Thanksgiving in Denver

I've been meaning to post about my trip to Denver earlier, but I haven't gotten a chance to do it until now.

It was a really great trip and an absolute hoot to see my family again. Although we were all in Denver to celebrate Thanksgiving, my bro Albert had a hidden agenda. What was the hidden agenda, you ask? Well let me tell you.

MY BRO IS ENGAGED!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm really excited for him, not just because he's engaged, but because he's gonna be marrying a really great gal. Her name is Abby, and she's an absolute gem. Here's the happy couple.



In addition to my bro's "secret" engagement (I knew it was happening, even though he didn't tell anyone), here are a few memorable highlights from the trip:

* Seeing Dennis and Liz. This is the first time I've seen them since I got the news that they're expecting. Although she's not showing, it was still awesome to see the future mother and father to-be and spend a few days with them.



* Meeting Abby's family. I've met Abby a few times before, but I've never met her family, and it's totally apparent that the apple hasn't fallen very far from the tree. I got to meet the parents, the grandparents, her brother, sister in-law, 2 nieces and 2 nephews. I got to have some really good conversations with Abby's Dad, who works for Nav Press and is currently pursuing his doctorate. I found out that Abby lives with her grandparents and helps take care of them in whatever way she can. In a culture and society that seems to marginalize and write off the elderly and see them as a burden and inconvenience, it was really inspirational to see how much Abby loves her grandparents.





* Walking around downtown Boulder. On Friday, we took a trip to the nearby city of Boulder. It was really fun walking around with everyone, taking in the sights, having some good laughs, and eating some baller ice cream.



* Bringing home 2 bags of coffee. There is a coffee shop nearby where Dennis and Liz live that has some of the best coffee I've ever had. One time, Liz bought me a bag of their beans, and I've been hooked ever since. A couple weeks before the trip, I emailed Liz and asked her if she could stop in and pick me up another bag, and being that fantabulous woman she is, she did. Unbeknownst to me, Albert had also gotten a huge stash of coffee from a friend who owns his own coffee shop that roasts their own beans. He got 3 bags, and said I could take one. So instead of leaving with 1 bag of beans, I leave with 2. Hyperactivity, here I come.

* Getting sick. Ok, this isn't really a highlight, but more of a bummer. The day I arrived in Denver, I found myself having a dry and scratchy throat. I chocked it up to the thin air in Denver, but it turned out to be the onset of a crappy cold. For the next 2 days, I was coughing and blowing my nose like a freight train. What made it worse was Albert and Abby started showing signs of a cold as well. I felt really, really bad. So far, the last 2 times I've been in Denver, I've gotten sick. I really hope this doesn't become a trend.

* Catching a basketball game with the boys. Albert went and purchased 4 tickets to the Nuggets - Warriors game. The plan was for the boys(Albert, Dennis, my Dad and I) to catch the game while the ladies(Liz, Abby and my Mom) to go do girl stuff. At first I wasn't all that keen on the idea, but it turned out to be a really great time. What could be better than 4 Chinese dudes chillin' at a ball game with pizza, pop, beer and hot dogs?

* Fooding like no tomorrow. Tis the season for gluttony. Along with a fantastic Turkey dinner with all the fixin's, I had some interesting eats. The first was a Buffalo ribeye steak. It was just that, the ribeye cut from a buffalo. It was leaner than ribeye from a cow, but still pretty tasty, although it could've used some seasoning. The second item of interest was a 'Jiffy' burger, which is a beef burger with bacon, provalone cheese and peanut butter. Yup, you heard me right, it had peanut butter. When I saw it, I was like 'NO WAY!!!!! I've GOT to try that!!!!!' So I did. I think I psyched myself out a bit too much because it wasn't as mind blowing as I thought it'd be. I mean, I tasted the peanut butter, but it was a bit more bland that I thought it'd be, and added a unique texture from the creaminess of peanut butter. Although I was hoping it would be a bit sweeter, it was nonetheless a pretty good burger.

Well, that's my 'Thanksgiving in Denver' update. Overall, it was a really, really great trip, although it's kind of a bummer that we don't see each other more often. I guess that's what happens when I'm in Hamilton, Dennis and Liz are in Charlotte, Albert and Abby are in Denver, and my parents are in Troy. But this trip made me realize how I need to savor the moment to the fullest and not take things for granted. I'm really excited for Albert and Abby, and looking forward to seeing them get married.