Phew! It’s been a whirlwind the past two weeks! Somehow May has come and went, Memorial Day was celebrated, and now we’re already well into June. Hello, Summer!

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen that Philip and I have been doing some traveling lately. Besides our Grand Canyon trip (which seems like months ago already, unfortunately), we got back on a plane just a few weeks after that to head to Denver, Colorado, for Memorial Day weekend and to see Philip’s siblings. We arrived home from Colorado last Tuesday and by Friday we were already hitting the road again to head to Iowa to spend time with my side of the family. It’s been an awesome way to start off the summer, to say the least!

Even though all three of Philip’s siblings live out in Colorado now and we don’t get to see them all that often, it feels like we can always pick right up where we left off when we go to visit. This trip was no different and was so much fun to get to spend a good amount of time with all of them throughout the three days we were there.

On Saturday, we started out the day with a (rainy) hike to Royal Arch in Boulder. The view from the top…wasn’t, but it was still a sweet time with everyone nonetheless. These hikes are some of my favorite times…no matter what the weather. :) That Colorado air can’t be beat!

After the hike, we then spent the rest of the afternoon and evening with Philip’s other sister and her family, meeting our newest niece, Juniper. How they handle four kids while remaining calm through all the chaos, I will probably never know.

The rest of our time in Colorado was mostly spent in Boulder where we were running the BolderBoulder 10k race. It’s been rated the best 10k by Runner’s World and is one of the biggest, if not the largest, road race in the country. I know why now! With over 45,000 people running it, it’s a huge party for the city of Boulder on Memorial Day Monday. On Sunday, we had fun wandering around the outdoor expo getting free food and swag, chatting and relaxing while local bands performed, and in general, just soaking everything in! Oh, and people watching. This is the place to do it if you’re into that sort of thing. :)

Monday was race day! Philip, Philip’s brother and his wife, and I all ran the race and crossed the finish line on Monday in Colorado University’s football stadium.

We continued the celebration with more free samples and swag than we knew what to do with until noon when they started a pretty incredible Memorial Day ceremony in the stadium, including a fly over by fighter jets and sky divers landing on the field with flags from each branch of the military. Very moving and powerful to be able to take time to recognize all who have fought and are fighting for our freedom.

We had one more meal in downtown Denver at the Union Station with Philip’s sister (who persistently tried to convince us to move to Denver soon. :)) before we flew back on Tuesday. While we aren’t moving (yet?), these Colorado trips are always packed with fun, adventure, and Colorado beauty. I’m already looking forward to our next visit out.

It just so happened that the very next weekend, my brother and his family were flying to Iowa to spend some time with friends. Since we see them and their kids so infrequently, we couldn’t pass up the chance to spend some quality time with them for a weekend. Plus, a four hour drive seems like nothing after a flight to Denver.

From Lego time and watercoloring to pool fun, we crammed in as much as we could during our short visit. While exhausting, these kiddos make up for it by being so cute and funny.

Philip and I even got to have our first puzzle room or escape room experience with my brother and his friends who were all visiting together. Our group of five was thisclose to figuring out the puzzle, but 60 minutes passed by just a minute too quickly. Definitely a fun thing to do with a group of friends!

And now we’re back at home, trying to get into a normal rhythm again. Easier said than done! I feel like my coworkers were starting to wonder if I ever stayed home or worked a full week of work…I was starting to wonder myself! :) I think we’re staying put for a while now and getting more house and yard projects done for the rest of the month. I guess it’s time to be responsible again. :P But it sure was nice trading our weekend to-do-list for a couple relaxing/fun weekends with family. Wouldn’t trade that for the world!