Vail Anniversary Trip: Day 1

I am so in love with this man.

We had the best weekend celebrating our third wedding anniversary (which is technically next Tuesday so hooray for another few lovey dovey days)!

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This weekend, Andi and I hopped a flight to Denver for a relaxing anniversary trip together. Our first real vacation without baby. To say we felt like giddy school children would be an understatement. WE WERE SO EXCITED! Not that we don't love our little Tory Girl to pieces, but an entire three days with no responsibilities, no nap or feeding schedule to keep and no one to worry about but ourselves seemed rejuvenating. I felt like a horrible parent every time someone asked me if I was missing Tory over the weekend because sure, I missed her, but I also enjoyed every single minute of quality time with my husband. Also, I knew she was in capable hands with Grandma Janie so there was no need to spend one minute of time worrying about her back home.

Tory's been teething like mad, so of course I was awake with her during the wee Friday morning hours, settling her back to sleep in her nursery. I absolutely hate when you've got a time schedule mapped out for a big day ahead because it almost never works out when a baby's involved. Tending to Tory in the early morning made for maniac last-minute packing before we left for the airport and I had no idea what I even brought along for the trip. We made it onto our flight (just barely) and I loaded up on toiletries at a Denver Target once we arrived. Nothing you can't buy there, right? No matter ...  we made it! We rented a car and headed straight for the mountains.

As an avid skier and having worked at a ski resort years ago, Andi knows a lot about the mountains. I hesitated agreeing to a vacation in Vail for this reason; I like to travel to places new for the both of us. But Andi assured me, our trip to Vail (staying at a luxury hotel, spa appointments and strolling the street hand in hand with the woman he loves) would be a far cry from the trips he took with buddies 10 years ago. I have to admit, it was convenient traveling to a place where Andi knew a lay of the land.

We drove Loveland Pass, the long way up the mountain, and stopped along the way to take in the breathtaking sight.

Once we arrived in Vail we checked into Tivoli hotel, dropped our bags and walked into Vail Village for lunch at The Ore House. We ordered cocktails and a yummy grilled artichoke. Andi had a fabulously cooked local trout and I enjoyed a Cobb salad. It felt so good to be on vacation; to be away from any responsibility. To sit in the sunshine and enjoy conversation together.

After lunch, we walked around Vail Village - which by the way, is absolutely adorable! It almost feels like a pretend city, with perfect little buildings and manicured lawns. There were kids playing in outdoor fountains and cobblestone streets. Seriously, a dream. I loved how convenient it was to walk everywhere and numerous high-end restaurants and shops line the streets. At one point, we saw a bride and groom walking down the street, hand in hand. A musician on a nearby patio started playing a tune and the couple danced for the crowd in the middle of the road. It felt like a fairy tale as we stood by and watched them twirl together to the music. I'm sure the newlyweds felt it, too.

We walked to the nearby Ford Park to see the pretty flowers. Because that's what parents do when they're on vacation without their kiddo: stroll hand in hand, talk, laugh, take photos...

We stopped for dinner at Terra Bistro. There were so many great local/organic, high end restaurants in Vail Village to choose from, but most of them required reservations and only had random dinner times like 9:30pm left. Let's be honest, we fully intended to be in bed by 9pm so a late-night dinner wouldn't work for us. We ended up sitting at the bar at Terra Bistro and it was actually perfect for us. Full people watching view of the packed restaurant and to-die-for food and cocktails. We ordered martinis and decided to split a few appetizers because the menu looked too good to choose.

Ice cream for dessert, of course, at the local Marble Slab Creamery. We split this giant bowl of goodness, walked back to our hotel in the rain and called it an evening. The perfect start to our Vail anniversary vacation.