i didn't go for the dnc.

ha. people kept asking me if i was visiting denver for the dnc.
i didn't even realize when i booked my flight that my trip would coincide...
obviously, i've been following politics very closely, eh?

anyway. i'm pretty sad to be home. i definitely wasn't ready for my trip to be over, which we all know is the sign of a good trip.

my grandparents picked me up from the airport on friday. i stayed at their house and they were also dog-sitting gonzo for a relative. whenever i would see gonzo out of the corner of my eye, i would just think it was helix because they are similar in size and color. gonzo really was fun to have around. it was the cutest thing ever listening to my grandpa talk to gonzo.

we had a nice dinner that night with my sister and jamie. after dinner, we played cards. my grandpa is a big fan of a game that we call rickie tickie. it goes by another name, which you'll see if you click on the link, but my grandparents prefer this name. ha. :] i either have good luck or very very bad luck. tonight it was bad luck. we were feeling the olympic spirit, so we kept awarding gold, silver, and bronze after each round. well. i didn't medal once in the 4 rounds we played. ha.

on saturday, my sister and i went to an outdoor mall. we nearly got rained out and didn't find much, but we came back with a bunch of carmel apples for dessert after dinner at one of my grandparents' favorite chinese restaurants. :]

on sunday, my sister, jamie, and i went to the denver zoo.

it got a bit hot and for a while it seemed the animals were only interested in showing us their backsides. ha. but we did get to see the baby snow leopards, a baby giraffe, and a baby zebra. i also really enjoyed watching one little penguin swim around in a pool and seeing the primates being fed. i made sure to get james some magnets with primates on them to take to work with him.
when i gave them to him after i got home he said, "these are going to work with me..." how perfect. ha.
that night we had a big family dinner. it was so nice to see some of the extended family. my aunt and my dad's cousin, charlie, stayed the night because it was too late for them to drive home when dinner was over. the three of us ended up staying up until 1:00am talking! it dawned on me more than once how funny it was to be up past midnight talking about what makes successful vs. unsuccessful relationships with a 55 year old and a 58 year old. :]

on monday, my grandparents felt like braving the potential traffic downtown from the dnc in order to show me the building that houses the denver art museum. you can see some photos on the website, but seriously... it's insane. i'm going to try to visit there again [and actually go inside] during my next trip to denver. we didn't go in this time because there wasn't really parking, and it was just too busy downtown.
we ate dinner at [everyone's favorite] olive garden that night, and my sister came over to my grandparents' house after dinner. my grandpa swears by good old fashion slide film and always has. he has an enormous collection of slides from throughout the years, which he is now sorting through and condensing. my sister convinced him to give us a slide show, and it was really a highlight of the trip. so many memories came back. he had a few slides from when he took my sister and i to a gymnastics camp while we were visiting one summer. during those slides i said, "grandpa! why didn't you make me keep going! i could have been an olympian!" he just laughed. there were slides from our trip to hawaii and others of a hike we took in colorado. he even has a collection called "a day in the life of baby paul." so cute.
my sister and i stayed up talking for a while that night. it was nice to have some sister time.

on tuesday, i caught up on sleep while my grandparents went to the dentist. ha. it was a nice slow-paced day. i visited the library with my grandma. so fun. :]
we went to the cheesecake factory for dinner. yummy. i wish there was one a little closer to reno, but based on how much i seem to eat every time i'm there... perhaps it's a good thing that my visits remain rare.
after dinner, we had another rickie tickie face off. i actually got two bronze medals and a gold this time around!

wednesday was my last day. my grandparents wanted to take me to the museum of nature and science. there is really too much to see there in one day, so after getting a bite to eat, we headed for the wildlife exhibits and then for the gems and minerals. both were very impressive. there were some mineral specimens that were just ridiculously beautiful. they even have a mock mine set up that you can walk though. there are so many more exhibits there that i would love to explore too. another visit is definitely on the list for my next trip. :]
my grandma made meat loaf that night... there's nothing quite like meat loaf at grandma's house, is there? so yummy.
and peach pie! oh. my. goodness. i've always been amazed at how quickly my grandma can make a pie. peeling the fruit alone is enough to keep me from making them. and her pies are always perfect... no matter what she says. ha.
after dinner, it was time to say goodbye. ack.
my sister took me to the airport and the sunset was tremendous.

oh. and i got a whole row to myself on the plane... there's not a whole lot that can make a flight better than that, is there? :]

i really can hardly wait to go back. we should be there for christmas... but i'm not sure that i'll make it that long.

today, amanda and victoria are coming up to visit. paul will join them here on saturday after work. and together we will all consume way too many ribs and way too much lemonade and fire roasted corn at the rib festival. with the recent intake of so much good food, i think it's definitely time to get back on track with wii fit. :]