Hiking?

I know, you think Katie and you don't think hiking. But I did it after several months of persuasion from my Aunt Annette. So we drove up to Payson to hike Tonto Natural Bridge. Thank goodness it wasn't a really "real" hike. But it was so beautiful that it nourished my soul in just the right way. I didn't die, so maybe I will try some progressively harder hikes in the future. Maybe. Thanks Annette for convincing me.

Megan Time!

Megan and I both needed some time out a couple weeks ago so we took in a show at Hale Centre Theatre and had dinner. Then we took this picture which was the first one we have had together in forever. I love it, isn't she beautiful? The show was the first drama that we have seen together and it wasn't a musical so it was a new experience. I enjoyed it, but mostly I enjoyed just being out with Megan. She makes me laugh so hard. And every time we are together I discover more things that we have in common! Like our mutual disgust with most meats. Anyway, it was super fun. Hooray for best friends.

Cozumel

I read an article in a magazine this morning about Hemingway and the inspiration he drew from Cuba and the Cilenten coast in Italy. I wondered if any place has touched me like that. There are actually several, Utah being one of the biggest. But my mind always goes back to Cozumel, Mexico. I spent a day there on my honeymoon and it was beautiful, tropical and so friendly. I would never have guessed I was in Mexico (I have had a few less-than-fabulous experiences there). There was a light rain and the air felt steamy in a pleasant way as we motored around the island on a moped (Chris was an excellent driver!) Everywhere I looked there was vegetation, but not like you see in famous pics of the Pacific or elsewhere in the Caribbean. It was dense field of waist-high bushes stretching across the island. The trees I did see were draping and full of leaves, so lush. It is one of the few places where I have thought I would actually buy a vacation home. So here is hoping I can get back there someday!

Here is my sweetheart sitting next to a small cove where Christian missionaries performed baptisms in the old days. There were only a few beaches where you could swim because the land drops off so sharply at the coast. This was one of the few calm spots.

If you look closely, you will see an ancient Mayan ruin. This must be similar to what Nephi described as "bountiful".

So breathtaking. Someday I will take a brisk morning run along the coast near my beach front casita (because in my imaginations of my future self I see myself as an avid runner. Hey, it could happen.). It will be lovely.

Halloween

This was last year. Eve was a princess and Satchel was the Boy Who Lived (Harry Potter). It was pretty simple, but I have no clue what to do for him this year. I think Eve will be a flapper. Maybe I will make Satchel a Nephite baby. I think Mom has that costume still. Hmmm.

Mortified!

So I am assuming that only a bunch of girls are reading this blog, so you will all appreciate the horror of last Tuesday. I went to Chris's soccer game. The weather was beautiful. The game was a nail-biter. What could ruin my evening? Getting into the car and realizing that I was leaking blood like a stuck pig and had just walked a half-mile through a huge group of people that way? Yep, that'll do it. I am 26, isn't that experience for high school girls? (Except for that one time at the dr.'s office when the nice little lady informed me that "she doesn't know if I am on my cycle, but there is a spot". So embarrassing! Luckily the nurses let me leave through the back exit.) Anyway, I had taken every possible precaution against accident last Tuesday. I don't know how it happened. But I am never going back to that soccer complex! Don't you hate that?!

Kids

Satchel fell asleep cuddling with Evie. They can be so sweet. But then they wake up at the crack of dawn and do this with Desitin:

Surgery's Over!

Everything went well! He had his check-up yesterday and his ears are great. As you can see from the picture, he was pretty upset about the getup, but it was early and he was tired. I think he is feeling better, though we have had the stomach flu making the rounds for the past week, so it hasn't been the difference I was hoping for. At least I'm not the one throwing up.