Remember that one time

we had a baby

and it changed our life?

We should do that again.

Happy Birthday Liesel. You are hands down the best thing in our life.

Hole n the Rock

If I was married and living in post WWII-uranium boom-small-town Moab I might consider blasting a 5,000 square foot home inside of a sandstone mound and sculpting a tribute to FDR like Albert and Gloria. Instead, I (for some strange reason) decided this would be a great place to take Brian's family. And it was entertaining. . . 

There was a zoo there with walabies, ostriches, a camel, a zebra and a pot bellied pig (among other things). Liesel was a mixture of confused, stunned and interested. After getting in trouble for entering a forbidden gate, we had a great time feeding the animals and laughing at Liesel's hysterical faces.  

This photo kind of sums it up.

Occupy Wall Street

After Elephant Butte we all went to Wall Street and climbed our little hearts out. I flailed up four climbs, but it felt good to get pumped and actually feel sore the next day. Man, I am so lucky I married my own personal rope gun-- the only problem is that I'm still not a 5.11 climber. 

This is Brian at the top of the route taken with Matt's camera. He's threading the rope to rap down.

Wall Street is loaded with climbs (and climbers). Brian is on the route to the left and an unknown climber is to the right on a different route. 

Elephant Butte in Arches

The last time we summited something was last July when Allison was visiting. Like a true mother/grandma she insisted that she really was cool with us taking off to play while she watched the babies, but this time it was only 3 hours instead of 16. The usual crew (okay, by now you probably know Clay and Leslie) + Matt (B's bro here visiting) headed to Arches to make a quick ascent of the mighty Elephant Butte in Arches.  We added ourselves in the above photo so you can see the scale of those boulders. . . the trail weaves through them and into the fins. 

This little hike was sweet. Rapels, 5th class move, scrambling and stemming. 

Me bossing people around. . . 

Brian leading the way and me pulling the one "tricky" move on the hike. 

Summit shot. I'm pretty sure I'm trying to convince Brian to either jump or act like and elephant (elephant butte-- hello!) in this photo. Not sure what Leslie's doing. . .?

Allison and the babies met us in the parking lot and we were eating Trisquits and cheese spread by 10:30am. Not a bad way to start the morning. 

Dear Island, I miss you.

Sometimes after I've been in Moab a little too long, I start to feel slightly claustrophobic. Living in a valley you kinda forget that the sun actually sets-- instead of just disappearing behind the red cliffs that constantly hover. I start craving a horizon and a long open road. And after living up at the Island for two years, I grew accustomed to dodging cows, going any speed I pleased (since I never saw a cop) and naming various buttes and rocks that marked my path. 

This week B had a climbing patrol up Washer Woman Arch (with along with Druid wins the prize for my favorite) with another ranger and I thought I might be able to catch a glimpse of him on the summit from Mesa Arch. Leslie and I stopped to scope out a petroglyph panel and get poison ivy and then headed up to my old stomping grounds. Is it possible to forget how beautiful a place is after living there for two years? As cheesy as it sounds, this place is special to me. And it's a cryin' shame that so many local moabites have never seen it. 

Liesel and I at the arch-- Brian was on the climbing the tower in the distance. 

Have I mentioned how lucky I am to have Leslie who will go on great baby-friendly adventures? I'm under no illusion that friends like that are easy to come by. 

Check out Monument Basin. Can you see the kissing rocks in the basin? I feel like I could spend a lifetime exploring this place. B and I once hiked down into that basin-- I felt like a tiny speck in a sea of hardened mud. It was other-worldly and completely amazing. 

This weekend we went to Hovenweep ("deserted valley") to see a bunch of ruins built by the ancients with Brian's Arches co-workers. It was impressive but the highlight was seeing the tarantula and having conversations with kids who innocently share the skeletons in the family closet. And eating at a really terrible restaurant in Blanding. But in a town called Bland-ing, what can you expect?

