2017 Travels and Adventures: A Year in Review - Part 2

WHEW!   We've made three days into the new year.    I hope your goals and resolutions are still on track.   I've made it to the gym twice, so I'm on track for my regular goal of fifteen days of fitness a month.    Most of the rest of the month will be spent walking around Southeast Asia, so whatever gym time I'm seeking, and it's not much, needs to get knocked out in the next week.

Before we get into double digits of 2018, here are some highlights of the second half of 2017.  

July 2017

Summer was in full force.   It was time cupcakes, fireworks and America.   And also the Sun & Sea Festival in Imperial Beach.  One last minute spontaneous two day visit to San Francisco amidst the craziness that is Comic-Con week at work.   

Sand Castle Fun! 

This is the scene of an incident in my younger years 

that involved a shot of Patron. 

Hi SF - good to see you!

August 2017

In 2017, our family celebrated our first ever Bratsgiving.   It needs to be an annual thing.   Getting together in northern Wisconsin in the summer and spending time together.    

The Brats in Question

September 2017

My sister and I have actually created a tradition.   2017 made five years in a row going to the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Experience over Labor Day.   In San Diego news, it was time for the 7 Bridges Hike and hanging out on the pier in Oceanside.  

Larimer Square - Denver

Twin Lakes - Colorado

Bridges of San Diego 

Why Hello There...

  

October 2017

Disclosure:  I had never been to Phoenix/Scottsdale before other than passing through the airport.  I had a great weekend visit with friends and can't wait to go back!   October is also Bike MS Bay to Bay time where we hop on our bikes and ride 100 miles to help find a cure for MS.  

Desert Botanical Garden

(cactus everywhere!!!)

Go team go!

November 2017

The month started off with an amazing sunset, followed shortly afterwards with a trip to Texas.   This was my second time trying to mess with Texas this year and I consider it a success.    My family came to visit for Thanksgiving both in California and a holiday extension into Cabo.   

November 1 is looking good

Howdy to you too!

Just a longhorn going on a walk

Nothing to see here

Fiesta de Reyes

Thanksgiving Eve - Encinitas

Traditional Thanksgiving poolside poke bowl

Cabo views

December 2017

So much eating and socializing.    The best month of the year for that.    Holiday shenanigans included the OB Holiday parade, the San Diego Santa Run, Global Winter Wonderland, and the Holiday Bowl Parade.   I got my white Christmas Denver style.  

Shave ice!  The best I've found on the mainland so far.

Global Winter Wonderland

Sunny Santas on the run

White Christmas views

Hudson Gardens Christmas

Parade Balloons

Bye 2017!   Loved you a lot.  

Can't wait to see what 2018 has in store.   Travels and Adventures will continue.   I don't even need to make that a resolution.  

And now? We pull airplanes

Just when you think that you've exhausted all the ways to get teams together to raise money for a cause, a new one comes along.

We do a lot of team events for good causes at work.   In June it was Bike MS.   In July it was Relay for Life.   In September it will be Light the Night.     And this doesn't include the endless array of "fun runs" in the Denver area that are primarily about fun, rather than fundraising, but still benefit a local cause.   Like Color Me Rad, the Color Run, the Electric Run, the Ugly Sweater Run, or the hilarious gem of an event that some of my friends did yesterday, the Tap 'n' Run.  

In early August we were recruited to do something new as a fundraiser.

Pull a plane.

A 757.

Here's our plane!

The concept is pretty simple.   Your team raises at least $1250 for Special Olympics.  You can have up to 25 people on your team and the goal is to see which team can pull the plane 12 feet in the fastest amount of time.    And you get to play out at the airport.

Airport humor on the snow plows

Plane pull in action

When you first start pulling you feel like time is flying by while your airplane is standing still.   And then it starts to move.   That whole science thing "a thing in motion stays in motion"?   It's true.   Once it starts to move you move 12 feet quickly.    Most teams, including ours, were done in under 10 seconds.   

Learn more about the Special Olympics Plane Pull here.  

What's the wackiest fundraising event you've done?

Peter and the Starcatcher

There is a long standing love of Broadway shows in our family. 

I blame my mom.

