Road Kill

One quick thought/story before I refocus my world on stressing about finals…

 Mike has been gone for almost a month now. For those who don’t know, he got an awesome job in Louisville Kentucky where he now resides, we will be joining him in July when school is out. Moral of the story…I make a decent temporary head of the household, but just had a silly experience that reminded me that I miss my buddy!

 Creighton and Karac: Having a party and taking advantage of every second of having a single parent (like any teenagers would, two against one).

 Cat: Doesn’t give a crap about any of it.

 Caiya (Dog): Living a life that has changed drastically since her best friend/ running/hiking, blond hair blue eyed friend has disappeared from her life without warning. She has no idea if he is ever to return, and is not a huge fan of his substitute.

 Me: I’m doing ok and keeping things in line (to the best of my abilities) but realize as I try to take Mikes place, I don’t cut it. Tonight I took Caiya on a short hike up AF canyon, alone, just me and the dog…as I was climbing up a huge gravel hill I pretty much face planted onto a dead raccoon…

 Realization: It’s funny/fun when people fall onto dead animals, but unless you have a buddy around to appreciate it…not funny. Caiya was no help.

 The End

What is a family?

What is a family? I needed to answer that question for an assignment, and I’ve never really thought about it much because for me, it’s something I just feel and know. I know who the people are in my family, and certain friends who instantly come to mind as well, but it’s the what, not the who. What needs to exist in order to call something a family? Sure when you are born you have a default family, but what are the ties that bind? What is at the depths of the what? I thought it would be fun to ask some people to answer that question in one or two sentences; I got some pretty amazing responses.

What is a family?

A unit of deep understanding.

Family is an unspoken agreement/hope between two or more people to have feelings of loyalty, acceptance, tolerance, love, and/or support towards the other(s) for a lifetime. Family is the unit to which you choose to be genuinely obligated.

The super glue that keeps us grounded, united, and focused on our journey through life.

What life is about.

Those you grow with blood or not, they are the people that make you who you are.
Family is the unspoken relationship between individuals, whether it be blood, friends, lovers, pets that requires no explanation or expectation. It’s the feeling of loyalty and comradery that you can count on no matter what.

The holiday season is upon us, and there is no better time to think about and appreciate family.

Writer's Block

It is official; I have a serious case of writers block…at least according to some of the things Wikipedia has to say on the matter. I have moments of inspiration however it’s getting it out of my head, onto paper, and into meaningful words that is the problem. I am having temporary difficulty dealing with even writing a simple blog! I am lacking creativity!
I attribute it to school frying my brain… I suppose the good news is that I am not studying to be a professional writer anyway.
With that said, here are some pic's of our activities over the past few months. I’m hoping with some r&r, the cells in the right hemisphere of my brain will have a chance to grow back…they were severely suppressed this last semester.



















Karac's Disneyland trip (With Cory, Ash and kids)















Me in The Big Apple!!!
















Mike, Kristen, Caiya Southern Ut.



















Creighton home from trek (Jealous, I wanted to go)















Caiya one man rafting















Kelly Slater hanging out in a TJ's bag

Food for thought...

‎"Everyone is born a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it'll live its whole life believing it's stupid."
~Albert Einstein~


I suppose I fell upon this quote because it is my time to think about how this applies to my life right now, today.... It's not rocket science, but it takes the Saviour and his example to rise above thoughts we may entertain about ourselves and/or others...I am thankful I have the opportunity this weekend to listen...and learn.

amor, sayang, meilė, حُب, kjærlighet, LOVE...

I am pretty sure no matter how it is said, felt, wanted, or given...the ability to love unconditionally is a gift. I have utter gratitude in my heart for a hand full of people in my life, who lift burdens and brighten each day, with simple and loving words or just a smile that radiates inherent goodness. Thank you for sharing such a special gift.

Your Missing Out

You should know that if you don't have one of these...




and at least one of these...




you are missing out on the following: naughty, adorable, curious, protective, clever, mischievous, happy, loving, playful, loyal...

Everyone contributes special qualities that make a family unique, and lately I have noticed that these two (Caiya, and Kelly Slater) are an important contribution to our family. They love us unconditionally and make us laugh constantly...

One Love...

And the lion shall lie down with the lamb




Although this may be one of the more popular misquotes from the bible *refer to (Isaiah 11:6) I am pretty sure either way the message is one in the same, and also answers most of humanities problems... Do your own soul searching and figure out what this means for you. Happy 2011, just a tad late. ;)

What Vacation?

Here is the conclusion Mike and I have come to...if we come home from a "vacation" completely tired and feeling like we just got rocked, it was a success. And so the story goes, we come home from our week in PR feeling in need of a vacation....what a surprise.
The good news is that we dominated the top half of the island from coast to coast, and then some. The main focus was seeing the Rip Curl pro surf contest, and using time in between to see everything else. From the minute we set foot on Puerto Rican soil we were racing against time to make the most of our 6.5 days.
Mike knows how to weave some magic when it comes to planning agendas and time management, which usually entails back to back adventures which are always off the beaten path, and the only way to go.
-Witnessing the best surfers on the planet doing their thing-inspiring.
-Ferrying to the small island of Culebra, having a world class beach all to ourselves, experiencing my first dive with an underwater welder by trade, as my "dive master" (the only one on the island available and willing to take us out)-terrifying/priceless
-Exploring caves carved by the ocean, and others hidden in the rain forest ALONE-thrilling
-A personal guide leading us by kayak, to an enchanting bay hidden by mangrove trees, in the pitch black of the night, through bioluminescent waters-spellbinding
-Cemeteries, Walmarts, loosing our way, finding our way...

Now back to reality.

