Annual Summer Cabin Trip

Hi everybody!

Time for my once-in-a-blue-moon blog post. 

I thought I would share a few pictures from our recent family trip to the cabin (my mom's side of the family). It is absolutely beautiful up the Weber Canyon. It feels like stepping out of reality and into a dream.

Clint and I took a walk one evening to the "Big Spring" where you can drink fresh mountain water almost exactly where the water comes out of the mountain. BEST. WATER. IN. THE. WORLD. We took a picture on the bridge over the Weber River on our way to the spring:

We went on a hike up the ridge behind the cabin one day. Clint's a hiking fool and he sort of initiated the whole thing. Once you get up high enough, above the firebreaker roads, you run into this massive grove of aspen trees. It was amazing.

Clint with our "minions" (a bunch of my cute cousins who took to following us on the trail. My youngest sister included.)

This one is on the road next to the cabin. This was just another beautiful evening up in the canyon and Clint and I took a little walk down the road to scope out some of the other cabin dwellings.

It sounds like we did a lot of walking, which I guess we did, but the main event up at the cabin is...BADMINTON!!! I played all night, every night with my cousins, sisters, uncles, parents, and the entire clan. Badminton is like the most underrated sport ever. So fun.

snow and other catastrophes

Okay, so it was actually just the one catastrophe. But what a!

We drove to my extended family's cabin over the weekend - just us 2. We thought the dirt road leading right up to the cabin looked packed down enough for us to drive down. Right.

Error in judgment=a couple of hours spent pushing, digging, revving, and spinning out.

We did finally, however, get the car to move out of its icy groove. After the ordeal, we decided to park at the designated, plowed area. Insertion: the designated parking area is just a short distance down this road that Clint is standing in. We hiked in to the cabin and still had a cozy overnight stay.

The next day, we also had fun sledding, flopping, and making snow angels.

I usually don't have much praise for the snow, but after a couple of months of scary-dry winter, it was actually pretty fun to be able to play in fluffy white stuff.

Happy new 2012!

January? What's that? Looks like March outside to me.

I'm fine with the sunshine as long we don't get any stinky inversions. As far as I'm concerned, Snow missed its chance in December. Once Christmas and New Year's are over, I don't much care for snow on the ground anymore.

But anyway. I haven't blogged for a while so why don't I start off January 2012 with a couple of my New Year's resolutions that I'm willing to share? :) (Because you don't necessarily need to know how many pounds I would like to drop.)

Sam's (and Clint's) Goals for 2012 

• Run another half marathon, set new personal best
• do Trek with our stake (Clint and I have been called to be a Ma and Pa)
• finish at least the first draft of my story (Sam)
• keep up Sam's Magical Book Club, reading and reviewing at least one book a month (Sam)
• personal reading goal to read about one book a week, or for really long books, one a month (Sam)
• be more patient and kind and happy (Sam)
• take some painting classes, finish reading book on painting, and complete an original piece of Sam Paintasticness for house decoration (Sam)
• do better at budgeting and spending money
• paint at least one or two more areas in the house (I've slacked on that one for at least a year now)
• help Clint work on our backyard, at least to finally get some grass
• finally hike either Lone or Twin together (also for Sam's first time ever)

How's that for a busy year?

We had plenty of splendid adventures in 2011 and I'm excited for 2012. We also plan to visit Seattle some time during the year so I can see where my cousin and dear friend Emilie is now living with her husband, Todd. Plus I think Seattle sounds beautiful.

I'll try to keep y'all updated on our new 2012 adventures! Happy New Year. :)

My personal Thanksgiving

This is just a simple but very meaningful tribute to the many things I have to be grateful for.

Here goes.

