Kristen Blog

Leaving Colorado was tough, and not just because we carried with us an unmentionable stowaway we'll just call "Walter."  We were also sad to be leaving a wonderful, beloved place.  As with all of our vacations, we had our ups and downs in Colorado.  I find (no matter how hard I focus on mindfulness and gratitude in the moment) I never tend to fully enjoy a vacation as much during the travels as I do in retrospect and reflection.  (Hence the blog...Is it just me???).  I make an effort to appreciate the now and focus on the positive later.  Sometimes I even put aside the camera to force my focus.  (I'm glad I didn't do that this 👆 day!!) With age comes wisdom. We were a little nervous about the next and longest leg of our road trip.   We've never travelled through this part of the country. We did have that Yellowstone /Glacier National Park tour to remember that there are still parts of this country that remain VERY under populated.  There is ...

 Oh there is so much to tell about my "right now": -the rabbit tragedy and how hard it hit me (You just never know with me...) -a new bunny = hope restored (now THIS is a story I will want to tell!) -celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary and a little trip down memory lane (good memories...not the bad ones...and not the ones that make me too sad) But...I don't have time or energy right now to do both, and I INSIST on finishing the discussion of our vacation.  I may have to make this short...🤷🏼‍♀️ It would be a dishonest understatement to say this wasn't my best day and my finest moment.  (I guess it's appropriate, since my mood the last few weeks has closely matched this less than remarkable day).  I was looking forward to returning to Mueller State Park,   I was looking forward to an all-day hike, and I thought the kids were in it with me.  I guess you could say my biggest mistake was getting my way. I had chosen a hike I knew was kind of long, and the...

I did not expect the eye roll and "gross!" response I got the first time I told someone (my sister) that Matt dries my hair for me.  I want to say I do not KNOW how I got so lucky to have a husband who cares so much about helping me (...every...little...detail), but that's not entirely true.  I like to say it's been an acquired skill he has learned based on sheer desperation to keep me from not continually losing my $*@! 😬😂, but that's also not entirely true.  (Failed that one this weekend.  😢).  Let's leave it at I am grateful.  Self care (physical...I'm talking hygiene, people.) is a commonly known neglect in the neurodivergent world.  He's lucky I keep myself (mostly) clean.  I'm lucky he will dry my hair so I feel "pretty" sometimes (which is whenever I have time in between overbooking myself to ask for help). The original "Foxy Lady". We were early birds on our 2nd day in the mountains.  We took the time to enjoy the pea...

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 per...

Ahhhh, life.  So messy.  So tragic.  So contradictory and confusing.  So out of my control. Still growing every day…growth just looks a little different (and more like deterioration on the surface. 😂).  I prefer the inner growth.  It’s less selfish and more enduring.  (P.S.  I don’t think my cousin ended up realizing his dreams of becoming a hair dresser???) We like to feel in control, don't we?  We like to have our little worlds set up so safely - our work, our sports teams, our Starbuck's and chain restaurants, our little vacation spots...these things convince and assure us that we are all ok.  When we are safe within the context of familiarity, we can hide from the irreconcilable truth. We literally have no control over anything in this life. I’m sorry.  I said it. No matter our position or status or wealth, the truth eventually invades the confines of our falsely sheltered lives.  (And most of us have no coping skills to d...