Our Week - The One with Summer, Week 10 (Volunteering at Outreach, Sleepovers, and Back-to-School Drop-In)

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And just like that, summer 2026 has come to a close.  It was such a great one, too – we did a lot of traveling, we did a lot of relaxing, we did some volunteering, we had a lot of fun, and absolutely none of us were ready for it to be over.  Waaaahhhh! 

The last week of summer break was the perfect mix of fun, relaxation, volunteer work, and productivity and I’m recapping it all today!

Monday, July 27

Monday, I slept until 8 AM, and I was up with plenty of time to see Brian off for another business trip.  He had to go to Delaware again for a few days, and on the way to the airport, he decided to swing by a theme park that’s closing and ride their big roller coaster one last time.

After he left, I had breakfast, unloaded the dishwasher, and did my morning things (same as always), and then I started tackling my to-do list for the day:

 

-       Working on my weekly blog post

-       Washing 4 loads of laundry (even though it wasn’t laundry week)

-       Spraying and washing my white tennis shoes to get them looking brand new again

-       Getting a return ready

-       Organizing all the uniforms my SIL had given to us and getting them listed in a local Facebook group to sell for her (after we kept what we needed for Jacob)

-       Chatting back-and-forth with buyers and bagging up sales all day

-       Cleaning out Jacob’s closet and making room for the uniforms we kept that he’ll eventually grow into

-       Cleaning out the fridge and freezer a little to make room for incoming groceries on Tuesday

 

Meanwhile, the kids cleaned out and tidied the playroom, Olivia tidied her room, and Jacob studied some more for chemistry.  I also couldn't  believe how gorgeous my flowers still were that Olivia had brought home for me from her Diva Day with my friend, Jen.  Best supermarket flowers ever!

After lunch, I helped the kids finish cleaning out the playroom and then Olivia vacuumed the whole thing, and it looked like a new space!  It’s been getting junkier and junkier all summer since the kids have been home, so it was time to get things back in order before they go back to school and before they had sleepover company Tuesday night.  ;o)

After everything was nice and tidy, the kids played video games for a bit, and I worked on my last Colorado post some more.  Jacob and I also ordered some card protectors from Amazon that he’d been wanting.  I then caught up on some things in my planner, I caught up on emails, and I did a Bible study and my devotional for the day.  Oh, and I made a grocery list.  It was a productive Monday!

Since Brian wasn’t home and since our kids are picky eaters, I didn’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen for dinner, so Monday evening, I dug into the freezer and pulled out some leftover burgers that Brian had grilled for 4th of July and we had those for dinner.  I made a burger bowl (chopped up burger patty, cheese, tomato, pickles, ketchup, and mustard… hold the lettuce since there’s been a big outbreak of stomach issues from it – haha) and the kids ate their burgers in a bun with cheese.  We had those with chips and fruit, and it was an easy dinner.  Meanwhile, Brian was enjoying this and I was soooo jealous!

After the kitchen was clean, I went for a walk and then I took out all the trash and recycling that the kids had dredged up from their cleaning extravaganza.  I did an 8-minute arms workout after that, and then it was time to shower and get in my pjs so the kids and I could watch Friends.

We popped some popcorn first, and then we mowed through, like, five episodes, I think?  Haha.  We are all SO into it, and it’s like watching it again for the first time even though I’ve seen (and can quote) every single episode, probably, 50 times.  (And watching it through fresh eyes with my kids also made me realize just how inappropriate it was that it was an 8 PM show on network TV all those years ago.  Haha.  Seriously, how was that on at 8 o’clock when all the littles were still awake?  I’ve cringed so many times watching it with our kids.  I mean, Jacob’s 15, so he’s more than old enough to watch it now, but some of the content is probably still questionable for Olivia.  I knew that going in, of course, but I figured, might as well go for it.  I was 12 when I started watching it, after all.  Haha.)

Anyway, after Friends, the kids and I Facetimed with Brian and then they went to bed.  After they were in bed, I did my meditation on my vibration plate and neck pillow, and then I read for a bit before going to bed like I always do.

 

Tuesday, July 28

Tuesday morning, I was up at 7:45 AM and I got showered, ate breakfast, and did my other morning things before hitting the road with the kids at 8:45 AM to work at our church’s Outreach center all morning one last time before the kids went back to school.

Tuesday was busy – Publix had made a massive donation of food to Outreach since the shelves were bare, so there was an abundance of food to give out.  We had crates and crates of plums that needed to be separated and bagged, boxes and boxes of bread and other goods from the bakery that needed to be separated and bagged, and it was a distribution day, so we were loading carts, checking people in, and loading groceries into cars all morning.  We were all tired and HOT by the time we left because the weather was miserable Tuesday.  It has been soooo hot here lately.  Also, random, but I love the back of our Outreach shirts!

We left Outreach around 11:30 AM, and then we had a bunch of errands to run:

 

-       School office to drop old uniforms for donations

-       Church office to drop old uniforms to one of my friends for her kids

-       Rack Room Shoes to buy new tennis shoes for both kids (they always have a BOGO deal this time of year, so we were able to get both kids shoes and get the second pair half off!)

