Seedling

We shifted gears and headed west to the Rockies for a little R&R with Ron’s family. It was a much needed break—hours of conversation, extra cups of coffee, and exploring breathtaking mountain views. Colorado is in my Top 4 favorite states (Alaska ranking #1 of course) because of the color. Color bursts of purple, gold, and blue fill the landscape like an explosion of fireworks. It’s enchanting really, as if wondering through a dreamy haze where it’s just you and nature.

Just like every trip to Colorado, we began by navigating our way aimless through the city and into smaller towns, all while Ron tells stories of childhood memories. Eventually we pull over to capture a few shots on my camera or we trail off into the woods and over red rocks. It’s always the same, but yet always different, which is very soul-satisfying. We get equal doses of home comforts mixed in with adventure during each trip.  

On this particular trip, God gave us major eye-candy. We witnessed a crisp blue ombre’ sky that dipped into mountains, completely saturated in lavender hues, wispy golden grass that flickered in the sun and rock formations that glisten in tones of red and orange.

The mountains were calling our name, and we joyfully answered.

Weaving between rocks --because of course, we had to go off the trail-- and over small rocky obstacles, we reached the top. Overlooking a bask range of mountains in the distance with evergreens and houses sprinkled throughout, I gained a little perspective. What was once larger than myself, was now so small, so distant; my perspective became clear up on that rocky cliff. As big as my pain is now, it’ll eventually fade, it’ll eventually become smaller, and I will be up on the cliff looking down upon it.

It was right then and there that something clicked. I felt so free with the crisp open air swooping around me. Everything just seemed completely obtainable. Little did I know, a seed was planted. Lost in my own thoughts, my focus and my priorities shifted. I needed to stop dwelling on broken friendships, hurt feelings, and the emotions that came with it- sadness, loneliness, and disappointment, which all came barreling down throughout this last deployment and the loss of dear loved ones- and start focusing on the present and all the blessings that I have in my life—a loving husband, bright kids, supportive friends, and golden dreams. Time heals all wounds, and my time has come.

Throughout this past year’s journey, I’ve constantly reminded myself of this quote-- it goes something like this, “Sometimes things fall apart, so better things can fall together” …or something along those lines. It has given me courage, strength, and the outlook that I’ve needed to push through, to overcome barriers, to remain on the bright-side, and to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  And so with my newly gained perspective, I’m watering that seed by jumping into a new endeavor—an endeavor that we’ve been tossing around for months, so it’s now time to stop thinking and just do. I’m super excited, and once I smooth out the kinks, dot my I’s and cross my T’s, I’ll tell you all about it! But, I will say this, it still involves art—I could never be happy without art in my life. 

I apologize for such a heavy post on a Saturday morning. My intent was to write a lighthearted post about our fun Colorado trip. I got a little sidetracked, but I do feel better unloading hidden emotions from my heart. Thank you so much for listening to me ramble.

That planted seed is sprouting, I must tend to my garden.

Love,
Emmie

Life is a Highway: Part II {Colorado-Oklahoma}

As we traveled several thousand miles to our new home, I’m reminded of an Eskimo legend on how big the world is. The story goes…

Two couples lived together. One day, the two men fell to talking, "The world is big," said the first.

"How big?" said the second.

"Let's find out," answered the first.

So they took their sleds and set off in opposite directions. Their wives cried at parting from each other, but each accompanied her husband, running beside his sled.

Year after year they traveled. The wives had babies, and the babies grew up. Then they had children, and so on, until there were two whole tribes traveling across the ice.

The original couples grew old and frail. The men could no longer drive their sleds; the women could no longer keep up the pace beside them. But still they traveled.

At last, each of them saw movement in the far distance. They kept on going, and, finally, they met, back where they had started.

"The world is big," said the first man.

"Even bigger than we thought," answered the second

With modern transportation, the world doesn’t seem so big. In fact, with the luxury of cars, planes, and trains, we can now be on our families doorsteps within days, even hours. And so that’s what we did.


