The Man Hike

Quinn and a couple buddies from the ward decided to hike/camp MT. Wrightson, a mountain you can see from our house. It was a warm day and they didn't anticipate any bad weather. Well they returned home today triumphant and a very tired. They survived "hurricane force winds", pelting rain and hail, freezing temps and a very steep and little used trail. It was a mini epic and just what a man needs every now and then.

My favorite quotes from the retelling:

"I should have brought a jacket."

"Paul didn't bring a tent, just a tarp."

And last but best of all:

"We were talking around the campfire when Costco came up which naturally led to diapers and before we knew it, here we were...3 guys on the top of a mountain talking about which diapers we prefer."

A Date

I went on a real date with my awesome husband wednesday night. We did just about our two favorite things, mountain biking and eating. We weren't able to start until almost 5:30 so it was a race against the darkness. It was a bit hot when we got going but as soon as the sun went down it was perfect. The air was soft and warm and we caught glimpses of the amazing desert sunset at every turn. I wish the picture did it justice.
I love dates! I wish we were those people who did them every week. Quinn is so nice and fun to be with, especially when he isn't playing daddy and I love just being myself and having a break from my mommy side. Quinn opened doors, carried all the water, stopped to give me drinks, loaded/unloaded my bike and warned me of the sand traps and cactus. What a gentleman:)



Also, I got up early this morning to bike by myself before Quinn left on his Man Hike (more details and pics to come, hopefully) This little friend jumped up from the desert floor and wanted to hitch a ride!
I was seriously crusing along at a good clip when my tire flipped this cactus up and into my leg. I stopped as quickly as possible and gingerly unclipped my foot from the pedal. I was so glad I thought to grab my phone and snap a pic before the delicate (or not so) extracting procedure. I tell ya, the desert is beautiful but extremely sharp, thorny, rocky, hot and unforgiving!

My Boys

Have I mentioned lately that I love being a mom?

How could I not with these two guys hanging on me day in and day out?They seriously make me laugh...And they make me happy when I am sad.
Quinn was telling the biker dude from the previous post that he is an AF Pilot. He then turned to me and asked what I do.
"I have the best job in the world.
I hang out with those two all day and let Quinn make all the money." It really is the best job in the world and I am starting to realise that I won't be employed in this capacity forever. Better enjoy it now...I plan to.

Utah-Fall Style

We had an awesome trip to utah a week ago but a one week trip was too short! The best part for the boys was hanging out all day with their cousins. Jack was in "play and play" heaven. (Every morning when he wakes up I ask him what he wants to do today and he says, "Just play and play all day.") Here are all the utah cousins all on one slide at once! We hung out with Becca up the canyon. I love hanging out with Becca up the Canyon, it brought back many fun memories. We hit arches on the way home and camped for a night. It was so FUN!! We were able to hike to quite a few of the arches.
I love these boys!

A nice man from new zealand offered to take our pic. 80% of all the tourists there were from other countries. Those Europeans know how to vacation. They come here for a month or two at a time and visit all the national parks.

Here are the boys on the Harley of the guy who camped next to us. He is on a month long bike ride around the country. How do these people get the time away to vacation for so long?

I see you!

I'm a lucky girl