Jude and Anna at the lake in Wash Park on Homecoming night

This was Homecoming Week at South High School and it was a big week.

Jude played in the Homecoming soccer game on Tuesday night, playing against the number one team in the competition, Broomfield. They played their best game of the season and only lost 1-0. It could easily have been a draw but for a lucky shot.

Anna has been talking about Homecoming for weeks. We bought her a new dress and she was excited about the big night.

Many of the students were gathering at the Boathouse in Washington Park for photos. Marcy and I decided to go check it out and there were hundreds of kids taking photos by the lake.

Maggie, Isla and Anna at the Wash Park lake

After photos it was off to dinner. Jude went to a friend’s house and they Doordashed Thai food. Anna went to a nice restaurant in Cherry Creek. They all went to the dance but didn’t stay very long as it was super hot in the gym. They spent some time in the park and then went to a party. Anna stayed over at Maggie’s house.

They both said it was a fun night and they all made it home safely.

Doing the Centennial Cone hike on our anniversary

Wednesday was our 20-year anniversary so Marcy and I decided to take the day off and go for a good hike. We chose Centennial Cone Park where they have a 12-mile loop hike I have been wanting to do.

There were possible afternoon thunderstorms and the weather looked a little iffy for a while but somehow we made it through without getting too wet. We went pretty fast, finishing the 12.2 miles in just under 4 1/2 hours.

The restaurant bought us a dessert cocktail for our anniversary

That night we went downtown for dinner at Jax, one of our favorite restaurants, where we had a sumptuous dinner. Across the street from Jax is the Oxford Hotel, where we spent our wedding night. We left the kids at home and spent the night there.

Jude made a great move down the right side in the first half

Meanwhile, soccer continues at South High School. They had their third game of the season on Thursday night and suffered their first loss in a game where South was clearly the better team. But Jude played well.

First day of Senior Year

After a great summer break it was back to school this year for Jude and Anna. They both started their new school year on Tuesday. Jude kicked off the year bright and early as the seniors all went to Red Rocks to watch the sunrise, so he was out the door just after 5am.

Anna starting her sophomore year

Anna started her sophomore year and is delighted to no longer be a freshman. This year, instead of being a cheerleader on the South Varsity cheer team, she decided she wanted to be an assistant coach, and they were delighted to have her. So, she is still attending all the practices, just in a different capacity.

Jude’s first competitive soccer match of the new season was on Thursday night. He is the starting right back on the South Varsity team, and they started the season with a solid win. There is a lot of room for improvement, and no doubt they will get better as the season goes on, but it was great to start with a win.

Since this is Jude’s last year of high school, I decided to create a slideshow of every first day of school since 2009 when he started preschool.

At the summit of Pikes Peak on the balcony of the visitor center

Yesterday, Jude and I hiked to the summit of Pikes Peak. This was no regular 14er hike. For a start, it was our tenth annual hike, haring started when Jude was eight on the Grays Peak hike. But Pikes Peak is also the 14er with the most vertical feet of hiking. It is 7,500 vertical hike over almost 12 miles from the town of Manitou Springs to get to the summit.

The sunrise over the clouds around 6:15am

Jude and I awoke at 3:30am on Saturday morning to drive down to Manitou Springs with the goal of being on the trail at 5am. Unfortunately, when we arrived at the trailhead, the parking lot was full so we had to park in town and then walk up. This added a mile and 20 extra minutes to the hike. But we were on the trail by 5:30am when it was just light enough to see.

Right after we made the summit at noon

It was a beautiful morning and the trail was busy but not like the popular 14ers in the front range. It was all uphill with virtually no respite and we were tired when we made it to the summit at noon. Pikes Peak is unique among 14ers in that it has a fully staffed visitor center and cafe at the summit as well as a train. It was a little jarring to see hundreds of people at the summit, almost all of whom had either driven or caught the train while we had put in a hard 6.5 hours of work. But the good part was that we were able to catch the train back down to Manitou Springs. This made a huge different to how exhausted I felt at the end.

Getting ready for Olivia Rodrigo

Meanwhile, Anna and Marcy went to see Olivia Rodrigo when she came through Denver recently. Anna has become a huge fan and she enjoyed it every bit as much as the Taylor Swift concert last year, maybe even more. She finished her lifeguard shift at 7:15pm and then went directly downtown for the show.

About to start her first day of work as a lifeguard

On Tuesday of this week, Anna started work as a lifeguard at a nearby rec center. Anna is officially a part-time employee of South Suburban Parks and Recreation. Her first week wasn’t without incident but no rescues were needed. She is super excited to have her first job, taking home a cool $15/hr. She will be picking up as many shifts as she can during summer break and hopes to keep some work during the school year.

