Walters Wiggles

Tour de Walters

2011-06-27T12:11:00.000-07:00

Well, it's almost time for the Tour de France. So, to get you all in the spirit we did our own tour. Yep, real cool. Ok, not so much. Here is the much asked for video tour of our house. Be warned, I didn't try to do anything to prevent motion sickness for all y'all.

Day at home

2011-06-24T14:23:00.001-07:00

So, Steve had to do a quick business trip & Sage and I decided to stay to get some stuff done. Along with boring things, I assembled a new cabinet that fits our shredder perfectly and I assembled a new medicine cabinet. With some helpful hands, too. Then I decided to pit her energy to task. Here she is:

Sage

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Newest Sage clip

2011-05-31T20:20:00.000-07:00

Here is the latest. I wanted to capture the run-waddle-gallop.

Let me know if the video doesn't work. I'm still experimenting.

Sage the Reader

2011-05-17T20:09:00.000-07:00

Ok, now that I think I've figured out how to upload my phone videos, here's another of Sage. Enjoy her new-found language skills. There are some words that sound questionable.... not our fault. She comes up with all her own material. :)

Hopefully, it doesn't take too long to load. If it does, let me know, since I'm new to this aspect of blogging.

Moab

2011-05-17T20:06:00.000-07:00

Steve, Sage and I went down to Moab last weekend. We went down to compete in the Moab XTerra Triathlon races. Steve and I did the Olympic Road race, meaning we didn't mountain bike it, but road on the road. Clever.

The race was good. Got our trash kicked, as we're pretty out of shape. This was the motivating race to get us working out this spring. Well, as it turns out, it's hard to work out while moving and getting settled and otherwise being busy. Have I mentioned that I have a hard time being consistent with working out ever since Sage was born? Yes, it's hard for me.

Anyway, back to the race. The swim was in Ken's lake, which was nice and chilly. We had rented wetsuits, but still it was cold. It took me the first 5 minutes or so of the race to even catch my breath. Every time I put my face in the water I'd gasp for breath. It was actually pretty frustrating for me, since swimming is the easiest part of a tri for me. I got pretty anxious and had to really control my head to stay focused and know that I was ok.

The bike was ok, more uphill than I would have liked. But the downhill was awesome!!!! The run was really good. I was surprised. I don't usually like trail running, but that was a blast. It was nice because Steve and I ran together, so that was fun. Slow, yes we were, but we had fun.

Now we're more motivated to keep working out and racing. We'll see what the rest of the summer brings. I was going to post photos from the race, but the ones online are horrible (and I couldn't copy and paste them... can't steal images after running our own photo business). Some friends snagged some photos of us, so when I get those, I'll post them up.

A huge thanks to Heather and Spencer Babcock for watching Sage during the race!!!!!! And thanks to Karl and Sarah Jarvis for hanging out with us before and after. Good friends are a great thing!

Wocky

2011-05-17T19:52:00.000-07:00

This is a video of Sage doing her new favorite activity, rocking. Enjoy!

INTERNET

2011-05-08T21:26:00.000-07:00

Happy Mom's Day to all the Moms out there. :)

I'm very pleased to announce that we have the internet at our house again. We made an attempt to live internet free at our house, but, lemme tell ya, it's no fun. So, we bit the bullet and we're now married to Comcast for a year. Well, ok, not married, but paying them to attach us to the vastness of information and the connection filled world of the net.

So, I will hopefully blog more frequently again. And participate in everyone else's blogs again as well.

My Mother's Day has been nice. Some breakfast cooked by Steve-o the magnificent. Great hugs from Sage-aroni. Good times at church in our new ward. Then a fantastic nap, dinner with my mom at my sister's house and then a quick hello at Steve's parents. And now back home to surf before going to bed.

Great day. Thanks Steve for changing almost all of Sage's diapers today! :)

We're in

2011-05-03T18:23:00.001-07:00

Ok, so someone mentioned to me that I haven't updated the blog to say that we moved.

WE MOVED!

We're in the new house and loving it. I don't have pictures at the moment because I keep waiting for it to look "done" and I think that will never really happen.

Anyway, after I pick up after Sage, I'll try and get some pictures posted.

So, all grown up and have a house. Fun!

House updates

2011-03-06T19:36:00.001-08:00

Kitchen floor, all dusty.

Kitchen cabinets installed. Bad photo, I'll get a better one when the counter tops are installed.

Steve did a great job installing the tile, but I'm lame and haven't taken a photo yet.

Word is they'll paint this Tuesday or Wednesday.

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To my women readers,

2011-03-01T19:51:00.001-08:00

Read this article and tell me what are your thoughts.

Guilt, Motherhood and the Pursuit of Perfection
By Karen Kleiman, MSW, LCSW on February 26, 2011 - 12:38pm

Ah, the pursuit of perfecting mothering. How much is too much? What if it's not enough? What kind of damage will I impose on my children if I do it the wrong way? Whatever the issue, whatever the question, whatever the proposed solution, mothers have, for decades, backed themselves into a no-win corner. It's never enough. Or it's not right. Not exactly. They've passed through phases of Donna Reed and Leave it to Beaver mothers. They've tried working and staying at home. They've tried working and staying at home. They have compared themselves to those mothers (whom we all know) who seem dangerously similar to the fictional character of the Stepford Wife. They've tried holding on and letting go. Still, mothers today are left with one tenacious response: guilt.

Guilt is so pervasive that many mothers, particularly those who are depressed, presume it is a natural part of mothering, one that is inescapable in this day and age. Judith Warner describes the plight of American women today in her book, Perfect Madness (2005):

"Too many [women] are becoming anxious and depressed because they are overwhelmed and disappointed. Too many are letting their lives be poisoned by guilt because their expectations can't be met, and because there is an enormous cognitive dissonance between what they know to be right for themselves and what they're told is right for their children." .

Pressure comes from all sides and settles uncomfortably in the laps of women trying to do everything the right way. Women say they are reluctant to speak about their feelings:

I felt harassed. I didn't want to talk to anyone about how I was feeling. It's like I was a bad mother because I didn't want to breastfeed.

I didn't feel prepared to have a baby. I was afraid to tell anyone that I couldn't stand being alone with the baby. It made me feel incompetent and anxious. I was scared to death to be alone with him.

The conflicting messages espoused by countless parenting advocates are enough to make anyone wonder if they are doing it right: Babies should always sleep on their backs. (Really? Mine would have protested vehemently.) Babies should cry it out. Don't ever let babies cry when they are too young, for too long. Baby-wearing is a great way to establish and maintain total need fulfillment (whose?) and maximize attachment. Does daycare promote socialization or will it increase separation anxiety (and whose anxiety are we talking about?). Do good mothers leave their children to go to work? (Of course they do.)

I determined very early on that I would be a much better mother to my children if I returned to work, part-time at first. The part-time option sounded perfect. I could be home early to spend more time with my baby, and it felt right, since I was too tired to work a full day anyway. It has always been easy for me -- I'm not particularly proud to say -- to be selfish, or self-serving during those early postpartum months and put my needs right up there next to those of my baby. I have a slight rebellious streak that dates as far back as I can remember, true to my Baby Boomer form. I can still remember the exultation I felt walking into the high school gymnasium with my boyfriend clad in jeans to the formal prom. I remember the work boots I wore with colored socks accompanied by a mini skirt to go along with it, long before it was a fashion statement, simply because I hoped I could get away with it.

