Home Again

The boys and I are home again from our summer travels to Colorado to see my parents. We started the trip celebrating the weekend of the fourth with my sister and her family in their new home. Dad and Mom also came down for the weekend. The fourth of July was a total wash with over four inches of rain in the afternoon. Bummer really, as Brad and Heather had bought several fireworks! Since they just moved into their house, there is no landscaping yet and the rain caused rivers of mud everywhere!

We left on Monday, to head to Colorado Springs, where we spent a week with Grandma and Grandpa, Uncle Ryan, his girlfriend Amanda, and other friends. It was a cooler week, with afternoon rain several days. I loved it. One afternoon, Pikes Peak even got snow on it. Summer snow on Pikes Peak is very rare.

The following Monday, we drove up to the Denver/Castle Rock area, for our week with Grandpa and Grandma. Again, we saw all the aunts and uncles and other friends of ours in the area. My only cousin on my dad's side, Kim, and her boyfriend, Sam, came up from TX near the end of the week, and it was so great to see her again. We haven't seen each other since I was pregnant with my Sam - eight years ago! The weather this week was scorching! Probably the hottest week the Denver area has had in two years, and several daily records were broken. Figures. I wanted a break from the summer heat!

We had a change in plans coming home, and went through Oakley, KS, for the burial of a five year old cousin of ours. What a heartbreaking time! Russ was back from Canada, by this time, and was able to meet the boys and I there. My grandma said they were so happy for Russ to be there. That he was a rock and we all needed a rock during this time. Alex passed away at home the previous week, from complications following a tonsillectomy. Dad and Mom had flown to KS City and back on Sunday for the funeral there. I was glad to have been able to make the burial services on Monday. But, that was one of the hardest days I have ever experienced.

I hope to share more stories and pictures about our travels in the coming days. We had a great trip. We missed daddy terribly though. He was at junior high camp in Eastern OK/AR border, and in Vancouver, Canada during this time. He has one more trip coming up this next week to Denver for a missions trip. Meanwhile, the boys and are happy to be home, and enjoyed the pool again yesterday. Cannot say I missed the wind while away from home. Can't keep any of the toys or floats in the pool - they just fly on out!

Oh, and my garden has exploded. I have tomato trees and pumpkin, gourd, and cucumber vines everywhere! We picked ten large cucumbers yesterday. Already have some tomatoes, strawberries, green peppers, jalapeno and cerrano peppers, pumpkins. Several ears of corn are growing, carrots and potatoes. The spot for the garden ended up being a pretty good spot. I really need to get out in there and do some work. I confess though, that I am fearful of what I may find underneath all those vines! I am so afraid I'll run into a snake out there! But, I am going to have so much fun with the ornamental gourds during the season I love - Fall!

Other than the garden explosion, I am dealing with the explosion we created when we walked into house and unloaded our van! I'm not sure where all this laundry has come from. And the boys were so excited to play with each and everyone of their toys, so they have also exploded everywhere.

And now, I best get back to paying bills and folding clothes!

July Travels

Seems like I was just telling about my July travels on here. Hard to believe another year has quickly passed by. Life seems to continually pick up speed, and I wonder where all my time goes. I have hardly accomplished the projects and goals I set out to this year. None-the-less, this weekend we head to Colorado for our summer visit with my family.

Since returning from Kansas, we've closed out the baseball season with tournaments, swam, and enjoyed times with friends. We are trying to get in some family time and enjoy Daddy before we all part ways for most of July. I think I counted up that we will see Russ all of seven days this month. It is hard to look forward to. We do our best though, and while he is at junior high camp and at denominational conferences in Canada, the boys and I will be in Kansas and Colorado. We'll start two days at my sister's new house over the 4th and then spend a week at each of my parents' houses.

I will most likely be out of daily computer touch during this time. Still have that long list of blog entries, but I think posting my pictures has moved down on the list of priorities for me at present. I'll give updates as able. It is times like these, I wish I had a lab top!