Back to School Night

Another last - walking the halls of Monarch High following a kid's schedule. As we walked back to the car, we commented how good the Monarch K8 School and Monarch High School have been for our family. How very fortunate we are. 

Junior Year at Miami

Love that he still takes one in front of the door - just like at home. Here's to a great year ahead. 

Squeezing

Definitely trying to squeeze in the last bits of summer. Hiking. Concert in the park. Pool time. 

2nd Half

Today, Drake headed back for the start of his second half of his college career. There were Santiago's burritos to send him on is way, a bit of chatting and packing and then airport bound. 

With three big bags, I drove him to the airport and helped with the bags and we played a game of corn hole before he headed to the gate. Only a few tears were shed, but it is going to be quiet around here. Here's to a great junior year ahead. 

The Crossover

It's 9:15 and I'm out on the back patio enjoying some peach crisp (made with Colorado Palisade peaches) and it is completely dark (except for my umbrella lights). Even though it is a warm 77 degrees, nothing signals the ending of summer more than the darkening evenings. 

It was over 90 degrees today and I ventured to the pool after work as the house was quiet (Drake out and about, Tanner at PT and Marshall still working). It can feel like it is almost two different seasons in one day. And because Tanner doesn't have 1st period this semester, I'm still sleeping in more than I would if he had a regular start. Still summer mornings in my book. 

Not only are we crossing over from long summer nights to shorter school nights, we're crossing back to a family of  three tomorrow and a new normal. We'll get back in the groove, but I know it will take some time for me. Fortunately, getting the house back in order will give me something to do. And we've got lots of fall adventures ahead of us. 

I suppose the rainbow I saw today at the pool is a true symbol of crossing over from rain to sunshine. And nothing like a rainbow to remind you that you can't get the beauty of a rainbow without some rain. The crossover is hard because our summer was so great and for that I am thankful (and of course, a little teary-eyed as I write this). 

Coworkers at Coal Creek

Monday was the first and last day the boys worked at Coal Creek together. We brought over pizza for the crew and snapped a couple pictures. One of many shifts to come for Tanner. The end of four good years at Coal Creek for Drake. 

Red Rocks

Well, we finally got the boys to Red Rocks. The weather ended up being a little cooler and wetter than anticipated, but we survived with items from the car and Drake's golf bag. We picked Drake up from Waterloo's around 5:15 and got to the venue around 6:00 or so. The show started later than advertised, but we had no trouble securing our spot. We packed pizza for dinner- a great idea by Marshall (I couldn't believe they let you bring food in). 

We heard DJ Logic, Fitz and the Tantrums and O.A.R. With the wind the sound was a bit off at times, but Red Rocks is just a beautiful venue no matter the weather or the music. 

This last week has been a week of experiences as we (obviously) try to squeeze in the last bit of summer and family time.  Red Rocks is probably one of the best spots to wrap up the Colorado summer. And what a summer it has been. 

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Go Rockies!

 Last minute decision to go to the Rockies game was a success. We grabbed free ice cream at the back to school splash at the pool and caught the 6:00 bus. We missed the first bit ir the game, but we were able to grab peanuts, seeds and water. We enjoyed a beautiful summer night watching the Rockies win, sampling ball park food and then stayed for the drone show - our first - honoring Todd Helton. A successful summer outing. 

Mount Sanitas

Aka a Colorado summer outing. We had a list of things we wanted to do in Colorado this summer. While we didn't do all of them (camping, a Colorado Rapids game, e-biking), we did get many items ticked off our list. On Friday, Drake and I were able to tackle two things on the list - a trip to Runza and a hike. And yes, I saw that Drake had his Sigma Chi mom's weekend shirt on so, I obviously donned mine! 

We enjoyed our Runza lunch and doing some fall planning. We then drove back toward Boulder for our hike. Drake chose Mt. Sanitas which I had never done before. It was basically 1.1 miles straight up and Drake was patient while we made the climb up. The way down was a bit of scrambling and then an easy hike back down to the car. Still feels like summer, but fall and change are upon us as Tanner is in school and Drake heads out next week. 

It's been a crazy summer with lots of travel and a torn up house. But, this family rolled with it all and while we were here, we certainly tried to make the most of the Colorado summer. Thankful for this special time with our eldest. 

Fish Off

A request of the boys before Drake left was to do a "fish off" with the different types of salmon that we caught. With all the crazy schedules we have going on, I wasn't sure if we could get it in, but the first night of school worked out. We got to cook in the new kitchen, play music from the bands of our upcoming concert and grill up the different types of salmon (we also cut off some pieces of the coho and king for some sushi appetizers). Tanner also cooked up some cheese curds we got at the farmer's market which were yummy! 

The boys did a blind taste test and both chose the king as their favorite. I guess we know why it is call king! A fun way to enjoy the fruits of our labor together. 

Senior Year

The first day of senior year has come and gone. I grabbed a bagel sandwich for Tanner and enjoyed a few minutes with him before he headed out around 9:20 (via a ride from Drake). 

He came home in a great mood and switched up his schedule which allows him to be in classes with his friends. He stated he was excited about this year. You can't ask for more. 

Here's to enjoying all that senior year has to offer. No doubt it will go quickly. I hope we all can slow down enough to take it all in. 

Wicked

We enjoyed a night out in Denver this Tuesday weekend Wicked at the Buell Theatre. We headed out around 5:00 and had picked out a sushi place for dinner. While parking the car, multiple police cars and ambulances came rushing by. Little did we know, but there was a shooting (three people shot; shooter not captured) about a block from our sushi restaurant right near Union Station. Coincidently, Drake had mentioned in the drive down that the last two times he had been to 16th Street Mall, there was a shooting...... so sad. 

We got into our seats a few minutes before the show started and it did not disappoint. I'm so glad we found a night to go as a family. Tanner commented he got chills when Defying Gravity was being sung and Drake commented how that live events are one of the few times when people are all truly engaged as a group and not on their phones. What great reminders of the power of live theatre. 

Uncle Matt

It's been wonderful having Matt around for a couple of weeks. He's always a wonderful guest and we all enjoy having him around to share in our Colorado life. He got some work done here and in Laramie. He enjoyed trivia with "the boys" and we also enjoyed time at the pool, lots of Olympic watching, happy hour at Crystal Springs, a hike and music in the park. There are always lively (and sometimes very nerdy) discussions and many opinions shared - including about doughnuts so we of course had to have Lamar's this week (not a favorite of Matt). 

Cooking without the kitchen was an adventure, but we got a dishwasher in over the weekend so we did up our cooking game and wrapped up our meals with king salmon from Alaska and hamburgers. 

After Matthew left with Marshall to head to the bus stop, Drake commented how fun it is to have Matt around. I couldn't agree more.