Rusty and I got a little staycation when the boys went to FSY this summer. The Nuggets were playing for the Championship on Monday, June 12. Rusty and I had been watching ticket prices during the playoffs, and prices always dropped just after the game started. So we decided to try our luck. At the very least, it sounded fun to be down in Denver soaking in the atmosphere. We went to Ball Arena and had fun meeting Rocky–I caught a signed banner that I gave to a cute little boy–getting pictures and feeling the excitement of all the fans. Just before game time we sat down and started watching tickets. They were slowly dropping, but not quite into our price range. We had about 3 different sites open and kept toggling between them. One pair dropped into our range, but it was scooped up before we could get to it. It was about 7 min into the first quarter, and we were losing hope. Then– it happened! Two AMAZING seats dropped into our range. We bought them as fast as we could and raced into the arena. We sat down with about 5 min left in the first quarter. We were absolutely giddy.

It was not the best game the Nuggets have ever played. In fact, you could say it was kind of awful. We were down almost the entire game. They couldn’t shoot a 3-pointer (Missed 20 of their first 22 tries) or get a rebound to save their life. Things did not look hopeful. ESPN called it an ugly, frantic game. That was accruate. But the crowd was absolutely bonkers the whole time. We wanted that win! FINALLY, in the 4th quarter they pulled ahead for the first time since 1st quarter. We were tied, we were up a point, back and forth. And with less than 30 seconds remaining, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope stole a pass by Jimmy Butler and made both free throws after Lowry fouled him to give Denver a 3-point lead. Butler missed a 3, Brown got foul and made both shots. With 14 seconds left, it looked like Denver had pulled it out! The noise of the crowd was deafening. Confetti everywhere. People sobbing. People screaming. So, so fun. GO NUGGETS!

Then later in the week we went up to Estes Park to Climb the Via Ferrata. It’s a good thing I didn’t really look into this before Rusty booked our spots. I might have chickened out. It’s the steepest Via Ferrata in the US. We had so much fun. They only take private groups, so it was just Rusty and I and our guide. It was thrilling, but I also felt very safe the whole time. We walked a narrow bridge, and also did a tightrope. That one was really fun.

We had a wave of fog roll in. It blocked some of the views, but it was pretty magical all on its own. When we got to the summit, we left the fog behind and could gaze out over the valley. It was such a fun day, and always an adventure to try something new.