I haven't posted in over a month and now it's October! School is in full swing and fall is finally here. Don't get me wrong, Summers are amazing and we love the constant barbecues, swimming, camping, and the refreshing nature of "no school" that comes along with it. However, I will admit that I am excited for the less busy nature that fall brings. The weekends are now filled with football and crock-pots, homework and baking, Bloody Marys, movies and a possible nap every now and then.Blake is having a great year and is loving life as a fourth grader. He recently took a rock climbing class, went fishing with dad, and he is playing fall baseball.
Alyssa has fully adjusted to Kindergarten and is back to her happy, independent self. She is starting to read and write and she is loving every minute of it! Alyssa is still taking gymnastics once a week and she is officially a pro on her bike!
Jacob is............well, Jacob is 2. He makes me wanna laugh and cry every day. Jacob is learning every minute of the day and the smarter he gets, the more independent he wishes to be. His fascination with trucks is growing and he is in love with his truck picture book! Listening to him say, car transporter, excavator, and big rig might just be the cutest thing ever! Recently, Jacob has found a new love, which we are trying to understand, watching golf?!?
Seth and I were able to spend a long weekend in Arizona while Seth was on business. Since Seth worked during the day, I was able to enjoy the sun and the pool, and we were able to spend some wonderful quality time together each evening. We are so grateful for everyone who helped us be able to get away and relax!
As far as Seth and I, we have been busy keeping up with our everyday juggling act. Seth has been working hard on a huge project at work and 14 credits is keeping me plenty busy. While we haven't had too much time for ourselves, Seth was able to go on a 4 day fishing trip near Aspen with Kevin and I attempted to hike to the top of Longs Peak.
I had talked about doing this all Summer, but when it came down to it it didn't look like it was going to happen. Luckily, Abby and her friend had decided to do the hike over Labor Day weekend and I was able to join them! It was mentally and physically exhausting, but one of the most gratifying experiences I have had in a long time. We left the house at 2 in the morning and signed the ranger station book shortly after 3, hiking in the dark with our headlamps. Since this was the first attempt at a hike of this nature we really didn't know what to expect, we set out hoping to reach the top but also knowing that there was a good chance that we wouldn't (only 30% of those who attempt, summit). We seemed to stop and go during the first half hour or so while our nerves continued to settle. Once we passed the tree line, we came into wind that none of us had anticipated, it was intense and not to mention there was still no sign of the sun. Needless to say, we were all pretty relieved when the sun peeked over the horizon. We needed it to warm up and we were hoping that it would help the wind to die down a bit.
We reached the Boulder Field (the 1st and 2nd picture above) around 7 and prepared to hike up to the keyhole, we were on schedule and felt confident that we would be able to summit at this point. However, as we hiked up the huge boulders we began to pass hikers on their way down, turned around by the wind. As we peeked through the keyhole, we were given a glimpse into the beauty that comes with hiking a 14er. It was breathtaking, not only the scenery but the view of the "trail" we still had ahead of us. The wind was fierce and after talking with more experienced hikers, we decided that today just wasn't our day. Although we were all a little disappointed, we also knew that it was the right decision. Many hikers we encountered along the way were on their second or third attempt to summit and we knew when we decided to turn around that we would be back. The way down was long and was more mentally trying, we no longer had the unknown ahead of us or the excitement of reaching the top. We finally reached the ranger station, exactly 8 hours after we had left.
The pictures don't do justice to the beauty of nature we saw, the quietness we encountered by being so far from civilization, and the extreme challenges we faced mentally and physically, but above are 4 pictures from the hike. The first two pictures are of the Boulder field, at the top of the 2nd picture you can see what looks like a keyhole. The 3rd picture is of the view past the keyhole. The 4th picture is a view on our way back down and the last picture is us starting our hike!
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