Similarly, as I entered the world of motherhood, I recoiled from what was expected of me, whether that pressure came from my family, or society as a whole, and found comfort in doing things that felt comfortable to me even if it mean ruffling some feathers. That didn't mean I wasn't tempted to surrender, however, when I found myself sucked into the pressure-cooker of "opportunities" for young mothers and their babies. Longing for daytime companionship, I took my four-month-old son to a local baby gym class. I am positive he did not care whether he was in this brightly decorated room filled with expensive baby-friendly, brain-enhancing equipment, or whether he was snug in our living room surrounded by unvacuumed dog-hair and a Sesame Street video that had looped in repetition for the fifth time. I sat for a while, in the circle of neurotic competitiveness, listening to mothers chatter on about whose baby was doing what and how many activities they had squeezed into their sleep-deprived schedules. My head swelled with the rude sights and sounds of one mother trying to outdo another. Why was I there, I asked myself, and who, exactly, expected this of me?

That was the first and last class to which I would drag myself.

It was then that I decided that if I were to maintain my sanity, I would pledge to:

Not go to baby classes programmed to make my baby smarter, faster, more agile, or speak foreign languages.
Not compare myself to others.
Not compare my baby to others.
Do what I needed to do for me and bring my baby along in the process.
Do the best I can.
Not be hard on myself if I failed to live up to unrealistic expectations.
Ask for help when I needed it.
Trust my instincts.
The pressure to be perfect

In spite of all the ways women have advanced with liberated glory, sadly, there remains a pressure to be perfect. No where do we see this which such fervor as in the American culture. So what's to be done? Therapists who work with postpartum women witness the crushing effects of this pressure. The pressure of cultural directives to be smarter, better dressed, and thinner than the rest, looms over vulnerable new mothers and takes its toll. We note the insidious stress creasing the tired face that sits before us. How do we soothe her? It's a daunting task to try to offset such far reaching demands put forth by the society in which we live.

Within her quest for comfort and meaning, therapists may represent the voice of reason amidst the clash of cultural mandates. In today's world, there is way too much access to information, way too many opinions, and far too many choices. New mothers often spin with indecision, resulting in deadlock from both trivial (which never, ever feel trivial) and significant choices. A woman's mother-in-law might be telling her which decision to make and why, commercials are enticing her, social groups are encouraging her in a different direction altogether, and, then, just to top it all off, there's the shrill and constant tape in her own head looping over and over again.

By the time she reaches a therapist's office, she needs someone to tell her that none of these things matter as much as she thinks they do. That's a tall order and one that doesn't sit well with hypervigilant, control-freaky, symptomatic mothers who are desperately trying to take charge of their lives.

Women are making themselves sick with expectations of perfection. This can come from many sources. It can be the result of hard-driving, high achieving parents, or it can be a personality type. It can stem from an underlying obsessive-compulsive disorder, or it can come from a biologic predisposition. It can be the product of societal demands. It can be the result of abuse, trauma or another major life disturbance, or it can just be because it is. Regardless of the origin, it needs to be identified and modified. In the end, women need to learn that they can indeed be alone with themselves and find peace there. It's a concept that is foreign to many women. Some may claim to be fed up with the myth of the perfect mother etched in their obsessive minds and reinforced by commercialism, but it remains pervasive, and we see the consequences of that pressure every day.

Mothers need to hear that it's okay follow their good instincts and it's okay to make mistakes.

Then, they need to hear that again, and once again.

Adapted from Therapy and the Postpartum Woman Routledge, 2009

© Karen Kleiman 2011 Postpartumstress.com

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/isnt-what-i-expected/201102/guilt-motherhood-and-the-pursuit-perfection

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New house photo

2011-02-20T18:06:00.001-08:00

Here's the latest photo of our house. All wrapped up.

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New House

2011-02-10T10:55:00.000-08:00

Ok, so some of you know that we're in the process of building a new house. It's been exciting and a headache at times. I'm sure we'll still have lots of both. Here are a couple photos of the process so far.

sorry for the sideways photo. i'm posting quick and not from my own computer.

This was a couple of days ago. I think all the roof is on now.

I'm excited, despite some of the headaches. It's weird to be moving into the "home ownership" stage of life. But, I think, I crave some of the stability of it. Shhhh, don't tell anyone.

Saturday at the Park

2011-01-30T15:06:00.000-08:00

This is what happens when you're really cute and your dad is an awesome photographer.

Poor kid. Totally bundled and still trying to strike a pose.

Photos from yurt snowshoe trip

2011-01-30T14:50:00.000-08:00

Cute. Nothing else to say about that.

Me and Spence working on my DIY ski attachments.

Sunset at Rockport State Park.

Julie and Brock.

The yurt.

Game time!

Shoe drying/Sage barrier.

Great trip. Would do it again in a heartbeat. Fantastic people. Cool idea. Fun activities. Love it!

Couch Surfing and Yurting

2011-01-18T16:34:00.000-08:00

Hi all!

I'm going to write this up while entertaining Sage at the same time. We'll see how successful I can be.

So, we offically moved out of our apartment on Dec 31. Since then, we have been staying with my parents in Spanish Fork Canyon. Until yesterday, then we moved all our junk (well, not ALL, we have a whole storage unit full of stuff) to Steve's parents' house in Provo. We're so grateful for our families.

Last Saturday, we did venture out with the Francis clan and the Babcock clan, and stayed overnight in a yurt at Rockport State Park. I'd never even heard of Rockport, but Julie found it. It's east of Park City by about 20 minutes or so. The snow wasn't amazing, but I don't think it is anywhere in the state. But, we got in two snowshoeing hikes. The best part of snowshoeing was testing out my newest DIY project. A homemade ski conversion kit for our Chariot stroller. I saved us about $215 by doing it homemade style. It still needs some tuning, but overall, it skied well, even handled some mildly rocky terrain (with some help). No photos yet.

The house we want to buy is starting to be built. They poured the foundation/basement. We're still doing paperwork, so can't say it's ours' yet. I'll post photos when it's official.

Ok, Sage meltdown has begun. Adios!

Still have internet

2010-09-23T12:13:00.000-07:00

Since our internet hasn't gotten canceled yet, I figured I should keep trying to blog.

This morning, we went to the dog park and Sage got to swing for a few minutes. Here's the video: https://qik.com/video/13692159. (not sure how to embed it in the blog)

Keene was sick last weekend. He had some kind of stomach/digestive issues. He got super dehydrated and had a fever and the runs. It got so bad that blood was coming out. We got him in at the vet (a friend of ours who is a great vet) at the Cottonwood Animal Hospital. They ended up keeping him for 2 days on i.v.'s. He came home on Sunday evening and was pretty mellow. But now, he's back to normal, he's jumping off the walls, etc. It was scary to see him so sick, but we're glad that he's back to normal.

