summer reading – Page 3 – Life as Lauren

Wow, wow, wow. This weekend was so good!

I recently realized that I’ve vacationed every September since 2014 and while it’s meant really good vacation weather, it’s also meant missing really good weather right here in Colorado. We’re only 11 days in, but I’m already LOVING this month and being able to spend it fully at home. These last few moments of summer — it IS still technically summer — are so so precious and I’m taking full advantage of each and every warm weather second we have left.

Friday, Joey dropped me off at Base Coat for a “Quick Coat Mani” and I got an A+ on my nail care report card. As in, my manicurist told me my nails looked really good and there was barely anything for her to do, then complimented how moisturized my hands were. I walked home afterwards, feeling really good about myself, ha!

We grilled up some chicken for dinner, then decided to be fun young people and go to a 9:30 PM movie at the Sie FilmCenter. Get this, we’d never been there! But we’d been wanting to check it out and they were showing “California Typewriter,” a documentary on typewriters that featured Tom Hanks and John Mayer, so I was sold. There were only four of us in the theater, but whatever because the film was so interesting and there was a full bar and we were in our happy place. Mark my words, this will NOT be the last time we come here. Also, can I borrow someone’s typewriter to send Tom Hanks a letter?

Saturday morning, we woke up, ate breakfast then biked over to the Farmers’ Market. We have officially reached the point in summer where I live in paralyzing fear that this is finally the last week peaches will be for sale. Luckily, they were still there this week! Plus baby cucs, — including two that reminded me of those pull-apart popsicles — shishitos, giant corn and a baguette that Joey biked home with and it made me love him so much.

Afterwards, I dug around in our out of control tomato bush, read in the hammock, made another batch of granola, hit up the grocery store and basically just felt really chill for the entire day. It was honestly so nice and relaxing and I’m just now remembering that I even took a nap. More days like this please!

But the main event of Saturday was actually later that night, at Dining Al Fresco! This is an event the restaurants of Larimer Square put on a few times a summer, where they extend their patios out onto the street, giving diners a chance to enjoy the summer weather and eat underneath the string lights. We got to witness the entire sunset over dinner and I could not get over the view. It was prettier and prettier every time I looked up ♥

As for actual dinner, we signed up to eat at TAG and honestly, they did NOT have their ~~shit~~ act together. They totally botched our reservation and sent out the wrong food, but those string lights made for the most magical dinner atmosphere and the taco sushi and black miso cod were both incredible so I’ll just leave it at that 🙂 I already can’t wait to do this Dining Al Fresco thing again next year!

Sunday started with another 6 mile training run (it went GREAT!) then we cleaned ourselves up, only to get tired and sweaty all over again biking to brunch (<– still Summer Bucket Listing!) at the newly opened (or should I say reinvented?) Candela Latin Kitchen. It used to be Central Bistro but recently closed and reopened as a Latin restaurant with a taco-stacked menu and while I still need to get there for HH/dinner, the chilaquiles on their brunch menu was CALLING TO ME and so we had to go. I think one other party was sitting inside, but we were the ONLY ones eating out on the patio and I couldn’t understand why because the food, service and vibe were all AMAZING. Get here, Denverites!

The rest of the day featured more hammock reading, Rainbow Veggie Bowl prep, a kombucha field trip, dinner and me hiding in our room while the Cowboys game was on. I roasted some salmon and served it with this Tomato-Peach Salad with Tofu Cream plus that baguette for dipping and it was all so summery and fresh and good. All those tomatoes are from our garden and that makes me incredibly happy. I guess the Cowboys won but whatever because, more importantly, ROCKIES SWEPT THE DODGERS!

Hope you all have a lovely (and for those of you in Hurricane Irma’s path, a SAFE) weekend!

You know, we take this little weekend trip to the cabin every summer now and though most of what we do is routine — arrive by 3, beer in hand by 3:30, puzzle, dinner on the grill, breakfast on the front porch, reading on the side porch, walk down to the river, nap, puzzle, listen to the Rockies game, repeat — the small details change from year to year, so that I can remember and love each trip individually.

This year, we had the most perfect sunshiny warm weather — though those mornings on the porch were still crisp in the most refreshing way — we made tacos (because: Taco Summer!), ate peach galette, took a drive where sun-drenched valley spilled into sun-drenched valley spilled into sun-drenched valley, read on a bench that overlooked the stream, saw the most hummingbirds ever, drank kombucha, learned to play Yahtzee, put together an 80’s-themed puzzle, ate yogurt bowls by Joey’s request (!!!) and as always, came home feeling relaxed and recharged.