twenty-nine

01. he loves cold + dark 02. his favorite season is obviously winter 03. he is a champion for the earth 04. and an advocate for all things efficient 05. he dances like no other 06. and is my guitar hero 07. his smile melts my heart 08. he tickles relentlessly 09. he is a creative genius 10. and a computer wizard 11. he gets a little carried away on the equality of food 12. he's a jeans + tshirt kinda guy 13. he is kind 14. compassionate 15. giving 16. he has an innate sense of direction 17. if I were stranded on a desert island I would want him by my side 18. if I were stranded anywhere I would want him by my side 19. he's creative in the kitchen 20. he has the wanderlust 21. he is spontaneous + crazy 22. in the game of scrabble, he is expert 23. he's on the swimteam 24. he gets high on elevation 25. he has an inner cowboy 26. he's cute when he's asleep 27. he hiccups randomly 28. he loves his jetta wagon tdi almost more than me 29. he knows the value of hard work, in any aspect of life

I live and breathe for this man.

special birthday surprises were had this weekend. unfortunately no surprise party, but a semi-surprise jaunt up to meet my bloggy friend, jen {she is a cute runner blogger and has a cute family blog as well!} and crash her peach days bbq and ride her horses. let me tell you one thing about pete. he loves horses. loves them. I had no idea until that fateful day in costa rica. his inner cowboy spilled out and he's been dying to get back on and ride ever since. they say he's a natural. it was a fun little adventure and I'm glad jen and her family were so willing to share it with us.

his birthday dinner was a special surprise as well. I cooked fish. yes, you heard me. I cooked fish. this is a first for me. remember? and it was surprisingly easy + delicious. I'm not so scared of cooking fish anymore. the meal was rounded out with some long grain and wild rice, roasted vegetables, and steamed cabbage. of course there was the traditional red velvet cake. what birthday is complete without that?

as always, click to enlarge | adapted from THIS recipe

the backpacking bust

it's never a good sign as you're driving down the road to look out your window and see smoke coming from a mountain in the distance.

especially as you realize that the course you're driving is going to lead you straight to that smoke eventually.

and that's when you know that your backpacking trip is in serious jeopardy because the trail head might be on fire.


so as it turns out part of the bridger-teton wilderness was on fire this past week. perfect timing for our wind rivers trip. this is beginning to be the trip that never was. twice. last year's trip was canceled due to scotty, who forgot that med school started that week. this year's trip was canceled due to wildfire.

we're planning for mid-july '09. let's see what happens next year.

so instead of backpacking it was car camping. we tried to salvage the trip by going to grand teton national park. the tetons are amazing. but not quite the same trip when you're camping in a national park. {especially since you're not planning on spending money} at least you have bear lockers to put your food in and you don't have to worry about hanging bear bags.

{click to enlarge}

speaking of bears, we saw one. we saw one about ten feet away from the trail we were hiking on. I don't know if anyone else out there has ever snuck up on a bear, but it's pretty freaky. and quite dangerous. luckily he didn't notice us, or I might not have a face right now.

speaking of not having a face, on the other side of the lake we told everyone we hiked past to make lots of noise once they got near the bridge, that we had seen a bear. everyone was excited. nobody was worried in the least. hello, a bear. where is your healthy sense of fear? this thing could eat your face off. maybe they didn't realize it was that close to the trail. I guess I would be excited about seeing a bear from a distance. a safe distance. like at the zoo or something.


so as it turns out there's not much hiking at grand teton national park unless it's around lakes. {or unless you go backpacking, of course} and as it also turns out peter doesn't really like hiking around lakes--he needs elevation. but my friend really wanted to hike around lakes. total conflict of interests.

so to save the relationship {trust me, things could have turned ugly very quickly} we headed home early. it was probably a good thing because my friend said she was beginning to feel like she was on our family vacation. and nobody wants to tag along on someone else's family vacation.

goonies never say die

sometimes in life all your plans completely fall through and you are left to fend for yourself. luckily, on some such occasions you will happily stumble across the midnight flick at the tower: the goonies. and life will feel complete again as the film rolls by on the big screen.