Anna with some of her Avalanche cheerleading team

This weekend, Anna had Spirit Camp for Cheer – this is basically two full days of cheerleading, and Anna had a blast. They worked the girls hard, but that is way Anna likes it. She couldn’t be happier with her team this year. She loves being on Level 4 and has nothing but good things to say about her stunt group.

Enjoying the thunderstorm

Last night we had a huge thunderstorm. Strong winds, pounding rain and lots of lightning. Anna decided she wanted to be out amongst it, so she enjoyed a cold shower in the wind. And this is after she had just taken a warm bath.

Jude and Olive on the summit of Plymouth Mountain

Today, Jude and I went for a hike with Olive after dropping off Anna at Cheer. Deer Creek Canyon is close to cheer and a park I have never hiked in before. It was a cooler day and perfect for a hike after a little rain last night.

Marcy is away in California for a Ridhwan retreat for the next week.

The Rentons and Dahlens on the bridge at River Run over the Snake River in Keystone

We are just back from a week in Keystone with the Dahlens. It was another great week but this one was a little more eventful than usual.

On Monday, we went our separate ways, with Nathan and me riding our bikes up to Montezuma and back – a great workout and we managed to just avoid the rain.

Tuesday, Marcy, Jude and Lily got up early to tackle Buffalo Mountain. This is the large mountain that overlooks Lake Dillon and dominates the Summit County skyline. Unfortunately, the mountain was in clouds in the morning so visibility wasn’t great. Then they stumbled across some mountain goats near the summit. These goats were not friendly at all and were protecting their young kids and looked like they might even attack them, so Marcy made the wise decision to turn back.

At the top of the Spruce Creek Loop hike outside Breckenridge

Anna wasn’t feeling well (she had pink eye) but the rest of us (including Olive) went on a shorter hike outside Breckenridge. It was a beautiful day for a hike and the lakes at the top were stunning.

Ella and Olive leading the way down with Bald Mountain in clouds in the background

We were all back before lunch and then Nathan, Jude and I went to play golf at The River Course. We had a great time until the 16th hole. That is the steepest hole on the course and there is one turn that doesn’t have speed bumps. I took the turn too fast and ended up flipping the cart. I was a little banged up but Nathan was ok thankfully. Jude watched the whole thing from the other cart.

Wednesday was the rafting day in Buena Vista. I had already volunteered to stay back with Olive as everyone wanted to do a full day this time. They had a blast even though both Jude and Ella ended up in the river at some point. They were both rescued quickly.

Thursday was July 4 and we headed out to Echo Lake for a short hike outside Idaho Springs. Then we wandered around the town of Idaho Springs as they were getting ready for a day of festivities. Then it was back to Keystone where we went to see what was happening in River Run. It was not crowded at all as there was no July 4 bike parade any more.

Anna and Lily paddleboarding on Lake Dillon

Friday is always the Dillon Farmers Market. They have such great food so we all had an early lunch there. Nathan, Jude, and Ella rode their bikes, although it was a super windy morning. That afternoon a few of us went paddleboarding at Lake Dillon. That night was the traditional last-night dinner at Dos Locos.

The traditional photo of the five cousins

It was all over very quickly and this morning we all made our way home. For us, our next holiday begins tomorrow on our Colorado road trip to the southwest of the state and Mesa Verde National Park.

The traditional photo of the five cousins around the pool

Last weekend, we drove to West Des Moines, Iowa, for the annual summer trip. It was a great week. As always Baba had the kids doing all kinds of fun things. There was bowling, a movie afternoon, a trip to Adventureland (Marcy did that one, with Anna and Ella) and lots of games and time in the pool.

Ella and Anna on the train at Adventureland

Jude decided he wanted to play golf with Nathan and me for the first time in Iowa. So, we took one morning and hit the golf course. We also watched Ella compete in a swim meet while we were there. She had the whole crew cheering her on.

Jude being goofy, wearing Olive’s food toy

It was over too soon as we drove back on Friday so Anna could attend the cheerleading skills camp that started on Saturday.

Olive might look happy but she hates long car rides

After the long car ride on Friday, it was a quiet weekend. Anna loved being at skills camp, which continues this week. Also, Anna received big news just before the trip to Iowa. She did the lifeguarding course at DU over Mother’s Day weekend and has applied to many jobs since then. She heard that she got the job at the Buck Recreation Center in Littleton. She has a shadow day on Monday and her shifts will start in mid-July. She is very excited.

Jude, Olive and me on the summit of Windy Peak at around 9,400 feet

It was another stinking hot day today so Jude and I decided to beat the heat and head out for a morning hike. We did a loop around Windy Peak in Golden Gate Canyon State Park. It was a perfect morning to be on the trail.