We rolled in late to a sky full of stars, a brisk breeze, and a relentless rooster who thinks dawn is 24/7. The weeks have been equal parts cousin chaos, portrait doodles, rummy tournaments, and questionable duck calls. We took advantage of the good weather to hunt waterfalls. The walkthrough of our new place was…honest:…

Packing up three small humans and a lifetime of stuff in two weeks was pure mayhem: marker murals, lipstick “art,” nap battles on vacuum bags, and tearful goodbyes to our besties. Three days and 1,600 miles (plus daylight-savings time confusion) later, we arrived—exhausted, elated, and unanimously voting: next time, hire movers.

Leaving the Rockies feels like folding up a postcard of peaks and sunsets and tucking it into my pocket. Goodbye to snow-dusted pines and skyline trails; hello to porches, dirt roads, and a different kind of wide-open sky.