upward lift

we were traveling down wyoming state road twenty-six, the landscape zooming beyond the window, my thoughts swirling. talk of the fallen arch filled the car. it's sad that future generations won't get to see it, she said. they'll all be gone someday, I responded. but new formations will rise. it's the same song and dance that has been going on since the beginning of time. through various forces, rocks rise. until time, erosion, gravity pull it all downward. it is a cycle. the sacred interplay of rebirth and renewal, of rise and fall.

quickly, I wrote these words down; putting pen to paper before they were forgotten:

the upward lift of rock to heaven
like hands held up in prayer

I held on to this imagery as we kept speeding past the tetons. I thought of these rocks, these mountain spires pushing up toward the sky. prayers unto heaven. hoping one day I, too, could be strong like the mountain.

m. phelps, the early years:

{has always been the fastest swimmer in the pool,
in world record time, of course}

csa: week nine

the goods:

01 cantaloupe
06 peaches
01 eggplant
02 garlic
07 assorted peppers

rode the bicycle to the csa pickup today. don't have to work and feeling free.

this boy

this boy
wanted some brownies
so badly
he even resorted
to sneaking a bite
straight from the pan
in the oven.

the brownies that were
for the funeral.

the brownies that had
to be cut up instead
of being given in the pan to
the neighbor
because of an unsightly
baked-in hole.


this boy just really likes
his treats.

you like?

then please vote.

this photo really says, summer. no? so please go vote for my lil' sis: the summer fun photo contest | #15 mary elizabeth. tell your friends. you know you want to. all the cool kids are doing it.

ps: if you vote and/or vote + blog the link, you can be entered in a fabulous giveaway a la miss mary elizabeth herself. what a sweet, giving person. so selfless like that. you should really go vote for her. really.

taco tuesday

it's back. taco tuesday is back! {for a special appearance this week}

you just cannot go wrong with the taco bar. what with all the taco meats and the cheeses and the special fixin's and all. I like to avoid the hard taco shells entirely, so I suggest using the tortillas you get from costco. you know, the ones you cook yourself. and an addition of fresh cut corn off the cob is a summertime treat. and who doesn't love the taco suicide mix at the end of the night? all the leftovers go in the bowl for one super taco salad.

oh how I love and miss the taco tuesday tradition.*

maybe next time we'll even invite the old crew back.

*for all you single ladies out there, instituting your own taco tuesday tradition amongst friends is a great way of snagging the man you have your eye on. especially if you have a friend with a pool. friends + double decker tacos + swimming + cute boys is a recipe for sure eternal love. especially if he also brings a kayak.

{not my tacos}

csa update

okay, you will all be glad to know we did not get any green beans in the csa today. I am about done with those things. I mean, they're tasty and all, but a couple pounds every week? two people can not eat them fast enough! {good thing my mother + sister gave me the brilliant idea of blanching them and then freezing them for later. duh--why didn't I think of that weeks ago?!}

so without further ado, here are the goods:

zucchini
yellow squash
corn
peas!
yummy peaches!
. . . and that may or may not be all.
oh, and potatoes.

so I'm pretty stoked on this week's variety. really I'm just glad we didn't get any beans. and I'll probably make some zucchini bread again with one of the zucchini's, which is always a good thing. and can I tell you how good that peach was? delightful.

merry christmas, grandpa + venna.

wanted:

a little secluded getaway with loved ones.

found:
a little secluded getaway with loved ones. plus some rummikub.

bonus:
one truly fun ride with the larisch through the oakley/kamas valley.

double bonus:
one monstrous burger at the road island diner + michael phelps on the television.

conclusion:
thank you g + v for letting us pay out our christmas dues in style.

