PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 8/31/11

So glad to have a good Mexican restaurant nearby. I went here with Daileen Loving for lunch and the food was good and company, even better. Nick and Andrew have been friends since their freshman year when they were low on the ladder for tennis...they worked their way up and up until a few weeks ago, they were both playing. Andrew decided not to play this year as he is hoping to go into golf management and has to get his handicap down. Anyways, his mom and I have been friends since then also and it was nice to be able to just sit down and chat for a while outside of a tennis match.

This building is where the first Highlands Ranch library was. Nick and I spent many hours in this place that was transformed into restaurant space (Dewey's) when the new, big library was built up near SAfeway. Now, it is Salsa Brava and I have to think it will be here to stay for a while. When I think of how life was when NIck and I would go every week for story hour, I can hardly imagine it has been 16 plus years. We would listen to story hour (and Chris joined us once he was born) and then head out to the non-fiction book area and get all the dinosaur books he could find. Many hours were spent browsing through those books and he knew every single kind of dino that ever walked the earth. Between that and trucks (ucks) and coloring, those were his early passions. It has been interesting and somewhat sad to think back on this while I write this post. So much has changed and gone on in Highlands Ranch...huge amount of buildings, grocery stores that you don't have to drive across County Line Road to get to and just a busier pace of life for us and the community. I will always reflect with tears and happy memories of those days spent with my little Nicky T and shortly after, Christopher and Zachary.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 8/27/11

Way to go TRHS Boys Tennis. This weekend they came in 2nd or 3rd (depending how you look at it) in the Air Academy Invitational Tournament. Nick and Trevor won 3 out of 4 of their matches and figured out how to play together. When Coach Hanson was handing out the ribbons at the end, he specifically said that Nick was a "leader" and that word means as much to me (and hopefully, to him) as it means to be a good player (which he also said they were). I hope this season, for Nick, is fun, without drama, successful and just a good final summation of 4 years of tennis at TR. He has definitely worked hard, never given up and did his best and is an amazing player...much better than he should be for the time he has spent on the courts in lessons and off season play. I am very proud of him, but more than anything, he should be proud of himself as he is a class act on and off the court (I may have written this same thing in an earlier post, but it is true).

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 8/29/11

Outside our back window, there sat a Swainson's hawk surveying the wildlife situation, I am sure. There are lots of bunnies back there so I'm betting that was what he was watching for. I'm all for this guy going after the mice so if that is the case, I hope he caught something. It just fascinates me to see wildlife within our daily life. (at least most kind of wildlife not including mice, packrats or any other type of creepy rodent/bug/snake) Almost every day, I look up in the sky and see hawks flying around and often hear the coyotes howling at night. There are bunnies that find refuge in our trees and under our patio and butterflies that fly right in front of me. These are bits of life that I am so grateful to appreciate and enjoy ...right outside my window.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 8/28/11

Dad had a book signing at "Mountain Books" on Saturday. I was down in the Springs with Nick so Todd, Chris and Zach headed up there with him and mom to be there. It was a small gathering (which you would expect in a mountain town) with Betty Long (talked about in the book) and her family and Norm Meyer as guests. I hated to have to miss it because this whole thing with dads book has just been pretty incredible...the entire process and I love to hear when there are more sales of books. This next week, Tattered Cover is going to start carrying the books and I will be the first on there to check it out (and I may have to buy a copy just to say I did :) ). Todd did a great job taking this photo...I had asked him to take one of him autographing the books and it is exactly what I wanted.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 8/26/11

Fun photo of me and Heather...

Nick ran over for this photo right before he started his match..

Aidan and Andrew sitting on those hot bleachers. When Nick was playing, Aidan had his fingers crossed and said, "I'm crossing them for good luck...I'm going to cross them until Nick wins"

Cute Emma with her missing teeth...

