Denver

WARNING: LONG POST, LOTS OF PICTURES!!
We just go back from a 5 day trip to Denver for the American Association of Orthodontics annual convention. Rob's school pays for him to go so the kids and I tagged along. Rob was in classes and talking to vendors regarding equipment and supplies for his office most of the vacation while the kids and I played and relaxed. My favorite part was not having to cook, clean, do dishes or laundry for 5 days!

Thursday night when we arrived to our hotel we were quite the site. We had 2 large suitcases, 2 carry-ons, a diaper bag, 2 carseats, double stroller and our 2 kids. The elevator door opened and one man was standing inside so we told him to go ahead since all of our stuff would take up the entire elevator. He insisted that we could fit and even helped us get all of our stuff in the elevator. Rob said to this man, "You look really familiar, are you an orthodontist". Thinking that the man must have been someone he has met before and was here for the convention as well. The man says, "No, I am the manager of the Minnesota Twins". The Twins had followed us to Denver to play the Rockies. Rob said, "Oh, you are Buck Showalter." The Twins manager said, "Oh come on, I'm Ron Gardenhire." Rob asks, "Who is Buck Showalter." Ron says, "He is a TV sports personality." As if we didn't feel dumb after that, the elevator opens on the 19th floor - the penthouse - and Ron asks, "Are you guys getting out here?" Yeah right! We totally forgot to push the floor number that we needed. So it looked like we just wanted to ride up and see where the Twins were staying!

That night both kids had fallen asleep so we put them in the stroller and went to Chili's to eat. It was kind of like Rob and I were on a date since both kids slept the entire time. We were able to have a nice conversation and eat without interruptions. It was fabulous. The funny thing is that Evan fell asleep in the shuttle ride from the airport to the hotel. We took him out of his carseat and put him in the stroller then onto the bed in the hotel room. Then back in the stroller to Chili's and back to the hotel bed. Evan slept through all of that! He is the most amazing sleeper. If he could just rub off on his sister a bit.

Friday Rob headed to classes and the kids and I walked to the Children's Museum. Evan loved it and we spent 5 hours there! We were on no time constraints so we just enjoyed ourselves. When I asked Evan what his favorite thing was he said the lockers! Forget preschool this kid is ready for Junior High!Another one of Evan's favorite things at the Children's Museum wasn't even an exhibit, it was the bathroom. They had some "kid-sized" bathrooms that were darling. Small toilet, short sink, soap, paper towel dispenser. Evan also thought this seat in the "adult-sized" bathroom was pretty cool.The area where we spent the most time - an hour and a half - was the "forest" as Evan called it. There were tunnels to climb through and a slide where Evan's head is poking out.Evan ran around his forest nonstop! He would pass by me and say hi and then continue on.In the forest they have animal dress ups. Here Evan is a rabbit, minus the rabbit ears that he didn't want to wear. Evan wore this for more than half of the time he was running around and was so hot but wouldn't take it off. I guess to have the full effect you need to be in an animal costume.The grocery store was a hit like usual.Lily smiley like usual!That evening Evan was insistent upon swimming. So we headed to the pool for an hour before bed. Evan was very wired when we got back to the hotel room so Rob thought he was being clever and asked Evan if he wanted to sleep in the big bed or in the crib which was intended for Lily. Thinking that Evan would say the big bed and then realize that he had made the choice to go to bed. Well Evan chose the crib! He really slept in it that night and the crib is shorter than he is! The kids also loved playing in the crib.

Saturday the kids and I walked to the Aquarium. By the time we got there both Evan and Lily were asleep so I sat in the lobby of the Aquarium for over an hour while they slept. The Aquarium was lots of fun and Evan loved seeing the huge sea turtles and the tiger that was in the rainforest area. Evan 's favorite tank was the "Nemo" tank with lots of Nemos, Marlins, and Dories according to Evan. Evan also loved the stingrays that you could touch in this shallow pool.That night we attended an alumni reception for the University of Minnesota. Most of the current residents were there and some from last year so it was nice to know some people there. I was finally able to meet the people who referred us to the townhomes we live in.

Sunday Rob decided to not go to classes and we took it easy. Rob took us through the exhibit hall with all the vendors. It was crazy! Evan and I found the video game vendor and played for over an hour. That evening one of the reps took all the residents to ESPN Zone for dinner. After we ate Rob and Evan had a great time playing video games. I think they could have played for hours.Monday the kids and I swam in the morning then met Rob for lunch at the convention center. Both kids fell asleep on my walk back to the hotel so I decided to do some shopping along 16th Street Mall (a pedestrian mall several blocks long with shops and restaurants). I guess it was more browsing since I didn't buy anything, but it was still fun since the kids were asleep. That evening Evan wanted to go swimming again so we all headed to the pool. The boy team, Evan and Rob, swam and the girl team cheered them on. I hung out by the side of the pool with a very tired Lily. Evan had a blast with his dad in the pool.Tuesday was the morning I had been waiting for. Why you ask? Well I had heard about this street vendor called Waffle Bros. They sell Belgium waffles with all sorts of different toppings. Now these aren't the kind of Belgium waffles you make at home, these are the kind they sell on the street in Belgium. 10 years ago when I was in Europe we spent 3 days in Belgium and I still remember how delicious the Belgium waffles were. They were definitely more like a dessert than a meal. So I had to try out this Waffle Bros. street cart. They are not there on Sundays and Mondays so we decided to go on Tuesday. All I can say is they did not disappoint! Mine had strawberries and whip cream and it was to die for! The edges of the waffle are caramelized and so sweet. I wish I could have packaged them up and brought them home. So if you are ever in Denver, go to 16th and Tremont in the morning and your will see a vendor who is the friendliest guy who makes the best waffles ever. It made me wish we would have gone on Friday and Saturday mornings also! After the waffles the kids and I swam again and then got ready to head to the airport.

We had arranged for a shuttle to pick us up at 2pm and our flight was at 4:30pm. The shuttle had told us to plan on 45 minutes to the airport including time to pick up other people so we thought that we had given ourselves an extra 45 minutes of leeway. The shuttle showed up 30 minutes late at 2:30 and we were the first ones in the van. The shuttle can hold 10 passengers. As were were buckling our 2 carseats in the van the shuttle driver sighed and rolled his eyes. I just assumed he didn't like kids. I asked the driver if we were picking up other people and he answered very arrogantly, "Of course". We drove to another hotel and waited for 20 minutes and no one showed up. At this time it is 2:50pm and Rob tells the driver we need to be at the airport in 30 minutes and asks if this is possible. The driver very rudely replies, "You will probably be there around 4pm. I need to fill up my van with people so I can pay for my gas since you are taking up all of my seats". What! Rob and I were both irate at this point. First of all 4pm! Our flight left at 4:30pm and Denver airport has that train you have to take to the terminals so they make you check in at least 45 minutes early. Secondly, taking up all your seats! You still have 6 more seats! The reason the driver was mad at us and thus rolled his eyes when we were loading in the van was because he doesn't get paid for the kids and they take up seats. Kids 8 and under are free. So he was mad at us over his company's policy. Rob asked if we could be refunded our money and get out so we could get a cab and hopefully still make our flight. The driver says to call the shuttle company (of course he wants to get rid of us since we are "taking up all of his seats!"). So Rob calls them and complains about this driver as he is taking us on a tour of downtown Denver trying to "fill his van". Who cares if people make their flights, as long as he has his van full he is happy. The shuttle company tells Rob we can be refunded just stop by their counter in the airport. Are they crazy? We don't have time to stop by their counter, we barely have time to run to our gate and hopefully make our flight! During this time we stop at another hotel and 3 people hop aboard the shuttle from hell. The next hotel we stop at Rob jumps out and asks a bellhop to get a cab for us as quickly as she can. This bellhop was all about customer service. Next thing I know there is a cab waiting for us and we unload all our luggage and children and reload it in the cab. It is now just after 3pm and the cabbie is cruising us to the airport. The cabbie did reassure us that "[he] will drive carefully" as Rob and I are rushing to buckle in the carseats tightly. Well the cabbie did keep his promise and got us to the airport safely and an hour before our flight. That was the best $55 we have ever spent! Rob and I have learned our lesson: taking a shuttle from the airport to the hotel is fine, but don't take the shuttle back to the airport unless you have all day to get there. It is worth the extra $30 to have a direct route there and not be driven aimlessly through the city finding people to "fill the van" with. Sorry this story is so long, but it was probably the most frustrating and stressful traveling experience I have ever had. Traveling with kids is never easy, but I thought we had a system down since we do it so often. Good thing Evan is such a big help at the airport and he pulls his own carry-on bag! Besides the last few hectic hours of our vacation trying to get to the airport, our vacation was really nice. I don't think it was much of a vacation for Rob since he was at the convention most of the time, but at least it was a change of pace. Now that we are back home I have to face reality and start packing for our move. That is after I do this huge pile of laundry.