Ahhhh... how things have changed with children (obvious statement of the day).

Russ and I have always loved camping/hiking/etc. We took the twins hiking with us for the first time yesterday to start off our Memorial Day weekend. Russ had given me a nice Deuter brand hiking backpack from ebay for Mother's Day and we were excited to give it a try (it rocks, by the way). After packing up half our house, loading up the truck with car seats and toys and sippy cups, pacifying screaming babies as we off-roaded on some dirt road up to Silver Lake, we were finally on our way. 

It. Was. Beautiful. 

Getting out in nature is always such a refreshing change of pace. The babies even love it. The trail we were doing was only 2 miles up, 2 miles back. After what seemed like quite a while we checked to see our progress - .6 mile. Oh my. 

 

Babies starting getting restless in the backpacks. 

Backs were getting sore. (we have big babies after all)

We finally made the decision to turn around at about a mile. My goodness! Everything takes so much longer/is way harder hauling two 19 month babies up a mountain! Even though it felt like a bit of a failure, we still had a great time, escaped into nature, and got off the mountain without any tears or injuries. So, by golly, I call our first hike with the babies a success! Next time we may just do a less steep hike :)

Utah, you are beautiful. The end.

Sunday Drive

I'm a little sad that by posting this blog post, Grayson's face won't be the first thing you see. But I guess it was inevitable, right? We've had lots and lots of family time lately, you know, with the new and highly anticipated family member who has come into our lives and won all of our hearts over. 

Anyway, we had a lovely Sunday afternoon around the house, and then my mom had the brilliant idea of going on a little Sunday drive. I'm so glad she did. We went up the beautiful American Fork canyon that is just a short drive from our house. We ended up at Silver Lake. My dad and Russ had perma-grins on their faces as my dad pushed his Land Rover to the limits and literally "roved the land." Oh men and their machines.

Utah is so pretty with the amazing mountains that surround us. Sadly, going through the day to day routine causes one to take these mountains for granted (I know I do!), but nights like tonight remind me how grateful I am for the beautiful world God has created. This really is a beautiful place, isn't it? I feel renewed to start this next week of work, plugging away at our many responsibilities. It's amazing how a short drive out of your normal routine can remind you, once again, how good life really is.

PS. Aren't my parents cute?

We Love Them Utah Mountains!

Last fall we bought a bunch of 2-for-1 tickets to Snowbird, our very favorite ski resort. We've been holding out for a big snowstorm when we could experience the true beauty of Utah snow. It looks like our wait was worth it, because yesterday we had such a perfect day on the mountain. Our patience was tested even further when we were driving up and had to wait almost an hour to get in the canyon due to an avalanche. I'm so glad we didn't turn around (like so many other cars), because screaming down the mountain in 2 feet of light, fluffy powder may be one of my favorite things to do. Ever.

And doing it with Russ by my side just completes the experience. 

From left to right: 

On the lift with Russ -- do you think he is having a fun time? 

Waiting at the mouth of the canyon, antsy as can be!

Feeling like sardines in a can while we took the tram to the top. 

Russ wiped out. I found him like this. I had to capture it.

Holy Cow

One thing we love about living in our little town of Lehi is that we are 5 minutes from the freeway, there is an abundance of stores and restaurants, and it is quite a central location. On the other hand, I can hop on the trail that backs up to our yard and run past horses and cows. I even ran into a fox once! Yay for wildlife. Usually I can see these cows out in the field while on the trail, but on my run last night they just wanted to cheer me on. 

And that they did. These guys were cracking me up. All of their heads would follow me as I ran past, so I did it a few times just for fun. Luckily I had my phone so I could snap a quick picture. After I spent a few minutes hanging out with these guys, I figured I better get on with my run. I turned the corner and saw this.

It took my breath away for a second. The sun setting behind Eagle Mountain, the clouds' reflection on the Jordan River, and the fading blue sky ready to retire for the night. It was like God smiling down on me telling me He loved me. I love nature and seeing God's creations, even if they are smelly and "mooo" as you pass on by. I am grateful I have a body healthy enough to get out and see nature. It's taking these breaks from the craziness of life that keep me sane.

2 Years Later

I'm playing a little catch-up here... it's not like me to get behind on blog posts! But lately I have just needed to take a step back from blogs, the internet, and technology in general. I felt that I was getting too wrapped up in the lives of other people, you know, the lives that look so perfect from the internet but are really only 10% of what goes on? My life is really good, and sadly, sometimes I need to consciously stop what I'm doing and remind myself of that.

