The beginning of July my roommates moved to Ft. Collins. Because of the work Seth does, it just made more sense for them to be based on the front range. While we understood the reasons for their move, it’s been a little hard on our community. I think that loss can often trigger anger and we all have felt a little anger here and there when we think about the hole they’ve left. We’ve had nights of Stationary Floats (where we all hang out in the raft under the shelter of the boat garage – trust me, it’s more fun than you could imagine… once we even had pizza delivered to the raft… talk about epic) where we’ve missed them so much that we ask Carrie to text us Raft Questions – which she refuses to do if she’s not present.

The fact is that communities often change. I knew that the time of them living with me would be short and therefore I determined to soak up every single minute of it. I feel that I did. I enjoyed every single second of having Seth and Carrie as my roommates and just as the seasons change, a season changed in my life too. And the good thing is that they’re back often enough that we don’t end up missing them too badly.

I think that something really good has come out of their absence too. We’ve been forced to look for new community. We were always so comfortable to be the Fab-Five or the Super-Six (depending on who was around) and it’s been good to be pushed out of that. Recently we’ve seen the addition of some really special people who have changed and brightened our community. We’ve come together for so many meals and (not so) quiet times around the campfire or patio, we’ve played badminton in the dark with a floodlight strapped to the pergola to illuminate our game, we’ve gathered in Caleb and Rickelle’s house for community worship, I’ve made countless bowls of popcorn and served up river pops and beergaritas as fast as I could, and we’ve started to live life together, connecting in new ways.

Something really special is happening and I can’t help but feel that my little group is at the center of it. Rickelle is so good at teaching people to connect to their hearts and I’m starting to see that catch on like wildfire. We aren’t just a bunch of friends who get together and bullshit, we want to know what’s going on in each others lives and hearts. Community feels very safe when you know that everyone cares about and honors who you really are.

As always, things change and I take those blind steps forward trusting that there is a plan bigger than me and that it will be good. I’m seeing the fruition of that in my community. And I think as the months progress, I’ll see more and more good things come from gathering with these people that I love. And even though we all feel a little bit of loss, we know that Seth and Carrie are still part of us and that there will always be a place for them that no one else can fill.

Summer comes to an end this week. The kids head back to school on Monday and with their departure, the routine returns. I’m never really sad to see summer go because I’m such a fall girl. And even though this summer has been the very best of my life, I’m still ready for what’s next. I’ve never been one to hang onto what was… there’s something about the unknown of the future that always has me hungry for what it will bring.

Fall will bring new things, some foreseen and some unknown. I know I have a lot of work ahead of me, but this summer brought about a change in the way I work on things. I think I’ve learned to divert energy in ways I never have before. And I’ve learned, as I have many times before, that I can accomplish huge things if I just tell myself I can.

Fall will bring boots and scarves and hot americanos, campfires and soup and leaves (oh, how I love the leaves.) Fall is a time to slow down and settle in, but it’s also such a great time to gather together. If summer is about playing, fall will be about bonding. I’ll turn 31 (which may be the first birthday I’m dreading just a little) and I’ll see the 1 year anniversary of my divorce. Gosh what LIFE I’ve lived since that day last October! Honor will turn 9 and we will have pumpkin carving parties and costumes and pie (oh, glorious pie!). I’ll run in the rain and bake acorn squash, watch broncos games and knit sweaters for all the kids in my life.

The seasons are about to change and I’m ready. I think there are special things in store for me this fall and even though the summer healed me in ways unexplainable, my soul is just ready for fall.

A couple weeks ago several friends and I loaded up and headed to Utah to float the Colorado River in a section called the Moab Daily. We arrived early so we could secure Onion Beach as our campsite for the night. It was such a beautiful beach with white sand surrounded by red sandstone cliffs. We spent the day lounging around our campsite, dipping in the river every few minutes to cool off in the 100 degree heat. There was an old movie set across the river from camp that we paddled over to to explore. It was pretty cool, an old open saloon set that we named Soggy Bottom Saloon. How cool would it be if there was actually a float-up saloon?

In the evening we made campers stew (with only one pocket knife!) and beergaritas and played badminton until it got too dark to see the birdie. Then we resorted to making up our own game in the moonlight, a version of baseball that involves an oar, a frisbee and silly rules like you have to sing the whole time you’re at bat and you’re out if you don’t dance whenever you get on base. We named it Riverball and it was SO fun. As it got later, we mellowed out and ended up laying shoulder to shoulder in the raft, staring at the stars and asking raft questions, some serious, some silly. Finally we all made our ways sleepily to our sleeping bags laid out side by side in the sand under the screen tent.

Heat comes early in the desert so we had coffee, granola bars and oatmeal and started to pack up. But first we had to clean up the remains from our party the night before. There were beer cans and Beergarita glasses everywhere! That day’s float was perfect. The river was full of raft companies ferrying people along… lots of foreigners who were staring wide-eyed at the beauty surrounding them. Some of the hired guides pulled up alongside us to admire Caleb’s raft. As the tourists stared, we all just lounged on the sides of the rafts, River pops hanging from our mouths, enjoying the heat and sunshine, taking pride in the fact that the river is a part of our lives, if only a small part.

The river is so low right now that there are barley any rapids at all but we did get to ride down one small one in our life jackets, leading the way as Caleb followed in the raft. I can’t help but feel so much delight in the river, especially when I’m surrounded by friends.

As we packed up the raft and headed home, we started to plan the next adventure on the water, wondering where we would go next and how epic we could make it the next time. Gosh, what a good summer it’s been. I’m so thankful that I’ve gotten to live so much LIFE lately and that I’ve been able to do it with people I love, people who I can laugh and laugh with. It’s so good to share life with each other.

A stormy morning at the Mesa County Fair. I got to judge the “heritage arts” for the 4h kids. It was so fun and makes me feel proud to see a younger generation knitting and quilting.

Gunnison eating his first Olathe Sweet Corn.

Sometimes I get so busy that I drive through the car wash so I can return a few emails.

Workin on a giant zig zag quilt at Tangle.

um, really, this is the name of these new ice cream bars?

GJ Rockies game!

I was on Gunni duty. This kid just cracks me up!

Searching for the perfect Bronco’s color yarn.

homemade icecream sandwiches rolled in chopped hazelnuts

Got to work on my handwriting a little bit for a project for a video shoot. fun fun.

Dropped my friend Megan off at the airport in Denver and I got this quick shot from the car of the rainbow over the plains of Denver.

So proud of Meg for moving to Africa for seven months to work for Light Gives Heat.

Got to see the twinzies real quick while I was in Denver. Can’t believe how big they’ve gotten.

Gunnison was dedicated at church last week. Such a special time for Rickelle and Caleb. I’m so thankful to get to be in their lives and to get to know Gunnison.

Tangle celebrated our 6th birthday and had our big sale last Saturday. So proud to have run a successful business for SIX years! Gosh, I can’t believe it’s been so long!