A few hours, turned into a day's journey!

As many of you know, I am directionally challenged.  Being native to Colorado, you might think I would know my way around better than most.  Unfortunately my family has endured many journeys due to my lack of knowledge on the roads.  If it isn't 10 minutes from home, I'm bound to get lost.

Our journey began...I decided to take the girls over Trail Ridge Road thinking it would be a fun experience for a girls day out.  I started off by getting the directions needed to get us to Trail Ridge Road.  We enjoyed the views, listened to music, played roadside games, and had great conversation.  As we were going over the pass, we were able to view beautiful elk and moose.  We were also fortunate to see an eagle's nest.  Our packed lunch was perfect, and the abundance of water set off a beautiful sound in the background.  Everything seemed perfect...then we started to leave the park.  I didn't think about getting home, only about how to get there.  Rob has always gone with me, and I guess I have taken his keen ability to find his way around for granted.  I came out of the pass and realized I was not in Estes Park...not knowing what to do, I just followed the traffic.  This brought me to Granby.  I'm not prideful, so I called to get directions to Denver.  It was suggested that I either turn around or head toward Berthoud Pass.  So off I went heading for Berthoud Pass, but as I was approaching this destination, flashing lights explained that the pass was closed.  Now I started to get a little frantic.  I held my composure, singing with the girls, playing more roadside games, and thinking, "Where in the heck am I?"  Some men who were working on the road explained to me that I would have to go back to Granby, and then to Kremmling, in order to take highway nine; this would lead me to Denver.  Every word that came out of their mouths sounded foreign to me, but they made it sound easy enough.  Not wanting to look as if I had no clue, I headed toward Kremmling not knowing that it was located in no where’s land!  To make a very long story short, what started off as a few hour drive turned into a day's worth of driving.   As we started to see civilization that looked familiar (took 6 hours), Missy turned to me and said, "Mom, I think I have seen enough mountains to last me a lifetime!"  We laughed and are still laughing about how our three hour trip turned into an eight hour drive.  We were up in Aspen last weekend, and the kids preferred Rob to be at the wheel...I have no idea why!

Missy got a few shots:

Jessie running from a snowball!



The wildlife was beautiful.



Mountains, mountains, and more mountains-ugh!



More natural beauty, but no sign of civilization.





Go Rockies!

Opa has a love for baseball, and is determined to share this passion with his grandkids.  My kids have been attending games since they have been a year old.  Opa shares the ins and outs of the game, while Oma is good for sharing the goodies the ball game has to offer (shopping, food, people watching, oh...there's the game too!)  The kids get the best of both worlds, and truly enjoy the experience. 





Cameron, Devyn, Missy, and Jessie ready for the game.

 

Too many in attendance is never enough...



 

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Good times...adding to the memory collection.







Must Be Rough

Okay, I remember going to Water World and coming back exhausted too, but never came back asking for a spa treatment?  The worst part about this idea, is that I would be the last person on this earth who would know the first thing about spa treatments.  Wait a minute; I should back up for you.  So this is how it started, Jessie and Missy came back from a long day at Water World (must be rough) and Jessie turned to me and said, "Mom, I'm just dieing for a spa treatment."  Missy quickly agreed.  The word massage sounds like torture to me, but Jess and Missy love getting their feet rubbed and being pampered--must of gotten this from Daddy.  Not knowing a lot about massages, I knew I had to pretend a little.  My response of course was, "Sure."  I quickly turned our living room into a home spa.  I turned on some soft jazz music, cut up some cucumbers, grabbed Rob to help with the feet, whipped together a few mud masks, and ...off to work we went.  The evening turned out to be one that made us laugh for hours.  Between Rob's foot rubs and my singing the girls enjoyed the pampering and the howling of the dogs.  What seemed to be a ridiculous request turned into a night filled with laughter!  Kids...gotta love them. 

Keystone Training

       The conference lodge

                                                      The view from my room.

                                                                                               I worked...promise!