Living in southern Wisconsin and then in western Illinois, Chicago was our destination for theater.   And we had homework.   We read the story.   Saw the movie.   Got the album from the library.   Played the music on the piano.     

And now, if called upon in a national crisis, we can sing along with Les Mis from start to finish.

One of the many awesome things in Denver is our Center for the Performing Arts.   Every year they have a full slate of nationally touring Broadway shows.   Over the past few years, I've seen everything from the Lion King to Wicked to West Side Story.    And if you plan ahead, they have great "limited view" seats in the orchestra level that are usually $25-35.   Score.   

My sister and I were given tickets to see a new show.  From friends who have swanky season tickets.   With center orchestra seats. Denver is the first stop of the national tour for Peter and the Starcatcher.      

The plot in six words:  it's the prequel to Peter Pan.   

And damn funny.   With mustaches.   

Last night they were having special activities for kids.    We are just big kids.  

As exhibited by this picture. 

Peter and the Starcatcher is here in Denver until September 1.    

See everything the DCPA has to offer here.

Do you have a favorite Broadway show? 

Glow in the Dark Golf and Fortune Telling Fish

Lots of fun was had in this Traveler's world over the holiday weekend including:

• Fostering a weekend dog for the first time (yay!)
• Yard Games
• Summer Brew (never heard of it?  me either...beer, vodka, lemonade..mmmm)
• Grilling out with friends
• Fireworks
• Cooking
• Sleeping In

and then this afternoon we wrapped up the holiday weekend with glow in the dark mini golf!  

Armed with our Groupons we ventured to Putting Edge at Colorado Mills Mall.    Can I say that it's been a long time since I've been in a mall?    I'm more of an outdoor shopping center kind of girl...when I shop at all.  

Key advice - wear something white or neon so that you have a satisfactory glow while golfing.     This was a fashion fail for me, but my friends glowed like they meant it.   

It was a lot of fun!   And if your score matches the answer of the trivia question of the day, you get to spin the prize wheel.    Laurie (friend and fellow blogger) was victorious...her score matched the length in inches of an unwound coat hanger and she lucked out with a free game of golf for a future visit.  

I was a dismal glow golfer today, but did have the high score among the four of us in skee-ball (33,000!).   I am also now the proud owner of my own fortune teller miracle fish.

This fish can tell whether you are jealous, indifferent, in love, fickle, false, dead or passionate.    

If I see you in person sometime soon, prepare to to feel the miracle fish!

Any unique and crazy fun for you over the holiday weekend?

It's Denver and We Have More Weather

The weather ruler doesn't lie

 

It's spring in Colorado.   

 

Just like every other time of the year, the weather is unpredictable.   We had nice sunny days last week.    On Friday, when leaving work for a little happy hour fun, there were some flurries.   I was not prepared.  No socks.  No gloves.   Shame on me.

 

By the time I got back to my car later that evening, it was covered with four inches.    And yesterday afternoon, my highly scientific weather ruler (above) recorded close to 10 inches on top of the air conditioner. 

 

When I was perusing weather.com, I found that I had the option to vote on the weather.  

Your vote?

And then when I was reading this article over on The Onion, I noticed that they have very special Onion weather.


Need to go thrift shopping for the proper ugly coat



Any fun weather stories to share today?

February 7: Denver PJ Day, Peruvian Party Pants, and One Night in Cusco

Here in Denver today is PJ Day.   Today is actually the 8th Annual Denver PJ Day.   PJ Day is a visual reminder that not everyone has a place to sleep at night - or a place to put their PJ's.    Companies participating in PJ Day make a donation to Denver's Road Home.

Today our executive committee donned their "formal" PJ's and made pancakes for all of us in the employee cafeteria.    Footie pajamas are back!!!

In honor of PJ day, I wore my slippers and my Peruvian Party Pants at work.   I'm sure that I was just as competent, and much more comfortable, than my normal business attire.    What?  You don't have a pair of PPP's?   They tend to be brightly colored drawstring pants with a pocket on the side.   Of course, you buy them in a market, so you don't exactly get to try them on.   One of my PPP's never quite fit right.   But my pink party pants were rockin' today in the back halls. 

Incidentally, on this day in 2010 I was in Peru, the land of party pants, ceviche, sangria in a box and more Inca ruins than you can shake a llama at.     I've heard that Machu Picchu is also in Peru. 

