After a quiet evening, I wake up to a slight drizzle. I look outside and see several people running by with numbers on the front of their shirts. I realize I could be running in a 5K. I am motivated to get to a gym. I look at my invites for the day and realize that the Baby Shower is 2 hours earlier than I thought. I attempt to drive around all of the activities and events in downtown to get a gym, I give up and head back to the Monaco to get ready for my days events.
I take a quick look in the mirror and realize that this road trip has taken a toll on my skin. I NEED a facial! No time for that. The soon-to-be new parents, Chris and Kimberly pick me up. It is pure pleasure being a passenger in a car! We head to the Kozlowskis (if I butchered that, I am sorry, I tried.) Amy has done a lovely job with the decor, food and beverages. The shower for Kimberly was short and sweet. No annoying games, per Kimberly's instructions. It was quites bearable from a single girl's perspective. It would have been very pleasant,if Amy Kozlowski would stop asking when I was leaving! I did not even complain once about being surrounded by pink and sitting inside on what became a lovely day! The shower continues to move along at a smoothe pace. Just one thing you can never avoid. The opening and showing of every little gift. Now, baby stuff is little and relatively inexpensive so there is usually several items per guest, which means several arm lifts and show and tells per guest. Who made this rule of opening the gifts? I know people like to see the reaction to how GREAT their gift may be. Understand, usually baby showers come fairly close behind the wedding showers and weddings of these same recipients. (most of my friends have been getting married in their 30's so that closk is ticking loud for most couples. Again, my birthday is July 22nd feel free to buy me some dishes, kitchenware, champagne etc....
We get all guests out the door and only a few attempts later, manage to get the gifts packed into the car. It is now time to check on the Man Shower. This Shower for the New dad is being held at another friend of Chris' and mine from college, Michael Pallasch. They are having a BBQ with Jack and Coke cupcakes and the only requirement was to bring diapers for Baby Guimarin. I, of course, was confused which baby Guimarin the Inivitation was referring, so I brought Depends for Chris and Swaddlers for the un-born Guimarin. Chris enjoyed his Depends. We, Amy, Kimberly and myself, enter the domain of the Man Shower and no one was in sight. There was a gun show in town ( not biceps real shooting weapons) did they all bailout to buy some arsenal? Then some yelling broke the silence and revealed their location. They wer outside playing "Asshole." It was not hard to find who the Asshole was. Jake Kozlowski was wearing a felt multi- yellow and green printed fedora with a bow in front. It was a Yves Saint Laurent hat that belonged to Mike's grandmother. You can easily picture the mustard yellow pant suit and frilly front button down shirt that it accessorized. I think Mike should give the hat to Jake since I think he had to wear it for about 80%!o(MISSING)f the party. About 4-5 cases of beer, 20 shots of melon margarita shots and some Carlos and Rossi swigs, our overaged, out of practice drinking crew called it a night close to midnight. Thank God, pregnant Kimberly was there to be a great designated driver. Actually, thank you again, Kimberly.
When we arrive at at the Monaco, there are some odd close talking revelers outside. There was a wedding. It was not so bad until the revelers started slamming their doors to their rooms throughout most of the night. It was followed up by a precious moment the next morning. I hear loud knocking on the room next door at approximately, 7:30 am. I wake up early, but this was one day i had no agenda and would have prefer a nice quiet wake up. After several persistent attempts of knocks, I open my door to complain and I notice that 2 cops were going to be my victims. I take a quick glance, rethink my strategy and quietly pick up the paper at the door, as if that was my only intention when I opened the door.
I open my windows, it is a beautiful sunny day. Again, there are runners running down the same street for some different cause. Feeling very unmotivated, but swear to enter a 5K when I get home, I think about what I want for breakfast. I send out a text to about 5 people explaining that I cannot get enough water in my system to rehydrate my body from the alcoholic beverages I had the previous night. I waited about an hour and had no takers. This is the usual case when I start sending text messages to my friends before 10am. It is a curse to wake up early on the weekends. I feel my friends think the curse is actually on them for knowing me, especially, when I start sending messages before 9am. Panzano is the restaurant in the hotel and has received many awards, so I head downstairs. They make fresh bread everyday. The smell of fresh bread wafting through the air only makes me start to drool. Bread/Carbs have a such a bad rap. They have a brunch menu. I order the Chicken Hash with Poached Eggs and Champagne Hollandaise, sauce on the side of coarse. In addition to that I order, coffee, water, water, water and iced tea. I order the water 3 times because evry breakfast place ends to forget it the first time around, frankly it is the only thing I need to put in my body immediately. My breakfast is phenomenal. Fully satiated and re-hydrated, I decide I want to go to the downtown Aquarium.
I summon El Verde and we head downtown. The Aquarium is pretty cool. The Otters are so much fun to watch swim around in circles. It takes me all of 1 hour to finish checking out all of the tanks. I heard the restaurant is pretty cool and it makes you feel like you are inside an Aquarium. Kimberly mentioned the restaurant was a Landry's, which has great seafood, usually. We all thought it strange to be eating fish while you were surrounded by them. Curious about the experience, I walked downstairs to grab lunch. am dumbfounded by the sea of screaming children. fried Seafood Platters and messy tables. I might have sprinted out of the building, not to sure, it was all a haze. They have a lovely Riverwalk in that area and a great view of Six Flags Elitch Gardens. I have to get to the Guimarin's to meet up with the Clark's and watch the Laker Game, so I do not have enough time for the fabulous roller coasters. I will squeeze that in before I head out of Denver the next day.
It was great to hang out with the Vinson Clark family. Vince was 1 of the first people I met when I arrived in Tucson Arizona for my Freshman Year. We have shared many a fun moment. We have also matured quite a bit since then, well, he has. It was fabulous to see his beautiful family. His twin daughters were born on July 22nd, as well. Feel free to send me their gifts. Time flies by quickly, unfortunately, this was not true about the Laker game. I fell asleep by the 3rd quarter. Luckily, I woke up in time to see their amazing comeback to clinch the loss!
Next morning is nice and sunny again. I am excited to get on the rides at Elitch Gardens. i am also xcited to get to Crested Butte to catch up with my cousins Peter and Stephen in Crested Butte. Elitch Gardens is not too crowded and only $35. I laugh at the fact that all amusement parks seem to be overrun by the same same tattoo ridden, all over pierced, hollister t-shirt wearing crowd. What took the cake, the skinny guy with dirty Carolina blue basketball shorts, trying to look like Eminem, wearing a house arrest ankle bracelet! I could not believe it. It was not hot out. Cover that up with some pants.
The lines were so short I was able to ride about 10 rides in 2 1/2 hours!!! It was not Six Flag Magic Mountain but there are many pros. Short lines, serves beer, short lines and serves beer. Too bad I could not drink any beer. Favorite ride, was a big Snow board that 2 merry-go-round-type seating on each end. The rounders twirl while the board goes up and down a half-pipe like the pirate ship ride. I lost my sunglasses on the Twister. I lost another pair at Magic Mountain the week before.
Sunglasses War
Six Flags--2
Nicole--0
I accept my lost and hit the road for Crested Butte.
