freckles

I have the day off today. I could barely sleep last night I was so excited. This morning I was woken up by a man with the most perfectly placed freckles on his nose and cheeks- telling me how much he loves me.
Being so excited that I didn't miss the opportunity to love the morning (I usually sleep in waaaaay to long on my days off)- I got ready. Underarmor, shoes, water bottle, ipod, check, check, check. And I was off on the Jordan River trail on a bike ride.
The sun was coming up and I literally couldn't help holding up my fingers up with my imaginary camera and snapping all the pretty shots around me. I wish camera's weren't so big, I want one built in my arm, maybe my palm. But only to appear when I need it.
It was so nice outside. The smells, the breeze, the sun peering through the trees making breath taking shadows and pictures. My favorite part though, wasn't any of that. It wasn't even the cutie squirrel who didn't move when I about decapitated him.
It was all the couples I saw. Old, young, wearing funny sweat suits... The couples that were holding hands, walking down that pretty trail. Together. It makes me happy to see people have what I have.
Another half.

life in motion

Yay for photography!

I started a beginning DSLR photography class last week and I've really enjoyed it. I was kind of nervous to start it - thinking that I would most definitely be the "most-beginner" and not know what I was doing. And.. most of the time I really don't, but I'm learning lots already and I totally love it. I've learned that our eyes make everything we see into a constant flowing movie- photography can stop this "movie" and capture views that we would normally, never see. Obviously.
Sooo... my first assignment was to show and freeze motion. Here's what I've come up with.


Yes that was I, sitting in the back of the car, next to this scooter-ing boy with my camera sticking out the window... going back... and forth and back and forth for an hour mind you- down the road, blocking traffic, just trying to get this perfect shot! It was totally worth it.

This was taken at Salem Pond (if you're feelin down about your fishing skills I highly recommend this spot to build up your fishing confidence- we know from experience). It took an hour to get one picture of this dragon fly flapping it's crazy fast wings!

This was taken with my shutter speed at 30 seconds- 30 SECONDS!


These last pictures were taken at Bridal Veil Falls yesterday at 8:00 in the am. I showed up in flip flops and holy macrol it was freezing! I was actually kind of bummed it was so freezing, I could have been there a lot longer, but after awhile I was completely miserable and my poor chubby toes could handle no more. Having your shutter speed open captures the coolest shots while shooting water!

Yesterday we also went boating with our new found friend ward-ys and we're so happy we went. The weather was amazing the water was calm- grossly green, and it was sooo nice to be outside. Ah we want a boat!
Here's some of my mans motion on the water yesterday. I'll save the worst for last.


and for the worst.... : ) this was about all the motion I got

I'll get up next time I promise. But can I just tell you?
Alotta sore for not alotta action.

9/21/2011

jor: is today the last day of summer?

me: um.. Maybe! Isn't 6/21/11, "sommer solstice"- the first day of summer? That would make sense that 9/21 is the last day of summer....blab blab blab.

jor: (blunt-ly) Umm... Yeah, I don't know anything about that kind of stuff. My student just told me today that it was the last day of summer.

I found this hilarious at the time. Jor then preceded to tell me that he lets his students know that Mr. Schmidt forgets things a lot. He tells them that if they remember what he forgot, they have to tell the "classroom helper" and the classroom helper will tell him what he has forgotten. Pretty smooth my man is... Don't let your kids know you actually don't know the answer. : ) I wish I could be his assistant again, I think I'm ready for a career change.

Nothing like the smell of mink in the morning

Mink farms?

Yes, they are real. Yes, there are four within a 1 mile radius of us and yes, they're weird, and mean and smelly. Verrrrrrry smelly.

Before we moved here I didn't really think they existed. I had heard of mink coats, but I thought they were made in China or something. Silly me.
The mink farm smell has been getting pretty bad lately. Yesterday was the absolute worst that I have EVER smelled it. As in "seriously Jory, do that in the other room- oh wait that isn't you it's the mink farm terrible..".
It's been so nice to have our windows open lately to skip our money air (ac)... but we can hardly keep the windows open cause the smell is so bad! (At least yesterday)
So that's pretty fun.

Also, we've got another ... factor that's contributing to our early morning wake ups, (besides smells).
Meet Mr. Rooster.


Every morning we here him cockadoodling ... Jor says, that sounds like it's RIGHT outside our window! And it really does. It's not too loud, but it makes me smile because growing up at my parents house... living in apartments... in REXBURG even... I've never had the pleasure of waking up to a real life rooster.

So, yesterday while wandering around in the early morn with my camera, I heard a cockadoodling and followed it until I found the culprit... a orangey pretty rooster that looks like a girl. Are all roosters boys? I think he's a she. She seemed pretty bugged that I was invading her personal space but I had to document it for Jory to see our newest alarm clock.

(above: our friend "cockadoodling")

things I love

when I am scrubbing the bathroom tub (something I actually absoultely, positively hate) and I hear Jory stop playing plants vs aliens and start doing the dishes downstairs

the weather this time of year

my cherry tomatoes that are orange not red

that some how this week, God has blessed me with the ability to run two miles- with out stopping (folks that is huga for sarita)

when I'm at the grocery store trying to avoid looking like a homeless person digging through the 25 cent item filled shopping carts- I turn around to see a goofy Jory with arms full and overflowing with 25 cent items

when old strange people at work tell jokes that make them laugh so hard that you can't help but laugh just as hard as they are laughing because well, they are just so darn cute

the utah mountains

my mama's mri and ct scans coming back clean

shawn spencer

food blogs.

sweat

For Jay's birthday we (Jor, Jordon, Jay and I) decided to go on a real "mountain bike" ride. What we didn't know before we started, was that this mountain bike ride was going to be the most intense physical activity (besides maybe hell week during Jor and Jord's football career) I hear that's pretty brutal... that either one of us has ever encountered.

... we survived.

Almost.

1200 calories burned (each, and to be honest I don't think that's accurate- it felt like 5000)

3 hammys pulled

diving out of the small dirt hill path when hearing the roaring band of dirt bikes behind you

bikes all set at gears 1 and 1

straight uphill climbing for 2 hours (literally, LITERALLY!)

praying for a slight decline or possibly even a level ground ... and turning that corner and seeing another steady, steep, hill

water breaks

the mumbles and grumbles of "seriously. another hill. i hate this. let's turn around."

walking our bikes

jello legs

SWASS

getting to the top

then realizing, we're not to the top. we're not even half way

...

finally getting to the top

FINALLY A DECLINE-- but then you realize you should have read a downhill mountain biking manual before you took this route. Trying to balance, break, not fly off the edge of the mountain, steer through the rocks ... and semi enjoy the ride...impossible!

fingers and palms smashed and throbbing from gripping the handlebars and breaks so intensely because you feel like if you loosen up your grib this straight downhill ride might conquer you

your. aching. tush.

starting to feel bad for your breaks but hoping your breaks know how much you love them so they don't give out on you

...

reaching the car and your mountain biking gps app reads: 3:00:20 hours. and 9.o2 miles. (9 miles... mostly uphill!)

it's scary, grueling, almost impossible and totally addicting. Once our butt bones de-sore-a-tize we're gonna do it again!