I made bread again. I used this recipe from Amy Thompsen. The only thing I did different is use maple syrup instead of honey, since Sage is still in the No Honey phase. This is what she looks like, right before she feeds the bread to Keene. :)

2010-09-15T20:52:00.000-07:00

hello readers, all 5 of you. it's time for my quarterly post. finally, you say. but, nothing super exciting. just thought i'd put up a few thoughts.

the tasty thai, the little thai restaurant on the corner, is great. we went there tonight with our friends, jess and ashlee anderson. steve took some pregnancy photos of them (ashlee is due in 2 days), so they bought us dinner. my, i love green curry. i love curry, really, of any sort. and that coconut milk soup (can't remember the thai name). oooooh. so good.

i made bread, three loaves within 5 days. two white bread loaves and one whole wheat. the white ones i tried first. they turned out pretty good. a bit dense, but tasty. then, on tuesday, i did the wheat one. but, i got even more adventurous, because i first ground up the wheat berries into flour, then made the bread. and guess what, it's edible. even good. steve likes it. next is tortillas.

fall is here, the leaves are turning orange. it's pretty.

sage stands up on her own all the time now. we're just waiting for those first steps. also, today, for the first time, she tried to expand her palette, by testing out keene's dog food. she choked on 2 pieces, but i had to wrestle the third one out of her mouth. oh, and she blew spit bubbles all over her face today for the first time. but, she wiped it away before i could get a picture.

we got our 4runner back today, after it being dead and in the shop for over a week. many dollars later, it's great to have stella back. she really is a great car. 268,000 miles and still rollin.

lindsay, not sure if you'll ever have time to read my blog again, but i've been thinking about you. congrats and good luck. being a mom is a trip (good and stressful, but mostly good).

ok, off to get the bike and trailer ready for a bike ride with julie tomorrow along the jordan river parkway. sage will love it. she loves the bike trailer. i will love it. i love bikes. and bike trailer. and spending time being active. and being with good friends.

sorry, no pictures. i'll try for that soon. although no promises, we're cancelling the internet here at the house, soon. experiments in doing more and being better.

Anniversary

2010-07-03T02:18:00.000-07:00

Thursday was our anniversary. 4 years. So cool. We took off work Thursday and Friday, because we were going to go camping in the Uintahs, but then we decided that it would be tons of work and we'd rather be more relaxed. So, Thursday we had real Belgian Waffles from Bruges' Waffles and Frites.

Then home for a bit for Sage's nap, then off to do a couple errands, including picking up our vegetable order from Liberty Heights Fresh. I'll do a review of that experience soon, next week is our last.

Then to REI for a little purchase for Sage. Then off to Park City. That's where we went on our honeymoon. Fun times. It was a pretty relaxed time strolling Main Street. We went to a number of galleries, our favorite was one that had just opened up that day, The Rodney Lough Gallery. His website doesn't show off his work the best, but wow, he's got some beautiful work. Then dinner, not impressive, I chose the place and was bummed out. Oh well, the waffles earlier were great, so that's all that mattered.

Then a nice drive down the canyon back to Salt Lake, then drove around town and talked about goals for the next year (we do a yearly theme for our marriage) and watched an amazing sunset. The theme for this year is Be Simple, Be Healthy. And the first item of business is to learn to live on a schedule (mostly just morning and night routines) and after we get that mastered, we'll move onto physical health, financial health, spiritual health, social health and intellectual health. But, we're not going to even try and tackle them all together, but just one little thing for 30 days, then the next.

Did I mention we drug Sage along with us. Quite fun. We love having such a cute, fun little girl to hang out with and watch as she smiles at everything and belly laughs.

Oh, and did I mention that we saw David Boreanaz (Special Agent Seely Booth) from Bones, playing basketball with his kids and wife. Cool to see a star and to see him doing something cool, family time.

We think family time is pretty cool these days. New and fun activity. Highly recommend it.

Soap Nuts?

2010-05-26T07:27:00.000-07:00

I know you all think I'm over the top sometimes with my earthy-ness. But, that's why you love me, right?

I just ran across this thing called Soap Nuts, which are little nuts that are like laundry detergent. The testimonials are raving, so I'm wondering if any of you have tried them out? I'm curious. Some people even use them with their cloth diapers, which makes me think they must be amazing.

Any thoughts?

Gilgal and other photos

2010-05-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

Have you seen this before? What is it? Where is it? Who did this?

Well, just take a little visit down to the Gilgal park, just east of Trolley Square, and yes, you'll get to see the Joseph Smith sphinx.

The park is a sculpture garden full of Mormon based sculptures by a man who really loved big rocks and his faith. The Joseph Smith sphinx is the most popular/famous piece in the garden, but there are lots of others. It's actually a cool place to see, albeit a bit strange.

Gilgal Garden

Happy Easter, belated

2010-05-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

here are some great pictures of sage, looking a bit too much like an easter egg herself. she had a fun easter time, mostly spending it with family. and she got a new/first swimsuit, to celebrate the springtime.

Calf Creek Falls

2010-05-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

For Steve's birthday, he wanted to do something fun and active. So, we went to Calf Creek Falls, down in the wonderful Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. We took the whole crew down, including the Babcocks (well, really they met us there and had an awesome campsite waiting for us).

It was a fast trip, but fun. It was Sage's first time in the backpack. She really seemed to like it. I liked the workout I got by carrying her, which was awesome, but still not as heavy as Steve's camera gear. :)

The hike was nice. Not too hot. The huge canyon walls were beautiful to look at. And, there were a number of people hiking, including lots of kids. So cool to see people out hiking and enjoying nature, instead of cooped up at home in front of a screen (like me right now).

Favorite quote of the trip, given to us by our campsite neighbors.

"Can you keep your campfire smoke in your own campsite?"

ok, lots of photos of me. it's because steve has the camera.

This last photo was taken at a place called Devil's Garden. It's about 10-12 miles down the Hole in the Rock Road. Fun place to see cool sandstone formations and cute little girls named Sage.

Livin' on the edge

2010-05-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

Steve, Sage, Julie and me went rappelling a few weeks ago. Here's the pics.

are you nervous? don't be. she's tied in. not sure if you can see on the photo below, but the chariot is hooked into the climbing anchors. and she's strapped in the chariot. and really, it looks a lot scarier than it is.

and she's so excited to be outside.

and now that i've made you question are parenting. no, sage didn't actually rappel down, we drove the chariot back down the trail. she just had to watch from the top.

Sage, the cute one in the family

2010-05-16T09:15:00.000-07:00

This is her first time swinging. Overall, she liked it!

Tummy time. Usually shared with some furry friends, like Reyah or Keene.

Sage has lots of cute moments. We try to either just appreciate them, or even better, appreciate and capture on camera. I'll keep trying to post them as I get my hands of the pictures.

Antelope Island

2010-05-15T14:15:00.000-07:00

So, a couple months ago, Steve and I decided to get out of our apartment and go see something different. So, we drove up to Antelope Island (it's one of the islands in the middle of the Great Salt Lake). I grew up staring at it each night (amazing sunsets on the lake with that island in the middle), but had never been there. It's an interesting place. Here are some of the pics.

There are a lot of buffalo on Antelope Island. Here are some more:

and even a few left over from the 2002 Winter Olympics:

And a couple of Sage and her parents.

We had a nice day. Beautiful sunset, chilly wind, wild animals (lots of birds there, too), happy Sage, happy Steve and Kj.

Famous

2010-05-14T06:55:00.000-07:00

Ok, not totally famous. But, here's a fun link to a friend who did a blog post about Steve.

Progressive Pioneer

She is our friend Amy. Steve and her husband, Clay, do scouts together. Very like minded folk. And fun to spend time with. And their son, Sam, is a little genius.

Thanks, Amy, for sharing the good word on Steve's work!

sore handed, today.

