Let's go to the mall, today!
Vail Getaway
The Vail trip was relaxing, delicious, and beautiful.
We walked around town in the rain, popping in art galleries and catching all the unusual pokemon that spawn here. 
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I fell in love with an artist at the first gallery we found. If I had a spare five grand I'd be all over any one of Tracy Felix's works.
We checked into the hotel and were pleased to find they had upgraded us to a full suite with a mountain view. Lovely!
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I changed into warmer clothes for the evening and we ventured out again. The clouds parted and the rain stopped for the rest of the day. We enjoyed the abundant flowers and had dinner at Tavern on the Square.
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The shuttle was an easy and quick ride across town to the Ford Amphitheater. We were a bit early, so we had plenty of time to explore the Alpine Garden just outside the theater. So many gorgeous flowers!
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We had excellent seats near the front and under the pavilion. It was a really cool space to see a show. The lights changed dramatically as the sun set. They leave a natural plant backdrop in the rear of the stage. During one piece with live piano accompaniment. there was a bird calling in response to each pause in the music. So cool! Here's some pics before the show and at intermission. 
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Ben's favorite dancer was Tiler Peck from NYCB. She was indeed very light, smooth, and a strong performer. Lovely feet. She danced a mazurka and later this exact same piece with the same partner:
My favorites were the duo from the Royal Ballet in London. I loved Lauren Cuthbertson's performance in Alice. Eric Underwood was also in it as the caterpillar. They danced this explosive excerpt from Chroma. (This is Eric below, but not Lauren. Couldn't find a recording of her in it).
They were unreal! Such power and grace, so unworldly. I loved seeing this up close. My desire to see a Royal Ballet performance in London is only stronger now.
Ben and I both LOVED this group from Philadelphia called BalletX. They performed this piece:
They remind us of a local Colorado company, Wonderbound, but they have greater dance technique and better, more mature choreography. If they ever tour to Denver I definitely want to see them. The director and the program mentioned a piece they do called Slump. There's a part of it online:
The show ended with Lil Buck doing his famous Swan routine. I've seen him perform online and on TV a few times. In person, it was mesmerizing.
We got to stay up late watching the Olympic Opening Ceremonies without worry of kids clamoring for us in the morning. We slept in late and slowly made our way back down the mountains to our family. Amanda is a fantastic aunt. The kids were over the moon with all the fun stuff she did for them. I'm so lucky to have her so close by and to offer an overnight stay.
I wouldn't mind repeating this weekend every August. Happy 14th anniversary Ben!
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Beautiful Vail
Counting down the hours
I'm so excited for our trip this weekend! Last Tuesday was the 14th anniversary of our wedding. To celebrate, Ben and I are taking a short trip to Vail. We have tickets to the Vail International Dance Festival. I can't believe we've never been to it in all these years. I'm super pumped to see Isabela Boylston (again!), Lauren Cutherbertson, and Lil' Buck.
Plus, you know, QUIET CONVERSATION! Amanda has graciously offered to watch the kids and house overnight. I cannot wait to escape to the mountains for some fresh air, art galleries, nice meals, beautiful dancing, and no messes to clean up!
Playground relief
If everyday in summer was cloudy, bug-less, and 70 degrees, maybe I wouldn't hate summer. Today is a nice break. Hope it stays cool. Two weeks until the first day of school . . .
Jack Rides a Bike!
Today Jack achieved a big milestone - riding a bike by himself!
One of my summer goals was to get Jack riding a bike like a proper first grader. We worked on it most days. I realized his bike we got for his 5th birthday is just too big for him to handle. I got a glider from craigslist to teach him to coast, then a medium sized bike also from craigslist as a step in between. Now we have a ridiculous pile of bikes in the garage, but I know Sam will use them all too it's justified!
Jack overcame a lot of fears for this. He was poorly motivated to learn, but tonight we couldn't get him off it. He finally got that awesome sense of speed and freedom that a kid feels on a bike.
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Down the rabbit hole
I haven't played video games in a long time. I have other things I'd rather be doing with my free time (mostly knitting). But this new game has sucked me in.
I downloaded the free Pokemon Go app for Jack, but very quickly realized the game was for me.
It's really a great game. Despite how (very VERY) buggy it is, I've been playing it nonstop for three days. I don't feel bad about that, because the game requires you to walk and explore the town in order to play. Here's my screenshot and selfie in play:
Read more about the game on your own; I won't bother to explain it thoroughly here. I will say that not only is the game addicting, it's exercise, and a social activity. We can't believe how many people are playing! We just came back from one of our local playgrounds and 4 out of every 5 people we saw were also playing!
Plus, it's been great for Ben and I to have something to share about between us.
If you know anything about the game, then be excited for these screenshots:
I'm a gym leader!!
Probably not for long. :-) The Arvada center was a CRAZY busy place. Tons of pokestops, tons of players. We even stopped to chat with a family who had taken their bull Python out for a stroll while they hunt Pokemon. Sam loved that :-)