Gone too soon.

Once in a great while, you may come across a person who is larger than life ~ the generosity, love, and life just beam from their every being. I came across such a man years ago when I met Clay's Uncle Louis. I have always felt an admiration for this man, his love for his family, his lust for life and his confidence, wit and swagger. He wore the Perry name with pride, respect and grit. Our family aches that he is gone.

Senior Pictures!

Believe it or not, it's Miss Blake's senior year. Yes, I am holding back the tears. I just can not believe it! Tomorrow we are driving to Denver to have her senior pictures taken. She and I have enjoyed putting outfits together and playing dress up. This should be a fun outing. I am excited to get some pics on-line. Warning ... Proud Mama at the computer!

Fillin' up the Trampoline Pit

We had a load of dirt dropped off in the street in front of the house on Monday. The large load took up half of the width of the street and stood over six feet tall. The boys have been pacing themselves with wheelbarrow trips from the front to the back fighting mosquitoes and the heat. Clay conveniently had to fly to Wyoming Tuesday through Wednesday, so Evan and I took over where they left off. Evan has been the true hero here. He wakes up early, does a few trips with the wheelbarrow before the heat hits, goes out mid afternoon for ten more trips, and finishes off his evening with even more trips. He sweeps up the mess, puts the shovels and tools away, and does it with a smile and a sense of pride. Clay, Blake and I are super proud of him! Way to go Evan! S'mores on us when the deck is complete! xo

Visit from the Shakes!

Congratulations to my Dad on his retirement!!! Samantha, Kenny, and boys were to fly out for the big celebration last Saturday, but the bad weather in Milwaukee changed those plans. Fortunately for me, an hour drive to Fort Collins was in the cards for my sister and family. I got a surprise visit and enjoyed every minute of it. I realize the "city livin'" is not for Kenny but he tolerated it and I think ended up having a nice time ~ and Clay and Evan ended up with a few bucks in their pockets after a late night game of poker! ;o) I forgot to get the camera out, but Blake sent me this picture of Conan and Max looking out the back window. Thanks Sam and Ken for making the extra effort to come north! xo

Camp Timberline!

Evan had another great year at Camp Timberline!!!! This is his fourth year at this fantastic Christian-based sports camp. Right at the base of Longs Peak, this camp is truly a slice of heaven. I have a video of his week, but I am struggling to get it on the blog. I will keep trying.
One week away from home, Evan returned with kudos from his counselors honoring his qualities of Flexibility and Willingness to Give. That's my boy! He makes us very proud!

Wings of Freedom Tour

The Wings of Freedom Tour visited Northern Colorado over the weekend. Evan volunteered with his Civil Air Patrol Squadron. He and others were in charge of crowd control. He stood watch from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in 90 degree heat and didn't complain once. He is really loving the opportunities he is getting as a participant in this organization.

Blake's Summer Job!

She is officially employed. Yes, she is. I am very proud. Now here comes the iffy part. She is working at Hooters! Not as a hooters girl but as a hostess. We visit once a week and it really isn't as bad as perceived. Even Granddad likes the wings! The schedule is great, she works Friday, Saturday and Sunday so her week is open to enjoy the summer. Again, I am very proud of my girl!

UPDATE: They liked her so much they asked her to be a waitress. After serious contemplation, we agreed to let her do this. She obviously was hired for her sweet and fun personality and not for her HOOT! ;o) She loves it. She makes a ton of money and is having a blast. I am very very proud. xo

University of Oregon?!?

Blake spent this last week in Oregon in a gymnastic and stunting camp. She flew out on her own, well with her friend, Sam, and they made it there and back safely. The University of Oregon has a phenomenal program that is not considered a "cheer" program but stunting and gymnastics, both of which are Blake's strong skills. They treat their athletes with all sorts of perks, like 8 hours a week of free, mandatory tutoring, laundering of athletic gear, free Nike attire, up to 250 calories of free snack a day, access the the athletic department facility, etc. Blake is not quite sure if this is the direction she wants to go, but "show me the money" and we'll go from there. :o)

Mackenzie Perry at OneTrueMedia.com

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

So pretty!

This year my clematis plants have gone wild! I am so excited. Here's a picture of one in the front of the house and one of the three in the back.

