well...

we're back. what a freakin' great time we had in Monte Vista. it had been at least a couple, if not a few, years since i had seen Denny and Laura last!

denny was right in his last post about the beauty of blogging. even though it had been some time since we had visited (face-to-face), our blogs kept us up-to-date; peeling away the years of 'separation.' god, i love these people!

also saw Di for the first time in probably seven years...she's as cute as ever. must get it from Emma ;) and, of course, meeting Emmathecharmer was such a highlight of the trip. i don't want this to sound pedophilic, but that little one is PONY-LICIOUS.

we arrived friday afternoon - perfect day for the drive down 285 - and checked in at the Comfort Inn that's less than two blocks away from Lowa and Denny. rested a bit and headed over to Boyd and Joyce's house. they're friends of lois whom she had met on a trip to Maracaibo, Venezuela, when she served as a mission group's Spanish translator.

they're a cute older (but once TOTAL flowerchildren) couple originally from the Berkeley area. boyd is a retired pediatrician...joyce is the pastor for the Methodist church in monte vista. they just moved there a couple years ago, after living in Conifer for about fifteen years.

we met them at their house, which is just two blocks north of Di's. they gave us a tour of their 1884 abode and of the church before we walked on over for dinner at the Monte Villa Hotel...which was okay. i don't know why some Monte Vistans believe this place to be so great. the decor is nice...and the general service was friendly...but the food is average...and the manager of the restaurant is a total bitch. i think one visit was enough for me...

saturday was quite busy. we grabbed a bite to eat at the Mountain View Restaurant...washed the car (even though i almost broke my neck nearly falling on the ice ;)...had snax and coffee w/ the Murphy clan and their Wallace slave-boy at the Corner Merc...swung by a house on Stallo to see a really cool greenhouse and some boisterous (but funlovin') dawgs...stuffed ourselves at Nino's (sorry your sopaipilla was greasy Lowa :(...and spent some time at Crys and Pablo's house, which has a woodburning stove that we would kill for...and called it a night. i guess our Scrabble night will have to wait for the next visit either here or there.

sunday was just breakfast at the Kelloff's (Lowa is SO right about their mouthwatering waffles...sigh) and the drive back to Denver. this time, we took 160 to Walsenburg and I-25. although not as pretty a drive as 285 and a bit longer, it was still nice to stop in Tes' for a cheeseburger, burrito smothered in green, and a twist cone. i learned about ten years ago that the only worthwhile places to grab a bite to eat in Walsenburg are Tes' and the Pizza Hut (i swear it's the best one in colorado!) right off the highway.

thanks guys for such a fantastic time! hopefully we can get together more than every couple years from now on, eh :)

now...it's off to the store. we ain't got one fresh veggie in the house. and you can eat only so much canned...