The Denver Brown-cation

We squeezed in most of our favorite traditions during our Brown family get-together: glowy family pictures taken by my sister Em, daily swimming for the kids, mother-sister shopping trip to Athleta, all kinds of kid games with the favorite uncle Braxton, a Dani & Shaina trail run, and of course lots of good food and treats. Gathering with twelve adults and twelve kids can get chaotic, but I sure love my family! Poor Jeff did battle with insomnia and anxiety for most of that week. It's like the bad hotel bed in Wyoming tipped him over the edge into all of the frustrating problems. Thankfully he was able to start feeling better, by the end of the week, with the help of a few key medications. 

Journal excerpts:

Friday, July 16th: It was a gorgeous cool fresh morning after a rainy night here I'm Denver, and I enjoyed a lovely 6 mile run out in it. A bug flew down my throat right when I breathed in. After coughing nearly to the point of gagging, I had to accept that the bug was too far down my esophagus to cough up, so I swallowed it. With a massive shudder. I had a phantom fly in my throat for the next two miles! Haha. The rest of the day was spent talking with my family, cooking, eating, swimming (for the kids), and talking some more. Homemade pizza night, thanks to Mom and Mel and Braxton. 

Saturday, July 17th: Today was full of quality family time. I love them. The kids played and swam and watched shows. I ran 10 miles this morning! It was so nice outside and the Highline Canal Path was so smooth, flat, and shady that I did not want to stop! So I went out five miles before turning around. My mind was just so happy to roam and think and process and ponder.

Dad plus his sons watched a bball game in the theater, so the girls sat in the family room and watched a movie (Hitch) on TV with long commercial breaks. We muted the TV and talked during the commercials, telling stories of our worst dates and laughing our heads off. It was fun sister time.

Sunday, July 18th: Whew, we did family pictures tonight and it was tiring! Em worked her magic though and it is done. Thankfully it was not too hot when we were out at 6:30pm, so it wasn't too painful. We had mint brownies afterwards. I played Mom's Steinway piano for almost an hour today, and it was rich and peaceful.

Monday, July 19th: Today was full! Jeff is back in the land of the living, and it was nice to share the parenting load again. I took advantage of having my husband back! Dani and I left at 6am and drove 30 minutes to a trail, where we ran up Legault Mountain. The trail started at 8,000 feet elevation and went all the way up to 9,100 feet at the top. We were huffing and puffing like crazy on the way up, our hearts thundering! I like trail running with Dani.

After lunch, Jeff & others swam with the kids and Mom and I watched an episode of Dr. Quinn. Then Mom and I went to the grocery store together. I love being with my Mom! After that, we gathered all of the sisters and did our annual girls shopping trip to Athleta. Sister shopping time is such a fun tradition! Everyone found something they love, even Mom. Athleta is our store! We got home 3 hours after we left. After a late dinner courtesy of Braxton, I played a Bananagram word game variation with Mom, Kyle, Brad, & Dani. Good family times. 

Tuesday, July 20th: Denver. Morning run: check. Em and I took the "triplets" (AJ, Amber, and Derek, all born within a few months of each other) to see Pillow, Alivia's rabbit. After lunch, Mom and I watched our daily episode of Dr. Quinn and then I went out and sweated by the pool while kids swam for 90+ minutes. I should've just gotten in the pool, but I don't really like any part of the process: changing my clothes, getting into the pool, being wet, or smelling like chlorine. So I sat and sweated.

After dinner, Jeff and I slipped away to the Boulder Running Company to check out running shoes. I ended up getting two pairs! Jeff got one pair. We love that store--it's possibly the only place Jeff and I actually enjoy shopping together. When we got back, everyone was watching the NBA final game so Mom, Jeff and I played a word game. Mom won by a hair! It was a close game. I am proud of myself for coming to bed before 10pm tonight. Maybe basketball has a use after all, occupying my family so I can get to bed earlier.

Wednesday, July 21st: I rescued a lost dog named Zeke on my run this morning. The owner was standing barefoot at the end of the street in her pajamas, holding an empty collar. "Have you seen a black and white dog?" she asked me in a forlorn voice.

