last day

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!