2010-03-11T21:51:00.000-08:00

i'm sore handed because i went climbing yesterday! awesome! first time rock climbing since before sage came. my forearms are telling me exactly how long it has been. completely worth the pain. plus, julie and i got in some good chatting time on the way to and from the gym.

here's a cute photo collage steve put together a bit ago. it's on facebook, i'm sure you've all seen it.

so, part two of my thoughts about identity.

one side of the picture, that i already wrote about, is the sacrifice part. the other side i've been thinking about is the self absorbed side. i mean, in my mind it seems like if i'm not focusing on sacrificing so much for everyone, then the other extreme is making my world totally all about me. which is lame, too, i think. i think it's easy to think about all the ways i can develop myself and my talents. but, i worry that too much focus on those things takes away from the focus on others. especially because i am a firm believer that serving others is a great way to grasp some happiness.

another off-shoot from this thought is what to do with the things that you (well, me, i'm really talking about me) just don't want to do. you know, the boring, responsible stuff. yes, i know we all need to do it, but sometimes i think that there should be a way around it all. steve and i would love a machine that folds our laundry for us, since we both hate doing that.

how to enjoy life, get things done and not be entitled.

so, i'm on the search for the perfect balance of me-ness and family-ness.

anyone have any ideas on how to do that? i'm specifically looking for thoughts about working or not (full or part time work).

caught, red handed

2010-03-09T15:00:00.000-08:00

not left handed. not right handed. nor smurf-blue. red. i haven't posted in for-ev-ah. i got accused yesterday for not posting since halloween. and after a few moments of reading some great blogs by great friends, i decided to sit down and type out a few thoughts.

as life has done a complete 180 for me, i've been really contemplating many things. the biggest one is my own identity and how it has changed or not with becoming a mom. it started with a conversation with steve before new year's about resolutions. now, if you don't know, steve and i love to set resolutions and goals and dreams (we do it twice a year because we like it so much). steve was excitingly informing me of his new year's goals, dreams and ideas. then he asked what i was looking forward to in the new year and what my goals were. i sat there for a moment and then got sad, because i realized i had drawn a blank.

nothing.

nada.

ziltch.

that led us to a deep and ongoing conversation about identity and motherhood and cultural expectations. i thought about long term goals. the list used to be something like this, "school, work, fun, marriage, kids." the list varied a bit over the years, but always ended with kids. nothing after that. so, what does a girl do being at the end of the list and only being 31? for some reason i just never thought past it. i think it's because i've never really considered myself grown up enough to even have kids. i think i thought i'd figure it out when i got there. well, here i am. and yes, i'm trying to figure it out.

i don't have it totally figured, yet. but, it's a work in progress. part of the progress is just taking the time to write again. hello. here i am writing. yes! what i do have figured out is that my own identity, you know, the kjrstin that you all know, is very important for me to know, but also for my family. how sad if sage had to grow up with a shadow of me, instead of the technicolor amazingness of kjrstin. it's like never having the opportunity to taste dr.pepper/pepsi/coke made with real sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. so, i've decided to continue to develop myself and pursue things that make me happy. that doesn't mean that i always put myself first. there are those inherent sacrifices that come with motherhood/parenthood. but, i can take the time to make sure i'm ok, too.

kjrstin, you're saying, of course you would do all these things. they make so much sense. yes, but, i think there are certain expectations that float around in society, that say that this isn't ok. that you are a bad person/parent/mother if you don't put everyone else in the world first, before you're own needs. ok, i'm not a phd, but i know there is just not enough time in the day for that. these expectations are often unspoken or unarticulated, but they're out there. and i decided to challenge them. i want to be a mom on my terms. i want to be myself on my terms.

this is just part 1 of my thoughts on the identity subject. the post is too long already to type more. next installment is about selfishness... how to balance my identity/wants/needs and still be a mom.

have thoughts about this topic? post 'em in the comments, or fire me an email, or call to chat. i'm pretty open to thinking and discussing these ideas.

and here's a face to love....

Halloween photos

2009-11-05T21:13:00.000-08:00

Here's the cutest part of our Halloween. And thanks, again, Lindsay for the outfit!

She was mad, but makes for great/cute photos!

Blue Steel

2009-10-19T14:26:00.000-07:00

Luck is with us today. We captured Sage's modeling poses on camera. She's the next Derek Zoolander.

Photo updates of Sage

2009-10-15T19:57:00.000-07:00

So, Steve and I took some pictures yesterday of Sage. Steve posted them on facebook already, but for those of you who actually read our blog, here they are.

Little Sage

2009-10-10T21:40:00.000-07:00

Welcome with us little Miss Sage into the world! She first made her appearance on October 8th around 8 pm. She decided to come a bit early, like 2 weeks, but we're not complaining! I'm just glad we'd already bought the car seat.

Ok, more details forthcoming for sure. But, the main thing is she's here, she's super cute, she's little (born at 6 lbs. 3 oz., 20 inches long), and she's healthy. We've got a few pics of her, but not a ton. Steve put together this little announcement with some of the cute pics.

We're excited to be parents (and totally oblivious to what that really means) and glad to have this new little creature with us. Yeah Sage!

More prego photos

2009-08-29T11:00:00.000-07:00

Here's some pics Steve took a couple of weeks ago. The freaked out picture wasn't supposed to be, I was just making faces while he was messing with the lights. I'm never safe. :)

Anyway, for pregnancy details (Tara, for you): I'm due on October 26th, although most women in my family go a bit early, so we'll see. I've been feeling pretty good overall. It's awkward getting bigger, but I haven't been real sick or anything, so I feel I'm pretty lucky.

Other news/updates. We're living in Salt Lake now, which is good. We really like it here and enjoy the neighborhood. I'm working for New Haven again, but only on an on-call basis. That's nice because I get to pick my schedule for the most part and I like that flexibility/control. Oh, we got a new couch for my birthday (I really am getting old... I am even excited about it). We got it on a great deal from a yard sale. Yeah. I'd post a picture, but that might just be too much... ya know. Must be these nesting hormones or something.

Well, I suppose that's the latest. I wish I could post about cool trips or something like that. Alas, my coolest trip lately is walking down to the dog park with Keene. All in good time, right? Anyway, enjoy the new pics (now you don't have to look on facebook, Lindsay).

Uploaded - 8\12\09

2009-08-12T20:54:00.001-07:00

steve's work on the web

2009-06-07T14:55:00.000-07:00

Steve got some photos published at Climbing.com, Climbing Magazine's online version. Here's the link to check out the galleries: click here. Just scroll down the page a bit and it's the gallery about Hampi, India.

so many changes, so little time

2009-06-07T14:52:00.000-07:00

Lots to update about. Let's start.

Steve is back from India! I'm so glad. While I seemed to function fine without him, having him back is a bazillion times better.

We moved to Salt Lake. We live right across from Liberty Park. We're still unpacking boxes and bringing up loads from storage, but we're getting there. We're pretty excited about the place. It's a great apartment, in an old house that's been renovated. We're in the upstairs. It's nicer than any apartment I've lived in before. Yehaw! Bethany, Steve's little sis, is also living here with us. We've been having fun exploring Salt Lake. It's been a long time since I've spent a good amount of time here. Our ward is really great, too, which is nice. It's great to have a group of people be excited you're around and make efforts to be our friends. I dig it.

I've been doing some work for New Haven, again. I'm filling in for one of their therapists who had her baby a couple of months early (never fear, mom and baby are fine). It's been good to be back at New Haven. I've been working at the one in Saratoga Springs, so it's not quite as bad as driving all the way to Spanish Fork, but it is 62 miles round trip. Anyway, it's just temporary, so I'm still looking for some work.

What about photography? We're still running the business, but since we've got a little expensive creature coming to live with us for eternity, we need some more cash. So both Steve and I are looking for additional work. If you know anyone that is hiring, pass it along.

Speaking of our forthcoming creature. We went to the radiologist this week and found out... it's a SHE! We're gonna have a little girl. We're both pretty excited. Not sure what we'll do when pink is her favorite color and she wants to have her hair french braided, but we'll manage, I'm sure. Also, my due date is now October 26, a week or so earlier than before. Yeah!

