I did so much during my visit to Colorado that there was too much to blog about in one posting, so I hope you've enjoyed reading about my trip in parts.
The last day, Sunday, we went to brunch at Snooze, and decided to go hiking at Horsetooth Falls with the pups. It was 60 degrees out, so the day was beautiful for a hike! We spent the rest of the day running errands, watched the Hangover 3, and hung out at their cute apartment.
My plan was to travel back home on Monday but I had such a great time, I decided to stay till Tuesday. Audra and I spent another day shopping in Old Town, went to see Enough Said at an old theater (only had 2 theaters!), Cory made us dinner, and we stayed up late to watch the Shockers play!
I left early Tuesday morning after saying goodbye to my wonderful friends who provided great hospitality. I had such a wonderful time catching up with Audra and Cory for 4 days!
A little history of Audra and I: We met in elementary school, so we've known each other for about 22 years now - crazy! We spent every weekend together, went to the same church, and got ourselves into lots of trouble. We drifted apart over the years in-between transferring schools, going to different colleges, new friends, new boyfriends, etc. but somehow, someway, we've always remained in touch.
Audra and I were best friend for several years, but no matter the distance and where we are now, I feel like we've gotten back on track. Within the last couple of years we've made the effort to get together more often and pick up where we left off. She's a wonderful friend who gives great advice, a good listener, an admirable wife, and a working girl like myself. We have years of history so we can't help but laugh about the times when we were 10 years old and everything else we've been through together. It feels so great to catch up and become close again.
I can't wait to visit again real soon!
The remaining part of my trip was planned to be spent in Fort Collins with Audra and her husband, Cory. I headed up to their place Friday morning for the weekend. We ran errands during the afternoon, and got ready for a fun night out!
We started with wine and cheese at the Welsh Rabbit Cheese Shop. The place was so cute and quaint, and the wine was delicious!
Our next stop was The Mayor. They have a very extensive beer menu with over 100 beers on tap. Now if you know me, you know I'm not much of a beer drinker - well, I never step out of my comfort zone, which is Coors Light. Fort Collins, known for their craft beers, I had to give some others a chance. I'm glad I did so because I found a new favorite. New Belgium Accumulation White IPA.
Our last stop of the evening was Scrumpy's, which is a cider bar. I've never heard or been to a such place. I tried Tray B, which 9 different kinds of cider beers. I couldn't even tell you which one was my favorite because they eventually started to taste the same.
On Saturday, we all woke up and set out on our brewery tour. We biked about an hour to where all the popular breweries were. The weather was perfect for our bike ride and made for a fun day!
We stopped at Fort Collins Brewery for lunch at Gravity. Great beer, great food, and they had the K-State game on. Prime spot!
We finished lunch and rode our bikes over to the Odell Brewery. We tasted several beers, and moved on to our next stop...
...New Belgium Brewery. The weather was perfect to sit outside and there we had a few more tasters before getting a spot on the brewery tour.
The tour was great, plus we got 5 more samples along the way! We ended our evening at our 4th stop, Coopersmith's Pub and Brewery for dinner, then it was time to head home.
Part III of my trip will be following!
I did a little traveling over the summer by myself for work and I figured out I love to travel alone. I mean I love having my babe by my side or my favorite girlfriends, but sometimes traveling alone is the perfect time to think, and you get to do your own thing.
I planned a road trip to Colorado to visit some friends who live outside of the Denver area. I set off on my journey last Wednesday and returned Tuesday.
So maybe an eight hour road trip (each way I might add) wasn't the best trip to do alone. Boredom kicked in pretty quick!
My first stop was to visit Lee, Jessica and baby Tristan in Thornton. It had been two years since I'd seen them last (at their wedding), and was my first time to meet little Tristan. He's an absolute doll and melted my heart! Here he is at dinner the first night.
Now if you knew Lee and I about 7-8 years ago, we were attached at the hip. He was my best friend, and will always be my go-to buddy no mater how far we're apart. We've always stayed in touch and can pick up where we left off when we randomly call/text each other. It was so great to see him grown up and he's such an amazing father and husband.
My two-day visit was wonderful and was great to catch up with the Mohon family. I miss them already!
On Thursday, I headed to Boulder for the day to hang out with one of my favorite gals, Audra. We spent the afternoon on Pearl Street browsing cute, quaint shops and stopped for lunch at Boulder Cafe. It was such a neat college town with a great atmosphere.
This was some of my view on the way there - so beautiful!
Be sure to look for a continuation of my road trip tomorrow with part II.
I love a white chicken chili, probably more than I love a red chili. On Halloween, my office had a chili day, so I had to pull out my recipe to share.
I like easy recipes, so if I don't have a lot of time to let this recipe cook for a couple hours in the crock pot, it's a great one to put on the stove!
Ingredients:
* 1 lb. diced chicken breast, cooked
* 3 cans white northern beans
* 1 can whole kernel corn
* 1 can cream of chicken
* 1 cup water
* 1 green pepper
* 1 white onion
* 1 pkg. onion soup mix
* 1 pkg. white chili seasoning
* 3 chicken bouillon cubes
* 1/2 tbsp. chili powder
* Salt and pepper to taste
* Shredded cheese (optional)
* Sour cream (optional)
Serving size: 8 - 10
Directions:
1. In a large pot, combine water, chicken cubes, cream of chicken, seasoning, chili powder, onion mix, salt and pepper; stir.
2. Bring to a boil; add green pepper, onion, corn, beans and chicken.
3. Let simmer uncovered for 40 - 50 minutes (the longer, the better the flavor).
4. Remove from heat and serve.
If you're wanting to cook this in the crock pot, combine all ingredients and cook on high for at least 1 and 1/2 hours.
Serve with shredded cheese and sour cream. I like a few Saltines with my chili too!
Here's a preview of the aftermath from our office chili day. Everyone's was delicious!
Enjoy!
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