Rainbow Over the Mountains

Just a glimpse of the gorgeous, full-arched rainbow that spanned over the Rockies early this morning. I snapped these quick pictures on my phone on my way to work.

My co-worker, Chris, took this one from his house.

Helen Hunt Falls

We had company for the 4th of July weekend this year. Two of Lyle's brothers and their families were in the area. On Saturday we drove into the mountains outside of Colorado Springs to hike along Helen Hunt Falls.

Some of us only made it up to the bridge over the falls looking out over the parking lot.

 It was lovely shady place to sit on the rocks and enjoy the splashing stream tumbling over the rocks.

The men and kids hiked on up the mountain. I'm not sure where it took them and or what they saw, but I guess it was a pretty good hike.

They stopped at the bridge on the way back down.

No telling what the brothers were talking about... but they enjoyed being together. They don't get to see each other very often, since one lives in Kansas, one in Idaho, and one in Colorado.

We look forward to finding other pretty places to hike around here.

Mount Evans

Our afternoon drive the last Sunday of June took us up above the tree line to the summit of Mount Evans at over 14,000 feet.

It is the highest paved road in North America.

We had driven the Pikes Peak road several years ago on vacation, and this one was every bit as dramatic, with no guard rails!

We learned that originally this highway was meant to connect three "fourteeners"-- Longs Peak, Mount Evans, and Pikes Peak-- but according to the brochure it "proved unfeasible at the time" so they gave it up. That would have been really cool, though.

Since it was a hot day in Denver we hadn't thought about taking along jackets. It was breezy and in the 40s at the summit.

We walked around a bit, but didn't take the time to hike the additional 100 or so feet to the actual summit.

The park entrance fee was $10 per vehicle... a bargain compared to the $40 fee for Pikes Peak! Besides, it's closer to home... so I expect we'll be buying a season pass for $25 next year. 

It's only open from Memorial Day to Labor Day, but it's a great Sunday afternoon drive destination!

Graduation Day

 

The third Saturday in June was a beautiful day for a backyard graduation. The late afternoon sun filtering through the trees made a lovely setting for the girl graduate in her pink cap and gown. (She was the only graduate in her "class" so she got to choose the color.)

Her teacher (me)... and her "principal" (her dad)... made a few comments and presented her with her diploma.

Then her pastor-grandpa shared some thoughts and offered a blessing. The gathered friends blew bubbles at her as she tossed her cap into the air.

And with that... my homeschooling journey was over.

 Sixteen years I've invested in my children's education. Long days of wondering if we were covering everything we should be. Delightful days reading piles of wonderful stories. Challenging days when nothing seemed to go as planned. But oh, it was so worth it!

 As my mother and I previewed the PowerPoint presentation that I put together for the celebration, she commented, "The years have gone by almost as fast as those slides are changing." I agree with her. How could sixteen years possibly have gone by already?

My emotions have been bittersweet. In some ways, I wish I could go back and do some things differently. On the other hand, I'm excited to see what the future has in store for my now-adult children.

I am so grateful that I had the privilege of being home with them all throughout their childhood. Motherhood is a blessing I don't take for granted.

Washington Trip

The second weekend of June was my last convention trip of the season, and this time Lyle got to go with me! I really missed him traveling with me (and doing the loading/unloading and driving) on my other trips this year. This trip was to Seattle, one of our favorite cities.

We were even able to sneak away for a couple of hours to take a spin in the Great Wheel which is new since we were in Seattle for our 25th anniversary in 2010.

My team in Seattle was made up of some long-time friends, two of whom are Sonlight graduates! We had a good time working together and enjoyed hanging out with the team for Sonlight's sister company, BookShark, as well. Then on Saturday evening some friends from Idaho drove over to spend a little time with us. 

The trip was much too short for everything we would have liked to do... but to be honest I was happy to get home and put my feet up after 9 conventions this season! This was my 15th year as a Sonlight Curriculum Consultant and quite possibly my most challenging one yet.