Our First Weekend as Denver-ites

The BIG move happened on Friday.  I will spare you the details and just say that pretty much everything resides in the Denver apartment....and we had to wait over 2 hours for the moving truck to get a jump, which took about 2 minutes!

 

Anyway...on to the good stuff!

 

We woke up Saturday morning and stretched our legs by walking two blocks south to Colfax for our first breakfast as residents.  The Denver Biscuit Company did not disappoint!  We enjoyed patio seating and self-serve coffee while waiting very briefly for our respective menu choices to arrive.  Chris got biscuits & gravy (of course) with an egg.  He was able to get a combo of the sausage gravy and the mushroom.  I am not a big fan of b&g, but I still had to taste it and it was darn delish!  I ordered the Dahlia with my biscuits French-toast style!  Uh-huh, I did!  The Dahlia has a mildly spicy sausage patty, an over easy egg and apple butter.  I got my syrup on the side and barely dunked.  All of the flavors work so harmoniously together and the portion sizes are perfect.

 

Following a quick stop at the apartment, we headed west for a leisurely walk.  A leisurely walk which took us all the way to Civic Center Park, at the east end of LoDo and 16th Street Mall.  On the return trip, we stopped at one of my favorite shops, Peppermint, where we chatted with the owner, Chris, while picking out some jewelry: "Happy Camper" bracelet for me and a necklace for Chris.  We have dubbed them our "Welcome to Living in Denver" souvenirs!

 

The afternoon was spent unpacking and beginning to make the place our own.  However, the internet transfer which was to have happened on Friday didn't, nor was it working Saturday, so we headed out that evening to relax and get connected at Tattered Cover on Colfax.  (Thanx for the coffee, Mom!!)  About 8P we realized it was after dark and the girls were probably still a bit freaked out, so we started back home via Colfax.  It was nice not having the 45-minute (or more) drive back to Longmont after enjoying Denver.  It was also pretty cool to just pop into a Greek bakery on the way and grab a couple pastries for home!!!

 

Sunday morning, we got out early to walk City Park, which is where the Denver Zoo is located.  We could hear animals as we walked around the outside of the exhibits.  Most likely, we will get a membership so that when the mood strikes, we can simply walk across the street and visit with the lions & tigers & bears!  We also wanted to see if there is a running path all the way around the Park; tho, we have yet to determine just how many miles it ends up to be.

 

Coinciding with our move, the USA Pro Cycling Challenge came through Denver right into City Park!  We actually watched from our front windows!!!  That's pretty cool, right?

 

And I know that we are true city folk b/c we grabbed our reusable shopping bags and walked the 2 blocks south and 5 blocks east to our local Sprouts grocery store!  One: to get the exercise and Two: to avoid losing our street parking spots!!!  We will be true Coloradans when we buy our first bikes!  Cruiser or mountain, it all depends on the price, but we will have them nonetheless!

 

Mondays are new beginnings (or getting back to your usual after a short "break") and I put on my workout clothes and running shoes to hit the "track" around the lake at City Park, where I put in 4-miles.  I needed the cardio burn & push.  I plan to run the whole perimeter of City Park soon, plus I am going to add pushups, tricep dips, chin-ups & some abs at the little playground in between laps!  I need to create my own workouts and I will be utilizing my at-home tools, running and the playground!!  Can't let my hard work at Fit Chick Express fall to the wayside and I have my fitness instructor image to maintain! 

 

One final tidbit, I got a call last week for a job at Halloween City!  The district manager really wanted to meet with me that day or the next (Friday...moving day), but I couldn't swing it.  He was super understanding, having moved Halloween week himself last year, so I will meet with him & the manager this Thursday morning.  I suspect I am being considered for an assistant management role and that would be awesome as management is something lacking on my resume! 

 

Just dipping my toes in lots of waters since leaving Indiana!  It's exhilarating, eye-opening and a wee-bit scary...but I am going to enjoy this ride!

 



Happy Hour at The Center

Friday was my first time sleeping in the Denver apartment.  We had plans to attend another Happy Hour at the GLBT Center of Colorado, which meant an evening of drinking, and this time we didn't have to drive all the way back to Longmont after the fun!

 

We headed down to the city a couple hours before the event, so that we could do a few things in the apartment.  On our drive, the sky continued to get darker and darker to the north.  And, yep, you guessed right, it followed us to Denver!!  A rain storm blew in just hours before the ROOFTOP celebration!  Ugh!

 

However, as with most weather patterns here in Colorado, it didn't stick around...too long!  We made it to the Center a few minutes before 6 and were the first in line.  After making our way upstairs, we decided to enjoy one of the couches, under an umbrella, while the bar staff (all volunteers) and DJ were still setting up (the rain had delayed their efforts).  We grabbed some tortilla chips and guac.  Then got the first of our drinks and returned to our comfy spot, where we could watch the arrivals.  It began to sprinkle...no big deal.  But then it started coming down just a wee bit more and we were getting hit ~~ had we brought my umbrella, we could have used it to block the wet assault!  We had to head under the very small eaves to enjoy our chips and drinks!  We were amused by the volunteer at the door who was saying exactly what I was thinking after some woman "stole" our couch! 

 

When the rain eased up a bit, we grabbed a few high top chairs and sat under a different umbrella.  The most vibrant rainbow appeared in the sky, soon followed by its double!!

 

 Not long after, we met Tina & Olivia.  Two very cool chicks, who just decided to stop and chat with us!  Turned out to be a serendipitous turn of events as we spent the rest of the time at Happy Hour laughing with them...then we all drove to a small bar to watch a drag show, where Olivia's sister was bartending.

 

Chris and I ended the evening by heading to Tom's Diner on Colfax for an almost-midnite breakfast of eggs, pancakes and toast!  Perfect drinking food!!!

 

Tina wants to have us over to her place for a barbecue with her girlfriend, Mylea.  We are truly looking forward to it!  They have a modest house on Cherry Creek, with a backyard!!! 

 

I share this not just because this is my blog and I can write about anything I darn well please, but also because it shows how important it is to be open to new things, new people, new experiences.  You simply never know who may walk into your life at any moment. 

 

We figured we would spend the three hours at Happy Hour, enjoying time on the roof with our drinks, and then head back to the apartment, rising early for breakfast at the Denver Biscuit Company, just a two-block walk.  Instead, we had a blast with new friends & drag queens, had breakfast before bed and went for morning coffee at Hooked on Colfax (after snacking on some cold leftovers from Tom's!!).

 

Be ready for anything!