-       Hobby Lobby for Olivia to look at yarn… and while we were there, we all walked up and down the fall and Halloween aisles for funsies

-       Chick-Fil-A to take a break and have some lunch!

-       Target for Jacob to spend some of his birthday money… and to get a couple more things for back to school

-       FedEx to drop a return

-       Walmart to get groceries

 

Whew! 

By the time we finally walked in the door at home, it was already after 3 PM.  We all unloaded the groceries, and I got them put away and Jacob immediately pulled out his new Lego set he’d bought with his own money and started putting it together.

I finished my blog post for the next day, I caught up on some emails, and then I tidied the kitchen before dinner.

Since Brian was still gone, I kept it simple again with pizza quesadillas.  They were so easy, quick, and delicious and the kids have requested that I throw them into the regular rotation.  I also steamed some broccoli and put some fruit on the table, to at least get in something healthy.  ;o)

After dinner, we all cleaned the kitchen and then I did my evening routine – walk, meditate/neck pillow/vibration plate, shower – and then the kids and I watched several more episodes of Friends.  We Facetimed Brian right before bed, and then the kids were in bed by 11 PM with me right behind them!

Wednesday, July 29

Wednesday morning, I was up at 8 AM, and after my morning things, I caught up on emails, started a blog post for the following week, watered the indoor plants, and then I shut down in my office to spend the rest of the day getting some things done around the house.

First up, was the bar cart.  It was in desperate need of some TLC and the lights on it had died the previous week.  So, I pulled everything off, I wiped the whole thing down, I pulled off the old string lights and added a new strand since the current strand was dead, and then I reorganized everything back on it.  We had just run out of paper straws, so I placed an order for those, too.

When that was done, I did some more tidying around the house and then I watered all the indoor plants before lunch.

After lunch, I wasted some time just scrolling social media in my office and then I headed downstairs to do some more cleaning.  The microwave needed a deep clean, so I pulled out my Angry Mama and got it done.  It is so great for loosening all the gunk!

While that was steaming, I pulled out my Keurig again, and I rearranged some things in my coffee/tea area so I could get the Keurig and the tea kettle in the same area.  I also removed all my mugs from my mug stand and dusted everything and deep cleaned the countertops since they were dusty underneath.  And while the mugs were down, I also changed out a few of my mugs to keep them fresh.  ;o)  I have quite a collection of mugs and I rotate them out frequently. 

By the time that was all done, I needed to shower even though I wasn’t quite done doing everything in the kitchen I’d wanted to do.

After I showered and was ready for the day, the kids and I went to pick up Olivia’s friend, Maren, and she told us all about the trip she’d just taken with her family.  Then, we drove to pick up Jacob’s friend, WJ, and the five of us headed home so the kids could have one last sleepover before school started.

When we got home, I grabbed a muffin and some tea and I corrected some blog typos, caught up on some planner stuff, caught up on some emails, and I did a Bible study and my devotional for the day.

After that, I went back down to the kitchen to finish what I’d started earlier.  I descaled and deep cleaned and changed the filter in the Keurig and I changed the filter and deep cleaned our Brita water pitcher that we use all day every single day.  That all took forever, because of all the water flushing of the filters and such, and once all that was done, I had just enough time to take out the trash and sweep the kitchen before Brian got home from his trip.

He’d landed much earlier than expected, and he offered to pick up dinner for all of us on his way home from the airport so I wouldn’t have to go back out.  The kids all wanted Chick-Fil-A, so he brought that home and we all ate dinner together, and then the kids went back to hanging out.  The girls hung this sign on the boys' room and I thought it was the funniest thing.

I was on a roll Wednesday, so I kept it going after dinner and I watered all the outdoor plants, I swept off the front porch, I cleaned out the guest bathroom and restocked everything in there (soap, toilet paper, tissues, etc.), and I added a new frame to the shelves with a picture of Maui in it.  Meanwhile, the girls set up their sleep area and decorated it and everything.

After that was done, Brian and I took my stair stepper outside to use some WD40 on it with the hope of getting it to stop squeaking.  He was able to get it to stop for a while, but it was squeaking again by the time I got on it later in the evening.

The girls played outside for a bit and then they both wanted to shower, so they took turns doing that and getting into pjs, and then I got them set up with milkshakes, popcorn, and 10 Things I Hate About You.  Maren had never seen it, and it’s one of Olivia’s favorites since I introduced it to her and Jacob earlier this summer, so I got her to get permission from her dad (since it’s PG-13) and he gave the thumbs up.

Meanwhile, the boys played video games and watched videos and laughed all night as they always do. 

While everyone was occupied, I did a stair stepper workout and then I did an 8-minute arms workout followed by some mediation/vibration plate/neck pillow time (y’all know the drill!  Haha.).  Then, it was time to settle in for the evening with B.  We watched another episode of Every Year After, and then he and I went to bed.

