one more round...

... of Varsity golf as a MHS Senior player!

Sam finished strong this year with a fun final golf season - including more beautiful courses around the state, a great team to practice, travel, and play with, and several really good rounds of tournament play!

He tried something new his freshman year, stuck with it throughout high school, struggled with missing class to attend tournaments but made it through with not only flying colors in the classroom but also great memories on the course. I am so proud of his dedication to being a good team member and his tenacity with trying to improve at the sport. Between the great coaching and the best of friends, I know his time spent on the course will always be a positive influence in his life.

September in Colorado

Autumn weekends out here are the best time to go hiking...
so Sam and I (and Penny!) took advantage of that with a couple of great adventures!

Our first trip was to Telluride to check out Bridal Veil Falls and we took Sam's girlfriend with us, which made for some even more beautiful photos!

waterfall #1:

waterfall #2:

and Bridal Veil Falls:

(that small, bright spot on the rock at the bottom of the falls is Sam!)

We found another beautiful weekend to visit Hamp in Boulder and all got to hike together in the Flatirons!

It made my heart so happy to be outside with both boys and I can't wait to go back and find some more trails...

First Day of School!

After a terrific summer season - it's back to school time.

Sam is a Senior this year and already going full steam ahead... Student Council President, Varsity Golf Team, and Women's Volleyball Manager - I anticipate a fun-filled, full few months this fall!

And Hamp started his 2nd year at CU Boulder - living in the fraternity house and loving every minute!

I recently saw a poll of top 10 colleges voted "most fun" and CU Boulder was ranked #1... so I feel like it's a great fit for Hamp!

(just hope he gets some studying done, too!)

End of Summer

The goal was to find balance this summer - balance between work and play!

While all three of us spent a lot of time in the office/ranch/restaurant, there were definitely some highlights that made it all worthwhile, including:

a concert!

a first tattoo!

Fourth of July festivities with (girl)friends!

Not as much time on the water as we wanted... but we all got in a float or two this summer!

And mostly just good times with friends... there were some fun regional adventures including:

Strawberry Days in Glenwood Springs

Balloon Festival in Craig

And a night out with friends in Grand Junction!

Back in Meeker, once Hamp got fully sucked in to working every day on the guest ranch, Sam managed to squeeze in a volleyball tournament fundraiser and a part in the summer community theater production of Mamma Mia!

And I managed to sneak away for a weekend to celebrate Mojo's 75th birthday on the beach!

Not too shabby for a summer when Sam spent most lunch and dinner hours tossing pizzas at the Brewery and Hamp spent too much time up in the mountains on the guest ranch... but they never really complained, probably because they both got to work with their best friends!

And I think I did a pretty good job of finding that balance of work, play, and time that I got to spend with these two!

three-peat!

As they have in years past (freshman and sophomore years), Sam & Finley partnered up for their leadership project with FCCLA again and blew through the competition at the State level to secure a place at the national convention.

Check out this great crew of winners at the State Conference in Denver:

With the confidence of their Gold Medal, they headed up to Seattle for the National Convention with a great group representing MHS. 

And while (spoiler alert) they did not place this year in the top ten, that disappointment was tempered with all the great activities and good company! 

Start of Summer

Weather has been unpredictable and we all three are working pretty steadily this summer.

But I have managed to take some advantage of time on the water...

Rio Blanco Lake

Lake Avery

Harvey Gap

... here's to hoping we can all find a little balance this summer!

track & field

This has been a great season for Sam in track & field - he has seen personal bests in all 3 of his events and even qualified for the State meet in pole vault! Best of all, as a Junior now he is starting to take more of a leadership role on the team and help some of the younger athletes see success as well. It has been so fulfilling to see him go higher and farther and feel excited about competing... and of course, he loves the camaraderie of spending his weekend on the track with his friends!

HIGH JUMP - 5' 7.5"

TRIPLE JUMP - 39' 3"

POLE VAULT - 13' !!!

Check out his person record vault of 13 feet: