D-Bar

Warning: People who like to consume things of sweetness, please be advised that the following contains information about yet another place to taste sugary goodness.

One of the places Jeff and I visited while we were in Downtown Denver was a small cafe called D-Bar. D, short for Dessert...I'm assuming. It's literally a place dedicated to creating amazing sugary morsels to sink your teeth into. That, along with their various coffee drinks, and a small food menu, makes D-Bar a very cool place to visit.  

It was such a fun experience to munch on a sweet, tasty snack at a local cafe in Denver. After eating some dessert at D-Bar, I looked them up online and found out that they have one other location opening up in Winter of this year! Not only that, but they are opening in my hometown, San Diego!! 

D-bar reminded me of a local coffee shop that has it's own cool style. Somewhere you could go and hang out all day snacking on sweet & savory munchies to accompany your coffee drink. It was a very popular destination the for the locals in the Denver area, which made me feel that much cooler.

If you are in the Denver area, I highly suggest spending a moment or two at D-bar. It's a fun experience, and who can pass up really yummy sweets?!

Side note: I tried the beignets at D-bar, and they were tasty, but I must say if you want a REAL French beignets pastry, visit New Orleans. THAT is where the good stuff is. I talked about it here.

<3 Em

For more info about D-bar click THIS.

The Rocky Mountain State

Jeff and I are officially back in California! This past month and three weeks of traveling has been a very fantastic, mind-opening, interesting adventure. We were able to visit 5 states, and stay in 9 different cities. That is a lot to cram into 7 weeks! Overall it has been a spectacular experience, but I'm glad to be back visiting family and friends. I didn't miss California so much as I missed the wonderful people in it.

On our way back to Cali- 15 hour drive!!

Our last adventure before making it back to Cali was Castlerock, Colorado. Colorado is such a beautiful state! Jeff and I stayed with our friend, Tyler, in his beautiful home which was right across the street from a walking/running trail & a children's play park. The first couple of days we were there it was cold and snowy. Everywhere I looked, a light layer of fresh, white snow covered the grass, the hills, the streets. It was a beautiful sight. I was able to go on a run while the snow was still sticking to the ground, and it was so breath taking...literally. The wind made it very hard to breath! ;) I can't say enough how beautiful Castlerock was/is...I would love to visit again.

The view on my run.

The beautiful Rocky's!!

Between the rolling hills, the deep forests, the rocky mountains, and downtown Denver, Colorado is a place I definitely suggest visiting. While we were there, Jeff and I drove around the area, enjoying the beautiful homes, and developing cities. We stopped by the Colorado Springs Air Force Academy, drove through the Black Forest, and visited Focus on the Family's headquarters. 

B-52 Plane, used in war, with Hefe standing next to it!!

Focus on the Family headquarters!!

Hefe standing in the panoramic picture!

Our friend Tyler & Jeff.

A nearby park/view point with Buffalo next door!

I had never seen Buffalo before this day!! So cool!

My love & I at the view point.

Tyler took us on a B-Cycle adventure through downtown Denver, and around the outside of the city. There is a beautiful creek that flows on the outside of the city, that we biked through, and older historic neighborhoods too. Downtown Denver is one of the nicest, cleanest downtown's I have been to. I felt safe, and it seemed as though the city took good care of itself. Riding the B-Cycle was such a fun experience! If you're ever in a city that has them, I highly suggest renting the B-cycle's. It's really fun! There is an app that you can download called 'B-cycle Me'. It tells you all the cities that has a B-cycle, as well as where you can stop to rent your bikes. It's a really great way to explore cities you're visiting.

Dazbog, a cute local, Russian coffee shop.

Downtown Denver.

Neighborhoods we rode our bikes through.

Local art

B-Cycle station!

Best Fwends.

Selfie!

Castle Marne.

The entrance to the Denver Zoo!! So pretty!

After saying goodbye to Tyler, Castlerock, and Denver, Jeff and I started our drive back to California. Let me just say it is the most beautiful drive I have ever experienced! The Rocky Mountains are such a spectacular painting of God's creation. I would Drive back to Colorado just so I could drive through the Rocky Mountains again!

Here are some action shots of Tyler jumping onto a rock...enjoy!

Goodbye to the stunning Rocky Mountain State, hello to the sunny Golden State.

<3 Em

Disney's Animal Kingdom

Whenever I think of animals, I think of the Lion King. There is something about that song, "The Circle of Life", that just feels inspiring, almost spiritual..I love it. -- Speaking of animals, I've been sitting outside the last few hours (still in Florida), and I've had the opportunity to watch the nature surrounding me. There are so many lizards/geckos here!!! They are everywhere. I keep hearing leaves crunching, or bushes shaking, and it's because there are literally hundreds of lizards/geckos crawling around me. I keep laughing because every-so-often I see a shadow and hear a 'thud'. When I look over to find out what the shadow and thud is, I find a lizard/gecko that has decided to free fall from a nearby tree...I don't know why? Maybe lizards/geckos are adrenaline junkies or something, but it is the funniest thing!-- Anyways, enough of my tangent, let's get back to Disney's Animal Kingdom.

For our last day at WDW, Jeff and I decided to check out the Animal Kingdom. It was the first sunny day we had after 3-4 days of rain, so we thought it would be perfect to see all the animals. It was. We had so much fun at the Animal Kingdom. It's definitely similar to San Diego's Wild Animal Park, but with Disney style. We both really enjoyed seeing all the different animals, as well as a few shows, and rides.

Again, it's a small park, and we were able to get through it in a few hours. I will say, it's geared toward smaller children, but we still had a great time together.

Rides:

1. DINOSAUR- This one was a lot like the Indiana Jones ride in Disneyland. Really fun, kind of scary, and full of surprises. 

2. Expedition Everest-Legend of the Forbidden Mountain- OH. MY. GOODNESS. GRACIOUS. If you are scared of heights, this ride will test your fear, right in the beginning too! It was one of the funnest rides we went on. It's supposed to be similar to the Matterhorn Bobsleds, but it's newer, better for your back, and much more exciting. I highly suggest this ride, and make sure you keep your eyes open otherwise you miss things!

3. Kilimanjaro Safaris- This was the first ride Jeff and I went on, and it was so cool!! It's more of a safari then a ride, and it was amazing. The views were spectacular. The animals were so close to you, and there seemed to be no fencing, which made you feel as though you were in Africa. -- Side Note: Jeff and I went on a African Safari ride when we were in Africa, and we liked the Animal Kingdom Safari ride better...that's how great it was.

All three of those rides are the most popular ones, I would suggest getting a fast pass if you can.

4. Primeval Whirl- This ride looks like a typical circus, or small theme park ride, but it was super fun!! A must try.

Walks through/show:

1. It's Tough to be a Bug- Disneyland has this same show, and it's just as fun at the Animal Kingdom.

2. Maharajah Jungle Trek- This is a walk through exhibit, and it was so cool! I have a video of the bats that you will see when you walk through it.

3. Pangani Forest Exploration Trail- This is another walk through. REALLY stinky (it's the gorillas), but still very cool.

4. The Oasis Exhibits- If you are a bird fanatic, this is the walk through you want to go through. I'm not a huge bird fan, so it was okay for me. 

There are different parades throughout the day as well, but Jeff and I enjoyed walking through the different exhibits more. This was a fun park, and we would go back just to ride the Expedition Everest ride again!

<3 Em