Rocky Mountain High (Long Over Due)

This post has been a looooong time in the making. In fact, I think I started this post sometime in late August. Maybe I will be caught up by the end of the year! :)

Addison and I had a wonderful trip to Colorado. The only problem was that our trip was way too short. As usual, Addison was a fantastic traveling companion. I was a little nervous about the flight since we flew by ourselves, but as it turns out, I had nothing too worry about. Addison was once again a trooper. We flew into Denver and met my mom who had driven out ahead of us. After spending the night in Denver, we woke up, had a little breakfast and then were on our way! We stopped in Eagle to meet up with my brother and his crew, who had also driven out, and then we were finally on the way to the ranch.

Words cannot even begin to describe how beautiful this place is. The above picture is the view from my window. It is tucked away into the mountains 9 miles down a winding dirt road. It is miles from the closet town. There is no hustle and bustle. There is no light pollution. The only sounds you hear belong to your surroundings. The rustle of the leaves on the Aspen trees, the distant howl of the coyotes, the scampering of the little chipmunks running by. It is, by far, one of the most relaxing places I have ever been. Time kind of stands still.

What's a girl to do while she is tucked away miles from civilization you might ask? Well, I'll give you a little peek...

Nothing is more fun than splashing in the puddles with brand new boots!We did a little swinging...And a little porch sitting.Giddy Up! Addison wasn't a huge fan of the horses this year, but she did take a quick ride on a horse with me. She was a good sport, but she was way more interested in collecting rocks in the barn than she was the horses. Good thing she was careful about the "rocks" that she collected!Addison also enjoyed a little bird watching. Can you see the hummingbird in the picture below?Fun with water!Giddy Up! Vroom! Vroom! style.

We did a little exploring. Who knew independent toddler dressing could be so entertaining (for both of us)?Somehow, she managed to put two pairs of jeans on at the same time -- one on her feet and one on her head!

We did leave the ranch a few times during the week, and on one of our adventures, we made a quick trip to the Hot Springs Pool and Spa in Glenwood Springs. We enjoyed relaxing in the giant natural hot springs pool.
A trip to the ranch isn't complete without a stop in Aspen. We shopped until we dropped, ate a little lunch, played in the water fountain and took a dip in the creek. The water temperature in Aspen is definitely a little cooler than the water in the Lowcountry.

It was a wonderfully relaxing vacation, and from what I can tell, Addison enjoyed herself just as much as I did! I am looking forward to many more vacations with my little traveler!

The Wild, Wild West

Well, we have returned from our adventures in the Rocky Mountains. What a wonderful trip it was! Our little girl clearly shares her mom's love of traveling and adventure seeking. She was such a trooper!

My family has a place in the middle of NOWHERE, and I just love the time I get to spend there. Believe it or not, this was Craig's first trip to the ranch, and of course, it was Addison's first trip as well.

We met my brother, his girlfriend and her 2 children in Charlotte on Thursday afternoon. Our adventure began with a 2 HOUR thunderstorm delay on the RUNWAY in Charlotte. The longer we waited to take off, the more nervous I got. I had no idea what Addison had in store for us on the flight, but as it turns out, she did not make a peep for 5 1/2 hours!

We spent the first night in Denver (it was 2:30 am EST) when we finally arrived. On Friday, we headed for the ranch, which is 5 hours west of Denver. We stopped in Vail for lunch on top of the mountain. Addison enjoyed her first ride up the mountain in the gondola. Hopefully, she won't be afraid of heights because I plan to have her riding the chairlift and skiing down the bunny slopes in just a few years.

After lunch, we continued our journey to the ranch. Needless to say, we were all exhausted when we finally arrived. Addison had her first major meltdown, but I didn't mind because she was so good on the flight and the drive to the ranch. After dinner, we all turned in for a good night's rest.

Since we had no cell phone or internet service while at the ranch, we enjoyed many outdoor activities. We rode four wheelers (yes, that is Addison riding the four wheeler in the Bjorn); we rode horses; Craig fished in the pond; we shot BB and potato guns; my mom and Craig did a little gardening; we had a wonderful 4th of July family picnic; we ate entirely too much and we spent many hours rocking on the front porch looking at the beautiful view.

(Addison says, "These are MY brownies!")

My mom drug out my old stroller for Addison-- I imagine this thing was the 1970s version of a BOB stroller. She also found one of my old walkers, and much to my dismay, she put my child in this contraption. My brother said it looked like a metal spider that was ready to collapse and eat my child at any second! Luckily, there were no injuries. Talk about a blast from the past!

We took Addison on her very first tour of Aspen and all the town has to offer. This is one of my favorite places to visit when we go West. In the summer, I love to stroll through town, and in the winter, I love to ski at Snowmass. Hopefully, Addison will learn to love Aspen as much her mama does.

As always, our vacation was over way to0 soon. I loved every minute of my time in Colorado, and I was so glad to introduce Craig & Addison to the beautiful Rocky Mountains. Hopefully, our future will include many more trips to the Wild, Wild West.