Denver Trip

Alafair was supposed to go on a Pacific Northwest trip with her 6th grade AES class this week. Aidan was also supposed to go on a Washington, DC and NYC trip. There were enough people registered for Aidan's trip, but in January we found out that there were not enough students signed-up for Alafair's trip. That trip is being postponed until next year.

I love traveling. It's one of the things that both my parents and Caleb's parents made sure that we did as children. I know it was a crucial component of developing our character. There's just something about travel that enriches us.

These trips, especially because they were happening at the same time and on opposite ends of the United States were expensive, but we weren't going to let that stop us. We believe in speaking things into existence, and that's just what we did. However, Alafair's Pacific Northwest trip will have to exist next year.

Caleb and I were both excited for our children to travel and take on the responsibilities, and fun, that comes with school trips without the parents. So, when Alafair's trip was postponed, we all quickly decided that Alafair and I would take a girls' trip to Denver, Colorado. There's a Meow Wolf in Denver that we wanted to explore.

We explored many other things than just Meow Wolf. We went ice skating, to the aquarium and the zoo, horseback riding through the Rocky Mountains in Colorado Springs, drove to the top of Pike's Peak, and went to a bubble exhibit. We also went to IKEA--we'd never been, and it was nearby. While I had been looking forward to her spending this week feeling brave with her friends, it was very nice to spend so much one-on-one time together.

She was actually very helpful during travel, and she has reached the age where I can trust to leave her sitting somewhere while I use the restroom. There was a lot more friendship and laughter during this trip than I was expecting. There was also a lot of being slapped in the face since we were sharing a small bed at our Air B and B, and she is still a wild child in her sleep.

I also found out that she makes great music playlists with songs that I love. We ate at interesting restaurants. It felt like I was enjoying dinner with an older friend, as she sipped on her mocktail lemonade, and engaged in interesting conversation with me.

These kids grow up fast. When we are home, Alfie and I don't actually spend that much time together, because she and her friends have their routines where they get online with each other and have magical adventures, or she spends hours soaking in the bathtub. This week, though, we laughed a lot, and she was able to learn how to commit to the experience of traveling.