As many of you know, last year my school was chosen to be the first elementary school in Adams 12 to start the IB program; this is a three year process before receiving accreditation—we are starting year two.  Being on the Core Team (leadership) for my school, I have traveled to Florida (last year for a week) and now Keystone for various trainings.  My job is to soak up as much information as possible and bring that information back to our staff.  This year I went up with several other people who are specializing in different areas, and they too will share the responsibility of teaching the staff new information.  The best part about both trainings, was the wealth of knowledge that I received...okay, the traveling wasn't that bad either (except for being away from Rob and the kids.)  Both places that I have visited have their own unique beauty, but, I have to admit that I am a little partial to my home state.  While up in Keystone, I was reminded of how beautiful we have it here in Colorado.  Rob and I have a condo up in this area, so I have seen these mountain sides numerous times; however, I find myself breathless each time I visit!

Living the Good Life

Jessie embracing the meaning of playing hard. 

 Jessie recently had tryouts for her first competitive team.  She made the top team in the north area and her team just won first place in the Stenger Tournament at the Gold level--Congratulations Jessie!!!

 Having a few friends over for a camp out.  The girls played in the tent and roasted marshmallows.  With the extra marshmallows the girls decided to play a game called Chubby Bunny.  The object of this game is to stuff one marshmallow in your mouth at a time and say, "Chubby Bunny."  The girl with the most marshmallows in their mouth and can say Chubby Bunny wins.  Jessie and Kyla tied! 

 Just Dance and air hockey games take over the basement...

 Who said girls like to play dress-up, put on make-up, and play Barbies???

 Not a moments rest...the minute the sun came up, they were off GoKarting and trampoline competitions.

 The girls were inspired by the Chalk Festival that took place Downtown.  They decided to take over the driveway to display their creativity.  Daddy was the judge...funny how they both were voted the most creative artists of the day.

Cherished Moments

It is official...Cameron is a graduate!  This experience was filled with family and friends to share in good times, laughter, and tears.  A few of the many moments that were cherished are for you to view below in a movie that Missy created.

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart." ~Helen Keller~

Senior Prom

Senior Prom 2011

Cameron attended Prom with Devyn, his girlfriend.

 Garrett and Cameron have been friends since they were in Kindergarten.  Friendships like this last a lifetime or as Cam would say, "He is my Bro-ha."

 Our baby is growing up...tears fall AGAIN!

Colorado Cup

 Jessie's team took second in the tournament.  They were defending champions and fell short to the team they took the title from last year.  Being second in state isn't a record that should keep anyone's head down, but let's just say, Jessie is ready to see this team again next year.

18 Years Who's Counting?

Counting years...we would rather count moments.  Years seem too definitive, absolute, or maybe a feeling of accomplishment.  We treasure moments because they are endless, they last a lifetime, and they are unforgettable. We both agree that from the moment we met, we knew we were more than just attracted to each other, we were best friends.  Just like many of our anniversaries, our day was spent with each other, enjoying each other's company, and doing the things we love to do (soccer games with the entire family, discussing Cam's new weightlifting regiment, going out to lunch, and ending with working in the yard.)  We have found that the simple moments have defined our marriage and that seems to define who we are as well. Eighteen years is only the beginning of many more we plan to have together, our true hopes are that our daily cherished moments will last many lifetimes. 

Sorry about the picture, I think this is the only picture I have of myself (Thanks Brown Family!) 

I'm either taking the pictures or dodging them!

Senior Pictures

Did you hear that Cameron received a letter?  As many of you know, Cameron is quiet and doesn't like to make a fuss about things.  We aren’t big on making fusses either; however, we couldn't let this go unnoticed.  Cameron lettered in academics—yeah, ya-hoo!  Receiving the Presidential award several years ago was such an honor, but then Cam went through some stretching pains last year.  We weren't sure about his direction.  Not to worry, he is back to the goal driven Cameron we know him to be.  Not only has he received academic success, but he has also chosen his college and career.  Cam plans to attend Red Rocks Community College because it has the best firefighting program in Colorado.  He will continue to work at Old Chicago for now, but plans to do some volunteer work with various fire departments over the summer.   I can’t believe that in four more weeks Cam will complete High School.  Tears fall every time I think of it (our baby grew up too fast!)   

 Enjoy some of Cameron's senior pictures.  Thank you Justin (my very talented brother) for doing such an AMAZING job!  www.justinkeltchphoto.com