Oh, the only sad thing that's happened recently. I shattered my iphone a few days ago. It still works, but the screen is all cracked and I'm pretty sure if I accidently move it the wrong way, it'll stop working. Do I really need it? No, but it is a pretty handy little tool. Especially because we don't currently have internet at our house, so being able to check a few things from home is nice. Oh well.

eyes

2009-04-21T05:17:00.000-07:00

here's the latest photo i received from steve. this was taken while he was visiting some villages in tamil nadu, the southern most state in india.

surprise!!!

2009-04-18T05:59:00.001-07:00

yes, our fate has forever changed... indicated by these two little strips. positive they say, positive. :) yep, we're having a baby! a little creature has overtaken my body and will emerge around November 1, 2009. So, what does this do to your adventures, you may ask? Well, we found out right before we left. So we did some frantic visits to the doctors and decided it was still a go. While in India, actually just a couple of days ago, we decided the risks of me getting malaria were too great, so I'm back in the states. I'm actually here in New York City for a bit, visiting my great friend Lindsay. I'll be back in Utah sometime soon. Steve's still in India and will keep taking pictures and working for a while. I have no idea what I'll be doing for the next few months. I'm open to suggestions!

Anyway, enjoy our good news! I'll post my thoughts on international travel and pregnancy (aka how to survive an overnight bus ride in India with morning sickness) in a future post.

another post

2009-04-09T21:30:00.000-07:00

April 9, 2009

Yesterday we headed northeast to a nearby city called Warangal, with our friends, Heather and Spence and our kickin hosts, Vijaya (sister in law), Chaitanya (brother in law) and Revi (Vijaya's brother). We hopped on a train for about 2 hours. After arriving in Warangal we got a taxi that could hold us all (some weird sort of Chevy SUV with sideways seats in the back). We then headed up to these old Hindu temple ruins about an hour away. They were hidden up in some hills next to a big lake. The ruins dated back to around 1200 AD. They're somewhat falling apart, but not seemingly from age, but perhaps a mild earthquake or something. Don't worry, there are a few priests and pilgrims that maintain some life at the ruins. Unfortunately, though, no one seems concerned with keeping the ruins free from graffiti, as it seems like e ery visitor feels the need to inscribe their name somewhere on these 800 year old relics.

We then went to another temple, much better maintained, that is bigger and older than the others, it was from around 1100 AD. The highlight for me was the tribe of monkeys that lived off of the mango trees surrounding the area. I dig how monkeys are so much like us, but different.

Then off to a fort, but when we got there they were charging a ton to see the ruins that you could already see from the road, so we decided to pass on that. We then went to some awesome rocks up on a hill. Somewhat like slickrock down in Moab, but more granite like rock. Anyway, we explored those for an hour or so, then headed out to one more temple. This one was called the Temple of a Thousand Pillars. It was even older than the others, build around 1000 AD. And still operational, with a Brahma priest sitting inside making offerings for visitors.

It was at this temple that Spence became an international star. There was a huge group of guys, all dressed in orange (which means they're like fasting or something like that) and they all wanted to take pictures of Spence (being 6 foot 5 or whatever he is). It happens everywhere we go, but there it was awesome... it really was like he was a celebrity.

Ok, for photos, check out the updates on Steve's photo blog at here. I'll try to post some soon.

Ok, we are alive.

2009-04-09T21:27:00.000-07:00

Here are some things I wrote when we first got here.

March 29, 2009. 6am in Mumbai. I'm listening to new birds squawk outside in the quietness. it's still dark out.

I wonder about a lot of things...are the mosquitoes in our room malaria infected; does India have a religious day of the week; how long will it take me to adjust to the time change; will the 4 of us remain friends throughout all our adventures; what is that bird that sounds kinda like a pack of coyotes; what will today bring; will we ever learn all the ins and outs of travel, like tipping, etc?

I'm very excited for this adventure. We already started some of the fun that will be ours for the next year, like washing our clothes in the shower, power outages and lost luggage. I'm curious to see Mumbai in the daylight. Driving in I recognized those unforgetable smells of a big city and open markets. You know, the smell that is like dead fish and drying meat on top of old fruit and sewage. But, I must be growing up, it didn't make me gag like it did when I was a kid.

Getting here was an adventure, too. I've never flown stand-by before. After rushing to try to make a midnight flight in Salt Lake, only then to sleep on the floor, freezing, hoping to get on the 7 am flight, although not really daring to hope. Miracles happen, though, so we got on that flight and then waiting in Atlanta. Steve, Spencer and I made it on Thursday afternoon, but Heather got stuck in Salt Lake too long, so she didn't get to Atlanta until after the Mumbai flight. So, we hung out in the airport all night, trying to sleep as the janitors vacummed around us. We had all day in Atlanta and wanted to explore, but all the sites we wanted to see were either too expensive (read $26 per person for the aquarium) or outside (ready raining buckets all day, so much that our luggage was still wet when we got it in India). So, we kept ourselves entertained by people watching, a worthy hobby in any airport. We got on the flight to Mumbai at 8 am and were lucky enough to fly business class (read super swanky). The free movies and 5 course meals didn't even compare to the wonder of being able to lie down and sleep for 11 hours straight.

And so here I am, plinking away on my iphone (now ipod) in the dark, while the others are catching up on sleep. Listening to the birds squawking outside.

March 29. Writing from a bus heading from Mumbai to Hyderabad. We tried to get a train, but they were all booked. So we're on the overnight bus instead.

Highlights so far:
The horn on the bus sounds like a really loud clown trick horn. And we get to hear it about every 60 seconds, give or take.
The really loud Bollywood movie playing, that has all the drama of a Mexican soap opera, but with the singing and dancing of Rogers and Hammerstein. And the only parts in English are exclamations of fear, love or sassiness.
Spencer is pinned in his seat and can't move when the people in front put their seat back.

Only 8 more hours.

shooting the winders

2009-03-19T11:21:00.000-07:00

yes, we're supposed to be in india right now. but we're not, yet. so, yesterday we went for a photo shoot up on the bonneville shoreline trail with our friends, tiffany and greg winder.

we had a great time. it was nice to be out. weather was perfect. company fabulous. pictures fun. here are a few of mine that i liked. they're not as good as steve's, but it's fun anyway. i haven't learned how to edit them on photoshop to not wash out the colors when i put them on the web, so the colors are a bit off, but otherwise....

and the night ended well with some good eats at zupas. just a note, zupas does have free wireless. go there, it's great (even though they don't make that yummy paninni with the strawberries and nutella anymore).

keep an eye out for some of steve's shots to show up on his photo blog.

Who is your boss?

2009-02-25T07:36:00.001-08:00

Okay, I liked this so much, I had to post when I should be working. If you think your boss is bad, check this out here.

This is the Tiny Art Director. If you didn't click the link above, I'll put in a picture here, so then you will. This is just one example.

The Brief: A giraffe and a kangaroo fighting over an apple
The Critique: Where's the dinosaur?! Draw me a dinosaur right now Daddy!
Job Status: Rejected
Artists Comments: After completing the project I documented the art director's instructions and reaction. She took offense at this and tried to erase my notes.
When I took away my eraser, she yelled "I don't like your notes!", and scribbled all over them with my pencil. She then ran to the bathroom and ran water over the piece of paper. "Look at them now Daddy!"

If we weren't leaving the country so soon, I would buy this for everyone for Christmas or something. You should buy this book. Erin Davis, you will love this.

