Weekend Getaway

In July of 1998 Kate and I took a honeymoon trip to Vegas. Whit was less than a year old, and it was the first time Kate had been away from her. We cut the trip a day short so we could get back to her. In the 11 years since, we have not taken a trip without the kids. So this weekend’s jaunt to Denver, while short, was much overdue.

We flew out Friday afternoon. Since Jim lives there he directed us to a great sports grill where we could eat while watching the Yankees play the Angels. I had the best hamburger I’ve ever eaten. I was covered in a jalapeno cream cheese spread. Saturday morning we slept late, then made a trip to the gym (fitness doesn’t take a vacation, you know!) We then got cleaned up and headed downtown to a matinee of ‘Wicked’.

I made every effort to go into the performance blind. I didn’t want to have any preconceived notions about the play. We had really great seats, and the show was outstanding. I overheard some people saying that the part of Elphaba was played by an understudy, who wasn’t as good, but I had no idea. I thought she did an excellent job. If you haven’t had the chance to see it, I would highly recommend it. I don’t want to ruin anything for anyone, but it is a very clever tale, and the effects and music are very powerful. At one point during the performance, we were all sitting there misty-eyed because of a moving scene. But the woman beside me was more than just a little weepy. She was full-on sobbing. It is definitely something that is to be seen more than once. There are a great many subtle hints and suggestions all throughout that I only realized later.

That evening we ate at another sports grill, so we could watch the Yankees game. We got there at 6:30, shortly after the game started. After we had been there for an hour and a half, the Utah/UNLV football game came on. I was in heaven, with the Utes and the Yankees games side by side. I joked that we were going to be there for three more hours, until the end of the Utah game. We did see the end of the Ute game, but only because the baseball game went 13 innings. And of course the Yankees and Utes both won. We didn’t plan on a 5 hour dinner, but the food was good and the games were better, so it all worked out.

Sunday afternoon we tooled around the suburbs south of Denver, taking a walk down memory lane while visiting the house and school of Kate’s youth. Having never been there it was a short walk for me.

We got home late Sunday night, exhausted and satisfied. We definitely need to do things like this more than once every 11 years…