P52 - Week 33 - Be Still My Heart

I'm having one of those "mommy moments." My Wonder Boy (Wonder Guy?) is on the door step of his sophomore year of high school, tenth grade; he's also a few weeks away from turning 16 years old (& all that that entails) and my heart is all mush.


I'm excited for him and I simply LOVE watching him grow and change and ... I don't know ... EVOLVE ever more into such a fine young man. It's not that I miss the days when a kiss from mom and a chocolate chip cookie made for the BEST.DAY.EVER for him. It's not that he's filled with teenage angst. But I still find myself clutching to every possible minute with him right now.

I don't want to return to the past (though I certainly like to reflect on it on a regular basis) but I'll admit that I'm in no rush to meet the future either. I truly want to embrace this particular moment that is so ripe with possibility.

P52 - Week 31 - All who wander are not lost

My guy just LOVES to hike! Put a pack on his back and set him off where you can no longer hear the sounds of city life and he can motor up and down the trails from dawn to dusk. It's his happy place. And thankfully, it's mine as well!


This particular snap was taken on our last full day of hiking in Colorado this summer, on the Palmer Lake Reservoirs trail. We had tried to make our way to the upper reservoir the day before, but got rained out. We were so pleased when the clouds dispersed and gave us one more day on the trail to give this hike a second go around!

The trail was not technical by any means, but it climbs almost 900 ft in elevation in only about 2 miles of trail and that makes for one heck of a workout!

We say it every year, but it bears repeating ... you just can't go wrong in Colorado! No matter what direction you turn, Nature's beauty surrounds you. While we enjoy the challenge of some trails over some others, it still never fails to take my breath away! And I really hope that we can make it four-in-a-row next summer!

P52 - Week 30 - The mountains are calling ...

The mountains are calling .... and I must answer!

Each summer as July turns into August and we here in Texas turn up the A/C another degree or two (or ten!), the call of the mountains becomes SO strong. And I am blessed beyond measure to be able to answer that call again this year.


We have been lucky enough to be able to enjoy a Colorado vacation for the 3rd year running now. This summer, we ventured back to the Colorado Springs area. But unlike our visit here in 2015, we wanted to avoid the more touristy areas this summer. So we kicked off our great summer escape of 2017 with a hike through Cheyenne Mountain State Park. We put in about 6 miles covering the Coyote Run, Boulder Run, Blacker Loop, Medicine Wheel, and Zook Lop trails.

This photo was take on the back section of the Blacker Loop trail. And it was pretty much the perfect way to begin our time on the trails for this vacation.

When we left Texas, we were suffering through almost a solid week of triple digit temperatures and the kind of humidity that feels like a slap in the face when you venture out of your air conditioned home or office. But on this day, Colorado was "enduring" a warm spell where the mercury climbed all the way to 83F! Needless to say, for us it was literally a walk in the park!

The park was beautiful! The trails were well marked and there was plenty of parking at the visitors center. We met several other groups and families along the trail. And the weather was just PERFECT! I am very glad that the park came so highly recommended or I am not sure we would have made our way here. It's a bit off the beaten path, near Fort Carson on the southwest side of Colorado Springs. But if you find yourself in the area, you would do yourself a disservice if you did not check it out!

P52 - Week 29 - Homecoming

Wonder Boy has been off at camp for the past couple of weeks, but today we welcomed him back home!


I know it's just a phone snap, but I was so glad to just have us all back together today that I didn't want the hassle of dragging out the big camera. Plus, this one was taken on the Boy's new phone (long story). Not too bad for low light, back light, and no flash imho.

I am very glad that the Boy enjoys his summer get-aways to camp each year. I know he is soaking up the taste of freedom that comes with camp.

But with that said, I sleep better when all 3 of us are safely tucked into our own beds.

I am trying to drink in every moment we have left before our Boy heads off to college. And this is one of those moments!

P52 - Week 27 - Mas Musica

I've made no secret about the fact that my dear Wonder Boy loves to make music (nor that I love to HEAR HIM make music)! Since school got out for the summer, he's been hinting around that he'd like to add another instrument to his répertoire.


The boy's dad was generous enough to let him test the waters with his electric guitar and Wonder Boy hit the ground running. But the modern, metallic quality of sound from an electric instrument was not the tone that spoke to the Boy's heart. So we traded in a bass guitar that was gathering dust in a closet and indulged the boy with a classical acoustic guitar for his learning pleasure.

He jumped in with both feet and after only a few quick YouTube lessons, he was strumming out some really nice tunes! We're hoping when his summer travel is done, to find him a local tutor to at least cover the basics with him. But I have to tell you, as much as the Boy loves piano, as much as he enjoys his viola, he seems to have a real knack for the guitar!

And my ears are loving every minute of it!

P52 - Week 26 - Granny's Girls

This weekend was the annual family reunion for my dad's side of the family. Unfortunately, we didn't make it to the big gathering, but we did find the time for a Sunday-after-church lunch with some of the cousins.


Believe it or not, but I'm the "baby" of this particular group. And I spent most of my childhood trying to keep up with or be like one of these ladies. We were the first 4 born on this side of the family. Four girls in a row. Followed by 4 rowdy boys (a 5th came much later, but he's every bit as rowdy as the others)!

Oh, who am I kidding? We were ALL a rowdy crew! The second generation of the "Grassbur Hill Bunch" (our parents being the 1st gen gang).

Being a gaggle of girls, we, of course, didn't always see eye to eye. And, being the youngest of the bunch, I was probably considered a nuisance most of the time. But this group right here probably knows me better than almost anyone else in this world (my better half being the exception). I look at their faces and I see them as I always have - that part of "my circle" that will always mean home and family. It is with these folks, that are as much my friends as they are my family, that I find my feet when things get shaky.

And I hope they all know just how much they are loved!

Though I'm voting that we move the family reunion to the mountains next summer so we are not all melting on Aunt Yo's porch when we pose for pictures!