After finding out that the dog's name was Zeke, I continued my run, not expecting to find the dog, but hoping that if I did, he wouldn't attack me since I knew his name. A quarter mile later, I saw some movement behind a bush. I called out "Zeke!" Nothing happened for a few seconds, but then out popped a black and white dog with no collar, tongue lolling. I said "Zeke?" He wagged and came to me, so I told him 'good boy, come on!" and got him to follow me back up the path. The barefoot owner was so happy to have her dog back, and she thanked me profusely. It was a very different kind of dog-on-the-run moment for me, and I have to say I prefer this positive ending to the usual terrifying bark and snap routine of Sunnyside. I even petted Zeke before parting ways.

I went to Target with Mom and Em, and later to Trader Joe's with just Mom today. We also played a fun marble game that Dani brought, and of course did a lot of taking. The kids swam (Jeff was on pool duty today, thank goodness). Mom and I didn't get to watch our Dr. Quinn episode today. We had five sister talking time tonight while the others watched a movie or played basketball. Sisters are so fun. I love my family. 

Thursday, July 22nd: We took our van in to have the fading AC checked today. The air compressor has a slow Freon leak, and it will cost $1000 to replace. Joy. The part arrives at the shop on Monday. We will take the van back for its surgery then. 

The Broadbents left for home today. We all hovered while they loaded their van, then had a chaotic hug-everyone melee before they climbed in and drove away. Jay bore the parting with his cousins stoically, but he seemed a tad adrift all day. Rose dove right in to playing with the younger cousins that were still here: Derek, Connor, Christine, Ezra, and Della. Amber did her own thing mostly, but she also got to play with her younger cousins some today too, which was nice because she is such a wild card I never know what to expect with her in social situations.  

Once the Broadbents were on the road, Jeff, our 3 kids, Dad, and I went on a family bike ride. We biked 6 miles in the thin air and blazing sun! Amber was crying and gasping for air on the last hill back to the house, haha: "I don't have enough water in my body! I don't have enough air in my body!" I went to the track with Dad afterwards for a small sprint session.

[end journal entries]

The rest of my siblings went home over the next two days, when Jeff and I went on our overnight date trip together. This year's Brown family gathering felt kind of short, but quality over quantity. Sometimes it's easy to take my good loving parents and awesome family for granted, but I am sure thankful for them and our annual visit!

The whole crew. FYI, this photo location was my idea. Em did all of the actual photography work, but I found the location, which was my favorite running path near the house: the Highline Canal Trail. During the photo session, we had to keep scooting over every time a biker or jogger approached.

Grampa Charley and Grama Meri with their dozen grandkids.

The dozen cousins!

CUTE girl cousins.

The seven boys.

We took a blondie picture. How are there this many light-haired girls in this family?

We recreated an old favorite sibling photo from 11 years ago in 2010...

I was pregnant with Rose and felt pretty rotten in this picture. Mel and Kyle were in high school, and Brad had just gotten home from his mission. In fact, Dani (Brad's wife) was visiting and she took this picture before she and Brad even officially started dating again after Brad's mission!

Silly faces!

Brad, or should I say Dr. Brown, is too cool for silly face pictures now, haha.

Our kids are getting so tall.

My cute parents and PIE.

Loud fun games with Uncle Braxton!

Now, pictures from my trail run with Dani up Legault Mountain. The aspen groves were magical.

At the top of Legault Mountain! 9100 feet above sea level has some very thin air.

Dani is such a fun trail buddy!

I was enchanted by these mariposa lily wildflowers we saw along the trail. The star in the middle with a fuzzy wreath around it! The symmetrical kaleidoscope of detail!

The big cousins, watching comedies and laughing together.

The "triplet" cousins, trying to find Pillow the bunny. He hid under the couch in fear.

AJ and Amber, petting Pillow and feeding him oats.

Admiring Pillow's rabbit house.

Traditional post-Athleta mother-sister shopping spree selfie!

Pool time. It was so hot, I was too lazy to take many swimming pictures.

Shoe shopping date!

Games in the girls' room.

Steve and Jay lived in their own Dungeons and Dragons world half the time, and loved every minute of it.

The pool from the second story porch.

Rescuing the wandering Zeke. He turned out to be one of the dog breeds that scares me the most, but he also turned out to be a sweetheart. Thankfully. 

Braxton ended the week with his title of Favorite FUncle firmly in place, no competition. He played all kinds of fun games with the kids and then cooked us all delicious dinners. We love Braxton!

Amby and the twins, playing the heirloom pump organ.

Family bike ride!

Jay looked slightly forlorn in the kids room by himself after the Broadbent cousins left. Rose decided to share a room with the girls this time, so even she was absent from this large bare room.

We love our family!