A few weeks ago Marla tried to twist my arm into going to Colorado. I told her I would think about it. I’m pretty safe. I like to plan ahead. I’m a schedules and lists type. A little Type A? Perhaps. But a few weeks passed by and I kept thinking about it… and my thoughts eventually turned from “you really shouldn’t go, you have a lot on your plate right now” to “why not, it’s just a few days“ so I checked flights and they were cheap, so I booked. Marla already had a car and hotel… all I needed was my plane ticket. So generous of her to let me crash her party. I was quite proud of myself for being spontaneous. I needed a break. My creativity has taken a beating lately, and nothing really inspires me like traveling.
As you probably already know, Marla is a professional photographer. An excellent one. And she has a sidekick, her brilliant assistant, Brittany. Brittany is a dream assistant. Here she is:
She drove us around, she had already researched all the best restaurants, she knew the maps, the sightseeing, the parks, pretty much everything we needed to know… Brittany already knew. She is not only beautiful, but kind and caring and talented (she’s a photographer) too! Marla had three or four photography sessions booked so they were there for work. Me, well, I was there to totally check-out from reality. And I was successful. If you are a fellow schedules and lists type (Type A sounds so harsh) you know that it is challenging. Well, I did a pretty good job. I rode in the backseat. Did zero research and just let the fun fall out in front of me. I did a decent amount of backseat driving, but I couldn’t help it. I don’t ride well. And come on, being up in the clouds on mountain roads is enough to make a blind person nervous.
We hiked, we ate, we hiked, we ate, we laughed, we shopped, we laughed some more. We met some real characters. Like Doc (below).
We spent an evening with Marla’s friend, Denver photographer, Laura Siebert (who is phenomenal) and took pictures on a rolling hill at sunset. Here’s a beautiful picture of Marla, I’m not sure if Laura or Brittany took it? Thanks for letting me be a third wheel Marla!!!
We laughed a lot. I’m pretty sure Marla (aka “Left Eye”) sang “Don’t Go Chasing Waterfalls” all weekend long. Did we hear it on the car radio? Or is she just secretly the biggest TLC fan ever known? I’m not quite sure. I’m also not quite sure how many hints I have to drop about that bracelet (see Marla’s bracelet)… I really would like to have one.
One of Marla’s photo sessions was at the Denver Botanical Gardens. While they worked I wandered around like a kid in a candy store. Hello little squirrel.
I liked you Colorado. I hope to come back and see you again real soon. And thanks to Marla and Brittany for inviting me to join them on their little adventure! A spontaneous break is good for the soul.
Well as I flipped I saw this story about her kitchen. I know we’ve all seen this kitchen before… but never to this extent. The details made my eyes pop out of my head.
by Erika
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