And I'm adorable. with love, Liesel. 

sneak route

Living in Moab is a lot like living about 20 years ago-- before the internet was the main source of information and newspaper disappeared. I frequently hear "I don't have one of them computers-- I just don't know how to work 'em" at church. Instead of Craigslist-- people wait for the Advertiser (printed even!), instead of online journalism, there's the times independent and the Moab Happenings. Inside this little gem (the Moab Happenings) there is a section devoted to hikes-- usually unique and unknown. Last week I tore out the article and Leslie and I went and checked out a sneak route into Black Bill Canyon. I had hiked to Morning Glory arch before, swimming through the hoards of people and dancing around the poison ivy. . . but this hike (albeit 8 miles instead of 5) was far more pristine and beautiful-- but leading to the same destination. Only downside? See that picture of Liesel in the bottom right? She couldn't make any other expression b/c her face was frozen solid. By the time I got home and Liesel was still freezing I had a wave of motherly guilt drown me until she warmed up in the bathtub and could once again move her mouth. . . not really but really. 

the next Da Vinci

If you want to laugh really really hard, you should read this. It is a post from my sister's blog-- and now that she's opened her blog to the world is is a must read.

go*

hike to an arch with Brian. 

climb up a cable with Brian.  wander in the desert with Brian. like it. play Guesstures with the Young Women. eat too much popcorn and pickles. 

play in the leaves with Liesel. bury Liesel in the leaves. watch Liesel eat the leaves. wonder if she's too cold. wonder why babies never seem too cold. 

play at three different parks. swing. slide. crawl. watch kids. go to storytime at the library twice. meet Freeway the story hour library dog. think of Wishbone and how you used to watch that show on PBS when you were too old to be watching that show on PBS. 

do a new hike with Leslie and Owen. have no idea what the mileage is. see lots and lots of deer tracks. talk about classic LDS church movies. eat a pb and j. 

meet a guy on the trail (the only one all day). wants to argue about whether it's an arch or a bridge. change diapers and hike out just as the sun is setting. get a better workout than you bargained for. 

worry that Liesel has a brain tumor. worry that Liesel has a developmental delay. worry that Liesel got bit by a spider. celebrate your anniversary. find out the restaurant is closed. eat delicious Philly Cheese steaks made by B and sundaes. reminiscence for an hour with b. think you're lucky.

dress Brian and Liesel in matching hoodies. project your desires for her future employment with the NPS.

make Liesel laugh. make her laugh some more. think she's amazing. teach her to give high-5s. watch her wave to daddy. laugh at her love for spiral bound books. 

make delicious meatballs. make delicious sauce. clean delicious meatballs and delicious sauce from the wall. from the floor. from the table. from nose, mouth, chin, hands, ears, hair and high chair. 

read "Jacob have I loved." bike to the library and find out it's closed for a meeting. bike to the library the next day and find out it's closed for Veteran's Day. bike to the grocery store and buy something you have never considered previously: Cheez-its with Tabasco. wish you would find an abandoned kitten.

go to craft-night with the girls. make a few amazing onesies with powerlines and tiny skulls. feel inspired and make tons of covered button earrings under the pretense that you will start a business. go to the Saturday session of Stake Conference. go with friends to get banana splits afterward. have your car broken into. write a blog post.

Wilderness of Rock

A few days ago I got the itch to go on a long bike ride. It had been a while and the weather was perfect so I loaded everything up and biked out on Kane Creek to Funnel Arch (aka Cables arch). I had remembered going there with Brian the first year we were here and I remembered the view of Behind the Rocks was incredible. The second time around was just as good. Maybe it's because my interp program at ISKY was all about John Wesley Powell, but I hear his voice echoing "towers of rock, cliffs of rock, 10,000 strangely carved forms. . . rocks everywhere" every time I explore around here. Kinda creepy.

Speaking of Explorers, Lil' L thought she would map out the entire city park yesterday. Her personality is growing more and more every day and she has B and I laughing constantly. She's happy, curious, studious, hilarious, courageous and cautious, doesn't mind mess, loves anything she can sift through her fingers and goes CRAZY for dogs-- I mean jumping in my arms, laughing hysterically, crying when they leave and making this funny "eh-eh-eh" every time she sees them. 

And in true John Wesley Powell fashion, we paddled drove up the Colorado and landed ourselves at Big Bend yet again. This has become a weekly ritual to head out to the boulders and get a little pump. We met our friend Kerri and made the most before Daylight Savings Time robs us of our evening sunlight.