Sky High in Colorado!

Colorado

Denver; First Draft Taproom & Kitchen, Finn’s Manor

Colorado Springs- Pleasant Valley: Garden of the Gods Park & Resort

Frisco; Outer Range Brew Co.,

Idaho Springs; Tommy Knocker Brewing

Steamboat Springs; Strawberry Park Hot Springs

Genesee Park; Buffalo Herd National Preserve

Red Rocks Park; Red Rocks Amphitheater

Lafayette; Stem Cider

Boulder; Amante Coffee, Pearl Street Mall,

Louisville; Waterloo

     Valentine’s Day wasn’t what I expected it to be this year, but turned out to be one of the best. Instead of being with Sam, one of my best friends Michelle flew me out to Colorado to go visit her in her new home state. This was my first time ever there and I can now see what all the fuss is about. There is a ridiculous amount of things to do and incredible scenery. It is honestly an active person’s dream place to live. People are always biking, hiking, snow shoeing, skiing, snowboarding, and trail running. I’m tired just thinking about it all.

     On the first night we ventured into Downtown Denver, where we had ourselves a delicious Mexican meal and extremely large margaritas (because if you’re single/not with your significant other on Valentine’s Day tequila is always helpful). If you know me you know I’m a bit of a beer snob, and so is Michelle which is one of the many reasons I love her. So us going to a brewery was definitely in the cards for the night and many other nights of the trip. We went to this place called First Draft Taproom and Kitchen and it is what beer lovers’ dreams are made of. It wasn’t a single brewery taproom but had multiple companies brands on tap from near and far. But the cool part about it is that you get this arcade looking plastic card that you tap above the beer you want and it keeps track of how many ounces you’ve drank and the cost of the pour (it’s also how you pay out at the end of the night). This is seriously genius because it means you never have to stand in front of a bar waiting to be served, you get to try every kind of beer (and a few selections of wine and cider) they have to offer without wasting a whole pour. Basically it’s like being in a taproom with all of your favorite breweries. If you’ve ever been to South Street Sea Port in NYC they do a similar looking pop up stand there. After First Draft we ventured not too far to Finn’s Manor. This place is known for their large selection of whiskey, so it would have been rude not to have at least one drink there before heading home. This bar has a great outdoor seating area with a large picnic style tables with a fire pit in the middle. Drinking at this table made me think this could be a huge fire hazard but I did love it since it was chilly out and was just the right touch to keep it cozy outside.

https://www.firstdraftdenver.com/

https://www.finnsmanor.co/

     The next day Michelle and I headed to Louisville quick for some breakfast before a hike at Garden of the Gods Park near Colorado Springs. Now this place is on another level of amazingness. It has these red rocks/mountain looking things that tower so high up it is just incredible to think how the heck they came about. Not to mention it is photographed on a daily basis and is an Instagram tourist spot. It is actually impossible to take a bad picture there, especially on the 60+ degree day that we were there. It was a bit windy so getting selfies took some patience. The scariest part about this beautiful place was all the beware of rattle snack signs along the trails. And even though I knew that it was still a bit too cold for rattle snacks to come out, I couldn’t help but keep a wary eye out ready to run for my life (or scream bloody murder) if I caught sight of one. There were also dogs EVERYWHERE which made the hike even more enjoyable. After out hike we stopped in Colorado Springs for a little shopping and a nice carbo loaded dinner at an Italian restaurant.

https://gardenofgods.com/

     The next morning we were off to Steamboat Springs to our Air BnB house, with the rest of our crew. But of course on the way up we thought we would break up the 3 hour drive by stopping at a brewery or two. Outer Range Brew Co. was our first stop and it was the land of skiers and snowboards and people who look way too cool for me to be around. This is one of the best breweries in the country (I’m not just saying that, it’s a fact) and I can now see why! They had such a good selection of beer and there wasn't anything there that I didn't enjoy. They also have some great merchandise which I had to have little souvenir from. And like all good breweries there were loads of pups hanging out. At a whopping 9,000+ feet up the beers went straight to your head. And just before we made it to the Steamboat Springs house we grabbed one more drink and some lunch at Tommy Knocker brewery. This place is located in the middle of an old mining town and the brewery pays tribute to that with its logo and decor in the building.

