Blake and Molly are hitched in Denver!
Curty with his 'Merican friend in the Golden Hotel.
Out to eat with the DeRuyters!
I was thrilled that Mom, Dad and I were going to be able to make the trip west to see Blake and Molly get married. It was a celebration of sorts of the good old days, where they would steal Joel and I from school and take us out west each September. We mostly hit up Yellowstone and the other national parks, but I was never fortunate enough to be able to visit Denver! Luckily, we found the perfect excuse and were able to join the Boettchers on their wedding day!
Seymour takes Denver.
Blake walking down his parents!
The newly married couple!
Awwwww...
We were able to coordinate travel and the Wisconsinites and my flight from Pittsburgh got to the airport around the same time. While we were waiting for Deb and Curt to arrive, Jay and Perry spotted me from the center of the shopping mall (that is the Denver airport) and we hung out for a while working on homework and Jay was drawing up plans for some engineering project. They were fresh off the bachelor and bachelorette parties, so it was a pretty calm morning to say the least.
The Perry Kelly, partner in crime and laughter.
Yep, giggles and sums up the weekend.
The Jay Kelly.
This seems more "normal" for us.
From there we went on to the adventure of picking out a rental car. Jay travels a lot for his work, so as a perk he was able to rent pretty much whatever car he wanted and applied his points to the deal. So we wandered around trying to find the perfect car and watched Jay almost get in an SUV with another family inside after he finally made up his mind about our rental vehicle. Haha, he slowly backed away and choose an extended cab truck with authority and we were on our way. No insurance necessary this time, because Jay said he always gets into trouble when he buys insurance HAHA, which makes me die to this day with laughter.
The local ladies!
BEN.
We jumped in the truck before a few raindrops hit our luggage in the back and we were on our way to Golden, a nice little community outside of Denver where the wedding was taking place. The first evening we caught up with the DeRuyter family and went to a popular pizza place across the road. The pizza was excellent and our silverware came wrapped in bandanas! They knew almost instantly that we were from Wisconsin with our thick accents. After some time in the pizza parlor, we made our way across the road and crashed the tail end of the rehearsal dinner. It was nice to get to see everyone before the big day. Perry and I were laughing so hard I was about ready to pee myself - I have no idea what we were laughing about, but that's usually the best part.
Pretty Hasse ladies!
Like Father like Daughter... Yikes!
Bergs and Jay bust out the Short Ties!
The next day was the big wedding day! In the morning we made our way west to check out a Brewery and walk around a little tourist town. Ben, Bergs and their ladies joined us for the adventure. We got a bite to eat a restaurant and then looked at the clock to realize that we needed to get Jay back ASAP for the wedding. It was a mad dash back to Golden - and by some stroke of luck, Jay made it back to the wedding in the nick of time!
Curty ready for the day trip after a Starbuck!
Our first stop on the way up Mt. Evans
Jay, Alyce, Perry!
The wedding was a beautiful outdoor wedding right on the river. Blake and Mollie wrote adorable letters and vows to one another that captured each other perfectly. Their dog was also an adorable part of the ceremony and ran up to the front to them - it was too cute.
That's a keeper.
Playing in the glacier snow in July - its a must!
Billy Goat Jay... as Perry and I struggle in our sandals and dress, haha!
After our strenuous hike of about 20 feet... skinned knees and all.
After the ceremony we migrated to the deck and inside for cocktails and dinner. The dinner was fantastic - I was so full I could barely dance. I hate when I do that! The best part of the dinner was the toasts, which resulted in each call for a kiss from the bride and groom requiring a "Go Pack Go" chant! The dance was next, and I of course made a fool of myself on the dance floor, but at least I had a few partners in crime.
Marsh Family Photo!
That's a real background of sheep.
I busted out my zoom lens.
Baby and mamma all scruffy in July.
After the wedding festivities came to a close we migrated across the road to a country bar where the old fashions were flowing and Garth Brooks blaring on the jukebox. I can't say it was actually a country bar, but we sure made it one!!
We found Mountain Goats at the summit of Mt. Evans!
The next day, we decided to head up to Mt Evans to check out the scenery. It was a perfect day trip! With Curty at the wheel and a Starbucks in hand, we made our way up the side of the mountain. The truck was big enough to run anyone off the road, but also a little too big for all the switch backs and cliffs that we were driving on. We stopped a few places for photos and look outs and also saw quite a few animals on our adventures! Up at the top the air was a little thin, so we came back down and got a Buffalo Burger. Perry and I both went for the BIG 'ole Buffalo burger and dominated them. Perry was left pretty much palming her burger, but it was so worth it.
Of course, the little babies stole the show!
We wanted to finish off the day with a bang, so we went looking for a place that serves Rocky Mountain Oysters. Look no further than The Buckhorn Exchange. The place was a gold mine. It was full of taxidermy, old guns, and everything wild west. Curty wandered around just to look at all the antique artillery for a while and we all had a glass of wine and of course, an order of Rocky Mountain Oysters. They were surprising good! I guess if you deep fry anything, it will be easy on the taste buds.
The unknown animal, that was too adorable not to post.
Some of the terrifying cliffs.
BUFFALO. So good.
From there we made our way out to the airport where we booked a place to stay in order to be nice and close to the airport. It was a nice little trip and I'm so happy that we were able to be there for Blake and Mollie's big day! We also got to spend a fair amount of time catching up with Jay and Perry, who don't necessarily live close either!
Rocky Mountain Oysters in Denver!
Congratulations on your wedding and many years of marriage ahead!
The Buckhorn Exchange... a little sign from Joel!