fancy shoes

yesterday was our first saturday off in denver together ever. it was a  treat .
we packed the car up with way way way too much stuff as we tend to do . my husband is an eagle scout for goodness sake he would take the whole garage if it would fit.
we headed to rocky mtn national park to snowshoe... i wanted to hike to the same place we had hiked this past summer, dream lake, to see what it looked like in a different season.
boy did it look different we laid on the frozen pond only months earlier we were fishing in.
Where the heck do the fish go was my question? are the frozen or swimming down deep....
 this is the frozen dream lake




i luv this shot he keeps me entertained


i really loved snow shoeing. i had always wanted to do it but had no idea how fun it would be. you should try it in the smokies!




the night ended with a beautiful sunset and an elk sighting
this place reminds me jesus is holding my hand walking by my side inviting me to journey with him i think his beauty is hard to miss in a day when you are surrounded by it . its truly a gift to be here worshiping him in his creation. to god be the glory .
 

smitten

not only did my friend sharon of smitten photography snap these oh so fun photos for our christmas card, i look at these pictures , and reflect and feel as if smitten describes my feeling for taylor in the last six months best. im crazy about him, in love with him, have the most most fun with him, argue with him, be myself completely with him, change with him. i guess thats how i would define marriage these days ha.
  i know moving to co was the very best thing for our marriage. we have learned so much in the last 9 months. we have walked through some really hard times wondering if we were foolish, selfish or blind moving here.  many times we have pleaded with god for changes in our jobs, shaping of a community,  time in our schedules to be together. we have had moments on top of mountains literally were we say is this our life? i love it !  I think this is exactly where God wanted us wondering, questioning, loving, living, growing .

as we have been studying Ecclesiastes in church and i have been reading Jeremiah in my time with jesus. i realize i will always be chasing the wind using an idol to fill a hole in my heart. i realize that if i had everything i wanted here and now i would not need a savior i find myself desperate for daily.
i realize the sweetness of the story jesus is writing in our lives in my life when i slow down... this has been such a great place for me to do this so thank you for reading and being apart of our journey .




here is our official christmas card a little late on the blog hopefully your received it in your mailbox
if not joy.. from the rockies :)



one last reason im smitten when i beg him to climb the tree and put lights up to the top , because it would not be christmas wtih out a big lit tree in front of our house he does it smiling


hope you have a great weekend ... taylor and i are off to rocky mtn national park to bike and snowshoe its our first saturday off in denver together ever cant wait  

board much

vail . beauty.
my new favorite ski resort. the expanses are so wide and the town is adorable



since dec 30 hotel ratliff has been opening and serving friends and family for 15 days straight our little home and big table have been full.
what a joy it was to have our friend jess bring out her new fiance luke to enjoy some fun in the snow.
we skied on a day that lifties laughed at us telling us with the windchill it was below -63 degrees a little miserable to say the least but with good company you can make anything fun



ill probably spend the rest of the winter trying to imitate every move this man makes on a snow board. he is phenomenal like a gun out of a bullet, im learning to keep up a little better these days.

so jess & luke were here then spencer & melody then michael and mary alex
all engaged michael actually proposed while he was here , which was great news for me i get to enjoy all the love which i cant get enough of and also practice skills with my new camera. on all the lovey dovey couples.






looks like there is a lot in store for 2011.
lots of weddings.
many more visitors i am ecstatic to see

including one of my heroes in life my gramie. how many gramies do you know that will jump on stage at your wedding with you and boogie down only a few weeks til she arrives

off to change the sheets for my bff amanda who will be here on friday
taylor will be gone on a boys weekend so we will do all things girl for a long weekend. hoping i can talk her into snow tubing in breck

too long!

sweet times have been had in the last month. a lot has happened.
going home for  a week to bake cookies, be with family, laugh with friends, carry on fun traditions, lay on the living room floor for hours, stay in the house all afternoon with those with we love was exactly what the doctor ordered.
coming home to our home in colorado and our life here felt right as well.
it was not to sad to leave because in the course of the first 2o days in jan our house will be filled to the brim with fun company.

i luv luv my friends we have set a goal of doing whatever we can to be together there are a few people missing at our christmas gatherings but it was a treat to bake cookies late at night, and exchange gifts over a warm bowl of soup .... i am so blessed. now if i can convince some of them to move to CO.

keeping up is hard but oh so worth it ..... i <3 steph shirley
 



in all the years of this little ones life i have celebrated christmas with her and gone to her sweet little christmas play this year she was the angel that told of the good news ! i love her  like she is mine and was so glad it snowed and the play was delayed so i could be there.
yesterday i talked to anya on the phone she told me her new years resolution is to learn to ski ( that girl is just after my heart) .... good news my second family is coming to CO for a week in march


my mom and i bought this same shirt across the country and i walked up stairs to go shopping we both had it on .... so awesome!!


woke up christmas morning to a white christmas .... cant really remember many of these in my life


while these two snoozed taylor's brother spencer called me and told me to get the family on skype so we could talk....spencer was spending christmas with melody in Montana for christmas.... he said WAKE THEM UP NOW...

im glad i did because . great news they are engaged so excited to have another sister i always wanted a sister i got one in 2009  and i <3 big families! congrats to the newly engaged couple
they stopped in denver to hang out with us, it was a treat to get to meet melody and get to know her, she will truly be a great addition to the ratliff family. she can hang in awkward funny moments when most freeze she joins in. i love her already








for a couple that got engaged a day after their first real date their  love is REAL and beyond clear.... i love taking pictures of couples in love freezing an emotion that is alive  is there are no words for it