Homecoming week

Homecoming in a small town is always pretty exciting.

And when you work at the high school and know all the kids personally, it's even sweeter!

But when your son is a freshman and participates in ALL the homecoming week festivities... it is downright wonderful!

This year, Hamp loved being a part of all the HoCo hoopla as much as I enjoyed watching him be a part of it... 

well, except maybe seeing all the boys dressed up for Peach Fuzz volleyball.

My eyes still burn a little:

The week was full of fun - Peach Fuzz volleyball, Powder Puff football, a pep rally, a parade, dress-up days, decorations all over the school, the dance, and of course Homecoming King & Queen!

these two weren't even in the running.... but they sure make a cute couple!!!

Hamp got to bring up the rear of the parade this year on the fire truck full of Varsity football players!

It was great that the middle school participated in all the fun, too... of course Sam's favorite dress-up day this year: tie-dye!
He also helped make a really cool float for the parade and loved being a part of the whole celebration.

It all culminated with the dance on Saturday night.... and despite Hamp's protests about getting dressed up and making group plans, he sure looked great and enjoyed being with all his friends! It made my heart burst to see them all dressed up - the first of many formal high school events I am sure. So proud of Hamp and what a fine young man he is becoming...

Weekend get-a-ways

When the fall weather is so amazing, it's hard to stay inside:
clear blue skies, perfect temps, gorgeous views and best of all - great people!
So while our weekdays are full of sports, our weekends are full of fun adventures outside.

Fall in Meeker always kicks off with the Meeker Classic Sheepdog Trials.
We go every year - it's not only one of our favorite events but a fascinating spectacle. It's as fun to support the dogs as it is to see the artwork, eat the food, and hang with friends!


Then one Sunday, Hamp and I took a day trip to Steamboat to connect with dear friends. We had lunch by the river, and the boys hung out at the hot springs while the moms enjoyed a great hike and visit!



The next weekend, Sam and I spent a morning in Glenwood for Rally the Valley, the hospital cancer center fundraiser! I appreciated not only the uplifting, festival atmosphere but also the opportunity to be with my Meeker family and support Kris and the whole cancer support community!



Most recently, we created our own adventure with a spontaneous hike up river with friends!
Turns out, when you grab a bunch of your favorite people + their kids + their dogs and head for the hills.... it makes for the perfect Sunday get-a-way!




Happy trails!!! 

Fall sports

In September, we focused on 2 primary activities: football for Hamp and volleyball for Sam.

As a freshman, Hamp plays on the Junior Varsity high school football team where he sees some great action as a defensive free safety and offensive wide receiver (and occasional kicker?). The coaching staff is excellent and promotes team unity by having everyone dress out for Varsity games - which means Hamp stands on the sidelines with all his buddies under the Friday night lights! He enjoys the team, seems to work hard everyday at practice, and looks so grown up in those pads! (that's his momma talking)

As an 11 year-old, Sam gets to play Rec League ball. He decided he really wanted to try volleyball this year and it was an excellent decision... not only does he LOVE the game, but he is quite good at it! While 10/11 year-old volleyball has potential to be excrutiatingly slow, these kids know what they are doing and do a great job of getting the ball over the net and keeping it up. His team never lost a game this season so they have been real fun to watch play... but best of all is watching how supportive and encouraging they all are to one another.

Labor Day

All I can say is that I am grateful.

Sometimes it is exhausting trying to plan adventure... and tempting to just stay home and do nothing when the time is available.

But adventure always calls and it's always worth it!

Labor Day weekend, we were invited to join friends at Flaming Gorge - a legendary vacation spot perfect for camping and boating. It was 3 days with 6 boats and 4 dozen friends and family who were all encouraging, welcoming and super-fun!

Needless to say - the boys LOVED the lake life:

junk food

camp fires

knee-boarding

skiing

tubing until your arms fall off (or you can't breath from laughing!)

cliff jumping

rope swings

and the best part - good friends!

New year... new schools!

These two had a successful first week of school as a new 6th grader and a FRESHMAN!!!!
So not just a new year of school, but new buildings!

Sam eased into the middle school with much anticipation - ready to go! He got his trapper keeper, his schedule and picked up the trombone for 6th grade band. His observation was that middle school lived up to the representations he had seen in movies and tv - having lockers, meeting friends in the hall, bells to change classes, etc.... here's to hoping it doesn't go so far as the stereotypical 8th grade bully stealing the 6th graders' milk money! Anyway, he will spend the next couple of months playing rec league volleyball, practicing for the annual junior musical production of Mary Poppins (auditions are this week!) and of course, twice weekly workouts at the gymnastics center in Craig.

Hamp seemed relatively comfortable moving up to the high school! Whether it's growing up in a small town, having used the high school building for concerts and events, or just having his mom work there... his familiarity with the high school allowed him to settle right in. He gave good reports of all his teachers/classes and is excited to take art and woodshop as elective courses this year. And when he's not doing homework and studying, he'll spend the next few months on the football field either at practice, as a Junior Varsity receiver, or as a sideliner at the Friday night Varsity games!
Go #88!!!

Finishing up summer

It has been a long, hot summer in Meeker.
By taking vacation as soon as school got out, we left ourselves a lot of time when we got home to enjoy... well, being home!
We did just that - we loved being on the river, and cooling off at the lake.
We had long afternoons of lounging at home and late evenings of flashlight-tag or back deck happy hours!
We enjoyed having our family here for a while, and enjoyed being with friends a lot!
The last few weeks of summer were kind of random - hiking, golf, biking, paddling, more golf... mom even made a quick trip to Denver to see the traveling production of Les Miserables!
It all comes down to making the most of our days - and we seem to do that well!

a little putt-putt golf...

a little Junior golf tourney...

even a little Cowboy Football golf fundraiser!

"chaperoning" a girls' trip to Denver - an incredible performance!!!

a day at the lake!

While the boys prefer to have messier adventures.... I prefer to enjoy a day at lake like this:


I could spend a hundred summers with these two.....