Colorado

Ron’s side of the tracks is Colorado, so making it an extended part of our road trip was a must.

First stop, Casa Bonita for a good time filled with mediocre Mexican food and cheesy entertainment --the cheese is what gives this place its charm, you know. The kids were mesmerized by the array of rainbow lights and Spanish props. And the way they had the restaurant set up made it feel like you were truly enjoying dinner in Mexico while the sounds of trumpets filled the air.

Krysta’s favorite part was watching the various acts, and the mariachi band was a big hit with William. If you’re ever in the Denver area, swing by for some Over the Boarder family fun.

Since we stayed overnight in Denver, we made extra use of our time by hitting up the Denver Children’s Botanical Gardens before heading down to The Springs.

The Botanical Gardens were equal parts beautiful, as well as educational. My babes loved running up and down the dirt paths in search of butterflies and hidden parts of the gardens, like tunneled caves and a tea party full of stuffed forest animals. William was digging the man-ish tea party which was fully equipped with tree trunk chairs and circular wood chips for stacking. We finally had to pry him away so sister could play in the water stream. After a small tantrum, William concluded that Oh hey, the water stream was just as fun.

Oh by the way, the entire botanical garden was built on a rooftop, which earns extra cool points.

We ended our Colorado stay by saving the best for last --visiting Ron’s peeps.

It’s so important to keep in touch, to see one another face to face instead of a phone call or social networking, so I was over-the-moon to be able to visit my in-laws after 4+ years, and to let my children see --in person-- their daddy’s side of the family.

I loved watching my dad in-law enthusiastically talk about their vegetable gardening with all the potential that it holds, along with re-landscaping their backyard with great passion and determination. I imagine their gardens (they currently have about five growing) full of juicy ripe vegetables and flower blossoms that attract various species of butterflies. I can’t wait to see how their backyard transformed during our next visit. They’ve inspired me to do a little gardening myself --you know, once we get settled into our new home.

Grandma’s trampoline was a hit….for ALL of my babes. And of course, Krysta couldn’t jump without brother wanting to jump. Monkey see, monkey do.

I thoroughly enjoyed my Colorado visit. It was full of laughs and catching up, bridging the gap of time between our last visit.

We ended the night with tight hugs and a “we’ll see you later” instead of goodbyes. I love ending trips this way…and tight hugs. They make you feel important and special and welcomed.

Note to self: head to the Rockies more often.

The remainder of this post isn’t elegantly put. Maybe it’s because it was so fast paced and we were aching to arrive in Oklahoma, after two weeks of being on the road.

Here are just a few snapshots from each state:

New Mexico

New Mexico was short and sweet. Just long enough to touch the tip, then move on to the next state. Before we left, we stopped at the giant dipped ice cream cone for chili dogs and to stretch our legs.

Texas

I wish we could’ve seen more of Texas. I’ve heard it’s really beautiful there, but the area that we passed through was super dry with spider web-like tumbleweeds and dust that rolled in like storm clouds. Now I know why in western movies the cowboys often times wear bandanas over their mouth. And here I thought it was just for holding up banks…

Now here we are. We’ve arrived at our final destination --Oklahoma.

The page has turned, a new chapter of our lives is beginning, and I can’t wait to create it!

Here’s to new beginnings. Cheers!
 
Em

I'm over here.

We're in Day 9 of our drive from Alaska to Oklahoma. We've crossed the Pacific Ocean by boat, driven through five states, and lapped over three time zones; still we have several more days to go. Right now we're in Colorado visiting with my in-laws, and tomorrow we're planning a cookout, which I'm sure will be equal parts relaxing and fun. It'll be the perfect break in our trip to recharge our batteries and build new family memories.

My blogger friend of mine , My Dear Jenn, is also making a cross country trip from Alaska. During her travels she has lined up guest bloggers, and my story is one of them. In keeping with her travel theme, I shared my most favorite place in the world! Go here to read on...

Happy Trails!
Em

Denver, Colorado

Montana

 Wyoming