Some good advice

It's just not FAIR!

I have to take a minute this evening and write about my little sob story.
I've known for a long time now that life isn't always fair, but COME ON!

Tragedy number one. My favorite drink in the world...yanked off the market without warning. No one can say if or when this fizzy delight will ever return to the shelves.




Tragedy number two, I just learned about today. While trying to order my favorite fragrance in the world online, I see the words out of stock...fine. I resort to my brother who lives in New York City. Yay he got me one of three bottles left on the shelf, Boo Karma is being discontinued...FOREVER!



This madness leaves me wondering what is next!

Spread the love!

I have come across this recipe...it is simply too good not to share. Over the summer I fell in love with Mango's, I couldn't get enough of them (until I started buying the ginormous ones from Costco), and then I didn't know how to get rid of them. Luckily I stumbled onto this baby... a dessert that I could never quite replicate until now! Enjoy!!

Thai Mango Sticky Sweet Rice

1 cup uncooked sticky rice (Jasmine or sushi rice works)

1-2 ripe mango's, cut into slices

1 can coconut milk

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp coconut flavoring

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tbsp water

Prepare the rice as directed on the package. In a saucepan combine the coconut milk, brown sugar, salt, coconut flavoring, and vanilla. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. (Don't bring to a full boil or you will loose the good coconut flavor) Add the dissolved cornstarch and stir until thickened and smooth and then remove from heat.
To serve, spread a layer of rice on a plate. Pour coconut sauce, and top with sliced COLD mango's.

On the road again!

This year (the year of 2010) I was looking forward to having a summer that was made up of simplicity and stability...last summer was amazing...I would love to, am planning on, and can't wait to do something on that grand of a scale again; however, it was nice staying close to home and letting our roots have a chance to take hold. There is one week during our summer though, that is particularly popular for everyone in the household, and this year was no exception. Mike and I send the boys packing to Overton, NV (my dad's house...they LOVE and look forward to it) and Mike and I go on a trip for about 10 days!! Year one was Italy, year two was Alaska *kids in tow, and this year we chose Colorado. Weird I know...Indonesia or Colorado hmmm that's a tough choice...but yes, Colorado it was;)
Mike and I went on a short road trip there about four summers ago, and spent a few days exploring ghost towns, hiking around the Maroon Bells wilderness area etc.. If you are into checking out old mines, beautiful scenery, breathtaking views, and soaking in the Alpine fresh air, Colorado is in abundance, and so we decided it needed to be revisited and we needed more than just a couple of days. Other things were on the agenda as well, such as Mike's favorite childhood restaurants Casa Bonita and Beau Jo's pizza, his uncle Bob, the infamous Crystal Mill, the Delaware Hotel, our now second favorite city in the U.S.(Leadville which got beat out by Silver Plume while we were visiting), and the chipmunk feeding frenzy.
We explored, visited, revisited, ate, and hiked our brains out while we were there. Colorado is interesting, historical, beautiful, and has the best summer thunderstorms (which are a rush when you are in a tent, alone in the mountains!) My favorite spot is definitely St. Elmo. I could spend hours sitting, adoring, and feeding the swarm of cute, greedy little chipmunks that will jump in your hand, on your head, and in your bags to binge on sunflower seeds. *Beware of the evil squirrels...they are aggressive and they bite hard! We had a great vacation...most of which felt like a vacation.
Rejuvenated and recharged I am anxious and ready to bid farewell to summer and welcome the fresh breath of change that fall brings.


*Most beautiful/grueling hike to date

A room with a view

This past Thursday we(Mike, Kristen, Creighton, friend Daxton, Karac, cousin Parker, and Caiya) hiked Mt. Timpanogos. Just for the record... it was HARD! I thought I was pretty close to being in the best shape of my life, and what really happened was I think I got my rear end kicked! That's OK though, because it was beautiful, the wild flowers were in full bloom, we hung out with the mountain sheep, and my boys got to experience something that hopefully will become a cherished memory for them, (when they are older, much older) even though they both said they hated it and will never, EVER do it again.
I was excited about this hike and very much looking forward to it. I can only now assume this is because I did this same thing about three years ago and what stuck in my memory, is a state of grace and a feeling of immeasurable accomplishment. How valuable it is to be reminded... Just as with many cherished memories, most of the fine details get lost with the gift of time (i.e. the pain and suffering we sometimes must endure, to reach most of the world's and life's summits). Time performs it's magic and what we are left with are warm fuzzy feelings, and great photo's that give us wonderful happy memories!





(Notice the thrill and excitement displayed in their expressions)


(View from the restroom is fantastic!)

The Countdown!

I'm not sure how I feel when I say this, but in approximately one month, summer as we know it is over and it's back to school for Creighton, Karac and I. Where does the time go?! This summer has been extremely chill if you compare it to last, but in our household, "chill" doesn't mean we are lounging around the house eating otter pops in front of the t.v. As I am writing this, I feel a sense of urgency... we have to get our game faces on, and prepare for some serious adventure before all some of us have to look forward to is textbooks and homework;( (I really love school though and am a little excited to get back into my studies.)
We had a blast in Jackson (Mike nailed that trip in his blog), the boys and I spent a week in Garden City (Bear Lake) with my madre, brothers/sister/nephews and niece. Bear Lake entails 1 large house, somewhere around 16+ tenants, puzzling into the wee hours of the morning, boating, biking, more puzzling, rope swinging, motorcycling, and so on.
Although it's only mid summer, sadly the end is in sight. Luckily Mike and I still have our "big trip of the summer" coming up in a couple of weeks, and enough overnighters planned, to appease that ever insatiable appetite for adventure...for now.