Pike's Peak Right Out of the Gate

I decided to go to Pike's Peak when I woke up on the first official morning of our vacation.  I had researched a lot of things to do in the Colorado Springs area, but this is one I knew was a definite.  Matt has a very vintage family picture from a trip he took as a kid, and I knew we needed to at least replicate the adventure for him.   

Truth be told, I was also motivated to take this one head on by a dear friend...I try to not ask anything of others that I do not require of myself.  💕

We were short Xander and Mateo for the first leg of the journey.  They informed us a day or two before we left that they would be leaving a couple days after the rest of us.  (If you plan to travel with or continue to parent young adults...you'd better learn to be flexible fast.) I hated to experiencing Pike's Peak without them, but I also knew weather was an important factor to consider.  The first morning was looking ideal, and I'm a take-no-chances kind of person. So...we hit the ground running (well, driving would be a more accurate statement. 🤓)

I felt a slight wave of panic when we pulled up and the ranger lady greeted us with a smile, "Do you have a timed entry reservation?"

I laughed and smiled back, leaning over from the passenger seat (because I drove about 0% the entire vacation!!  It's not that he thinks I'm a BAD driver...), 

(Long eyelids moment provided for that special someone in my life.  😉😂)
Ok...I may or may not have a little bit of an impatience thing whilst behind the wheel. Personally, I think I've gotten a LOT better over the years, but don't ask my sons.  That's not a fair assessment.

"We do NOT."  [I struggle with the whole "planning" thing, too.  (I think it's fair to say that, overall, I am NOT like MOST moms).  But...I have an excuse for some of my difficulties...my DNA results came back and they ACTUALLY confirmed it is written in my individual coding to NOT be a morning person.  So... 💁‍♀️]

Fortunately, the kind lady checked to see if they had any "leftover," timed entries for chaos-wrangling moms like me...and they did! 😅  She said they had 3 entries left for the day.  (It was 10:30 a.m. 😱🤷‍♀️)

I happen to think three is a good number.

We thanked the kind lady.  We thanked God.  And we drove on our merry way.

Insane Terrain: The summary of our entire roadtrip.

I have to admit - I had no idea what I was getting us into.  Of course, that is the summary of ALL of our family adventures.  What can I say?  Spontaneity is my forte.

I took a bit of a risk making the kids drive to the top of the mountain the day after our 10 hour car ride together.  (I paid for pushing them a bit later on in the trip.  I think I'll call that one "Breakdown Mountain"...if I ever manage to get to it.). As for THIS day, it all worked out.  No one got too sick from the crazy-high altitude.  Outside of the visitor's center, the crowd wasn't bad at all.  The drive was smooth, although anxious at times - that was never due to bumper to bumper claustrophobia.  (I never once felt "eternally" stuck behind or in front of a grade a (we'll skip that for now).  

Turns out, the timed entry thing really CAN be helpful...AND planning has its place and value in life.

Duly noted.

P.S.  I think I need this sign in my office...

All-in-all, Pike's Peak was worth the $50 per our carload...and even more so worth the views:

There is a LOT to see at 14,000 feet!

It was a great way to reset my system, because I have to admit I was STRUGGLING for AWHILE before we left.  (Trust me.  It is NOT fun to spend any time around a miserable Kristen.)

These kids took the adventuring even a bit further than us "old folks."  Anyone else really starting to feel their age a bit???

New adventures and dramatic nature is a sure way to shock me back into a healthy rhythm and to renew my faith, my hope, and my joy.

And, man, it made me realize how much I miss just being a mom.

Finding BALANCE is the key to everything for me.  I want to do a good job.  I want to serve.  I want to help.  I want to find my place in all these roles.  Yet, how easily, I steer off path, even knowing how any imbalance of work, family, faith and enjoyment in life so quickly send me into a downward mental spiral.  When will I learn???

This little marmot was the beginning of some precious wildlife experiences for me.  I find my own life more valuable when I stop and appreciate the small ones around me.  💕

I consider myself fortunate to have found the things that give me hope and happiness in life, in the midst of a world that would so easily distract me into an abyss of eternal unfulfillment.  Things are rarely ever greener on the other side of the fence.  Anyone who tells you differently is just trying to sell something.

No matter how hard it gets, I am always grateful I have planted myself by streams of living water (Psalm 1:3), and I have invested in the eternal over the temporal.  There is no other peak worth my limited time on this earth.

Peace, in Him

Kristen