Colorado Time

When you know your time is short it makes things so much sweeter.   Time spent on top of a mountain where all you have is each other and the magnificent view.   The days are unforgettable and you don't long to be anywhere else in the world.   Just living in the present moment cherishing the time that you have.

I love this picture of me and Megan.    She is not only my sister but, she is my best friend.   We got to stand on top of this mountain together that day and I love remembering that time.   Yet, I also cherish the closeness that we feel at a distance.   I wait each day for our phone call.   Usually about 3:00.  We usually only talk about our day and the kids and what we are cooking for dinner but, it means the world to me.    We don't live close but, it doesn't really seem to matter.   We are walking this journey through our lives closer than ever.

And the distance doesn't matter to the kids.   They just love being together no matter what.  Here they all are.  Such a cute bunch.

One afternoon we decided to get out and explore the mountains a little bit.   Here we are on our family hike.    

The first interesting site was an old hippy van that was left abandoned.  I guess those hippies just parked it there and decided never to leave.

 Look how tall and beautiful Amaya is.  My words will never begin to describe what an amazing young woman she is.   Everybody knows it and is in awe of her.   I feel so privileged to be her Aunty Kris and to be able to stand beside her and watch her grow up.  

Our next little adventure happened to be a beautiful mountain lake.

And, you can't just walk by such a beautiful place with at least trying to get your feet wet.

For those that didn't fall into the lake, the mud puddle did just fine.   What is it with kids and mud puddles anyway?

 A daddy and his girls.

Gabe looks so grown up in the picture.   I love his Arkansas sweatshirt.   We got this on our fishing trip to Arkansas in the "Money Pit".  And, his most favorite hat in the whole world that his Aunt Megan got for him (which he never takes off).  Quite a handsome 10 year old.

We walked around the lake and found a quiet place to sit.   We sat together to watch the ducks and throw rocks in the water.

We had a wonderful hike and to soon it was time to head back to the house and cook dinner so we could sit in the hot tub.

After dinner,  I found these three sitting on the swing behind the house.  It was so cute that I made everyone get up there for a picture.

And, we took some family pictures.  They turned out really good.   The view sure was unbeatable.

So very thankful for this time that we got to spend together.   So very thankful that Boogernotlickous is shrinking.  So thankful that I took all these pictures to remember our time here.  And, I just know that someday we will have to go back!

And, just before we left this Arizona boy got to remember what it was like to stand out in the snow.

A magical weekend

The days and months that followed Amaya's brain tumor diagnosis were heart wrenching.   We knew what she was facing but, it just seemed that every time we thought we had it figured out something else would happen.   It was inoperable.   It was not responding to chemo.  It grew at an astonishing rate.   It was a time when we were always holding our breath and onto each other.

After 6 weeks of radiation in Denver, Amaya went home.  She went back to school and a normal life and we would all search her eyes for any signs of what was to come.    We analyzed her every behavior and and never went to many minutes without thinking about that tumor and what it was doing inside her head.

We waited.   We waited until she headed back to Denver to get an MRI and meet with her teams of Dr's to see the first results of the radiation.   I held my breath all that day.   I sat and stared at my cell phone, knowing she was in the MRI machine.   I played our favorite song by the Imagination Dragons and sang it at the top of my lungs and tears streamed down my face.  Waiting.  Just waiting.

We had to go to Denver.  We had to be there by her side no matter what.  We all needed to be together.   I loaded all the kids in the car and we drove to the airport still waiting to hear the news.   I remember sitting on the floor in the airport playing with the kids when the phone call came in from Megan.

I was afraid to answer.  Megan said, "it's shrinking, the tumor is shrinking".  I took a deep breath.   Waves of relief washed over me as a big smile came over my face.   I jumped up and down and screamed.   Yep, everyone around us looked but, I didn't care.   I did my crazy Aunt Kris dance for Amaya and took a picture of it.   It was an amazing moment.

We landed in Denver, ready to celebrate!  And, we did.   We rented a house in Nederland, Colorado and spent the whole weekend together just knowing that tumor had shrunk and being so thankful.

This place was spectacular.   It was magical.  In fact, I don't even think I can explain in words how beautiful this place was or how special it was to be all together during this time.   My pictures will have to speak those words for me.  

To explore

When the house feels stuffy and the kids have that blank stare from to many video games we load up in the car to head out and explore.   The click of the seat belt as the kids get settled is just what I need to hear.   I breathe deep as car puts miles between us and the city.

We used to load our car with fishing poles and sit beside the shore waiting for the fish to bite.   Now, as we ride out to the desert where we spend time together, exploring.

I called this saguaro the "Big Daddy".   I couldn't believe how big it was and I even tried to count all the little homes inside it and lost count.    It must be the oldest one in the desert.

We pack dinner and grab a few bites as we watch the sun set.