August 2026 + a Trip to Estes Park

 

Getting Braces Again!

August was really fun. We had some major key things:

• Soaking up the end of summer, which was really great.
• We were able to have girls' camp, go on walks, and go to pool parties.
• The girls and Tyson spent a full day at adventure camp for girls' camp this year, which was really fun.
• We went to pool parties.
• Sydney was able to go see one of her very first concerts, the Crane Wives, which is kind of an indie band. We went to Fort Collins to do that.
• Sydney was also able to get her braces on again, which she was really excited for.
• We had some back-to-school things, lots of shopping, and got our backpacks ready.
• Right before school started, I was able to plan a couples' trip for me and Tyson up to Estes Park, so Sydney and London were able to spend 2 days at the Blakelys.
• Estes Park was so fun. We hadn't been there in a good 16 years, and we totally underestimated it. I feel like the last time we went, we had no idea what we were doing, and we were literally there for a few hours. This time, Estes Park really blew us away. It was adorable.
• We were able to really take our first trip into Rocky Mountain National Park. We went on 4 hikes, visited all over the park, and saw amazing wildlife. We were super surprised and so glad that we gave Estes Park a really big shot.
• I'm also really glad that we didn't take the girls, because it's always hard to be exploring a new place and wondering if your kids will like it. It was really fun to just have us be super chill.
• We stayed at a really great Holiday Inn, had a really great breakfast, and did the hot tub every night. We also did s'mores.
• The funny thing is that there were also 3 weddings happening at that place that weekend, so we were constantly talking to people who were flying in from all over, from Texas, New York, the Carolinas, and a lot of East Coast people who were also getting to know us.
• The girls successfully started school, which was a really big deal because Sydney is starting high school and also early morning seminary. London also successfully did 360, in a really sweet full circle, since she was really helped by 360 when she was in 6th grade, and that was really fun.