Welcome to WY Mom and Dad!!

The days have been long, the road has been hard but I am thrilled that you have finally made it...yay! 

I welcome you to your new house and can't wait for you to make it your home (no pressure though)!

I am proud of all your hard work and determination over the past 3 summers.  It's amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it.  It amazes me to think this is house #4 and the last (it better be!)!

Here is what all your hard work has produced what you/we should be so proud of!

2007
June-The beginning of the shed

September-The roof of the shed (Dad, Carl and Gordon)

2008
June-The house is started

2009
August -The House is starting to take shape

The view is so GREAT!!!

Relaxing after a long day...who doesn't love burning sticks and roasting marshmallows?

2010
June-The beautiful stairwell is complete...perfect!  Celebrating Father's Day in such a great way.

The view from the road...what a wonderful welcome as you drive up...makes me want to hang out a while.

The Front-the log entry is so nice.

This place makes me happy...really happy.  I become so relaxed when I come here.  I think I will be making several trips up to just "get-away"...my own mom's weekend away with M&D.  I know the kiddos will protest but they won't get to go with me all the time.

You know, I even have my own rock, Mom even calls it that...Alicia's rock.  It's the place I go to sit and think, meditate or read whatever my book is at the moment.

In this picture Katia is there with me and you can barely see the lake in the background (the pic is weird).  

and here it is from the road...on the upper, right side of the pic. 

Mom and Dad, 

You picked a great place to build such a great retreat.  I love it and hope that everyone will feel as welcome as I do.  

I love you!

Alicia

"There's no place like Home"

It's almost time...almost time to say goodbye to Kansas.  I didn't live there long and I haven't even lived there for 18 years.  But now, Mom and Dad have sold their house in Kansas.  Home base is no more...it's always hard to say goodbye but this one is a bit harder than I expected.  When Carl and I married 18 1/2 years ago, I didn't think too much about leaving, I was excited to be married, in Colorado and on our own.  Mom, Dad and Shana were all still there and I could easily run away when I felt the desire.  It was safe...just like in tag...your safe when your at home base.  I will dearly miss Kansas.  I will miss seeing my kids run all over the place with as much freedom as they ever dreamed.  I will miss those beautiful fields of wheat and sunflowers that just make you smile.  I will miss Manhattan, Call Hall ice cream at KSU, the Wamego park with the kids, Olsburg lunch after church, driving Tuttle Creek dam and remembering the hours and hours spent waterskiing during college, Camp Lost in the Woods with my awesome family, hangin' with my bestie, Shana.
I will actually miss the drive...it may be long but it always lead me to where I wanted to be whichever way I was headed...East or West.  I will miss all those miles and miles of mile-markers.  I could almost tell you all the cities...Colby @ 57, Hays @ 151, Salina @ 250, Manhattan @ 303, give or take a few.

Some wonderful memories...

Camp Lost in the Woods!

FAMILY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  We were all celebrating Mom and Dad's 50th Anniversary!!!!

 Grandpa (using his Kansas House of Representative privileges...thanks gramps) talking a security guard into giving us a run around the Kansas Speedway...totally awesome!

Stopping at one of Grandma and Grandpa's friends and riding on the combine...sooooo fun!

  As we were riding the combine, a train passed us by...it's so beautiful!

  My second favorite part of the trip...visiting Shana!  

This is where we will be going from now on...Mom and Dad/Grandma and Grandpa are in the middle of building a new home in Wyoming.  It's truly a beautiful place.  We love that they will be so much closer to us and instead of mile-markers, we count antelope (cantaloupe if you are my kiddos)!!  The house is beautiful and it's such a relaxing place. 

We love Wyoming but Kansas will always be home!