A few more days...

Just a few more days here in Moab. We're packing up and heading south to Joshua Tree, CA on Thursday. It's getting cooler here...which means we must go to where it is a bit warmer. We have enjoyed our time here, it's been such an awesome experience to get out and discover what God created. Most of all, we've experienced some great family bonding time and began work to change some of the things we weren't satisfied with before we began this adventure. God is good and faithful.

Here are a few pics from our hikes this past weekend. Saturday we hiked in the 70 degree canyon, Sunday we hiked in the 40 degree mountains. On question we can't answer...why did we leave the midwest for warmer weather and then layer up to take a hike through the snow?

A Mother's Visit

My dear mother, Grandma Chris (as we call her), came to visit us in Moab, Utah last weekend. The weather was perfect - sunny and 80 all weekend. The anticipation of picking her up at the tiny airport was exciting. Koen and I were able to watch her plane fly over us and land from the back of the pick up.

We spent time hiking in the La Sal Mountains. We hiked up, up, and up to find a lake in the middle of no where. It was quite, cool, and peaceful. Just amazing, minus the fear of bears. Spent a little time geocaching - which Grandma doesn't even need GPS for. When we were stumped and frustrated because we weren't finding the caches, she just casually found them...as if it was no big deal. We also hiked at Arches National Park - beautiful blue sky and red sand stone arches. Amazing!

Another great perk of Grandma's visit - date night. Josh and I went to a fabulous restaurant, Center Cafe (www.centercafemoab.com), that uses tons of local ingredients in their dishes. We dined outside - the weather was just perfect. Our food was so delicious and the time we shared was much needed. Here's what we tasted: caprese salad w/fresh red and yellow tomatoes and basil from their garden behind the restaurant and a divine fresh homemade mozzarella...cool cucumber soup with avocado sorbet...pasta fagioli...artisan cheese & fruit plate...house smoked, tequila-lime cured salmon, corn cakes, pineapple salsa & chipotle crema...a decaf coffee...an espresso...chocolate and banana sorbet served w/lemon shortbread! We savored every bite, it was food at it's best for sure!

Grandma left on Monday, and I found myself in a slump for the rest of the day. We've been so consumed with this new way of life that I often forget what I'm missing back at home. I am still happy we began this adventure, but I sure do miss family and friends. We are so thankful for all of our wonderful friends and family, and we can't wait to see everyone when we're back in town for the holidays.

A Great Ride

Last Saturday we went on a great long trail ride with the kids. It took us FOREVER to get ready and actually get on the trail, but we finally made it, and it was awesome! Miles and miles of sand, dirt, gravel, thorns, and slickrock made it an interesting ride with the bike trailer that Josh was pulling - probably an extra 60 lbs. We rode and rode with no one else in sight, and when we finally made it to the canyon overlook we were awed by the silence and the view. We took a nice long break to eat a few snacks and hang out with the kids. Josh fixed the flat tire on his bike that he got when he rode into a thorn bush, we took some pictures, and then it was time to get back on the trail. It was getting late and the supposed 3 hour round trip took us 5 hours with the kids and all. We didn't mind the time a bit! The kids were great, the weather was perfect - warm sun and cool breeze, we couldn't ask for more.

Rock Climbing

Nothing like spending the time to get a rope set up on the rock only to find that your rope is too short. This is the story of of our lives sometimes.

I love my morning coffee.

Aspens 4 Days Apart

Warner Lake

Josh decided it'd be fun to go fishing on Wednesday afternoon, so he picked a spectacular place up in the La Sal Mountains. Kids napped, we packed a bag with snacks, water, fleece jackets, etc. Then we hit the road after picking up a cup of coffee from the drive thru Moab Daily Grind. The drive up the mountains was amazing. There were cows on the roadside, grazing as usual. The aspen trees are changing from green to a beautiful golden yellow...pictures hardly do it justice. The road thru the mountain is paved, except when you turn off to get to Warner Lake - 8.5 miles of bumpy gravel road.

We arrive, get out, only to discover we look like a bunch of tourists...we forgot our bag with snacks and fleece, and we're wearing shorts and t-shirts, and it's 40 degrees (Koen had to wear a fleece that I brought for myself). At least it was sunny. Fishing didn't last long, it was freezing!!!!! The lake was beautiful. Never would have expected a lake at 9,200 ft. elevation. We will go back again, maybe this weekend, we'll make sure to be prepared. Oh, and this is bear country...so we'll be sure to bring some bear spray too. Enjoy the pics!