Mommy and Kiddo Weekend

Nathan is in New York City for a conference this weekend, so it's just me and the kids keeping each other company. We talked with him earlier today and learned he is actually missing South Texas weather! We all had a good laugh (including him) as he told us he can't wait to get home and stop wearing so many layers. How things change!

The kids and I felt inspired to get outside and enjoy the sun since Daddy can't so went to one of our favorite parks. They humored me by modeling while I practiced with a few new camera accessories I scored for Christmas. I'm also trying to learn more and more about how to utilize Lightroom and can admit I'm probably going a little overboard with post production processing but oh well--I'm gaining more skills while I over process!

I didn't realize this shot was blurry until I got home. Was bummed but used it as a reason to practice with my editing tools

I can't decide which of these of Owen is my favorite. He is just so darned photogenic!!

"ROAR!!"

Alamo Bowl

I scored a new lens with my Christmas money and had a fun excuse to take it out and practice today since our CU Buffs are in town for the Alamo Bowl. Nathan's parents are here with our nephew Brayden, so we all went down to a pre-game party (we didn't lay down the cash for the actual game) and enjoyed the Riverwalk while we were at it. It was a really funny combination of our life experiences over the last 7 years being surrounded by Buff fans in all-out gear downtown, snapping a picture with Chip next the the Tower of Americas, and randomly joining into the fight song as we walked along the river. Personally I couldn't get over how perfect the evening was for the 4 of us. Now we are in the comfort of our apartment watching them get pummeled...just like old times. I'm becoming more and more positive that having our family within 100 miles of the team must bring them bad luck. Sorry Buffs but welcome to San Antonio anyhow!

Comanche Lookout Park

Checked out another great park here today with a few nice little walking trails leading up to a funky castle-like tower. Comanche Lookout Park named as such because the site was used by Apache and Comanche tribes as a lookout for warfare and hunting purposes. The tower is the unfinished project started by a romantic, retired Army colonel in the 1940s. It feels a little random and you can't go inside but we still enjoyed the stroll on this beautiful fall day (yes, we are now experiencing beautiful fall weather complete with lots of color around the city!).

Lost Maples

When we were contemplating our move here, my personal biggest anxiety was whether or not we would have any fall foliage to speak of. Having grown up in Vermont, vibrant fall colors are woven into my bloodline and I wasn't sure I'd be able to be happy in a place that didn't have some form of a foliage season. Most people I talked with who had spent time here promised there is plenty of color in the fall but since actually moving here, it has become all too clear that those people were LIARS. I have struggled through the last month, unable to even peek at pictures from family and friends enjoying the beautiful East Coast and Colorado fall.

We learned, through research and from word of mouth, of Lost Maples State Natural Area but were a little afraid to let our expectations rise above a pretty low level. It takes a little under 2 hours to get there, and the website doesn't seem to promise anything spectacular. However, starving for a little taste of the fall we know and love, we got up early this morning and piled into the car to see what the park had to offer before we completely missing the boat this year. Man, I am I glad we did.

It was a perfect chilly day (even had to buy the kids a couple of unexpected sweatshirts when we arrived!). The park is huge and, despite the fact that most of the leaves had already fallen and it's supposedly a more subdued year than it can be, we had an amazing time. We marveled at the similarities between this park and some of our favorite Colorado hikes. In true Stith fashion, we headed out with the intention of taking a quick look around and ended up hiking 5 miles or so, mostly motivated by the stubborn curiosity we all seem to share. While looking at the map, we noticed a section labeled "steep" and all agreed we had to see for ourselves how "Texas Steep", as we fondly dubbed all the inclines after that, measured up to "Colorado Steep" (incidentally, we were all impressed!).

As we drove out of the park, I felt deep gratitude for this little pocket of Texas. Not only did we enjoy it today, but we now know it will be there for us in the future.

Point of interest: "The Grotto"

Point of Interest: "Monkey Rock"

Mission San Jose

Woah! Long time no see, huh?

