Kristen Blog

Birds are my new bestie.  This guy danced with me, spoke to me...and as I was walking to the door, he actually told me "Bye."  💕💕💕 Well, guys...it's a keep the curtains closed kind of weekend.  So sad for such a sunny disposition as my own, don’t you think?  It's a beautiful weekend, and I would LOVE to enjoy it. I don't mean to be un-neighborly, I promise.  I guess I've just spent all the sunshine within me, and I'm going to need some SERIOUS SPACE to refill.  I'm sorry, Mr. Rogers.  I tried.  I just don't seem to have the capacity to be very neighborly today.  I’ll be back, when the day is… Oh, I don’t know.  Maybe I won’t be back at all!  Boo! In case you are jealous, the grass is definitely NOT greener over here in Kristenville today.  In case you already noticed, my grass is actually dying from my personal neglect, and I seem to have run out of spray paint.  I can’t even keep up a façade right now.  So...let's...

PSYCH!!  Just when we thought I was done...I found more pictures.   Can we go back and start over?  I mean, I would love to go back to the Grand Canyon for SOOOOO many reasons; but I would also like to start over with the whole trip-blog, because...I'm still finding pictures I missed.  One thing you should definitely know about me is that I don't always have my head on straight.  (Shocker, I know.) Unfiltered.  I promise.  It's just naturally beautiful.   At (most) times, you may find me completely disorganized, probably with my head in the clouds (or my nose in a book).  While my physical body may be present in the room...cognitively, I might very well be in a galaxy far, far away from my current reality.  (It's a fine line between fact and fiction.  Fortunately, I have (mostly) learned to tell the difference between the two.) Another thing you should know is that I love taking pictures of dead trees.  It's just a little quirk...

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...