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Rocky Mountain High… Colorado

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Our own Lynn Austin wrote about the beauty and grandeur of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado a few days ago. Little did Lynn and I know that our time in Colorado with our families would almost overlap! They were leaving for home the same day we arrived at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park—which just happened to be my birthday.

The gang’s all here…18 of us in all! Wow! ♫♪ And all because two people fell in love. ♪♫

I can’t think of a better way to have spent my birthday…surrounded by all four of our children, their spouses, and all nine of our grandkids! It was a dream come true for this “Mimi” and I’m still smiling at the memories we made. I’ll tell the rest of the story in photos and captions.

We stayed in the Blessings family cabin at YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park. We can’t recommend this place highly enough. Six bedrooms, including the awesome bunkroom in the lower right photo, and a huge kitchen with two of every appliance, and a table that seated us all with room to spare. As much as I enjoyed the hiking, my favorite memories from this trip are those spent on the front porch with the grandkids, working jigsaw puzzles, watching our grands at the playground near our cabin, and seeing their artistic sides come out as they drew and colored at the table. We also played Pancake Pictionary Sunday morning before Papa’s devotion. For me, at least, these were the best moments of the whole trip!
Hiking is one of our family’s favorite things to do, and we hiked four times, young and old. Babies got backpacked in and toddlers got piggyback rides when they were too tired (which wasn’t often!) Hiking up to Alberta Falls in Rocky Mountain National Park our second day, I slid off the icy trail only to be saved by that tree I’m hugging. It was surreal to be hiking in snow in June, and at times we said it was like being in Narnia!
Clockwise from upper left: Our oldest son Tarl; oldest daughter Tobi with husband Ryan and their three sons; Ken and me; youngest son Trey with wife Jenica and their daughter and three sons; the whole gang; youngest daughter Tavia with husband Collin and their two daughters. Our family is by far the biggest blessing in our lives.
There was so much to do right there at the YMCA—mountain biking, mini-golf, pickleball, basketball, several playgrounds, and more. Watching for elk and deer was a favorite activity every time we left the cabin. But we also drove up Trail Ridge Road as far as we could go before the snow stopped us (about twelve miles) and the views were breathtaking!

It’s been hard living so far away from our kids and we’re excited that we’ll soon be living close to our daughters and the Missouri grandkids. Whether in the beauty of the mountains of Colorado or in our ordinary homes, we most cherish time with the family God gave us and we’re grateful for every minute we can spend together.

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Deborah Raney

DEBORAH RANEY's first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title and launched Deb’s writing career. Forty books later, she's still creating stories that touch hearts and lives. Her novels have won RWA's RITA Award, the ACFW Carol Award, the National Readers Choice Award, and the HOLT Medallion. She is also a three-time Christy Award finalist. Deb is on faculty for several national writers’ conferences and served on the executive board of the 2,500-member American Christian Fiction Writers organization for 18 years before retiring in 2022. She is a recent transplant to Missouri, having moved with her husband, Ken Raney, from their native Kansas to be closer to kids and grandkids. They love road trips, e-biking, Friday garage sale dates, and breakfast on the screened porch overlooking their wooded backyard.
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Comments

  1. What a great reunion you had in a heavenly setting! It was a pleasure to see your photos and read the commentary about your reunion and activities!

  2. It’s a little taste of heaven, isn’t it? The scenery, the fun, and most of all, being with our family! Too bad we didn’t know we were there at the same time!

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