Honestly, this is mostly for myself! So next year or next time I can bring up the post and pack my bag. I looked up many a packing list for my three night, all-women’s trip into the Collegiate Wilderness. I added specific brands for items I was particularly impressed with! And I won’t say this…

I am back! And refreshed by the beautiful Colorado Collegiate wilderness. I will share all about my trip soon… for now I will tease by sharing my favorite moment I captured from the trip: But until I can collect my thoughts on everything I learned in Colorado, I want to share about a community of…

Things might be a little quiet on the Kid Project front because this mom is throwing on a loaded backpack and hitting the trail with a group of women for four days. Yes, four days of backpacking and hopefully in the end some refreshed spirits and successful summits of Mt. Belford (14,197′), Mt. Oxford (14,153′)…

This whole “fear” series has invoked some interesting responses. But by and large, the biggest question we have received is this, “What if my kid is fearless? What about then?” And I get that. In fact, dealing with a fearless kid is often times alarming for all us adults. My daughter, as far as I can…

For the last week we’ve been doing a series on fear. What we fear, what we shouldn’t, and how to help our kids overcome their fears. Today, we are going a different direction: how to deal with things we SHOULD fear –  like extreme weather and the potential danger to our family. A few weeks…

I have that song, “You don’t always get what you want…” stuck in my head. Probably cause I chant it to my kids often. But this time, it is echoing around the inside of my head, strumming to the beat of the flu. Yesterday we survived an epic adventure. Yesterday, we came head to head…

Welcome to the third post in the Camping Chronicles. We’ve talked a whole lot about staying warm. Now we are switching gears entirely to potty training. I had to start this post off with this photo. Cause why not?! We all need a few more laughs when it comes to potty training. If you are…

Honestly, looking at the map of Arches National Park last week, deciding on what to hike, I was a little torn. Why? Cause one of my favorite hikes is to Delicate Arch, the same arch we tote around on our Utah licence plate. That one-and-the-same iconic landmark of sandstone. I love Arches, but the remote,…

Moab, UT. For me it is a little slice of heaven. Funny though…we went there many times during college and nearly every trip became epic in someway. Things just always seemed to go wrong – running out of water while backpacking, cold nights, injuries from biking… And yet we always go back and we always…

Our Moab trip report is coming soon. Well…I think so :). Honestly, right now I am laid up with a very unhappy back. And life is sort of eating away at us. So here is a visual peek at our insane camping trip with 16 adults, 14 kids ages 5 and under, and 2 dogs….

To all who are wondering…Yes, the rocks are really red in Red Rock Canyon, NV. My kids were thrilled. Chris once said, “Don’t ever ask me to go to Vegas, cause I won’t.” The flashy lights, questionable everything, and quantity of cement and people – all of it stressed him out. And to be honest,…

One year ago: we lived in a different house, a different state.  Now it seems like a different world.  So many years come to an end, and I am amazed [disgruntled] at how little has changed in my life.  This year I am amazed [loving] all the change.   We talk alot about our adventures…

Seven years ago, almost to the day, Chris whisked (or rather dragged) me under a thundering, wet, magnificent water fall and asked me to marry him.  I don’t remember much of what he said.  In fact I could barely hear him over the roar.  But I’ve never forgotten the waterfalls.  So naturally every time we…

Christmas comes every year and grandparents start asking what to give the kids, and I start wondering what to do after I’ve given them all my ideas.  This year I made a list of useful things – not to expensive – that the kids would love but also satisfy some need in their outdoor gear….

Labor Day weekend. 5 minutes prior we pulled into the parking lot at the ‘Bread Loaves’ area in City of Rocks National Reserve.  The kids were running everywhere, climbing the rocks, throwing the rocks, and generally gleeful to be out of the car. The moms and I made a collective sigh and huddled up to…

Mixed bag… Product features: Zippered main compartment, zippered small front pocket, mesh pocket interior for 1 liter hydration reservoir, mesh side pockets, reflective piping and 1 liter hydration reservoir with bite valve. We got one of these for my daughter’s birthday and overall I have mixed feelings about it.  It is great for hiking, with…

When the weather starts to cool and Christmas draws near, my thoughts go something like this:  what cool toys or clothes should we get the kids?  What on earth should I tell the Grandparents?  They don’t really need any MORE toys! So as summer wore on and turned to fall, I tried my hardest to…

A Quick Morning Favorite! Location: From Salt Lake, take I-215 towards Big Cottonwood Canyon/ exit 6200s.  Follow Wasatch Blvd. south past Fort Union Blvd. and up the hill. Turn left into the Prospector Drive neighborhoods and an immediate right up the hill.  Take the second left onto Timberline Drive and park in spots on right…

that made a summer I will never forget… Antelope Island, UT Anibel (age 4 in photo) climbing at Red Rocks, Salt Lake, UT Peek-a-boo fun! Refreshing Esme at Lower Emerald Pools, Zion National Park, UT Abishai, age 3, sweating it up in the hot sun! Canyon Rim Train, Zion National Park, UT Skipping to the…