Colorado is home.

Isn't it funny when you grow up and establish yourself somewhere else, how your old home isn't the same. Don't take this the wrong way, especially my parents. I love going home and seeing old friends and familiar places but when the husband and I arrived to Estes from our week long trip back to the midwest, we felt like we were home. To sleep in our own home and be surrounded by such beauty, it's just funny. I never thought my feelings about home would change so quickly.

Our trip to the midwest was wonderful. Besides the long drives to and from, it was relaxing filled with lots of games, friends, family and even babies... We stopped in Peoria for a few days. We played lots of Settlers of Catan, celebrated Joys birthday, baked the most delicious cookies ever and went to a New year eve eve party. That was a blast!

Then we drove the 4 hours to Indiana! There we also played lots of Catan and mexican train dominos, visited with camp friends and best friends but there is never enough time! Did I mention all the baby time we got! My best friend Tori had her lovely baby boy, Jameson, in November and we finally got to meet him!! He is precious. We spent lots of time with him.

We also saw our grandmas and were blessed with Christmas presents from our family! We are so lucky.

[take a look below]

look at this face. it's hard to believe but he didn't even make a peep on our 20 hour car rides.
he slept.  he loves his car hammock.

Can you believe Nick and Kev have been BFF since they were kiddos. so cute.

Criag and Meg had a New Years Eve Eve party.  A great excuse to drink and be merry. Dunlap love.

girls girls girls. Meg is on the right.  a wonderful host.

Our game playing abilities got better on the trip. 

Grandma Balkema making funny faces. 

Monon Food Company Groupon. Chipotle fish tacos are the bomb!! We miss Kass and Jake!

We decided to meet for breakfast! So good to see familiar faces!

Meeting Jameson for the first time. And him at Breakfast. He sure is a cheap date- all he did was sleep! 

on our last day of leaving, I got my hair chopped.

as we were approaching the rockies. so pretty

Kevin once told me, as a child, his mom would buy them bingo tickets on road trips to entertain. What a genesis idea. I decided to surprise kev and buy two at a gas station. OMG we actually made money. From that moment on, we vowed that on road trips, in every state, we will buy bingo lottery tickets and then repeat. We made twenty dollars that we didn't have before... awesome. and excitement kept us awake.