Four years ago my “New Year’s resolutions” forever changed. I was challenged by a yoga instructor to choose one word for my year. Not a list of “to dos” and grand dreams. But an intention. Oddly, these intentions have guided the last few years of my life in profound ways. 2013 was the year of…

In case you are not well acquainted with the term “dirt bagger” or “dirt bag climber,” here it is: 1. Dirtbag Climber A glorified bum, who spends all of his/her time begging for food, drinking PBR, and climbing. They live the traveling life, taking to the road year-round in pursuit of adventure. Often in a van….

The dust swirls around our Xterra as we negotiate the last few miles of dirt road. Hwy 191 is up ahead, marking our last leg back into Moab. The kids sit sleepily in the back, giving Chris and I time to talk: She was bored. Bored! She told me she wanted to climb and not…

It is still and dark. The clock ticks 5 a.m. and I cannot sleep. I pull out the coffee. Moving slowly, not wanting to wake my exhausted crew still breathing deeply in their beds. Even the dog is curled tightly on the pile of dirty laundry we’ve discarded in the middle of the floor. I…

Not all outdoor sports require a ton of skill and gear in order to get out and do them! And that is what keeps us from pursuing certain activities as parents, isn’t it? Cost. Time. Cost. Danger. Cost. But certain outdoor sports are not only easy to get “into” but flow with their natural inclinations….

It was mile 75. Dark had settled into the woods and there would be no strong moon to fight it back tonight. Chuck’s hands were numb, hardly working. Things like peeling a banana, tying shoes, removing or adding layers of clothing were increasingly difficult. Chris handed him a hand warmer. Chuck dropped it. Chris picked…

The sunlight turned orange this morning, behind hazy mountains, and navy blue clouds. The sky was a swirl of indecision. Lightening. The smell of rain. An unsteady breeze. The colors outside were alive. Somehow, the world I see everyday looked new again. The same black topped streets, the cracked sidewalks, cookie cutter houses all displayed…

In our household summer is waving a frenzied goodbye and fall is just around the corner. Everyone seems to have received the memo except the weather… It is still hot around here! But school is starting. Fall football teams are packing the otherwise abandoned pristine green fields and the sounds of neighborhood kids playing late…

It took five days. FIVE days to get my”chill” on. For good or bad, I would define my family as weekend warriors. What is a weekend warrior? Well, as a family we don’t want to squander or miss a moment of time we can be playing. Our weekends keep us recharged for the sometimes long…

I promise I’ll never give you fake. Consider it a personal goal I have never to be fake. But sometimes it happens on accident, doesn’t it? Especially with bloggers. See, everything is going along fine and then wham! You get hit by something. And if you are like me, that something takes me out of…

It’s that damn pricker again. You know, the one that has left the faintest sliver of a thorn lodged somewhere in the threads of your sock. You stop. You remove your shoe and feel around on the outside of the sock.  Nothing. You take the sock off. Wipe free your foot. Put it back on….

Chris and I were at the movies last night, (the new Star Trek which I loved by the way). Ten minutes in there was some cooky preview for a Google movie, including the ever-present socially awkward young adult that was unable to do even the most simple of social tasks, like shaking hands. Of course,…

Mom, why isn’t there a kid’s day?! My son asked me innocently. I cannot blame my kids…I distinctly remember asking my parents this very same thing. And like my parents, and their parents before them, I responded by saying, Everyday is kid’s day! As a mom, I really don’t know what to think about Mother’s…

The sky is still dark out. Even the moon lies to rest. And for once I am awake and rested at this earlier hour. I am not a morning person, even the prospect of waking early for a powder day or some epic climb leaves me unenthused and coiled tightly around my bed covers. But…

Step. Breath. My feet propel me on. My ever singing headphones pause for a moment. A good, quiet moment and then a sweet voice fills my heart: If I die young, bury me in satin Lay me down on a bed of roses Sink me in the river at dawn Send me away with the…

I dreamt of wintry sunshine dancing through the aspen groves last night. Of powder pillows under my skis. The soft whoomp of snow falling from trees and spiraling flakes that move higher and higher in the breeze. The sun broke through the blinds this morning. And it was time to go. My heart yearned for…

I sit cross-legged in the middle of my living room. Two worlds colliding. “Do you want any of this sewing fabric?” My husband asks. “No.” We are cleaning the garage. Getting rid of the old junk and making way for the new junk. Suddenly he turns to me and says, “I feel like I am…

There isn’t a parent out there that doesn’t worry about their kids. Kid safety is something we all toss around inside our heads, but often do nothing about. Recently my husband received a RoadID Slim wrist bracelet for running. You know…running lots of miles in the early morning darkness? What if you keel over on…

I like simple. I like quiet. I like still. I have three kids. So life is rarely simple or quiet or still. But I love my life. Add into this the fact that we home-school our oldest daughter, run this blog, write, photograph, are committed to a local church and cannot sit still when there…

Confession? If you’ve recently posted on FB or Twitter, “what are your 2013 resolutions?” Then I have quietly and systematically ignored you. (Chances are I am offending everyone here, cause my news feed yesterday was nothing but that resounding question…) The truth? I am not really a resolutions type of girl. It is either the…