Denver: Week Two

(After a week or so of terrible wifi, fingers are crossed that my current wifi is decent!  The final blog update for the road trip will likely be posted when I get home early next week.)

Day Twenty-Two:  (Forgotten photos)

Day Twenty-Three & Day Twenty-Four:

Jackie and I went up to the mountains for a night to get away.  We had a good time exploring applied mathematics and swimming in a pool on the 34th floor of a hotel.  On the return trip, we stopped in Golden so she could have lunch with a friend.  I was able to return to the mineral museum located at a college specializing in gems and minerals.

Day Twenty-Five:

Today started with a haircut.  It was definitely a hipster-esque place that was way cooler than where I’m used to getting my haircut done.

After my haircut, we went to get sushi for lunch.  Many people would question getting sushi in the center of the country, but where we went is quite unique.  Several brothers own three separate restaurants all in a row.  One of the brothers lives in Japan and ships fresh fish on a daily basis to his brothers in Denver.  They have been in business since the early 1980’s before eating sushi was as common as it is today in the USA.  They have a tremendous business here in Denver.  I highly recommend eating here should you ever visit Denver.

After lunch, I ventured out to run some errands, and got a lovely crack in my windshield courtesy of a swerving tractor trailer.  When I returned, I cooked Jackie and myself a meal.  The rest of the evening was consumed with installing a floating shelf for Jackie’s hand collection.  (We hope her mother isn’t creeped out by it!  After all, it serves the purpose of baby-proofing!)

Day Twenty-Six:

My morning was spent hiding my tiny cards in the suburbs.  For lunch,  I was able to meet up with Geoff again.  This has been an ongoing tradition for over a decade.  As always, I enjoy the times we get to catch up!

Day Twenty-Seven:

My morning:

-Dropping car off to Hyundai

-Costco with Jackie

-Packing

My afternoon:

-Packing

-Attaching furniture to walls

-Arguing with Hyundai employees

My evening:

-Delicious meal @ Root Down with Jackie!

Day Twenty-Eight:

What originally was going to be my last full day in Denver became my last morning in Denver.  I decided to leave early to prevent a full day of driving towards Grand Teton.

Jackie and I grabbed a final lunch together, after I finished packing up my car completely.  I then stopped off at New Belgium in Ft. Collins to stock up for camping.  After about four hours, I reached my hotel.

Final Thoughts:

Gratitude.

I am very grateful for my time with Jackie.  She is one of my oldest friends.  We go way back.  Our friendship is about twenty five years and counting.

When I heard that Jackie was pregnant, I knew I wanted to keep her company and offer some help where I could.  The two weeks we shared were very special.  I wish the very best for her as she begins a brand new role in a few weeks.  (Get those reward tic tacs ready!)

I am grateful that I got to spend time with a great friend preparing for the arrival of her baby. (#notmine)