Thursday, July 30

Thursday morning, I was up at 7:30 AM and I finally dragged myself out of bed at 7:45 AM to check on the kids.  The boys were still asleep, but Olivia and Maren were already up, and they were just about to turn on the TV.  They’d slept downstairs on the couch bed, and they’d decorated the whole front sitting room to make it cozy and fun.  They said that they’d gone to sleep at 11:30 PM, which is unheard of, so they were actually feeling refreshed when they got up at 7:30 AM. 

The boys were up by 8 AM which is so early for them after a sleepover.  All four kids raided the muffins and donuts we’d bought at the bakery Tuesday, and then the girls took out their heatless curlers.  I couldn’t believe how well they’d worked.  Look at those gorgeous curls!  And that was before they brushed them out!  They were even more beautiful afterward!  We cannot recommend this set enough if you want easy, overnight curls with no effort whatsoever!

I helped the girls spray and then brush out their hair, and then after that, I suggested making a Starbucks run in our pjs.  They were both the most excited ever and I was excited, too, because that meant I could get a lil treat for myself, too.  ;o)

Olivia doesn’t drink anything but water, so she just wanted a cake pop, and Maren opted for a Frappuccino, while I got a peppermint mocha.  Since the kids are back at school, I’m in my fall feels, and since Starbucks doesn’t have pumpkin syrup year-round, I opted for the next best thing – my Christmas drink!  Haha.  Fun fact, Starbucks has the peppermint syrup all year long, so you can order a peppermint mocha any time you want… you don’t have to wait for the holiday season.  I learned that from my brother when he worked there several years ago.  #TheMoreYouKnow

When we got home, the girls started playing with Olivia’s new Gui Gui slime (she says it's the best slime everrrr), the boys played video games, and I went to my office to work for a bit.  I had some emails that needed attention, some blog housekeeping to do, and I wanted to finish my blog post for Monday.  While I worked, the girls kept calling me down to see their slime creations.  <3

Late in the morning, I got showered and ready for the day and when I went downstairs to make lunch, the girls were working on a dance routine to the theme song from Shimmer and Shine.  It was the cutest (even though I did have to hear that song 84 times while I made lunch – haha).

After lunch, the kids cleaned up all the mess they’d made (which actually wasn’t much) and then WJ and Maren got all their stuff packed and ready to go.  While they did that, I put all of Jacob’s leftover birthday cake in the freezer to keep it fresh, and then we went out.

The girls had been begging me all morning to take them to Target “just to browse” so I told them we could go on the way to take everyone home.  We swung by the library on the way to pick up a book for me, and then we headed to Target.  The girls led us all around the store (mostly in the beauty and school supplies sections) and the boys checked on the Pokemon section which was mostly bare other than a few booster packs, and I grabbed a few things we needed at home, too. 

Both girls ended up leaving with something small (I knew they weren’t going just to browse!  Haha!), and the boys both grabbed booster packs, and then we were on our way.  We dropped WJ off after that, and then Jacob, Olivia, Maren, and I headed home to grab Olivia’s guitar and then take Maren home... and, of course, she had to give Stella some pets.  After Maren was dropped off, Olivia and I headed to her makeup guitar lesson.  The music school was closed for summer break last week, but since her guitar teacher had been out of town the week prior, he was doing all his makeup lessons the week they were closed.

After her lesson, we headed home for the rest of the day.  The kids both finished cleaning up the house and then I did a couple of loads of laundry to wash all the bedding they’d used.  I had a few more emails that needed attention, and then I caught up on a few things in my planner before doing my devotional and my Bible study for the day.

When Brian got home from work, he and I made breakfast for dinner together, and then I divided up all the chicken I’d bought at the grocery store and packed it away in the freezer.

The evening was spent walking, doing an 8-minute arms workout, meditating and laying on my vibration plate and neck pillow, and showering while Brian mowed the lawn and the kids showered.

Once everybody was clean and cozy in pjs, we popped some popcorn and settled in for a few more episodes of Friends and then Brian and I watched some more of Every Year After when the kids went to bed.

 

Friday, July 31

Friday morning, I was up at 7:30 AM but I lay in bed for 15 minutes just soaking up the feeling of being peaceful and calm and knowing that I didn’t have to rush out of bed to get ready for the last weekday this summer break.

After breakfast, I got all caught up on blog reading and then I went through all my emails before getting showered and ready for the day.  Jacob had a wire poking in the back of his mouth from his braces, so I called the orthodontist and they told us to come on in, so he and I headed that way as soon as I was ready. 

He was in and out in literally two minutes, and then we swung by the gas station to fill my SUV before heading home and eating a quick lunch.

Both kids had drop-in at school Friday to meet their teachers, walk their schedule route, and set up their lockers, so we went to the school a little after noon to get started.

