Colorado Trip 2017

Saturday June 24th Our family drove out to Colorado.  It was quite a long drive to do all in one day, but with an early start we got there without too much trouble.

Sunday we went to church and enjoyed a cookout with family.  It was so good to be back together!

Monday we decided to hang with Annie and let the kids play.  Hannah also joined us for a bit.  We  went on a walk to the park with the  kids, and then enjoyed dinner at Jen's house.   Scott took kids to Sweet Action ice cream.  He is an awesome uncle and always looks out for Christian with his milk allergies!

Tuesday we played tennis with Cat in the morning.  I think we all enjoyed it and we ended before it got too hot.  In the afternoon I  left kids with a sitter and hit the mall with Annie and Hannah.

Wednesday we went to  Pirates Cove in the morning and early afternoon until thunderstorms came in.

 In the evening we enjoyed games with Cat and Aaron.  I also made alfredo for dinner.

Thursday we met Christina Underwood in Castle Rock at the  Miller Activity Complex.  The kids enjoyed the trampolines and swimming, while Christina and I caught up on each others' news.

 In the evening we met Cat and Aaron for dinner.  We went to a very delicious Italian restaurant!  Eve enjoyed some extra time with Avery.

Friday I went on a walk with Jen, Hannah, and Annie.  Then we met for lunch at kneaders and Mom joined us.  In the afternoon Jen and I  made bath bombs.  Jen is always fun with crafts or projects.

 In the evening I went to temple with Annie and Jen.

  Matt and Ivan flew in for the Murray reunion that was scheduled to start the next day.
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Saturday, July 1st was the beginning of the first John Murray reunion. I made pancakes and then we went shooting in Strasburg.  We were able to learn gun safety, differences in the various guns and how to aim, shoot etc.  Ivan and Aaron did a great job facilitating this activity!

  On the way home I grocery shopped and then made chicken enchiladas for our Mexican potluck and family slide show in the evening.  My dad went to a lot of effort for the slide show and it was fun to see so many pictures from our childhood and of ancestors.

Sunday was fast Sunday.  We attended church with Annie and Jen.  In the afternoon we had another cookout with family.  The  kids enjoyed wrestling Ivan, swinging, and  singing with Grandma around the piano.

Monday we gathered for a picnic at City Park.  We then went to the Imax and watched "How things are made" which was an engineering film.  Then we toured the  museum of Nature and Science.

  In the evening we went to the Rockies Game.  It was lots of fun to be there with the family and then watch the awesome fireworks display afterward.

Tuesday, July 4th - some hiked the Incline,

 but I felt like I should meet Rachel Wright and catch up.  It was great to see her and her family and hear how they are doing.  In the afternoon we went to Cat's community pool to swim and have a picnic lunch.

We had to relocate to Jen's because of an evening storm.  We enjoyed a movie together - The Zookeepers wife (So good!)  Then we did sparklers and a few small firecrackers.  It's always fun at Scott and Jennifer's house!

Wednesday we went to Rocky Mountain National park and enjoyed 3 beautiful hikes.
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If you look closely you can see the moose that we saw in the lake.  What a beautiful day!

 Afterwards we  visited Smiths for a few minutes and then headed back down to Denver.  Jen invited everyone to her house for her homemade tamales.  She is always so generous!  This was the end of the official reunion activities.  My dad did a wonderful job planning and we enjoyed being together!



Thursday the  kids went to see a movie with Matt, Jen and Scott while Christian  played at Annie's with Jonathan.  I enjoyed one more afternoon to hang out with Annie.  In the evening we drove to Fort Collins to visit some friends from college, the Ottleys.  It was fun to catch up and see how all their kids have grown!  We also got to drive and walk by the new Fort Collins temple.  It is beautiful!

Friday I organized, did laundry, packed and then we visited the Owens in Erie.  We love this great family!  (We are distantly related after all)  I am glad that we have kept in touch since we have both moved from Omaha, NE.

Saturday we drove home.  It was a LONG day.  It always seems longer at the end of the trip because of all the other driving we have done!  We actually got home at 2 or 3 AM Sunday morning.  I taught sharing time and got Eve ready for camp.  I'll detail the rest of July in my next post.

What a wonderful time we had!  We are grateful for our family! We appreciate all the wonderful memories we share!