I got the tip about this blog from the Burns Auto Parts blog.

a photo i like

2009-02-18T09:31:00.001-08:00

i subscribe to lots of blogs and specifically many photo related blogs. this guy, david nightingale, daily uploads some amazing images. this one, from his blog a couple of days ago, really hit the beauty button inside of me. so, i share. enjoy.

note, erin, i tried to add the picture directly to the page, but it won't work. anyway, this is the link again, click right here.

better than my video

2009-01-28T17:44:00.000-08:00

Found this on A Photo Editor. Figured you guys might like this. The photographer is Eyal Landesman.

camera fun

2009-01-17T16:45:00.000-08:00

So, my camera is fun to play with. Here is a slideshow of Keene playing in the snow. It's really just a good chance for me to test out the drive speed of the camera.

I like my camera. And my dog. And the snow. Overall, it's a good day.

my first kinda cool photo

2009-01-13T13:54:00.001-08:00

now i know you've all been holding your breath to see the first real photo from my new camera. well, exhale and inhale, because here it is. in canon color!
now, i have to admit, steve helped out with the photoshop adjustments. we just did some sharpening, contrast adjustments, etc. anyway, that's steve working his magic on the ice of bridal veil up provo canyon.

i'll try to get one photo up a day. we'll see how well that goes. it takes me forever to do all the post production stuff, but i'm hoping i'll get quicker soon. anyway, enjoy. and always feel free to give critiques or advice on my shots. i have a lot to learn still, so i'm open to instruction for sure.

Steve working

2009-01-10T21:20:00.001-08:00

We were at Costco, in the parking lot, sunset was good. iPhone pic.

Posted via Pixelpipe.

business website and photo blog

2009-01-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

It's time to start pushing you all towards our business site at Walters Creative. Also, Steve has a photo blog that he is posting to almost daily, you can check it out here.

I'm also trying to post more regularly here and on my Facebook page . Or you can follow me on Twitter, too.

it's here!

2009-01-09T19:56:00.001-08:00

Canon 50D, in my house! This is it. This is what I've been waiting for. I'm so excited, I'm even capitalizing. The UPS guy even put chains on his truck and came up to the house. Yeah.

So, I stuck Steve's wide angle lens on it and played around in the living room. But, I don't have the software up, yet to show my first shots (they're not that great, don't get excited). Anyway, I'll put on the other photos I took from my phone. So, here's to me learning to be a real photog.

Steve ready to climb

2009-01-09T09:52:00.001-08:00

Steve ready to lead his first multi-pitch. iPhone pic.

View from pitch 1

ignore the finger in the picture. iPhone pic.

3 bags, like always

and I only have one bag. iPhone pic.

Posted via Pixelpipe.

fatburger

2009-01-09T09:21:00.001-08:00

my favorite burger, I think. iphone pic.

Posted via Pixelpipe.

after my whining

2009-01-09T08:35:00.000-08:00

so after my post whining about ups (united postal service) (not the opposite of downs), they did actually add some information for me to know when it's coming.

it was in hodgkins, illinois on the 6th. and in orem, utah this morning. it should be here today.

the funny/annoying thing about ups is their automated systems. we got two calls yesterday, from the really nice sounding computer. but all the computer can say is, we're going to deliver a package. the second call, so informative, said that they would be delivering a package that requires a signature, but they couldn't confirm a delivery time, so it would arrive between 7am and 8pm.

have you ever actually tried to talk to a real person at ups? it is impossible. we ran into this issue a year ago with another delivery requiring a signature. we were both at work all day and couldn't be there. they said they would return the package to the sender. hello! so, i spent at least an hour trying to locate a real human to set up a delivery time. nope, didn't happen. so, we did the very high tech and safe thing, we left a note for the driver. we needed to talk to a human, a real person that understands work schedules and complications. the note worked.

the best part of our situation now (besides ups thinking that most people can sit at home on any given day for 13 hours) is that during the winter, ups does not deliver to our house. the trucks literally cannot get here because of the snow. so, they have a locked drop box system. but the nice sounding computer doesn't know that.

anyway, it's coming today. i'll post again when it arrives.

giddy with excitement. it comes!

picture of the day

2009-01-05T22:24:00.001-08:00

the view of my eyes this morning. yes, we are in vegas.

ups is lame

2009-01-05T22:20:00.000-08:00

over and over i have come to the conclusion that i don't like ups (the package people). for different reasons each time (it's really annoying that you can't actually talk to a real person if you call their 800 number).

today, the reason is because i was so excited to create an awesome blog update of a cool package i have coming. so each day i was going to update on where the package was, etc. well, "awesome" ups hasn't updated the tracking info... so it still just says maspeth, ny. lame.

anyway, on the 9th (the scheduled date of arrival) i'll unveil my exciting package that's coming. and it is coming (if ups isn't too lame).

it's still coming.

it's coming...

2009-01-03T18:21:00.000-08:00

...slowly making it's way across the United States. First stop was Maspeth, New York; it stayed the night there. I assume it got up early this morning and continued it's journey to Utah. They say it'll be here next Friday. I can hardly wait! Part of me wants it to come early, but I also don't want to get my hopes up too quickly.

It's coming.

consume

2008-12-06T09:32:00.000-08:00

i suppose i can throw out some more philosophies to you all. i found this video from the Get Rich Slowly blog (which is usually quite a good read, you should check it out here).

anyway, here is some lovely filming that hopefully makes us all think a bit. i know i've been in this trap often & for many years. may we all find escape.

what's a twitter?

2008-12-04T22:10:00.000-08:00

yes, i succumbed to another form of social media.
twitter.
not quite sure how to make it work with all the other stuff like the blogs, facebook, etc.
but, i'm working on it.
the twitter part is easy, it's just finding other people to twit to.
and making it work on my phone.
and do i want to make it work on my phone?

i've spent many hours behind this screen today.
time to be done.

am i a twit?

an addition to my post about communication

2008-12-01T23:14:00.000-08:00

The Paradox of Our Age

We have bigger houses but smaller families;
more conveniences, but less time.
We have more degrees, but less sense;
more knowledge, but less judgement;
more medicines, but less healthiness.
We've been all the way to the Moon and back,
but we have trouble crossing the street to meet the
new neighbours.
We have built more computers to hold more
information,
to produce more copies than ever,
but we have less communication.
We have become long on quantitiy,
but short on quality.
These are the times of fast foods but slow digestion;
tall man but short character;
steep profits but shallow relationships.
It is a time when there is much in the window,
but nothing in the room.

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama

it's about time to dump all those old opinions

2008-11-30T15:45:00.000-08:00

so, i must be getting old. no, my hair isn't turning gray. no, i don't all the sudden have an urge to eat dates or prunes. it's not even because i know what the world equity means (i purposely forget it each time someone explains it to me... keeps me young).

i'm old because i've decided to give up some of my stubborn opinions that i hang onto like some kind of image insurance. i'm tired of 'em. i'm tired of being bugged with certain things. or thinking that something is better than something else, just because i have some emotionally founded opinion, not based anywhere within the realms of reality.

what's the first to go? well, i thought about the country music one, but decided that might be too hard for the first one. the first one i ran into last night was all the christmas craziness. instead of being disgusted at all the extravagances, all the overdone shininess, all the materialism; i decided i'm open to enjoying the beauty of it all. the lights are pretty, even if people put them up after halloween. the shininess does create an intense season of holiday-ness.

anyway, if you're also feeling old, perhaps let go of some of those hard-held opinions that really just don't matter. maybe there is more out there that is good than we first think.

easier to communicate, harder to connect

2008-11-16T15:29:00.000-08:00

this week i've reflected on the newer methods of communication that we rely on: email, text messaging, blogs, podcasts, websites.

email has made it possible for people at distances to quickly keep up with each other, conduct business, send documents and pictures. it's also nice because it can create a paper trail if needed.

text messaging can be a non-intrusive way to send a quick message to someone, with out the immediacy of a phone call. it's also kinda fun.

blogs, well, are a good way for everyone to have the chance to be a journalist, advertise their latest news, or spread information.

podcasts are just cool, it's like radio, but when you want it.

websites have it all and seems to do it all.