I've only seen pictures.  Other people's pictures.    There were mudslides in Peru a few weeks before we went, so MP was closed.  

The actual process of getting to Cusco involved partying the night before, eating breakfast on a beach side terrace, an on and off road adventure driving from the beach back to Lima while praying we didn't miss our flight.   Our in-country flight that cost almost as much as our international flight from Denver to Lima.    Actually landing in Cusco was such a relief that we wanted to get out and explore.

 

And explore we did.

 

Tourist photo with a llama?  Check

Visiting the famous 12 sided rock?  Check

The Plaza at sunset?  Check
First pisco sour?  Check

 

And then there's emoliente.    It's a drink that's "good for you" made by street vendors.   Wikipedia doesn't even have a definition in English.  Only in Spanish. 

 

Here you go: 

Emoliente es una bebida utilizada con fines medicinales en Perú, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia y, en menor medida, el resto de Latinoamérica.  El emoliente es una bebida peruana tradicional que se prepara en base a granos tostados de cebada, extractos de hierbas medicinales, azúcar y jugo de limón. Es de bajo contenido nutricional, aunque puede aportar a la dieta algo de carbohidratos, minerales y vitamina C. Su mejor valor es el medicinal.

It's a medicinal drink in Peru and other countries made from barley, herbs, sugar and lemon juice.    I didn't ask questions.  I just drank it.    



 

 

 

Denver Ugly Sweater Run

 

 

'Tis the season for all kinds of festive merriment.    A fun new tradition in Denver is the Ugly Sweater Run 5k.    Even better, we were able to buy discounted entries through Living Social.      As you can tell by this picture, it was not about actual fitness, but more about rockin' your ugliest sweater, taking a winter walk/jog, and having a beer with friends.  

 

It was a beautiful December day in City Park. 

Thousands of people in their holiday finery from head to toe.  

Dogs in costume.

Hot chocolate aid stations. 

 

I didn't know that such a variety of ugly sweaters existed in all the world.   As my friend reminded me...all these sweaters were actually made commercially.   Throughout the past 20-30 years there has actually been a demand and desire for all these sweaters.   Including my fine feathered find, complete with shoulder pads and geese with wreathes around their necks.    According to the tag it was from the Christmas Collection 1993.    There I was in high school and someone had purchased this sweater, brand new, to wear with pride in their family Christmas photo.

 

If you don't have an ugly sweater of your own, hit up a thrift store right after Thanksgiving.   You can find all kinds of treasures! 

 

Save the date.  The 2013 Ugly Sweater Run will be December 8 next year.  You know you want to.

 



Denver Parade of Lights

I had a first time experience on Friday.    I had VIP passes.    

To the Parade of Lights.     Oh yes.

What do VIP parade passes get you?   Grandstand seating at the parade start right at the City County Building.    It was the perfect backdrop to all my pictures.  No scrounging to find a spot on the sidewalk along the route.  Also, access to bathrooms, hot chocolate and cookies.

The parade is a wonderful way to start celebrating the Christmas season here in Denver.    

***

Passports with Purpose is up and running through December 11.  If you'd like to win hotel stays in Downtown Denver (or other great prizes), click here to donate.
   

Passports with Purpose 2012 Starts Today!

Passports with Purpose is here!

This year travel bloggers are helping to raise $100,000 to build wells in Haiti in partership with Water.org.

Access to safe drinking water is one of the most basic keys to good health.   Right now, 780 million people, three times the population of the US, lack access to clean water.  

In a world that can seem so connected and modern, it's sometimes easy to forget that the ability to drink a glass of clean water is not a guarantee.
 
If you're sick due to a water-borne illness or have to travel long distances to obtain water it's hard to

• Go to work and earn a living
• Go to school and get an education
• Take care of your family
• Spend time with friends and neighbors
• Play sports or enjoy a hobby 
• Cook / Serve foods safely   

You Can Help!

Click here to make your donation.   The widget on the right column of this page will show you the progress we're making towards the goal of $100,000!   

You Can Win a Prize!

