Step into the “Wayback” machine as I take you back in time to October. Here is the list of things accomplished, enjoyed, learned, tried and remembered from way back then.
1. Solo Gig at The Coop. Super Rockstar got to play an acoustic solo gig at The Chicken Coop and it was so much fun. This is a locally owned bar out in Black Forest, and we love the owners (Sherri and Art) as well as their cozy place.
2. A Steep Climb. My parents came out to visit and while they were here, my mom and I climbed the Manitou Incline. For those of you who don’t know about The Incline–it’s the remains of an old narrow gage railway. It has become a popular advanced hike because it’s a straight uphill climb of 2768 steps on the side of Pikes Peak–making it to the top is extremely difficult and gives you bragging rights for life. My 83-year-old mom never backs down from a challenge and I knew when we set out that we weren’t going to quit until we made. It was such a beautiful day, and we got to meet all sorts of friendly folks as we made our way to the top–many were curious about her age and impressed that she would even try it. My favorite part is that as she received applause as she made her last steps to the top.
If you ever want to try it, I recommend visiting their website. It gives you all the information about making reservations (they are required), parking information, bus service to the trailhead and everything else you need to know. They recommend taking the Barr Trail for the trip down–it’s a longer hike, but definitely easier on the knees and there’s beautiful scenery all the way down.
3. Parking Spot Painting. One of the many privileges of being a senior in high school is getting to have your own parking spot at the school and getting to personalize it. We had to miss out on the official day of the senior parking spot painting, but on a very cold, windy Saturday Super Rockstar and Grayson helped Morgan get it done.
4. Football Kicking Camp. Grayson is loving all things football and is zeroing in on positions he likes to play. He really wants to learn to be a kicker, but the only coaching for our team are the current kickers on the team. They’ve been able to show him some basics, but we wanted him to get some professional coaching about technique and how to improve distance. A friend told us about Kohls Kicking Camp–it’s an organization just for coaching kickers that offers camps all around the United States at various times throughout the year. We were able to get him to a day camp at Colorado School of Mines in Golden, CO and he absolutely loved it. I was really impressed with how much one on one coaching he received. We will definitely be taking him to future ones.
5. All the Halloween Stuff. We got to enjoy all of our favorite traditions for Halloween:
–Making cookies. This tradition started when the boys were little. I made some pumpkin shaped cookies for a class party and ever since the boys have wanted to make them and help decorate–mostly so they can eat the frosting and sprinkles.
–Picking out pumpkins. Out in Peyton, Co is a nice farmers market called Smith Farms. They have a great selection of all sorts of pumpkins (and they also sell farm fresh vegetables year-round). They also have a fun looking pumpkin patch play area during the fall too, but we didn’t have time the day we went.
–Carving our pumpkins. Every year we carve pumpkins the night before Halloween and watch The Nightmare Before Christmas. It’s really fun to hear everyone humming along to the songs as we work on our creations.
–Trick-or–Treating. Both Morgan and Grayson LOVE wearing costumes. Choosing the perfect one for Halloween starts way back in July. This year Morgan was a Viking knight and Grayson was Captain Jack Sparrow. Our neighborhood has a really fun street nearby where kids and adults of all ages are gathered to trick or treat and hang out. One of the houses is decked out with an enormous display and even has a haunted path to go on. For me–it’s all about the candy. I charge a strict Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup tax–4 minimum.
6. My Favorite Memes of the Week.
As always, I would love to hear from you. I hope you have a great week.