Buena Vista, Colorado

We are lucky enough to have awesome and generous family members who let us use their residences in neat places. Grant's uncle and aunt, Mike and Jane, let us live in their almost finished house near Buena Vista, Colorado. We were just going to go camp, but having a bathroom, microwave, refrigerator, enclosed shelter, and BEDS definitely helped! Thanks Mike and Jane for your hospitality.

It was very COLD when we first got there, or maybe it just felt really cold because we were used to 100 degree temperatures in Kansas. Nonetheless, we realized that we didn't bring warm enough clothes, but we survived.

We took a drive over the continental divide through Cottonwood Pass. Sweet drive if you ever want to do it!

We drove down to this lake (can't remember what it was called now), and we had our picnic. It was very cool out, so we didn't stay too long. Grant was mad at himself for not bringing his fishing poles!

Can you find the lake way out there???

Grant posing with the Jeep. Why?...I'm not sure.

Here is the sweet house in the mountains!!! It's already neat now before it's done, so I can't imagine how awesome it will be once it is finished. This is the back of the house that looks out to national forest and some pasture land. We watched a guy on his horse herding his cattle - and his dog helped too!

Here is the front of the house and the view from the front.

The garage side.

The view of Mount Princeton from the back of the house! Very sweet, I must say.

Our college friends, Ryan and Michelle Windsor and Steven Huff, that live in Denver met us out there and we hung out, played games, and explored around. Here we climbed up this hill that was close by the house. The guys named it Mount Vattier (because they all three lived together on Vattier street in Manhattan).

We played a lot of "Corn Hole", which we were informed it is called. You throw the bean bags and try to get them to land on the board or in the hole. It's very fun and addicting!

Our new ride

Well, new to us at least! We decided to trade in the Neon...(oh how sad, right?) and we got a 2006 Jeep Liberty! Lots better for out in the country. I feel like I can finally see better because it's higher up. Here it is:

Gimpy Gus is now...Stubby!!

I bet you are asking, "What else could possibly happen to their dog?!" Well, his poor tail got run over. I'll spare you the details, but in a nutshell, Gus got "de-tailed." He just has a little stub tail, so now instead of calling him Gimpy when he had his cast on his leg, we call him Stubby! Oh let's just hope and pray that this is the LAST thing that happens to him.

Brett and Cassie's time in Kansas

We were so excited and blessed to have Grant's brother Brett and his wife Cassie back in Kansas for a lot of this summer!!! Here are a few things that went on while they were here:

hauling hay -

Cassie drove the truck and trailer, and Brett and Grant loaded hay!

Cassie painted LOTS and LOTS of pipe fence. Now our pens looks AmAzInG! These pictures do not do it justice.

Family trip to camp at Council Grove lake, Konza prairie and Pillsbury Crossing in Manhattan, and the Brookville Hotel in Abilene to eat fried chicken!

Our campsite

nature walk

had to get some card playing in

Makayla, the camping girl, in her PJ's

Very beautiful sunset over the lake!

While at the Konza Prairie, we had to get a reinactment of when Grant proposed to me. It was at this exact spot over 3 years ago!!

The Klingenberg Family (without me, I'm behind the camera, obviously)

Hanging out at Pillsbury Crossing

Makayla had fun walking in the water!