denver getaway

yes, while my parents were here, t.j. and i had ourselves a little date in the big city.  originally, you may recall, we were going to go back to that cute boutique hotel in fort collins.  remember, the one where our kids went berserk over spring break?  well, maybe the memories were just too fresh or something because we decided to go to downtown denver instead. 

it.  was.  aweseome.  

it goes without saying how much we enjoyed the nice hotel.  i mean, that is one of the main themes of this blog: katrina likes hotels.  and, it didn't hurt that we got a great deal on priceline!

then, there was the food.  another theme of the blog: katrina likes good food.  let me just tell you about our dinner...homemade ricotta, homemade cured meats (t.j. did not partake in these), salad greens with gorgonzola, toasted pinenuts, tomatoes, and salami (salami on a salad = genius), shrimp diavola pizza, a bottle of wine, and the best tiramisu of my life.  i loved this restaurant...it made me feel like i was back in italy.  that is a good thing.  t.j. and i must have spent a good two hours on their patio, just relishing in our dining experience. 

the next day at breakfast, i realized how relaxed i felt.  and more than that, how i hadn't felt this kind of relaxed since before the children were born.  obviously, this is not saying that i don't like my job as a fulltime mother...i love it, really really a lot.  but, i had not felt that sense of freedom in a long time...t.j. and i had no timetable.  it wasn't like, "okay, hurry and slurp down your coffee because we need to get home and relieve the babysitter" or "may day may day, we need to go because the kids are freaking out in here and everyone nearby hates us".  we could just sit.  or we could just go.  all i carried was one tiny little purse.  i didn't even have pacifiers in my pockets. 

we finished out our getaway with some shopping in a hip and swanky part of town called cherry creek.  i got some things at the beloved anthropologie.  after being in the store for about a half hour, t.j. approached me and i thought he was going to tell me that he was bored and that we should wrap up this little shopping spree. instead, he told me to take my time and buy myself something extra for mother's day.  how wonderful is that?  he really is the best.  i love him so much and not just because he lets me go shopping for long periods of time.  he is my best friend.  i loved all our time together. 

we had a quick bite to eat and then headed back in the afternoon. both t.j. and i were quite excited to get back home and see our little ones.  a big thank you to mom and dad for allowing this to happen.   i think carlyle and luella enjoyed their vacation from their parents as well.  grandma and grandpa are pretty cool.