H Rock Walk

Sometimes winter along the Wasatch Front is long. So long in fact that when the sun pokes it's wee little head through the clouds and warms the earth to a mere 45+ degrees Fahrenheit we are literally clambering to bundle up, get out, and enjoy it. I love all these little people. Oh, and their mommas!

My little vampire baby. We're not used to the bright sunshine!

A Girly Girls Weekend

I've just spent a most cozy and snowy weekend at Sundance with my girlfriends. We mostly huddled around the fire and dished about babies and botox and blogging. Hello 30. We stayed in our pajamas. We finally remembered the name of that one prehistoric Will Smith rap song. Impressive. We shopped some. We slept some. We confided one with another. I ate a chocolate donut. It was delightfully relaxing indeed. I'm not supposed to, but I will tell you anyway, that at least one of us waded naked into Deer Creek, up to the chin, at dusk, and with snow on the ground mind you, all for a dare of $35. I won't say who, but she is mommy to my absolute favorite little toe-heads, one with the most adorable lisp your ears will ever hear, and another who calls me Jenny with so much sincere enthusiasm that I've had no choice but to adopt my new name. Turning 30 will not slow (her) us down. Hugs and kisses to all who came and made it a memory.

Millcreek Canyon 'Mallow Roast Extravaganza

Nothing says summertime like a weenie roast up the canyon. Nothing says summer tradition like a roasted chocolate banana boat. Nothing says summer nights like roasted marshmallows, or 5. Nothing says summer fun like an evening outdoors with friends. Which is why nothing less than the word EXTRAVAGANZA would do. I promise, there were actual people there who claim us as actual friends (and even two brand new squishy sleepy-drunk-off-milk babies), not that I took any pictures for proof because the real stars, and frankly the whole point of the night, was the simple food cooked over a simple fire. It was one of those nights I won't soon forget. The people. The kids. The babies. The dog. The laughs. The love. Summerness at its very very best.

xo

Q: how many grown-up boy scouts does it take to start a fire?
A: like 5.

Staycationing 101

Oh Summerness, how I love thee. We spent last weekend tucked away in Deer Valley with friends. It was one of those off-the-diet-hair-in-a-bun all weekend treasures! This time of year the mountains are nothing short of glorious, and you can't beat only 45 minutes in the car to feel like you're a world away. I must have been overly excited to be on vacation because I failed to sleep past 7:00 am on the first morning. Apparently BD was even more pumped because he nearly jumped for joy when I finnnnally started stirring around 6:30 am. Such a vacation no-no.

Friday night we went to the Deer Valley Music Festival and heard The Von Trapp Children with the Utah Symphony. Perched on blankets in the snow park amphitheater we shared a beautiful picnic and I was introduced to cranberry mustard and now I can never go back. Me and cranberry mustard must never be separated again. The Von Trapp's were delightful and fun to sing along in such a pristine Sound-of-Music-y setting. I loved every Dirndl minute of it. 

I smothered little ellejay with no less than 10,000 kisses. The look on her face really says it all. I'm sorry littlemiss, but aunt G has her needs. Someday I will sneak you gum, k? Maybe it's because I adore her mother to no end. Maybe it's because she is a miracle baby that was never meant to be, and yet is. Maybe it's her sweet mohawk. Maybe it's because at 9 months she's oodles of fun and yes, that stinkin' cute. Whatever it is, this littlemiss fills us both with so much hope. She tugs at my heart!

 

The rest of the weekend included a scenic drive to Oakley for lunch and a caramel-Oreo malt at the Road Island Diner, a little baby buffalo {swooooon} and a never-ending rendition of "The Wheels on the Bus" because Leah would cry when mom stopped singing. Oh so cute. Kim had that bus doing things I didn't know buses could do! Superb Mommy skills.

We also spent some time poolside where I somehow managed to unevenly burn the left side of my body to an indelicate crisp. I'm so over being tan. There was nap time, not just for the babe. Come dinner time we ate an elegant meal on the outside patio; I am of the opinion that in the summer it is an absolute treat to dine outdoors. Come bed time I knew we wouldn't have any trouble sleeping in after such a full day. And we didn't. I also didn't want to go home. But we did. Thoughts of chips and salsa at the Loco Lizard certainly helped pry us out of bed and in the right direction. Rough weekend, you see?

