So, remember when I cut out 98% of the stress in my life by quitting my job? Well, it's creeping back in. I recently became full-time at The Journey, which I'm really really excited about. Mostly because it's full-time on my own terms. I can work pretty much whenever I want, as long as I get everything done. So I can go in when the boys are at school in the mornings, or in the evenings before I pick them up after therapy ... I really love it. Plus, it's quality assurance, with a lot of filing and stapling and highlighting and faxing and organizing. I wonder how long I'll be fascinated with the idea of being a secretary ....
So that's new.
Also, I'm having kind of an issue with clutter. I know we've only lived in our house for 4 months, but I feel like the clutter is taking over my life. Maybe it's the boy stuff everywhere or the laundry taking over my life ... but I think mostly it's the kitchen. I feel like I have about 10 square feet of counter top space and it's completely covered. The toaster, the kitchenaid, my fruit bowl ... I hate it. I need help. I feel like I can't get rid of these things ... I need a kitchenaid, obviously. But I have nowhere to put them. I suppose the kitchenaid can stay on the countertop, but I'd really like to stop it there. Any suggestions for organization in a small kitchen? Should I just get rid of these things that I think I need? Help.
In recent news, our dear friends the DeHarts were married. They had a lovely wedding ceremony at the Manti temple, isn't it beautiful? Sorry MJ's face is covered by her hand, it was the only non-blurry photo.
If you go here, Elle Imagery, you can see some awesome photos taken by their photographer, Lacey. In the weddings, then bridals section. They're just great. And the greatest reception. They made jam and had pie instead of cake.
And it was my birthday last week. My mom brought me a lovely cheesecake from costco, the gals at work and I nearly polished it off ... thanks mom, you're the best.
So last weekend we headed down to Zion to do a couple of slot canyons. We planned on Pine Creek Canyon on Sunday then Mystery Canyon on Monday. We got to Zion late Saturday and camped then got up early to get a permit for the canyon Sunday morning. We checked out the weather and decided that since the forecast called for thunderstorms off and on all day, we'd rather not risk our lives with a flash flood.
So instead we headed to St George for a little climbing at Black Rocks, my favorite St George climbing spot. I didn't take any climbing pictures. Sorry. But we did see a rare desert tortoise, true story. I took this picture on my phone:
Then we went to Red Cliffs and did some hiking around, it was cloudy and so pretty.
We went back to our campsite and went swimming (this is important later)with our friend Danny, his sister and his wife Erin (my new favorite), and their
adorable little guy, Jude. Ate some extra yummy dutch oven chicken and rice curry. So good. Then to bed, we were getting up at 5 to start hiking ....
5 AM comes along, Luke tells me to go wake up the boys to get ready and starts packing up our tent. I knock on Danny's tent, then Ryan's, then go back to ours to pack up. I look over and here comes Danny, staggering like a full-on drunk towards us. He says he has a problem. He was supposed to wear ear plugs last night in the pool ... he's been puking all night ... he has vertigo and can't walk straight ... he feels totally dizzy and doesn't feel like he should stand at the edge of huge cliffs then lower himself off them. Fair enough. So we decided to do Pine Creek and went back to bed.
Pine Creek was so incredible. I've done it before, but it was both Lucas and Ryan's first canyoneering experience. The canyon had flashed 3 times the day before (if we had tried it we would have for sure been battered to death by rocks), so it was all murky and cold and really wet. There were a lot of sections we had to swim through ... here are some of my favorite shots (sorry there are a million and none of them are awesome, the lighting was awful):
{before shot}
{Luke on the 1st rappel}
{looking straight down - 60 ft rappel}
{cute boys}
{cute helmets}
{setting up the last rappel - 100 ft}
{me on the last rappel}
{the end}
I don't usually like to get involved in political discussions ... mostly because I don't know anything about politics. Also, because I have a lot of mixed opinions.
I'm not crazy about prop 8, like I don't want to get in a fight with someone who feels differently than I do. I just really believe that marriage is something that should be between a man and a woman.
Here is the statement from the Church, which I totally agree with:
Church Statement on Proposition 8 Ruling
And I really love being married to a manly man.
