<
>
<

27.2.13

on applications and jute rugs


My internet time lately is restricted to a. applying for jobs and b. looking for housing. The former always leads to me leaving myself excessive notes that read "call so-and-so on 11/29" or "send follow up email in the morning" and the latter always leads to finding the perfect apartment/townhome/house and then dreaming of what I'm going to put in it. You see, we are now 95% sure we'll be moving to the valley of the sun come April. Which is kind of ironic, I think. We've always said "we'll go anywhere!" so for things to be working out so perfectly for us to end back up in AZ just seems ironic. Ironic and also so exciting. Family! Friends! THE SUN! We love it there and no matter where we actually end up, we'll always love the desert, so if that's were we go, we'll take it. Anyways. All of our furniture was purchased used and then we've had it for nearly 6 years... that's just a nice way of saying I hate it all and we don't want to move it. I feel like the day I buy a camel leather couch will be the day I say "I've made it." Lofty goals, over here. So dreaming of buying furniture excites me almost as much as finding my future career. Which leads me too this: I cannot wait to be hired. I have, what feels like a million resumes out there and there are a handful that just make me giddy to think about. So many good options. I'm hoping that the dust settles over applications and interviews and emails and offers over the next few weeks and we can start making plans. Real life, grown up plans. Boo-yah.

p.s. all the beautiful furniture you see is from west elm (where else?)

25.2.13

gold bug

Lando has been begging me to go snow camping since we moved to the burg and we finally found a compromise. We heard about gold bug hot springs and I decided if I can sit in a hot spring the night and morning before and after snow camping, I would do it. We hiked in 2(ish) miles and set up camp, started a fire to warm up, and trekked another half mile up the mountain to the hot springs. The first photo is the springs, and the second photo it our view. They were *incredible. There were 3 different pools of varying temperatures with crystal clear water. There was a small waterfall you could easily sit under. There was a small smell of sulfur but not overbearing (like any natural other hot spring we've been too.) And that view! 

Believe it or not, the snow camping was not as horrific as I thought it'd be. I mean, it was brutal and I think I slept 2 hours the whole night and I'll never do it again, but it wasn't that bad. 

*So yes, the hot springs were incredible. The people there were not. It's not quite a long enough hike to deter the "bros" and their alcohol. And these springs are "clothing optional"- and wow was clothing optional.  Needless to say there were a few awkward encounters and some things I wish I could un-see. The fact that we went on Presidents day weekend didn't help either. I guess it was an experience, and man oh man, it still makes me laugh thinking about it. 


21.2.13

raise your hopeful voice, you have a choice*

Well, I suppose I should address the elephant in the room and explain myself. (Oh, this is going to be dramatic, I can already tell!) My break was much needed. I was in the throes of a thought heavy semester, I was still healing physically, and I was quite consumed with soul-searching while wondering what was next for our little family.

My thought heavy semester: I took 4 psychology classes and last semester will go down in the books as the semester that changed my life. For so many reasons, but these 4 classes added so perfectly to where I was. My favorite class of the semester, no, my favorite class I've ever taken was culture and gender. I read A Geography of Time, The Feminine Mystique, and Crazy Like Us. I would recommend every one, for better or worse. Our lectures and discussions we're invigorating, thought provoking, and real. My beliefs (in things non-religious) were challenged and often times invalidated. My opinions we're pulled apart, inspected, and even shattered at times- and I was forced to pick up the pieces and form replicas of the old or completely new ones. I suppose I could write more here, but I'll leave it at that. If your mind simply will not rest until you hear more about my life changing class (ha!), ask me. But fair warning, I can talk for hours about it (just ask my sisters.)

Healing physically: from our motorcycle wreck, though I should probably say mentally as well. It shook me up. There is work still here to do. I am lucky I am young and can put myself back together. It took a few months for me to be able to run again, really run like I had before. I'm happy to report I feel 100% myself, although one of my broken right toes is a sad, sad sight to see. And good news! Landon's staple scar healed nicely and he does not have a bald spot, he was worried.

Soul-searching: without getting too deep into it (ha! again) I will say we found out a few more things regarding starting (or trying to start) our family. Bad news, it would seem. But that bad news lead us to good news and new goals and we feel so peaceful, so loved, and so excited to see how and when our family starts. Anxiety and fear have been removed from my heart and replaced with hope and faith. Of course, there is still sadness, but what would happiness be without it?

I'm glad I have this space to share. And if everyone in the world stopped reading, I'd still write anyway.

I'll be around.

*listening to this on repeat, I'm seeing it. In April. On Broadway. (!)

19.2.13

no color clay


Tonight I sat with good friends, eating caramel apples and talking about lots of different things. We spent a few minutes talking about our saggy buns, stretch marks, and broad shoulders. We talked about wishing we could just let go of what we think we are supposed to be and just be what we are. I wish we could see ourselves like we see our best friend. We'd always give ourselves the benefit of the doubt. We'd see beauty in flaw. We'd speak kinder. We'd high-five ourselves after a really hard workout. We'd be gentle. We'd love ourselves more (broad shoulders and all).

I think that's the way we should be seen. 

oh, that's just hippie talk

On our way home for Christmas break, we had plans to spend a few days in the Grand Canyon backpacking with Cam and Casi. But the weather had other plans, so we ended up in Flagstaff for a night (thanks Jess!) and spent a day in Sedona. We did a 7 mile loop and some off-trail hiking. Snow in the desert is pretty rare and it was an incredible sight. It must be the Arizona in us, but man, we love the desert. 

12.2.13

november

In November I spent the weekend in Utah with this pretty sister....
 I trained rat for a behavioral psych class (and hated every second of it) and Lando presented an off-road light project he'd been working on all semester... 
 We spent Thanksgiving at Disneyland with the Lines and it was beyond fun! 1 day at Disney, 1 day and California Adventures, and a 1/2 day at the beach. It was the best trip, the Lines are the best, and Disneyland at Christmas is (for lack of a better term) magical.  




october

The end of October I turned 24 and we had10 minutes of fall before the snow came.