The first order of business was getting Jacob’s locker set up – he’s right in the middle of the main long front hallway this year and he has a bottom locker, so it’s going to be chaos compared to his top locker/small hallway situation last year – but I’m sure it’ll be fine.  He got his locker organizer in, and he put all his binders / stuff in there, and then we walked his schedule together and met all his teachers.  I saw my old religion teacher and stopped to talk to him for a few minutes, and then I talked to Jacob’s religion teacher for this year for a bit since she graduated in the class right behind my brother’s graduating class.

Several of Jacob’s friends were there by that point, so I left him with them in the high school and Olivia and I walked over to the middle school to get her locker set up and meet all her teachers, too.  One of her teachers this year went to school with my littlest brother, so I stopped to talk to her for a bit, too, and by then, Jacob had met back up with us because most of his friends had left.

We were THRILLED to see that the middle school science teacher was back after a battle with cancer.  He was supposed to be Olivia’s science teacher last year, but a couple of months into the school year he was diagnosed with a very rare type of cancer, and he had to step down from his teaching position to get treatment.  He had hoped to come back before the end of the school year, but he never made it.  We were all shocked and SO happy to see him Friday, and both kids ran up and gave him huge hugs.  He told us he’s in remission now and all of us got a little choked up talking about it.  His gratitude to be teaching again was evident and Olivia is thrilled that she’ll finally get her chance to have him as a teacher next year since he teaches 6th and 8th grade science.

Olivia found some of her friends and chatted with them for a bit, and then we headed home... but not before getting a picture!  All of us were tired (and in a little bit of a funk) after being at school all afternoon because none of us were ready for summer break to be over.  Haha.

I grabbed a cup of tea and started working on this blog post and then I lay and rested my neck for a bit since it was bothering me.  I got a Bible study and my devotional done for the day after that, and then I helped Olivia set up all her school supplies since we’d picked them up from the school.  Jacob finished up the last of his summer homework while we did that, and then both kids packed up their backpacks and all their summer homework so we wouldn’t have to think about school the last two days before going back.  ;o)

Brian went to pick up Five Guys for dinner early in the evening, and I got the house (and myself) all cozy for the evening.  Olivia said since they had to go back to school on Monday then the least we could do was put fall scents in the diffuser.  I couldn’t argue with that, so I got out my cinnamon bark, pumpkin spice, and vanilla oils, and in they went!

After dinner, we all settled in to watch The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, and while we watched, I got our One Second a Day video caught up for the year (I was two months behind), and I also mended the broken straps on the kids’ bath towels.

After the movie was over, it was only 9 PM, so the kids popped some popcorn, and we watched a couple more episodes of Friends before they went to bed.

Brian and I ended the evening with toasted marshmallow old fashioneds and the newest episode of Silo, and then we watched a smidge more of Every Year After before bed.

 

Saturday, August 1

Saturday morning, I slept in until 8:45 AM, and then I headed downstairs to make homemade waffles… my Saturday specialty.  :o)  By the time the waffles were ready, everyone was up, so we all had breakfast together and then Brian and I cleaned up the kitchen while the kids started their laundry and showered.

I grabbed a cup of tea and headed to my office to catch up on emails, work on some more blog housekeeping stuff, and get this post caught up, and then I worked on a couple of things for social media.  I also realized Saturday morning that Instagram FINALLYYYY started showing all the highlights on my bio again after years of having them only show 100 of them.  (Yes, I have more than 100 highlights in my Instagram bio.  Haha.) 

So now, I can scroll all the way over and see every highlight I’ve ever made – from our very first Disney trip (the kids were tiny) to every concert we’ve been to and all the highlights in between… I’m so thrilled and so grateful they’re all back.  For a while there, I was worried they were gone forever! 

After I was done at my computer, I got started on some things I wanted to do around the house – make the bed, fold all the clean bedding I’d washed Friday, and photograph and list tons of clothes for sale on Facebook and Poshmark.  That has been on my list foreverrrr, so I was happy to get it DONE.

We all had lunch together after that, and after lunch, Jacob opened his mail from the DMV… he officially has his permanent permit instead of the temporary paper one.  I still cannot believe it.

After lunch, I finished photographing and listing items on Facebook and Poshmark and then I washed two loads of towels.

I had to lay down for a few minutes late in the afternoon to give my neck a rest, and then I grabbed a cup of tea to enjoy before it was time to shower and get ready.  I finally got to wear my new necklace and it is even more beautiful than I'd hoped.  I'm so here for the statement necklace comeback!  And it looks cute with my favorite bracelets!

We went to 5:30 Mass, and then afterward, we went to our usual Mexican restaurant for dinner.  My cousins, Wil and Shelby, and Shelby’s boyfriend, Drew, had all driven in from Atlanta and Athens, and they joined us for dinner, which was such a special treat.  Wil is the assistant director of equipment for the University of Georgia football team, so we don’t get to see him a lot even though he’s only a couple of hours away.  This was his last free weekend before college football starts, so he will be busyyyy for the next six months.

Since they were all here visiting, we stayed later than usual at dinner, and my Uncle Greg also had them come out to sing Happy Birthday to Jacob since he'd just had a birthday.

