Colorado Vacation!

First off, an apology to all you loyal readers (all 5 of you) who come here regularly expecting to see wonderful and exciting news from the Brown Family. Its not that we haven't had plenty to say, I've just been neglecting to say it. It was summer, school was out, we were busy, blah blah blah. I know, you don't want to hear it... and I don't really want to go backwards to fill you in. Suffice it to say that we had a GREAT summer. We are, however, very happy to get into the new routine of school and work. I am going to attempt to begin blogging more regularly and also to share more thoughts about stuff and things.... not just kids and babies. Please comment often so I know you are here, otherwise I might just get a little lazy again (I mean, busy) and stop blogging!

The highlight of our summer was our Colorado vacation. We drove to a little Mountain Lodge in Lyons, CO (20 miles outside of Estes) for a few days and then continued on to Dillon for a night. We swam, hiked in the Rocky Mountain National Park, got caught in the rain, rode a tram up the mountain, fed chipmunks, had picnics, sang happy birthday in the pool, met a wonderful family, saw wildlife, drove Fall River and Trailridge Road. So you can imagine how much fun we had. I also learned a few things.

1. Unplugging is good. We didn't have phone or internet at our lodge and we actually had conversations with one another. This may only happen once a year, but I am determined to keep this idea going.

2. Keep it simple. Pack less. Plan less. Go with the flow. The kids want to feed chipmunks, climb rocks and swim. They do not want to eat expensive meals, go on tours, view scenery, wait in lines and be entertained all the time.

3. Drive when the kids are sleeping. Enough said.

4. Pack lunches. I am proud to say that we didn't partake in anything that starts with "Mc" the entire time we were there. We saved money and fat cells.

5. If you are hiking in the mountains at 2pm you'd better have a rain poncho, even if its sunny with no clouds at 1:59pm.

6. Hotels are fun. The kids LOVE hotels. We should get one in Omaha sometime. The enjoyment the kids have would be the equivalent of me and Tim going to the Bahamas or someplace. They love jumping on the beds, screwing around with the TV, swimming, staying up late, leaving their trash for "someone else to clean" (although this also happens at home?).

Here is a link to some photos of the trip. There are so many, I thought it would be easier to post a link. They start out in Denver, where we stayed for a night on the way, then to Estes, Hiking, Going up Trailridge, Views of the incredible scenery and a tour of an old Gold Mine in Georgetown.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/timothydbrown/sets/72157624422774223/show/