Our move!

Have you noticed I've been missing for the last week or two? 

In the past 10 days we: 

• sold our house
• packed up every single thing we own (which is WAAAAY more than I thought.)
• loaded our crap beloved belongings into a moving truck
• said our teary good-byes to the amazing people in Texas
• drove from Austin to Denver (hubby and dog in the moving truck, the kids and I in the car)
• unloaded all of our crap precious possessions in a storage unit in Denver
• are now finally relaxing in beautiful Steamboat Springs, CO!

Phew, I'm tired even typing it... I'm happy to have all of that behind us and now we have a FUN, EXCITING, and ADVENTUROUS summer ahead. You see, we will be traveling around visiting family and friends, teaching workshops, and checking out new places for the next 5 weeks and I'm inviting you to come along!

I plan on documenting all of our travels right here on my blog. Please feel free to check in and see where we are and what we're up to! I will also be sharing lots of photo tips along the way.

Here is a list of where we will be headed:

Denver, CO
Steamboat Springs, CO
Idaho Falls, ID
Salt Lake City, UT
Island Park, ID
Yellowstone National Park
Bear Lake, UT (or is it ID?)
Torrington, WY
Omaha, NE

I want you to share in the fun too so I started a Pinterest board titled, "2012 Summer Travelogue" for you to pin your own travel photos!

Simply send me an email (katie_perkes@yahoo.com) with a link to your photo(s) on your blog or shutterfly I will then "pin' your photo(s) to the pinterest board. Make sure you include where the photo is taken so I can label it correctly!

Sorry, I can't accept photos given to me via email, I need the link to the photo.

To get my own travelogue started, let's go to the beginning...the packing and moving:

Maddie and Lyndon are 5 and 6 years old so they tried to help but we mostly just had to keep them entertained and out of the way... enter TV and computer games. They were mostly learning, right? :)

Before:

After:

It was sad for me to see them sitting at "their stools" for the very last time with the house being empty. They have spent so much time on those stools eating, helping me cook, and doing crafts. It was an end to an era.

Actually it was extremely sad for me to see the entire house empty. We've spent 6 years here. Lyndon was born while we lived here and this is the home where both of them learned to walk and ride their bikes. We have countless memories of celebrating holidays, having friends over, and spending quiet nights together as a family. We have learned so many life lessons in this home that have helped to mold us into the people we are today. Yes, seeing it so empty brought tears to my eyes. As I walked from room to room is was like I was watching a video of different memories that took place there.

I knew in my heart that this isn't the home we want to continue our future in but this home holds millions of memories for our family. Thank goodness I took so many pictures. Now nothing will be forgotten.

Leaving for the last time and driving away... Our sweet friend and neighbor, Mime, was outside and saw us off. Her last wave as we left Copano cove also pulled on my heartstrings. We had such great neighbors.

We finally got on the road and headed out. If you've ever driven through Texas you would know that it takes a crazy long time to get out of this state!! Most of our travel time was spent just driving out of Texas...

Like I said, I was driving the car with the kids while Jon (my hubby) drove the moving truck. Are you wondering how I took pictures while I drove? Basically I just aimed my camera out the window and clicked away. I didn't take my eyes off the road (don't worry), I just straightened the photo and did a little post processing magic after the fact.

We were in New Mexico for just a short time and then...

We finally got to Colorado! It was beautiful and we were so happy to be in the state. One step closer to our goal!


So stay tuned for more pictures! We have a fun summer ahead and I can't wait to share it with you!