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Keith and Raul

Parker is such a lovely little town, and having spent the day there with Jamie’s very good friend Keith and his husband Raul, it will always be a special place for me. We ate lunch at Chilli’s before driving to the school where they both work to see what an American middle school looks like from the inside.

It was a fascinating incite, just like our jail tour, into the real American and to see what children learn about here. We saw their classrooms and their offices too wandering around the whole school before going outside to see the sports facilities, a very important of all schools here.

Returning to Parker we sat and had coffee in town and exploring the main street, looking in a couple of shops before heading back to their house and saying our farewells.

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Callie & Michelle

Finally met Michelle today, somebody I felt I had already met because we have so much in common in our Facebook friendship but when I was at her house a few years ago I only met her wife Callie. Jamie did visit them both in 2016 but I was in England, so it was really exciting to finally be in both their companies. Spuntinos restaurant was the perfect setting and we talked all night ending the evening at their home before getting a “Lift” home. I need to just make a note here about the Lift driver who at one point mentioned he wished he had a gun to shoot out the tyres of a car that annoyed him but he couldn’t pass the mental tests required to carry one?

Earlier in the day we went to the aquarium with Emily Jason and Jordyn and had lunch there too, on the way home we stopped off at Target to get gloves for our impending trip to Breckenridge but left there with everything but gloves. Not to worry though there was a sports shop right next door that sold guns rifles shotguns and gloves amongst other sporty things lol.

When we got back to the house at 23:30 we were alone as the children had spent the evening at Disney on Ice at the Denver Colosseum with their cousin, Grandpa and Grandma. It is difficult to describe how much they all enjoyed the experience Reagan and Lincoln loved the whole experience even Jordyn loved especially because Reagan was with him as for Grandma I think she was in heaven having all her grandbabies together!

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Mile High Stadium

As days go, this was one of the best we did the tour of Mile High Stadium and got to go on to the field which was a dream come true!

Yep the tour was great but to get to run about on the field for 10 minutes and take it all in was incredible

Today was a good day

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Dove Valley

“You have to have a passion!”

On my bucket list for this trip was Dove Valley, even though I didn’t know if there was even a tour or anything to see. After a slow start, we lay on the bed and decided if we go now, the Broncos training facility was doable before the Jefferson County Jail tour Jason & Nemily had arranged for us all.

There were no signs for it driving in, but when we got there, we saw that there was a team store, so that made me happy. Me and Lincoln shopped for ages while Mommy watched on, Reagan didn’t want to go, so it was just us. I managed to get a couple of shirts that were subtle Bronco endowed but sadly there was no 18 Jerseys which was sort of what I was looking for or a good hoodie but disappointingly XL was my size and there were non on the racks.

The lady was so nice and when she realised we were from the UK she rang the main building and asked them to let us in which they did and allowed us to take photos with the 3 Lombardie’s and all the AFC trophies too! Not everyone’s best day but by noon as we drove back to Grandma’s I’d already ticked off a bucket list item.

The jail tour was brilliant, a real insight into what goes on there, and we got to see far more than we would have without insider help. We were in the vacinity of Idaho Hot Springs, another planned activity, so we decided to drive up there and end the day with pizza after soaking in the Springs.

Today was a good day!

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Snow in Denver

April is a month where the weather can change frequently, “if you don’t like the weather in Colorado just wait 20 minutes” is never more true than springtime here in Denver. We had been warned about a storm while in Wyoming but got back yesterday to a glorious evening. We woke up to snow this morning even though it was not a storm there was an inch covering everything and it has snowed wispily all day. With no plans laid out for today we went for breakfast at a restaurant called Snooze on Broadway which sold the best coffee on the trip so far, I had another breakfast burrito but was defeated by its sheer size, I don’t like wasting food but if this was Man v Food then the latter definitely won this morning. Reagan has this habit of ordering as though she is an adult because she loves the thought of Chai Tea with an adult size pancake order with a side of bacon but has a child’s palette and appetite, she didn’t like the tea, gave away the bacon and barely ate any of the pancakes then ordered a chocolate milk that she didn’t have time to drink so took had it to go. Such a waste of money just because she thinks she is an adult. Lincoln went with a small glass of orange and an adult portion of chocolate chip pancakes the difference with him is his plate was empty even before everyone else had been served there food, wastage and content.

