Lately I’ve been daydreaming of Boulder. I dunno…maybe it’s the weather or the bypass or the search for a preschool or the never-ending laundry, but I’ve been in a funk. I have these moments where I wonder why we haven’t packed it up and moved to a place with mountains and lakes and bikes paths around every corner.
Today was one of those days where there was no plan. I called Susie and we settled on the zoo. But on the way, I threw out the possibility of the playground near the airport. But Doug really wanted to be in on that trip, and he wasn’t available. So then we contemplated heading down south to the levy. Spontaneity got the best of us, and off we went.
And it was perfect. The kids literally ran across the bridge (which is no short distance), and then through the park and to the playground beyond. They climbed and jumped and played until we realized it was past lunchtime. Even Alex and Ellery were awake and content an unprecedented amount of time. Chris and Shep both ran back across the bridge while Neko took in the sights from the stroller. We were going to brave a restaurant for pizza, but they had a twenty minute wait, so we took it to go, and picnicked on a spot overlooking the river.
By the time we got home, it was closing in on 4pm, and everyone was sleepy and tired in all the right ways.
And these are the times when Boulder clicks back into the category of Vacation Destination. If I moved, I couldn’t call my sister at a moment’s notice to take our kids on an outing. I couldn’t watch them giggle as they run full throttle, knowing these cousins are forming lifelong friendships. And with a little creativity, we find these nuggets of goodness that can fill our days without moving halfway across the county.