On Sunday, I celebrate my 40th birthday, crazy as that is. I was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado at Fort Carson military base while Dad was in the army. While Mom and Dad were not there long, I was fortunate to have been born a native Coloradoan!

I love the mountains, and remember being a kid when we had moved back for a short time, and when we left I watched those amazing mountains fade away. I cried, even then.

Rachel and I went back out to see my buddy David Stephens in the late 90s, while they were living in Aurora, CO. There is something about that place that makes me whole. My love for this nation, my love for God, my love for this planet and all its beauty, and my love for my family all seem to coalesce out there. Rachel and I talked about moving there after we got married, but we wanted to stay near family. I am glad we are here, but I do miss the Colorado Rockies (the mountains that is).

So I fly out tomorrow to meet Rachel, Katie, James, and my mother-in-law who is driving with my family, Sabrina, in South Dakota. We are planning on seeing Mount Rushmore, then on to Crazy Horse, then a few other stops on the way to Colorado. Hope to see the Royal Gorge again, go to Garden of the Gods, maybe do the cog railway, and whatever else we can do outside.

I am really looking forward to it, and I REALLY need a break. I rarely get time off for vacation except for spring break, the rest of the year I work. So I am going to do something I REALLY want to do with my wife and kids (and mother-in-law).

Keep an eye out for Tweets from the western US!

Mom and my father-in-law are tending to our homestead while we are gone, very thankful for the help! So are the animals!