A Day in the Life...: Family Matters

I never would have guessed that out of all the wonderful places I've been this year that Longmont, Colorado, would by far and away be my absolute favorite.

Sunset in Colorado

It's amazing the things that friends and family can do to a place. Somewhere as simple as the small town of Longmont can be transformed into a wonderfully brilliant destination, all because of those you are able to spend time with.

Ok, before I start sounding too sentimental and sappy, I'll just get right to the good stuff.

I have known for some time that I would be coming to Longmont this week, and so my grandma planned to come and visit. First thing to look forward to. Next, my cousins caught wind that I'd be close to where they are, and so they jumped on board to come visit, along with my aunt and uncle. Second thing to look forward to. THEN, last week I was talking with my best friend KK, and she was home from work for about two weeks. She lives in Kiowa, Colorado, about three hours from Longmont. She said she would come see me too! Third thing to look forward to. Needless to say, I was counting down the days until I could see all of these people, and it came faster than I could hope for.

I was a little nervous on Friday. I didn't have a problem flying from Fort Wayne to Detroit, but when I got to Detroit, the plane I was supposed to board just happened to be missing its front tire. In all of my brilliance, I concluded that this probably wasn't a good sign. Because of the fiasco trying to get to Indiana the week before, my initial thought was doom. I wasn't going to get to Colorado tonight, or tomorrow, or ever. Once my dramatic side calmed down, things turned around. There just happened to be another plane, extra plane I guess, that we would be able to take to Denver. I only arrived about an hour later than expected.

Longmont is only about 45 minutes from the Denver airport. By the time I landed, my grandma had already been in town for about two hours. As soon as I was dropped off at my private housing, Grandma and I headed out for the night.

Best friends are what you need most! <3

We drove to Boulder, which was about ten minutes from where I was staying. I had never been there, and so it was nice to be able to share that with my grandma. We ended up going to The Cheesecake Factory, grabbed some gelato from a street vendor, and watched a couple of interesting street performers as the sun set.

The next day was filled with highs. I spent the morning with Grandma, just running errands and catching up together, and then we met my best friend KK and her mom for lunch. They stopped by the hotel where my grandma was staying first, and I almost broke down the door when they knocked...I couldn't get to KK fast enough!! We haven't seen each other since October - too long for best friends - and a hug was long overdue. We caught up for about an hour and then headed to lunch at this quaint little Italian restaurant called Pinocchios. Great food, and even better company. It was really hard to say goodbye to KK, but I know I will see her soon. She is working as a graduate assistant for the strength and conditioning program at Mizzou, and I'll be in Austin for graduate school in the fall, so it'll be a little closer. At least closer than Spokane to Mizzou.

After lunch, Grandma and I just kind of rested. Talking and eating can take a lot out of you!! I was restless though; I couldn't wait to see Aunt Mary, Uncle Mark, Paul and Caroline.

We had planned to meet at this little Mexican restaurant, Deli Cioso (I guess we were trying to get in all our foreign foods of the world this day). We pull up, and Aunt Mary is waiting outside to greet us. One thing I love about my friends and family, they give the BEST hugs.

Caroline, Uncle Mark, Paul, Me and Aunt Mary

As soon as we sat down, I ordered a giant margarita. DELICIOSO!!! Paul, Caroline, and Paul's girlfriend Mary and I all talked and talked and talked. It was wonderful to see them, and to hear about all the great things happening in their lives. Paul is heading back to school to teach for his second year (4th graders!), and Caroline has several options for internships in production this next school year. It's crazy to think that I probably won't see them all until next summer at my brother's weddings.

Saturday was a full day, and I was so thankful that I have so many wonderful people in my life. I was able to see my grandma one more time Sunday morning, and then it was off to work. I did get one more surprise though. One of my old teammates, Aly, lives in Fort Collins, only about 30 minutes from Longmont, and she drove up on Monday to have dinner with me. I haven't seen her since October, and it was great to catch up.

The tournament at Longmont went pretty smoothly and was quite uneventful. I filled in as a communications intern, as well as our other CA Alexis, and we called ourselves the Dream Team. I think we had the shortest post-round recorded to date, 55 minutes, worthy of a gold medal. I enjoyed the team I worked with, as well as the Tournament Director Adam and assistant Curt.

This trip has made me realize how lucky I am. During this internship, I have been able to see four of my old basketball teammates, five of my family members, two of my best friends, and put me within driving distance of a wedding. I have seen parts of the country I never would have seen otherwise, and I have met some really great people.

Now I'm gearing up for my last and final week with the AJGA in Norman, Oklahoma. Holy cow is it going to be hot. One more week! I'll be in Spokane on the 17th and then it's off to AUSTIN!!!