21st Shenanigans and What-Not.

As most of you know, I took a trip to Vegas with the little sis for her 21st birthday about 2 months ago. I've been meaning to update the blog about the trip, but got a little behind on time. Clearly, it's taken quite some time to recover from that one! Let me tell you, it was a trip to remember!



Happy 21st Birthday, Sister!

So apparently, once upon a time ago, I had made a promise to my baby sister, that when she turned 21 years old, I would take her to the fabulous Las Vegas. Well, it is yet to be determined whether or not I did, in fact, make that promise; but regardless, big sis held true to the bargain. (Once again, proving me to be the best big sister on earth :)
Let's start off with how crazy it is, that my little baby Sisterface, Miss Laurie Nicole, is actually 21?? How did this happen? And how do I get this point across without sounding like one of those ridiculous 'old' people recalling 'way back when.....'? It doesn't really matter, however, I could not be more proud of the 21 year old girl that is my precious girl, than anyone could ever imagine, and I consider myself the lucky one, who got to celebrate her big day with her, in a very big way.




My gift. Too much??

April 27, 2012 just happened to land on a Friday, and so she, Justin, and I were on the 6am flight out of Denver, bright eye-ed and bushy-tailed as ever, waiting to let Sin City unfold before us. We were supposed to meet their friend, Richie, (of Washington, DC) in Vegas about an hour after we arrived, however the silly guy missed his 5am flight out of DC. Thankfully for him, he was able to fly standby, and after being re-routed through Chicago, he finally joined us later in the day.

6am flight out of Denver. Who's EXCITED?!?!

As the older, wiser, sister, I made sure we started out the morning right with breakfast drinks at 9am! Sister got the full spread: Bloody Mary, beer, pina colada, mojito, all at one breakfast setting! A drunk breakfast seemed like such a great idea at the time (don't they always??) until it lead to making ridiculous drunk purchases: i.e. a Fossil purse (which I paid way too much money for, and was almost immediately shipped back to Vegas for a full refund) and the best purchase in history: a travel-size steam iron! Yes, you read that correctly. Make all the fun you want, but until you've tried this thing, you have NO idea what you're missing out on! Once our whole group was finally together, that's when the fun really began! Let's just say, Friday was an eventful day....

Sister's first legal drink

Breakfast :)

Scared of what's about to go down....

We spent the remainder of Friday walking down the strip stopping at various bars and casino's, for what other purpose that exercising our right as Americans to over-indulge in the act of boozing and gambling.  We also played a solid game of beer pong (because that's what everyone does in Vegas, right?) for free in a shady hole-in-the-wall. Of course, the girl's team won!

Vegas Crew

Brain Freeze!

We kept up our fun of gambling/drinking/sightseeing, when about 7 that night, I realized my iPhone was missing! I know, I know. Shocking is what most of you are thinking....However Richie and myself are convinced that I did not drunkenly misplace my phone, we are convinced that it was stolen, given that his blackberry mysteriously disappeared also. Our theory? The nasty men that snap the porno-cards at you pick-pocketed us. BOO! [Unfortunately with losing that phone, I also lost many priceless photos of our group including Sister's first time at the slot machine, and a fantastic photo with the midget at the cheap Irish bar on the strip.] That certainly put a damper on the evening, but I just chalk it up to an excellent "Vegas story".

We got checked in at the Luxor and put our little heads to bed. Sadly, these drunk kids and this old lady didn't have the energy to make it out to da club.

The next day Sister enjoyed her very first roller coaster ride at New York, New York. I couldn't believe she'd never ridden one before! This was the perfect first roller coaster ride! You can tell by her picture, that she was obviously impressed. HAHA! We lost a few more games of roulette and black jack, and decided just to spend some quality time lounging by the pool.

Sister's look of boredom.

Richie and me, terrified!

