turning the tassel

We had a very proud moment last friday.

The college boy walked the stage and turned his tassel from the left side to the right side, making him a graduate of the 2011 class. Turning to a new chapter in his book of life. We hope it will be a good chapter. The rest so far have been worthy of a best seller so we can't wait to see how the next one turns out. We will be anxiously waiting to turn the pages!
And we couldn't be prouder.

As we boarded the plane I couldn't help but think about all those chapters. It was all I could do to not get all sappy and become that tearful mother that I'm pretty good at being. So, I just closed my eyes and took a much needed nap.

When I woke up I was told to look out the window.
There at the end of the wing, above all the clouds... was the moon.

And then a little while later...

Sunset alert!

A perfect ending.

rockies fans in arizona

We went to our first real baseball game in Arizona. I guess the spring training game we saw at the practice stadium doesn't count towards a real season game. So tonight, we did. It wasn't Coors Field. But it was the good ol' Colorado Rockies vs. the Arizona Diamond Backs. We were in a sea of red proudly wearing our black and purple. Sticking out like...Rockies fans should.

It was certainly different watching baseball in an indoor stadium. But, I guess in Arizona, if you aren't inside an air conditioned stadium you wouldn't be watching baseball. Outdoors anyway. The walk from the parking lot to the stadium was enough to cause our foreheads to glisten.
These three were the cutest Rockies fans. Notice the lady behind Austin doing her best to ignore us. We did have some guys in the deck behind us that were from Colorado too. Nice to have a little support.

The Rockies made it on the scoreboard first and it stayed one to zip for a couple of innings.

Then the D'backs hit a two run home run. That's when the guy down in front of us turned around and heckled us. He stood up, turned towards us and yelled... "how do you like THAT Rockies fans?" We laughed. And the next time they played the rally song, we shouted, "let's go Rockies" just a little louder. Besides, we knew the guy behind us would stick up for us.

The Rockies, looking a little bleak later in the game had a little team meeting on the mound. Chuck said it was a "group hug."
It didn't help. In the end they lost. But we still enjoyed the game and we still love our Rockies.
Cuz' we're from Colorado. And people from Colorado don't purposefully heckle the other fans.

Really, we don't.

"Let's go Rockies!"

back to school

Every year, on the first day of school, we take a picture before jumping in the car and heading out to start a new school year. When Austin started kindergarten, we took his picture in front of the old ice house in the backyard. It started the tradition of always taking the back-to-school picture in the same spot. When Rachel had her kindergarten picture taken, backpack on her back, Leah cried and cried because she didn't want her sister to go without her. She would miss her too much. (She is already teary eyed thinking of this time next school year).

With each of them, on the first day, we would take a group shot and their individual pictures. As they got older, there were some anxious complaints about taking the time for the traditional photo. I remember saying, "someday you will be glad we did this." So, without fail, I would get those pictures in front of the old blue ice house.

When we were flooded with all kinds of thoughts and losses with our big move, one of them was the end of the school picture in the traditional spot. Everyone grew to love the tradition after all. Kindergarten through twelve by the ice house, would not be complete with the girls. Rachel only missing one year, Leah two.

When we were there at the beginning of summer visiting the house one last time, we took the time to get a couple of group shots in front of the ice house. It wasn't a cool crisp August morning. They didn't have on their new shoes or their new backpacks, and the butterflies in their stomach's were for a different reason. But they did give each other a big hug and remembered all those other time's that they stood there before... anticipating a new school year.

This morning, anticipating a new school year, we found a new spot for the picture. One that will show where we are now. No longer in the country living in a farm house, but in the desert surrounded by cactus. We did a small group shot and a couple of individual pictures. They didn't have their backpacks over their shoulders, but I am pretty certain the butterflies were in their stomachs.
I hope this school year will go smoothly for them. I hope that they will meet more new friends and have more new experiences. I hope that they will always think back on the yard with the ice house with fond memories, but be able to look at this experience with excitement and someday have fond memories of this time in their lives.

To them...I hope the butterflies are gone by lunchtime.

To the college boy and to Rachel, SENIOR years baby!

the thirty first of july

To the Reptile Wrangler,

No matter what new nick-name I give you, I still am happy to call you husband.

Thanks for 28 years of sunsets together.

Lovingly,

your wife

sweet

We heard a little rumor and had to check it out for ourselves. Yep...it's true, the Kroger affiliate here in Arizona had a little bit of Colorado sweetness. Read the fine print at the bottom of the sign.

Olathe Sweet Corn. The best little kernels ever. It was a tasty addition (actually more like star attraction) to our dinner the other night. It reminded us of so many things. Crisp cool air. Irrigation water. Snowcapped mountains. Sunny summers. All the things that help to make this corn so delicious.
It wasn't quite as delicious as it is when you buy it off the farm truck, covered in ice, picked fresh that same morning. But it was good. And it made us say..."ya, we know where Olathe Colorado is."

in colorado

While living in Colorado we never really tired of the incredible views we had of the mountains.

Those snow capped beauties really are quite majestic. The only time I didn't care for them was when we would have to drive over any of the passes during "snow season". As any of us that have called Colorado home, we know that can be anywhere from ...oh...September through June. It is not uncommon to drive over one of the higher passes at the beginning of June and still see a few flurries. And then there was that time in April, that I drove around a curve and discovered an avalanche had just covered the road in front of me! We have many fond, and not so fond, travel stories of our time living in the Rocky Mountain state. Mostly though, we will always cherish the incredible beauty that we were able to see each and every day.

As the girls and I were leaving Montrose a couple of weeks ago, we were talking about how pretty the mountains looked with the white snow still sharp against the blue sky. As we were leaving Ridgway, on our way to Telluride, we came upon a pretty awesome sight.

A cattle drive. Mama's and their babies being moved from one location to another right along the highway. Rachel slowed down so we could look at the little cute faces and snap a few pictures.

We rolled the windows down so we could hear the sound of their moo's. It was a treat to see these cows with such a pretty backdrop behind them. I hoped to get some good pictures for some new painting subjects for The Dad.

And this perfectly western landscape was complete with this perfectly posed cowboy.

It was a great end to our week in Colorado!

A real Rocky Mountain high, don't you think?

a door closed

There was a closing today.

We wish the family that will now be calling it home... our best wishes, and hope that they will have as many happy memories in it as we did.

A big hug to you my old blue house.

I will miss you.

because

because Chuck got to spend some time here this week.

because I still miss it.

because the yard needed to have it's spring check up.

because I still miss it.

because some wonderful friends helped him while he was there.

because I still miss it.

because I cried when he sent a few picture's via his phone.

because I still miss it.