thanksgiving weekend
Thursday, day 1
My old friend came to visit me this past weekend. We haven't seen each other for four years. The last time we met up was back in 2018, in our hometown in Ukraine.
Since moving to the United States in 2016, I haven’t had many chances to hang out with my childhood friends and share my new life with them. When the opportunity presented itself, Julia and I knew that we are going to take advantage of it and spend quality time together.
I love going to the airport, especially when I get to pick someone up. She was flying in on a Thursday morning, thankfully traffic at the airport was not horrible and the pick-up process went smoothly. The second I saw her; I knew nothing changed between us and we were going to have the best weekend of our lives.
I didn’t really think of a plan for the weekend, I just wanted to show her the great outdoors of Colorado. Our first little hike was to the top of the rock in Castle Rock. It was a perfect balance of beautiful views and exercise right before thanksgiving dinner. Later that day we had dinner plans at our friends' house, so the cooking needed to be done! Believe it or not, we were just a couple of minutes late. We brought gravy and cranberry sauce, which in my opinion are the best things in the entire world.
Friday, day 2
I wanted to spend our second day exploring the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, CO. We also wanted to drive up to Pikes Peak, but the road was closed due to winter conditions. It was around 1 pm by the time we got to Manitou Springs, which meant only one thing – it is time for lunch. My task was to pick something quick and TASTY. I picked two places for them to choose from, when we got to the first café the vibes and the food options weren’t as great as I saw online, so we went with my second option. Each of us ordered a crepe and a hot chocolate from “Totally Nuts & Company”. Andrius pointed out a little picnic area where we can sit down and eat. The lunch became even more memorable when Julia spilled her Red Velvet hot chocolate, which was a bright red color, on her beige sweatshirt. We all shared a great laugh and continued walking to our picnic spot. The picnic spot was right next to Shoshone Spring. The place was filled with tourists taking pictures and sharing how the water tastes “minerally”. After lunch, we were on our way to the Garden of the Gods. Not going to lie, we had to circle the parking lot couple of times to find a spot, eventually, I spotted an elite parking spot, and we rushed to take it.
Nature never fails to amaze me, Andrius and I visited the Garden of the Gods when we first got to Colorado back in July. Seeing rocks just doing rock things is incredible, the color and the expansiveness of the rocks – are breathtaking. We ended up hiking around for a couple of hours, and right before sunset, we drove up Rampart Range Road to view Colorado Springs and surrounding areas from above and get the feel of the magnitude of the mountains around us.
There was one last stop before we headed back to Castle Rock. Firstly, we needed to buy something for dinner, no one wanted to eat thanksgiving leftovers just yet. We decided to stop at Slice420 in Old Colorado City, CO. We had 30 minutes to walk around the town while they were preparing our order. We planned to walk one way and then cross the street and walk back, and if we saw any stores or anything else interesting, we would explore it. Most of the businesses were about to close, so our options were slightly limited. Two stores caught our eye. The first store was a gift shop with an incredible selection of different Colorado-themed items. Andrius found coasters 50% off, and if you read my last post, you know how much we like 50% off. The second store was a collection of unique items, vibes, and plants. It was finally time to pick up our food and get back home. I would rate this day 10/10 – for the vibes, pizza, and rocks.
Saturday, day 3
The plan for Saturday was to explore Denver. The past couple of months Julia spend her time in the middle of nowhere in Kansas, she shared with me how she missed public transportation, walking by skyscrapers, and exploring new places. I honestly haven’t explored the city of Denver as much, and I saw a perfect opportunity for both of us to experience the city. I drove us to the closest “Park and Ride”, and we took a train to Union Station.
Everything was already decorated with Christmas lights, and you can just feel the festive spirit. This was exactly what we both needed. We wandered around for a couple of hours taking photos and doing Christmas shopping. It was getting late and cold and going home meant that our time in Denver was over, which made us sad. So, we decided to stop at the first restaurant we see and get dinner (no famous chain restaurants were in the game). Sometimes it can turn out to be the best idea ever, or it can be a complete failure. Luckily, the restaurant we picked turned out to be a hit. We shared a four-course meal, and the dessert was just unbelievably good. Warm bread pudding with vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, and caramelized pecans. We finished our dinner and headed home. The bread pudding made my day, and on the way back I saw Julia research recipes online, so I believe our dinner was a huge SUCCESS.
Sunday, day 4
I woke up sad knowing that this is our last day together… I like hosting and having people over, it is always so rewarding to open your home to friends and share your space with them. Her flight wasn’t until midnight, so we basically had a full day to ourselves. So far, we have only taken Julia places that Andrius and I have been to before, and on the last day, we decided to go hiking where we haven’t been yet. The choice fell on the Rocky Mountain National Park. I knew it was going to be cold, and possibly windy and snowy. We hiked to The Dream Lake, and oh my, the wind at the open spaces was so strong, it was hard to stay upright. As expected, the lake was frozen and it 100% looks better when it is warm out. The trees looked beautiful in the snow; I personally feel like snow brings out colors and makes everything look at peace. The hike was only about two miles, and maybe it was for the best, the cold wind numbs your face, toes, and fingertips; all we dreamed about was a warm dinner. After being out in the cold, all I usually want is curry, pita bread, and rice. Indian cuisine hits different when you are cold and hungry. We ate and headed back home.
I didn’t want to leave the mountains, and I honestly didn’t want Julia to leave. I knew that as soon as we get home it will be time to take her to the airport. I am thankful she spent these four days with us. I cherish the conversations we had, and the time we got to spend together. She helped me realize that I am not the only one who struggles to accept what is happening to our country and our families. I found peace in sharing my worries with her, and I hope I did the same for her.