P.S. I'm not about to let my passport expire, but I think we're enjoying the staycation thing more than we ever thought possible. If BD were writing this he'd boast "Utah is just a giant playground." My somewhat obvious, unsolicited and non-expert advice is to take advantage of local off-season deals where you can get way more bang for your buck. Oh, and make sure to go with friends, especially if they have a cute baby to munch on. Class dismissed ;).

Sunday in São Caetano

We are only in Salvador for one Sunday but I knew exactly which ward I wanted to attend. There is one very special family in São Caetano that I absolutely needed to see, hug, and spend time with. First, it's such a small world, the driver of the taxi that we took to church has a sister that lives in Provo and served a mission. Furthermore, he's lived in the same condo complex as Jailson for some time now. Here we are headed to church in São Caetano.

The church building has been remodeled since I was there last, and maybe one day they'll even get air conditioning :-). The ward and stake has since split and there is now a branch for a part of the ward that was pretty far from the chapel. The members were singing Christmas hymns out in front of the church when we arrived, and we were invited to join in. They were so welcoming and all the women hugged and kissed Gina. She's getting really good at the double-cheek-kissing greetings. It was good to see some familiar faces.

São Caetano chapel

One major reason to attend church in São Caetano was the Reis family. This family was baptized almost exactly 9 years ago on the 30th of December 2001. The following picture shows Eronildes (dad), Marcos, and Rafael (kneeling). The mom and the oldest son couldn't make it today because of some health problems. So far, Hebert (the oldest son), and Marcos have both served missions in Brazil. They were so excited to show me pictures of the people they baptized who are now serving their own missions. Rafael was 10 when we first clapped at their door and he'll be turning in his mission papers in January. We're secretly praying that he is called to Utah.

The Reis (Reis translates to "Kings" - very fitting)

After church they invited us to their house to see Luzinete (mom) and Hebert with his wife. It was so great to be walking the same streets here in Salvador with my friends. Brother Eronildes plays soccer each week at 67 years old with all the young kids out in the back of the church since he's been the Young Men's president in the past few years. The streets haven't changed all that much and I could almost find my way straight to their house.

The streets of São Caetano

View off the Reis' back porch

They were so kind to serve us lunch after church. We sat and chatted for much longer than Gina ever thought possible. It was awesome to reminisce about the first days when Elder Castro and I met them and when Elder Almeida and I taught them. The oldest boy, Hebert had prayed that God would help him find the truth among all the churches. Because of his prayer, my companion and I were in his living room the very next day reciting the first vision. It's amazing to look back at that day and see why we were working late in that area even though we hadn't worked anywhere near their street before. Previous missionaries had told us that they'd knocked (clapped) all the doors over there. That day we actually passed by their house without clapping and we now realize it was because Hebert wasn't actually home. When we came by later we decided to stop and clap at their door. The dad let us in and Hebert came home from running errands a few minutes later. The three boys are spiritual giants in my eyes. They read the Book of Mormon, prayed, found out the truth, and wanted to be baptized. The parents were a bit hesitant but the boys already had their own testimonies. The parents began to read and pray with the boys and soon they all decided to be baptized. The rest is history and they're still going strong today. I definitely came to tears a few times while in their home again. There is such a strong spirit there. True Christians.

From left: Luzinete, Marcos, Rafael, Eronildes, Hebert, Rose, Gina, me

He's my lobster

e ushered in the new of autumn by spending another lovely weekend at Sundance (spoiled, yes), watching General Conference, playing Old Maid with a smarty-pants three year old, feasting on crème brulée french toast, and successfully taking the lift ride with no acrophobia freak outs. BD makes me feel calm about things I can't control. He's my lobster. Welcome fall!

A perfect weekend looks like...

A two night retreat at Sundance with...yep...just the girls. Every year we anticipate and plan for months to have a couple nights away from kids, husbands, and work just so we can lounge around a cabin in the woods and talk endlessly about kids, husbands, and work. It's just perfect. There is no schedule. There are no rules. We stay up too late. We sleep in as much as we can. We eat whatever we want. We shop the outlets. Then we spend the rest of the time validating each others purchases, laughing at Dr. Phil impersonations, placing orders for headbands, swapping book reviews, discovering the best of the worst on YouTube, and just talking and being there for one another. But shhh, don't tell any of that to our husbands, because I think it might completely ruin their expectations of what goes on at a girls retreat. Congrats, I came away with a whopping 4 pictures from the whole entire weekend. But I think it's 4 more than anyone else took, so I win. Thanks TPF! You are the best snuggle buddy.

