A Georgia Peach In The Rocky Mountains

I've lived in Colorado for nine months. That's exactly nine months too long to go without having my mom visit. You'd think after living out of Georgia for so many years, I'd be used to being far away from her. Guess what, guys? You never get used to being far away from your mom. After Allison got to have a whole week with her back in May, I decided it was my turn. So, she booked a week to come visit over 4th of July. Hooray!

Welcome to Denver, Mom! Aren't you just as cute as ever:

After we got Mom's stuff settled at my apartment, I treated her to breakfast at Syrup. I told her we'd need a solid meal in order to face a day full of brewery touring. Don't underestimate her, though. This woman can hang.

Once we were nice and full on benedicts, hash and pancakes, we headed up to Boulder so I could show her Caffe and then meet friends at Avery. Mom is a huge beer lover and I knew Avery would be a favorite for her. I totally love it there. The boys are cute, the beers are awesome and everyone is damn friendly. They know so much about brewing and it's just fascinating to sit and chat with any one of their bartenders or staff. They really take pride in what they do and it shows. Mom did several different tasters including a bock that literally tasted like campfire. It was amazing.

From there, I took her to Denver Beer Co. where she very happily tasted their graham cracker porter and kaffir lime wheat. We had fun:

Even in altitude, Mom held her own. I guess that's where I get it from.

We met my friend, Alisa, later that evening at D Bar where I was shocked to find their food as good as their desserts! I had this pizza salad wrap thing that was dang delicious. Anyway, you don't wanna know about that. You wanna know about this chocolate fudge cake:

And this almond ice cream sandwich made with waffles and three different kinds of cherries:

Nope, we were not disappointed.

Throughout the week, Mom got to meet different friends and hop around to some of my favorite local spots. She had her first Moscow Mule at Parallel 17 where she also got to meet my girl, Mindy:

She came with me to Three Lions which has totally become a second home for me:

She also came to 'observe' one of my CrossFit classes where the guys were ready to put her to work! They graciously allowed her to sit out but only this time... We got margaritas and Mexican after because that's just what you should do:

On 4th of July, I was off of work and super stoked to take Mom up to Evergreen. I knew she'd love the drive and Wildflower Cafe even more:

She tried a basil bloody mary and proclaimed that breakfast all around was the best she'd ever had. There's a literal inability not to smile when you're around this sweet lady. She just brings joy and sunshine to everything, even breakfast.

Afterward, I took her down to Red Rocks where she truly was blown away:

She'd never seen anything like it. I so loved watching her gaze out at the rocks with a look of wonder on her face. It touched my soul.

Since we were so close to Golden, we headed over to Golden City Brewery and sat outside for a while before we decided we were melting. It was such a hot day so we decided to head back to Denver for something a bit more refreshing; air conditioning and blueberry vodka lemonade:

The next day was what's called First Friday here in Denver. Each month on the first Friday, locations all over Denver do open air art walks which are so cool. I'd been to two different locations before so I was thrilled to take Mom to try the one up on Tennyson Street. We did a little happy hour at Udi's first and then it was off to meet my friend, Chelsea, to roam the streets:

I loved seeing Mom have such a good time. I knew she'd really enjoy anything art related so it made me happy to share something she's passionate about with her. Before we knew it, it was time for dinner at Root Down. We drank delicious apricot gin cocktails and heard such fun stories from Chelsea about growing up in Minnesota (including how they make homemade snow!):

It really was a perfect evening.

As if Mom being in town wasn't terrific enough, we got to see my awesome friend, Jessica, from San Diego the next morning. She and I had talked for weeks about going to Denver Biscuit Company when she got here and it was number one on the priority list. I was SO glad we got to do it:

I mean, let's just hit the pause button on life for a second:

Goodness. Nothing but goodness.

The rest of Mom's trip, we really just bummed around town and had so much fun together. Cocktails, sunshine, conversation:

Even though it was a Sunday night, it absolutely didn't stop us from having a night on the town. Sometimes, you just let life lead you wherever it wants to take you and it turns out perfect. I found it completely hilarious that ALL the guys would not leave Mom alone. They loved her:

Who would blame them?

Due to some funny circumstances, we ended up at a bar downtown known for punks, beards and lots of tattoos. Mom, in her sweet Dog Paddle shirt, was a total hit:

I'll be cracking up about that entire night for quite some time.

So sadly, Mom's last night in town inevitably arrived. I wanted to cook dinner for her and just enjoy our final hours together simply. Homemade pesto with roasted chicken, baby kale salad and crisp prosecco, mmm:

It's been ages since I've shared such special one on one time with Mom and I'll honestly cherish it for a long time. Things have not been easy for me since I've arrived in Colorado. That's a hard but truthful fact. Mainly, having to face a lot of hardship alone has been incredibly trying and heartbreaking at times. Not being able to just walk down the street to Allison's place or call up my closest friends to meet me for a margarita makes a vast difference when going through a hard time. So, having Mom come be with me for a week was healing for the spirit and comforting for the soul. I'm so fortunate to have gotten even a small, temporary breather from feeling so blue.

Thank you for coming to see me, Mom. Thank you for hugging me and for letting me cry on your shoulder. Thank you more for helping me smile and see the glorious goodness I have in my life because you're my mom. You're the greatest person I know and I miss you more than any words could explain. I love you.