denver {day one} // live at red rocks.

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You guys! Let’s just talk for a few days about the beauty and goodness that is Denver, Colorado. I took over 500 pictures on my trip and have whittled them down to just near 100 for the ‘ol blog. I’d like to say I’m kidding or at least that I’m sorry, but yeah, I’m not. Girlfriend can’t help herself. Pictures aplenty, pictures galore.

So anyways, If you’d like to stick around for the ride, I’d love to have you. It’s good stuff through and through, I promise. And hey! Maybe afterwards you’ll feel like you took a vacation, too. Ready? Here we go…

{PRESS PLAY!}

 

I left Boston INSANELY early on Friday morning, but when you’re heading across the country to see your best friends {who you haven’t seen in a year!}, well, nothing is too early for that.

After one layover and one total sobfest while finishing this {SO GOOD!}, I was ready to take on Denver. The thing I remember best about landing at the airport and driving into the city was this: They sky was the bluest of blue {and stayed that way the entire length of our trip}, I could see the mountains!, and the sky was bigger than I’ve ever seen.

There is something perfect about reuniting with high school friends. The second you are together again, I swear it’s like you were never apart. We just kept busting out with “WE DID THIS! We’re here!! WE REALLY DID THIS!” on the entire ride to Denver from the airport. I felt this kind of happy inside that I haven’t felt in awhile, and maybe even ever. The sweet excitement of being someplace brand new with the sweet comfort of being with people who’ve known you practically forever— people who’ve known you before you were even actually you— at least before you were the you you are today, if that makes sense. They’ve watched you become YOU. And, anyways, for what it’s worth it’s some kind of wonderful.

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Here are some of my favorite pictures from day one…

denver day 1-2 denver day 1-3 denver day 1-4 denver day 1 denver day 1-7denver-day-1-8-(red-rocks)denver day 1-9denver-day-1-22-(hey-my-love) denver day 1-11 denver day 1-12

The highlight of the day: LIVE AT RED ROCKS.

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Fun fact: When I was in high school I was wildly obsessed with the Dave Matthews Band. I went to tons and tons of concerts {SPAC! Toronto! Atlanta!} and was basically head over heals for the music in the way that only a 16 year old can be. To put it mildly, I lived and breathed DMB. The winter of my senior year I wrote a letter to Dave Matthews, signed by me and all my friends, and! just for fun, not for serious, I added my phone number at the end with a smiley face. I sent it to his house in Charlottesville, Virgina and thought that was that. All in good fun, right? Send a letter to the lead singer of your favorite band and life goes on.

Well.

A week later, my phone rang one night and it was Dave Matthews himself. DAVE MATTHEWS! In the flesh, calling for ME!

Said he wanted to thank me and my friends for the letter, that he’d just gotten home from a photo shoot for Rolling Stone, that my words were the nicest and just what he needed to hear after a long, tiring weekend away.

I talked to him for, I don’t even know, 5 minutes? Mind racing, heart beating the enTIRE time.

And then I jumped and squealed like a 16 year old for weeks upon weeks upon weeks. {and still sometimes even now.}

TRUE LIFE AMAZING.

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My original claim to fame, also known as the best day ever of my teenage life.

{And so, now you’ll see why it was so appropriate that we come to Red Rocks. My favorite of all the CDs!}

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The amphitheatre is the coolest and the view UNBELIEVABLE. I hear the acoustics are the best, although I can’t say I’ve heard them myself {we didn’t see a concert, just toured the rocks!}–but I will say that I’m adding “See a concert at Red Rocks” to my bucket list, for sure.

If I can make it a DMB concert, EVEN BETTER.

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Exhausted, but exhilarated I could not stop smiling the entire length of the day. After Red Rocks we headed back into the city {and Beth’s neighborhood} to end day one with dinner at Steuben’s. It was, in a word, {DO YOU SEE THOSE GRAVY CHEESE FRIES?} delicious.

The perfect end to a perfect beginning.

Love at first sight, Denver! So much good!

Comments

  1. Bailey says:

    Yay! I love re-loving such a perfect weekend. Miss you!

  2. this is so good. i love that he called. makes me like him even more. and beautiful pics. i’ve only driven by red rocks… now i wish i’d gone IN.

    • He really is the best. I’d heard of stories of his love for the fans. Now I know it’s real and sincere and true. So good, so good.

  3. Amazing, the phone call, the big blue sky, and yes those gravy cheese fries!

    • They were amazing, but I could only eat so many before my stomach felt like it was going to EXPLODE. Haha.

  4. I love so much about this post. I love the western USA (I’ve spent a little time back east, but I’ve lived in CA and UT my whole life and it has my heart) so seeing your pictures of the sky just filled me with joy! Those rocks, that sky, that’s what my childhood memories are made of.