Soundtracked

am certainly not a music aficionado, by any means. Believe you me, I cannot carry a tune, and therefore am the most unqualified person to discern the good from the bad. Case in point, I love watching American Idol (top 12 only) but think all of the contestants are amazing and deserve to win. Hence, my music tastes are broad. By that I mean everything from George Strait to Janis Joplin. Bob Marley to Celine Dion. Dolly Parton to Dave Matthews. I've gone through more music phases than Lady Gaga has costumes. What can I say, I like what I like.

This year I've added Keane to my music repertoire, and in a big way. This is the band that will define my later twenties. Three decades from now their music will take me back to this exact moment in life and I'll think about sailing in Belize with my family, BD pedaling his commuter bike, Sunday afternoon naps, and the crazy unexpected adventures we're having with starting our family. Keane is very much the soundtrack to our present. Music has the uncanny ability to transport you to a specific time and place. Fascinating.

There was a time when I would listen only to The Beatles. I took it upon myself to memorize every word to every song on every album. True story. I also went through a Grateful Dead phase, which I'm actually still in. Ahem. Jr. High was an awkward mix of Nirvana (R.I.P. Kurt) and TLC. Come to think of it, Jr. High was just awkward, period. I partly blame Eddie Vedder and flannel for that. Megan Turek had MTV in her basement and we spent countless hours waiting for "Waterfalls" (R.I.P. Left Eye) to come on. Those three girls dancing on top of the water blew our minds. By the time I was in High School I had been baptized by fire with Garth Brooks and country music has had a pretty solid showing ever since. The Dixie Chicks were a staple among my tight little group of girlfriends.

This picture (c. 1999) surfaced the other night during one of my organizational fits. I fought back tears as fond teenage memories came flooding in. All I heard was "Cowboy Take Me Away" blaring through the speakers of the Sigma. More important than the music, I'm grateful to still have my high school girlfriends close by. They taught me everything my 17 year-old self needed to know about drive-by's, ear piercing, tweezing, kissing boys, and skipping school. We've been there for each others' big moments such as marriage and babies and jobs. Not to mention the little moments too, like birthday parties and potty training triumphs and lunch. All of it a far cry from the glory days of high school football games. But if I have learned anything this past year, it's that life throws the unexpected. Bad things happen, people make mistakes, and none of it is supposed to be easy. Turns out, my friends continue to teach me what my 28 year-old self needs to know about the hard knocks of life. Because we all have them. No exceptions. Somehow we find a way to love each other through the good the bad and the ugly. Hmmm, here I was writing a post about music that somehow morphed into something completely different, but all the more relevant to the soundtrack of my life. In true form, I wasn't expecting that.

Jessie O'Neal Photography + Give Away

Hey bloggies! My uber talented BFF Jessie has just launched her brand spankin' new website this week. It's beautiful. It's amazing. Although I'm not all that surprised given that she herself is beautiful and amazing and everything that she even breathes on becomes such as well. I love this picture she took of my gorgeous sister and brother in law. Aren't they a handsome couple? And if you knew them, you would know that this picture sums them up perfectly. It's like their whole love story wrapped up into one perfect image. I LOVE it.

AND

As if her new website wasn't exciting enough, you should also know that today Jessie is being featured on Give Away Today. So click on over there and enter to win her give away! And be sure to visit her photography blog often to see what she's up to.

Zion in the Fall

Zion in the fall is spectacular. We are so fortunate to have some of the greatest National Parks in the country literally in our backyard. In a last attempt effort to squeeze some remaining warm sunny days out of the year we met the Anderson's in St. George last weekend for a quickie getaway and some hiking at Zion.Saturday was only blue skies and sunshine in the Dixie Land. The park was surprisingly green and lush for mid October. The contrast between red rocks and green foliage was stunning. We hiked the Angels Landing trail, otherwise known as the "anyone care to die today?" trail. As someone who is...er, challenged-with-heights, Angels Landing was a tough one. I white-knuckled those chains all the way up and all the way down. Although it was beautiful, the trail was super crowded and the constant stream of bodies passing me on the trail only added to my anxiety. Alas, I made it and lived to blog about it, which is the real measure of achievement in my world. The last day we chose a milder trail along the Virgin River to slowly work out our sore muscles before the car ride home. I wish I could visit every National Park in Utah all in one sweeping road trip. Who's with me?And look! Check out our modern slash trendy engagement shot standing far apart in front of a wall, not looking at the camera, all hip like. Just one more way of wowing you with my awesomeness. You're welcome.