The 2012 fundraiser with prizes started mere hours ago on November 27 at 11:59pm EST and ends December 11 at 11:59pm EST.    During this time, if you donate $10 or more, not only will you feel warm and fuzzy about supporting a good cause, you will also have a chance to win a prize.  A great prize.  Most likely, a travel related prize. 

In fact, every person blogging about Passports with Purpose has secured a prize.   There's bound to be one that you'd be happy to win.

Including this great prize...

I live in beautiful Denver, Colorado.   
If you live here, you know it's a great place.  
If you don't live here, wouldn't you like to visit in 2013?  

Enjoy the best of downtown Denver with Hyatt Hotels!  

The Hyatt Regency Denver and the Grand Hyatt Denver each generously donated a one night stay just for Passports with Purpose.   Read on to see what you could enjoy if you are the lucky winner.

I've stayed at both these hotels and enjoyed their service, restaurants and amenities.   These are the hotels I recommend to friends and family when they come to visit or when they want to stay downtown or celebrate a special occasion. 

These hotels are two blocks away from each other in downtown Denver and the winner will have a chance to stay at both properties.   Or, if you're feeling generous, you could give one gift certificate to a loved one for the holidays, and still have one for yourself.    Your call.   

Photo Credit: Hyatt

One night weekend night stay at the Hyatt Regency Denver at the Colorado Convention Center including breakfast for two.      This Hyatt is right across the street from the Colorado Convention Center and one block away from the 16th Street Mall, within easy access to anything you want to do in downtown.    Peaks Lounge on the 27th Floor has an amazing view of both the city skyline and the mountains.

AND

Photo Credit:  Hyatt

One night weekend night stay at the Grand Hyatt Denver including Grand Club access.   The Grand Hyatt just started a $28 million redesign that includes the guest rooms, lobby, and much of the meeting space.  The renovation finishes in June 2013, so if you visit in the second half of the year, you'll enjoy a "Grand" new hotel!    The Grand also introduced a new restaurant, Pub 17, in July of this year including a lot of locally sourced food and craft beers (this is Colorado, after all, and we're serious about our beer).

Whether you give the gift of water or win the gift of a Hyatt stay, thank you in advance for your enthusiastic participation and support of Passports with Purpose!


The fine print:
The winner of this prize will receive two gift certificates by mail (they will arrive together in one envelope/package).    Each stay must be booked following the directions on the gift certificate.     Each certificate is good for a one (1) night weekend stay (includes room rate + tax).   Parking and other incidental charges are not included.   Certificates are not valid for December 31, 2012.

Hyatt Regency Denver Certificate:  Good for a weekend night accomodation and breakfast for two. 
Expires December 1, 2013.
Grand Hyatt Denver Certificate:  Good for a weekend night stay for two with Grand Club access.  
Expires December 15, 2013.   

*Passports with Purpose will determine and/or draw all the prize winners.   As the writer of this blog, I am not involved in any of that, but my fingers are crossed that it's someone awesome, like you.  Good Luck!*

An Ode to Denver Sky Ride

I appreciate public transportation more and more each year.  I would rather read, Facebook, blog, eavesdrop, plan my next vacation, listen to music, question peoples' fashion choices or gaze vacantly into space than pay attention on I 25.   Five years of commuting via light rail has saved me big bucks on gas and extended the life of my car.

If I'm flying out for a weekend I usually leave from work.  Cheaper than a taxi or a shuttle and less hassle than driving?  RTD Sky Ride.  A whopping $11 from Market St Station ($7 for me since I have a monthly pass) and I can sit on a comfortable air conditioned coach and tune out.   An hour later, after waving to the iconic demon horse statue, I'm at departures.

Today I'm taking a page from the rest of the world and creating a parody of "Call Me Maybe."

I just left work
and I'm too lazy
To drive myself so
Sky Ride baby....

DU Vin Festival Wine Dinner 2011

You know you're at the right building because there is a pineapple on the sign.

What?  You didn't know?  The pineapple is the international symbol of hospitality.

