What is it that drives you out in to the mountains, on to the water, or in to the storm? This is a question that I ask myself a lot. And my answers are usually different depending on the day. But this day, in July, my reason to load on a 40+ lbs. backpack and…

There is really only one thing my kids want. Wait! What?! There is really only one thing my kids want! No…surely they want lots of things. My kids want a snack and then an hour later, dinner. My kids want a later bedtime, one more story read aloud, and the new Avenger Lego set. But…

The sweat beads on my forehead and runs down into my eyes. The sun hits hard off my shoulders while grass and insects tease around my neck. This is an unwanted sweat, not a well-earned one on some grand adventure. This grass isn’t nodding its long neck to surrounding peaks, but rather shooting tumultuously out the…

  “You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. ” – C.S. Lewis I glance in the rear-view mirror, yes, my bike is still there. Is it wobbling more than normal? My paranoia runs rampant. Surely, just a few days before my first Ironman 70.3 some “game-ender” would…

I spend a lot of time wondering if I am ruining my kids. Anyone else?? When they were babies it was the battle of breast-feeding verses bottle feeding. Then it was balancing nap times with family adventures like camping and skiing. Surely I was denying them much needed rest? Now we are in the school…

For a few months now I’ve been working on a new bio for my Instagram account.  Talk about things that don’t matter… I mean, really! Truly, I agree with the general notion that this whole “social media” craze is a bit excessive, has serious downfalls, and might in the end be bad for humanity as…

One Many readers ask, How do I deal with my toddler or young child that won’t keep their mittens on during winter adventures?   Or won’t wear a bike helmet when I ask them to, especially when so many of their friends aren’t made to wear them? How do you convince a stubborn child to put…

Chris came bouncing into the kitchen yesterday, like Tigger from Winnie The Pooh. He’d just spent a morning skiing thigh deep powder in the Wasatch backcountry and was busy riding a powder high… one I’ve learned that lasts much longer than a runner’s high… I was replacing our 2014 Runner’s World Calendar with a new…

If you’ve been around the block with me a few times, you know every year, instead of coming up with some crazy resolution (or a list of them), I choose to set an intention instead. After all, if January is the month for new goals and life change, then February is the month for failing in them. However…

“In The Open 2015” consists of the gear we choose, use and abuse every time we step out the door, winter or summer. It is the gear we love and need. The gear we’d recommend. This is by no means a comprehensive list, and we have by no means tested or tried every great piece…

Hi friends. I had one of those nights. Those nights don’t happen all that often anymore. My youngest [age 4] had a diarrhea night. You know… accidents in bed, constantly up and to the potty. And as a result I found myself stumbling around the house in a haze for much of the midnight hours. And now…

I sit on my bike, grinding out a full ten minutes right at my o2 threshold, jumping between the thoughts, “How did I get here!?” and “They are just legs!” (You can thank my cycle instructor for that last one, she yells it at us all-the-time.) But I know how I got here… ——————————————————————————— “I’ve…

The wind stirs the trees, scattering mosquitoes from their buzzing bubbles and sending ripples of light across the lake. My kids run and leap after the old rope strung up in the cottonwood, left over from years past when the water was higher and you could launch yourself into it. Their voices are muted by…

I took a deep breath. Exhaled. And with it let go of the stress of my day. I focused in on my next foot placement, moving my hand up into a finger pocket. More than any other sport, climbing helps me unwind and leave the chaos of life behind, if even for a moment. But…

It is nearly Christmas. But even the soft white glow of tree lights and snow falling softly is not helping me settle. I am wound tight. The stress in my shoulders pounding. My nerves nearly bursting. “What are you so stressed about?” Chris asks. Out comes the flood. Last minute gifts! Christmas dinner! Balancing family!…

I’ve come to the point where I really doubt whether any woman has truly ever loved her body. We are so full of criticism for ourselves, aren’t we? Yesterday I tried something new. I didn’t climb a new peak or try skydiving, though I’d love to. I showed up at the gym for “Run Club.”…

Someone posed a question the other day, “what does being an outdoor mom really mean?” For some moms it means teaching their kids to love, respect, and be knowledgable about nature. For others it means living in such a way as to preserve the environment. I know moms who have taken to the road with…

We head up to Snowbasin Resort. The sun shines (a little too hotly for January) and the car is a roar of excitement. Today a few friends are coming up to ski with us, and my son and his friend have a morning lesson with the Grizzly Cubs. They have a fantastic morning but later…

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…

One last look at a year full of a LOT of first for us as a family. First snowshoe trips. First time on cross-country skis. First half and full marathons. First triathlons. First all-family backpacking trips. Even the first time trying Kipper Snacks (basically sardines….) And a ton of beautiful moments in-between. Here is a…