Mother/ Daughter Get-A-Way

As Analise launched into middle school this year, I really wanted to take her on a mother/daughter trip. In addition, I wanted to go though the Passport to Purity curriculum with her. We did it unconventionally, but we did it. Instead of going away and listening to the cds there, we started before we left, listening to them at random times. I highly recommend this for anyone with middle school aged kids! She really enjoyed it, and it lead to some great conversation. There are parts of this that I will want to  revisit as she gets older. 

Choosing our destination wasn't difficult. This would have been the summer for Analise to go to Aunt Sarena's for a few days by herself, but we knew Analise would be way too worried about this. And instead of making her face her fears, we decided I would go with her. This way she'd still get to enjoy being the only niece with Sarena, but also having me along would ease the "worry" meter. 

Though it's only six hours away, we thought flying would be more fun and exciting. We know someone who gave us buddy passes,  so it was cheaper, too. Little did we know that it would give  us challenges as well. 

For starters, our first flight out of Kearney was delayed about an hour and half. So our getting up early was a waste. Plus, it put us back in our schedule there. Oh well, we made the most of it.

When Analise knew we were renting a car, she mentioned several times how she'd love a Mustang. Of course, we just laughed and told her that was not happening. So imagine her surprise and delight when she realized her dad HAD reserved a Mustang.  (It was supposed to be a convertible, but that wasn't available. I wasn't too sad; it saved us a lot of money!)

If you know me at all, you know I don't like driving in big cities. And I'm not a fan of driving rentals. It's true motherly love that drives a fast car on I25!

 

We got to Sarena's without any issues (phew), loaded up the boys and went to CFA for lunch. From there we went to the zoo. It was a beautiful day to be outside, and it felt good to walk around. 

The animals were active, and we saw several of our favorites up close.

 Over look of the Broadmoor

 CO Springs in the back ground

 AJ really wanted to see the elephants, and she wasn't disappointed they were inside.

 And I was not disappointed to see my third baby orangutan this year! :)

 That night we grabbed Fazoli's for dinner and ate at their home. We then settled in early for the night since we'd gotten up early.

The next morning our plans changed. Danny was not feeling well. :( We were hoping to go for a hike, but instead we had to come up with plan B. Analise wanted to go to the Castle Rock outlets. I didn't turn that down! Once again, I drove I25! (BTW, this made for great opportunities to listen to our CDs) We ate lunch at Panera and did some shopping.

Our lunch came with a good view.

 Why, yes, that's our banana Mustang parked in the parking lot.

On our way back to the Springs, I decided to stop at Focus on the Family so Analise could go down their fun slide. I felt like she needed something fun and kid-like, and it had been a few years since she'd been there. She had a blast! Even though she was by herself, she went down laughing several times.

 

Though by the time we got "home" and two boys weren't feeling well, Sarena was able to join us for a girl's night out. We splurged and went to the Melting Pot for dinner. It was a fun, sweet time as we ate a slow paced meal, and Sarena poured in advice about growing up. It truly was a tender time that I never want to forget.

 Such a sweet (blurry!) picture!

We headed to bed early, because we had another early morning...

The boys were still sick, so Analise and I ventured off to Pike's Peak for their cog rail ride. Have I mentioned yet that I was SO thankful for Google maps/directions to get me places? Took off some stress from city driving.

Analise and I had a lot of fun on this beautiful trip! I had never seen the aspens turn, and now I know first hand how beautiful they are! The tour guide was very knowledgable and funny, so the hour long drive up went quickly. When we got to the top, it was 30 degrees cooler, and I battled some altitude sickness. I followed their advice and guzzled water; that seemed to help.

 Here is a sampling of pictures that Analise and I took.

 

By the time the ride was over, we needed to head back to Denver to catch our flight home. We'd had a lot of fun on this trip, but we were both ready to be home. We got to the airport, returned the rental and got to our check in counter to learn the ONE flight to Kearney had been canceled! UGH! I had thought about checking the fligh status while on the cog ride, but since cell service was sketchy, I didn't worry about it. I mean, the flight could only be delayed, right? 

We were crushed with the news. I had to act grown up and strong for Analise's sake, but that only lasted so long. As soon as I called Brandon, I was in tears, too. Renting a car to drive home was a couple hundred dollars, so that wasn't going to happen. We could rent a hotel room and crash there for the night....or call friends who live in Denver. The conversation went like this:
Hi Naseem! Are you bored?

Am I bored?

Yes, because (tears and not able to talk) Analise and I are stuck in the Denver airport until tomorrow.

I'll be right there in 45 minutes.

After that call I felt terrible for wrecking their day and plans because I was emotionally unstable. I had Brandon call Naseem and apologize, but in typical fashion, Naseem didn't mind a bit.

We spent the evening with the gracious Qussar family. Though Analise and I were still sad about not being home, and I felt sick, we were very grateful to have a place to stay with people who care about us.

The next morning our flight left on time, and we made it home. Home. Ahhh... 

I was greeted with several love/I miss you crafts from the girls. :)