Last week, Katie went with her mom, grandmother, and sister to the Isle of Palms off of Charleston. Not to be one to miss out on any of my own action, I decided to take that time to visit family in Colorado. It was one of the most enjoyable weeks I can remember.

Thursday I flew into Denver and spend the remainder of the day with my my uncle Kenny and aunt Anne, along with my cousin Shannon and her son, Eli. That night, Kenny took all of us and my cousin Kennan to this great seafood restaurant, McCormick's, inside the Oxford Hotel in downtown Denver. Obviously, it was greatness.

Friday morning, Kenny and I got up early and drove to Vail. We were on the mountain at around 10:00ish and skied all day until the lifts were closing. It was amazing. I've never skied Vail before, and it was unbelievable. Though the runs were great, the highlight was just getting to ski with my uncle - we had such a fun time. My favorite area to ski were these huge bowls, which are pictured above. So beautiful. It was so fun just to stop and look at God's creation. Simply awesome.

We stayed the night with my cousin Ethan and his family who live in Vail, and then the next morning, Ethan, his two kids Caleb and Emmy, Kenny, and I all went out again for another great day of skiing. Good night, what a wonderful place to ski!

That night, Ethan and I went to his buddy's ranch, which is used half of the year as a place for men to come together and form a sort of "Band of Brothers." This place is again amazingly beautiful (my adjectives are pretty sparse right now). Sitting off of the Colorado River in between Vail and Steamboat in Eagle County, this ranch is situated perfectly between the mountains with a fully stocked pond and every kind of activity you could imagine. Five star chefs and accommodations, this place brings luxury to rustic ranch life like I've never seen. Anyway, we hung out there with a bunch of guys from Ethan's church (he's the pastor of Trinity Vail), and I had a truly special time with all the men there and especially my cousin.

Sunday, I heard Ethan preach for the first time, which was really a treasured experience, and then after a church social, my aunt and I drove back to Denver where we spend the rest of the night.

Monday, Kenny and I drove to Boulder where we spent the morning through lunch, which was such a fun time for me. I have never been there but always wanted to, and it met all my expectations. Pearl Street Mall is a place I could hang out for days at a time. Great bookstores, shops, and beer. I really want to go there for Katie for a weekend and just hang out - so, so cool.
After we got back to Denver, I went with Kenny, Anne, and Kennan to see the movie "Breach." I really don't see that many movies, but this is one I highly recommend - especially if you're a fan if historical spy type movies, though I'm not sure how many fit in such a made up genre. Anyway, it's good - see it.

On Tuesday, after saying my goodbye's, I arrived at the airport to find out that my flight was canceled...because my plane was put out of commission. Yikes! I'm glad I wasn't on that plane - I assume it takes a lot now days to actually decommission a commercial airplane. Turns out, I flew standby on an earlier flight which allowed me to have dinner with my parents and sister that night, so in the end it was a blessing.

All in all, it was an unbelievably wonderful trip. My family in Colorado was so gracious and generous with their time and resources - I am truly blessed to have such great people in my life. My favorite time of all though were all the long drives with Kenny as well as Anne and Ethan, where we just talked and had such great and meaningful conversations.

Praise God for such a blessing of a trip. I can't wait to go back for some more time up there.