Cousin Time!

At the beginning of October, I was so fortunate to have my beautiful cousin Amanda come to visit me!  At the time she was a bride-to-be and just two weeks from the big day.  I was so excited to get to have good quality time with her before she got hitched :)

The first weekend of October is notorious for being our first cold-front with a good freeze.  This year was no different.  Amanda was welcomed to Colorado with 20 degree weather!  She didn't let it slow her down though.  The very first morning I had her up early and out in the cold for the last race of my series.  I offered to let her stay in the warm bed, but she's a super cousin and came out to cheer me on in the freezing weather.  This was the Great Pumpkin 10K out at Vennetucci Farms.  The place had lots of things to look at between the farm animals, the produce and the incredible view of Pike's Peak.  And even though it was cold, the sun was shining and there was very little wind, which is what really matters in Colorado.

Lots of chickens!

Their farm probably produces the most pumpkins
in the area and they give most of them away to kids.

A lovely ant family ;)

The race itself was a lot of fun.  It was probably the most "cross-country" type run I've ever done.  We were running through the pasture, across creeks, through the trees, over ankle-testing roots.  You really had to keep your focus on the path to make sure you didn't twist an ankle.  My competitors put up a good fight.  My competitive side kicked in of course, but I couldn't quite catch the first female.  I loved it though and felt like I had definitely given it everything I had out there.

All smiles!

I was a fan of the post-race nourishment also.  Pumpkin soup with Irish soda bread!  What a great treat for a cold morning, pumpkin run.

And some refreshing watermelon grown right on the farm

We had to hang around forever for the results because of a glitch in the system.  Amanda was so patient after already standing around in the cold cheering and then having to wait even longer.  They finally did figure it out with our help, so we got our prizes and were on our way.

$15 to spend at the farm and $10 to a running
store.  It's great when races pay for themselves!

What a great cousin!

We got away from there and got ready as quickly as we could because the race had already cut into our day.  I had so many thoughts on things I wanted her to see and such a limited time to do it.  Some must sees are Manitou Springs and Garden of the Gods.  So off we went!

You can't come to Colorado Springs and not
hold up the balanced rock.

It's hard being in Colorado while all of her wedding festivities were in Texas.  So I planned a fun girls' night for just the two of us to celebrate and have a low-key "bachelorette" night.  We got all fancied up and headed out for an evening at The Melting Pot!

Cheese Course with fresh breads and veggies

Meat Coarse: Caribbean Mojo cooking spices & 6 dips
Pork, Chicken, Salmon

Dessert Course: The best by far!

We opted for the S'more Chocolate Fondue!

Lovin' our fancy, slow-paced, and delicious meal together

Fondue is the perfect meal for spending quality time with someone.  We got to chat about so many things over the span of our three hour fondue experience.  I will cherish that time and our conversation forever!

We were up and going early the next morning too.  Apparently I'm not the person to visit if you want to sleep in and relax. There are too many things to do and see!  We went to early church so that we could maximize all of the time in the day.  We did hang around for our monthly potluck brunch so that Amanda could meet some of the important people in my life.  Then we hit the road for a little scenic Colorado road trip.  Amanda came right at the end of our Aspen changing season.  It's probably one of the few things that gets me excited about the fall and the cooler weather coming.  The aspens are my favorite with their vibrant colors and fluttering leaves!

The beginning of Raspberry Mountain - my go to hike for Aspens

We got a gorgeous day with completely clear skies!

We pretty much had to place to ourselves, so seflies it was

We took the scenic byway around Cripple Creek to see
some more great views of the Aspens and distant mountains.

Our picnic site - doesn't get much better than that!

The booming town of Cripple Creek ;)

I personally believe that Colorado is a stunning display of creation at any time of year.  But I was especially glad that Amanda's first Colorado experience was at one of our unique times of year. We finished off the weekend with a little Amazing Race watching because it's the one show I watch all week and I get pretty into it.  (I'm going for the ER doctors this year!)  The whole weekend was quite a blessing!  I couldn't have asked for better quality time with my cousin and best friend before watching her walk down the aisle.

Which I got to do just two weeks later.  I won't give too much away because it's her big day to share.  But I was so glad I could be there to celebrate Amanda and Jason as they made their vows to one another and started a new family!

Soon to be married!

My mom even worked in the random holiday for rehearsal!

Mr. & Mrs. Wilson!!!

One of my favorite parts of weddings (outside of the excitement of the actual marriage) is the people that it brings together.  So many of us our scattered around the country, so it is a rare treat to have so much of our family together.  The true goofiness of our family really comes out, but we sure do have fun and laugh a lot!

Can't you tell he's loving the bubbles and our breath?!?!

I am so thankful for my family - grandparents, parents, brother, aunts, uncles, cousins, and all those who are like family.  I am blessed!