The Winter Banner....

I've had a few people privately ask me about the new banner. I finally figured out how to put a picture on and wanted something that was special to our family without actually BEING our family. I could've put something dealing with hunter ponies and jumper horses, but that'd only properly fit Luke and myself. While Jeff does ride, he doesn't get the joy out of it that Luke & I do, nor will you find him in anything other than his roping saddle. He's a team roper, and he'll always be that way. I will always be a hunter/jumper rider, and Luke...well, he's showing great desire to jump, but we'll see. Anyway, that idea was out pretty early.

I could have put the boat up, but that's for Jeff, and I'll do that on the Catch 24 blog (which DESPERATELY needs to be updated...bad Denise). Luke has yet to go out, too. So that was also out nearly immediately.

Then I thought about how much we love to be outside, especially in the mountains. Luke, of course, has not climbed any of the 14ers with us, though he's technically old enough. We don't want to make him do it just yet (they're pretty steep), but he'll likely start doing some easy 13ers with us next summer, maybe even ending in an easy 14er by the end of the season. We'll see. Still, he HAS been up above 12,000 feet, loves to be outside, loves to camp, and will hike all day if you give him the chance (as long as it's not too steep or difficult). So, I thought I'd find a place pretty special to the three of us and put it there.

I came across the picture while looking for something nicer than we've been able to capture. It was taken at sunset on a day clear enough that I'm sure you could see well into Utah during the daylight hours. It is obviously winter, too, which just adds to the dramatic color. It is a special place for the three of us because Luke and I went leaf looking last year in that mountain's shadow, gazed in awe for miles and miles as we drove by to watch the elk rut, and love to venture in its direction just because the area is so lovely. It is special to Jeff because he has been on so many 4-wheel trails in its shadow, saw his first wild moose in the area, and really wants to live close to its base. For the two of us adults, it is special because it is the climb we did together that challenged our brains & lungs.

"It," of course, is Mount Elbert. Tallest peak in Colorado at 14,440 feet, second in height only to Mount Whitney in California in the lower 48 states, and 17th highest in the entire nation. And we climbed it! You all already know about that, but it is part of this story, too.

So, when you open our blog and see this picture, you now can see what we are so blessed to see everyday: the beauty of Colorado. You can also know why it was so chosen to be the lead-in to our family's life stories.....