Glimpses of My Week (in Pictures)

Hey everyone! I've been a little MIA lately and I apologize for that. The days have been busy with temple upkeep and the nights filled with spontaneous adventures and road trips leaving little time for blogging. But I'll try to do better! I promise!

Before I bombard you all with tons of pictures, I thought I'd share some travel/vehicle/life updates:

• Car update: It looks like I will have to buy a new car here in Utah. So please wish me luck and send some positive thoughts my way as I navigate the world of used cars. It's a foreign world, but I think a few Skype sessions with my Dad about transmissions, brakes, and other subjects I know absolutely nothing about will *hopefully* provide a solid foundation. 

• Travel update: I will be at the Temple until early October and then I'm off to Arizona followed by New Mexico...and after that I intend to come back to Kalamazoo for the month of November. I have a strong desire to reconnect with P. and we are planning a trip somewhere warm...Jamaica? Aruba? Bahamas? We're considering all our options :-) There are many plans brewing for December and beyond, but I am hesitant to share until all the details are set in stone...but I'll share! Soon!

• Life update: Lately I've been questioning everything in my life. Why am I here? What am I doing with my life? Why am I in Utah? Where am I going? Why am I doing this? Why now? What am I learning? Am I using all my time wisely? Am I happy? Is this what I want? And at the same time I'm thinking "I am the luckiest person on the face of this planet. I am free. I have nowhere to be and nothing to do. Everything is possible. I am meeting the most incredible people. I can't stop smiling. I can't stop singing. I can't stop dancing. I can't stop staring at the mountains. I want to go hiking. Let's go hiking." And then I go hiking. It's quite bizarre, really. I am changing in the most incredible ways and I'm curious to see how that will affect my brief visit to Kalamazoo. 

And now a little glimpse into my week....

This is usually the sight I walk out to in the morning time as well as night time. These boys are obsessed with chess and other super awesome things like tea, reading, documentaries, exploring, yoga battles, spontaneous travels, and conversations that make no sense. I guess us traveling folk somehow end up in the same strange places.

Earlier on in the week, we took a trip to some hot springs. And to get there, we had to climb a mountain. No big deal; I was only sweating through every piece of clothing touching my body by the time we reached the top. At least the way back was all downhill..

And a few days ago, a few of us took a random road adventure and ended up in a parking lot wearing helmets, climbing on each others backs, and having head butting wars....no joke. Why? Well, why not? Oh, and did I mention there were head dresses and animal hats involved? Oh, and also, Dan has a whole living quarter in the back of his van...AWESOME for long road trips or spontaneous naps. Did I mention that these people rock?

Tomorrow we leave for a 3 day camping/hiking adventure in Arches National Park. I'm sure that us crazy kiddos will be climbing and exploring everything in sight...did I also mention that these people like to climb as much as I do? In fact, next week I'll be going mountain climbing. Like, the REAL DEAL mountain climbing....this. is. the. life. I'm not sure I could ever stop living it this way. I've got the traveling bug, and I'm not sure this version is curable.

I hope you all have an amazing weekend filled with your own kind of adventures!