November 14, 2016

Sunrise season

November 14, 2016/ Lisa Carpenter

Fall is pretty much my very favorite season here in Colorado. There are many reasons, but one big one is that the autumn months offer the the most colorful, most memorable sunrises of all the seasons.

November 07, 2016

So proud!

November 07, 2016/ Lisa Carpenter

Megan, mama to my three grandsons, posted the following text and photo of Jak on Facebook the other day:

October 24, 2016

Simple skeletons

October 24, 2016/ Lisa Carpenter

We're officially one week away from Halloween, and I haven't put up or out or on one single holiday decoration. With all the truly scary stuff going on in our country and beyond right now, it seems rather silly to add some faux frights to the mix. And especially silly — well, especially a waste of time, to be honest — when the chances of grandkids of mine arriving at my door for a quick trick-or-treat or visit of any sort during Halloween season are zilch, nada, zero.

October 17, 2016

Running for funds... and fun

October 17, 2016/ Lisa Carpenter

When my daughters were in school, fundraising typically revolved around candy bars. Moms and dads, grandparents and other friends and family were encouraged to purchase a chocolate bar — or a boxful for the really enthusiastic supporters — to help cover the costs of school activities, sporting equipment, and so forth.

October 12, 2016

Plaaaay ball... again!

October 12, 2016/ Lisa Carpenter

It's baseball season once again in the desert, and my favorite sluggers — and pitcher, in the case of Bubby — are prepped for play.

brother baseball players

Go get 'em, boys!

Gramma's...

September 21, 2016

Text to Gramma: Jak and the Lord

September 21, 2016/ Lisa Carpenter

I used to visit my three grandsons in the desert far more often than I have recently. Preston, the boys' dad, used to regularly attend work-related conferences, and Megan usually joined him. Which meant Gramma (that would be me) was flown to the desert to babysit the boys while Mom and Dad were away.

Add in a desert visit initiated by myself — sometimes with PawDad (that would be Jim) in tow — and the time between hugs and face-to-face fun were rather short. Which was fabulous for being aware and awed but not shocked by the growth of Bubby and Mac between visits.

That's not the case with Jak, who is now nearly 2 1/2 years old. Preston attends fewer conferences of late for various reasons; I haven't had the time or money to schedule many trips to see the boys myself. So I don't see Jak as often as I did his brothers during the toddler years.

Because of the limited in-person connecting with Jak, I'm regularly flabbergasted by how much he grows between Facetimes and photos and phone calls. He never fails to advance by leaps and bounds physically, socially, verbally, developmentally in myriad and magical ways.

A text from Megan on Monday demonstrated...

September 19, 2016

Fall in Michigan!

September 19, 2016/ Lisa Carpenter

Fall is sneaking its way into Colorado. The Aspens are changing in the high country, I've heard, and I hope Jim and I get a chance to traverse a mountain pass or two before a cold snap renders leaves of brilliant golds, reds, and oranges instantly burned and browned.