A new pickle ball and food hall venue opened up within walking distance from our house this month. On opening weekend, we met folks for happy hour and food.
We took Tanner over the next night to check it out and have some ice cream.
The venue is really nice and it was obviously a huge investment for the owners. Here's to more fun times at a new place - and practicing our pickleball skills!
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| Huge foosball table |
I was fortunate to have Juneteeth off and do some playing in our own backyard. Alana and her daughter joined me for a morning hike and then Tanner met us at the Eldorado Springs Pool to cool off and have a picnic lunch. The pool had been closed for several years and it finally reopened last August and I had really been wanting to go! The entry fee wasn't cheap, but it was a beautiful vista and great day to be at the pool. They did a really nice job of keeping the original feel, but upgrading the amenities. Alana and I then wrapped up the afternoon with a trip to Sweet Cow. Yum!
After some down time at home, Marshall and I headed down to Music in the Park as this is the only one that I'll be able to make. It was a hot day so I was a little hesitant, but it turned out to be a gorgeous night and we actually found a shady spot. The Wrights joined us and it was a lovely way to wrap up a little staycation. It is not lost on me that this day is something that could easily be a vacation for many people - a trip to the mountains, hitting a historic pool and then wrapping the day up with ice cream at a cute little ice cream shop. It reminded me of the many vacations we took as a Karlen family and here I am fortunate to just have this an outing 20 minutes from my home.
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| what a vista |
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| so pretty |
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| me on the diving board |
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| Tanner on the board |
Breakfast Burritos. A hike. Afternoon BBQ. Extra time with Tanner. A day celebrating one amazing Dad. Marshall is such an amazing role model for the boys and it is a privilege to see the boys grow and develop into wonderful young men with Marshall as a guide. (a few pics from our hike which was so pretty as everything is still so green from the earlier season rains).
On Thursday, I ventured to downtown Denver for the 2nd this week - this time with Marshall in tow. We jumped on the FF2 (express bus) to Union Station to join a few other fellow alums from Nebraska Wesleyan for happy hour. It was a nice event and we enjoyed chatting with a few folks, having a couple drinks and catching the 7:30 bus before our 3 hour bus pass expired. It was nice of Marshall to make the trek down with me and I'm happy we went.
A stroll about town on Saturday morning. We stopped by the golf course to drop off some food for Tanner - who then gave us a ride across the course! This allowed us to walk a different way through Louisville which was great.
I grabbed a coffee on Main Street (and got some beans to try with my espresso machine). We strolled around the Farmer's Market. Grabbed a breakfast burrito from a vendor. Picked up some cherries and tomatoes and a chocolate croissant. We walked back up the bike path home. A fun outing in Louisville walking some paths and streets we don't frequent.
And the house was ready for Flag Day and the iris are still hanging on. Definitely feels like summer.
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| Different vibe on Saturday morning |
Along Highway 93, there is a bar that has been there forever. It has since rebranded and survived a fire, but I had never been there (and now has an expansive outdoor area and is no longer a Packers/biker bar). "Fun Julia and Marshall" suggested an outing on Friday night with the Wrights and they were in! We're ticking things off the "bird launching list" even before the birds have launched!
It was a gorgeous evening, a stunning view and a fun place to enjoy some food and drink. There was even an engagement while we were there and people of all ages. We hung for a couple of hours and then caught the tail end of the Louisville Street Faire. We wrapped up the evening with a nightcap around the Wright's fire pit. A fun way to kickoff the weekend!
Drake had a few days to get settled into his apartment and spend some time in Chicago before his internship started today. Besides the crappy blinds that let in a bunch of light, the place is pretty great and he's got the necessary items to survive. He's tested out the grill and the roof top patio and met a few other folks in the building (his roommate arrives next week as his training this week is not in Chicago).
Marshall's high school classmate was kind enough to be the address for the laptop delivery so Drake trekked up to the Lincoln Park area on Friday afternoon to pick it up. Tom texted Marshall that he could totally see Marshall in some of Drake's phrases and mannerisms. 💜
Looking forward to hearing about all his Chicago adventures!
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| Chicago hot dog |
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| The next generation |
We wrapped up our weekend seeing the show &Juliet downtown. We were supposed to see it Thursday, but were able to switch the tickets to Sunday evening which worked out perfectly. We ate dinner at the house before we left and were at the theatre 40 minutes after leaving the house. We've now got the parking down and departure route figured out. The show is fun, very clever and we laughed a lot. A nice wrap up t to a weekend that including placing second in the couple's golf tourney on Friday night and time at the pool with friends on Saturday evening. It's definitely starting to feel like summer.
I struggled with what to call this post....... Thankful. Crash. Hit and Run. What If. In the end, it doesn't matter. Three of us walked away from a pretty scary and horrible car accident. And that is what matters. The car, the cost, the insurance headache. All inconsequential. While the person that hit us fled the accident, at least four different cars stopped and checked on us which is a good reminder about all the good people out there.
Analyzing the event does no good, but I have landed in a place of not questioning could I have done anything differently, to one of being thankful that we hit a barrier that was built for impact. That we didn't hit any more cars as we slide across lanes of traffic. That my car did its job and protected us from injury. That no one was severely injured.
A recap of the event.... We're driving down Highway 36 as it turns into 270. At the point we were hit, there is a ramp from I25 onto 36/270. We were in the left through lane of 36. The white SUV that hit us was coming up the on ramp on our left and either was choosing to come into our lane at a very high speed or could not make the turn they were taking. In either case, they came into our lane at a point there was to be no merging. Drake was sitting behind me and saw it coming and yelled "Mom" and then there was immediate impact and we slid across the highway. I have no idea if I hit the breaks (Drake and Marshall think I did). I tried to steer and avoid hitting the barrier, but I had no chance and we hit it going at a pretty high speed. The airbags deployed. The emergency system on my car immediately went off and we were connected with someone. The engine started leaking fluid. We were blocking about 2/3 of the exit and could have been hit again. And we walked away.
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| thankful for this barrier |
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| point of impact with the white SUV |
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| bye bye car |
This past week was full of family time together which was the best birthday gift I could get. The boys spent time together playing euchre and disc golf. We all played euchre (tough go for me and Drake). We cooked together. I was showered with gifts. I enjoyed the buzz of a full house. We ate a lot of wings. We had espresso. We put together Legos (WIP). It was the end to a wonderful three weeks.
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| Gifts |
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| Spoiled |
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| Euchre |
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| Coffee break |
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| Legos |
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| Espresso |
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| Euchre faces |
