winter luau

once again our world is covered in white. the mountains, the trees, the swing, all held last nights snowfall.
what is a family to do, when maui still lives in my dreams, and skin holds the proof we were really there?

have a luau!

maybe go for a snorkel

fish for wild, tropical whales with dad.

everyone was part of the festival,
even mr. bear
much against his wishes.
he does look dashing in that flower lei.

flowers in our hair,
dancing,
and shell wearing turtles,
nothing was left out,
it was very authentic.

bathtub diving brings up strange creatures of the night,
and this hawaiian princess rules them all.

thoughts of winter left the building,
and dreams of maui continue each night.

island in the sun

As this trip is coming to an end, and sadness overwhelms me, thoughts of tying myself to the banyan tree in protest of leaving seems just dramatic enough.

I would just like to say, it was amazing!



Love, hiking, and ocean play filled the days.

watching giant, gorgeous whales quickly became one of my favorite past times.
Fins, tails, and bellies, sailing through the air
proving it is their water, and it is they who are letting us swim.

sunkissed husband.
we both felt the effects of winter skin
becoming suddenly bared.
his back, and my bum
were both victims.

a marriage tree.
life here does not die. it falls, helpless into the arms of another,
and from there continues to grow.
roots exposed, arms heavy, it fuses to a stronger life.
i learn from these trees, and fuse my exposed parts
into the arms of my love.

i am a tippy tree, atop a mountain.

i must have eaten 10 of these shave ices.
flavored ice,
watching k play in the ocean,
and whales,
are all things i didn't know i could be so fond of.
hawaii, you've taught me happiness is sitting still
watching.

snorkeling!

i have fallen in love with a jungle.
branches, leaves, vines
the sounds of crickets
and birds surrounding me.
everywhere there is entangled life,
everywhere there are trees.
it will all continue, it needs nothing from us
it is beautiful.

an afternoon spent on this beach.
men catching fish,
and k climbing.

my love of giant leaves has found a home.

hidden treasures in the sand.
beaches we called our own.

Sunset surfing for my man. Proving, once more, he is good at everything.

We spent the evenings lounging on the beach, the smell of the ocean intertwined with that of fish cooking on the grill, pineapple freshly cut, and my husband cooking without shoes.

I have loved it here more than my lexicon is able to express. This place will remain in my heart, and I will return, hopefully sooner rather than later.

6 days and counting

remember when i wrote this. well, that is finally going to happen. and, for all of you not connecting to the link, I'M GOING TO HAWAII. ok, that was a bit obnoxious, but i'm very excited.

we leave on valentines day, and are spending 10 days, unless i fall in love, in which case i'm just going to stay. i've forewarned my work, and my sweet mother in law, she has graciously agreed to bring my dog over if that is the case (she is a very selfless woman)

k, in his usual manner, is reading up on everything maui. he is filling our days with surfing, hiking, snorkeling, and major bike riding. i have helped, in that i am vigorously shopping for swimming suits.

so, we are spending this week yoga-ing, climbing, and running in preparation of near naked pictures that i will be posting for all the world to see. k says it feels like a biggest loser weigh-in at the end of the week.

so, chickies, i will give you a play by play, because i know, as you are all sitting in the cold, hearing about hawaii will perk up your day.

why does saying "i'm not a crazy person"

make me sound like a crazy person?

i love following blogs. i think they are like reading someones journal, like a little peak into their lives. people tend to be pretty honest on them, sending these little notes out into space, wondering if others read them. (or at least i wonder)

but, by getting to know someone this way, or on facebook or any of the other sites, you have this strange sense of friendship, or camaraderie at least, but actually communicating is problematic.

i learned this tonight.

i tried to send one of my fellow bloginites an email, not just a comment. it was difficult to say the least. i feel like i know her, so i tried casual. but i don't actually know her, and my casual may not come across properly. so i try formal, but it sounds pretentious and not at all like me.

i was probably over thinking it.

anyway, i felt silly. so, all of you reading this who don't know me, i'm not as crazy as i sound. also, i would love to hear from any of you.......unless you're crazy.

and, i hope you enjoy the little peaks into my life, i am as honest on here as i can be.

how i've missed the mountains

i may be biased.

sometimes i just like to start with the truth. but, there are somethings in my life that i am totally positive are the greatest things ever. one such thing (or many such things) are the mountains of northern utah. they are huge, and glorious, and inviting. they were built by earth quakes and a giant lake, and they are what makes this area feel so much like home. i think no other mountain range can compare. other than the lake clark pass in alaska, but those are uninhabitable mountains, and bring danger with their beauty.

as of late these mountains of mine have been totally enveloped by the inversion. ick. the other night it blew, and the temperature dropped down in the negatives. it cleared the inversion. suddenly i again live at the base of mountains. the sun is shining, the mountains are beckoning, but, the temperature remains in the negatives. as a small person, i can handle cold weather, but this isn't just cold, this is freeze the lungs, stop the heart kind of cold. so, i here i sit, in the square of sun coming through the window, unable to go outside and play.

my climbing has also cooled.

winter is a difficult time for climbers. it is too cold to shove our poor feet into tiny shoes. too cold to hold onto frozen rock. too cold to be outside doing that we most love. k and i try our little hearts out to remain entertained during these months. we snowboard, we climb in the gym, we do yoga. but it seems nothing compares to climbing out of doors. the gym is great, but climbing on plastic holds is nothing like touching rock, nothing like sticking my hand into a crack, nothing like outside. there are those who love the gym, who train as if climbing in the gym is indicative of climbing outside. i am not one of those. i never have been.

last year we may have been better. taking trips in the middle of the winter. hiking through the snow. climbing while flakes peppered our hats. i'm not sure why we've grown soft this year. why we haven't pushed the limits of cold and climbed anyway. maybe it was because we spoiled ourselves this summer, and as spoiled children we won't settle for less. maybe we've grown lazy. refusing to bundle up and go. or maybe it is a different year, and as the years change so do people.

i'm not sure what it is. what i do know, is that it is time to go again. time to brave the weather and spend the day doing what i love.

and finally, to end this long post, i wish happy anniversary to my blog. i started you one year ago, and, i think, we've done a wonderful job together.

i may be biased.