This Body is Bullshit

Colorado Reset

We got back from Denver just before midnight last night — exhausted, slightly sore, and genuinely glad we went.

I think we were both a little nervous heading into this trip. It had been ten years since we’d seen Matt’s sister and brother-in-law, and you never really know what ten years does to a dynamic. Life gets busy. Distance does its thing. You mean to visit and then suddenly a decade has gone by and someone’s keeping count. She was keeping count.

But it went better than either of us expected. Really well, actually.

They planned something for us every single day — just to get outside, move around, take it all in. And as people who live in the flatlands of the Midwest, the mountains still feel like a special effect. Every time. We needed that. The air, the views, the sense of scale that reminds you the world is bigger than your to-do list.

I was hoping for wildlife. A bear, a dramatic mountain lion cameo, something to text everyone about. No such luck. We did, however, meet the three most important residents of the household — Belle, Louie, and Charlie. Our official dog nieces and nephew. I fell a little in love with all of them immediately, which surprised no one.

Their home has been completely renovated since we were last there and it is so cozy — warm, well-decorated, full of personality. A true Colorado retreat. The backyard is another level entirely: gazebo, hot tub, fire pit, garden beds, string lights. Pinterest came to life in the best possible way. We sat out there and talked and laughed and had cocktails and it felt like exactly the kind of reset we didn’t know we needed until we were in the middle of it.

We talked about the parents, the aunts, all the things that connect us but tend to get lost when everyone’s just trying to get through their own life. And sometimes when people are far apart and busy and years pass, little things can sneak in — distance, misunderstandings, the general weirdness of not seeing each other enough. But this trip reminded me that underneath all of that, family is still home. It just sometimes needs a little tending.

They were incredibly generous with us. We’re lucky.

Now I just need to unpack. And maybe look into Colorado real estate.

Kidding.

Kind of.