The Lee Family: Family in Ft. Collins Colorado

We set out for Ft. Collins around 10:30am, driving and dropping off Buddy with Marco and Stacy before we headed to get breakfast at the Original Pancake House. We figured we didn't want to make any dirty dishes and thought we could grab a quick breakfast. Of course, the "15 minute" wait was much longer and we ended up not getting to the airport until around noon which meant we didn't take off until 12:30! My Uncle Roger arrived in Ft. Collins at my Aunt Cathy and Uncle Eric's house on Friday morning while Uncle Steve and Aunt Shirl arrived this morning. I was eager to get there so we could spend time together since Uncle Roger plans on leaving late tomorrow and we don't see each other often.

We took off and headed toward Ft. Collins, after I texted everyone that we were on our way. The flight was about 3 1/2 hours and Olivia and I cuddled up and slept for just over 2 hours of the flight. It felt fabulous! The last 45 minutes it was really bumpy and Olivia and I ended up feeling really sick, which is unusual for both of us. Olivia kept saying "I need an empty bag!" I also felt really ill, but thankfully we landed just in time. I was a little nervous since CK just had the Baron's interior recovered and it looks fabulous! I'd hate for Olivia or I to be sick in it on the very first trip (or any other trip, really). Once we were on the ground in Ft. Collins, Olivia and I headed inside to the air conditioning. After about 10 minutes we were both feeling a lot better and Uncle Eric arrived with his truck and we loaded up and headed to the house, which is only about 15 minutes away.

We made it around 3:30pm and walked into a house full of family! It was so great to see everyone and be in Ft. Collins! A few days before we arrived, I showed the girls pictures of the cousins we'd be visiting since it has been three years since we were last in Ft. Collins and Olivia really didn't remember Hays, Leah and Lincoln very well. As soon as we arrived, Sofia and Olivia were super excited to see everyone! I'd texted my Aunt Cathy asking if was ok with Leah that the girls sleep in her room with her, since they were super excited to do so. But, if it wasn't alright with Leah, I could work on letting the girls know now. She responded that Leah was excited to have them stay with her, thankfully! I figured Leah and the girls would be inseparable the whole time we were there.

We all sat outside and talked which was so much fun! The weather was typical Colorado perfect and Tucker, my Aunt and Uncle's adorable Llasapoo that is white, but reminds me a lot of Buddy. Tatter Tot, my cousin Chris' dog was there too and the girls adore him. My other cousin's dog, Bolt, which is the craziest looking dog ever, was there too. I loved talking with everyone and catching up with family. Chris, Jackie and their two adorable kids Bryson and Briella left early to spend dinner with some friends who are visiting from out of town, planning to spend the rest of the weekend with all of us. For dinner my Aunt Cathy made steak and chicken fajitas with help from Uncle Steve who grilled all the marinated meat, and Uncle Roger who sautéed the veggies. It all ended up being excellent! For dessert, we had my Aunt's delicious homemade ice cream. She uses my Grandmother's recipe for pineapple ice cream, which is delicious! She also made chocolate, strawberry and lemon curd. She'd made lemon curd from scratch and then used it to make the ice cream, which was absolutely delicious!

After dinner and dessert, the girls changed into their pjs, brushed their teeth and then headed over to go to bed with Leah. CK and I slept in the bedroom upstairs next to where Uncle Roger was staying. It was pretty warm upstairs, but it cools down so much at night, we just left the window open and fan on and it cooled off quickly and felt great to sleep with the window open in July!

The next morning, Uncle Roger headed into town and bought apple fritters, cinnamon rolls and pecan cinnamon rolls. They looked amazing and tasted great with scrambled eggs and bacon. After eating a filling breakfast, we headed out for a hike which we'd done the last time we were all together. Chris had pork ribs in his smoker which he had brought over from his place. He figured they would be perfect by the time we were back from our hike. We loaded up and headed to Horsetooth Mountain Park!

All ready to go!