After dinner, the kids wanted ice cream, so we swung by Bruster’s on the way home.  When we got home, I bet y’all can guess what we did!!  We got in our pjs and watched Friends until the kids went to bed.  Haha.  And then Brian and I watched the second to last episode of Every Year After. 

 

Sunday, August 2

Sunday morning, I slept in until 8:30 AM and realized it was the last day of summer break and the last day that I didn’t have to wake up at 6 AM, so my Sunday Scaries kicked in big time.  I headed downstairs to make cinnamon rolls for breakfast, and then after we ate and cleaned the kitchen, I headed to my office to get my Sunday things done.

First up, was getting my planner ready for the week ahead, and let me tell you, it’s a whole lot less fun when school is back in session.  Haha.  After that was done, I transferred my photos from my phone to my computer and it behaved this time, so organizing them didn’t take long at all. 

Jacob wanted to practice driving, so he and Brian (and Olivia because she just wanted to be there to watch) all left late in the morning to do that.  While they were gone, I folded all the towels that got washed Saturday and put them away, and then I got a couple of shipments ready for sales that had come in for some of the stuff I’d posted Saturday.

After that, I relisted all the uniforms on Facebook that I’d listed the previous week to get some fresh eyes on them.  I sold about half of them earlier in the week when I first posted them, but the post eventually got buried in the algorithm, so I made a fresh post. 

After that, I rearranged a couple of things in my closet, and then Brian and the kids came home.  Jacob had driven a lot more than he did the first time with me.  He felt more comfortable in Brian’s SUV, too, since his is smaller than mine.  Plus, they’d found an even bigger parking lot that was completely empty, so it was a good experience.  He even practiced parking!

We all ate lunch together when they got home, and then I sorted the dirty laundry since it was laundry week.

I headed out for a walk mid-afternoon and oh my word, it was hot.  The sun was overhead and it was miserable.  I ended up cutting it short because I started feeling a little woozy thanks to my dizziness, but at least I got most of it done.  When I got home, I did an 8-minute arms workout, and then I got showered.

Sunday afternoon was spent at home just being.  The kids love a lazy homebody day like I do, so we did just that.  They both showered and got everything ready for school the next day, and we all tidied the whole house – nobody wants to go back to the regular routine with a messy house!  Then, I spent the rest of the afternoon in my office working on this post, starting my post for Friday, watching The Wedding Planner, and working on a few other administrative things.

We went to my parents’ house for Sunday dinner, and then when we got home, we watched a little bit of Friends, the kids went to bed early (boooo), and then Brian and I started the last episode of Every Year After before also going to bed early (double boooo).

Happy Tuesday, y’all!

Our 2026 Denver, CO Trip - Days 3, 4, & 5

*This post contains affiliate links.  As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Day three of our trip, we got up at 6:30 MDT and we got showered, refilled our waters, and grabbed some fruit from the hotel breakfast place.  We had plans to eat breakfast at Voodoo Doughnut since we’d never tried it, so we didn’t eat anything at the hotel.  (Well, I think I did eat some scrambled eggs first, because I always like to start the day with protein!)

We had to drive into Denver to eat there, and we assumed that they’d have tables in the doughnut shop, but shockingly, they didn’t, even though the place was huge.  Since they had no tables, we had to take the doughnuts back to the car and eat them there. 

Brian got a banana cream pie and a blueberry cake, I got a maple old fashioned and a blueberry cake, Jacob got a Marshall Mathers (the one covered in M&Ms – LOL) and a blueberry cake, and Olivia got a Marshall Mathers and an ODB (the one with chocolate frosting, Oreo cookie crumbles, and peanut butter drizzle).  They were all so delicious.

We’d parked in the Denver Botanic Gardens parking lot to eat since that’s where we were headed next, and we got there just before they opened at 9 AM.  They were already letting people in, so we were able to get started a little early, which was great!

We toured around there for nearly an hour and a half, and it was the most beautiful place… and it’s HUGE.  It just kept going and going and going and we had no clue that it was going to be that big.  We got to see a few bunnies hopping around there, too, so that was fun.  We have them here in Georgia, too, but it’s not very common to see them around, although in the last year, we’ve been seeing them occasionally in our neighborhood!

We left the Botanic Gardens around 10:15 AM and we stumbled upon the end of a Pride race.  There were tons of people in the streets, and everyone was dressed up so fun and festive!  That’s one thing about Denver – they go all out for Pride month!  There were flags and various other sentiments of support all over the city, in all the shops and restaurants, and there were special displays in all the stores. 

We wanted to do a little shopping after that to kill time before lunch, so we headed downtown and parked near the Simply Colorado store.  They had tons of souvenirs, as well as other random stuff, and we all got a kick out of this chihuahua stuffie in a taco purse. 

