Wild Life Spotting

Guess what? We saw some elk in RMNP...

And some pretty great moose!

Then at Custer State Park, we saw some Buffalo...


And antelope...

But I think the prairie dogs are going to get their own post!

Bridgie's First Day...

She's a junior this year...



And Happy Birthday Aunt Mar!

Rocky Mountain National Park

One of the highlights of our trip to Colorado was driving and hiking around Rocky Mountain National Park.

We found great settings for photo opps and even spots with another traveler willing to take our family pic.

Flash Back Friday 216

Edward, 1990, Maine

Love Thursday

John & I in Rocky Mountain National Park last week

Photo by Maria

High Altitude

Snow Mountain Ranch is at almost 9000 ft. altitude so I really needed to get acclimated. I went on a quick hike up 9 Mile trail with Edward which wasn't really 9 miles.

The aspen trees were cool.

The next day Bridget & I spent a couple of hours in Hot Sulpher Springs soaking in some minerals. Then I somewhat negated the effects with a 2.5 hour hike with the girls up to a waterfall wearing bad sandals, ie. no cushion. Live and learn is what I always say! John & Edward went to see the Colorado Rockies play in Denver.

The long hike was worth it for this pic however!

Snow Moutain Ranch

When we arrived at Snow Mountain Ranch, we went to see Maria at work and were greeted by a friendly face! So awesome to see her!

The lodge where we stayed is on the left and Maria's lodge is in the distance.

The whole ranch is surrounded by mountains. Many of the trees that were on the ranch were destroyed by the pine beetle a few years ago so it is quite open.

I went for a hike up Nine Mile Mountain with Edward and you can see the ranch sprawled out below.

We Made It!

We arrived back home Saturday from a very eventful trip to Colorado. I was so glad to be home after a long trip squished in the car, BUT I am sad our maybe last vacation is over. We managed to see 7 more of the 1000 things you're supposed to see before you die on this trip - we had already seen several in Colorado on other trips, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

On the way out, we stopped in DesMoines to see our friends, the Karadsheh's. We had a carrot cake there from Trader Joe's that I shall never forget. Oh, and of course, it was AWESOME to see them!

The next day, we stopped in Nebraska to see some trail ruts from the Oregon Trail. The ruts are still in the ground from the wagon trains. A small walk along them was enough, I am glad we have cars now.

Flash Back Friday 215

1998, the Original Smilde trip to Colorado. Tomorrow we are leaving to pick up Maria in CO! Hopefully coming back in a week with lots of photos!

Love Thursday

John & I went to visit baby Miriam in the hospital last night. So precious. She still had her little hospital hat on! Congrats to our friends Mark & Abby!

Jesus Calms the Storm

Performed at the MCC Outdoor Service on the Riverfront. Bridget is the sail in the front, Gayle tells the story, Cotter is Jesus in the boat, and Jordan & Lucas churn up some waves.

He said to His disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"

They were terrified and asked each other, " Who is this? Even the wind and waves obey Him!"

Bubble Blowing Contest

Even though the bubble gum they used for this contest wasn't the greatest, they still had fun just because they were together at a picnic in the summer. Things like that are always true of the people at Monroe Community Church.

Down by the Loading Dock

Bridget standing in front of an urban waterfall.

Flash Back Friday 214

9 days!!!!!!!! My moutain girls.

Love Thursday

Yes! We get to see Maria in about 10 days!

We Saw an Eagle!!

We were up by Wabassis Lake last weekend and John, who is always on the lookout for wildlife, heard about the eagle there. We found the nest first, and then spotted the eagle in all its glory! Amazing!

More Fun than Taylor

So here is a little taste of the things moms do to pass the time downtown when their daughters are at the concert. This was after supper and before the checker game that we played with stuff in our purses. Seriously though, we had fun hanging out!

Swift but Unforgettable

Last week Thursday, my friend Cathy and I tried to pull a fast one on our daughters, Emily & Bridget. We took them out to a restaurant NEXT to the VanAndel Arena where Taylor Swift just happened to be having a concert. We told them we were going to go look at the tour bus. Cathy gave an envelope with tickets to the hostess at the restaurant who surprised them with it. I don't know if they look stunned or not.

Anyway, they were beyond excited to go! Cathy & I walked around downtown and ate a leisurely supper during the concert - something we hardly ever get a chance to do! We ended up hearing all about the concert at a midnight-ish trip to IHOP! We even talked about our very first outing, cooking chili.