Hanging with the Old People

Dad decided to fly me out to Colorado to spend the long holiday weekend with my family.  It's been a quick trip, and I'm sorry that I didn't get to see all of my friends here, but I have gotten to see a lot of two of my favorite people...

I was lucky enough to be picked up from the airport by my two adorable grandparents.  These cute "Oldsters" (as I affectionately call them) must know me very well because they drove me directly to Cafe Rio for dinner.

Yum!

I just can't get enough of my grandparents.  I spent the night at their place on Thursday, and my Grammy put out a night light for me in the hallway, just like she used to when I was a little girl...she is so so so cute.  I got up early to go walking with my Gramps, and he was wearing his standard walking outfit--windbreaker pants with a polo tucked in and a straight-billed baseball cap.  I love it.  I wish I had a photo.

On Friday afternoon, they drove me up to the Colorado mountains (which I love and have missed) and took me gambling.  Yes, gambling.  We played $2.00 each in the penny slots at Central City.  I won 70 cents.

Five years ago, on my 21st birthday, my grandparents "kidnapped me."  They said that they needed to "teach [me] some bad habits," so they took me to Central City to play a dollar in the penny slots.  Unfortunately, since I didn't know where they were going to take me, I left my ID at home.  We were in the casino for about 20 seconds before I got carded.  My Gramps used his persuasive powers to convince the worker that he was a righteous old man who wouldn't pick up a random teenager to take her gambling.  They gave me a wrist band to show that I was 21.

Well, this time, I asked Gramps if he was "teaching me bad habits again," and he said, "No, you have enough of your own bad habits now."  Thanks, Grampy!  Then we went into the casino, and I was not carded once.  So I am obviously getting both more wicked and more wrinkled...it's amazing what five years can do to a person.

Friday afternoon, my dad picked me up from the Oldsters' house, and we went out to dinner and pigged out on Mexican food.  The next day, we went to the King Tut exhibit and the Cherry Creek Arts Festival...then we headed back to the grandparents for a Thanksgiving feast.

Yes, my grandma cooked a full-on turkey dinner in my honor.  She said that she was "so thankful" that I had come home to visit that she couldn't resist!  (I really think it was because she had a turkey in her freezer that needed to be used, but the other reason is much more flattering.)

 I love Thanksgiving dinner, and I love my Gram.

Dad and I went to church on the morning of the 4th of July, then went to some friends' for steak and potatoes, and ended the day with, you guessed it, my grandparents!

I made Grammy wear my necklace, so she would be red, white, and blue.

Tonight, we hung out with the Oldies again and went mini-golfing:

Please notice how small my Gram is.  She is standing on a step, and she is still a head shorter than I am!

In the golf game, Grandpa killed us.  His two holes-in-one certainly helped his cause.  I did okay, until my ball ended up in a bush:

Do you see the orange ball in there?

It was downhill from there.

Tomorrow morning, I am headed to Utah for a reunion with some of my college roommates.  We are going to stay up late talking and eating treats, just like old times.  We are even going to make t-shirts, and I've heard mention of a burying a time capsule in the lot beside our old apartment complex in the middle of the night???

If my grandparents bring out the maturity in me, my college roommates bring out the immaturity.  I can't wait...