Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Murphy's Law

Please tell me why every time I really really really want to do something after work that Brian gets a call five minutes before we get off because a waterfall of rocks bashed someone's windshield? Or why the day we're both off early he suddenly has a training and gets off late? Or why the one day when he's off early it's my one day working late? Someone please set the universe straight. Murphy is too much of a pessimist to be right.

Despite the universe being off (and our ecomomy for that matter), I've still managed to enjoy the passing days. Yesterday I biked Gemini Bridges with Sophie, Bry picked us up and then we ate dinner with a group of people, played scrabble and hearts and ate organic brownies.

What's up next? Bry and I are taking a vacation. This Thursday, Fri, Sat, Sun Mon we're going to St. George/Zion. I am a happy camper. . . let me tell you. This means we get to go to the temple, watch conference and go to Pete and Jacqueline's wedding (which I am very excited about), see Brian's family (hoorah!) and Le Miserable at the outdoor theater and do Kolob Canyon in Zion on Monday. Murphy is most certainly not coming with us on this one.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Why I love my job. . .

With the return of cool weather came backcountry patrols. I came up with this idea to bike 50 miles of the White Rim and contact visitors, and then patrol a trail that led up back to the Mesa top. Then I'd hike down the trail the next morning and bike more and then take another trail back up to the Mesa top. Bry biked the whole White Rim last week pulling a trailer with all of his stuff. Man, I love this place! Our jobs will be ending pretty soon and I can't say I'm excited (nervous is more like it). We still don't know what's next, but Alaska is definitely out of the question.




Tuesday, September 16, 2008

our backyard



This picture makes me laugh. Mesa Arch is a Canyonlands classic-- we hike it all the time for work and here we are posing like tourists-- and we look like classmates who just met each other. We're still exploring this area-- it's amazing how much we've seen and how much we have left! I'm itching for another vacation and can't wait for Pete and Jaquelines wedding in Zion! We've been on a lot of adventures lately; the black box in the Swell (this was amazing!), climbing washer woman arch (Bry), biking the white rim (Ang), hiking trails, playing ultimate frisbee, rafting, Search and Rescue. . . you name it! My camera has no batteries, so it will be a bit until I can post pictures!

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Appetite

Some people say their biggest fear in growing older is becoming like their mother. I think for me, it would be my biggest fear not to. I would be the antithesis of productivity, passion and virtue. Yesterday as I was wandering around in our little garden, picking produce and feeling my personal satisfaction grow with each brightly colored veggie that made it into the bundle in my shirt, I suddenly felt like my mom; and it felt good.

This past weekend my sister Sarah, her husband James and their four boys all came up to Canyonlands to stay with us. It was stimulating. The energy, the conversation, the activity, the movement, the lizard in the house, the smiling face an inch from mine at 6:30 am, the food, the feet, the laughter, the crying and the fun. Life has so many seasons. It felt like summer in full bloom both inside the house and out. With the addition of one red mini-van, our sterile NPS compound was suddenly a diverse neighborhood teaming with life.

Speaking of seasons, there is a change in the air. It's almost as if the desert knows its September. The air is crisper and sharper, the temperature cooler and the itch to grow pumpkins and sharpen pencils is overwhelming. I want to learn something. I want to discover something that's not outside. I feel like studying cadavers or writing research papers. I want to build furniture or braid a rug. My muscles have been used frequently this summer, but my mind feels neglected. I want to create something. I'm feeling less well-rounded than I used to, but our limited space and constant state of flux makes acquiring anything bigger than my fist a burden.