During breakfast we decided to take Jordyn to the Butterfly Pavilion, we all like natural history and thought it would be good to spend a bit of time with him. He is such a great kid but makes you work for a good photo of him, he seems to know when a camera is pointed at him and manages to avoid looking at it for more than a nano second but if you catch that moment he is as cute as a button. Unfortunately it makes it almost impossible to capture a group photo with everyone looking at the camera but we eventually managed it lol. I took the opportunity to hold a tarantula when it was offered thinking I could impress the group by my bravery but I was massively upstaged by my normally arachnophobic daughter who jumped at the chance too and was incredible.

The snow quelled our enthusiasm for touristing in the afternoon and we chose to be lazy, there was a suggestion we visit Dove Valley today but I vetoed it because in my minds eye I saw the visit in sunshine so the photos were really good but if the weather for the rest of the trip doesn’t allow that then I’ll take what I can get.

Tonight we are heading out to Texas de Brazil

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Weather turns?

With the threat of a storm, it was with trepidation that I opened the hotel room curtain at 5am, hoping it hadn’t arrived early. To my relief, although it was snowing, it was barely an inch deep plus no wind, so I went back to bed. At 7am, the snow had stopped, the temperature was above freezing, so there was no panic to get on the road back to Denver. We had arranged to meet Jack and Linda for breakfast across the street at 08:30 so we took full advantage of the hotel pool and jacuzzi until it was time to leave.

Breakfasts here are huge and this mornings did not disappoint. My burrito could have easily fed two but I managed to devour the lot like it was man vs. food, today man won. There is always a couple of stops on the way Grandpa & Grandma’s  house and then Cheyanne to their resting place. It was a relaxed trip back even with the detours because there was no snow once we’d left Torrington and Denver had non either so we just had to brave the cold at the cemetery and briefly at the state line for the obligatory Welcome to colorful Colorado photo’s.

The Hornet was our chosen place to eat after putting in a load of laundry and then lazing around for a couple of hours. Walking down Broadway there seemed a lot of shall we say “characters” which was somewhat concerning for Reagan and Lincoln. The food was really good and once we had finished we went across the road to the Punch Bowl, and after 10 goes each the score was 99 to Mommy, Reagan & Lincoln making me the loser on 86

A bit of family time with Grandma and then late on Emily Jason (briefly) and Jordan before retiring to contemplate life before calling it

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The Ranch

Drove up to Torrington to visit Jack & Linda on their ranch, after a long drive broken up by a stop at the state line for photos in front of the Wyoming, a shopping expo at Johnsons Corner and a burger at Longhorn

Reagan had been talking about Western riding with Tyler for weeks, and it did not disappoint her she rode both horses like a champ she looked really confident and made me feel proud to see. Linda took her in the truck, to look for the horses that were loose on the ranch, as she got in there was rifle laid on the seat Linda moved it to allow her to climb in only to see 3 more guns in the cab.

Lincoln rodeca horse too and loved it but struggled to grasp controlling it, which he was disappointed about, but that soon disapated when him and Mommy rode off on a 4 wheeler, exploring the dirt roads around the ranch.

We had a great visit and waited until Linda and Reagan returned from a hack across the land in the dark(?) before we could leave but when Reagan is living her best life the whole world has to wait but these are the memories both kids will remember forever so that’s worth it’s wait!

Now I need a shower….and a beer!

