Babies and Weddings and Mountains, Oh My!

About a month ago my mom, Eleanor, and I traveled to Colorado for the wedding of one of my best friends, Nicole, and her soon-to-be-hubby, Dyllan. (Dyllan is a pretty good friend too, but he likes the Sooners, so...)

Anyway.

I was excited for a number of reasons:

1. WEDDING! (Eleanor was head flower girl, in charge of getting Baby Peyton down the aisle.)

2. Eleanor had never been anywhere other than Iowa and Minnesota (and Iowa ONLY because we pass through to actually get home to MN).

3. BABY PEYTON! (Nicole had given birth in May to this adorable little girl who I could not wait to snuggle all weekend. I was, of course, also excited to see Nicole and Dyllan, as they live half a country away.)

4. MOUNTAINS!

5. FAMILY VACATION! (My mom came with us and it was so much fun to experience this together.)

Pretty much, the whole weekend was wonderful and too short, and such a blessing. It was so amazing to watch two of my good friends be Mom and Dad, and to celebrate their love and their baby and their marriage.

There was also TONS of time to explore the area before, in-between, and after the festivities. Naturally there is the required shot at the state border crossing, something we always used to do when I was young on family vacations with my grandma and grandpa. We actually missed the info center/rest area exit and turned around to go BACK. This photo was a MUST!

Once in Silverthorne, we found we were staying at a cute little airbnb up the mountain above the town, then headed over to see Nicole and Dyllan for the first time in two years, and meet Peytie Pie (my nickname for her). It was pretty much awesome and exactly the reunion/meeting I hoped it would be.

After a good night's sleep, the next day it was off to the rehearsal. Eleanor was very excited about her role, because it was her responsibility to bring Peyton down the aisle. A small cart was fitted with pillows and Peytie Pie was safe and snuggled up while we chatted, rehearsed, and general merriment ensued. I am with Nicole on the left, and Dyllan is with Eleanor and another lovely little flower girl.

After the rehearsal Eleanor, Mom, and I set out to find more adventures, as the dinner would not be until that evening so we had a couple hours to kill. It will surprise no one that we immediately found the library, then drove across the Dillon Dam and stood in awe of the beauty around us. In fact, my very first photo on the post is of Eleanor looking out across the Dillon Reservoir atop the dam.

Now, I must be very clear: I am not an "outdoor girl". AT. ALL. I don't like nature, I don't want it touching me, or on me, or by me. But there is something about the Rocky Mountains that soothes my soul.

From there we headed to the nearby town of Frisco because we had learned about this cool little museum there and of course we are going to go to a museum and OF COURSE we are going to buy books!

Frisco's Historic Park and Museum is SO. COOL. The main building is the former school house, which is the only building in the park that sits at its original location. In addition to a school and the main building of the museum (WITH gift shop!), it had at one time been a saloon. The remainder of the buildings were moved to the site for the purpose of being part of the park. All of the buildings had great information, a short video to watch, and tons of artifacts - some that were tied directly to the building they were displayed in. I absolutely loved this part of the trip and Mom and Eleanor had a good time, too. It was really neat to walk in and feel as though I had been transported back in time to when Frisco was coming into existence. I also ended up spending a good bit of time gabbing with one of the museum's employees and we shared our love of museums. Naturally I made sure to let her know if she ever found herself in Omaha, the Durham is a MUST. (That pretty much goes for anyone reading this. Best museum in the Midwest, hands-down, if not one of the top-notch in the country.) She even gave me the pin, pictured below, upon hearing of my love for museums.

There are several buildings on the property, such as homes, a chapel, the jail, etc. There are so many photos to choose from, I really had a hard time deciding which ones to show off. Eleanor really got a kick out of the jail cell, and she also found a large bookcase in one of the homes that we both would have loved to take home with us!

After a busy afternoon exploring the nearby towns we returned to Dillon for the rehearsal dinner. It was great to sit around, relax, and chat. Eleanor was so excited for the big day, she could hardly sleep. Luckily our adventures finally wore her out, and sleep came slowly, but surely.

We arrived at the salon bright and early so Eleanor could get her hair done. Then it was off to the venue to get ready. I had no official role in the actual wedding party, which left plenty of time for me to snuggle Peytie Pie, which was REALLY the whole point of the weekend! (Just kidding Nicole and Dyllan, obviously it was fun to see you get married and party afterwards😉.)

Eleanor was a little nervous, but she did her job beautifully and escorted Peyton down the aisle ahead of her mama.

But, as we all know, all good things must come to an end. Mom, Eleanor, and I had an absolute blast celebrating Nicole, Dyllan, and Peyton all weekend but we had to return to real life on Tuesday, which meant a long drive back on Monday.

I refused, however, to leave Colorado without showing Eleanor the beauty and wonder of the Rocky Mountains. We went up as far as we could into RMNP and while it extended our long day by several hours, I would not trade those experience with my mom and Eleanor for anything.

It was a wonderful end to a wonderful weekend, and I could not have asked for a better trip.

And of course, can't forget the new treasures I came home with:

Happy Reading!

Sarah