My Love

Today is Kenneth and I's two-year anniversary.  And not to be cliche, but our wedding day was the happiest day of my life.  Over the past couple of years as a married couple, we've seen each other through some tough times, made our house a home, and have dreamed about what our future together will look like.  I love Kenneth for his ability to see beauty and potential where others do not.  He can transform the things and people that he touches.  The wedding still feels like it was just a couple of months ago and feels even more so when I look at our pictures. Here are a few from that evening taken by Andrew Kornylak:

Concave Shoot

Last Saturday, we had the crag to ourselves (probably due to the 90+ degree temps).  James, Laurel, Kenneth, & I showed up for an afternoon canyon session and Curtis Baker took pics from up on an elaborate swing seat.  Here's a couple of the shots:

How Fast They Grow

Cute Little Green Things

My corn is the cutest.  And it's growing.

Look who I found at my front door.

Canyon Style

Couldn't wait to get outside after a long work week, so (despite the 95+ degree temps) decided to head to Little River Canyon.  It was a sweat-fest, but surprisingly successful. While most of the day was spent goofing around, I sent the extension to 'The Word'- (13b) with a very reachy crux.  Psyched from the send, we decided to go for an evening dip with the dogs in our favorite swimming hole.  Alby, Jack's best friend in the world, is staying with us for the weekend and had a great time and even did some swimming (with assistance).

(teaching Alby my ninja tricks)

Just got a flip camera- so here's my first attempt at using it -

Being Human

There is something so grounding and good in growing vegetables.  This weekend, Kenneth & I planted the rest of our vegetable garden and harvested tomatoes, peppers, & squash.  Why is it so satisfying?  I realized, with my hands in the dirt, that I tend to gravitate towards things that make me feel human:  growing food, climbing rocks, caring for babies.  Connecting to the wild, to the natural world, to the REAL, has such a strong pull- it influences so much of what I choose to do.  Hands on.  It is why I chose nursing over medicine:  the mundanity of simple actions such as feeding and bathing is to be revered.  Just like plucking a tomato from the vine.

All this got me thinking about those who are deprived of nature.  When I was out in Salt Lake City for the O.R. show, FiveTen held an athlete seminar where Sally Jewell (CEO of REI) spoke about the nature-deficit disorder facing American children, very echoic of a great book a friend gave me:  The Last Child in the Woods.   

Not even a week after hearing this talk, I was volunteering at My House playing with an ex-patient of mine.  He had been hospitalized for the first eight months of his life (at least five of which in my NICU) and quite frequently after that.  I took him outside for an adventure and he panicked when I put his feet in the grass or dirt.  He refused to touch leaves, flowers, sticks, trees, butterflies, etc.  (and this is a boy who can usually not keep his hands off anything)!  The only object he felt comfortable with was the iron gate fencing (reminiscent of his hospital crib I presumed).  It took a lot of work just to get him to stand barefoot on the ground.  Granted, this is a case of extremes, but what a tragedy to have a tree be so foreign that it is frightening!  All this reinforced Sally's message:  let's get kids back in the woods or at least the garden : )