Springs and Things

Last weekend eric and i hiked out to a hot springs with our friends, joe and natlie and cassie. these hot srings are the coolest thing ever-they are totally natural. people who visit them have moved around rocks to make natural dams and pool up the water. a cold stream runs right by the hot springs, so with just the right mixture you can create the perfect temperature. it takes about an hour to hike to the springs. this day was a great temperature.if you look closely you can see a red line on my legs from the hot water. we are sitting on a rock here trying to get out of the scalding water. most of the time there are people skinny dipping in the springs. cassie and i snowshoed into these springs last winter on a day when the high was 9 degrees F. my hankerchief froze in my pocket during the hike out. i just love doing things like this!




the hike out to the springs. note the changing colors of the aspen trees in the background. it was beautiful!

did i miss fall?

salt lake city skipped fall this year and went straight to winter. we now have a 15 inch base on the ski slopes, and the snow line has descended to the city line. our mountains are again white! it's been raining/hailing/sleeting in the city for the past 3 days. in a city where we get 350 days of sunshine, i have to admit that every once in a while i really enjoy these rainy days. it's not rainy very often, and it thunders even less. it's done everything the past two days though. i've been able to sleep in a couple of the mornings of the storm and it was delicious!

my last day of work on 6 North was last wednesday. it was anti-climatic. in fact, i don't think anybody really noticed or cared. it was a little hard to swallow. i guess it's such a big place and nurses come and go so frequently that it's not that big of a deal when someone leaves. and to tell the truth, i didn't really have any friends on the floor. i mean, they were nice co workers but i never once saw any one outside of work. i am mostly glad to have left the hospital though. several nurses have left recently, leaving the floor down 6 nurses. even more reason to be happy i am gone! i am really looking forward to checking into my new job on monday morning at 10 am. it's a weird time for a nurse, but maybe i have to do some orientation.

today has been a low-key day. it's raining, so no climbing, besides i couldn't find anyone to go climbing with me anyway. yesterday, i drove up the canyon to my friend cassie's cabin. it was wonderful. we sipped tea by the log fire and watched the snow fall. our discussions were very inspiring as well.


this afternoon is in celebration of all things pumpkin. i got on better homes and gardens website and found a plethra of pumpkin recipes. currently iam backing pumpkin spice loaves, with chocolate chip pumpkin cookies waiting to go in. i looked for a good pumpkin candle too, but couldn't find one at the supermarket. it'll have to wait for a trip to the mall or something.

i found a new good tea: the republic of tea- Tea of Inquiry. it is green tea with toasted rice. it's really good. but then, most republic of tea is really good. and really expensive. but certainly the best tea i've had.

new favorite CD: KT tunstall- eye to the telescope.

new favorite DVD: Pilates for Dummies. don't belittle this DVD. i thought it was kinda silly when i was doing it, but then i was sore the next day. pilates is great!

we watched the royal tenebaums last night. i am not sure i quite get that movie. but a lot of ppl i know have said that is one of their favorites. it reminded me of an american Amelie. it was just kinda weird. and we didn't really get the point. i did laugh a couple of times though.

two movies that have been recommended to me recently: I heart Hucabees. and What the bleep do you know? they are both independent films and may be kinda hard to find. but supposedly really good movies.

this past week i climbed the climb that was my goal for the summer. it felt really good to have reached a personal goal and a personal max in climbing. i looked at this climb at the beginning of this summer and thought, wow, i don't know if i'll ever be able to do that. and i did it last week. it was fun, and within my ability and wasn't even that scary. i've come a long way. the climb is called Green Adjective and was featured on the front of Climbing magazine a year or so ago mislabled as the serenity crack in yosemite valley.

i have been having real dog lust recently. it seems everywhere i look someone has a dog. man, i want a dog. we have agreed to wait until at least this spring/summer to look into getting one. we can't figure out how we would potty train a puppy with us both being gone for 12 hours a day when i work. eric would have to come home int he middle of hte day and play with it. we are thinking more along the lines of rescuing a husky. or at least trying to get a well behaved, chilled out one from a sled dog racing breeding place in park city. we have a couple of friends who got one from this place and their dog is a real joy. i think it might be hard to find a chilled out husky though. and our fence in the back yard is definitely not dog-digging proof. we'll just have to see. in my meantime, every dog i see gets a loving pet on the head b/c i want one of my own. i wouldn't be so lonely then on these long days off.

only a couple more hours before eric gets home. then my day can really start.

Cozy Saturday Evening

Leading some .10a in Big Cottonwood Canyon. Smooth quartzite sport climb- fun!



Sunrise in Little Cottonwood Canyon- early morning climbing whohoo! I tried a simple off-width/chimney pitch that pitched me off twice. it wasn't so simple. but i watched my partner sail right through it. then, having seen the moves, i sailed right through it. i love that feeling of getting up early and doing something you are proud of- whether it be a run, a quiet time, a great, hard climb, or making a wonderful breakfast.