Nick and his team played in the Air Academy Invitational tournament this weekend in Colorado Springs. Heather, Aidan, Emma and Andrew came to see him play in his first match and it was very special to have them come. I know it meant a lot to Nick and, me too. As a kid, it's nice to know that you've got family support in all you do. The match went into a tie breaker and the rain came so they had to finish that match the next morning, but Uncle Todd went over to the courts as soon as he could hoping to catch Nick playing. It didn't work out, but he did talk to him when Nick was at the hotel. It was nice to spend the evening at Todd and Heather's and hang out with my little brother. Their house is very comfortable to stay in and I even crashed out on their couch before Todd got back. We went out to get something to eat, took Shiner on a walk and watched tv. Just a nice relaxing, fun day all the way around. BTW...Nick and Trevor DID finish their tiebreaker on Saturday morning and WON! I think Aidan crossing his fingers the day before made the difference.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 8/25/11

How much do I love this quilt? This is a treasure among all treasures. This was in the trunk that Grammama had in her garage and then my mom got it. Within it was this quilt created by my great great Grandmother Beeson. So many questions about it...where did the fabric come from, how long did it take her, who used it? To me, it is a piece of artwork passed on through generations. I'm wondering if she thought that her great great granddaughter would someday have this and be so glad to possess this treasure? Now, I want to find out more about Great Grandmother Beeson and make sure that she was the one who created this beautiful family heirloom.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 8/24/11

What a fun night last night to meet up with everyone at Celtic Tavern to see our Dreher cousins. Tami and I spent a lot of time with Jann and Elise during a couple of summers and I always look forward to seeing the Kansas Drehers when they come into town. It's special to be able to connect with relatives that you don't see often, but are important in your life now, and in the past. It is also a connection to Grandad Dell and his family. I know he would (and probably was) smiling seeing everyone together including us with our cousins, Spencer, Chris and Andrew. The only one we were missing was Todd :(. I am looking forward to spending time with him this weekend when I'm down in the Springs for Nick's tennis match.

When I was young, Jann and I were often told that we look alike...I always loved that and I still do. She's looking good and she was always extra special to me as she was like my older sister as a child and as I grew up.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 8/23/11

GO GRIZZLIES! Nick's first match was yesterday against CastleView and he played 3 doubles. At the beginning of the match, it was apparent he and his partner had never played together before, but they got into a groove and got some coaching in the second set and carried it into a third set and then WON! Their match secured the win for ThunderRidge as up until then, the score was 3-3. If they won, it would give us the win and win they did. The final score was 1-6, 7-5 6-3. Way to follow through and never give up and what a great start to his senior year tennis career. It was very apparent that he was really pleased also and he and his partner, Trevor McCord, found their groove and looked good together. I have to admit that I'm a bit of a "tennis mom" and I get really nervous. At the end of the match, when the final point was scored, I actually screamed out and jumped up in the air...total reflex. I have said it several times, but watching Nick on and off the court is quite a pleasure (what a word..."pleasure" makes me sound old ;) ). He is a class act and very poised and polite and just a great person. Way to go, Nicky T...well deserved. You've worked hard these past 4 years and it is your time to shine, kid.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 8/22/11

Her name is "Pear"...just "Pear." She was chirping in our, well you guessed it, our Pear tree in the front yard. She would chirp and then wait to hear if her mama would chirp back. She also would flap her wings which would make them stronger for her toFLY! She was ready to take off...ready to spread her wings...but wanted to know her mama was close by. Later on, she had taken off and I wonder where she went? Did she go back to her familiar nest, cruise the neighborhood or what? I guess that is what happens with kids as they grow up. They want the familiarity of home and mom, but need to strengthen their wings so they, too, can take off and learn how to FLY!

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 8/21/11

Todd made it to the top of the world...or at least to the top of Mt. Sherman. He took over 250 pictures of his trek up the 14er and back down again. I don't think I ever see him happier and more "kidlike" than when get goes out and does this kind of thing. I hope he can do more of this and that he can enjoy that feeling he gets when he reaches the top.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MOM AND DAD

This is my very favorite photo of my parents on their wedding day...it was as they were leaving and it was raining. So happy!

