Home Trip

We had a great time on our home leave trip. It was three weeks long, but we were running around so much it went by incredibly fast. We flew from Hong Kong to Denver, and spent the weekend there going to a pig roast with Leah and having fun with the parents at Water World. On Monday, Drew flew off to Philly and CT to spend the week working, while I went to Fort Collins to spend the week with my folks. 

Reunited at last!

The second week we both flew to MI, where we started the week off with the McGolf outing, a 9-hole golf tournament filled with family, friends, and fun. Needless to say, my practice in Penang didn't really pay off here, as I only go worse throughout the day, but we still had a blast. The McKays have been hosting this golf outing for 27 years! 

There were carnival like games along the way to keep things light and fun. The prize was Rumchata, a new liquor based on Horchata, the Spanish rice milk drink. Absolutely delicious and Leah's new favorite. 

I am trying to master Brian's waist high putter. 

After golf, everyone returns to the McKays for an evening of fried chicken and laughter. Got to see Drew's brother Adam too; he had just bought a new house!

The winners! Kelli and A Jay! Look at those lovely winners' jackets, a McGolf tradition. 

Another highlight from the MI trip was Drew's birthday. His cousin Emily works for the Athletic department in Alumni relations, so she was so nice and gave us a tour of the private UofM athletic facilities. Super cool, and Drew was in heaven. UofM has the most wins of any football program in the US, so they celebrated this by building a wall of footballs where each football represents a specific win in history, denoted with the opponent, date, score, and location. Pretty cool! 

They also have the program covers from every bowl game they have ever been to. 

We also got to see the weights and conditioning center for the basketball team. This is the area where the basketball team does plyometrics and practices jumping. They had to raise the roof in this area because the players were hitting their heads on it. Those two basketballs on the wall are the records to date, 12'3''. That's two feet above the basketball rim! I was just dreaming about what jumping that high would feel like. 

The Crisler Arena for basketball. Recently redone and fancy fancy. 

The tunnel leading into the Big House! Drew was awestruck. "Think about how many stars have been through here!"

The largest capacity stadium in the US! 109,901 people can fit in here, probably more. 

Saw the new baseball field. Funny enough, they had recently made the whole field turf, including the areas that are normally dirt. I thought this was interesting. It seems like it would give the home team a distinct advantage. Plus there is something about getting dirt on your uniform that I think is an essential part of the game. 

That evening we went out for a fantastic birthday dinner at The Lark, one of the nicest restaurants in MI. Boy was it incredible! A Hawaiian and Asian themed many course meal, it blew our socks off! Drew felt compelled to finish everyone's plates. 

Just look at that menu! 

During the middle of the week, my Uncle Ken was gracious enough to take us out for a boat ride along the Detroit river and into Lake St. Clair for a lovely afternoon. Talk about perfect MI summer weather! 

Third highlight of the MI trip was my cousin Crystal's wedding! What a beautiful bride she made! The wedding was held in Kalamazoo, located about half way between Chicago and Detroit. It was a cute town we'd never been to and fun to explore. There was a Kalamazoo Beer Exchange where the price of the beer was determined by the demand at the bar. Super fun and interesting! Once a night there would be a "Market Crash" where all prices would fall to $2-$3.

The happy couple!

Cousin picture!

For week three, we went back to Denver to each work in our respective offices. You know you're back in Colorado when you find the best home brewing set-up you've ever seen! 

One highlight from the Denver trip was going to see the Big Lebowski at Red Rocks. Talk about a fun time. You've never seen so many people dressed up in bathrobes drinking white Russians. 

We spent our final weekend in Fort Collins with the parents one more time. But, we will see them again soon as they are coming to Hong Kong over Thanksgiving, and Brian and Karen are coming out over Christmas! Yehaw! In Old Town they were having a classic car show. Dad was in heaven this time. 

1917 Fire trucks. 

One last cuddle session. 

And we got our nature fix going on a lovely hike up Tower Road near Horsetooth Reservoir. Nothing beats those Colorado skies! Rocky Mountain High.......