Social Famine Quenched Part III: Back In Denver

Friday, June 26th Continued I landed in Denver around 6:00pm. I did not have the opportunity to visit with my good friend and co-worker, Terri, so I asked her to pick me up from the airport so we could use that time to chat. We also stopped by Starbucks where I enjoyed a caramel apple cider and we could continue our visit. We could have chatted a lot longer, but I told Jared and Katie to meet us there at 8:30pm so we could make a Kohl’s run before it closed. It was fun to see Terri and get caught up with all the happenings at Buckley! My really stellar quality purse I bought in Kuwait was already falling apart so I was on a mission to find a new purse along with a wedding gift for my good friends who were getting married the next day. Thanks to Katie, I was able to get a cute purse that I liked. I was also successful in finding a wedding gift- hooray! We got home and I pretty much dropped my stuff off and then Ashlee was there to pick me up so we could head to Chili’s. That is our thing… we always get the broccoli cheese soup and chips & salsa and enjoy a nice visit. Ususally we start a little earlier then 10pm, but other then that it was just like old times! Thanks Ashlee!

Saturday, June 27th I feel so loved! I do…. my friends planned Third Thursday while I was in town so I could be there. I love Third Thursday, a girls night out, or in this case a girls morning out! We headed to a vegetarian restaurant for breakfast. My friend Megan picked me up around 8:30am and off we went to Water Course Foods in downtown Denver. We had sweet potato cinnamon rolls for an appetizer and I ordered banana bread french toast and fresh fruit for my main meal. It was pretty tasty! It was also nice to catch up with Tina, Alena, and Megan- such great people! Alena published a book of her funny stories and experiences she has had, she is a funny gal and definitely entertaining!

Me, Tina, Alena, Megan enjoying a beautiful morning in Denver

Once I got home from Third Thursday I had a few hours to get ready for the day and head to my good friend’s Cat and Gabi’s wedding luncheon. It was very nice and great to be there to visit with friends and eat Texas Roadhouse- I wish I hadn’t had so much for breakfast! Anyway, Cat and Gabi looked so happy- in fact, I’ve never seen Gabi so serious before.

I’ll never forget the first time I met Cat, it was the first Sunday I went to Maplewood Ward when I first moved to Denver. We have been friends ever since. Gabi is great, too- he was my date for my 27th birthday. Cat was out of town, so she loaned him to me for the evening. He was one of the best dates I’ve ever had! Thanks Cat and Gabi for being such great people. Before I left Denver I told them they have to get married in June so I could come to the wedding. I'm pretty sure it was coincidence that they got married during the time I was home, but I can pretend that it was for me- thanks for listening! I was very glad I was able to make it to your luncheon and wish you all the best as you start your journey together!

Gabi, Julie, Cat

Saturday evening was my last evening in the States, so I told Jared and Katie that my only plans were to hang with them. Well, they had planned this BBQ in the park and invited Katie’s Dad, and the Showell clan to join us. Turns out that it was a surprise birthday party just for me! How thoughtful is that? It brought a tear to my eye that they would do that for me. I’ve definitely celebrated my birthday apart from Jared before, but I think this was a first to have my very own birthday party with Jared present. Kind of different and it made me realize that I love sharing my birthday with Jared- I am definitely blessed to be a twin. Here are some pictures from the party:

After visiting, playing on the slide, and watching Cayden enjoy being at the park, Jared grilled some hamburgers for us and then I got to blow out the candles and open presents. Again, Jared and Katie are so thoughtful. I love (and miss) all my plants. Well the first gift was glass bulbs so you don’t have to remember to water your plants, it automatically releases the correct amount of water as the plant needs it. Great idea! I let Annie hold on to those for me since she is babysitting my plants for the year.

The next present is one that I will cherish forever. Jared had taken a picture, a classic, of the two of us and restored it, printed it, and framed it for me.

The background story to that classic picture is the day before (or a couple days before) family pictures I was playing on my oldest brother’s skateboard. I would kneel on it and hang on for a fun ride. Well, I must have caught a rock under the wheel which made the skateboard come to an abrupt stop, but I kept going. My face scraping against the sidewalk resulted in a large and not very attractive looking scab on my face. In an attempt to hide the fact that I had a massive wound on my face, the photographer told me to turn and whisper something in Jared’s ear or give him a kiss on the cheek. It is one of my favorite pictures and it meant a lot to me that Jared would take the time to restore such a treasure. Thank you!

The BBQ Birthday Party was a fun evening and the weather stayed nice. It was fun to see people once more before heading back to Kuwait. Once we got everything loaded into the right vehicle, Jared, Katie, and I came home and golfed to wrap up the evening. It is such a great card game. After the card game it was time for me to beginning rounding my stuff up and start the amazing packing job!

Sunday, June 28th

Sunday we enjoyed a lazy morning and I was able to take care of the last minute packing details before heading out. Jared and Katie dropped me off at the airport and then went straight to church so they could make it on time. Thanks again Jared and Katie for letting me stay with you and for the great party. Love you guys!

I did experience a little hiccup when I went to check in at the Denver Airport. Since I lost my “visa” (I don’t’ think the agent would have believed that was my visa even had I not lost the little piece of paper) so I obviously didn’t have anything to present when I tried to check in and obtain my boarding pass. I feel bad for the lady helping me, because she didn’t usually work that position and was quite flustered and didn’t know what to do. I mentioned I didn’t have my visa and all she kept saying is “I’m reading it from my screen that all return passengers for Kuwait must present their passport and their visa.” After hearing this about 3 times I finally asked her what the procedure was for those that have lost their visa. She knew who I worked for and I told her that I didn’t need a visa, but that didn’t help. So she finally made a phone call and asked if I had my orders, which luckily I did. When I presented those to her she said I was good to go. My bag weighed a good 62 lbs, but when I tried to give her my credit card to pay the overweight fee again she was all confused and said, “but the screen didn’t say anything about taking money!” So, she let me get away with a very heavy bag for free! The first hurdle was crossed and I thought I would have some difficulty once I arrived in Kuwait, but I didn’t have any problem whatsoever. They treated me as if I was arriving in country for the first time and gave me a new number in Arabic scribble! Got to love it!

It was hard to say goodbye and know that my awesome vacation was truly coming to an end. I had such a great time. There are so many awesome people in my life that make me feel so loved. Thanks to all who made my stay in Denver and in Utah so wonderful. It was very hard for me to get on the plane and come back to Kuwait… not because it is so horrible here, but because I realized how great I had it at home (I consider both Denver and Utah home- is that normal?) There are so many great people, both family and friends, who have blessed my life more then they will ever know. I love you all!