best way to spend Christmas Day in Meeker

Our Christmas adventures this year were pretty mild - with Hamp home, the 3 of us enjoyed the long weekend together. The boys did some skiing before and after the holiday, we enjoyed visits with friends, indulged on good food and generous gifts... and while the boys chose to stay in town and go sledding, Penny and I snowshoed in to the yurt for a Christmas beer in the sunshine!

Hoping your holidays have been merry and bright!

Thanksgiving

I felt truly lucky this holiday to host family in Meeker!

Yaya & Papa drove all the way from Mississippi to visit us in the mountains - stopping to visit family along the way and pick up Hamp in Boulder! It worked out beautifully...

We had great weather - unseasonably warm and dry - which lent itself to some good hiking with Penny and a climb up the mountain for the perfect tree!

It was great that we were all together... having Hamp home, and Penny join us, and family from across the state and across the country, and dear friends, too made it really easy to be thankful!

lucky Penny

When I told our local Animal Control Officer that I would foster Penny for the weekend... I kind of already knew that there was a very good chance that she might never be going back to the dog shelter.

A 3-year old mix of cattle dog, rottweiler, and terrier, Penny is absolutely the right fit for our home at the right time... she is attentive, loyal, well-trained, sweet, and an excellent trail hiker!

And I am not sure who is happier that she has found a new home with us:

Having her has made such a difference in our home, and in our lives these last couple of weeks... I look forward to many years of good, long hikes with Penny.

more weekend adventures

 Sam and I decided that another quick trip out of town to see another National Park was in order for last weekend... so we took off Friday night for the San Luis Valley in central Colorado and spent a day exploring and climbing the Great Sand Dunes! It was an amazing day - the sky really was that blue, the dunes really are that high, and the surrounding mountains really are that majestic. 

Homecoming faves

Sam's Junior Homecoming was so fun: a week full of dress-up days and activities, a parade, volleyball and football games, and a dinner/dance with all his friends.

No doubt his favorite part was probably the Peach Fuzz volleyball game where the Class of '25 nearly dominated... but of course the Seniors ended up "winning". Next year, boys... next year!

Or maybe Sam's favorite part was the parade - where Sam rode in a tractor (???) to represent his class as a homecoming court nominee...

...then ran back and jumped in a cart to represent the boys' Golf Team in their "float"!

But then later that night at the football game, he had a new favorite moment when he was announced as 1st attendant for the Homecoming Court! He was so surprised and grateful and honored.

Then again... perhaps his favorite part was getting dressed up and being all smiles with so many of his best friends before the Homecoming Dance!

a quick and easy visit

Last weekend, Sam & I met some friends in Boulder for a fun little weekend getaway... mostly to see Hamp thriving in his new environment and to show Sam CU's campus (which is beautiful!) Actually, if you asked Hamp, our visit was strictly just to bring him his golf clubs (that didn't fit in the car at the initial move in!) and a few more hangers.

Regardless, my heart was happy to take Hamp out to dinner with us and have him laugh and tour us around campus and buy him new CU gear at the bookstore.

Best part: watching Sam and his friend join in with Hamp and his friends for a game of baseball on the green!

weekend adventures

On the weekends Sam is usually busy doing *all the things* (volleyball games, football games, work, golf, friends, etc!) so I try to make myself take advantage of the incredible outdoor opportunities in my back yard... 

including hiking Trapper's Lake Carhart Trail (with happy hour at the lodge!):

And when I can get Sam to go with me, hiking Box Canyon Falls in Ouray, CO:

And exploring the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park!

'Sko Buffs!

Hamp's new adventure is a little closer to home this year - University of Colorado!

He started fall semester in the College of Media, Communication and Information and in true fashion has immediately assimilated to college life... including sharing a dorm room with 2 other dudes, taking full advantage of the outrageously deluxe recreation center, riding his bike all over campus, and looking into fraternity rush in a couple weeks!

 

Sam's first day of school

~ Junior Year ~

It has been one week of high school so far and Sam has already:

• played in a Varsity golf tournament
• help set the Homecoming theme as a Junior Student Council Representative
• taken a Calculus quiz
• managed 2 Varsity volleyball games
• attended a Varsity football game
• and made a TikTok showing off all his 'fits for the week!

I feel that this week has set the tone for the whole year with plenty of academic, athletic, and social adventures on his calendar.

I also feel that this is exactly the way he would prefer it.

stars

This summer was a little different than usual: not as many lake days or river runs or mountain hikes or camping trips. While we all started the season off strong with some really great adventures, the 3 of us quickly settled into our routines of work this summer, all of us orbiting one another. I trudged into my office every Monday-Friday and hopefully did some good... Sam managed two part-time jobs either as a barista by day or a pizza maker by night... and Hamp went back to his summer gig of playing pool boy at a high end private ranch! 

But as the summer started to wind down, I realized that our orbits rarely collided and I had to make an effort to be present in these boys' activities.

So I went to the community musical (which I would totally have done even if Sam wasn't in it!) and watched Sam on stage in the production of Big Fish. I cried at the beauty of the story, at the well-performed music, and at the spectacle! My heart burst with pride watching Sam's strength and new-found acrobatic skill as he performed aerial silks for the circus scene in the show... perhaps he will skip college all together and just run away and join the circus one day?! Whatever he does, I am so proud of his tenacity and willingness to do ALL the things!

I also went up into the mountains, to the private ranch as Hamp's guest for the staff dinner, just to catch a glimpse and a squeeze of the pool boy and see him in his summer element. It was wonderful to have several of the senior staff and guests share positive comments on having Hamp at the ranch and I loved seeing him mingle easily with the adults, knowing he had worked hard but cultivated great relationships at the same time. He's leaving for college this week, but I don't worry about him finding friends or knowing what to do - he is so confident and self-assured and I just stand back in awe of him sometimes.

Our lives may all orbit one another, but I think these 2 shine as brightly as the sun... and I'm just happy to be in their universe.

Summer vibes

Ahhhh.... summer!

While Sam was galavanting around Denver, Mojo came out to Meeker to enjoy some 4th of July festivities... including Bloody Mary's at Blanco, cheering on Hamp & friends at the 5K, and watching Hamp play some 3-on-3 basketball in the sunshine!

Since then, the boys and I have been hard at work but we still try to take some time to play with friends, hang out with Mojo while she's here, and cool off in the river:

Mojo took us to her favorite spot up in our National Forest - the South Fork of the White River - for some more sunshine and mountain air. Then Dado joined us and took the boys golfing.

With Mojo & Dado gone and the 4th of July well past us, it almost feels like summer is winding down. I guess that means I have to get into high gear and make a point to go play outside some more...

winners in my book

The dynamic duo strikes again!

Sam and Finley took their success from last year and built on that a new and improved presentation... this year's project was "Food Innovation" and back in April they took 1st place at State for their amazing Bakery 878 snickerdoodle and fortune cookies!

 

So over the 4th of July they were living large at FCCLA Nationals! 

While they didn't place in the top 10 this year (robbed!) they did earn a silver medal for high scores and spent 4 days in Denver - of all places! - meeting people from all over the country and playing in the city. They rode thrill rides at Elitches, went bowling, saw a movie, ate at some great restaurants, and took scooter rides to Coors Field.

I'm so proud of their creativity, innovation, dedication, and enthusiasm for doing something really cool and different... it may not have brought home another National title this year, but sure made for a unique experience and some great memories.