I still have some weddings, seniors, and family sessions to blog from 2013 – but I’m going to split it up with some fun personal stuff in between 🙂 First up, I’ve been wanting to share some photos from a Colorado vacation about a year and a half ago.

This probably sounds a little cheesy, but the very moment I step foot in the woods or on a hiking trail – I am instantly at peace. I feel an overwhelming sense of being “home” and every ounce of stress or anxiety melts away. My favorite place (so far in life) to get outdoors is in the mountains. And the best time to be in the mountains, at least in my opinion, is when the Aspens are changing. We rented a perfectly eclectic log cabin in Basalt, with a bunch of friends and family, and had a great time.

Sunrise from the balcony, looking toward Aspen.

My in-laws and a family friend having coffee around the fire pit.

LOVED the house.


Mt. Sopris directly across the valley to the south. We hiked part way up there last summer to Thomas Lakes (another blog post 🙂


Love this silly girl soooo much!


This trip was mostly for RZR riding, this is from day one, headed to Taylor Pass.




Chad and Ashley, halfway up Taylor Pass.

This is the road they are standing on the edge of, crazy drop off!


From the top of Taylor Pass, looking toward Aspen.

And the other direction 🙂

Same road, coming down.




Riding near Electric Mountain Lodge, in the Grand Mesa National Forest. The Aspen trees make everything look tiny!



Foggy view from the parking lot at Electric Mountain Lodge.



Our crew 🙂 It was the last week in September, but in the 30’s and 40’s, and so cold!


This was incredible. The Aspens were so thick, you couldn’t see daylight behind them.

Family pic, note the mud 😉



Went to Maroon Bells for a bit.

Beaver Lake in Marble.


Ashley is a good photographer. She can even use my 70-200 lens and back button focus!








RZR ride to Crystal Mill.











The RZR looks so small.

The way the trail drops off scares me SO much, but it’s so worth it to see these views 🙂




Dream home. For real.

Crystal Mill in the Fall.