I was here.

Finally, I have an inhaler good enough to be able to do this hike. It was pretty much the only thing on my bucket list. Maybe I should try and think up some other stuff, but I feel fulfilled in a wonderful way.

Looking up at the arch from directly beneath it.

To give you an idea of how huge it is,

check out the people underneath

(my sister, her kids, my kids, and some random other people).

Delicate Arch, I love you.

A Dry Spell

A blogging dry-spell. Like everyone else, the end of the school year is crazy busy around here. Add to that our trip to the South in the middle of May. It was amazing. Mikay was awarded a trip to Space Camp by her school teacher. She had the best time ever. If the beds had been a little more comfortable and the rooms a little warmer, we probably would not have been able to get her to come home.

Tess, Mikay & Suzy at Space Camp in Huntsville, AL

While Mikay was exploring the depths of space and the surface of the moon, the rest of us stayed in Nashville, Tennessee and had an amazing time. We spent time with cousins, hung out at a children's museum, visited the Grand Ole Opry and the General Jackson.

Doug and our remaining girls outside the Opry.

We made friends at our hotel who were visiting the US from Switzerland and also had a seven-year-old girl. And went to the botanical gardens with some friends who live in Nashville.

The glass bridge at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens.

Although I very much loved our time in the South (the green everywhere is amazing!), after returning home I found did not miss the cicadas. Or the threat of tornados.

Zion

The girls and I spent a long weekend in Southern Utah. These pictures were taken while on a hike in Zion National Park. Amazing.

We used our water bottle holders on the hike. I redesigned my pattern to make them able to accommodate different bottle sizes better, and made some for our friends who went with us. We got lots of compliments on them.

I bought a parks pass. We're going back. We're also going back to Arches. And, I hope, all of the other national parks in this beautiful state. Oh! And the Grand Canyon.

It's going to be a fun year.

Bonnie

l-r: me, my sister, my mama

On Monday we went to a taping of The Bonnie Hunt Show.

We made friends.

We ate hot dogs.

We sang Happy Birthday to Carol Burnett.

We ate birthday cake.

Trisha Yearwood made carrot cake.

We ate more cake.

I got a free t-shirt.

Some of the most fun I've ever had

Arches

All of my life I've wanted to go to Arches National Park in Utah. Last Friday I finally made it. My dream is the Delicate Arch hike, but unfortunately I had neither my good shoes nor my inhailer. We had to take an easier hike. Next time, Delicate!

North and South Windows

My family sitting under the North Window

Looking up at the North Window from behind and below.

My daughter & husband walking towards Turret Arch

The six of us sitting under Turret Arch with North & South Windows in the background.

we went to moab, utah

on the way home

pictures taken through a sometimes dirty window along the way home (southwest Wyoming & northeast Utah) February 9, 2009. Because Doug was driving, I was free to get in roughly 387 shots (ok, maybe that's a slight exaggeration) along the beautiful return trip from my sister's house.

beautiful utah

the other day I was driving home through Morgan County, Ut. The mountains. I love them. I took my camera and started snapping pictures without looking (I figured we'd be better off if I didn't drive off the road). Most of them didn't turn out well (I refer you to the previous sentence) but a few were ok. Thought I'd share...

if you are on facebook, you may recognize this from the flair I made then spammed to everyone

I liked the light at the end of the tunnel, or so it seems. Who would have thought that light would be Ogden?

no comments about this one - just thought it was pretty.

addendum

addendum to my previous post:

a list of things that an aunt (this aunt) can't resist

a baby leaping from his mother to her

refusing to be fed by mama, but only wanting auntie

paci in mouth, snuggling up and holding her hair

crying when auntie leaves the room

walking unstable steps just to get to her

chubby cheeks, arms, tummy, legs, feet (yes, even feet!)

wanting each bite of food blown on to reduce the temperature (yogurt included)

fake, forced laughs from a one-year-old

real laughs from a one-year-old

the dimple in his cheek

the baby in general

somethings an aunt can't resist

I just got home from a somewhat impromptu weekend trip. While talking to my sister on the phone earlier in the week, I heard this little cutie-pie speaking in 1-year-old gibberish. I melted to a puddle on the floor despite the nearly two hundred miles distance between here and there. I did the only thing an auntie can do - packed up my kids and headed out of town (as soon as the girls were out of school on Friday). The minute I got there he was in my arms pointing at everything and explaining, "sess sess." He's a genius, of course.

Here he is helping with the dishes. What a good boy!

Green River

I very much like visiting Green River, Wyoming. Not only do I find the scenery beautiful (although I didn't ever really think desert would be my thing, I do really like it there), but some of my favorite people live there too. Can't beat that combination!

Yesterday we walked along the green belt for a while,

(I couldn't resist photographing some of the wildflowers)

and went to a city kite flying celebration thing.

(my husband and my youngest)

(This is my second daughter, sadly her string wasn't tied tight enough for the Wyoming wind and shortly after I took this picture, it flew away. She was very upset about loosing her Sponge Bob kite.)

I'd move there if I could.

river water

I recently found myself in Green River, Wyoming. While walking
across a bridge, I noticed this sign and wondered how carefully
the aquafina marketing people had considered the location of their ad...

For all of you Preemie Project knitters...

Check this out: preemie Santa hat

How cute for December, huh?

I have some actual knitting content to post soon. I've been working on a few different things. The girls are in VBS and because I don't want to drive there and back and there and back I just pack along my knitting to work on while I wait. I also got in a lot of good knitting time during our long weekend to southeastern Utah (read: lots of time in the car on the way and also during the return trip). Here are a couple of shots of the beautiful desert off of highway 191, just outside of Moab, Ut.

I'm not sure what this is called, but I found it irresistible.


Wilson Arch