I'm a firm believer in having "little luxuries" in life. Which is why, when I told Eric I wanted to go on a summer vacation - something we hadn't done in over 8 years - I made reservations at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. Yes, it was expensive. But it was only for two nights. Plus, it was something I'd always wanted to do. And it was soooooo worth it!
The rooms were nice, but what you're really paying for is the incredible surroundings. Majestic mountain views, unbelievable landscaping & flowers, an outstanding swimming pool that my kids would have stayed in for the entire 48 hours, and customer service like I've never, ever experienced. It was all I had hoped for and more. Well, everything except my whiney kids. I would have paid extra if the Broadmoor could have magically made them happy campers, but when you take kids out of their routine, you've got expect them to be a little grumpy and uncooperative at times. Bea gave us more than her share.And while we soaked up all the luxuriousness of The Broadmoor, we also ventured out to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. They're best known for having one of the largest giraffe herds in the US, and it was crazy-funny to watch Bea & Gus squeal as they fed them crackers. The zoo is on many different levels of the mountain, so you climb up and up and up, and it gets more beautiful with every step.
The last place we stopped before leaving Colorado was The North Pole. My parents had taken our family there when I was probably 5 or 6 years old. So while my memory is fuzzy, it was something I wanted my kids to see and experience too. It's a lovely little, Christmas-themed amusement park tucked into the side of Pikes Peak Mountain. And surprisingly, after 63 years, it's still very well maintained. The Peppermint Slide was my kids' favorite. In fact, I'm pretty sure we rode it no less than 23 times. Which made up for all the other rides my kids WOULDN'T go on - we're just not amusement park people, I guess. (We enjoyed the scenery more than a vomit-inducing Tilt-A-Whirl.)So here's to summer vacations, fun memories and life's little luxuries!