LoVes and avalanches

e + p + p we are missing you already
now who will we go to hire's with? every. single. time.
have the most fun in georgia you could ever have
but don't worry, we will be there someday to run with you on thanksgiving
we love you!

we survived

yes it's true, we survived. what trip to lava hot springs is complete without a float down the portneuf? {well, probably a trip with the olympic-pool-diving-platforms-giant-water-slides and/or the hot pools. or even the diy triathlon, the lava monster.} now this section of the river, the one that flows through town, is quite deceiving. I have seen many people come out bleeding and in need of urgent medical attention. this is why I like to affectionately refer to it as the river of death. so you will be glad to know that we all made it out alive. even my 85 year old grandpa. though we did see some tubers do some pretty stupid things and in turn get pretty beat up. this section of the portneuf is not to be taken lightly.

{click to enlarge}

so much goodness

we had our co-op pickup for the month yesterday. this time around we did the harvest share, meaning more produce and no meat (all the meat from last month's pickup has remained untouched in the freezer). we have so much goodness packed into our fridge right now between the csa and the co-op it's unreal. now I'm just worried that we won't be able to eat it fast enough.

but in an effort to use up some of the goodness, we've made a special little peach dessert for the family get-together tomorrow. so get excited.

god's country

there are forces that shape land: wind, water, pressure, time. they always seem to play out most beautifully in the desert. it is like reading the history of the earth on open pages. a story of rise and fall. a story that we are so caught up in the middle of we don't even realize it's going on around us. every day. we are, in terms of geoligical time, just a speck on the line. I find comfort in that. I find comfort in knowing that whatever we may do, the earth will reclaim herself as her own. eventually. someday. that is the beauty of ecological succession. the ability of the earth to heal. to regrow. to fight. the evidence is in every weed, every blade of grass pushing itself up through the cracks in the sidewalk.

things you might learn on a mini vacation to bryce canyon for your sister's half marathon:

01. patience is a virtue
don't try and pass the line of cars waiting to be let through on the half marathon course.
especially not the police car and ambulance. and the people in the line will shout either
obscenities or scripture to you as you try and get back into the line.

02. the navajo loop + wall street
this is amazing landscape which is worth the short hike (but relatively steep hike) down into the canyon.
you will never in your life be more engulfed in your surroundings.

03. red canyon
perfect for a rain soaked evening and a brilliant sunset. the colors of the canyon walls soak up the evening light. walking among the formations you are reminded of the circles: this is bryce canyon in it's earlier stages. and one day, when bryce canyon has fallen to the forces that once created it, this canyon will take its place for those who come after.

04. panguitch
not just a sleepy town on the way to bryce canyon, panguitch utah could someday be called home.
how we yearn for some small town living.

05. orange + green + blue
god is most definitely an artist. he has put together the most beautiful palate of colors
right here in canyon country. they are deep + rich + vibrant and I am in love.

csa: week four

corn
green beans
apricots
zucchini
yellow squash
cucumber

(I never really posted about last week's csa goodies... sorry. now I don't remember what we got, except for the special cheese from a local cheese company and the mini beets that I had originally thought were radishes... otherwise it was a lot of the same stuff we got the week before: cherries, peas, garlic, et cetera...)

telly without context

my spoon is too big! | I'm a banana!

if you're dying for some time-wasting fun, please hurry your little web browser over to neave.com. more specifically THIS page. you will not regret it. ever. neave television is bewildering, baffling fun. it takes random to the extreme. and I love random to the extreme.

csa: week two

I should really post what we get the day we get it. tomorrow is yet again csa pickup day. {note to self: don't forget that it's csa pickup day} let me try and remember what we got last week...

salad greens
peas
cherries
herbs
garlic

to be honest, I haven't really been cooking much these days. {but who is in this heat?} so if I can eat it with minimal prep, then that's good enough for me. I was just telling pete today that I am so over salad dressings, because I'm raw. it's true. I'm raw. okay, so I'm not really raw, but I like to pretend. I've been eating a lot of salads and raw veggies. so yes, I've been loving the csa. and the food co-op.

the freedom hike 2K8

I feel like every time peter and I go hiking lately I fear slightly for my life. it probably has something to do with rock scrambles and steep slopes. but in any case it's always a good view + a fun time.

I love where we live.

I love our mountains.

I love our new independence day tradition.

csa: week one

the players: salad greens, cherries, peas + anasazi beans

last monday we picked up our first CSA share off of some random porch on sherman avenue and I am in love.