We played a a great practical joke (that may or may not have gone too far) by informing the world via facebook, that Laurie and Justin were married at the little wedding chapel in our hotel, but after family members were beyond upset, we realized perhaps it wasn't so funny....

The Newley-weds!

By Sunday, I think we were all a little over-stimulated, and maybe a little on each-other's nerves. So what else would we do? Why, keep drinking, of course! I may have reverted back to my immature ways and challenged Richie to a push up contest in the middle of the Tram station at Mandalay Bay. Classy, I know. We got a little ridiculous when we decided it would be "the best idea EVER!" to get a giant booze-infused slurpee drink, 4 straws, and ride the diagonal elevators in the Luxor, and try to have the whole drink consumed before reaching the top floor.  Before we all barrelled into the elevator, we tried to be as courteous as possible, and try to snag an empty elevator. We allowed passengers to get on and off, in an attempt to have our private box. Meanwhile, some adorable little chubby 5 year old boy with his mom was super excited to push the call button, only to have his dreams crushed by our very own Richard, who beat the kid to the chase. (Asshole move #1). After the poor kid and his mom got inside of the elevator and the doors began to close, Richard pushed the call button for the next elevator, only to see the doors open to the same one the little boy and his mom were waiting to ride! (Asshole move #2). This time, after waiting for what seemed to be a reasonable amount of time, Richard pressed the button again, and......yet again, their same doors opened. (asshole move #3). I wish I could say that that was the last time this event occurred, but unfortunately, this happened about 2 more times before the mom got pissed and asked us what we were doing.  I about died of embarrassment, and we gave up for the time being....by this point, we needed a re-fill on the frozen beverage. We finally got our private elevator and it was go-time. We steadily sucked down those drinks and stumbled out of the elevator at the top floor. Let's just say, we had a few rounds, some MAJOR brain-freezes, and a false sense of the ground after repeated trips in elevators. I would also be extremely embarrassed to be acting like this in public, if it were anywhere else,  but Vegas. Our victory moment was spent "Tebowing" our single drink in the lobby on the top floor.

Victory.

Four O' Clock Monday morning, came all too soon, yet not soon enough. The 6am flight back to Denver was exactly what I needed to get me back to the reality, that unlike my sweet baby sister, I am not 21 anymore. I can't handle these types of shenanigans without consequences anymore! But for my sister, I would do it all over again :) But I really hope that I don't ever have to......

Father's Day Weekend 2012

Dad, Sister, Lucky, Mischa, and Me

NOT the way we went home :)

Last week, Sister and Justin had asked me last minute to ride home to Lamar to surprise Dad for Father's Day. How could I resist a road trip home with my favorite people? We hopped in the Mazda and headed for home.



It wouldn't be trip anywhere without attempting a "short-cut." Sister insisted that she knew the fastest way to get to I-70. It wasn't really a shortcut, but tt was an adventure though! Without our little country road excursion, we would have missed out on witnessing a pretty incredible funnel cloud a few miles west of us. I am not gonna lie, I really began to panic, but thankfully that twister went right back up into the sky.

Just over 4 hours later, we were welcomed at dusk by the unmistakable smell of "money" and the Cow Palace Inn in all of it's splendor, as we reached Lamar. Just as hoped, Dad was extremely surprised and happy to see his kids at the front door on Friday night. This was the first time we had all been home together since last Christmas. It was a happy moment! We treated Dad to dinner, and finished the evening with a ridiculously predictable made-for-TV-movie. The next morning, true to form, Dad was fast at work on projects and yard work.  Sister and I weren't prepared for outdoor labor, (as far as wardrobe was concerned), so we raided old closets and dresser drawers where we happened upon a collection of sweet caps and In-N-Out Burger t-shirts! Perfect for yard work :) We suffered the heat and blisters and enjoyed time with Dad and the pups, before heading back home.

Sweet Caps!

Beer Me!