After that, we walked down the way to the I Heart Denver store in Denver Pavilions.  It’s a souvenir shop, but items in the shop are created by local artists, so purchases support the artists.  It was kind of like Etsy, but in brick-and-mortar form.  They had the best stuff in there, too, and we ended up getting a few things – a Colorado hat for Olivia, a Denver sticker for my bulletin board, and a Red Rocks mug for me as well.  We always love bringing a little something back home when we travel, and it was so nice to be able to support local creators instead of getting our souvenirs from those standard souvenir shops that you see in every city.

We had to find some lunch after that because we had reservations for Meow Wolf at 12:20 PM.  5280 Burger Bar was right there in Denver Pavilions, so we decided to try that, and we were so glad we did because we all enjoyed it.  None of us were very hungry yet at that point after eating all those donuts, so we were happy that they had a few small options.  I grabbed a hot dog and fruit, Brian got a French dip and shared my fruit, and the kids both got mac n cheese which is exactly what they’d both wanted.

When we were done, we walked back towards the car, and on the way, the kids got up in this big jungle gym in the middle of downtown.  While Brian and I were waiting on them, my cousin, Rob, and his girlfriend, Lindsay, just happened to walk by, so we chatted with them for a bit.  We knew they were going to be in town for my cousin’s celebration, but it was wild that they just happened to be in the same place at the same time as us in that big ol’ city!

The only thing I Heart Denver didn’t have was a souvenir frame for my souvenir frame wall, so we had to go back to Simply Colorado and get one there.  Then, we walked back to the car and drove straight to Meow Wolf.

Now, if you’ve never heard of Meow Wolf, then you’re in good company, because we’d never heard of it either until I asked everyone for recommendations of what to do in Denver.  Several people mentioned going to Meow Wolf, and Brian and I were like, “What on earth is that?!” so we looked it up, and after telling the kids about it, that’s the main thing they wanted to do on our trip.  Haha.

Meow Wolf only has five locations – one in Denver, one in Santa Fe, NM, one in Las Vegas, and two in Texas.  It’s an immersive art adventure.  You get to step inside the art, explore, and touch everything.  There was no rhyme or reason to any of it, and it was just such a crazy place.  Honestly, it was one of the weirdest things I’ve ever seen and I’m convinced that whoever designed it was on an acid trip.  Haha.  It just gets weirder and weirder the whole time you’re in there and 99.9% of the time you have no clue what you’re looking at. 

There are hidden tunnels and doors and staircases and every single one of them leads to yet another place that makes no sense.  Haha.  And there’s also some puzzle or riddle or something that you’re supposed to solve by collecting data from different exhibits, but most people don’t even know that’s in there.  Since I’d read a blog post about it, our kids knew there was a mission going in, and they ended up solving it with a little help from someone else who’d been there before. 

Not sure exactly what else to say about it, so I’ll just let the pictures do the talking…

Weird, right?

We stayed nearly two hours, and we were all hungry and so tired by the time we were done, so we looked up places to get treats/snacks, and we ended up at Tiff’s Treats… a bakery with cookies and brownies.

Brian and Olivia both had brownies and Jacob and I both had a lemon sugar cookie and a snickerdoodle.  While the cookies were good, they weren’t really special or unique, so I wouldn’t go out of your way to get them if you’re ever in town.  It was a good place to stop and recharge, though.

After we were done eating, we walked to the Denver Central Library.  I do love checking out libraries in big cities, and I’d hoped that the Denver library would be as cute as the one in Nashville, but it wasn’t impressive at all, other than the fact that it was big. 

None of us had any other ideas of what to do or where to go since time was limited (it was almost time to switch gears to the family portion of our trip and the main reason we went there), so we just decided to hang out at the library for a bit so we could cool off.  The kids played a game of chess, and when they were done, we walked back to the car.

We got back to the hotel with just enough time to rest for 10 minutes and freshen up, and then we met my Momma, Daddy, and two brothers, Zach, and Alex outside, because they’d finally arrived in Colorado and they were staying at the hotel right next door to ours!

My Aunt Maureen and Uncle Chris who live here in Georgia part time and in Colorado part time were hosting my whole extended family at their house Saturday evening, so we followed my parents to Walmart to pick up a few things to bring to the gathering – beer, wine, and dessert… the essentials!  Haha.

And can I tell you just how weird it was walking around Walmart in the middle of Colorado with my Momma, Daddy, and brothers again?  The last time we were all in Colorado, it was just the five of us, and I was 12, my brother Zach was eight, and my brother Alex was only two.  I guess I just never expected to be out in Colorado with all of them again as an adult.  Haha.

We drove to Uncle Chris and Aunt Maureen’s house after that and spent the rest of the evening over there with my extended family.  Mama Cass had arrived along with my Aunt Joy and Uncle Greg + my cousin Shelby, my Aunt Mary and Christa and my cousin Cat and her boyfriend.  And my Aunt Becky and my cousin Courtney were there, too.  My cousin Taylor and her fiancé, Chelsea, arrived on Sunday, so they couldn’t make it Saturday evening, and my cousin Rob and his girlfriend Lindsay were in town, but they didn’t come to the gathering on Saturday evening.  While most of my extended family was able to come to Colorado (32 of us were there), there were 15 who couldn’t make it.  We have a very big family, as you can see!

