Golden

Picture hanging in the Stanley Hotel

After I left Denver I spent a night in Estes Park, which, yes, is where Dumb and Dumber was filmed (the greatest movie ever made!) My friend Matt works up there so he connected me with a place to rest my noggin! Me and Matt actually met through this guy Tyler who I worked with at University Presbyterian Church last year and as life would have it, Tyler also ended up moving to Colorado this last fall ( to a city named Golden...also the home to the worlds largest brewery, Coors!) So he invited me and Matt to hang with he and his family last night. I'm trying to imagine the type of person you'd have to be to meet Tyler and NOT like him...I would say the Grinch but i'm pretty sure even he would be able to connect. Needless to say, Tylers a good dude and both Matt and I were excited to get some time in with him.

When we got there I immediately fell in love with both of his sons, Liam (4th grade) and Toby (kindergarten). At one point we were all in the car getting a small tour around town, Matt was saying something to Tyler and Toby, in the most serious, sincere way goes, "mmmmm, AMEN!" I didn't want to laugh and make him feel insecure or embarrassed, if he was feelin the spirit, I wanted him to relish in it. But GOD, was it hilarious! (and that was only one of a large handful of funny comments he made...most of the rest having to do with poop of course!)

The beautiful Estes Park

Once the boys went down, me, Tyler and Matt huddled around a fire outside for a bit. We spent a solid hour or 2 sharing funny stories, somber prayer requests, our favorite book quotes (we're all secret nerds!) and some of our most haunting questions. At one point I sat back and kinda chuckled to myself...I really don't know either of these men all that well. ( In fact to most, this evening would fall under the category of "awkward") but I couldn't help but feel like I belonged there...like I wasn't supposed to be anywhere else.