https://www.outerrange.com/

https://tommyknocker.com/

     So we finally arrive at the house and it is immaculate from the outside. Honestly it was by far the nicest house I have EVER stayed in! The property consisted of the main house (where the owners lived) and the smaller (yet still humongous house that we stayed in down the road). To paint a picture of the town for you, the area is just so massive with so much land that people named their own streets! This makes it hard to find on GPS but still so appropriate for some of the streets we drove past. This house had everything needed for a weekend away, complete with its own movie theater, arcade room (I’m talking the classics pinball, ski ball, basketball, air hockey), and incredible views of the mountains. This place was perfect for our group of 6 but easily sleeps 10 people! Even though it was about a 10 to 15 minute drive into town, Steamboat itself is a winter wonderland. They have a strip of shops, bars, and restaurants that were always lively at night and loads of winter activities. They say in the summer it is just as good because when all the ice melts they turn everything into water sports.

https://abnb.me/V687YeLPqV

 

     While we were in Steamboat Springs we were able to snow shoe, which if you haven’t done it but are very uncoordinated like myself, it is the best snow activity! It’s basically hiking with big shoes on that have metal grips so you don’t fall off the mountain. The higher up the trail we got the better the views were. We could actually see the whole town in front of us, it was really incredible. Everyone that we passed along the trail was super nice waving and smiling and giving a hello (which was a clear sign that they we were not in New York). One guy even gave us some tips about going to the hot springs which we had planned for later that night. The hot springs are basically a natural Jacuzzi that’s in the middle of the woods. It’s a big tourist spot for people who go to Steamboat. What we didn’t know was that after sunset was clothing optional (insert cheesing face emoji here). So before we hit the bumpy off road drive to the hot springs we of course had to stop for lunch and a beer at the local brewery.

https://www.mountaintapbrewery.com/

     When we finally get to the hot springs there were a ridiculous amount of people coming and going. They charged us $5 to get in and another $5 to buy a towel (which was really a wash cloth). So if you ever do go there I highly recommend bringing your own. For all of its creepiness of some people being naked it really was an awesome experience. Being in the middle of the woods I would have thought it would have been pitch black, but because there were so many stars out, it perfectly lit the sky up. Probably was a good thing that it was faint lighting for the nudists there. Which I should add that our group were not a part of. Another word of advice would be to get dressed in your bathing suite before going to the resort. Since it is super busy there and literally on the side of a mountain there isn't much room for buildings, so they only have a small wooden shack to get changed in (think of the part in Frozen when Anna and Sven need to stop for supplies in the forest). Thankfully we were able to get the section of the shack that had some curtains. I’m making it sound negative but maybe I was just a little scarred from the man who tripped on the stairs while getting out of the springs and we all got a view full of his royal jewels. It really was a one of a kind experience that I would hands down do again… just preferably in the day time.

https://www.colorado.com/videos/colorado-hot-springs-strawberry-park-steamboat-springs

     When we left Steamboat Springs we stopped by another popular tourist spot, the nature persevere for buffalo and also elk. It was a crazy thing to see because they all just got along and ate together in a big circle. There were loads of people up against the fence taking pictures of the animals. We also stopped by the Red Rocks amphitheater which was covered in snow. The amphitheater is like Colorado’s version of New York's MSG, all the big concerts take place there nestled in the middle of a mountain. All I could think of was how anyone could drive to the concert because they must have been stuck in traffic for hours on the way in and out (SINGLE LANES ONLY!).  But the stadium is beautiful with its mountain scenery. I would love to see a show there because I can only imagine how good the music must sound. That same day we also visited a Stem Cider Taproom and Grill. If you are a fan of ciders this is the place to go! They had so many interesting flavors to try. My favorites were the lavender and this other one that tasted like a hot toddy. Their kitchen was also impressive. Since I have been meat free it was a little harder to find something on the menu. I ended up going for the beet burger that honestly tasted like a regular hamburger but better! I really loved it and it made me appreciate my new pescaterian since it made me try new things I probably would have never gone for. But don’t even get me started on their French fries!!!!!! They were out of this world delicious and the dipping sauce uggh serious yum.

https://www.denver.org/listing/buffalo-herd-nature-preserve/4549/

https://www.redrocksonline.com/

https://stemciders.com/

     On my last day in Colorado Michelle’s brother John and his girlfriend Ashley (who are now good buddies of mine) showed me around Boulder, since this was one of the only big spots we didn’t get to see on the rest of the trip. We stopped to get some breakfast and coffee in this cute little Italian shop called Amante. Everything was sooo good in there so had to give it a little mention. We spent the day walking around the outdoor mall on Pearl Street which had some major brands and cute little homemade shops. And before long it was time to head out of there and grab some lunch before I had to go to the airport. We ate at this place called Waterloo, which looked like an underground station in London, so I couldn’t not go in! It was actually a Johnny Cash themed restaurant that had all memorabilia on the walls, including a chunk of a Cadillac car on the wall.  