I’ve mentioned this before, but one of my cousins married Matthew Perry’s sister (yes, the Matthew Perry from Friends), and since it was my cousin’s sister who we were celebrating, some of his wife’s family came, too, including her mom, which is Matthew’s stepmom.  She and Mama Cass are good friends, so she came over to hang out Saturday night, too, and I was able to spend some time with her.  I’d met her before at my cousin’s wedding in California many years ago (that was also when I met Matthew), but I hadn’t gotten to spend a lot of time with her. 

Saturday evening, I was able to sit with her and Mama Cass and chat, and I was able to tell her just how loved Matthew was and how much he has meant to me my whole life.  Friends has been my favorite show since I was 12 years old, and I literally watched it nonstop in my bedroom growing up – first on VHS tapes, then on DVDs (I own all ten seasons and I have the collector’s DVD glass case), and eventually on streaming.  Chandler and Monica were (and still are) my favorite characters on the show, so Matthew has always been a big part of my life since I grew up with him on my TV all the time.  It was a HUGE privilege getting to meet him, and I only wish he was still around, so we could spend more time with him.  I miss him so much.

After everyone chatted for a while, we all had dinner – pizza, wings, salad, dessert, and beer.  We ended up staying over there for nearly five hours talking, practicing our dance for the celebration (more on this later), and reminiscing.   

We all went outside at sunset and took our shoes off and put our toes in the grass, and it was just nice quality time with everyone.  We all get together several times per year but this seemed extra special since we were all so far from home.

Brian and the kids and I got back to our hotel around 9:45 PM, the kids showered, and then we all went to bed at 10:45 PM.

Sunday morning, we didn’t set an alarm, and we all ended up sleeping until 7:30 AM.  We walked down to the hotel lobby for breakfast after that, and then we all got showered and ready for the day.

My cousin’s celebration of life was at 10 AM at the other Botanic Gardens that we hadn’t already visited.  And this celebration of life was a first for everyone because the person who we were celebrating was still with us.  My cousin Zoe’s request was to have a celebration of life before her time comes, so that way she could see everyone one last time and say goodbye.

We had a private area in the gardens under a big pavilion, and it was a gorgeous day – sunny, blue skies, a cool breeze, and it was the perfect temperature in the shade.  There were rows of chairs up front and big tables in the back, and there was a screen with a slide show of photos of Zoe through all her stages of life projecting on the wall.

We all mingled for an hour or so, spending time with family and friends and meeting new people and catching up with people we hadn’t seen in a while, and then it was time for the presentations.  We all grabbed drinks from the bar and took our seats and then things got started. 

My cousin, David, (Zoe’s brother) was the host, and he started by reminding us all what a unique event this was.  He said that it was likely a first for everyone there, so we could navigate it however we needed to – by crying.  Laughing.  Breathing.  Leaving.  Getting out and walking the grounds if we needed a break.  Everyone handles grief differently and there’s no right or wrong way to navigate it.

Zoe was a dancer her whole life – her entire life has been all about moving your body and feeling comfortable in your skin and taking care of and nourishing yourself.  She was a professional dancer in New York City and then she went on to start her own business helping women reclaim their bodies after childbirth.  She is creative, artsy, and so very talented, and therefore, all her friends and the people she surrounded herself with are also very creative, artsy, and talented.  So, the next four hours celebrating her was an absolute treat. 

We watched old videos of Zoe dancing, some of her dancer friends performed dances for her, her brother and husband and many others gave speeches, we all meditated together, some of her friends performed poetry that they’d written for her, we all got up and danced to Sky Full of Stars by Coldplay while waving white satin sashes that one of her friends had brought, Zoe’s brother performed a song for her along with two of his friends, one of Zoe’s best friend’s and Zoe’s daughter sang Long Live by Taylor Swift (I cried buckets during that one), and my parents, aunts, uncles, and Zoe’s sister-in-law and niece performed I’ll Fly Away per Zoe’s request.

We took a break from the presentations after that to eat lunch, and they had a huge spread of food catered – chicken, rice, vegetable wellington, mac n cheese, salad, and bread.  I lose my appetite in times of grief and/or stress, so I didn’t each much, but everything that I did have was delicious.

After lunch, they opened the mic to anyone else who wanted to say something in addition to all the planned presentations that we saw before lunch.  There was a steady stream of people for the next hour telling funny stories about Zoe and beautiful stories about Zoe and generally talking about what a beautiful soul she is.  Then, we closed out with a guided meditation from one of Zoe’s friends.  Her friend walked us all through taking energy from the earth and the sun and the moon and the stars and sending it to Zoe and each other and ourselves, and it was really beautiful.  I don’t think there was a dry eye in the whole place after that.  I mean, there really wasn’t a dry eye in the whole place all day.

