When my husband's company proposed a move to Colorado, we outlined the pros and cons of moving cross-country, away from our families and everything we knew. High on our pro list was being able to provide our children with the opportunity to live close to the earth and giving them the landscape to pursue outdoor adventures. We loved the thought of showing them how to live bravely and seize opportunities, even when those opportunities may scare them. Upon accepting the transfer, we swore that we would spend every free moment we had exploring this part of the country. We wanted to take road trips and hit the trails in order to explore as a family and use our move as an opportunity to learn and grow together. It has been so important to show them the beauty Colorado has to offer and get them outside enjoying, learning about and caring for the beautiful landscape.

We truly believe that encouraging our children to seek experiences and solace outside will provide them with a lifetime of adventures and a passion for the outdoors. Our biggest adventure, our move, has been a huge catalyst to explore who we are individually and as a family, as well as how we want our children to grow up. It has removed a lot of fear from our lives and has made us brave as we travel, learning from and experiencing our beautiful surroundings.

"Just walk, see, sit down if you like. And be. Just be, whatever you are with whatever you have, and realize that that is enough to be happy. There's a whole world out there, right outside your window. You'd be a fool to miss it." – Eriksson