Mission: Christmas Picture 2009

Melinda and Meredith came to visit for my birthday weekend, and it all begin with a trip to the airport to pick them up like I did when Dad came to visit. This time, I brought a book and read rather than looking at the people around me and watching all the reactions of the people waiting and the others coming through the gates and looking to see who is waiting for them. We spent the first half of the day in Denver around the 16th street mall which brought back memories with Colin, Audra, Krystal, and Brian last year when we were in Denver for the International Horn Symposium. After Denver, the three of us headed to Boulder to run some errands, teach Meredith how to change windshield wipers, and get groceries for the weekend.

We headed home and endeavoured to have our first BBQ ever by ourselves. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had another plan for us and sent in a thunderstorm before the bratwursts were cooked. We ran outside to save them and cover the charcoal with foil so we could use it the next night. Instead, we moved inside and made shell pasta with a salad and strawberries and enjoyed it out on the porch. It was great just sitting out, watching the sunset, and eating dinner together--just the three of us. This is just the beginning of our flights to go visit each other, and that's kind of exciting.

After dinner, we headed downtown to enjoy some of the nightlife on the streets. In the typical old-fashioned way of the town, we got ice cream and walked down the street to the water wheel where we just soaked in the beauty of the starry night before heading back to the car.

The next morning, we woke up, coordinated matching outfits in hopes of the perfect Christmas picture and headed to Glenn Haven for the amazing cinnamon rolls. (You need to understand that we are rarely all three together during the year, so we take advantage of the times we are in hopes of getting a picture for the Christmas cards mom sends out each year.) After breakfast, we embarked on a journey similar to day 1 with Dad. We headed in the Fall River Road Entrance towards the 12,00+ ft top of the peaks on Trail Ridge Road. Our mission was to see some Big Horn Sheep since that was the only animal I hadn't seen yet that I wanted to this summer and sure enought, about thirty were waiting for us at Sheep Lakes. I let them hop out of the car since there wasn't any room to park and let them take pictures for me as I strained to see the big horns of the amazing creatures. I circled around to get them and we continued our drive to the top.

With Dad, I was the tour guide and gave him all sorts of information about the park history and life-zone structures. With Melinda and Goog, I let them tell me what they knew and told them where to find answers to my questions in different maps, newspapers, and brouchures I stuck in the car. This way, they had ownership to what they were learning and it had a better chance of staying with them for longer than that car ride. We stopped a few places along the way to have some pictues taken and finally made it to the top as it started to rain.

We explored the gift shops, took some more pictures, and headed to my work where I showed them the rocks and the ropes. Finally, we headed home for lunch where there was a different surprise waiting for us. We brought our sandwiches, chips, strawberries, and lemonade out on the porch for the perfect summer lunch when I spotted Norman (our resident badger) walking up the driveway. Melinda and Meredith freaked out, screamed a little, grabbed the food so he wouldn't climb up to the balcony?, and ran inside. We watched him for a little while as he circled to the back of the house and out to the front again, and I finally convinced them it was safe to go out to the car so we could be tourons together downtown.

We shopped for a while and rented Harry Potter V on the way home in hopes of catching up before the pending release. We had success with the BBQ and brats with squash for dinner and settled in to watch the movie. That's when the boys came over. Connor, Derek, Kasey, and Scott came by to meet Mind and Mere and we ended up just talking and hanging out on the porch all night. Melinda and Meredith went in around 11:30pm, Scott and Connor headed out a little after midnight because they had to work at 6:00am, and Kasey and Derek left around 1:00am when we decided we should call it a night since they were working in the morning too. It is so nice sitting around with guys and being able to act like myself without trying to impress anyone!

The next morning, Mind and Mere woke me up because they wanted cinnamon rolls again. We drove out to get them and then headed in to the park to do the 1/2 mile "hike" around Bear Lake before heading back for lunch and Harry Potter. After the movie, they packed up and we headed back to the airport. The whole weekend was just nice. I don't know any other way to put it. It's just so nice to be friends with my sisters as corny as that sounds. The fact that they flew out just to see me and that we got along the whole weekend without getting into any fights just makes me so optimistic about the years to come with our relationship as it matures.

I have been noticing more and more how much less meticulous my natural observations have been, similarly to the airport situation this time around. I wonder if I am just getting comfortable here and taking too much for granted, but that worries me. I sit outside on the porch like I am doing right now and don't take as many pictures. I am not sure if that is because I am realizing the pictures don't do the views justice, or maybe it's the more likely reason that I am starting to expect these amazing views every night. I need to continue to slow things down--I've been doing pretty well with that so far this summer. I need to make sure I am soaking everything up around me since I go home in less than a month at this point. When I realized that this morning, I was in complete shock. There is still so much I want to be doing in the park and so many places I still want to be exploring. I only have two scheduled hike days left, and with so many people coming to visit, it's hard to hike on my own and see all the hidden gifts these mountains have to offer.

Musicially speaking, this is the least I have cared about my performances since as far back as I can remember. I am not even disappointed that I am musically unmotivated--I am disappointed that I don't care about the lack of motivation. I finally got to the point tonight that I got my horn out for my regular routine and opened all my doors and windows since I was the only one home. I played my excerpts and solos without caring who was outside listening and ended with the Don Juan call which I heard echoing off the mountain back behind me.

Maybe this accustomation and lack of motivation to my "past habits" is what happens with religion too. I have been wondering a lot if when people are having troubles in their life or are introduced into new situations, they look even stronger for guidance and signs all around them. Once they are situated though adn feeling comfortable, they aren't as aware of the continuous presence. Looking around, I know it's still here but I am not noticing it as much if that makes any sense. I'm not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing. It might be bad that I don't see the obvious signs standing out, but maybe it's good that they are finally blending into my life where they belong. The Methodist Church here is right on the side of a mountain with a huge window at the front of the sanctuary looking up to it. It's still the views like that that are a constant reminder, regardless of whether or not I am noticing that.