Jett's Colorado trip

To preface, Paul and I take each grandkid on a trip of their choice (within the 48 states) during the summer either just before or just after they turn 13. Alicia spent a week in NYC; Alex to NYC, Cooperstown, and Niagara Falls; Jacob in San Diego; Vincent in Seattle and parts of Washington State; and April in Boston and parts of Massachusetts.  Jett wil be our last trip of this sort. 

*Jett has self-identified as non-binary. So I will be using the pronouns they, them, and their in reference to this trip.

Jett chose Colorado for their trip! It's one of our favorite places and we hadn't visited since 2007, so we were thrilled. We decided to make this trip extra special since this was our last grandchild trip and because there is so much to see. 

On June 1st, we launched our adventure from Tampa International Airport. Our flight was to leave at noon but was a little late. We took Southwest and ended up in Row 18. Lucky us. Right behind me was a kid who sporadically kicked the back of my seat. No sleep for me! But I concentrated on the funny kid things he was saying and tried to maintain my equilibrium

Jett got to sit by the window and they were glued to the window for awhile. Eventually they turned on their phone and watched Yellow Submarine as they have recently become a big Beatles fan.

We arrived around 2:30 RMT. Denver airport is horrendous in that we had to do so much walking. Now, remember, the air there is a bit thinner so walking fast results in "stars" in your vision. Two moving side walks, two escalators, a tram ride, and finally we reached baggage claim. We didn't recognize Jett's suitcase on its first pass (they did!) but they pointed it out and we retrieved it on the next go round.

We endured a shuttle ride to the Budget car rental. There was a couple who sat ACROSS from each other rather than next to each other. The man had his bag on an empty seat, so I proceeded to sit down and squished his bag to him. He huffed and put it on his lap. Jett sat next to me and Paul across from us, next to the lady whose husband huffed. She had to move HER bag for Paul to sit down. Grrrr. Inconsiderate to say the least.

We got a red RAV 4, with a Florida license plate (!). When we picked it up, this red wing blackbird walked in front of us. Gotta watch for bird life for Jeff.

Driving I 70, this was Jett's first glimpse of the Rockies. There were storms in the area, but as we headed into Denver (the airport is pretty far) it cleared up.

Jett got comfortable at our room in downtown Embassy Suites. We are on the 12th floor.

Here's our view. The Rockies on the horizon and the Convention Center across the street. 

Looking down 8 floors to level 4 where all the amenties are located. Dining, pool, etc.

Embassy Suites has a "manager's" reception at 5:00 with free drinks and light snacks. Here was my choice. I later regretted that 2nd margarita. Jett did not accompany us (alone time).

They hadn't eaten all day (wouldn't snack) so we took them to dinner immediately. The restaurant was attached to the hotel, called Stout Social. Jett was the only person under 21 there! They ordered a steak.

Sunset over the Rockies and our day was done. Paul went into the livimg area to watch the NBA finals (the arena isn't that far from our hotel), and then the FSU girls' softball team (they won). Jett watched Practical Jokers in our room. Since we're still on EDT in our bodies, we were in bed around 9:30. 

Addendum. During the night I was awakened by a horrible pain in my left ankle. It felt like a charlie horse, but only in my ankle. I was crying and worried if something happened, would I miss our plans for tomorrow? I got up, walked a bit, and massaged the foot. Eventually it quit. I was able to get back to sleep. But at 5:30 RMT, I was wide awake and thus, I am writing this blog before breakfast.

Looking forward to tomorrow! I'll post the link each day.