Good afternoon, friends! Did you have a good weekend? We did a bit of celebrating (yay, finals are done!) and a bit of exploring this weekend (hey, mom!) and I’m excited to share some of our adventures with you here.
Friday was my last official day working. While finals for us ended on Wednesday evening (7pm at night!!), we had one last research fellowship that was due Friday afternoon. So Friday night we felt on top of the world…or at least that the world wasn’t on top of us any more. 😉
Friday night we headed over to Allen’s parent’s place for some rest and relaxation. Allen’s brother Galen and his girlfriend were driving into Boulder from Bozeman, Montana. So while we anxiously awaited their arrival, we had a nice glass of wine by the fire and talked about what we were most looking forward to over the break. It was the perfect relaxing Friday night I needed. Doesn’t get any better than that.
After Galen arrived, we chowed down some pizza and had a few good laughs before heading out for the night.
Because of all the insanity that ensued during finals, I told Conor that we just had to get out and celebrate after everything was said and done. However, better in thought than in plan because we were both soooo exhausted from the previous two weeks. So after leaving Allen’s parent’s place, we headed to a local brewery, Twisted Pine, for a nice quiet game of Phase10 and a cold glass of beer. It was the first time I realized finals are (finally) finished!
After a few rounds, we decided to call it an early night (11pm woo hoo!) and headed home for some much deserved sleep.
Early the next morning, Allen and I headed to the Denver airport to pick up my mom. She flew into town to help me pick out ski equipment for the upcoming season. (Eek!) First things first though. Food! So we stopped at one of our favorite spots, Snooze, for a nice breakfast. I of course, couldn’t start the morning without a nice cup of mocha coffee. Love the bright ambiance in that place!
Allen giving me puppy dog eyes because I told him I needed a picture of his hot chocolate first. #instagramhusband <– Seriously one of the most hilarious and so true! things I’ve seen recently. If you haven’t seen this video, be sure to check it out!
I was so soo glad even Conor was able to join us on his way to pick up his family from the airport. His friendship has truly been a blessing to me this past semester. I already feel like he’s my one of my very best friends. He means the world to me!
My absolute favorite people right here. They make me so happy!
After breakfast, we went to get ski equipment!!! I’ll share more on this later, as my skiis are currently in the shop having the bindings added, but I am so so so excited! Here’s a picture with my new boots! I can hardly contain the excitement. My first, very own, pair of ski boots!
It’s actually quite funny. I’ve been skiing since I was 4 years old. But I had no idea ski boots could feel so snug and comfy until trying on a pair that wasn’t rented or previously used. Let’s just say I’m ready to shred it up this season!
Later Saturday evening, we were headed to a Christmas party with Allen’s family. So the night before, I made my favorite Rolo pretzel bites and chocolate-covered pretzels. I love giving them as gifts, almost as much as I love eating them!
I put together little festive tins filled with these sweet treats for everyone at the party. They were a huge hit! I tied big red ribbons around each one to make them a little more fun to open. Don’t you just love ripping into your gifts?! Or are you the type that likes to carefully undo each piece? Either way, I always love watching people’s excitement when they are opening up a sweet surprise!
Here’s all the gang from our holiday party! (Allen’s mom is taking the picture, so she didn’t make this shot). But we had a splendid time!! It was great sharing a little unconstrainted celebration time with everyone (usually I’m so stressed with school work etc.) and it was the perfect opportunity for our moms to meet! We had a great time talking and enjoying each others company and opening a few pre-Christmas gifts.
Sunday we did a little exploring in Estes Park. Originally we wanted to do a bit of hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park, but we ran out of time shuttling my ski equipment to different places around town. They’ve got to be ready for the slopes at the beginning of January when I get back. (See our last adventure in Rocky Mountain here.)
We started the day off at Beau Jo’s Pizza with this Cajun Colorado pie. The pizza was chocked full of pepperoni, andoulli sausage, jalapenos, red onions, and black olives. It’s the crust that makes it special though. It’s got honey baked straight into it. And there’s even an extra bottle of honey on the table to use when you’ve made it down to just the crust. Lunch and dessert, all in one! Doesn’t get much better than that, folks.
After Beau Jo’s we headed to Estes Park, which is only a 40 minute drive from Boulder. The sights and lights were absolutely gorgeous! Almost magical, in fact. I love this little quaint town at Christmas time.
We did a little shopping while there. I’m becoming a bit obsessed with everything moose-related (since traveling to Alaska earlier this summer and searching high and low to no avail for one). So this moose hat was so fun for me, even if it was meant for the kiddos!
There’s so much to see and do in Estes Park–you never know what you’re going to find! This cute lime green and bright blue building for instance, was just peeking out from one of the alley ways. A nice little surprise on our stroll.
We also stumbled upon the cutest salt water taffy shop. And I couldn’t help but snap a few pictures of the bright and cheery candy inside.
The lights came on just as twilight fell upon the tiny town, and it couldn’t have made for a more magical and beautiful scene.
After lots of walking and shopping, we decided to go to our favorite pie shop in the area–Colorado Cherry Company! We went a little crazy and got our pies a la Mode (with ice cream) and boy….did that make all the difference! They were already my favorites before, but now…now they are just unimaginably good. So good!
Overall, we had a great little weekend in Colorado, and I had such a fun time showing my mom around Boulder and spending time with all of Allen’s family in one place. I’m now in Tulsa, Oklahoma spending the break with family and friends. Stay tuned for an extra fun outfit post tomorrow with a Tulsa-local photographer I just met! I hope you are enjoying this Christmas week. Merry Christmas and see you here tomorrow morning!
In case you are interested, here is my last weekend recap. As always, feel free to leave comments below! If you’re interested in getting posts sent straight to your inbox, subscribe in the sidebar with your email. Or follow along on Instagram, Facebook, or Bloglovin’.
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