A week in Denver

My job rarely sends me out of town for work, but when duty calls, I answer.  Last week, I traveled to Denver.

The Good:

1.  Denver is awesome.

Denver is like a pretty version of Houston.  I love Houston.  Its home, its familiar, its cozy, good food, great people, etc… a wonderful city.  Denver has that same feel, but the landscape is amazing.  The office I was working in had this view:

Mountains!  Every time I looked out the window I was amazed.

On our walk through downtown searching for food, we came across Union Station.  Since it was Christmas things were lite up nicely.

One of the hotels close by had a beautiful Christmas tree on display.

2.  We were lucky enough to have great weather.

Luckily the temps were awesome.  We just missed the snow.  Cold enough for a sweater, but nice enough to enjoy a walk outside.

3.  Visit Friends.

I was able to visit my high school friend Cordelia and her family along with another friend Justin Varghese who has recently moved there.  They all live pretty close to the city, so it was great to meet them up briefly after work.

4.  The food.  

There are some awesome restaurants in Denver!  Here are some snaps of what I ate!

Morton’s Steakhouse:

 

Range:

 

Guard & Grace:

 

 The Bad:

1.  Being away from my wife and kids

It was a bit of a last minute trip so the work of taking care of the kids was dumped on to Sheena.  I felt horrible for doing so, but luckily we have a wonderful support system that stepped up during the week to help out.  Sheena would send pics of what was going on.  Here’s Layla helping Lisa make mashed potatoes for Sheena’s work party.

And here’s a shot of Layla helping Ashley build a gingerbread house.

2.  Spirit Airlines

The draw to Spirit was how cheap it was for a round trip ticket.  I paid only $200!  When I got on the plane, I realized why it was soo cheap.  To be fair, they are very clear on why things are the way they are.  There is absolutely no leg room but the reasoning is to fit more seats, which equals to lower cost per seat.  On top of that, the seats cannot recline, but there’s no need to waste room for comfort.  Want something to drink or snack on?  For the “small” fee of $3, you can get a cup of water (prices go up from there).  Don’t worry, the ice is free.  Baggage?  Ohh, did you plan to bring luggage on your trip?  That’s an extra cost as well.  Ohh, you didn’t print your boarding pass at home?  Well, that’s an extra fee too!  Ohh, you didn’t bring your own oxygen?  Well, it’s an extra fee to breath on the flight.

I take the bus to work in Houston.  The Metro Bus is more comfortable than a Spirit Airline airplane.

3.  Missing 2 Christmas parties

Sheena’s work had their Christmas party on Wednesday and my company had a Christmas lunch on Thursday.  I was a lil bummed to miss out on those.

4.  Being late to a party that we were hosting, at our own home.

Sheena and I invited some of the newlywed couples we know over for dinner on Friday.  My flight didn’t land until 6:30pm on Friday and I didn’t get home until 8pm.  I was still able to hang with everyone for a lil bit, but the weight of the work hosting the party (getting food, cleaning the house, etc… ) was dumped on Sheena.  I felt pretty bad about that, especially since she was handling the kids all week.

5.  Being exhausted the entire weekend.

When we work out of town we usually pull extended hours to get the job done quicker.  This trip was no exception.  Pair that with Spirit Airlines… that’ll get you pretty tired.

 

On a side note, have y’all seen the new Toyota Camry?  It was my rental for the week.  I was very impressed.

Another bonus was seeing this at the corner on my way out of downtown.

Outside of being away from the family, the trip was actually pretty great.

The weekend following was not a stroll in the park.  Like I mentioned earlier, Sheena and I hosted a lil dinner party for the newlyweds we know.  It was great to just hang with them and catch up on their lives.  I was so tired, I forgot to snap a pic of everyone (sorry).

The next day (Saturday), Layla and I headed to Nathan’s birthday party.  Nathan is my friend’s 5 year old!  I still can’t believe he’s 5!  It was at Mad Science.  They had “scientists” show the kids cool things with various chemicals.

After the birthday party, Layla and I joined Sheena and Ezra at a graduation party for Sheena’s cousin Ancy.  She’s from Oklahoma, and some of the family from OKC came down as well, so it was great to see them all.

After the grad party, I took both kids home, while Sheena rushed to a bridal shower.

Sunday, we invited some family to join us at church to watch Layla sing with the choir.  It was super cute.  She did an amazing job.  They would practice every Tuesday for the past few weeks.  Layla was very excited about being a part of the choir.

Since Layla was singing that Sunday, Ezzy wanted to get all dressed up too, so he threw on his bow tie.  Layla loved it… and couldn’t stop kissing him.

Very busy, but great weekend.  One thing I’ve learned is my wife is superwoman.  Managing the house and the kids by herself is a huge task, but she handled it with grace.  Another thing I’ve learned is burping my son and playing “bakery” with my daughter is better than a steak at a fancy restaurant in a cool city.

Happy Holidays!