on the road again

Since our last post we have been running around like crazy- in a good way. Yes we had to box up our entire apartment, get rid of a ton of our furniture and pack for two years without having a solid idea of exactly what type of environment we will be in, but most of our being busy was filled with people we love, and that is exactly what we need before we head to Panama.

To start with, our Denver friends threw a good-bye party for us.. Deana and Ron hosted the party at their place- they definitely throw the best parties of anyone we know- and they went all out. There were tons of great food (and drinks), but of course the best part was just having so many friends in one place.

Best party venue in Denver

We felt bad cutting into this piece of art

Kung Fu Girl for me and a 40 of Milwakee's Best for Sean

(his chosen drink for kickball games)

One week after the party, we headed to Breckenridge with Greg, Chris (Sean's brothers), and Jocie. For one night Pat, Jody and some other mutual friends made the trip. The days were mostly filled with snowboarding and copious amounts of food, though Jocie and I did have one awesome sp day filled with manicures,pedicures and much needed relaxation. It was amazing to have five full days with Chris, Greg and Jocie- we are happy to have every ounce of time we can before leaving and not having any idea when we will see them again. It was also nice to know that we would be seeing everyone in a few weeks and that we didn't have to say Goodbye (with a capital B).  They left on Wednesday morning after helping us get some of our heavier things to storage. (PS I am shamelessly stealing many of these pictures from Jocie who is better at getting people to take pictures than I am :) )

Greg and Sean our first night in Breck

Sean and Chris, night 2

Hanging out at the condo

A nice finish to our spa day :)

Brothers!

Just two days after everyone left we hit the road.  We left Denver on March 19th in a total snowstorm.  Our staging for the Peace Corps starts on April 20th, so we pretty much built in one month to see as much family as possible. The drive from Denver to my grandparent's (Nan and Grandaddy) house in Carlsbad, Ca was absolutely gorgeous- through Utah, fifteen minutes in Arizona, Nevada and a very lush and green southern California. Though full of wide open spaces and a little redundant, the scenery was inspiring   We spent some time in that area on our honeymoon and it is even more beautiful in the summertime.  In Carlsbad, we spent three days with Nan, Grandaddy and my mom. It was such a treat to get so much time with all three of them- so often we get together at weddings and big events without many opportunities for quality conversation. Without throngs of people around, we were treated with great stories and lively discussions.

                                   

                                  

                                                                    Pier in Oceanside

                                 

                                   

                                                        Us with Nan and Grandaddy

                                             

                                                                Aww...

From California we headed east. We stopped outside of Phoenix for a night with my Aunt Wendy, Uncle Jack and their two children Erin and Ian.  My Great Uncle Tony joined us for a delicious dinner and backyard Smores (yes, it is warm enough to eat outside in March in Arizona!) and caught up on one another's lives. Keith and I spent some very fun weeks at Aunt Wendy and Uncle Jack's when we were growing up and it was a blast to relive those memories. The next morning, we stopped by the Petrified Forest National Park and Painted Desert on our way out of Arizona.

                          

                                      

After that there were a thousand or so miles through NM, AZ, MO, IN, IL that blur together as quick images of fast food joints, motel rooms and the inside of our car- that finally got us here, to Cleveland. I will save Cleveland for another post, but know it feels good to be back :)