BUT! as much as i love and use all of these methods of communication, i am consistently confronted with the fact that they come up short in one area. connection. the human connection. yes, i know, you are saying, but these things make it easier to connect. but in the same breath, these methods of communication and connect also prevent us from face to face (and sometimes even voice to voice) connection. and there is something to be said about people and really being with them. misunderstandings occur. jokes not gotten. emotions misread. facial expressions lost. social skills disappearing.

i love to communicate. but, i think i need to remember that somedays i just need to pick up the phone and call. or spend an evening with some of my favorite people. because the internet is not substitute for real people.

A favorite and a not-so-favorite

2008-11-10T21:09:00.000-08:00

So, I've taken to cooking more lately. This is mostly motivated by budgeting, but also motivated by the need for some creativity. So, I thought I'd include 2 recipes, one that we all really liked, and one that everyone else seemed to like, but I didn't.

Here's the not-so-favorite first.

Pumpkin or (Winter Squash) Soup

3 tablespoons butter or neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn
3 pounds sugar pumpkin, or any winter squash (1 medium squash), like acorn, butternut, calabaza, Hubbard, kabocha, or turban, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-to-2-inch cubes
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage or 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
5 cups any vegetable stock or water
1 cup cream or half-and-half

Put the butter or oil in a deep skillet or medium saucepan over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted or the oil is hot, add the pumpkin and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Add the herb, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and continue cooking until fragrant, another minute or so. Add the stock and bring to a boil, then lower the heat so the soup bubbles gently. Partially cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pumpkin starts to fall apart, about 30 minutes.
Use an immersion blender to puree the soup in the pan. Or cool the mixture slightly (hot soup is dangerous), pass it though a food mill or pour it into a blender container, and puree carefully. (The soup may be made ahead to this point, cooled, and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Serve cold or reheat it gently).
Heat the pureed soup until almost boiling. Stir in the cream and heat through, but do not boil. Taste, adjust the seasoning, and serve garnished with an extra grinding of black pepper if you like.

In the middle of it, I realized we didn't have any half and half, so I used lots more butter. Maybe that is what it was missing, but it seemed like it needed something else.

Beans & Greens Risotto

1 quart vegetable broth
1 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes
4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1 15 oz. can of small red beans or pinto beans, drained
1 small head escarole, chopped (about 3 cups)
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
lemon wedges (optional)

In a saucepan, bring the broth and tomatoes to a boil and the reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy saucepan on medium-high heat, cook the garlic in the oil until just golden, a few seconds. Add the rice and stir until the grains are well coated with oil. Ladle in the hot broth and tomatoes a cup at a time, stirring often. After each addition, let the rice absorb most of the broth before adding more. Add the beans with the last cup of broth.

When most of the broth is absorbed and the rice is tender but still al dente, stir in the escarole, in batches if necessary, until it wilts but is still bright green. Stir in the cheese and season with salt and pepper. Serve hot, with wedges of lemon if you wish.

Tag

2008-11-02T20:56:00.000-08:00

Here's the rules for this tag:
1: Each player starts with 8 random habits/facts about themselves.
2: People who are tagged need to write a post on their blog about their eight things and post these rules.
3: At the end of the post you need to choose 8 people to get tagged and list their names.

Ok, Michelle, my cousin, tagged me. Normally, I don't do this sort of thing, but I'm fried this week, so this is an easy post.

1. I am 60 inches tall. This translates to 4 feet, 12 inches, or just a nice, round 5 feet. I don't know how long I've been this tall, nor how long it will last, but for now....

2. I have lived on 2 different continents and 2 island nations. And, I would love to live in more places.

3. I have 5 different pairs of Chaco sandals. The newest ones got chewed on by Keene, but I'm still wearing them. I don't love them as much as I used to, but I still wear them 90% of the time (down to 70% in the winter).

4. I learned how to make bread, today! I just ate a piece of toast with butter and jelly on it. Mmmm. I have to say, I acquired the taste for it from my Aunt Judy; she always had homemade bread.

5. I read about 20-30 different blogs every couple of days. I'm learning a lot about many different things, but mostly about photography and business.

6. I'm trying to climb about 3 times a week now. I've been climbing for about 6 years now. I'd like to say I'm really good because of it, but alas, I'm not. But, it is my therapy, so I keep at it.

7. I'm a night person, not a morning person. One of my favorite things is to wake up, then curl back up and sleep for another hour or so.

8. I obsessively check the free section of Craigslist Salt Lake and Provo everyday, and freecycle every few days and KSL every week or so.

I'm going to break the "rules" and not pass this one on. I'm just not like that. But, thanks, Michelle for tagging me. This was actually kind fun to write.

ethics of neutering

2008-10-30T16:32:00.000-07:00

so, i've been thinking about neutering. keene got fixed yesterday. before, i was quite certain that fixing the dog was the best thing for everyone. i mean, how many animals are put down at the shelters, especially labs. so, even though our dog is a pure bread, i knew that neutering him was the right thing.

but then, i started thinking about what kind of person am i to take away the choice one creature has from procreating. how arrogant we are, using our power to control what we want. yes, arrogance.

i still think it was the right thing to do.

and keene's fine. we can't hardly tell he even had a surgery, he's running around and energetic.

Sundays

2008-10-30T16:29:00.000-07:00

This is a typical view of Sundays around here. Which means I should have sufficient time to blog, but some weeks just don't work out.

the ups and downs of our own business

2008-10-19T16:45:00.000-07:00

I will eventually start blogging a business blog, to record all the things we're learning about running our own photo business. But, until then, I'll jot down a few things that I've been thinking about on this adventure we're on.

The downs (bad stuff first):
The lurking thought of "what if this doesn't work."
The lurking thought of "how soon will our savings run out?"
Not having a boss to put the pressure on when you need it.
Worrying about what stuff is most important.
Taxes and other accounting stuff that I know I don't know about.
Working 16 hour days all the time.
Feeling guilty about not working a 16 hour day everyday.
The worry, I suppose is the theme here.
Never really having enough time or money for all our ideas.
The scariness of the economic situation.

The ups:
Flexibility of schedule.
Knowing we are trying to live our dreams.
Being able to be creative in the directions we want.
Working with Steve.
Learning all kinds of new things.
Not having a boss around to pressure me.
Staying in pj's until noon some days.
Being able to dream.
Excitement about being able to give back to our community.
Can bring our dog to work.
I think most things we do right now are a tax write-off, because all we do is work.
It's fun.

On another theme, it has been fun learning all the in's and out's of mobile blogging. Currently, I'm typing on my computer, because it's a million times faster and easier than on the iphone.

And here is a picture of the latest present Keane has brought to us. This happened as I was typing this up. We hear a big bang at the front door, and there he is with a big deer/elk/cow vertabrae. He's still chewing on it. He is huge these days, I'm sure he's pushing 35 pounds. He's still cute, though.

2008-10-13T19:55:00.001-07:00

fall on a wall

c & o canal

Steve took this
swaying

boats

bridge

plane

better boats

the benefactors

swirl

a cool looking federal building

I got yelled at by a big security guard for taking this photo
Posted via Pixelpipe.

