In the Fall....

I drove up to Colorado Springs this week for Madelynn's 3 month pictures. What a great time of year to drive in through this area. When we were going up we were always so busy and there would be different things my mom would want to do, like going to Bosque del Apache (I think that is what is was called), but there was never time for it all. So she would say she wanted to do it in the fall. We would seldom get all these things done so it became a joke. When there was something we wanted to do we would say, "Sure, in the fall, in the fall...". One thing we wanted to do was drive up north and look at the leaves changing.

Well, I got to see them on this drive and they were amazing. It was raining like crazy on my way up there, but you could see these golden ribbons intertwined in the evergreens as they worked their way up the mountain. It was breathtaking.

I pulled over to take some pictures, and as I did I took a deep breath and mixed in with the rain, was the faint, sweet smell of the train that had just past. And in that moment I could feel a huge hug from my dad. I could hear him saying, "Hey kido, what's up? How have you been? I've missed you." My mind began to flip through all the memories I had of chasing that train up the mountain, laying coins on the tracks, and spending the day on a drive as a family and I was so thankful for those memories.
Right there in that moment I knew my dad was with me, in the smell of the train, the golden trees and the memories. As I felt the warm tears roll down my cheeks I began to drive up the mountain just enjoying these memories.

Then I turned a corner to see... Then I could hear my dad laughing, "Miss me kid?" We never could stay too serious in our family. It was just too funny, and the timing was perfect. Looking for dad in the little things in life keeps him alive in my heart.