What I've Done All Week...

Well this week's post is a little late, so hopefully I'll get back on track soon!

Paige making eggs

SATURDAY (9/3) - Paige and I hit the road bright and early, with some help from Anna, and headed out West.  We stopped at Paige's parents' lake house in Kentucky for some breakfast, hugs, and parental advice.  That was a pleasant surprise, but it took away the time we had planned to spend for lunch in St. Louis... and we were on a schedule to see Aunt Karen and Uncle Tim! Paige had never been to St. Louis, but she took a ton of pictures of the arch as we kept getting closer going through the city.  We got caught in traffic and may have taken a longer route, so we ended up getting to Aunt Karen and Uncle Tim's house when they had already gone to their dinner party.  We took a trip down to the Plaza in Kansas City for dinner and to see the beautiful shopping oasis in the middle of nowhere.  Once Aunt Karen and Uncle Tim got home, we visited with them for a while and went to bed.

Once she calmed down...

SUNDAY - Aunt Karen and Uncle Tim made the most delicious breakfast burritos and it was time to hit the road once again.  Paige and I tried to go to Oz Winery in Wamego, KS, but it was closed because it was Sunday.  While we were off of the freeway, we went to get gas in Alma and made friends with a Serbian student who had just moved to Little Switzerland from Peoria, IL.  That made up for our disappointment over the winery being closed.  We also stopped at what used to be my favorite gas station restroom near the World's Largest Prairie Dog, but it has fallen from grace.  Garrett wanted a t-shirt from Deer Trail, CO about the World's First Rodeo, but they didn't have anything to buy in that tiny, run-down town.  We finally made it home, where I was exuberantly greeted by little Poppy!  Mom made one of my favorite meals, and we played Just Dance on the wii with Elika before watching an episode or two of Glee.

MONDAY - The whole family had brunch at Snooze, which is my favorite breakfast place in Colorado. The Original Pancake House is a very close contender, though!  After brunch Paige, Elika, and I went downtown to walk around and look for gifts for Garrett and Paige's sister.  Instead we got clothes at Forever 21 and found the neatest furniture store on Larimer.  We came home in time for Auntie Shawn and Uncle Joe's Labor Day BBQ.  It was fun seeing all of their friends, my grandparents, and letting Paige meet the rest of our family.  Stephanie and her brother Mark stopped by on the way to take Stephie to the airport, so that was great!  We shot off some tank fireworks before watching Glee and going to bed.

Like a whole new dog!

TUESDAY - Poppy was in desperate need of a haircut, so we watched TV and lounged around waiting on her to be ready to pick up.  As you can see, it was quite the transformation!  It was necessary, though, because Grandpa and YiaYia let her fur get out of hand... Anyway we went to Ikea for the fastest visit imaginable.  Paige got a rug she and Garrett had wanted, which we insisted could be checked like luggage.  We also went to Park Meadows to run some of my errands, like getting my dream wallet and some new flip flops.  Dad got me a standby ticket so I could wait at the gate with Paige, which turned into more hilarity from the TSA agent calling her a kid and the man recording on his phone as his kids talked to us (that was creepy, but it let us know that her flight was boarding).

WEDNESDAY - I went up to Boulder to visit Vanessa and get Poppy a new harness at Farfel's Farm. The lady at the store kept commenting on how well-behaved Poppy was when trying on the new harnesses, but I guess she used up all of her good behavior by the time we got to Vanessa's house. Sorry, Zoey!  I ended up driving Vanessa home with me and then spending some time with Auntie Shawn and Grammie Bob (Auntie Shawn's mom).  When I got home, it was decided that we should leave Friday, which was not music to my ears...

THURSDAY - I spent all day doing laundry and repacking what had been undone over the few days.  I also went back to Ikea for some more things to take to Dallas and to exchange my bedspread.  I also got delicious ice cream from Sweet Action in Denver and hit all of the Nordstroms and Nordstrom Racks before I commited to my wallet (it is a big decision).  I went to Auntie Shawn's house again at 10 PM to say goodbye and then went to bed for the long day ahead...

FRIDAY - Dad drove the ENTIRE way from home to Dallas.  We took the "scenic" route, which still wasn't very scenic.  We had lunch at the "steakhouse" in Cimmaron, OK and dinner at Braum's.  Dad had the largest milkshake you can imagine, which made him want to keep driving far longer than I did. We finally got to a hotel and were done driving for the most-on-the-road-week of my life!