Hard at work

Dad and Sisterface

Dad and his girls

It was a whirlwind of a quick 24 hour trip, but it was absolutely worth it! I always love coming back home to my roots to my childhood home. It's nice to get out of the city every now and then, and just stop to remember the important things. And for me, the most important things in my life will forever be my wonderful Dad and my precious sister.
Happy Father's Day, Dad. Thanks for everything you've ever done for us. You've taught your daughters to be strong, smart, independent women; and instilled in us the value of hard work and staying true to who we are. We love you very much. Thanks for being the best dad two girls could ever ask for.

Homeward Bound.

Easter Weekend in DC

Of any adventure I've had, I have to say that my five days spent in Washington, DC was one of the most fun trips I've had in such a long time! I spent Easter weekend, in DC with one of my longest, and dearest best friend's, Nate. After five years of him living in the Nation's Capital, I finally made the voyage east!

Getting there, proved to be a little frustrating. I had a quick layover in Minneapolis, and was excited that it seemed my flight to DC would leave a little early! Well, after sitting on the runway for about 20 minutes, they announced that we were having "maintenance problems", and would have to taxi back to the gate. We ended up sitting at the gate for almost 2 hours with nothing being served to us, before it was announced that we would have to take another plane! Well, needless to say, I was ready for a drink on the next plane, only to find out that the cabin was entirely dry of food, water, and alcohol :(

Landing in DC!

But after a long day of travel, I made it! We had dinner at a popular joint in Nate's neighborhood where you could put a pin on a map of where you were from. I was so excited to put a pin in Lamar, CO; only to find out that someone else beat me to it :) We got back to Nate's house, where I had the great pleasure of meeting his roommate, Kyle. What a character he is!  Although we did not see eye to eye when it comes to fashion, Kyle and I had a great time bonding over our similar personalities and senses of humor. However, I did not find it funny how he loved to keep referring to me as a dirty hippie from Colorado. Not. Funny. At. All.

Kyle

After having my first Metro experience (which I absolutely LOVED!!!), Nate and I spent the next day doing all the touristy stuff. I couldn't have picked a more perfect weekend to go, as far was the weather was concerned! It was perfect, and not a cloud in the sky! We went to the Smithsonian Museums of African Art, the Portrait Gallery, and the Hirshhorn Sculpture Gallery. We had such a fun day walking around seeing the sites. That night we went to Good Friday Easter service at The Falls Church in Virginia. This was such a beautiful Anglican church, that is almost 300 years old!

The Smithsonian Castle

Film strip of Abe Lincoln in the Portrait Gallery

The next day, Nate and I went to the Old Post office, where we took the elevator up and were able to have a bird's eye view of the entire city! After that, we had drinks on the rooftop bar the the W Hotel. We sipped on the local craft brew, and had a perfect view of the White House. This was by far my favorite moment of my entire trip :) It was the most beautiful day, and such a perfect moment. I couldn't help myself of being flooded with happiness, as we talked, laughed, and had such a good time all with the backdrop of being high above our nation's capital city. After that, we walked to the White House and later enjoyed an amazing meal at an Ethiopian Restaurant in a jazzy district of DC. We cabbed back to enjoy the most spectacular view of the monuments at night. The Washington Monument, the World War II Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, The Korean War Memorial, and my personal favorite, the Lincoln Memorial, were beyond breathtaking in their glory. We toured in awe, while under the light of a bright orange full moon.

Sunday morning, we slept in, and then walked over to the Iwo Jima Marine Corps Memorial, in Arlington, VA, where we also viewed the Netherlands Carillon, and the Arlington National Cemetery. The Tulips and flowering trees were in spectacular full bloom, and was a beautiful site. That evening, we attended Easter Service at Nate's Church. We enjoyed a nice walk after service, to see the Capitol at sunset. It was so spectacular!

