it.


 After the rain...


Good Night, Boulder!!!!
Have you ever been to Boulder?
Do you have to take medicine to fly?
Do you think it's weird I wanted to drive by the Ramsey House???

32 comments:

  1. I don't take medication to fly but I totally get anxiety when I have to fly for vacation. I much prefer driving. Oh, and I just hate leaving Baylee. I had a little melt down last week when I found out that Scott would not be home for a few days while I was on vacation an Baylee woul have to stay with my dad. My dad is great and he loves Baylee but in my mind I think of all the things that could go wrong, what if he gives her the wrong food, what if she gets hit by a car, etc, all crazy thoughts going through my mind. Thankfully Scott's work trip got cancelled so now I know she will be safely at our home where she belongs!

    I think it's awesome that you saw the JBR home. I would have looked that up too if I were that close.

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    1. Oh I am so sorry. I totally understand your feelings about Baylee! I worry the same thing about my cats even though we have an AWESOME cat/house sitter. I can't even think about it or I will get upset!

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  2. Ah, Boulder. Seriously one my favorite towns to hang out in and have lunch on the Pearl Street Mall and people watch --yes, hippies galore (you can smell the patchouli)! And some schizos too. Looks like such a perfect day. I don't get afraid to travel/fly but I can't say I love it. It's just a big pain in the ass and whenever we fly I always think "man, a road trip in the car sounds pretty good right about now". I do not think it's weird to drive by the house. I completely understand that crimes like that (especially unsolved) are totally fascinating. When I was growing up I was obsessed w/ the Lizzie Borden story.

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    1. I love the Lizzie Borden story!!! Do you think she is guilty or innocent? I think her and her sister were in on it together, but that Lizzie didn't actually do the killing.

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    2. She totes did it. And I am sure I didn't even study up on it like you did so I am glad we agree.

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  3. Wow, your pictures are amazing! Looks like a great trip so far! I fly more than I would like, and usually its Southwest. I think between business class tickets and early bird check in numbers A1-30 are usually reserved. From there I have no idea how its done! One time I was traveling for work and my friend checked in 24 hours in advance and actually got a spot ahead of someone else who used early bird- so that doesnt make any sense. Enjoy the rest of your trip!

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    1. Yeah that doesn't make sense! I would be mad if I paid for the early bird and someone who didn't got on before me. I generally like to pick the "safest" seat on the plane. But knowing that is probably not possible with the way SW does it, my main concern was just sitting beside Paul. Luckily, there were TONS of seats next to each other so it was all good. Hopefully it is like that on the way home too.

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  4. What was in the long skinny bag?
    Your pictures are amazing, thank you for sharing!

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  5. I love Boulder! It's so pretty and the downtown is so cute! I considered living there at one point but it's not THAT much cheaper than LA. I think you could potentially get over your fear of flying, but I think with how infrequently you fly it might be tough. I'm not sure if you don't fly a lot because of fear, or your fear is amplified by the fact that you just don't fly a lot. I live next door to LAX, so that was a big help because if you know the sheer volume of planes that take off and land every single minute, it would probably help your fear. And yes, a little strange you wanted to see the house. :)

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    1. Haha thank you for being honest on me being weird about the house. :)

      I definitely try to remind myself there are thousands of planes in the sky every day. And logically I know air travel is very, very safe. I just can't help it being scared. It's an irrational fear, for sure. I never flew growing up. The first time I flew I believe I was 23. So in the past 10 years I have flown... 6 times. But some of those flights there were connections and things like that. Then of course coming home. So I have probably actually "taken off" on a plane more like 18 times! It doesn't seem like that many times though! Maybe I blocked it out with the Ativan.

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  6. I love SW Airlines. They're super friendly and the stewardesses are usually really funny, too. I'm glad you didn't crash and die! What beautiful mountains/trails/views...all of it! I haven't been to Boulder in YEARS, but I'd love to go back. Maybe next summer when we have a long summer for once! (This year it's super short.)

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    1. Why are some of your summers long and some of them short? How many days do your kids go? Our kids go 183 and teachers go 190.

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  7. There is some place in this universe where every comment I've ever tried to make on your blog from my phone is hiding out! They're all together laughing at me because I keep trying to comment from my phone even though it never works! :D

    All of your pics from this trip are awesome! Did you get to go any closer to the Ramsey house, or were you just passing by from the road? Is it a place the public can go, or is it still private property?

