Hey all!

Just got back from Theology on Tap (which to the uninitiated, is gathering at a bar or restaurant for fellowship and featuring a speaker giving a talk on various things related to Catholicism) and it was nice to have an evening for chatting with new friends, discussing religion and getting to know young adults in the parish. I feel very grateful to be a part of this growing Catholic community here. A nice family in our parish has two boys that are getting older and outgrowing some of their toys and they gave us their old Little Tikes Log Cabin The kids are absolutely thrilled with their new toy and i am grateful that this family thought of us (we are pretty conspicuous with Liam. Apparently, he looks like he needs to run off some energy!) So we are really starting to settle in and become part of the parish family.

I can't describe how gorgeous it is here. After a few rainy (and some snow!) weeks, spring/summer has returned to the Valley. Part of the reason that i have a hard time describing the beauty is because it isn't just the way it looks. It is a full sensory experience. Most of all, I love the smell. Aside from little bitty baby head smell, the smell of the mountains and a forest of pine trees is my favorite smell in the whole world. Kind of damp and fresh and woodsy and ancient all at the same time. Usually accompanied by a cool/warm breeze, depending on if the sun is hiding behind a cloud. And when the wind blows, you see the pine trees that are 70 feet tall swaying the breeze and kind of creaking a little, but they have been there so long and seen so many breezes. And you feel kind of hugged by all the trees, lost in your little corner of the world.

I was thinking about my Mom the other day. She was a real mountain girl at heart. She loved visiting CO and i remember sitting in a mountain meadow with her when i was about 11, just soaking up the sun and the breeze and the mountain air. She would have really loved this place, although it would have been hard for her to see us move away. I miss her.