Anywho, as mentioned earlier, my little brother came home from serving a mission for our church in Japan for two years. It's crazy to not see and only write letters to a family member for that long. Jace is the youngest of only three kids and the only son/brother. So just imagine two older, very protective sisters and two loving parents who counted down for two long years. Shouts of joy were exclaimed and happy tears were shed, all in the little Spokane airport.

As you can see, we were all a bit elated to see that big grin come back to America. Quite honestly, I couldn't stop looking at the kid! He's exactly the same, but at the same time so much older... and dare I say wiser!! My "little" goofy brother turned into a man over there in Japan. (hey that rhymes!) But don't worry, he's still goofy. :)

And a trip to Spokane in the summer isn't a trip unless you spend some time on the lake! The water was a bit chilly due to such a cool spring, but that didn't get in the way of another perfect day on the lake. I loved being with my family, and especially that we were all there together. I can't wait till next time!

Our week on the lake

We've had such a fantastic Fourth of July weekend in the beautiful lake town of McCall, Idaho with Russell's family. Have you ever been? If not, you should really try to make it through sometime. My family has been in the winter for our yearly snowmobiling excursion, but being here in the summer is a whole different experience. Being on the lake is probably one of my most favorite things in the world.

It's been a lazy type of week where we pretty much have done whatever we want (my favorite kinds), yet we are still super sore from water skiing, wakeboarding, tubing, morning runs, biking, and more.

I'm not sure if McCall counts as "the northwest," but anytime you bring me near a mass amount of pine trees, lakes, and cool mountain air, I feel like I'm at home. 

Speaking of home,we are actually leaving this lovely cabin on the lake in a few hours to head for Spokane. The day we have all been waiting for is here! My little brother Jace is coming home from Japan where he has been serving his mission for our church tomorrow. I can hardly believe it. Ok, just kidding, I can. These two years have actually gone by really slowly for some reason. But no matter, the day is almost here. I haven't seen this face in way too long.

So this my official goodbye to McCall, and a big hello to my Japanese-speaking brother!

The {Mountain} Biker is Back

Before Russ and I met he used to do weekly mountain bike races. We then got married and moved to Texas where a mountain could not be found. Russ often talked about these races so nostalgically. I was sad I never got to see him in "his element."

Wednesday night was another affirmation of how much we love being back in the mountains. Russ was like a little kid on his new bike. You see, for the last few years Russ has often mentioned how much he would like a new mountain bike. I told him that if we ever lived in a location where the bike could actually be used, he could buy whatever bike he wanted. Hmm... maybe that was one reason he took this job in Utah?

Either way, it was worth it. Seeing Russ ride and compete, doing something he completely loves, made me so happy. And plus, how can I complain when I get to read a book on the grasses of Sundance with this as my view while I wait for him to cross the finish line?

Oooo! Speaking of races, tonight we are off for a weekend at Bear Lake where I will finally get to run my half marathon I signed up for a few months ago. I am filled with one part excitement, one part dread, and one part nerves. Welp, wish me luck!

Utah Adventure #1: Coyote Gulch

Aaaaand we're back! Barely, that is. We've spent this lovely Memorial Day being as lazy as humanly possible after we just had a killer of a weekend... both literally and figuratively. Let me explain.

We drove down to Southern Utah near the Escalante River to a beautiful little area called "Coyote Gulch." To access the gulch you must backpack in a good 5-6 miles through the hot desert, and then hike in as far as you'd like within the breathtaking revine. You walk through and along a river as you bypass steep cliffs, incredible greenery, natural arches and bridges, waterfalls, and more. You can set up camp anywhere you desire; we chose to set up our temporary abode in a little meadow near the "Natural Bridge," about half-way through the gulch. It was perfect.

And then we woke up the next morning after our killer 10 mile hike into the gulch (believe me... 10 miles doesn't sound too bad, but it is a lot worse with a 40 pound backpack... the whole way). As we went to boil some water for breakfast we realized we had bought the wrong propane bottle for our portable stove. Uh oh. No stove = no boiling water = no way to cook our next 3 meals. We looked at each other, with our aching muscles and feet and said "looks like we better hike back out!" Haha oops. So we hiked 10 more miles the next day.

So there you have it! Our adventure was a little shorter than anticipated, but just as breathtaking and beautiful as I remembered Utah being. But I must say, it was a lot more painful. :) It's funny how you forget how backpacking is such hard work! By the time we pulled in last night we could barely move. And I'm not exaggerating. We were both limping and walking hunched over. I'm sure we were quite the spectacle. After a lazy day watching movies and making a big breakfast today, I think we are ready to take on the world again, or at least be able to walk...

Oh and don't worry, despite being so particular on what I would carry in my backpack for fear of excess weight, I knew one little addition would be worth it:

This picture showcases two of my loves in life... in no particular order of course. :)