45 Years ago on August 20 at HIGH NOON, two of the best people in the world were married at Rockland Community Church overlooking the Continental Divide. Many years later, their oldest daughter was also married there...on July 18, 1992 at HIGH NOON. I love being able to look back at these photos and see them with the people they loved celebrating this special day. The church, to this day, looks similar and I can just imagine how they were on that late summer day in 1966.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 8/20/11

Shari and I were at Hallmark on Friday and were looking at the Christmas ornaments. We found this "blast from the past" Fisher Price house that is exactly the same as the ones we had in childhood...down to the wooden people and little doorbell. I can remember spending many hours pretending and playing and I loved how the garage would open and the doorbell would ring. The Fisher Price toys of today are not classics like this. Even as we got older, I remember opening the shower curtain that covered the shelves in our basement bathroom and seeing it sitting there. Just writing about this takes me back to 27th Place and happy childhood memories. I can even smell the musty smell of the basement and feel the carpet under my feet.What I wouldn't give to have just a few hours to be able to go back in time and enjoy the childhood and innocence of playing with my Fisher Price house...most likely, with Tami by my side and Todd coming down to see what we were up to with his blankey and stuffed animal.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 8/19/11

A couple times this year, I have driven up to home during the day and saw Nick's car parked in the driveway as he came home between classes. He has 2 periods off this year and a the afternoon off of classes on Wednesdays so it is extraordinarily cool to have him home at more random times and just "drop in." I took this photo the other day because I didn't want to forget this. It still is a little crazy to see him drive up into the driveway but it always makes me smile and appreciate that he is here. The bittersweet part (which I've been feeling a lot of them as his senior year starts) is that this is definitely something to notice and appreciate because next year, it won't be the same. UGH...I said it...I try very hard to just live in the moment and treasure the time with all 3 of the boys, but the impending "college is coming" gets to me sometimes. For now, I will look forward to him walking in the door in the middle of the day, asking "what do we have to eat" and "hi, mom" usually followed with a quick hug. You're growing up, Nick, and that is really great, but don't ever forget that you always have a home to come home to and just "drop in".

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 8/18/11

A very fun day with my favorite photo taking friend. We went to Einsteins and sat there for a while and then had more adventures as we traveled back in time to Snoopy and the Fisher Price house made as a Christmas ornament at Hallmark. It was not complete without watching the You Tube video of Anderson Cooper giggling and the side of the ARC truck (enough said)...such a great way to start the weekend.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 8/17/11

Cocoa and Liza at bedtime. Almost every night, Cocoa comes up with us to sit on our bed and crash out until Todd has to take her back down (which is very reluctant about doing). This is Liza's "room" so they often times join eachother on the bed. Usually, Cocoa is chilled out and Liza comes up and starts bugging her. Todd captured this photo last night as they were just hanging out enjoying KDVR News at 9.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 8/16/11

I was at Tattered Cover yesterday when I noticed this issue of Scrapbooks Etc... was in. I was pretty sure this layout was in the October issue, but wasn't sure until I turned to PAGE 14 and saw it for myself. This was one of my favorite layouts I ever did when I submitted it and was so glad when it was picked up. It is one I will treasure forever and love that I got paid for something I love so much.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 8/15/11

One of my most favorite things in the world is meeting my dad (and mom) for coffee and a chat. Today, we met at Starbucks on Santa Fe so I could borrow his copy of Huckleberry Finn for Chris to read for his English class. We sat in the leather chairs and spent some time talking about the rewrites on his book, publicity options and family analysis...all good discussions and more than anything, just fun and easy. Very very blessed to have both of my parents as my best friends. What makes me smile is that I pulled out my camera for this photo and he knew exactly how to "pose" for the perfect photo op :)

