Catching up on Summer 2010... Colorado Trip!

Wow, so to say I'm behind on posting is a huge understatement! But it's better late than never, right? One of the big events at the end of our summer was a family trip to Colorado! All of the Hefferly kids (Andy and his siblings) except Dave (the youngest, who couldn't get away due to summer school) met for a mini-reunion in Keystone, CO at their Aunt Mara and Uncle Jeff's awesome condo for a long weekend. We had a GREAT time -- with beautiful mountains, gracious hosts, scenic hikes, and wonderful family fun!

It was also John's first trip out of Texas. And speaking of Texas, we were lucky to have an old Texas friend (Lisa Myers), who just moved to Fort Collins, CO meet up with us. She is so much fun and such a sweet heart, we were so happy she could join us for most of the weekend! She's close friends with all of us through Texas Tech and St. Elizabeth's Catholic Church here in Lubbock. Heck - she's practically family! So onto the photos...

Be forewarned, this is a SERIOUS picture overload... and some of it's out of order, but you'll get the gist!

Daddy and John-Boy at the Colorado state line:
SUCH a great road-tripper! It was a 10.5 hour drive, and he did great for the majority of the trip:
On our first day there, we decided to go for a hike to see the Continental Divide... Unfortunately we chose the worst day weather-wise -- it was rainy and FREEZING cold! Needless to say, most of us (those with kiddos and babies at least!) turned back to the warm vehicles, but we took a few photos before splitting up. At this point, Laura, Mark and the boys were already on the way down (it was way too steep for little boys to hike or for parents to haul). Here are Mike, Casey and Jackson:
Andy, me, and John (he's under that blanket, poor boy!)
Yikes... I told you it was terrible hiking weather! :)
The Hefferly Brothers (sans Dave... we miss ya Dave!) at the top. Lisa Myers was the only girl to make it to the top, but I don't have a photo with her in it:
Back at the condo, Aunt Mara and her daughter Sarah gave John plenty of snuggles:
The boys in matching jams! Jackson and John are cousins and just 6 weeks apart! They'll be great friends one day:


The weather the next day was MUCH better, and the guys enjoyed fishing (didn't catch much, but enjoyed it nonetheless) :) This place is BEAUTIFUL!!!
How could you NOT enjoy yourself out here with a line in the water??
We did another hike later on in the weekend, and this one with MUCH better weather! Here's Laura and I (with Rudy and John in tow) at the start of the hike:
Lots of photo ops with great scenery!
The cousins -- the Hefferly kids, cousin Sarah, and cousin Reed (who joined us from the Air Force Academy half-way through the weekend):
The whole group!
...except for Kolbe! He passed out on the hike, so he didn't make it in the group photo:
Such beauty!
More family photos:
Mark and Rudy - kings of the mountain!
The sun was so bright! But it was way better than the freezing rain, right John?
Some of the guys on the look out:
Pat and Kolbs:

Another group photo at the end of the hike:
Aunt Mara and Laura:
Back at the condo, John had fun playing with big cousin Reed:


Another fun event was feeding the trout at a small lake in Keystone. I love this photo of Rudy, Kolbe, and their beloved Uncle P:
Lisa and Kolbs - they sure have fun together!
Haha, what a cheese-meister! :)
Uncle Andy showing Kolbe how to feed the trout. (John was asleep, otherwise he'd have joined in on the fun!)
The Asmussen Family (and a Happy 4th Anniversary to Mark and Laura!)
The Mike Hefferly Family:
And the Andy Hefferly Family:
All the Hefferlys (except Dave, Mom and Dad):


One of my favorite adventures was riding the gondolas up the mountain for the beautiful scenery and an outdoor concert of a great 2-man band!
Mark and Rudy:
Laura and Kolbs:
Family photo time! The scenic views were breath-taking!

The Hefferly guys:

LOVE this one of Kolbe and Reagan:
And this one of Ru:
A better family shot - John is almost smiling!
Lisa and me:
My little sweetheart:
Ok so this was hilarious -- down at the base of the mountain, we took some posed photos and John was NOT happy! He did NOT want to be in jail! :)

The Asmussen kiddos were a little more into it:
John on his first ski slope! ;)
Kolbs snowboarding:
Back in the warmth of the condo...

Mara and Jeff introduced us to this great game called "Left, Right Center." It was so much fun! This one captures the good times we had! (These were our wonderful hosts -- Sarah, Mara and Jeff Fabian)
And of course some photos of all the winnings:


And poor Jeff's meager winnings: ;)What a wonderful time we had! Thanks again to our gracious hosts! It was a such a blessing to get most of the Hefferlys together!
There's lots more to catch up on, but here's a start! Hope this finds you doing well. Have a Happy Halloween!

Love,
Abby, Andy, John, and Wayne-Dog