Parent trip

My parents have been in town since Tuesday, and it's been a real bonus for my social life. Tuesday I picked them up at the airport and drove them up to their place Boulder, where we went for a spin on the multitude of bike paths that criss-cross the town. We stopped for a while by the creek to watch people tubing (it was really hot) and then headed home for a shower and nap (we call it "free time") before driving back into Denver for dinner with A and my sister at a great little Mexican/South American restaurant. Wednesday I stayed home and did errands before meeting my folks at my place for a quick tour of the yard and my new porch before the rains set in, and then a simple dinner at home. They left before A made it home from practice -- now that they are playing under the lights, I rarely see him before nine or nine-thirty!

Thursday I had to go to the dentist for fillings (ugh) and that pretty much ended my prospects for the day, although I did manage to pull it together in time for our game. We've actually won two in a row now, kind of exciting. Of course, the tournament is next weekend, so we don't have a lot more time to improve..... Friday A left for the weekend, going to San Francisco for a bachelor party. (They rented a cabin and were taking a wine tour. I love it. This is the fourth of A's bunch of five high school friends to get married, and the bachelor parties seem to get mellower and mellower as the guys age...) Since he was going to be gone, I spent most of the weekend up in Boulder. We all went for a big hike on Friday (picture above), followed by naps (of course) and an early dinner at a Vietnamese place just a block away. It started raining just as we got to the restaurant, but luckily it had cleared up by the time we got back. I came home that night to check on my house and porch, since the guys were finishing up work, but my sister and I drove back up Saturday afternoon for a dinner with some friends, a couple who we know from Mexico. It was a great time, lots of laughs. Ferd and my dad kept talking about setting up a "mancave" when my parents move to Boulder, a place where they can store their motorcycles and other man-stuff. It was hilarious. It poured again -- it's been awfully wet around here lately -- so we ate inside instead of out on the patio. W and I went out for a drink after dinner with a guy we used to know when we were kids, and I mean kids, like five years old. He is living in Boulder now, working at some fancy ad agency, and wanted to meet up. It was kind of odd, but a good time. Luckily we didn't spend too much time reminiscing about when we used to dress him up in girls' clothes from our dress-up box!

In the morning, after not sleeping very well -- too much to drink and sharing a bed with my sister is a bad combination -- we went for a long bike ride, stopping for drinks and banana bread along the way. It was the longest ride I've done this summer (something like 32 miles) and I was tired by the end! It was too hot and muggy to nap when we got back, so we ate some lunch and went to the movies instead -- a great escape from the heat. We saw Once, a very indie film/musical with great acting, set in Ireland. When the movie was over, it was time to head to the airport. Torrential rain on the drive, and crazy lightning. My parents' flight was delayed, but they finally made it home. Now I miss having them around! A doesn't get home for another few hours, and the house seems empty. I think I will really enjoy having my parents closer when they eventually move out here. We always have so much fun together as a family.