You Don't See That Every Day

Dear Mom, We made it. 11 days. Oregon to Idaho to Utah to Wyoming to Colorado to Montana to Idaho to Washington to Oregon. Over 3000 miles. Our first two days were just driving, hours and hours of driving. There wasn't a lot of "amazing" sights to see but the different terrain was interesting. The endless miles of road construction were not a lot of fun, but being able to drive 70 mph, or 80 in some places, made up for that. We pulled into outskirts of Denver late Friday. The Boy had taken a flight there and arrived a couple of hours earlier. So he and the uncle, aunt and cousins went to dinner. They were nice enough to bring back some ice cream to the hotel for all of us. I was so wiped out from 2 days of travel that I just stayed in watching "Fixer Upper with Little K," while the others went swimming. On Saturday the 'fun' times began. We went up to Red Rocks Amphitheater and took in some touristy action. The theater was pretty incredible. The...

Halfway through summer! Here are some of the adventures we've had so far McDowell Creek hike with the whole crew:  And a sweet treat at the end of the trail - Silver Creek Falls - The Boy has to work now, so he doesn't always get to go with us: And no summer is complete without swim lessons: We also had a mini-golf day, but the competition was fierce so we didn't get any photos. We've got loads more planned for the second half of the summer, but I'm afraid we might run out of time before we get it all done. Which means, we'll just have to extend our summer into September .. at least those of us at home can!

Dear Family, By now you've heard the news about our cousin's death. Monday morning when the news reached me I felt like I was punched in the gut. It lasted all day. Even when I went for a run, trying to grip reality in my mind, my stomach clenched and tears rolled. I kept going, just hoping no one going by would notice. (On a plus note it's the furthest I've run in a long time.) This cousin was my best buddy when we grew up. We are both the youngest of ten, girls with older brothers (and sisters) who annoyed us and yet also spoiled us. We were pen pals in different states. We were Bert and Ernie. We spent weeks together in the summer, and camping together holds some of my favorite memories. In high school we started going our separate ways. Our choices in college and beyond took us in opposite directions, but we still managed to talk occasionally. Then she ended up living just 15 miles away from me in our adult years. And yet I still feel like I didn't do e...

Dear Brother, I'm running again! I was off for over a month. At one point I even told my husband that i thought I didn't want to run anymore, ever. It was that bad. What changed my mind? Well, 1st off, the weather. We had a lot of rain, and it was very easy to not want to run in the cold downpours. Now with the sun, or even the gray but warm days, I feel like getting outside and moving. 2. My schedule. Now that school is out I actually have time to run. 3. My energy. I started taking a multi-vitamin along with my iron supplements and it has made a huge difference in my energy. 4. Accountability. My daughter wants to run a triathlon, so I'm trying to get her started with running, working her into the Couch to 5K kind of program. Also, my aunt mentioned doing something, so having the two of them motivates me. 5. And one more thing .. I want to lose some weight, at least 5 pounds. When the pants start to feel too tight, it's time to get back on the road! So now I h...

Dear Brother , Well this week it happened. My oldest child graduated from high school, my middle child graduated from middle school, and we added a couple of parties, and a funeral in the mix. Our Boy has been gone most of the week attending senior parties, or just impromptu get-togethers with his friends, enjoying every last minute with his buddies that he can. On Thursday we had a little discussion as to what would be worn under the graduation robe .. a compromise was struck mainly because he has no good pants, and he took the tie off once he saw that none of his friends were wearing one. But at least he had a nice button up shirt on, and good jeans. I didn't cry during graduation this time! It was definitely a celebratory evening. Our Boy was one of 6 valedictorians, so instead of having them all give a speech, 2 of them gave the speech, our boy opting out of that. The Girl who Swims is starting the countdown for her graduation in two years... The next evening...

Dear Running Shoes, You greet me each morning, staring up at me with your eyelets, silently begging to be taken for a run. And yet I pass you over for my sandals. I know, I know, it's been a month since I took you out for a run. But hey, don't stick your tongue out at me - at least I've taken you for walks in the evenings. The days have been long, not only with the sun staying up until 9 pm, but with all the activity going on around here. I have a senior graduating from high school, and an 8th grader moving up, and two homeschoolers that still need to finish their books. It looks like we will be doing some math through the summer. I must say, not having summer basketball has been a nice break, although I do miss it. I miss the games, and the visiting with our sports 'family'. But I don't miss the time it took up. And I know there will be more in the future. But, dear running shoes, you won't be stuck in my closet forever. I promise. The 11-year-old has m...

Dear Family and Friends, A BIG thank you to those of you who made it to our son's graduation party! It was so fun to see everyone, and yet, we feel like we missed out a bit because we couldn't get around to talk to everyone. The Boy has been incredibly blessed by all of you, not just with the cards you left for him, but for your input in his life. I know that someday he will look back and see just how you played a role in his growing.  Thank you. To those of you who could not make it, I totally understand. I didn't make it to some friends' parties this weekend either. And so for you, I have pictures of what you missed: Good friends, Good food, Good family, I must say, having company over is quite an impetus to clean up the house and yard! It was sparkling on Sunday after days of 'spring cleaning'. The kids all pitched in to help ... ok, maybe it was more like mandatory volunteering, but we worked on it as a family, and then got ...