Estes Park

 Estes Park is a small town on the outskirts of Rocky Mountain National Park... There are a few ranch style buildings and restaurants, many actual ranches, and just an overall feeling of being  someplace special that has been well loved and preserved. 
It also happens to be the home of the famous Stanley Hotel from The Shining.
So, what could be better than spending a few hours horseback riding up the mountain with your favorite people and soaking in the gorgeous views?  
It really was stunning...
But I'm going to be honest with you, despite all the beauty and wonder the horses and mountains had to offer..... 
the Hatcher crew was just off this particular day.  I'd love to share all the stories of us laughing and being in complete awe... 
The reality was... everyone was being a total jerk...

Could have been the long car ride... maybe we were tired... maybe we had too many days of each other... could have been hungry... not sure.

But sadly, the people in all of these pictures were just grumpy.
Richie and I weren't speaking.
Luke kept having trouble guiding his horse - he was super frustrated and nobody was cutting him any slack. 

There were very few words spoken amongst any of us.

So, I just took pictures and tried to capture the beauty... 

Despite myself being among the grumpy, I knew this would be the only time we'd have this day and this experience... and I didn't want it to just go to waste..

My boys smiled for me... cuz that's just what they do





And while it hurts my heart a little to know that the pictures show one version of the day ... and all of our memories know another...  I think it's okay.  We're human.  We can have bad days. 

I mean, I'd rather us not pick the expensive, once in a lifetime days of horseback riding alongside Rocky Mountain National Park... but sometimes it happens, I suppose. I forgive us. And I love us just the same. We just happened to pick a bad day to have a bad day.







This below may be my most favorite picture of the day... Luke's horse was a bit gassy... and Sam was being the most honest about how it made him feel 💚


It's the most honest picture of the whole day. Kinda sums it all up.

Better luck next time, Team Hatcher... 😚
"The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry..."

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

In That Space

Image
Wow! It's been a while.  Coming to this seat to reflect and write is always in the back of my mind, but sometimes it's just more complicated than others to actually get here. I have several significant events to share with you. I have pictures!! You must see! We've celebrated Charlie turning 5 (Oh my Lord! His world has changed!) We had our family Christmas time. We've had SNOW! We went skiing. Life keeps happening. I photograph it when I can. And I come here when it's time. It occurred to me today why I haven't been posting much.  This blog is primarily a place where I capture memories, store my photos, share a few laughs, and watch my kids grow. I tend to organize it around the photos I take. While I have a few pictures that I want to (and will!) share with you, for some reason my thoughts haven't been very focused on those photos or those events. I've kind of been in a weird space since the beginning of the year. It's not a bad space…...
Read more

… And My Most Silly Sweetheart ~ My Baby

Image
Finally, I get to introduce to you my baby ~ Charlie Aaron Hatcher. Chuckles. The most perfect nick-name there ever was ~ It's so profound as a mother to bring a new life into the world, and only a few short weeks after the little miracle arrives, you feel like you already know his personality and who he will be. I am describing Charlie to you today using nearly the same words I would have used when he was 3-months old. Funny, whimsical, stubborn - yet easy going, independent, and extremely loving (when he wants to be!) This child has enriched my life in so many ways. He is a little ball of energy, with a sassy attitude that cracks you up. And it's all topped off with a sugar coated sweetness that can melt your heart. I thought I had nearly mastered parenting, disciplining, and molding a child by having practiced with Sam ~ but come to find out I essentially had to throw out everything I learned with Sam, because this one has been a whole new ballgame. Amazing how that wo...
Read more

We Heart the Tomato Head

Image
It has become quite a tradition for the Hatcher family to visit our beloved Tomato Head anytime we have the opportunity. Because we tend to go out to eat a LOT… and because a good dining experience is quite high on our (or at list my) list of priorities, the opportunity to go to the Tomato Head presents itself quite frequently. Always once, many times twice per week. I do believe Sam and Charlie have even decided it to be their favorite place to eat (or maybe they just know it makes mama happy!) On Monday, while on our (home) vacation, we decided to take advantage of our glorious East Tennessee treasures up in the Smoky Mountains. Lucky us… there is a Tomato Head in downtown Maryville ~ so we had to visit as we were passing through. At both locations (Market Square and downtown Maryville), we prefer to sit outside. They have their trademark colorful lights hanging at both locations. Our meal always begins with blue chips and hummus. Always. Sam and Charlie gobble up their ...
Read more