https://www.boulderdowntown.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw4fHkBRDcARIsACV58_Gqhm4R7l7iR9VKtopTcGiiBtXCkV6JLTGsJzFyN6Gn-hncH2RVcQMaAqDhEALw_wcB

https://www.boulderdowntown.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw4fHkBRDcARIsACV58_Gqhm4R7l7iR9VKtopTcGiiBtXCkV6JLTGsJzFyN6Gn-hncH2RVcQMaAqDhEALw_wcB

https://www.waterloolouisville.com/

     On this trip we averaged about 7 to 8 miles a day of walking. You would think I would have lost some weight from all the activities but the eating and drinking heavy beer put a stop to that (talk about a balance!). I can now see why Michelle loves living in Colorado so much. There is just an urge to get up and do something active every day because it is literally all anyone does there! And other than the occasional nose bleeds from high altitude, I really had an incredible time on this trip and I can definitely see myself going back to Colorado in the future!

Murphy's Law...

If things were going right I should be sitting in the living room of my house in England next to Sam right now, but unfortunately that’s just not the case. A week ago I got the notification from UPS that my passport and what I thought would be my visa were on its way. This UPS website that I had been refreshing daily since December, thinking all my worries would vanish once that little blue dot would start to move. Last Tuesday I waited by my front door for UPS to pull up, I yelped with excitement when I saw the truck pull up and I opened the door to look down at a large envelope. But when I looked at it I immediately knew something was not right.

I ripped it open to find all the documents that I had sent to immigration with my passport on top. I franticly searched through my passport looking for my visa stickered in somewhere in the pages, but nothing was there. I flipped through it again hoping that I must have just overlooked it in my excitement, but again nothing. I tried to keep myself calm as I started looking through the pages of my documents to see if somehow the visa was slipped in among the hundreds of pages, but still nothing. That’s when I really started to lose my cool. I had my documents, my passport, but no visa, and no letter with an explanation of what this meant. What I did notice was that along with all the documents I was meant to send to immigration I also had to provide them with 2 passport sized photos, which were missing from the returned envelope. So all sorts of scenarios were running through my head. What was the mistake here? Was I granted the visa because my pictures were gone and they had sent my passport back? Or was I denied because they sent everything back and there was no visa inside of my passport? Could someone in immigration had messed up royally (pun intended) and just so happened to forget to attach the sticker in my passport before putting it inside the envelope?

Heartbroken, I called Sam to tell him what had happened. And it was really crap going from over the moon beyond excited the day before thinking that this was finally all coming to an end, only to find out that something was clearly wrong but we had no idea what it was. You would think that our paid solicitor would have some idea as to what this meant but even he was speechless and said that he had never encountered something like this before. So what were we to do? My flight was supposed to take off the following week and we had no answers. So we quickly contacted everyone we thought who could help us including the MP (government official in the UK) only to get told information that had us going round in circles, with still no idea if my visa was approved or denied.

When we got a hold of someone from the immigration hotline they had told Sam that they would email me a decision within the next 48-72 hours. Leaving it of course last minute before my flight on the Monday at 8pm. I had even called the same immigration hotline, not realizing we had contacted the same place and they told me the exact same thing. So 2 different people in 2 different countries that must be a safe bet to think that this information would lead us to finding out the results Monday before my flight. Sam and I discussed it a bunch, the pros and cons of flying on Monday if my visa was approved or denied. We thought if its approved great no worries, I get on the flight and we finally begin a real life in London. If it was denied then so what I still go back and at least see Sam for a couple of weeks before starting the process of appealing the denial (which has to be done in 28 days of the denial).

Sunday night I had a big family dinner as a little going away party for me/ celebration. As we were sitting there chatting we talked about how my flight was in 25 hours and they couldn’t believe the day was finally here. Only for me to laugh about missing my flight jokingly, when all of a sudden I said because I land on the 4^th. To which everyone looked at me and said tomorrow is the 4^th Nicole. As I nervous laughed I got up to double check my flight details to see that my calendar had showed March 4^th flight from JFK, but when I triple checked on my booking email it showed leaving the 3^rd and arriving on the 4^th at 8am! In an absolute panic I realized that my Virgin Atlantic app showed that the flight was currently boarding and I was about to miss the flight I waited 3 months to get on! I quickly called up with 50 minutes to take off and was able to change my flight no problem. And since I wasn’t planning on leaving until Monday night anyway I figured no sweat I was all set for being home Tuesday morning anyway. My family and I get a good chuckle of the situation (after I stopped hyperventilating) and continued to enjoy my last night in New York.