We didn’t want to leave on a sad note, though, because that’s not who Zoe is, so after that was done, my whole extended family and I ran out on the dance floor, flash mob style, and we did a line dance to Drunk and I Don’t Wanna Go Home by Elle King.  We were the comic relief, I guess you could say.  Haha.  When we hit the dance floor we were all still crying from the meditation, but then we were laughing and dancing and having a great time.  It was such a roller coaster of emotions all day.

My Aunt Mary had planned the line dance before the celebration as our family’s contribution.  Zoe participated in many flash mobs over the years, including one in Times Square in New York City a few years back.  We knew it would be just the thing to make her smile, and it did, indeed, make her smile.

After our dance, we all took a couple of family pictures, we said our final goodbyes to Zoe, and then we were on our way.

It was a beautiful day, but it was a hard day.  We laughed.  We cried.  We laughed and cried at the same time.  Over and over over again for five straight hours.  By the time we left, we were all emotionally drained (and physically drained from everything else).

My Uncle Chris and Aunt Maureen (Zoe’s parents) invited my whole extended family back over to their house again after the celebration and Zoe and her family headed to their own home to rest.

We all hung out over there for the rest of the evening.  I got to hang out with all my cousins again, and we talked and joked and laughed and cried together all evening.  My aunts and uncles warmed all the leftovers from the celebration of life and dinner the night before, so we had a hodgepodge of leftover pizza, bread, mac n cheese, salad, wings, and chicken for dinner.  I had to snap this picture of Mama Cass because she had her own little cocktail holder while she was walking around.  Haha.  This particular evening was pretty subdued, though... we were all completely drained emotionally.  And that's really saying something because I have a very loud family.  

We said our goodbyes at 7:30 PM, headed back to the hotel, and we were in bed at 8:50 PM MST.  Just exhausted.  Shockingly, I barely slept Sunday night.  I thought for sure I’d be dead to the world after being so emotionally and physically exhausted, but I just couldn’t stop my brain from thinking about all the things. 

We didn’t set an alarm Monday morning because we knew we’d be up with plenty of time to get to the airport for our flight.  We woke up at 7:30 AM, we went down to have breakfast in the hotel again, and then we all got showered and ready.  We took our time packing because we had time to spare before we needed to be at the airport, and Olivia Facetimed with her friend, Maren, so they could compare schedules for the upcoming school year since they’d just been updated in the school’s app.

We drove back to Denver to return our rental car, and then we shuttled to the airport.  On the way, Brian realized that our airline for the flight we’d booked was requiring us to check our bags, so I had to shuffle a few things around from my suitcase to my carry-on when we got in the airport.

Once we were through security, we found some lunch.  The kids wanted McDonald’s, but Brian and I opted for Shake Shack, and then we went in a couple of shops to kill some time.  Allen Levi’s book is just everywhere, and always in the #1 spot!  <3  Oh, and I took my new travel outfit for a spin... and I LOVE it.

Our flight was on time, and as we were taking off, our captain told us that there’s always turbulence when flying out of Denver.  I was expecting mild turbulence, but this was most definitely not mild.  At one point, our plane dropped so drastically that everyone’s stomachs dropped and one lady screamed.  That is the first time I’ve ever been on a flight where somebody screamed and it was not ideal to say the least.  My anxiety went through the roof.  Haha.  The kids both looked at me wide eyed, but I assured them it was okay, and thankfully, it was. 

The rest of the flight was smooth, but when we landed, the jet bridge was malfunctioning, so they had to call a mechanic.  Thankfully, it was fixed quickly, and we were off the plane soon enough.

While we were waiting to deboard, my Aunt Joy (who had landed in ATL a few hours before we did), texted me to let me know that the entire highway (on our route home) was completely shut down due to a shooting that was being investigated.  They’d been sitting there for hours, and they weren’t allowed to proceed or turn around since it was a crime scene.  I was grateful for the warning, but I knew we had an extra-long drive ahead of us if we had to take the backroads.

Baggage claim was slow, which is rare for the Atlanta airport.  They’re usually quick, so we were surprised we had to wait so long.  We shuttled back to our car after that, and then we swung by Chick-Fil-A to grab dinner to eat in the car on the way home.  Just as we were approaching the area of highway that was closed, the GPS told us that it was starting to clear, but we went ahead and took the backroads just to be safe, and it only took us a couple of minutes out of the way.

My Aunt Joy and Uncle Greg (who also had Mama Cass with them) ended up waiting nearly FOUR HOURS just sitting on the highway, and I was so grateful we didn’t get caught in that mess.

We made it home just before 9 PM our time, and then we unpacked a little, and the kids were in bed by 10 PM. 

This was such a beautiful, bittersweet trip, and it’s one that I’ll remember for always.  I’m grateful that we were able to experience so many new things as a family, and I’m even more grateful that I was able to hug Zoe’s neck one last time.   

Thanks for following along, y’all.  If you missed the first two recaps you can see them here and here.  And please keep Zoe and her family – especially her children (they are Jacob’s and Olivia’s ages) – in your thoughts and in your prayers as she navigates this last stage of life.