Everyone loves a free dinner.   Even better when it's five courses.  With wine.  Lots of wine.  Ruffino wines to be exact.  Our company bought a table for the event and we were the lucky ones who enjoyed an evening being served (we work in a hotel...we spend all day every day taking care of others).   Take eight people who work in hospitality, who know a lot about food, wine and service, and you know the conversation will be lively.  Every new wine was an excuse to toast the table.   As much as I like food, I think that I enjoy things on a simpler level and I don't tend to analyze all the ingredients and whether their flavors and textures compliment each other....but it's very entertaining listening to my friends who do.  For me:  Do I like it?  Check yes or no.  For the seniors in the Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management this is one of their big projects.  I think back to my senior projects at Illinois and this was an entirely different, very impressive, animal.  Three of the seniors have been / are employees at our property.  It made us proud.   And of course we gave the most enthusiastic applause to the students who are "ours." 

As always, I'm taking pictures of the food.   But then I noticed....wine fest.  No pictures of the wine.   Oh well.  You know what wine looks like.  Know that wine was enjoyed with each course.   Cheers!

Shrimp BLT with Roasted Pork Belly

Pappardelle Bolognese

Seared Sea Scallop

Roasted Leg of Colorado Lamb

conversation over this course went like this:

Friend:  I like food in a more rustic style

Me:  So, you like big hunks of meat

Friend:  That's what she said

(toasting our glasses)

Warm Valrhona Chocolate Cake - Vanilla Gelato

Click here for more information about the DU Vin Festival.

Where is the West Coast?

Now this is the West Coast!

Just when I think that the "average American" understands basic US geography, I am proved wrong.   Earlier this year I had to clarify Where in the World is Tanzania?  This morning on the radio there was a concert promotion for an event here in Denver next month.  One of the selling points was First Time on the West Coast!  

I hate to break it to them, but someone needs to:  Denver is NOT the West Coast.  Between here and there is the majority of Colorado then Utah then Nevada then California.  From personal experience it is a long long drive.  The West Coast has the Sierra Nevadas.  We have the Rockies.  The West Coast has famous redwoods.  We have famous aspens.  Squaw Valley vs Vail.  Ocean vs Reservoir.  When I moved to Colorado from Indiana 6 years ago someone wished me "good luck on the West Coast." 

If only they knew how far I still have to go.

We don't have these kind of lions in Colorado

Sea Lions and Soles Update:

There's a little under a month left of the Soles 4 Souls Flippin' Good Deeds Challenge.    If you have made a donation, make sure that you send in your donation form to lacitam@giveshoes.org.    The easiest thing is to check here to see if there is a shoe drop near you (here in Denver, Whole Foods is often the spot).   Then drop off a pair or two and send in this blogger donation form.  Thanks!

Hello October: Cider Days and Taste of Denmark

I want your sole! This October (and early November) I'm participating in the Soles 4 Souls Flippin' Good Deeds Challenge. For more information about the challenge and how you (wherever you are) and your shoes can get involved to help others, please click here. That being said, I am going to try and incorporate shoes in every post I do this month. So here goes....


Today it is cold and alternating between rain and light snow, depending on where you are in the Denver area.   But last weekend it was 80 degrees and sunny.   What gets you into the fall spirit faster than apple cider?  My sister and I met up with two other friends at the city of Lakewood Cider Days.   You can eat giant turkey legs, drink cider floats, see old-time crafts (tatting anyone?), watch the tractor pull and hand crank your own cider.  

As a part of our participation in the 10 Day Give - we stopped at this booth

to play a game and to make a donation to Camp Paha

Antique tractors on display at the tractor pull.  I used to live in Moline

(world headquarters of John Deere), so felt obligated to take this photo.

I liked the reflection in the barn window - including the mule ears

Wild Wings Environmental Education was also at the event and Sophie, their owl, was very photogenic. 

Since we were already in Lakewood we ventured to the Taste of Denmark bakery.   Growing up in southern Wisconsin, the grocery stores sold a Danish pastry called Kringle.  Raspberry kringle is my absolute favorite.  Earlier this year, my grandma surprised me by sending me an unexpected birthday kringle, so I was on an unofficial mission to see if there was a bakery somewhere in the Denver area that sold them.  As you can see, we bought all kinds of good things.   One thing I like about danish pastry is the use of almond paste.  More things in life need almond paste.   Sadly because we were there in the late afternoon they were out of kringle, but I don't feel cheated at all.

And as promised - these were the Cider Day shoes.  

If the event was today instead of last Saturday it would be something entirely different. 

And much warmer.