Monday morning, Nate had to head into the office, so I took full advantage of the day and took the Metro to Alexandria, VA, to King Street. This was a beautiful, historic neighborhood with brick sidewalks and colorful row houses. I took the Metro back into DC, where I spent the day in Georgetown. This was my favorite area of the city! It was a wonderful, colorful place with hip shops, historic buildings, coffee shops, restaurants, and people, galore! This is where I stood in line for 20 minutes to purchase an overpriced cupcake, from Georgetown Cupcakes, setting of the hit TV show DC Cupcakes. *NOTE: It was NOT worth the wait, nor the price, but it was fun for the novelty of it :)  I took the bus downtown to meet back up with Nate for a late lunch, before we had to rush back home to get packed up.

I left DC back to Colorado Monday night, and was so sad to leave. I had the most wonderful time with Nate, and it was so awesome to visit a part of the country I had never experienced before! I can't wait to go back! There is so much to see and do, and it is a part of our nation's history, and my own personal history, that I will never forget.

It's always hard to say goodbye.

February 14, 2012

On a day spent by most people across the world, celebrating their love with gifts of roses, chocolates, and other gifts that fade away, we were saying "goodbye" to a very important and loved man in our lives. It saddens me to say, that this year's Valentine's Day, instead of the romantic emotions that are typically taking the day captive, I had the pre-mature privilege of saying goodbye to Mr. Scott Bowen.

I first met Scobow back in 1999, almost immediately after he had moved his family from the Chicago area, to Lamar. His middle daughter, Rachel, became my instantanous best friend on the first day of freshman year at Lamar High. We shared three classes together that semester, and after discovering how much we had in common, we were inseparable. We shared similar values, faiths, and our awesome dads worked together at Neoplan. After countless weekends of slumber-party marathons shared between the Bowen and the Cook homes, I quickly became very close with the Bowen family. Times spent with the Bowen's at their home, at the family ranch, and countless youth-group activities and trips to Denver, were the days that I lived for.  Scott and Melody were almost second parents to me, caring for me in times like after I had my wisdom teeth removed! Years later in high school, the inevitable happened when I started dating Rachel's older, and cute brother, Nate :) Although our dating days didn't last very long, Nate and I stayed in very close contact all throughout college and the years after, when I was moving all across Colorado and Nate was off to bigger and better things in Washington DC. Of course Rachel and I stayed in touch, but surpsingly it was Steph, the youngest sister of the Bowen family, who's relationship with me in most recent years, is what has strengthened the bond between myself and the Bowen's.  She was always the little sister growing up, so I never really knew her all that well before I moved off to college and the Bowen's moved off to New York. But in recent years, I've had the privilege of becoming a close friend and confidant to Steph, which grew stronger each day as she kept me current on the issues regarding their dad throughout his illness.

Of course, it never was a question to me, just how much all the Bowen's meant to me, and that our friendship would always be in tact. I care for each and every one of them in such different ways, and they all have such a very special place in my heart. These are the people that I've known that I will always be friends with for the rest of my life, even despite our georaphical distances. Although I knew how much they all meant to me, I honestly had no idea that throughout all the years that had passed since I had first met Scott and Melody, and the years since I had last seen them, that I had remained in their thoughts as much as I had. It was such an honor and a delight to hear in recent months as Steph told me stories, just how much her dad liked me! I truly had no idea! I always just figured I was just this girl that was friends with his kids. But he truly loved me, and held me in the highest regard. And that means more to me than anyone will ever know.

It is sad that it is often tragic events that bring people even closer together. When I heard of Scott's passing last week, there was absolutely no question in my mind that I would be there for his family, my dear friends, as they grieved and laid his body to rest. I only wish that I had had the opportunity to properly say goodbye to the man that blessed me with the best friends of a lifetime.

Scott, you will be greatly missed. But your legacy lives on through Nate, Rachel, and Steph. I know that you are in a better place where there is no suffering. I take great comfort in knowing that we will all be reunited again in heaven, one day. We love and miss you. Please say hi to my mom for me :)

The Bowen Ranch, Eads, CO  2/14/12