Christmas in July

Monday was another work day, so I got up & put on my work clothes... Aunt Suz & Mom were mixing cement to re-do the front porch, and Dad & Uncle Dean were putting up a railing along the side of the cabin...


But as I headed out the door, Aunt Suz's phone rang. It was Aunt Kandy, so I picked it up, and she said Mindy wanted to know if I wanted to join them and the kids up at the North Pole!!! HECK YA!! The North Pole is an amusement park up on the mountain, on the way to Pikes Peak!! Now, it's probably been 20 yrs. since I'd been there, but no worries... Parker & Paiton were old pros!! They headed straight for the first spin-u-around ride they could see and Noah & I headed to the slower-paced cars. We spent several hours working our way through the park, with a stop to visit Santa (and yes, even I sat on his lap... asking for a man thanks to Aunt Kandy's prompting!), the arcade, the picnic area and last stop, the gift shop!! I had such an awesome time!! It was so much fun going on the rides with the kids, hearing them laugh and watch them race from ride to ride!! And seeing Aunt Mindy and Cuz Ron on the Tilt-A-Whirl was priceless, too!! I'm extremely thankful that it worked out for me to be out there at the same time with Mindy and the kids!! It was a great bonding experience!! Those 3 kids are the CUTEST!!

Parker & Paiton

Me & Noah (driving with deep concentration!)

Such a good little driver!

Cuz Ron, Parker, Paiton & Aunt Mindy

Noah & Parker

Princess Paiton

Not sure what they're all looking at...

Look ma, NO hands!!

Me & Paiton

Oh boy, what did I get myself into?!

How cute are Parker & Paiton... true sibling love at it's best!!!

Paiton & Aunt Mindy

Noah & Cuz Ron

Noah got quite a bit of driver's ed experience!!

Aunt Kandy & I

Paiton & her Harley (Dad would be proud!)

Captain Parker

Captain Paiton & first mate Noah... more concerned with sticking his fingers in the H2O

Princess Paiton... so why did I hear thunder before getting on the proclaimed HIGHEST Ferris Wheel in the world??? Goodness...
But the view was beautiful!

Looking towards the Springs

Parker & Cuz Ron

Noah... little too close for comfort

Paiton & Aunt Mindy

Noah & Cuz Ron

Noah was quite the little trooper!

Quality girl time!!

Serious sharp-shooters!

Ready... aim... FIRE!

Skee-ball whiz!

Athlete in the making!

Nothing wrong with a little help every now and then!

To top the afternoon off, Ron asked if I wanted to ride back with him on his Harley!! He took me down to Manitou Springs, then back up towards the cabin, taking the back roads through Green Mountain Falls. It was awesome!! It's been forever since I rode with Chris, back in the day, when he had his bike. But riding around Hays doesn't compare to riding through the mountains... smelling the fresh air, you can see everything... it was great!!! Thank you Ron!!! And I was pleasantly surprised that Mom didn't freak considering we had just seen a bike on its side the night before. Chris just bought a bike this past weekend, so I can't wait to go home and ride around with him in a couple weeks!!

SWEET!!!!!

Ready or not, here I come...

Sweetheart!

Love this shot of Noah! (I have a pic of my dad doing this same thing in his western gear!! Too cute!!)

When Ron & I made it back to the cabin Mom, Dad, Suz & Dean had finished the projects and were in the process of showering at the Lindbergs. Dean had already headed back to KS and Mindy & the kids were getting ready to head back as well. I decided it would probably be best for the folks sitting next to me on the plane if I showered as well, and then the folks, Suz and I all headed down to the Springs to meet up with Kandy and Ed for dinner, a quick stop at Home Depot and then back to the cabin for 1 more round of Bunko! Saturday night, Aunt Suz taught Mom, Kandy & I how to play and it was pretty fun! But Aunt Kandy wasn't there Monday night, and Dad wanted to read, so we played individually instead of teams. I kicked their BUTTS!! For those of you who don't know the game, this won't make any sense, but for those of you who do... I won all 6 rounds in the 1st set... rolling 2 straight BUNKOS to finish off the 1st set!!! It was a beautiful thing!! So Mom & Suz teamed up against me for the 2nd set and won 5 out of the 6 rounds. But really... it was 2 against 1... it doesn't really count, right?!

Winning hand of BUNKO!!! Take THAT Mom & Aunt Suz!!

Mom & her body guard at the beloved outhouse!

After the game, it was off to bed for the last time in our lovely cabin! I slept with Aunt Suz and actually made it through the night without a coughing fit!! Halleluyer!! We got up bright and early Tuesday morning and headed to the Denver airport. 4 day weekends are the best!!!

Although I hate getting up early, mornings are probably my favorite time out at the cabin. The sun comes up & shines on the mountain top & slowly makes its way down. The birds are singing, the squirrels are chattering & you can hear the breeze through the trees. It's so peaceful... you forget about the hustle & bustle of the world, just a few miles away. All you can do is stand in awe of God's beauty surrounding you on all sides. The sounds of the forest, the rocks jutting out from the mountains & the sun shining through the trees, which seem to stretch up to heaven... they're all a part of God's design. His majesty in tangible form. I can only imagine what heaven will be like!!

This weekend couldn't have worked out any better... well, H20 would have been nice, but it all worked out! I got some Mom & Dad time like I wanted... and had a fabulous time with the Bruces... especially Parker, Paiton & Noah!! I can't wait until October when I get to see them again!!!

It has been 3 yrs. since I've been to the cabin, but even that was just a day trip for Kandy's wedding. It's probably been 10-12 yrs. since I've actually stayed overnight!! I forgot how much I love that place... even with the threat of bears & mountain lions... never being sure if you'll have H20... regardless, that place is packed with family history, memories and I plan to make many more!!