{more} Lake Powell 2008

What I loved most about Lake Powell '08

There is no place in the world like Lake Powell. We discovered that the end of September, early October is the best time to be on the lake. Lower temperatures, warmer water, and fewer crowds make for primo conditions. BD and I feel very fortunate to have made new friends along with spending 6 awesome days with our best friends. Life is good. I loved being on the boat {with Chief at the helm} , soaking up the sun {with SPF 55}, lip syncing to awesomely bad pop music {"hey little mama, oh you're a stunner"}, and giggling with my girl friends {about our jiggling parts}.

Tubin' on the weenie thingie! Oh, the laughs we had on this bad boy. Not to mention the bruises and soreness that resulted afterward. All in the name of a good time.
Playing this hard is hard work. If you weren't being pushed in, you were the one pushing in. It's just how it goes. I love this shot of Rach and I. All you see is me pulling her down with me. What you don't see is how she attempted to push me in first. Not. Gonna. Happen. Learning to wake surf was a definite highlight for me! Not only did I get up, I really surfed! Like really. Threw the rope in and everything. It was a proud moment. Wake surfing was every one's favorite lake sport, and everyone got up, including my 2 pregnant chicas! {It's safe, don't hate}.
And as always, it never hurts to be in a beautiful place with my beau. We especially enjoyed early morning sunrise hikes, roasting banana's by the fire, and lots of time on the lake together.
And last but not least, a HUGE thank you to the Wilding's for making it all happen! We're so very grateful to have been along for the adventure. Captain Jeff laid down only one rule for the trip:

1. It's your vacation, do whatever the heck you want! {As long as it doesn't interfere with anyone else's vacation}.
   

If you read my previous post you would know that he was actually the only one who broke his own rule. The Mr. posted some of his favorite "Pal" pics over on his boy blog. Go check 'em out!

Boys Are Mean: A True Story

Once upon a time, in a far away land called "Lake Pal" four beautiful women were peacefully floating on the lake, getting some sun, and chatting it up like only women of this elite kind know how to do.Hey! Can someone take our picture? Smile girls, this one's for the blog!
In the meantime, while the ladies are distracted with the picture taking, a BOY enters the scene on a wave runner. Seems harmless enough. It's a beautiful day, the sun is high in the sky. A perfect time to embark on a personal journey on the lake to perhaps gain some perspective on how wonderful life can be when you're on vacation with dear friends in such a pristine environment.
It was not to be so. The BOY could not resist the great temptation to spoil a seemingly blissful moment of zen for the beautiful ladies. Unknowingly the women continue with their intellectual conversation philosophizing about the mysteries of the universe until...Disaster struck. With seconds to spare, The Sisters in Zion tried to warn one another. But it was too late. An ambush of catastrophic proportions was already underway.
Hundreds of pounds of water violently sprayed on top of them. Even over the roar of the water you could hear evil cackling coming from the BOY on his man toy. As the wave runner fled the scene the ladies were tossed about in the waves like plastic rafts in a mighty tempest. With all their might, mind, and strength they fought to keep from capsizing. Of course, only a BOY could be at the heart of this sort of calamitous siege. So, with tousled hair in their eyes and lake water dripping out their noses, the ladies let him have it. Expletives went flying. The women banded together, he will pay for this, they vowed. HE WILL PAY. But alas he would not pay. The BOY was not yet through inflicting pain and misery on the innocent victims who were merely attempting to enjoy their afternoon float. Picking up on their sarcastic sass and empty threats, the BOY still found it necessary to prove he was in charge. In a matter of seconds the BOY was back and even more full of hysteria. The first counteroffensive had only been the appetizer to his feast. This tyrant would not surrender until his woeful appetite was satisfied in full. He strikes again. For a second time the ladies are jostled amongst the waves and struggle for breath beneath the torrential downpour. Their lives flash before their eyes once again. After some time they recover from the most recent destruction, but it was too late for the one who got away. All of a sudden a second cohort enters the deplorable one-sided combat. Another BOY, we can only assume.
Hey Jeff! You missed one! Look...she's getting away! BOY #2 bellowed from the balcony above, betraying his one true love for the manifested bonds of brotherhood.
BOY #1 responds with another rueful cackle that could be heard all through the canyon lands. Not about to been seen as a compassionate ruler, BOY #1 revs his engine in pursuit of the one who would get away. It doesn't take long for him to spot the helpless victim trying to escape. BOY #1 eyes the target in his cross hair. Lock and load. {Sigh} What can a girl do? Boys will never change.
The end.