    I don't mind flying but I can't fly SW. I hate not being able to pick my seat in advance. I am obsessed with having an aisle seat! I don't like having to bother other people when I have to use the bathroom ...which happens a lot since I am always drinking water! Ahh!

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    1. I AM SO SORRY!!! :( I know how frustrating it is to type a comment and have it get eaten!!! Thank you for coming back to comment again though. I know that is annoying. :(

      Ramsey house is private property and there is a fence around it. I know this is sick, but if there were tours offered, I would take the tour. I'd pay a couple hundred dollars to tour it if I could lol.

      I thought you loved SW!!!!????? Wait, or is it JetBlue?

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    2. JETBLUE! I loooooove JetBlue!

      Is the house still owned by the Ramseys? I mean, I suppose it would be a hard house to sell...!

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    3. No it is not owned by the Ramsey's anymore. I don't know how many times it has exchanged hands, but it was on the market in 2014.

      Check it out: http://www.westword.com/news/photos-take-a-tour-of-the-jonbenet-ramsey-house-back-on-the-market-again-5859269

      Decorated totally different from how it was in '96. Apparently Patsy had it decorated in a very over the top gaudy style. Well, that and it was the 90s!

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    4. WOW the house is not at all what I had pictured in my head. It's so spacious and those big windows must let in a lot of natural light. I totally get what the owner is saying about how the Ramsey case shouldn't put people off because there can be light after a storm, etc. but I don't think I could ever live there!

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    5. I understand her reasoning too! I think it is very healthy. I couldn't live there because I know too much. But I wouldn't be uncomfortable living somewhere someone was murdered, I would just be sure not to research ALL THE DETAILS.

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  8. Beautiful pictures! I totally get the Ramsey house - When we went to California we had to check out the OJ house in Brentwood! (which has been demolished since then) Do the drugs for flying wear off by the time you have landed? I could just imagine how much help I would be hauling my family's luggage around the airport if they didn't wear off!! My husband would be thrilled. haha!

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    1. Sometimes they wear off and sometimes they don't. Usually the hustle and bustle of getting out of the airport, getting bags, etc, is enough to wake me up! I felt pretty good by the time we landed on this flight.

      I would be more interested in seeing Nicole's house- which I *think* is still there but the house number is different and they changed the outside so it didn't look the same? I could be wrong. I remember they def tore down OJs. I wonder why? Too many looky loos?

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  9. I had no idea Boulder was that beautiful. I'm obsessed with your room, how cozy you are in that pic and how it was storming outside. That would be my idea of perfection.

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    1. It was wonderful! Especially after traveling all day and hiking!

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  10. I am very intrigued... what is in the long skinny bag ? Hiking sticks? A telescope? a projection screen?

    All of that looks amazing!

    I do not think is weird that you went to the Ramsey house.... When Selena (Quintanilla) was killed, I used to wonder if they closed the hotel room where she was shot... and I still wonder if they tell people that stay there that she was shot there.



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    1. Fishing rod!!! LOL! I always take my projection screen when I travel. ;)

      I am sure you could find out what is going on with that hotel room. Hell I kind of want to know now too.

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    2. Of course you have to take your projection screen when you travel! one never knows when the opportunity for slides will present itself!

      I would have never guessed fishing rod, that just tells you how much I fish!

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    3. I do not fish either! IT is just something Paul enjoys doing to be in nature. In fact, we might go today! I sit and read while he fishes. (He doesn't drive so I am his ride.) ;)

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  11. "It seemed like there were a lot of hippies in Boulder" -- that made me laugh out loud! Yes, Boulder is Hippie Central. I went to Colorado State (arch rivals with CU Boulder), and we always used to chant "Dirty Hippies" at rivalry games.

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    1. YES! I am glad my assessment is spot on!! :)

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  12. I am glad you understand me. :)

    Luckily that was the only time Paul didn't feel well on our trip. :)

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  13. My anxiety isn't that bad, but it has gotten worse over the last couple years. My parents live in Boulder and it is a great place to people watch.

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    1. I tend to get more anxiety the older I get. And it's always about things that never used to really bother me...

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