Mountain Mama

Durango, CO.

It is beautiful.

The thousands, possibly millions, of pine trees standing tall and shedding beauty.

The layered view of mountain and trees, farmland, and the bluest of skies.

Beautiful, actually, doesn't even begin to describe it.

The view seems to host a certain peace that comes from being far away from everything.

Now, make no mistake, I could never live in a place like Durango.

In fact, I think this visit solidified what I have long suspected about myself--

I am a city girl.

I like busy and buzz and other humans' energy.

I would even go as far as to say I NEED it.

And that is not offered in the mountains.

But for vacation, it was lovely.

Not to mention, the company I enjoyed it with.

My mom and dad are always so generous in finding a place to house The Crew, whose numbers are now right around 40.

No easy feat.

Making it happen is so worth the effort though.

We all find a corner of the house to call our own and stash our suitcases and lay our heads at night.

And because we're all under one roof, after that it is free roaming!

All the cousins are constantly together doing whatever it is they do-

playing ball, climbing trees, stomping rockets, painting nails, playing with dolls, etc etc. (including getting kicked out of the basement and having electronics banned because MY GOSH you are with your cousins, get out and PLAY!)

And because we're all under one roof, the adults get to catch up. I love all my brothers and sisters and their spouses and my parents so adult time is much appreciated. As you can see, being all in the same house makes a huge difference.

I think we all noticed that our family has progressed to a different stage. The youngest grandkids were two which meant we weren't planning around naps and there were a lot more free hands than there had been in the past. That's a milestone right there!

This year's schedule was planned to perfection in my opinion.

One big outing a day:

Pope Family Reunion

Fruitland cook out

Horseback riding

Mesa Verde

Durango rec center, followed by Bar D dinner

White water rafting

(and that night, my favorite "tradition": sushi din with Auntie Gay and the older niece/nephews!)  

This trip also marked a different milestone for me. Who knows why I look forward to the things I do, but I have been anxiously awaiting the day I could rent a sedan, throw a big boy up front, and call it good. And that's just what we did this trip! The kids and I flew into Albuquerque and rented a Jeep Cherokee. Dallin and Porter took turns riding up front and we (maybe only I!) loved our 4 hour drive to Durango. The sky was endless and amazing. It was scattered with storms that sat right behind the plateaus, drawing a million different shades of blue. A rainbow (a double one if I remember correctly) capped off the picturesque view before darkness covered it all. It was the same views that fascinated me as a little girl and left me thinking New Mexico was the most beautiful place in the world!
On our way back to the airport, we stopped at the house my dad is building in Albuquerque. It made me excited to have an official house for grandma and grandpa! Can't wait to make that trek!
The whole week was a huge success. I love my family and love all the effort that goes into keeping us connected!