Vacation!

Vacations can be so wonderful, can't they?  We are back from a week-long visit to the mountains.  We decided to take our big family trip a little later this year, so in the middle of October we headed west to Estes Park, CO. We returned to the same delightful cabin we stayed in 2 years ago, and it did not disappoint!

Home-sweet mountain-home

Our trip was the perfect mix of relaxation, tourism, and adventure.

 

We spent lots of time in the cabin reading, playing games, working on puzzles, and just resting.  Lige taught the kids how to play chess.  We bought books to read in front of the fire.  Lige read fiction.  And enjoyed it!  We cooked several meals and ate around the kitchen table together.  The kids took a relaxing bath in the jacuzzi tub.  We sat out on the deck and read our bibles.  There were moments of stillness, where everyone just rested.  There were silly moments filled with giggles.  My soul sighed in relief and peace.

We were such tourists.  We stopped on the side of the road to take pictures of the elk in town, which are like raccoons or opossums to the locals.

 We went shopping a hundred times on the famous Estes main street, and bought souvenirs and post cards.  We bought t-shirts that said "Rocky Mountains" or "Estes Park" and wore them the next day around town!  We paid an exorbitant amount of money for one of those Old Timey photos.  Which turned out great, by the way, even if it was ridiculously over-priced!

   We ate out a lot.  Our first night in town we landed at a Thai restaurant.  YUMMY!  The drunken noodles were great and so was the Thai iced tea.  Okay, everything was good! We tried two different pizza places.  One was...fine.  The other was better!  We found the best place for burgers and gyros: if you get to Estes Park, look up Baba's Burgers...seriously. So good.  And the fried mushrooms...I'm already craving them!

One of the hiking stores had an indoor climbing wall for many skill levels.  We signed up all the kids except  Lucy.  It was so fun to see them tackle a fear, face it, and come out on top (Literally, ha!).  It was neat to see all of their differences play out in such a unique situation. Each of the kids got to do 3 climbs.  The instructor was able to judge their ability and skill level after the first climb and then choose more challenging climbs based on that information.  I'm proud of all the kids.  They each bravely faced each climb and reached the top each time.  However, like anything, some were better than others!   

  Isaac is a natural-born daredevil.  It was actually good to see him a little overwhelmed and hesitant at times!

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 Harrison was fast, fast, fast.  Until he got about 2/3 of the way up, then he froze in fear and really doubted if he could keep going.  Each time, with the encouraging words from his siblings and careful instructions from the coach and his parents, Harrison pulled it together and made it to the top. 

  Climbing these walls was a big deal for Amana.  She hates to do things in which she might fail, and she hates to be embarrassed.  Both were real possibilities in this experience.  There could have been tears...but there weren't any!  Even after she slipped twice, she never cried and just kept climbing.  She was very proud of herself, and we were proud of her, too.

Anlynn.  This girl is a natural.  She never freaked out.  She was thoughtful in feet placement.  She planned her moves, moved with grace and determination, and conquered some tough angles in her quest to reach the top.  She was slow...she is always slow!  But in climbing slow and purposeful moves are key, and she was a delight to watch. 

Lige and I did not climb.  We had several reasons: cost, a sore shoulder, fear of embarrassment.  I believe that our kids could have benefited from seeing their parents conquer a climbing wall.  But I also believe it was good for them to have their own experience with climbing and simply have their parents' support instead of competition.  Either way, it was a fun and memorable experience for all of us!

There's more to share.  I have more pictures.  But I've already spent 2 days on this post, so I think I'll publish it now and work on another vacation post later this week.  Thanks for checking in!