Saturday evening: Taboo, popcorn, ice cream, tea, and chocolate zucchini bread. Our friend Brian came over for a little chill out session. We like to play board games together. our friend mark says that we are 'square'. but we did succeed in pulling mark into a game of scrabble. i love playing board games. we were talking tonight about how everyone our age seems to NEED a TV, or alcohol or video game to 'hang out' on the weekends. i am glad we found 'square brian' who likes to play scrabble, taboo, and balderdash on the weekends. he is eric's friend from grad school - so he can understand where eric comes from with school and the stress from it.

today we went to the farmer's market. we bought tomatos, peaches, and some wonderful foccacia bread. then we walked over to the greek festival. and wow, what a festival. we stayed for the lunch served (a bit expensive...but we are contributing to a local thing so it's okay) and it was good. the best baklava i've ever had. we didnt' stay for the dances etc that the greeks do. eric had to do some school work this afternoon. but it was really fun to go and see all the people, and taste all the greek food. i love living in salt lake where we have unique activities like this one to experience.

while eric worked on an MRI scan, i.....watched anne of green gables. oh yeah. i laughed. i cried. i loved every bit of it! after i finished the first movie, i ran to the library and checked out the sequel. i am half way through that one now. gosh, anne of green gables is so great. my heart just beats with her's, and i feel so... invovled when i watch these movies. i want what she wants, become indignant when she does, and cry when she does. it has to be in my top 5 favorite movies of all time. not exactly a guy movie, in fact eric opted to fix my blog last night rather than be drug into watching the movie. he's a great husband, but not even he can get into anne of green gables. i mean, come on, doesn't every guy want to be gilbert? every girl wants to be anne.....

tomorrow we are going to church, and then a good mountain bike ride with brian. he's impossible to keep up with. our only hope is that he is going for a 26 mile mtn bike ride tomorrow mornig. so by the afternoon he'll actually be down to our pace. i love not working on the weekends!

favorite coffee drink: (besides anything pumpkin-spice related which is only seasonal. so this is my favorite can-get-it-anytime-anywhere drink) Americano with half'n'half and hazelnut syrup. starbucks makes a killer one. but here's the key: you have to put in the half'n'half first. have them put in a little halfnhalf, add the americano (which is an espresso shot with water) and a couple pumps of hazelnut syrup. yuumm. you can add the half n half after the drink is made, but coby (my starbuck's barista friend) figured out you only have 13 seconds to add the half n half to decrease the bitterness of the coffee. anything longer than 13 seconds and it just won't taste as right. enjoy!

Feels like Fall

Salt lake is enjoying the first tendrils of fall. i have been riding my bike home from night shifts this week, and brrrr has it been cold! every day i have realized i must add a nother layer to my clothing to stay warm against the chill breeze of my alldownhill ride. it is absolutely delicious! the nights are so enjoyable...the middle of the day is still sorta hot though, still not longsleeve weather just yet. but it is fleece weather at night.i love this time of the year. short sleeves during the day and whatever kind of warm coat you've been longing to bust out all summer at night. i must say i can't wait to wear that down coat again- i love that coat. and that vest. and that fleece. and that hat.....etc.

our patagonia outlet just had 50% off sale this week. 50% off everything already marked down in the store. i bought a few things to replentish my climbing clothes supply (they wear out quickly against that rock!). i just love that sale. there are a million people and the place is really small. i waited in line for 2 hours just to check out. but the deals are worth it.

i finally received a call from the ortho center. my start date is september 25. i am very excited about it, although i still have many questions- do i still have to bring my own scrubs? what about holidays? what will be my exact schedule? i want to work every wed, thurs, fri. b/c that will work out best with the other climber's schedules that i know. i have been trying to give up my anxiety to God though, b/c my owrrying about it for a month won't help. but i like to know RIGHT NOW. and god doens't always work like that huh?

i have been reading the Mark of the Lion series by francine rivers during this bout of night shifts. i apoligize ahead of time to all you francine rivers fans.....but these books are terrible. they are like 3rd rate romance novels begging to be accepted by secular society, but totally aimed at christians who would otherwise feel guilty reading a 'secular romance novel'. i know, those may be some harsh words, but seriously... her writing style is poor and hardly near classic. i thought i had heard that they were a good series to read, so i pickedup the first one. the only good thing i can say about it, is that it has kept me awake at night b/c it does have an element of thrill to it, of which i am ashamed to ad mit b/c i wish i could just put the book down and walk away. but alas, at nighttime, this trashy type of book is exactly what i need to keep me awake. i don't have to think reading this book, i just read and imagine. no thought whatsoever. and maybe that is why i don't like it. i have always enjoyed books that make you really think, analyze, explicate. so i'll give it a 5/10 simply b/c it will keep you hooked, but won't make you any better of a person, or any deeper of a thinker. beach novels is what my advanced placement english teacher used to call them. i guess you could say that i am not a francine rivers fan.

i am reading Rock Warrior's Way- a mental training book for climbers. it is almost religious which is scary in a way, but one of the most useful books i've ever picked up. i think it will change my climbing forever.

i am not feeling very creative tonight. it's the last of 3 nights in a row and i am all 'night-shifted out'. can't think. feel nauseated. hungry. but full. tired. emotionless. guess i'll go read francine rivers.....:)