Amy

Whilst I was taking pictures of Misha, I had Kristen and Amy come out as well.  I haven't been able to get as many pictures of Amy this year and wanted a few of her alone and with her sisters.  We had a fun little photo shoot.

Senior Photo Shoot

I have been taking pictures of Misha since early Spring for her Senior year.  I was flattered that she would ask me.  We were able to take pictures in Pompeii and Venice, Italy, Austria, Rocky Mountain National Park, and in our own back yard.

I still need lots of practice and practical knowledge, but I am working at getting better.  These are a few of my favorite pictures:

Grandpa Kline

Grandpa Kline and Grandma Chris came for a short visit over the weekend.  It was fun to spend time catching up.

Target Practice

Chris and Amy took off Saturday morning (though much earlier than Amy probably would have liked) to go shoot at a friend's farm.  Amy has always loved shooting, and with that passion, has become a rather skilled marksman.

Trent John, a family friend, and an instructor at a policy academy, spent some time working with Amy to improve her grip, stance, and ultimately her aim. His comment on Facebook: "Guys....she shoots better than you do."  If she ever wants to get her concealed carry permit (which she does), he has already signed off on the shooting portion.

I Married a Kind Man

My kind-hearted husband knelt to polish the shoes of his dad who has limited mobility.  A picture that's worth a thousand words.  Chris is such a good man.

Estes Park

We weren't sure we would escape the rain while in Estes Park with the overcast skies, but we headed off toward the mountains with our rain jackets stowed.  The drive to Estes was beautiful as the leaves were just beginning to change here and there.  Give it a couple of weeks and the trees will be magnificent.

Our intent was to stop and grab a quick lunch at Subway and then continue on our way, but when we saw the market tents set up in the square across from Subway, we decided just to eat in town, and then meander through the market.

The meandering turned in to perusing the shops along the street and then shopping for souvenirs.  There was some fudge involved as well.  Misha and Amy took off to shop on their own, so Kristen was my willing photography subject.

And flowers.  Love the brilliant begonias.

As Kristen and I were perusing shops, Amy and Misha passed by.  I suddenly heard, "There's Mom," and knew we had been spotted.  Amy decided to try on hats while Misha looked seriously for a hat to buy.  She's a funny kid.  They both are.

We got a little sidetracked, but eventually headed in to Rocky Mountain National Park.

We drove up Trail Ridge Road, stopping at the Alpine Visitors Center.  From there it was a climb.  Grandpa opted to stay in his van and read a book.  At 12,000 feet, the climb was hard for us Coloradans.  Even harder for Grandma coming from sea level.  But she made it.

After taking some glamor shots (ok just some more senior photos), Misha settled in to paint.  Kristen and Amy and Chris followed after a bit and Grandma was slower getting to the top.  We had fun taking pictures.

A nice family picture, crazy pics of my girls, and Chris and his mom.

I saw this interesting lady, and much to her surprise, asked if I could take her picture.  Her daughter joked that she was a mountain model.

Before leaving for our return to Estes Park, Chris helped a stranded motorist jumpstart his car.  He's amazing like that.

Our drive back down the mountain.

And finally, after commenting that we hadn't seen much wildlife, we drove back toward Estes Park where we saw a big herd of Elk, a deer, and a bear!  And stupid people chasing the bear.  Seriously people.  Could you be more dumb?

Altoid Tin

Before leaving for Estes Park on Monday--Labor Day--Misha was searching for an Altoid tin.  She wanted to take some painting supplies with her and had seen where people put dabs of paint in the tin along with some paper and then sit down to paint with all of their paint handily at the ready when beautiful scenery presented itself.

We drove up Trail Ridge Road to the Alpine Visitor Center and from there hiked up the hill.  Misha found a spot showcasing the amazing mountains before her and settled in for a painting session.

Grandma And Grandpa Ball

Chris' parents stopped for a visit as they wound their way back to Texas after a month-long excursion to Washington and back again to beat the Texas August heat.  They were here for weeding Saturday morning, taking pictures at the paintball activity on Saturday (they left after awhile because, really, three hours was a long time to just sit and watch), church on Sunday, and a trip to Estes and Rocky Mountain National Park on Monday.

One can always find a lot of weeds to pull or work to do at our house.

I'm not sure all of my girls would participate in paintball again, but most of them had a good time.

Grandpa would have loved to play.

Estes and RMNP

Sunday Dinner

Misha and Kristen had a Brad Wilcox fireside to attend on Sunday evening.  They had to leave around 5 pm to drive to Greeley for the 6 pm fireside.  Church got out at 4 pm.  The girls drove Grandma and Grandpa home because Chris and I both had "short" meetings after church on Sunday.  I will have Chris clarify his "short" meeting next time.  I was done in less than 10 minutes.  He wasn't finished until 4:30.

As the girls texted with me, I finally told them to go ahead and eat something without us.  I had a roast with potatoes, onions, and carrots from the garden in the crock pot and was impressed when I arrived home that they were all sitting at the dining table eating dinner--complete with gravy.  I figured Misha and Kristen would just get something simple to tide them over.

Flowers Around the House

It has taken all summer, but many of my flowers are finally blossoming and looking great.

Begonias

Zinnias (the rabbits ate the flowers from the other plant)

Gaura

Mums (just starting to blossom)

Gernamiums

Daisy

Lavendar (blooming for the second time)