The New Year with Family and Fun. GO AVS!!!

Riki’s thoughts…

Two trips to Colorado in two weeks was quite an undertaking, but the holiday season is perfect for connecting with family.

Friday, December 21 started for me with an event at the elementary school, a pajamas and gingerbread-building party for the entire school. For those who don’t know, my mountain man is not easily frightened. One thing that scares him is anything sticky. He would not have handled the event well. Picture the cafeteria covered with bright red and green paper, piled high with graham crackers, marshmallows, candy, and plenty of frosting. Add children licking their fingers, wiping frosting off onto their pj’s. It was quite something. And, I got to reconnect with both the children who I had taught as a student teacher and the class that would be mine at the start of this semester.

I got home, washed all the sticky residue off so that Kelly would allow me into the truck (kidding, kind of). We headed north, staying the first night at Kurt and Liz’s lovely home. It was wonderful to spend the evening with them. As always, they spoiled us with amazing conversations, delicious food, and an inviting spare bedroom.

Saturday, we headed north through Colorado to visit my mother, aunt and grandmother between Cheyenne and Laramie. Two of three of my kiddos came up to spend the afternoon with us. We had delicious soups while playing games and enjoying family connections.

Sunday, we headed back south as far as Fort Collins by way of Laramie. The area between Fort Collins and Laramie is lovely! We met my youngest for lunch and then headed south to an early dinner at Kyle and Dawn’s house with family. Another delicious dinner and great conversation. My favorite was watching the bright and curious Arthur. What an amazing boy!

After a good night’s sleep at Kyle and Dawn’s, it was a drive south to get ready to spend Christmas Eve with Kelly’s kiddos.

Kelly described our second trip to Colorado a week later below. The only thing that he left out was how surprised and pleased I am to see him dive into new experiences. He has traveled the world, through deserts, jungles, mountains, caves, rivers, lakes. But he had never yet worn a borrowed Av’s sweater and attended a professional sporting event. It was another environment that he adapted to quickly and easily. He wanted us to go all in with face and/or chest paint, but we settled for new Av’s t-shirts for the noobs and sweaters for those who have loved the Avs for years. The monkey finally came off my back, as this was the first Av’s game that I have attended that they won. The previous three games were losses for the team. It was wonderful to see them win. I delighted in going from watching my veteran sports fans watch the game to watching Kelly’s rookie fans taking it all in. A wonderful evening, and the cold walk back to the hotel after the game, under a sky filled with fireworks, was just about as magical as an urban setting can provide.

 

Kelly’s thoughts…

We had such a special time over Christmas break this year.  Riki organized a trip to see the Colorado Avalanche hockey team play the Winnipeg Jets on New Year’s Eve.  We drove up with Annie, Jared and Josiah and met up with Spencer and Tori.  We had a great meal in downtown Denver at a New Orleans themed joint and then walked over to the stadium to see the Avs rock the Jets.  What a great game and what a great time.  All of us love hockey now.  After the game they were setting off fireworks in downtown Denver for New Year’s.

Spencer had to get back home after, but Tori, Josey, Annie and Jared and we went back to the hotel and played games and ushered in the New Year.  The next day Riki and Tori went back north to get Tori home and the rest of us went to my brother, Kyle’s, and his wife, Dawn’s, place where we met up with their daughter, Emily, her husband Ryan and little fellow, Arthur for some brunch and games.

After this we headed over the mountains to my Mom’s place in Montrose for a couple nights.  We took Mom out for Indian food, which she loved, and played a lot more games and such.

 

My dear mother has been sewing hundreds of dresses for little girls in Africa, and she has lately been sewing tote bags to carry their things to school and elsewhere.  She’s also made so many baby blankets and little-kid smocks and bibs to give away.  She is such a truly giving and loving woman, and I am blessed to be her son.

We didn’t take as many pics as we probably should have, but we had a great time, and it was so wonderful to get our kids all together and my kids together with their grandma!