Monday Morning - Again!

Happy New Week :)

Survival: Colorado Springs - Everyone made it back safely and happily, including the 2 1/2 hour drive back from the Springs to Fort Collins with 5 sleep-deprived teenagers and a cello in tow - Not sure how we acquired the additional passenger (0r the cello, for that matter) but thanks to the rack on the top of my car we did indeed make it home in one piece.

Saturday morning Cyn and I were up bright and early to grab breakfast surrounded by an amazingly spry group of former military men and women who were participating in one of 3 different reunions being held at The Academy Hotel (timed to coincide each year with the Air Force/Navy game), pack six of the aforementioned teenagers into my Honda Pilot (along with 4 large posters) to head downtown to Acacia Park on Tejon Street where the teens planned to participate in a social action activity called "Project Hugs", which was an experience similar to this YouTube Video but without the very cool soundtrack from Sick Puppies.

After a bit of a rough start - the park was full of homeless folks, including a lovely young 18 year old girl with a cat she was trying to give away and very few folks shopping because of the early hour - the teens really got into it and had a great time. Watching people react was an amazing experience! My favorite was the guy who stopped his car at a light, hopped out and hugged them all and then sped away!

I'm not sure why was surprised to find amazing shopping right in Colorado Springs. It 'is' a tourist destination, after all. Nevertheless, I was stunned to walk into one of the most amazing boutiques I've ever had the pleasure to browse - it's called Terra Verde, and is located right across from Acacia Park at 208 N. Tejon Street. Walking through Terra Verde is kind of like opening a treasure box given to you by the hippest person you know. You might get bath and body items, kitchen gadgets, accessories galore (including VERY cool seat-belt purses), clothes and shoes. Jewelry, hair accessories and fashionable hats and scarves adorn every corner of this lovely downtown alcove. I wish we had one here!

After shopping 'til we dropped (or 'til we ran out of cash, more truthfully) we headed down Tejon Street to sip a caffeinated beverage and munch on chocolate croissants and bagels for a few lovely moments before returning to Acacia Park to load up the car again and head back north to the very unusual High Plains Unitarian Universalist Church which is currently housed in a former game arcade building and still features one of the most beautiful miniature golf courses I've ever seen! The teens participated in a late night walking meditation on the course that they were talking about for quite awhile on Sunday morning's ride home.

After dropping off the kiddos back at the conference, we set off in search of a BBQ'd lunch - our GPS unit (nicknamed "The Tramp") showed us no fewer than 12 BBQ restaurants in Colorado Springs, so we figured on maybe 10 minutes 'til lunch... perfect! Not so. Sadly, it would appear that Colorado Springs is not the haven for BBQ that it used to be! All 6 of the restaurants that we found were boarded up and closed for business! It's a tragedy of epic proportions, I kid you not! Anyone out there know what's happening to BBQ in CS? Is it a vegetarian movement? Inquiring minds wish to know! Red, Hot and Blue appears to be the only BBQ still remaining (at least on the North Side of town), but we didn't discover that until AFTER sating ourselves at Pei Wei Asian Diner (which I KNOW is pronounced Pay Way, but persist in pronouncing Pee Wee!)

After reviving ourselves with lunch, we set off in search of halloween costumes for both Cyn and my 15 year old son. He's decided to be a "Soldier For Peace" - which is a great opportunity to put used camo to good use, no? We had fun selecting a jacket, shirt, belt, pants and boots for him, but I was NOT at all prepared for my visceral response to seeing him IN such a costume! He's only 15, but looks just like the fresh-faced young recruits who make me so sad when I see them on tv heading off with the hope of return in one piece. Soldier For Peace, indeed.... I think I'm going to have to modify the uniform quite a bit to make it not turn my stomach when I see him on Halloween night.

I saw a bumper sticker this week that moved me. It read: "I'm already against the next war".

Me, too.