Polo on the Lawn

Blake has been volunteering at an event, Polo on the Lawn, a fundraiser for Hospice, for three years now. She sells candy as raffle tickets for $20 a pop! The thing is, she is pretty cute, and she can sell 10 at a time in a blink of the eye. The event is hosted at a friend's home. The photo is a picture of their home. The estate, Ashlawn, is just as grand.

4 1/2 years younger~4 1/2 inches taller... maybe more.

Civil Air Patrol

Evan has ambitions to get accepted into the Air Force Academy and he is working on qualifications to add to his resume' at 12 years old. He certainly gets his drive from his daddy! He joined the Civil Air Patrol in March and is really enjoying it. Evan is a bit of a rule follower. He loves structure and set expectations, so this is perfect for him. This commitment includes physical fitness qualifications, uniform expectations, lots of bookwork, and the opportunity to learn how to fly airplanes. This is a picture of him on the way home from their meeting. He looks pretty handsome in his uniform, I have to say! ;o)

Golf Camp!!

Evan has been going to Southridge Golf Course for an hour and a half every day this week for golf lessons. This weekend ~ Golf! Let's hope he can teach Mom and Dad a thing or two. xo

Colorado ~ Like no place else!

Clay was asked to come view an upcoming job in Aspen over the weekend so we hopped in the car and took a road trip. Blake had practice, so she stayed home. We left early Saturday morning and drove through Summit County over Vail pass and through Glenwood Canyon. Amazing! Gorgeous! If you haven't traveled that road recently, do it and soak it up. (Clay had driven that road the week before when he went to Grand Junction for the day, and noticed a huge difference in the water level of the river. Too hot in the mountains - too much snow melt for the rivers!)

Once we got to Aspen, Evan and I took the gondola up the mountain, had lunch, and enjoyed the view. We ventured into a couple of shops in town, but quickly exited when we saw the $200 t-shirts for sale.

Clay finished his walk through and we headed over Independence Pass down through Buena Vista and stopped to spend the evening with Samantha and Ken and their family. We enjoyed dinner with Mom and Fred and our quick visit with Jessica.

The next morning included breakfast at Patio Pancake and a three hour drive through beautiful Colorado on our way home to Fort Collins. Gosh, I love Colorado!

Summertime!

Yea for SUMMER!!! It's been a long winter and a cold spring and we are ready for the HEAT!! The kids have several camps over the summer including an overnight CSU football camp for Evan, two weeks of golf instruction for Evan, a week in Oregon for a gymnastics and stunting camp for Blake, and as always, a week away at Camp Timberline for Evan. Blake still has two to three days a week of cheer practice and is still looking for a summer job. We'll see how she can fit all of that in. No worries ~ it's summer! (almost!)

Flag Football Tournament

Evan's team, the BullDogs, played the Gators for game one of the tournament this Saturday. They lost. They played four more games in a row in the rain and wind and won every one! They ended up playing the Gators again in the championship round. They won!!!! But, since this was a double elimination tournament, they had to play the Gators again because both teams only had one loss under their belt. It rained and rained and the kids played their hearts out. Six and a half hours of playing with bananas and granola bars being their only source of fuel, the final outcome was the Gators won the tournament. The BullDogs made us proud. They were having so much fun!!!! Evan caught a few passes and ran the ball like a mack truck! It was fantastic!! This was a fun, fun, fun season! xo

No more trampoline pit ;o(

Well, the trampoline has seen better years so we decided to get rid of it. We now have a 17 ft diameter and 3 ft deep hole in the corner of our yard. We don't want the maintenance of a pond and we can't afford a hot tub, so what do we do with this large hole? I say lets deck over it, Clay says let's fill it with concrete, Evan wants a fire pit and Blake wants a HOT TUB!! I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens. . . to be continued!

End of the Season Banquet

Blake had her end-of-the-cheer-season banquet today. It's always sad to say goodbye to a fun year. Does this mean we take a break from Cheer Central? Of course not! The new season starts the week of May 17 with new groups and new hopes for the following year. Blake is torn between cheering on a coed team or an all girl squad. We'll see how it all works out! The photo is Miss Blake with her two coaches, Julie and Kyle.

Spring Flag Football

Evan has had a great time playing flag football this season! His team has been dominating the others for six weeks now. They play in the final tournament next Saturday. Miss Blake has been helping out while we were traveling in Mexico, and texted us, "Evan's coaches are HOT!" His coaches are young college kids with a passion for the sport. They have been fantastic! Note the blonde coach and his bare feet! :o) . . . and check out the height of my son!!! Sheesh!