John was not particularly hungry, so Andy, Laura, and I went into Frisco for breakfast at Bread & Salt. It was quite tasty and has the added bonus of being right next to Bigfoot Sock Co.
Not only is this one of my favorite statues, but the socks are hilarious.
Laura bought alien-themed socks for the SEMO Marching Band Director and socks for Jack. I ended up buying three pairs of socks. These were too good to pass up.
Andy took a short bike ride after we got back from Frisco while the kids and I hung out in the resort. Once Andy got back, he and I picked up his Copper Triangle packet.
It was a quiet evening and an early night. Andy rides tomorrow!
We spent the day enjoying the mountains and the resort. While Andy went for a bike ride, I went for a walk. It is always rejuvenating to see these beautiful views!
After my walk, the kids and I went to check out the new shops at the resort. I found this wall in the new candy store to be interesting. It is the popular candies from four different decades.
Then, we hit up our favorite watering hole, Downhill Duke’s, for mocktails, wine,…
…and live music.
We wrapped up the day with an amazing dinner at Sauce on Copper.
Because it was a rainy first day of vacation, we spent most of the day relaxing.
We ended up at Ten Mile Tavern for a drink once it stopped raining. We would have preferred Downhill Duke’s but the outdoor bar closed early because of the rain.
I have not told many people that Rachel Lowery passed away on July 7. That is probably because it was such a shock, and I have not processed it fully yet. Before the Lowerys moved to Alabama, Rachel was my partner-in-crime for years. We spent a lot of time together, and there are just so many fun memories. There were countless nights at Old Chicago with her and B, lots of amazing holidays like July 4 and Halloween, and so many nights just hanging at our house. She was my drink testing buddy back in the day, and the Year of the Martini was even her idea. The laughs we had when it started with such a dud, the infamous Elf martini that “shall never be spoken of again” (her words, not mine). I remember trying the martini the next month, and she gave me that impish smile where she said, “Thank goodness this one is way better than last month, or my idea for a martini every month was going to be a complete failure.” I remember December that year when I made the first of what would be many Candy Cane Martinis. It turned out to be “the drink,” and eventually became “our drink.”
We got to be such great friends that Rachel was even going to be in the delivery room with me had I not had a C-section. She and B were the type of friends who just always showed up, and the type of friends that you ask to be one set of your kids’ godparents. When Alia was born just two months after John, it was only natural that our kids become the “Three Musketeers” even going to daycare together for years. The kids picked right back up like they had never been apart. The hardest part about today was watching the Three Musketeers together and knowing that it took Rachel passing for us to get together again.
As hard as today was, I am glad that we went to Illinois to celebrate Rachel’s life. I will miss you my friend. Thank you for all the fun over the years and for always being there for me. You were the type of friend that everyone needs, and I love you for it.
