Night Sky Party

A couple weeks ago it was announced in the news that Utah might see the Northern Lights around midnight.  A few friends and I went out to the Great Salt Lake to watch for them.  I want to do this annually, during meteor showers and such.  It was really cool!

We didn't see any Aurora Borealis, but we did see some strange "northern" lights!

And we had a lot of fun painting with light.

The troopers:

Trail Running

I had no idea I was a trail runner.  I've been too afraid to do it alone for all these years, so I've plugged away hours on a treadmill in front of a TV. 

Afraid no more, I'm tackling these mountains (trying to avoid rattle snakes) an loving every minute.  Especially with the Autumn colors.  Is there anything better than being surrounded by orange, red and yellow?

Teaching Skillz

I've been teaching friends and family to get their hands dirty and do some wood working projects!  It's been really fun. 

 Teeter Totter

Porch Swing

A Painted House

We hired a company to paint our home exterior.  They repaired a bunch of trim and refaced our columns.  We love the new look!

Before:

After:

We love living so close to the mountains.

Jackson Hole

My parents went to Jackson Hole a few weeks ago and had a spare bedroom in their Condo, so they invited us up for the weekend!  We arrived late Friday night, and my parents took Avery ALL DAY Saturday so Todd and I could spend the day together.  I had forgotten how freeing and wonderful it is to spend time alone with Todd.  It was awesome!

We started the day with a 9 mile trail run through the Tetons.

Then we took a 2 mile hike to a climbing wall. I was too tired to climb, or even take any pictures. But Todd did some sport climbing. Afterward, we stopped at a market in town for some food and drove back to the mountains for a phenomenal sunset dinner. The scenery was out of this world!

Yummy food:

Horses, Tetons, and all.

No filters, it was simply this beautiful. :)

We went back to the condo for a quick shower, hot tubbed, then walked through the little shops in Jackson Square. It was lovely. The next day I got up early to catch the sunrise on the mountains. There was mist in the valley, it was haunting and beautiful.

Sunrise was spectacular.

Storm clouds rolled in:

And the rain made a double rainbow over the mountains.

My parents left early. Thanks Mom and Dad for the unforgettable weekend! Todd, Avery and I spent the rest of the morning around Jenny Lake. It rained a bit and was really nice to be outside in the cool weather.

Avery loves throwing rocks into water. Unfortunately she got her throwing arm from me (and my Mom) and isn't very good at it :)

Uintas Backpacking Trip

We went backpacking again!  The Uinta Mountains have hundreds of lakes and hikes for all skill levels.  I really love it there.  This time we went to Notch Lake, so Todd could do some deep water soloing.  The hike was flat and easy, and only a few miles. 

Can you spot the climber?

I forgot Avery's jacket so she borrowed mine.  I thought it would be years before we were sharing clothes!

Sunrise over a glassy lake

I couldn't resist posting this one :)

Family Photo

Hawaii, Where All Your Dreams Come True

Disclaimer: This is a depressing post. I promise once I get it out I'll get over it.

I have a confession. Todd and I have been vehemently trying to move away for the last six months. The best possible place anyone could ever live, in my opinion, is Hawaii, so we have been doing everything we can think of to get jobs there. We even got our Hawaii State Professional Licenses before applying for all and any jobs. I've been putting off trying to have another baby. We haven't been spending any extra money or buying anything, just in case we move and leave it all behind. We decided to give it 2 solid months, and that was 6 months ago.

There's something so refreshing and cleansing about moving away and severing ties with all your old stuff. And to be honest I've been feeling terribly discouraged and demoralized by my life here in Utah. The truth is, every time I've lived somewhere else I've been so excited. And so motivated and interested in my own life. I've been proud of myself for doing something that brings me happiness.

And living here in Sandy, Utah does the opposite to me, and it's not pretty.

The problem is, I'm tired of keeping my life (and uterus) on hold and I think it's time to move on and accept that Hawaii doesn't want us right now. Accept that Utah is home for us, for a while. I think I need to let go of the dream and open my eyes to the beauty that is already all around me. I need to recognize how great life already is, and stop fighting for more.

  I just can't figure out how to do it.

The only consolation I have is that we have the rest of our lives to try to move.  Maybe now is the time to establish friendships and relationships with family and friends here, and later in life will be the time for branching out.  Todd has been very sweet and supportive (and maybe confused) by my need to do and see and experience more in this short life.  I'm so glad he and I ended up together.

Wish me luck getting over this.  And wish us luck moving away some day-- somewhere far, far away. :)