The Traveling Belchers: 2017

Justin is on his first assignment on the other side of the LDP program. Wow! What a change of pace! It is mind boggling that the grand opening side of the job is even in the same category as being an IM. While the slower pace has been shocking, it has also been extremely relaxing. Justin and I are both catching up on some much needed rest. It has been great having dinner together every night and having the weekends off.

Most of our time has been spent doing normal things like hanging around the house, catching a movie, or going to our childbirth classes. Last week, we were blessed to spend a few days with some of our best friends from college. Since college, we have always been able to meet up once a year, and this year was no exception. The Redds just happened to have a trip planned to Chicago, which was exactly where Justin's assignment has us located. Every evening after Justin got off work we headed downtown to meet up with the Redds for a touristy attraction. We visited Cloud Gate, Wrigley Field, The Planetarium, and Navy Pier.

One night we even rode the Tilt at the Chicago 360. Since Justin is irrationally afraid of heights, he volunteered to be the photographer as we were "tilted" out of the building to look down at the city and street below. I must admit that it was a little more nerve racking than I had anticipated.

Life would not be right if the Belchers and the Redds hung out without playing Nerts. (This is how we spent every single Saturday night of college and the first year of our marriages!)

While three days with two of our favorite people is not nearly enough, we spent time planning next year's visit together. So far those are all of our Chicago shenanigans.

As our time winds up here in Colorado, it seems that most of our adventures have just begun. We began to realize that while we have been here for almost four months, we have mainly just gone to work and back to the hotel. So we devised a plan to have a little fun on our final days off.

Sunday we had an adventure packed day. We started the day with church followed by a group brunch. Then we headed to Estes Park. Of course we had to make a quick stop by the historic Stanley Hotel.

Next, we visited Rocky Mountain National Park. The park was beautiful and it had exquisite views of the mountains. We all got to feel the impact of the elevation. I, however, was the weakest link on hiking trip. Pregnancy seems to have this strange affect on the body. We also got to laugh quite a bit along the way.

Tuesday evening, the team surprised me with a baby shower at a local Mexican restaurant. I was shocked when I turned the corner to head towards our table. The team had been planning it for several weeks. I had so much fun! They surprised me with food, games, cards, and presents. I felt so blessed and loved.

With all of the IMs and trainers in the restaurant, the IMs finally got to have one day off besides Sunday. Justin and I used his day off to explore downtown Denver. We started our morning at the Red Rock Amphitheater. It is a natural amphitheater made of rocks. Many famous bands have played there over the years. It is a local spot for exercising and site seeing during the day.

After Red Rock, we went on a tour of "Molly" Brown's House Museum. She was one of the few survivors of the Titanic. It was so interesting learning about her history, why she was on the Titanic, and how she survived.

Denver is known as the Mile High City. If you are wondering why, it's because Denver is literally a mile above sea level. We stopped by the state capitol to document our elevation.

We ended our day at Little Man Ice cream. It is basically on every Pinterest "Top 10 Things To Do in Denver" list. I understand why. It is an adorable location with delicious ice cream. The flavors are unique, tasty, and contain no artificial colors.

Friday, the team bought balloons and cake for all the IMs, as they prepare to leave and go to new locations. This team has been so sweet and thoughtful. It is such a blessing to receive so much love from all the workers.