I’ve decided I’m a bit of a Ketchup bottle lately and have been filled so full  that things just aren’t coming out to share in a flowing motion.

Since my last post in which our friends were out to visit in February, the very next day, one of my cousins arrived for a five day visit.  His mom (my aunt) had recently passed, so it was good to be together and share time.

We hiked,

and even made it to East Denver to see another cousin of ours for an afternoon of fun, food and stories.

Just a few days after Jer left, I left for Nashville.  Our friend Patty from Chattanooga had been in Vanderbilt Hospital intensive care since December with complete heart failure, so I had booked a trip out to spend some time and hopefully provide some cheer.  It was a quick 4 day trip, but felt great to see her (just released from ICU before I arrived) and also stay with Jas and Ro and hear of their recent adventures.

The next weekend, it was beautiful and Ted surprised me by agreeing to go for an impromptu hike in a park we had not been to before.

Make sure we take you to Staunton State Park when you come out sometime.  It truly is a gorgeous place to hike.

That same weekend, some of our friends kids had an gig playing in a “school of rock” kind of band.  It was really great to see them excelling and enjoying themselves on stage in a real venue.

The next weekend, I had a Mom’s night on Friday and then Ted and I headed to the mountains for a few days of skiing with our friends from North Carolina and Missouri and staying at the “Joe Cabin” (a whole nother story that goes back too many years to count)

The view from the deck of the cabin along the Colorado River.

The following weekend, I had been invited to meet my cousin in South Dakota and climb Harney Peak.  We met at my friend Sally’s house (I think this is my first great friend that share’s my name), and left pre-dawn the next morning and climbed the peak along with the sun.  At 7242 feet, it boasts as being the highest point east of the Rocky Mountains and west of the Pyrenees Mountains of Europe.

Atop the peak is the Fire lookout station and a 360 degree view.  Well worth the effort.

Which brings us to last weekend – consisting  of having friends – whom we haven’t gotten to see at all this winter – over on Friday, new neighbors over for a meet and greet on Saturday and of course, there was the Dinner and Dead group on Sunday.

Mix into those weeks, other Dinner and Dead Sunday’s, some nights out with the kids, and there hasn’t been much free spare time for writing.

I’m really only managing this today because it is rainy (much needed) and I am at the computer at lunch instead of on a walk in the greenbelt space near the office.

There are of course, lots of stories within all of the excursions, but that’s where the bottled up sensation takes over.  Choosing and relaying seem to be oh so much harder if I don’t do it at the time.

Heck, I still have way too many stories from my time off last summer that I haven’t relayed yet. (but I do really want to get some of those out).