Sooo....

I'm back.  And it's lovely to be home. I was met at the door with seven big hugs and a clean house.  And a painted kitchen ceiling and a half finished kitchen floor and a new roof!  Check this out:

The House

The Barn

(After thirteen years of light pinkish-tan shingles, the house and the barn look to all of us like they've up and gotten toupees to cover their aging pates...)

I'll post some pics of the finished house projects soon.  But,first here are some of my trip.  It was wonderful.  The weather was perfect and the mission practical, since I went to get Nicole's old car and fetch it back for Kevin to use -- just in time, too, since his old Saab's alternator went out just last week.  But I also got to see my awesome naturopath over on the Western Slope (she says I'll probably live...) and I got to go out with the St. Joseph's Sisters, which was such a great time -- fun and edifying.  Sisters are totally the most delightful conversationalists on the planet.  And, I also had the great pleasure of visiting with Paul and Nicole in their home.  Here they are.  Such cuties!

And here are some shots of the scenery on the way over the mountains:

From the top of Grand Mesa (above and below).

At an elk ranch outside of Cedaredge, Colorado:

This old Presbyterian Church in Orchard City looks like it belongs in Britain somewhere, doesn't it?

The following shots are from along I-70 between Grand Junction and Denver:

(The Colorado River, above)

And, here is Kevvy with his "new" old car.  He's very happy to have working wheels!

And now I'd better get off this computer before Dan literally pushes me off the seat.  He says he loved having this thing all to himself while I was gone.  Sheesh! We love having Daddy home, even though he hogs the computer, though, really. 

No news as of yet, by the way, on the job front.  But I'll let you know if anything wild or wonderful happens.  Still praying for a happy resolution, regardless -- and using this at-home time to tackle house projects.  Not a bad deal.  We take advantange of Dan's being here to get up and say the family rosary together every morning, too -- and this morning was nice enough to get outside for a rosary walk!  Now, that is a good thing.  It's all actually pretty good, you know, all things considered.