• My family. Unbeatable parents, wonderful in-laws, enjoyable siblings, delightful nieces and nephews, beautiful times.
• My job. The fact that I have one, and... the miracle of being able to do something that I truly like.
• My husband. Separate category from family because this man is simpy his own category. Clint is the greatest wonder of my life. Best friend, adventure buddy, my source of romance, my number one fan, my defender, partner in all things, my daily dose of joy, my morning hug, my everything.
• Myself. Who I am. I forget to be grateful for myself, but really, someone thought that I was worth making.
• Sunsets. A new and unexpected picture of eternity every night.
• Mountains. Painted in such spectacular grandeur from a distance, and a liberating source of perspective when climbed.
• My faith, my church, my beliefs, my spiritual leaders, my opportunities to serve, my knowledge of what this life is exactly. And where I want to be.
• Utah. I swear, can any place claim to offer such a smorgisbord of adventure as a state that offers everything from snowy mountain tops to dusty red desert formations?
• Art. In all its forms. Music, museums, history, literature, poetry, sculpture, emotions captured with paint or pencil. Nothing quite tugs my heart in the same way.
• My health. And Clint's. I almost published this post without adding this to the list! Just goes to show how valuable being healthy is, and yet we take for granted everything we can do until we suddenly... aren't.
• I could enumerate many more, but those are some of the biggies.

Love to all reading this! :) Happy Thanksgiving everybody.

Autumn in Neff's Canyon

Neff's Canyon is, I think, one of the most beautiful hikes I have ever done in the Fall. Clint thinks it's because of the wide variety of trees along the trail that all turn different colors at this time of year. It's true that you see a full spectrum of Autumn colors!

I was loving the backlighting and the glowing colors of the trees. Both great conditions for playing photographer! :)

First Day of Fall!!!

I adore Autumn.

Simply...

Adore.



The first day of Fall was last Saturday, September 24th.  And I was loving it. 

Our Top 5 Summer Adventures

Clint and I decided that we've done some very adventurous things this summer (and spring.)  We decided to list the top 5, and here they are:

5.  Cruise along Mexican Riviera

This one takes 5th place because, well, we both just felt like some of the other things were more cool.  But it still made the list!  It was a first for both of us. Cruising, that is.  One of our excursion stops was a revisit to honeymoon site: Nuevo Vallarta.

And I even got Clint to dance with me to some live music.  So you know, not an everyday miracle.

4. Sun Tunnels

On the eve of Summer Solstice, we watched the sun set through the west-facing tunnel, slept under brilliant constellations, then watched the sun rise through the east-facing tunnel.  As a spiritual bonus we also: pondered our existence in this mysterious and incomprehensible universe.

And as an unexpected bonus: we were quoted in the SL Trib regarding our trip.

Who wouldn't want to experience that?

3. Ragnar Relay - Wasatch Back Race

Pretty dang fun and adventurous and a lot a bit crazy.   Picked up some new buddies, too.

#3 alternate: Sam's SLC Half Marathon.

2.  Zions Narrows

This one is 2nd, beating out Ragnar, because of the extra physical endurance as well as the extraordinary scenery. 

Can also use the same 2 adjectives, adventurous and crazy, with some near brushes with death.  Ok, so, not really.  But Clint did get dehydrated and I did river walk at least 8 miles with excruciating blisters. 

We decided it was worth it.

1. U2 Concert

You may know that I am a U2 fanatic, but did you know that Clint also voted this event for the position of #1?  That's right, even with high expectations for the concert, Clint was blown away.  As was I. 

U2 dazzles.

People aren't kidding when they call U2's music a spiritual experience. 

What a spectacle!!!

There you have it!  We do enjoy our summers, don't we Clint?

scenes from summer campfires

 I feel like posting about some of our recent summer events, but I get a little bored of listing one event per post.  So this one I decided to give a theme: summer campfires!!!

What would summer be without campfires?

Me: a drought summer season in Utah but I've still got swimming pools!
Clint: a depressing shame, and something that will never happen in his lifetime experience.

We both love having a crackly, warm fire in the mountains.  I love it even more when the campfire is accompanied by grand scenery and an artistic sunset.

Clint in his element.

We went up to my family's cabin in August, with my extended family on my mom's side.  It is well-known and even happily acknowledged that Clint is the family's designated Fire Master.  He gets the fire started, he keeps it hot and high while everyone roasts s'mores, and he is the last one to leave the fireside. 

A beautiful sky

a "narrow" escape... Zions Narrows, that is

Well, I know this post has been long delayed.  Clint and I had an adventurous time hiking Zions Narrows several weeks ago; we even thought we might have been rather lost or disoriented at one point even though that would have been pretty hard to do... I mean, all you do is follow the river, right?