When yesterday rolls around I’m beyond excited that it’s finally the day I am supposed to leave and can finally be with Sam. As I started to get ready to go to the airport I was still waiting to receive the email to tell me about my visa. When it was just 3 hours before I had to leave for the airport I started to get worried and decided to call immigration to see what was happening (I should also mention that calling immigration costs $2 a minute on top of the charge to call the UK). When I finally get in touch with someone and I explain that I waited the full 72 hours for an answer the man on the phone tells me that Sam and I were told the wrong wait time. The email would come within a 15 business day waiting period. With absolute horror I demanded to talk to management in which the man left me on hold for $6 worth only to tell me that the management was unavailable and that they would be telling me the same thing he was. And that’s when I went full on yelling at the man stating how horrible this was being apart from my husband for so long and all I want to do is see him. The man told me that the immigration department would not be held accountable if I were to get on the plane and be detained for questioning at the airport. Here was my logic because I so wanted to see Sam and be in our home together I thought I might as well still leave that night. As a US citizen I have the right to enter the UK with no visa needed and without one I would simply be “visiting” the country. But because I was denied once and still have this visa in process there was the chance that I would be detained and questioned and potentially if they thought there was the possibility that I would try to remain illegally they could refuse my entry.

I cried for hours and after being told by our solicitor to not get on the plane I was completely distraught. Sam and I talked it over for another hour and came to the conclusion that it just wasn’t worth the risk for me to come back. Instead we were going to try to make a plan to have him come to New York and wait out the 15 business days with me. This will all be work pending for Sam since he’s put in leave several times already for the days he thought I was supposed to be home, we have my best friend’s wedding this summer he put time in for, and we are supposed to be going away with the Hayward family at the end of the month that he also had to put days in for. It’s looking likely that he should be able to come to New York, but this feeling of uncertainty and never actually knowing what is going on in my own life is gut wrenching.

I have tried so hard to remain positive in all of this but to be honest my life motto is expect the worst but hope for the best. I mentally prepare myself for the worst to happen so that I do not let my feelings get me down, or I am prepared in the worst case scenario with a backup plan. It is so hard to think about how much time we have been apart (more than anything we endured in our relationship), how I have not worked in a career that I love so much since June, and to feel like everything that I had planned for this year and the beginning of my marriage has been completely ripped from my hands. The feeling of having no control over anything in my life is honestly indescribable. I try very hard to see the light in it but there are more days that I find it difficult to do anything with my day. I know all the things that I could be doing and have the ability to, but my lack of motivation and desire to do it keeps me from it.

And my god I have to say how also very lucky that I am to have such amazing parents who have literally supported me 100% in all of this. They have picked me up at my very lows and let me express all my anger to support me emotionally. This uniquely horrible situation has allowed me to strengthen every bond I have with the people that are dearest in my life. My friends who constantly text me to make sure I am alright, my family that always asks for updates on the situation, and my work family who send me messages just to make me smile. And I know Sam feels the same way for everyone on his side of the pond. In my low of lows, I still find myself laughing which tells me I have not been defeated by this. And I always knew how much I loved my husband before this, but everything going on has made me realize even more that I chose the right person to spend my life with. I know that whatever happens to us in the future I am always going to have this amazing person by my side (even if he isn’t actually physically by my side). And for the record even when I was crying on the phone to him yesterday he was willing to do whatever it took to make me smile. I mean he promised to get me a dog when I’m finally home and now that multiple people are reading this you’re all accountable to see it through that I get this pup I was promised! (Lol sorry not sorry Sam I need a puppy).

As it stands I have now changed my flight to March 19^th, giving immigration their 15 business days and 5 extra cushion days in case anything else needs to be sorted. We know from speaking to people at immigration that a decision has been made but they cannot disclose it over the phone because they cannot see the answer to it, but merely know that it has completed processing.

To end this I will state all the positives of not being able to go back to London yesterday as big or small as they may seem they are the driving force keeping me a float. I get to spend more time with my beautiful niece who I love more than words and makes me instantly smile when I see. I get to have more Sunday meals with my family (all together that is a happiness like no other). I can see the finale to the bachelor and drink wine with my sister in law! I get to school my brother in our ping pong tournaments. I get to hang out with my friends. I can hopefully spend some time if he gets to come to New York soon. I get to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with my family (although giving up meat will be interesting when they start serving corn beef and cabbage). And I’ve finally started reading the Harry Potter books and can finish the second and potentially go on to the third!