We were careful to give the newlyweds their space. Even though they were quarantined and couldn’t travel anywhere for a honeymoon, they still needed their time just the two of them. But when Jake and Tiffany gave us the green light to visit, I bought three plane tickets to Denver!

Jim had to work, and the two older boys still had school, so Jeremy, Ruth and I embarked on a mid-lockdown adventure. Midway Airport was a ghost town, and Jeremy commented how eerie it felt.

The plane was so sparse we felt like we had chartered our own private flight.

It was a different story when we arrived in Denver, however. Except for most people wearing masks, it was business as usual at the airport. The kids were eager to see their brother as a married man for the first time. We had a sweet reunion and settled in to their rental house.

Tiffany had planned out all the meals and activities for the few days that we planned to be there. We woke up to eggs Benedict the first morning!

Despite having hiked up Pike’s Peak with a friend the day before we arrived,

Jake was excited to hike another mountain with Jeremy and me. We set our sights on Blodgett Peak.

These two brothers bonded.

The hike was more challenging than we expected, but offered beautiful views along the way.

There was a lot of loose gravel on the steep incline, and we scrambled boulders. Most of the time, it was hard to tell whether we were on a path or blazing our own trail up the mountain.

When we made it to the peak, it was obvious that storms were moving in, so we didn’t linger too long.

Meanwhile, back in West Chicago, the three guys were truly bacheloring it.

One reason I timed the trip when I did was to be able to see Tiffany commission into the Army. Like everything else these days, it was an unusual event, held outside with onlookers remaining socially distant. But it was significant nonetheless, and I was so happy that at least part of our family could be there.

I gained an appreciation for my firstborn’s adeptness in the kitchen. He sure knows how to use that beloved cast iron skillet and made us a delicious chicken parmesan dinner.

One night, Jake and Jeremy planned to drive east and star gaze. But first, Jake checked the night sky radar. They drove to where it was black on the radar, meaning there was little to no light pollution.

As mentioned earlier, it was pretty much business as usual in Colorado. so we were able to go to a pottery place and paint ceramics. Tiffany painted a planter, Ruth chose owls to paint,

and the boys teamed up to paint a day sky/night sky bowl.

It was a fun activity, and now we have the finished products to remind us of it!

We attempted to hike a popular trail–Helen Hunt Falls–on Sunday. Unfortunately, every Colorado citizen seemed to have the same idea. Instead, we parked on the side of the road and enjoyed a picnic lunch by the creek.

We attempted again to hike the trail, but the crowds made it intolerable, so we snapped a selfie and turned around.

We enjoyed one last night with the newlyweds and headed home, hearts full, anticipating our next visit with them in a few weeks.