June
In June, we headed out to Indy and the lake to visit Billy's parents and attend the wedding of one of Billy's best friends from high school. Jack and Beth got married just outside of Chicago, so it was the perfect opportunity to visit all of our favorite people out in the Midwest.
 |
| Photo by the Ekelof's wedding photographer, Laura Meyer |
While we were in Chicago, I was lucky enough to get to meet Billy's paternal grandparents, who still live outside of the city. All of the men on Billy's dad's side of the family have an uncanny resemblance to each other, so it was not too surprising that his granddad looked just like him, just with a few more wrinkles! I was so happy to meet both of them, although it did make me wish that my grandparents were still around for Billy to meet.
After a lovely afternoon with grandparents, we headed out to Lake Mattoon, where despite dreary weather we had a great time (we need to stop visiting in June...I'm starting to think it's bad luck!). We did have to wear wetsuits to ski a few times and the rain kept us inside one day, but it gave Jan, Dave, and Billy the opportunity to teach me how to play Yuker (or at least attempt to teach me!).
 |
| Thank you Jan for the wetsuit!! |
Mia was in the middle of tennis camp and summer bible school, but we did get lucky enough to squeeze in some time with her as well. Despite driving to the wrong spot to pick her up from tennis (oops), we had a great day in Broadripple and at the Indianapolis Zoo. I always love getting to spend time with her!
July
While I was in Vermont again for most of July, we snuck in our first concert at Red Rocks right before I left. Without a doubt, seeing a concert there is worthy of all the hype! We saw the ultimate 90s line-up for the Fourth of July and I'm happy to say that Mark McGrath (lead singer of Sugar Ray) puts on a heck of a good show. The evening started out with Uncle Kracker, followed by Smashmouth (yes they played All Star and yes it was AWESOME), Sugar Ray, and wrapping up with headliner Blues Traveler.
 |
| The crowd at Red Rocks |
Fortunately, I got to spend my last horse show in Vermont, which is one of my favorite shows to go to. I love working with everyone there, and I have the added bonus of getting to visit my aunt, uncle, and cousins that all live in New England. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of my trip to Connecticut, but I did get lucky that my cousin Karen happened to be visiting the same weekend as me so I got to spend plenty of quality cousin time with her in addition to seeing my aunt and uncle.
My other cousin, Sarah, lives in Boston with her family, and I was thrilled to get to meet my new baby cousin Sam! Of course, I also spent plenty of time with big brother Jack and really enjoyed getting to hang out with him (especially because it gave me an excuse to act silly and go to a trampoline park!)
 |
| Starting a love for horses early...I like it. |
August
Billy's mom and step-dad treated us to a visit just in time for Billy's mom's birthday. They had never been to Denver before, so it was really fun showing them all of our favorite places and helping them check off things on their Colorado "to do" list. After a lifetime of insisting she would never go white-water rafting, Jan had a change of heart and had put rafting at the top of her list, so we headed out on our whitewater adventure last weekend!
It was my first time ever going, and I'm happy to report that it's not nearly as intimidating looking when you're drifting down the newbie rapids! We had a great time and made sure to stop at Smokin Yard BBQ while we were in Idaho Springs.
After taming Clear Creek and stuffing ourselves full at Smokin Yard, our next adventure was Rocky Mountain National Park on Sunday morning. Unlike when my parents visited, there were no surprise snow storms in August and we enjoyed picture perfect weather for our hike!
For Jan and Dave's last evening in Denver, we visited the Chihuly glass exhibit at the Denver Botanic Gardens (the highlight of the weekend for me!) before going out to our favorite Italian place in Denver.
 |
| Just one of the AMAZING Chihuly pieces at the Denver Botanic Garden |
We've obviously managed to keep busy this summer, and I am still wondering where the time has gone. I have to confess, I am looking forward to cooler weather this fall! It's been a hot one in Denver...
The weather may cool down (hopefully), but we'll be keeping plenty busy even as summer is ending. The new Base Directory website launches towards the end of September (what Billy has been slaving away on all summer!) and we'll be heading to California to visit my Aunt Marty and Uncle David next month too. My parents are coming to visit us at the end of September, which will be the perfect end to an exciting month! From there, it's back home to Maryland for me before Mia comes to visit Denver for an ENTIRE WEEK! I promise I'll be better about updates then...
Until then, enjoy the end of summer! We love and miss all of our friends and family that aren't in Denver and hope to see you all again soon! Our door is always open...as long as you don't mind sleeping on an aero bed :)
