It Could Be an Ad for "Hike Colorado!"

One of the things we love about living in Colorado Springs is the easy access to some amazing mountain hiking.  Labor Day gave the whole family the opportunity to hike with some favorite friends in Cheyenne Canyon, and the following day was a teacher workday for my elementary boys, so I grabbed a friend for each of them and we hit the Pike's National Forest foothills for one of my favorite hikes we've done here.

We had intended to hike the Seven Bridges Trail with Lisa, Nathan and Emma Barker, but the Labor Day parking situation was not great in the trailhead lot at Gold Camp Road, so we had to park lower down the mountain.  We took a trail close to where we parked, thinking it might get us up to the lot without walking on the narrow, winding road, but it did not.  So, we just carried on and hiked out for a couple of miles in a new part of the Canyon that we hadn't seen before.  Once again, Zac missed out on the Seven Bridges!  With as many times as we've done it, he hasn't ever been able to go with us for one reason or the other, and he was so excited thinking this would be his chance.  But no!  It wasn't to be.  Next time, Z!  Although the hike wasn't what we had planned, it was pretty and the company was great, which made the day lovely.

The next day, Luke, his buddy Cooper, Tommy, his pal Conner and I set out to find the Devil's Head Lookout Tower trail.  In our years here, I hadn't ever heard of it, and then, just this summer, in the course of a couple of days I had two unconnected friends talk about it, first Mary Lynn Falkenstein and then Adri Murdock.  It sounded so neat, and right up our alley, so it was put at the top of my "up next" list.  It was waaaaaaaaayyyyyy out in the middle of nowhere.  I thought I might be lost for awhile getting out there, but if Kelty Meadows taught me nothing else, it was that sometimes you just have to keep going and you'll end up where you're supposed to be.  And it was so worth it!  What a neat hike! 

The boys were good company and the weather couldn't have been more perfect--just on the edge of cool and slightly fallish.  Plus, it's amazing what easy hikers my little two are when they have friends to impress!  Tommy and Conner led the way, playing a game they invented where they were battling a made up bad guy and got hits based on how close they guessed the number between 1 and 10 that I was thinking of.  It was really creative and kept them so entertained!  Luke and Cooper were about 20 yards behind us the entire time.  Sometimes we'd get around a corner on a switchback and I couldn't see them, but I never worried because I could always hear them chattering away...they talked non-stop!  

We climbed up the mountain for a little under a mile-and-a-half to the base of the rocks below the tower, of course stopping at all the huge rock piles to climb around.  There is a little ranger cabin there at the top of the hike, and then there are 143 rickety stairs up to the fire lookout tower, perched atop the Devil's Head rocks.  It may have given me a titch of the jelly legs going up those stairs.  The boys and I had a good discussion about safety before going up: no, "Look at me!  I'm falling!" jokes while I was in charge!  In the tower, we found Billy Ellis, the 86-year-old ranger who still staffs the tower, watching for fires across the thousands of acres visible from the tower and educating the visitors about the century-long history of the tower.  He was so kind and showed the boys the old fire locator that has been used at the tower to determine exact location based on smoke height and the angle of measured distance.  The only disappointment was that the skies are so full of haze from the Western States wildfires, that the view was not as incredible as I know it can be. 

We had a great time, and I can't wait to go back to explore the area more!

 

Conlin Photo Shoot 2017

The wildflowers are having a boom season, and I thought they'd make a beautiful backdrop for the boys' photos this year.  Also, I never got around to taking *official* pictures of my guys last year.  I ended up printing off my favorites of each of them from throughout the year, which was fine, but I didn't want to let another year go by without some "school" photos.  We had some time to spare Sunday afternoon, and even though it was as hot as Hades, we went for it.  With a good camera, a little Photoshop magic and Costco, Adam and I can get photos that are much better than the school packages, for a lot less. 

They came out so great.  I am really happy with them!  These handsome boys make such easy, great subjects!  We were done in about 45 minutes.  I truly can't believe how big my boys are getting.  OUCH!  (That was my heart breaking just a little bit more). 

Zac got two photos because this candid shot of him came out so nicely.

 

Ben on Ben: Fifteen

What a great young man Ben is at fifteen!  He's ambitious, motivated, helpful and such a smartie.  He dove into high school with excitement and it hasn't disappointed.  Being a part of the cross-country team has made the adjustment easy and smooth, seeing friends new and old whom he's run with all summer in the halls and at lunch has helped him find his groove quickly.  I know he loves this team and will be so sad when the season comes to a close.  He worked hard all summer and made the varsity squad, which gives him a strong group of runners to push him and lead him, and his improvement is already so obvious.  The boy can fly!  Ben has been so great recently about noticing things around the house that need doing and getting them done or offering to help when he sees a need, both without being asked.  It shows a growth in maturity this year, and I am so grateful for his help and example for his brothers.  He continues to love math, and has a great pre-calculus teacher this year.  Ben is also enjoying his biology class, but unfortunately has a chemistry teacher that leaves a little to be desired.  He was really excited for that class, so that is a bummer.  He has also really enjoyed starting up seminary class.  Ben is still a homebody at heart and his favorite thing is finding a quiet place to try a new origami creation or reading a good dystopian novel.  But he is aware of this solitary trait, so sometimes he makes a firm decision to get out and do things with friends.  He especially loves hanging out with church friends, like David and Nathan, and has good allies in a couple of awesome boys he's known for a very long time, Micah and Will.  We can see his introversion creep up in new ways in our family, as his mild teen angst comes out from time to time, and he seeks some solo time in his room.  He's also discovered an expanding love of music, particularly Classic Rock (he's played Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles and Space Oddity by David Bowie as I type).  Ben has done a great job of finding balance between working hard and relaxing, recharging his introvert battery and spending time with family and friends.  His perception of the world around him is sophisticated, he cares about the needs of others and realizes that sometimes those needs have to come before his own; he is helpful, faithful and honest.  We couldn't be more proud of him!      