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Smokin’ BBQ

Took the children to Washington Park to play for an hour before we had to prepare for the BBQ and took Jordyn too. The y had a whale of a time, and although it was cold in the shade, it was a glorious Colorado morning. When we got back Cliff was pulling his pork and Pam was preparing the garden for guests. By the time 2pm came around there was a garden full of people including neighbours from all over and freinds of Jamie’s and her Mom and Dad’s. Keith and Raul turned up and it was great to see him again and finally meet his husband. I finally met Louise one of my biggest fans on Facebook and a couple of other freinds of Pams

A lady from across the road went to the toilet, sat down for a wee and was minding her own business when Jordyn walked in saying “I need to poop!” and proceeded to drop his trousers and sit on the potty next to her. Shocked and slightly perturbed she struck up a conversation with him until she heard his Mom searching for him, upon hearing this and realising how this may look she jumped up and got dressed and quickly left passing Emily as she left.

Emily found Jordyn trying to get the poop into the toilet with his hands having got up too soon, quite the scene when she’d only just got home from work shortly before. Choosing to get Jordyn cleaned up first she left the bathroom and took him back to her house to get cleaned up.

Jamie unaware of the situation found the bathroom in a state and preceeded to clean it up as she would always do if either of her children had an accident. After returning to the party she began to tell me what she’d found when Emily turned up wondering who the hell had cleaned up as it was her responsibility and was so thankful.

As the sun went over the house it started to get chilli quickly having been almost too hot to sit in all day and people began drifting of leaving us to get an early night in preparation for the drive over to Torrington in the morning. It was such a relaxed day and yet again great family time this holiday has barely begun but we’ve packed so much in already

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Fingers and Toes

Jetlag kept me honest last night, as I gave in to sleep after the restaurant, but as I crept to the toilet, I glanced at my watch it was midnight. So I was awake with 8 hours before morning so I cleaned my teeth and went back to bed and just tried to lay quietly and although was a wake for a good part of the time I did sleep.

Breakfast was another family affair the whole reason we are here w were just waiting around before going to see Lisa(?) for a mani and pedi. Lincoln didn’t want either so one I was done, I and him went next door to the reptile shop to see the ‘most photogenic snake’ ever lol.

After a quick visit to the 7-11 we set off for Target one of Lincoln’s requests before we came. Unfortunately, it did not live upto its billing pre trip…

The Planetarium was an idea to not waste the whole afternoon but $100 to get in and watch the Black Hole film stung a bit when we were only going for a bit of fun. We queued for the film when all hell broke loose with a gang of girls screaming obscenities and threatening another girl all pretty scary stuff but members of the public stepped in because there were no staff anywhere to be seen.

Family time with snoop ended the day with a bottle of 19 Crimes with the legend that is Snoop D O double G to wash down the Tyriaki chicken Grandma made us. I am sat here now blogging trying to stay awake as long as possible before giving in to sleep hopefully ridding my self of Jetlag which is at best annoying the hell out of me right now

The favourite part of today was definitely Lincoln saying, “See you, I’ll be Grandma’s…” As he disappeared upstairs confidently wanting to be with Grandma which is exactly how I want it to be while we are here!

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We are here

We left the hotel and drove to Grandma’s house taking in the mountains, mile high and lots of Mommy’s memories as ignored the satnav preferring to take i70 with its view of the city! Upon our arrival at Sherman St we found it was closed off so parked in the next street along and walked to the house. I think we were spotted by Cliff on our approach because he welcomed us at the door closely followed by Grandma who hugged both her grandchildren tightly before Mommy finally got the hug she craved for so long.

The next couple of hours were all about family and getting either reacquainted or meeting  everyone over breakfast

I spent the day in the yard getting sunburn on my legs and head while talking to Jason and Cliff and the girls went shopping. Lincoln played with Jordyn until I couldn’t take anymore sun. We lazed around and waited for the girls to return, we ended the day at Texas Roadhouse eating steak and drinking Margeretas, but although it was only 6pm here in our heads, it was 3am in our heads and we all got tired very quickly and it was time to call it a night.

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