Mom's 80th Birthday Weekend!

Ok, first disclosure, I did not do the traveling.  I live in Denver, but everyone else flew here for my mom's 80th birthday in mid July. From Flagstaff, Tucson and Springfield, MO.  So I say this counts.  One sister could not make it and I'm terribly sorry she missed out.  We had a fun and fabulous good time exploring Denver.

I got to introduce my neighborhood now and my new neighborhood we are moving to in two weeks to my sister, aunt and mom.  Mom grew up on a farm, but moved to Chicago at the age of 13.  She loves the hustle and bustle of big cities and has visited Denver often and always enjoyed it.  So when we began to talk about her 80th birthday, she said that she'd like to have it in Denver.  No big party at church with a cake in Tucson, she wanted to ride on a plane again!  She's very spry, still has her wits about her and was able to fly alone from Tucson with no problems.

My aunt got in earlier and we had a pleasant dinner with her at the little French restaurant in the terminal while we waited for mom's flight.  Arriving at home that night we cracked open the "Cards Against Humanity; a card game for horrible people", because who doesn't play that with their 80 year old mother and 70 year old aunt?  We had a blast!

The next morning my sister flew in and we picked her up at the train at Union Station.  She had a conference call so we meandered through the Tattered Cover bookstore on the corner.  Then we grabbed a quick lunch at The Mercantile once her call was complete.  Then it was home again, home again, jiggity jig to prep and primp for our Brown Palace High Tea!  We all wore tea dresses and beautiful fascinators.  First, mom tried on all my old size 10 dresses from a decade or three ago and lo and behold they fit her!  So we played "dress up" for an hour before we left for high tea and mom loved it:)  She looked so cute in my strapless black velvet with the gold embroidered bolero jacket!  She plans to take that one to Vegas, baby.

Walking down the hill 3 blocks to the Brown Palace, we were appreciated by a couple of folks walking past us.  Looking good, Billy Rae, feeling good Louis!  (Trading Places quote).  Then it was into the Brown Palace lobby, with beautiful crystal and china, lovely linens and John Kite on the piano!  I forgot that he played at the High Tea.  I associate him with the Ships Tavern because that's where we go to see him and celebrate other family events.  The tea was amazing and so was the priceless look on mom's face when they sang and brought her a cupcake for her birthday.  She cried tears of joy, so then we did too.

They all went to Benihana's later for dinner with my son and daughter while the hubs and I got a bit of alone time.

Breakfast on her actual birthday we started with Mimosas and breakfast. Then it was out on the town.  We hit the 16th street Mall's "Meet in the Street" for live music and an arts and crafts festival and more.  Family themed activities and a fun rolly polly chair that rolls 360 degrees.  Very cool, and my sis and I got both mom and the aunt into the chairs:)  Stopped for gelato when it got too hot and then into the Overton Sheepskin store to play dress up some more with steampunk hats and pink mink furs.  And because it's Colorado, a quick stop in a dispensary for some edibles:)  Then my favorite shoe maker, Fluevogs, where mom almost picked up a nifty pair of red booties, but they were a tad too big.

More Larimer square shopping, and then an Über ride home for dinner.   Then we walked with the hubs down to the Brown Palace to check in for the night.  My sis had points and had gotten us two rooms for one night and we had a great time in the Ships Tavern listening to John play again.  Some snacks and a cocktail to beautiful live music and then it was off to bed.   The sis had to leave early but we got to enjoy the continental breakfast before heading back home.  Then into comfortable shoes and to meet old friends from Tucson.  It was a great visit.  Then onto the Antique stores on Broadway!  We were lucky to have a fantastic Über driver, who hailed from MN, thank you Jerry for the lovely entertainment.

Drat!  Foiled again.  Nothing is open until noon and it's just 11:15.  The aunt whined about eating again so soon but all that was open was Adelita's Cocina y Cantina with over 100 brands of Tequila.  We drank water and ordered the chips with the flight of three fantastic salsas and some Shrimp Ceviche.  It was fabulous and so was our Italian Stallion waiter Ara with the incredible mustache.  Then onto more shopping.  We found a boutique used clothing store that rocked and played some more dress up, mom leaving with a lovely white leather jacket for a mere $50:)  She also found a larimar necklace to go with her rings and bracelets.  She looked so cute!  Then onto the best junk/antique shops and bookstores on South Broadway.  The aunt finally in heaven with that one.  And she found a little gift for one of her friends back home.  We ordered some Peter's Chinese for dinner and went to bed early.

Monday, we got the aunt to her train at 10AM to head back to the airport, then mom and I hit the 16th street mall again.  This time we went to the Money Museum at the Federal Reserve and the little Wells Fargo museum in the big Cash Register building of Wells Fargo.  Quick stop into TJ Maxx and she got me some kitchen items as a housewarming gift for our move in two weeks. Then a mostly relaxing day at home watching old home videos.  Our family trip to Disneyland in 1997 and a trip my two boys took to Yosemite with their father and grandfather in 1998.  Lovely to watch the park, I've not yet been and neither had mom.  Grandfather took mostly video of the park, not the people:)  Pizza from Tony P's and then I drove mom back to the airport for her late night flight.  Lucky for us, Southwest still had curbside check in available so she was immediately ready for boarding.

It was great to have my family come and experience my city and what wonderful and amazing memories we have from my mom's 80th birthday.  Happy Birthday mom!