PROJECT 365 PICTURE A DAY 8/14/11

Headed out on a hike to the Backcountry/Daniels Park area. Nick stayed home and had homework, so the remaining 4 took off along the same path we had gone several times on with Mocha many years ago. Chris has a good eye because he found this horney toad near the side of the path. It was just a baby that could've been easily stepped on so it's good to have him with us. Both he and Zach held it and then placed him back off the path. Loved spending the late morning doing this.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 8/12/11

Look what we saw when driving through the Safeway parking lot the other day...THE WIENERMOBILE! Chris and Zach were with me and I offered to stop to check it out, but they said "no" but we all thought it was fun to see. That would be pretty funny to drive down the street.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 8/11/11

FOOTBALL TIME! It may be a "quarterback controversy" for the Bronco's, but for me, it's a no brainer...time for Tebow to "bring it!" Watching the first preseason game against Dallas.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 8/10/11

Amongst dishes, laundry and picking up for the cleaning ladies tomorrow (plus trying to continue to declutter/clean out/give away), this is my creative mess...which, by far and away, is my favorite kind of mess to make.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 8/9/11

AND THEN THERE WERE THREE...all off for their day at school. This is Nick's "last 1st day" in regards to k-12. He will have many more first days, I know, but they will be different so this year, while taking them, was bittersweet...however, I am trying so hard not to think too much about that and just be happy they can do all they do...they're good, nice, smart and oh so handsome kids and that is what I want for them...selfishly, I just miss having them around and time is going way too fast for me. I don't want to waste time on thinking and want to spend more time on enjoying each moment. Nick will be driving Chris to school this year and I think that made me as happy as anything...seeing them get in the car together and head off to the same school. Zach's day was much better than his first and he seems to be adjusting well. Nick was excited to start his senior year and that is the way he should feel. I'm excited for him, too. Well, we got through those first 2 days and now, it's time to drag Zach out of bed...Nick and Chris have block days/access today so they don't have to be there until 8:30...boy, they will love Wednesdays.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 8/8/11

FIRST DAY PHOTOS...a tradition every year. Since they started school, I took have taken these kind of photos in our backyards...first at English Sparrow Trail and now in our backyard here. Excited, sad and nervous as the boys start back...Chris will now be a freshman at ThunderRidge and I love the idea of Nick and Chris being in the same school for this next year. Zach will be at Ranch View and I don't think I will ever get used to the fact that my littlest boy is a "tween". I think those first days are really long and probably overwhelming, however, they both came home saying they knew how to get around and seemed fine with that. I am glad that I could feel the "nervous" for them and not let them know :) Looking forward to seeing all they will do this upcoming year.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 8/7/11

I took this photo of the rainbow spread across the sky on Friday afternoon...it was August 5 and exactly 23 years since I said goodbye to my Grandad Dell in those early morning hours at AMC Hospice. I posted the photo of Grandad Dell on my FB and it just captured the man he was to me...fun, happy, a great smile and sense of humor in his favorite place...Ruidoso. That afternoon, I sat in the backyard and a butterfly flew by and around me...I just know it was a sign that he was saying that he was nearby and always would be...then, the boys called me outside a while later and there was a giant rainbow spread across the sky. In fact, it was a double rainbow and the colors, although fading, were bright and beautiful...another sign that Grandad Dell is watching over us and still part of me. Boy, I sure would like to be able to give him a real hug and see his smile and hear his laughter. I still miss him so much.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 8/6/11

I can say without a single doubt that this patio room addition was the best idea and follow through we have ever had in any of our houses. We are using it many times throughout each day and I am quite sure we will continue using it into the colder months also. It is bright, cheery and fun as well as such a high functioning place.

PROJECT 365 PICTURE OF THE DAY 8/5/11

25 YEARS AGO...I said that I would have a red Porsche etc...

WELL...Today I finally drove a red Porsche with the top down...wind in my hair....music on and a freedom that I could easily get used to. It is a perk to have a neighbor that needed my "help" to drive the car to be serviced. I am pretty sure that my mini van is just not going to feel the same after this morning...fabulous. It drove so nicely so I think that someday, I am just going to have to have a convertible and a Porsche would be just fine with me.