Mckay and I flew into Denver on Monday, July 14. The weather was very pleasant. We checked in to the hotel, and I found that everything was close--shopping, dining, sites to visit, etc. were all walking distance from the hotel. They also have a free shuttle bus to take you to places that are a little too far to walk. On Monday, we had a quick lunch at Subway, and McKay went to work and I went to explore. I did some shopping, and grabbed the most delicious nonfat frozen yogurt I've ever had. It was tart and had a real yogurt taste, and I loved it. I also shopped for some shoes for our New York trip (assuming that we would still be taking it) and a new purse. I came back and worked out at the hotel gym and then took a nap until McKay got in. We went to dinner at Maggiano's. We tried the sampler, and had TONS of food. Two appetizers, two salads, two entrees, and two desserts. They rolled us out of there with enough leftovers for the next night's meal.
On Tuesday, I worked out, and then had breakfast. Then, I called a friend in McKinney who is a cancer survivor and had just found out that she used the same surgeon that I will be going with. She had lots of glowing things to say about Dr. Canavan, and I got a lot of assurance from that. She recommended a book to read; Dr. Susan Love's Breast Cancer book. I was already armed with my backpack chock full of breast cancer reading material, but in the initial days, I wanted to read as much as I could about my breast cancer, so I was open to all suggestions. I took my first Dramamine on my plane ride to SLC, and found it to be the best thing in the world, as I usually cannot do so much as pick up a pencil from the ground without getting deathly ill from motion sickness when traveling. I was able to finish a whole book on the plane ride this time!
Anyway, after I talked to my friend, I took the bus to the State Capitol building. I joined a group who was taking a tour, and it was a nice distraction. It reminded me a lot of the Texas Capital building, which I visited in March with Andrew's 4th grade class. I had a nice visit, and was planning on going to the Denver Mint next. The group I was with on the tour informed me that you had to get those tickets well in advance, but advised me to check it out anyway, as "single" guests could get in standby if there was room available on the tour.
I decided to give it a try. The tour guides told me I would need to come back the next morning to try and get a standby ticket. I already had a blister on my foot, and asked if there was ANY way I could try and get in on a tour that day. They said, Wellll, OK. I did it! No promises that I would get in, but I had a good chance. Still, I would have to get rid of my purse and phone though, so I called McKay to meet me and take my belongings so I could go on the tour. I got there in plenty of time, and it turns out a woman and her son were taking the tour and had an actual ticket to spare, and asked if anyone wanted it. I piped up and said I was a single, and they gave it to me, and I was guaranteed to get in. Yes! The tour was interesting, and Denver and a city in California are the only cities that produce pennies. The mint in Fort Worth creates paper money, and we've yet to visit it, but I would like to take the kids out there some time.
McKay and I had our leftovers for dinner, and we stayed in for the night so I could do some more reading.
On Wednesday, I worked out and then did some more reading. McKay met me for lunch, and we had some yummy salads. I went in to the Barnes and Noble and looked for that book by Dr. Love. I read some of that, and then I shopped at some Denver gift shops, but wasn't interested in the overpriced stuff. Later I had some more of that yogurt with McKay and headed for the room. We planned on eating dinner at a local restaurant that served buffalo burgers, and then we went to the ESPN store and played some video games.
On my last day, I decided to go to the Denver Art Museum. I toured the whole place, and saw some things that impressed me. I was touched by one particular piece of Southwest art. It was a sculpture titled "The things I must do to maintain myself", and depicted a "clown" with a torn horn on his head. In his hands he held a needle and thread, and was trying to sew himself back together. I thought of myself, and the things I will be going through mend my body. I just really liked it. I also saw a woman going through chemo with a bald head and a bonnet barely covering it. I was a little startled, but know I will lose my own hair before long, and will have to adjust to that.
Met back with McKay, and we headed back home. It was a nice trip, and I got to relax for a while and take my mind off of things for some short spells.
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