I recently decided to separate myself from Facebook, so am reviving my blog. This time around, I'll be focusing more on posting pictures as opposed to writing, and putting less pressure on myself to post only when I feel like I have "something to say". I just want a place to share my photos as I work to improve my photography skills and to give little updates on our family adventures for those who enjoy following along with us as we explore this new life of ours in San Antonio, TX.

So, here we go!

Grandma and Pepaw are here visiting for Thanksgiving this week and we couldn't be more happy to finally have the chance to make a family connection in our new home. After taking Pepaw to a movie in the park last night ("The Three Amigos"--one of my all time favorites!), we were joined by Grandma and piled in the car to head to Mission San Jose. We finally got the cool down we've been promised for so long, and we have been practically walking on air the past few days in our 50-60 degree weather (including the middle of the afternoon!). Anyway, it was a beautiful day that we ended by strolling around and eating dinner at the Historic Market Square downtown.

To my sweet friend

This past Monday, I found myself at the airport for a last minute trip East.  Normally, this would have me buzzing with excitement but I couldn't lift the 50 pound weight off my heart because I was going back for a funeral.  Throwing on my baseball cap, I pulled the brim down low so as to avoid eye contact with my fellow travelers.  I was in no mood for friendly conversation and wanted to allow my teary eyes the right to overflow without well meaning strangers asking if I was okay.  There was nothing they could say to make it better.  All I wanted was my friend back...

The only phase of my life when I didn't know Kaitlin was the year I spent being a baby before she was born.  In other words, I have no memory of her not being an integral part of my life.  Aside from the obligatory high school spat between close friends followed by the typical temporary silent treatment, we never felt ill will towards one another to any degree whatsoever.  We were both one of the youngest of large families so by the time we were born, our households were already fully entwined and she and I paired off as natural sister-friends.  Our friendship morphed a lot as we grew older.  We seldom ran in the same circle of friends and there were spans of time when we were both too busy to check in--we even lost touch for a bit when my family moved out here to Colorado.  Through all of that, we managed to maintain a connection between our hearts that would prove impossible to break.  Reconnecting effortlessly and brimming with delight as soon as we had a chance to sit down for coffee together.

I am the youngest girl in our family and felt robbed of the chance to take a little sister under my wing and share the mystical womanly knowledge that was being passed down to me by my older sisters.  Even though Kaitie had her own sisters to do so for her, I dubbed myself her unofficial older sister, overloading her with unsolicited advice whenever I had the chance.  Soon, we were going through the same things at the same times and I no longer had the answers--so we plowed through together, comparing notes and sharing top secret-secrets.  When we transitioned into adulthood, I realized our original dynamic had done a 180, and I was now hanging on her every word, wanting to hear her point of view and advice on all my big challenges.

Kaitie was the absolute best at looking life square in the eyes and showing it who was boss.  She was unafraid of being herself..every detail, to the core.  Her perspective was unique and inspiring.  Talking with her made you feel like anything was possible because she believed in you.  Strong as steel, her strength ran alongside an ocean of sensitivity, warmth and humor.  2 years ago, when I spent an afternoon with her before her first chemo appointment, she caught me up on the specifics of her cancer and treatments. She was scared but wasn't going to let her fear run the show--she was already finding humor in the situation.  Her stoicism was staggering.  After a couple of hours concentrating on her stuff, she was ready to hear about mine.  I divulged that a year before, I had been struggling with depression.  I admitted to entertaining a fleeting pros and cons list about ending my life.  Before I could get to the happy ending (that I immediately knew something was wrong, got help, and felt a million times better), Kaitie burst into tears.  2 hours of laying out details of her newly discovered aggressive cancer without batting an eye and my friend was moved to tears by the mere mention of a fleeting thought I'd had a year earlier.  From that moment on, I made a silent promise I would go to great lengths to prove myself worthy of such a friendship. 

From that moment on, I have drawn upon her inspiration to find courage.  From that moment on I look for things I take for granted and honor them instead.  From that moment on I have believed in myself.  From that moment on I have forgiven my shortcomings.  From that moment on I have felt driven to make Kaitie proud.  Her death will not stop my mission.  I will never stop trying to make her proud to be my friend.