Mobile blogging lessons

2008-10-12T18:53:00.001-07:00

So we broke down and joined up with at&t and got iphones. It's been
interesting learning how to use this thing and not be embarrassed for
having them. The reason we switched from tmobile is because we had no
coverage at our house. The reason we got these phones is because we
hope to use them we the business and be more effecient with our time.
They have been helpful with navigating around DC.

Anyway, I have learned that I have to email my blog updates in. So,
that's what I'm doing.

Interesting technology. We'll see how this all works out. Anyway, I
feel like a yuppie/nerd.

2008-10-11T18:51:00.001-07:00

corn

knocker

hinge

ibear

quaint

hobbit church

the rays

golden paths

path of peace

gates of christendom

DC or England?

definition of pining

tortured

I love it

lights and darks

tie dyed marble

reflections

I like blue

it is an i

capitol

I on me

curl 'email up

this is for you, Jenn
flat mike

solar!!!

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Posted via Pixelpipe.

i of the capitol

2008-10-11T07:22:00.001-07:00

We decided to capture the sites of DC from the iPhone. So, here are
days one and two images.

work week

2008-09-22T07:50:00.000-07:00

well, last week commenced my first full-time work for "the business." still nameless, but monopolizing most of our waking thoughts, our photo business is up and running. i've realized that i need to learn how to run a business, learn financial programs and software, learn and understand the photography world, learn how to edit photos on photoshop, and work full time with my spouse. all with my very related background in recreation and therapy. well, at least the therapy will help steve having to work with me full time.

last week we shot jake and bonnie's wedding up in smithfield (a "suburb" of logan, utah). that was fun, the weather was crazy, making for exciting moments at the wedding, fun photos and an amazingly beautiful drive back to spanish fork.

we are both still excited about everything related to "the business," just wanting it to take off right now, but understanding that it will take lots of time. we're also excited for this week, with all the leaves in their peak colors. i imagine we will find ourselves outside more than not. yeah!

sorry, no photo for this post. i promise one for next time.

ups and downs of standby

2008-09-14T17:15:00.000-07:00

so, one of our friends works for the airlines and gave us 2 buddy passes, which we intended to use for our trip to alaska. i am typing from spanish fork, which means we didn't get on the plane. oh well. we can still have a free trip sometime.

so, this week, instead of hanging out on the tundra, i'm planning on attacking our living space and making it work better (like being able to walk on the floor, etc.). and, of course, we get to keep being trained by our dog on how to be good dog parents.

last day

2008-09-11T23:10:00.000-07:00

i've spent the past four years hanging out at a place that i call the haven. it's pretty cool. lots of girls running around. loads of cats. a dog (or two). there were even goats. cherry trees. lots of snow in the winter. more wind than you could ever harness. the best part, of course, were the folks that ran around there. and the amazing things that happen, almost on a daily basis.

i've learned a lot about myself and other people. learned about how to be flexible. how to be assertive. how to love. how to talk. how to watch really dumb movies. how to cook for 20 people. how to buck hay. how to count to 16 over and over. how to write a treatment plan. what prognosis means. how to build a ropes course. when someone really just wants attention. that cats sometimes have two uteri. how to work with a budget. how to teleconference. how to drive a huge van. how to guide a raft. how to navigate a huge van with a trailer on a muddy road with a cliff on one side. how to trust others. how to let go of some relationships. to like spanish fork. that ibuprofen solves most problems. how to go from the basement to the loft without stepping on the ground. that people sometimes like to light bullets on fire. how to eat chocolate for three meals a day. how to geo-cache. how to make latkes. how to pull a trailer, and back it up. how to get married. how to dictate. how to relax. how to listen.

anyway, i suppose the point is: i've had a good run at the haven. glad i went there. glad they were nice to me. glad to still stick around a bit. gonna miss it. gonna miss the peeps. thanks y'all.

and now off to alaska (just for the week).

the dog and california

2008-09-07T13:43:00.001-07:00

so entering in the dog-owner world has mostly been good. there have been those "fun" moments of cleaning up poo from the living room, worrying about the couches, catching the dog before he runs into the road. but the fun moments are great, like the gnarly-looking harley rider, who walks by and says "cute puppies" under his breath, or when keene starts carrying a nalgene full of water, or when he barks in his sleep. fun times. and we make friends everywhere we go with him.

our trip to california was fun, although too short for me. we hung out in bishop and mammoth with adam and natalie. got some bouldering in, some hot springs soaking, some good food, a float down the river, and some good kickin it time.

also, because i am slow in communicating to everyone, in case you didn't know, i am quitting my job at new haven and working full time with steve on his photo business. i'm excited for the change, although i will miss all the awesome people i work with at the haven. i can't believe it's almost over; i've been there 4 years. wow. anyway, if you know anyone who needs a good photographer, let us know.

Trip on the Salmon

2008-08-25T22:43:00.000-07:00

So, Steve and I had the chance to go with Action Whitewater on a 5 day raft trip on the Salmon River in Idaho. Steve worked and took great photos, I just don't have any of them. So, for now, you get to see a few from my little camera. Here's the link to our Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/12467104@N06/.

Hopefully, I can get some of Steve's picks on there as well, so you can really see the beauty of the area we were in.

We had a great time. We hit some fun rapids. I was the only person who fell out of the raft (or the ducky) into the river during a rapid. I had fun, though; no better way to see the rapids than to swim them (when they're not too big). Our guides were awesome and we had a great time with them, being some of the "guide friends." That means we got the special treatment we liked, being able to help out when we wanted to, or being able to chill and be guests at other times. It was great. Steve arranged it as a birthday/graduation present for me. Sweet!

Newest of the Wiggling Walters

2008-08-23T13:42:00.000-07:00

No, not a baby. But pretty darn close. Meet Keene, our newest family member. He came to us yesterday, August 22nd. He is 8 weeks old and came to live with us from another family with little kids. He is a gift for my upcoming 30th birthday and my recent graduation from grad school. Thanks Mom and Dad!

Keene is a Yellow Lab, but he's got a cute brown nose and some white on his belly and shoulders.

We will definitely get better pictures soon (that's Steve's job). I'll also post some photos from our Salmon River rafting trip, too.

blogging rebirth

2008-08-11T00:25:00.000-07:00

I don't have a lot of time to post right now, but I think I've made it. I think I'm all done with school (waiting for one more grade to be posted). If I pass, I'm done with school!!!! Also means that I can start posting more.

Tomorrow, Steve and I are off to Salmon, Idaho, for a 5-day rafting trip. I'll put up some pictures when we get back.

Anyway, it's good to be back to blog.

Oddly Relaxing

2007-09-03T07:06:00.000-07:00

In New Zealand, we discovered something that fascinated us for a surprising amount of time. Little pools of bubbling mud. We actually drove out of our way to go see a second set of them. The sound is the best part. Fortunately for you, I can't transmit the smell via the internet. Sigh. Just imagine boiling rotten eggs. Mmmm. Anyway, here's a clip.

Learning to blog

2007-09-02T17:57:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to figure this blogging thing out. I think I've figured out how to post some of our pictures. Here's the link to our flickr stuff: http://www.flickr.com/photos/12467104@N06/ . I've posted some of our New Zealand photos, mostly the ones I took, because Steve's will be in his portfolio. Anyway, enjoy!

The First Half

2007-08-23T06:53:00.000-07:00

To commence the Walter's Wiggles blog page, I give you a picture of us after we've wiggled more than we ever have before. The dream for 2007 was to complete a Half Ironman. Well, we did it on August 11, 2007. Of course, now we want to do more.