Colorado Trip Day Three

Along the way, Ben was our most consistent travel buddy. He was there to help Chris stay awake as I snoozed in the back seat, he brought the Pokemon theme songs and rap to rock out to, and he was an absolute gentleman when it came to opening doors, filling up my empty glass, etc. It was fun to have him in our car with us. Not to mention I have had the most thorough explanation of any video game I could possibly dream of! We had more fun than should have been allowed in that car.

We drove most of the morning back up to Colorado Springs, passing little one mile square towns as we went. We met up with one of Nate's old friends from Petaluma while we were there at the mall, which allowed Chris and I to peruse the mall at our leisure. At one point, we got pulled into a game store (one of our favorite past-times) and found a puzzle we both instantly fell in love with:

Is that picture not adorable?! Thank goodness we did not have our wallets with us, or we would have forked out some serious money for this puzzle! The more baby stuff we accumulate, the more we are thinking giraffes will be one of the nursery themes, much to Chris' pleasure.

When we met up with the family again, we only had a moment to take in that Mama W. was holding a few bags before she interjected her excited disclaimer, "It was all under $20!" She then showed off her bounty from The Children's Place: cute clothes for Baby Waz! They were extremely cute, especially the one that says I Love My Family, with aunt, mom, grandpa, grandma, uncle, dad all included throughout the lettering. So cute! And that is what happens when Mama W. gets loose in the mall :)

Sheltered under a church pavilion watching thunderstorms as Nate catches up from someone he taught on his mission.

Look at the picture Ben got! Pro Photographer right here

After an afternoon filled with meeting up with previous mission leaders, members, and relatives, we ended our last evening in Colorado in the best possible way—meeting some of Nate’s most recent friends. They invited us over for dinner, and the food was to die for! Their beautiful home was decorated with authentic Alaskan artifacts and we sat out on their back patio in the most perfect weather in a green, spacious backyard. And by far the most incredible part of this ordeal were the people themselves. The way he greeted us so sincerely from the very beginning and his subtle, yet hilarious sense of humor, coupled with her friendliness and sunny hospitality made us instant friends with this extraordinary couple.

Ben kindly took the picture for us

It was at this couple’s house that I made my most profound discovery of the trip: Life is about loving people.

I can’t sufficiently describe the grandour of the beautiful mountains we traversed, or the air of adventure that comes from staying in hotels with continental breakfasts with omelet bars, or the feeling of satisfaction that comes from eating an order from Sonic delivered perfectly. The trip was certainly all these things. But the highlights were unequivocally travelling with beloved family members while seeing Nate light up at being reunited with people he had come to dearly love, and coming to love them in return.

On our way home! In front of the Denver Temple