Unofficially Homesick

You know where I should be right now? Colorado. Estes Park, Colorado. Every year (almost), my family heads out to Colorado the weekend after Labor Day for the Longs Peak Scottish-Irish Highland Festival. It is my second favorite part of the year (the first being the month of December). You see, my Grandpa Young is really big into military history, Scottish military history in particular. So he has a display - an immense display - about the Battle of Bannockburn. We all go the the Scottish Festival where Grandpa puts up the display and party for the weekend. It is so great.

This is my Grandad next to his display.

Allow me to elaborate. 

First off, it's a Scottish festival. That just spells fun. 

There are bagpipes. Playing all the time. That is the music of my heart. I love bagpipes. I guess some people don't really like the sound of bagpipes, but I've grown up with it, and I absolutely love them. With all my soul. 

There are actual Scottish/Irish/British people there sometimes. They have ACCENTS! Super cool. 

They have huge tents with tons of vendors and you can buy tons of cool Scottish stuff. They have the most beautiful cashmere scarfs. There's also TONS of plaid. Everywhere. You've gotta love plaid. 

There's a cute little playground on the festival grounds, and it's freaking awesome. We spend lots of time there ... That's cool, because we are way too old to play at a playground. But it really is freaking awesome.

The actual city of Estes Park is probably the cutest place in the world. They have the most adorable little main street with a million cute little stores. And they have the BEST Christmas stores in the whole world. I freaking love it. The atmosphere is just amazing.

There's this restaurant, Poppy's. They have super delicious pizza and we go there every year, on Saturday night after the festival closes. It's so much fun, and one of my favorite Estes Park traditions. And right behind the restaurant, there's this cute little creek we like to chill by. It's gorgeous. 

There's another little creek thing with a mill by it, and this little bridge. We play in the water a little bit. Like, walk along the rocks by the side of it, up and down the creek. It's super fun.

We watch movies every night in the tent where they put up the display. It's really cold, but it's really fun, and it's just part of the experience.

The weather is perfect. It's usually a little chilly, and little drizzly - like, basically my favorite weather in the world. It's not so fun for the boys in the tents, but we ladies stay in a hotel, so it's no biggie for us.

I get to spend the whole weekend with my family. I freaking love my family. They are the coolest. Especially my dear cousin Elisabeth. She is the bomb (people still say that, right?).

Food just tastes better when you're hungry and cold and cooking in the back of a tent. It really does.

We do a testimony meeting Sunday night, and it's always really special. At the end, we always sing Families Can Be Together Forever and everyone ends up sobbing. Then we all hug and cry and cry and hug. It's my favorite.

Monday we all go shopping around town since the festival is over. We buy ornaments and stuffed animals and key chains and jewelry - lots of fun stuff. It's the best.

You guys, I really want to be in Colorado right now. It kills me that I'm not there right now. Right this exact moment. It's amazing. And the BEST kick-off to fall in the whole world. It just sets the stage for the big build up to Christmas - it's like, Estes Park, fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving, December, Christmas! Just like that. My year just isn't quite the same without it. It makes me sad. I'm sad.

And Estes Park really is my little home away from home. Not because I spend a ton of time there, but because it's a place that I really love. I have so many wonderful memories of Estes Park. It's like the home of my soul.

I am un[OFFICIALLY] homesick.

Look! It's the festival on Google Maps! Cool, right?
My most lovely Lizzie pointed this out to me.
Now I can share the joy of Estes Park with ALL of you!