Hello, stranger.

Yes, I know it's been a while since my last post, but I will have lots to share now, as we've had many activities and guests in town over the past two weeks!

First off, Bob and Marilyn, Rob's parents, arrived the beginning of September for a wonderful visit, then for part of their visit, Rob's brother Ryan was able to come in town as well, so that was fantastic! In addition to Bob, Marilyn, and Ryan 's visits, we were also graced by the presence of Dolan's parents (who came in town to bring him his stuff) and Dolan's friend Levi (who was on his way driving to Irvine, CA to continue his education in... um... physics... I know it's something in particular; however, it was something I have never heard of and knew that I would never remember, so I didn't even attempt to memorize. Let's just say Levi is a smartypants.

So, of the numerous activities, eats, drinks, and sightseeing that took place over the course of the past week with our guests, I shall highlight a few.

•Mt. Evans Scenic Byway: This essentially is a road that goes almost all the way up to the top of Mt. Evans (you gotta do a little hike- maybe 1/4 of a mile to get to the actual summit). Mt. Evans is 14,264 feet above sea level. Let's put this into perspective... Chicago is about 600 feet above sea level, where we live in Colorado, it's about 5,400 feet above sea level... SO... Mt. Evans is freaking tall. The drive up to the top, despite being a heavily used road full of tourists from all over the country, is this narrow, winding road on the side of a mountain with absolutely no guardrails. And when I say winding, I mean switchback upon switchback. It's scary. It'd be scary enough if you were the only one on the road, but when you're relying on other drivers who have never driven in the mountains before to stay on their side of the road and not get distracted by a mountain goat... you get the picture. Anyways, the summit was awesome. Rob and I did the hike to the top and you could see EVERYTHING- the plains, Longs Peak, Denver, etc. It was absolutely gorgeous.

•Fado: We (me, Rob, Marilyn, Bob, Ryan, Dolan, Levi, Danielle, and Brian) all went to Fado's last Wednesday for some Irish food and fun. It was a blast. I wish Ryan would move out here just so I'd have someone to go to Fado with that screams as loud as me. Though I may have busted the eardrums of everyone at our table, I was awarded for my exhuberant singing and got to play the drum on stage with the Clancy's. Not only did I do that, but I also got a super cool Black and Tan Guinness hat. It rules.

•Scotfest in Estes Park: On Saturday we all went up to the Longs Peak Scottish/Irish Highlands Festival in Estes Park. We started the morning off with the parade that goes through downtown Estes Park. It was amazing. Before we got down there, Rob shared with us that his mom always cries when she hears bagpipes... Sure enough, before the parade even passed us, I caught a teary eyed Marilyn (sorry Marilyn!!). However, I have got to say when you hear all those bagpipe bands, it is very moving... After the parade, we headed over to the festival. We attended the opening ceremonies which included a performance by ALL of the bagpipe bands and the Marine Corp Twentynine Palms band (At least 100-150 performers) playing Amazing Grace. It was awesome. I had goosebumps all over. After the opening ceremonies, we drank beer, dined on Shepherds Pies and Meat Pies and watched Irish dancing, Bag Pipe Band competitions, oh yeah, and shopped in the two huge tents where they had numerous vendors selling everything you can imagine.

•Hacienda Colorado: Okay, I know this was simply just a meal, but I must share. Despite waiting for over an hour for a table (we had 7 people on a Friday night at 7pm- Go figure), I was absolutely blown away by the service we received, the prices, and the margaritas. I think most of the entrees were under 10 bucks, and we all received a ton of food. Like 3 plates of food per person! It was nuts. Then, there was a delay in a few people getting served their meals (like only 2 minutes), and the manager came over to apologize for that and offered everyone free dessert! I'm totally going back there. The food ruled, and the margs were exceptional!

•Lake Dillon: One afternoon, we headed up to the mountains to Lake Dillon. It was really a beautiful day and we rented a pontoon boat to cruise the lake. Being on a big lake, surrounded by huge mountains is really amazing. After our boat ride, we wanted to go to the Tiki Bar at the marina, but were running late on getting back home for Fado, so we ended up just leaving. The Tiki Bar, at the marina in Dillon, has fantastic food and really good Rum Runners. During the summer while we were up there camping and kayaking, we hit up the Tiki Bar for lunch and drinks. So anyways, we just wanted Rob's family to enjoy at least one rum runner, but time did not allow...

•Dirty Bananas: This is a drink I made a few nights when we had our guests... It's originally an Ozark drink, courtesy of Val and Jeff (which I think they got the recipe while in Jamaica on their honeymoon). I have now made it a Colorado drink. It's the perfect dessert drink because it's frozen, has bananas, chocolate syrup, and ice cream in it. YUM.

So, I know I'm forgetting a ton of things, but I'm all out of time to write and when I remember other noteworthy occasions, I will definitely share. I must get myself psyched up for kickball now. :)