    And your story about Dave Matthews!?!?!?! I would have squealed just now, but my two babies are asleep (that’s why I have to hands to comment this morning!) That is seriously, SO COOL.

    • Love that. How fun to grow up there. It’s definitely a place I want to go back and visit again– such beauty.

      And yes! So cool! I still cannot get over it to this day. :-D

  5. OMG grinning at the thought of him actually calling!! How on earth did you handle that call! That is an amazing story!! Love the post and Denver!!

  6. Welllllll… I’ve been to boulder about 20 times, Colorado about 25, but Denver? Only twice. I’ve always dreamed of going to Red Rocks… I can’t wait to see more of these photos they’re so great.

    • Next time you’re there you should go to Denver again! Great restaurants and shopping! I loved it!

  7. Such lovely pictures! I’m so glad I stumbled onto this blog.

  8. What an awesome trip, and you have only recapped day 1! Seriously, Dave Matthews CALLED YOU? That’s one serious claim to fame!

    Glad you had so much fun with your friends!

  9. Great photos! I too was a HUUUGE DMB fan in high school (and still now), so that story of him calling you on the phone totally just made my day. Why didn’t I ever send him a letter!?

    And great call on Red Rocks. I went to see The Killers there about 5 years ago and it was honestly one of the best concert experiences I ever had. Except that they only played 2 or 3 songs and then called it quits due to sickness.

    Can’t wait to hear about the rest of your vaca!

    xo
    Erin
    http://smartificialsweetener.blogspot.com/

    • You could still send one now!

      And I’m still a big fan, too, although not quite as crazy. We’re going to a concert this summer here in Mass and I can’t wait!

  10. Just amazing!!! Oh DMB.. SIGH!

    I love how you put it, too..about high-school friends—the people who knew you before you were ‘you’! It’s true. There’s nothing like spending time with those long-timers in your life, I treasure them so!

    And I heart (HEART) Denver so your instas and now this have been absolutely have made me the happiest. Can’t wait to see where else you ventured to!

  11. I cannot wait for the rest of the posts! I love reading about Denver from an outside perspective. You should probably just move here:)

    • I don’t know if I can leave Boston! But if there was ever a place to consider Denver would be it! ♥

  12. I CAN’T EVEN WITH THIS!!!!! I CAN’T EVEN!!!! AHHHHH!!! FIrst of all – amazing, AMAZING story.

    Second, this is IDENTICAL to the feeling we had/what we said when I went to Boulder in August visiting a high school friend and another high school friend joining us out there: “There is something perfect about reuniting with high school friends. The second you are together again, I swear it’s like you were never apart. We just kept busting out with “WE DID THIS! We’re here!! WE REALLY DID THIS!” on the entire ride to Denver from the airport.” And it’s just so funny because it’s like even in the same place and everything! (hope that last sentence was valley girl enough for you).

    Lastly, I’ve always liked Dave but never loved him until I graduated from grad school. He played a huge concert, and it was Brian’s and I third date. It was a perfect summer day – we drank with all our friends, no cares because we were about to graduate – and it was just perfection the way his concerts are on a perfect summer day. So we now go every summer when we can. We saw him in Mets stadium a few summers ago and it was perfect and last summer we saw him at SPAC! And as you know, it was perfect.

    Such an awesome post – and the only time I’ve actually listened to a song embedded into the post, haha. Man how AWESOME would it be to see him at red rocks. love this post anna!

    • YOU ARE THE BEST.

      Love that you guys went to Dave on your 3rd date. Special times! Also love that you’ve been to SPAC. That’s where I saw my first {and the MOST} Dave concerts so it’s verrrry near and dear to my heart.

      {Also, I never listen to songs in posts either, but I kind of like doing it for myself! I feel like it adds to the experience a little so I might start trying to listen more to others songs when I can!}

  13. The photos are gorgeous! (as always.) I just love your story of Dave. That is so amazing that he called you!! Like you, I had a pretty serious obsession with DMB my first couple years of college. Following them around to different cities to catch as many shows as possible, singing & dancing away. your post brought on some nostalgia.

  14. That Dave Matthews story is THE BEST! Just goes to show you, everything is worth a shot! I love hearing about awesome famous people.

    Loving all your pics as usual…the Denver shots that made it to instagram took my breath away!

    • Yes! You just never know what could happen if you only try!

      Thanks, Clair! And your SF pics are BEYOND AMAZING as well! :)

  15. Oh mah gah!!! Dave CALLED you! Ah-mazing! And now I HAVE, HAVE, HAVE to visit Red Rocks. This is just great.

Trackbacks

  1. […] love her Dave Matthews story.  Again, it made me cry, but watching an ant crawl makes me cry, so that might just be an […]

  2. […] in case you missed it! {day one: live at red rocks} {day two: rocky mountain […]

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