Friday dawned super early for me because I needed to pick up Glo and Gordon from the Denver airport at 7:30 a.m. It was difficult to drag myself out of the super comfy bed, but I was excited to see more of my kids ;-)
They arrived on time, but man did they ever look tired. Gordon had taught ten hours of math reviews the day before (and was surprised that he even had a voice) and Glo had been busy getting things ready for Spain and studying for finals. Turns out, Gordon had stayed up most of the night taking two finals. I had told them that we had a big day and I was hoping they wouldn't be tired, but they didn't exactly work with me....
We got back to the house (again, what an oasis) and I made them go to bed, but even after two hours of sleep, they were still exhausted. Oh well. We had things to do and places to go!
First, I wanted to drive to Manitou Springs to taste the actual spring water. The town has seven springs "sprinkled" around downtown that force the water up through different kinds of rock which leads to varied taste profiles. We got our "commemorative" (aka Dixie) cups from the heritage center and set off. It was fun walking around, looking for them all according to the map, but two of the members of our party didn't particularly like the CARBONATED water. That's right--the town bills it as effervescent water, but on the tongue, it's just sprudel. After the fourth fountain, I just came to expect those two to spit out the water as soon as they tasted it...which they did (those ding dongs)!
When I saw this street sign, I couldn't help myself. And for the first time, I got to see the two kids kiss. I was almost embarrassed taking the picture ;-)
We then drove to the railway station for Pike's Peak. This has been on my bucket list for years, but I had some nervousness about doing it after reading the reviews. I guess a lot of people suffer from altitude sickness at the 14,000 feet elevation, so the railway suggests drinking water (and bringing it along as well). I guess people get drinking their liter of water going up the hour-long train ride, but without bathrooms on the historic railway, they end up peeing their pants. And once up there, people can't move their limbs because of lack of oxygen so they need to be treated with oxygen from a tank once back down the mountain. Being an asthmatic, I was a bit worried what would happen to us, so I encouraged the kids to really force fluids for the week preceding the ride. They were obedient, thank goodness.
Well sickie me was the champion of the day! Glo slept the entire way up and Gordon wasn't far behind her after she cuddled up to him on the train. About halfway up, Hannah started feeling really sick to her stomach so we took off her sweatshirt and I started fanning her. The only symptom I had? I got seriously dizzy at the top, but I just looked a bit drunk ;-)
It's insane to look at Pike's Peak from down in the valley and realize that we went up to the top of it.
 |
| Hannah and I rode backwards. Notice the gum? That's for popping ears and nausea. |
Soon after, we drove into Colorado Springs to Melting Pot. I wouldn't usually eat at Melting Pot when I have other local places to discover, but TripAdvisor recommended it as the top place to eat in "the Springs". To be honest, it was the BEST Melting Pot we have experienced! The service was almost too good, and the food was terrific! Unfortunately, Gordon's exhaustion was overwhelming him at this point, and he couldn't muster much of a smile, even when the server brought him a congratulatory plate AND sparkling apple juice, poor guy.
Of course, by the time we got back home, Glo and Gordon's late-night selves kicked in, and they were fine (those suckers!) One of my favorite moments of the trip happened that night when we all crawled into my bed and just hung out. Glo had her computer, and she read to us the email that she had written to the dean of her program, asking for consideration in getting to student teach in Phoenix. It was the best written letter I've ever read, and once again I was witness to how much those two people love each other. I could tell Gordon was very touched with all that she said about him and how obvious it was that she is fighting to be with him. I took a picture of them reading it together which I love.
We also were talking about ridiculous things like facial hair on men, and in a move that puts Gordon much more in an arena with my own children, I reached out to touch his face. His face is seriously always so clean shaven, and I wondered if he shaves at all. He does, but man, does he do it well. He was talking about growing out facial hair now that he's done at BYU, but Glo informed him that she will be kissing him much less if she has to deal with stubble ;-)
Hannah and I left the two of them to work on finals, and we went out to play games. Glo had brought Quacksalber, and we were happy to play it! In fact, once Glo finished her final, she started playing with us and Gordon set aside his final as well. Glory be, I do believe we found a game that Gordon actually LIKES! It's a miracle! And then, starting around midnight, the kids wanted to play Boggle. I call "unfair" to this tactic which pits my old mind against them when I'm tired. Plus, Glo and Gordon play all the time, and their abilities have significantly improved--no more "half my score still beats theirs". Not to be outdone, Hannah had bought face masks for us to use on vacation, and seeing as this was her last night in Colorado, we pulled those babies out as well. I haven't laughed that hard in so long. And good on Gordon, coming from a family of five brothers, to hang out with a family of three girls! Between the face masks, the lateness of the evening, and us all being together, it was a night to remember!
Comments
Post a Comment