How old are you?  "Fifteen."
What makes you happy?  "Running, cookies, food, bacon, amigos, origami."
What are your favorite things to eat?  "Food after running, anything that Mom makes." (unpaid response)
What is your least favorite thing to eat?  "No food, food that is too spicy."
What are your favorite things to do?  "Run, read, origami."
What is your favorite TV show?  "Ain't nobody got time for that.  Studio-C."
What are you really good at?   "Answering birthday questions.  Math.  Running."
What is your favorite movie?  "Captain America or Spiderman: Homecoming."
What is your favorite animal?  "Wolves."
What is your favorite color?  "Blue."
What is your favorite song?  "Son of Man from Tarzan."
Who are your best friends?  "Will Parsons, David McConkie, Micah Simonds, Nathan Barker."
What do you and Mom do together that you love?  "Talk (hear a history lesson--you get so animated!)."
What do you and Dad do together that you love?  "Play soccer, throw a 'sports' ball."
What is your favorite sport?  "Running."
What is your favorite book?  "Fablehaven Book 1."
Where is your favorite place to go?  "The {Conlin} Cabin; to see family."
What makes you feel scared?  "Family getting hurt; people I love getting hurt."
What do you want to be when you grow up?  "An endorsed runner."
What words would you use to describe yourself? "Fast, fun, nice, responsible, respectful, intelligent, faithful."
What is the most exciting thing you got to do this year? "Made the varsity high school cross country; and I loved the high altitude camp."
What do you want to tell the future you? "Be kind.  Stay focused."

The Bits: August 14th Through August 31st

The Bits head into the 2017-2018 school year:

Back-to-school week is always busy, so Adam and I celebrated our 19th anniversary with a quiet takeout Thai lunch at home.  Choosing us was the best decision we ever made!

Sunshine, flowers, bike rides to the park--testing days always give us a one more taste of summer break.

Eclipse 2017 ready!  Glasses are tested, safety has been discussed, the countdown to the eclipse is on, and most importantly, Krispy Kreme Eclipse Doughnuts are ordered!  Thanks for the glasses, Nana!

I rally because..."'No man who makes disparaging remarks concerning those of another race can consider himself a true disciple of Christ.  Nor can he consider himself to be in harmony with the teachings of the Church of Christ.' (Gordon B. Hinckley)  For members of the Church, we reaffirm that teaching today and the Savior's admonition to love our neighbor.  Our prayers are with those who are suffering because of this intolerance and hatred.  We pray for peace and for understanding.  Above all, we pray that we may treat one another with greater kindness, compassion and goodness."

How the CO Conlins did the 2017 Eclipse: We pulled Tommy, Ben and Zac out of school because they were only going to be able to watch the streaming video of it--LAME.  Luke was able to watch with his class (I suppose 5th graders can be trusted to understand they will burn their retinas out).  We let Josh stay home from school and he went to Red Rocks Open Space with his buddy, Jack Cloninger, and his awesome mom, Heather.  We were amazed at how light it still is when the sun is covered 92%, but it got tangibly cooler and the shadows were twilight-long.  We loved all the mini-eclipse shadows from the tree leaves!  So fun and completely neat!  Also, the doughnuts were divine.

Josh got to make a whole day of Eclipse 2017 with Jack!

Shedding season!  A dog and a dog's worth of hair!

I am excited to take on this new, flexible role with our school district--classified sub.  I can substitute for any job in the district that doesn't require a teaching license.

This is how mentally exhausted I was after the Ascent.  I put Adam's volunteer button on at the school without noticing until a friend asked me if Adam was my husband's name.  Haha!

Ben, Josh and Adam took in a Sky Sox game with the youth group.

First, second and third days of subbing went well!  I helped with the reading support specialists at Mountain View ES.  I was nervous, but it was all just fine.

At the end of my first day subbing, without me even asking, Adam took the boys on a bike ride so I could get dinner started and have a little peace and quiet, even though he works hard for us every single day.  He even sent me a pretty picture.  I really appreciated it!

When you're trying to get your little in bed, but they've all decided to take crazy selfies on the stairs instead, and then they're laughing so hard that they're making themselves laugh harder, and you just don't care anymore that bedtime will be late, because THIS is the stuff of life.  The real living.  Oh how I love these moments and these boys of mine!

My precious view of the whole scene.  It's the moments like these that crush me a little bit just thinking of how much I will miss them as my boys move out and move on one by one in the not-too-distant future!

Hurricane Harvey hits Houston.

August 31 Sunset

Zac's first soccer game of the season vs. Vista Ridge!  Zac is starting right defense for the varsity team this year and is looking strong--believe it or not, our boy is one of the bigger guys out there on the field.  How did that happen?!  It was a great/wild start to the season for Zac and the Rams: all 3 teams won their games, Varsity 5-2, but one of our players was punched in the face, and then given a red card for his language (the puncher was red-carded, too), and then the lights turned off with 1:30 left in the game.  Go Z and the Rams Boys' Soccer!