Ashley and Steven, the Girls, and Colorado! Part 1

We were able to spend some time with Ashley and Steven this past week. We had a great time with the four of them. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING US! The girls got to go out and play at Cherry Creek Park, needless to say, they were beat for days!

The dandelions were SO BIG that I wanted to get a picture of a perfect one. I had been looking for about a half hour, when I finally found one. I set the camera on 'flower,' bent down, and then Nan ran over full blast and stuck her nose right into it before I could get the picture! The funniest thing was Steven's reaction, I thought he was going to wet himself laughing so hard! Just so you know, I did find one!







Dad and I went to the Garden of the Gods while Ashley and Steven were working. The views were spectacular. The skies were changing every half hour. We did get rain but not enough to ruin the day. Quite beautiful!




We also went to Boulder to visit the Celestial Tea Company - a fabulous way to experience the fragrances of cardamom, cinnamon, peppermint, hibiscus, lemon, and anise. Depending on the day, there may even be other fragrances. There is a tasting room that has about ten different teas for sampling. If that isn't enough, they have a menu at the counter of ALL the teas that they make, and you can ask for a sample of each and every one of them if you would so desire! I tried a few from Africa, some Zingers, and a chai that is my absolute new favorite tea! If you get a chance to try Sweet Coconut Thai Chai, I would recommend it! The flavors in the 'front' are delicious, but the 'back' of the tea is the coconut that just settles perfectly on your taste buds! Was able to make it taste even better by sipping it with Ashley!

We went to a couple of really great restaurants: Nick and Jimmy's BBQ (for the best BBQ yet! Hoggy's and Sonny's will never be the same!) and Ted's Montana Grill (for the best bison or beef burgers! I had beef burger with green chili peppers, guacamole, and Monterey Jack cheese, YUMMY!) Later in the week Ashley saw in their Denver magazine that these two restaurants got #1 ratings!


Even though the food was great - the company was "tons better!"

The Caribbean!

Decided to put a couple of our trip pics up for you all to see! This is the fort in Old San Juan... the sky was beautiful, and the colors were amazing!



At the other end of the island, also on the grounds of the fort, people were out enjoying family kite flying time!




I got to talk to the cruise activities director before a show, very nice girl!


Little did I know what the key chain she handed me meant. Dad said, "Bet you have to go up on stage!"

Well, we did that old up-the-outfit-down-the-next-outfit game! Our team lost miserably, but I did have the best clothes for this! The wrap-around dress allowed me to just drop the spoon and pass it on! Here I am working on keeping my dress closed while everyone else was pulling!



Aruba!

Splendid! It was a bit windy but very nice!

Dad was able to find the best price for sunscreen, beachwear, and hats! Got off the beaten path and shopped with the locals!



This is a sunset taken from our boat after a snorkeling adventure on the island of Curacao.



The Divi Little Beach Bay Resort!

The waves gave us a workout, but it was a wonderful day!



She was selling her wares at the beach - cutest ever!


If you want to see the other 1,092 pictures I took, come on over! I will make tea or cappuccino - it will be just like being there!



Okay, not just like. . .