Next time put it on your calendar yo

The voyage begins

The five of us* did a King's Peak trek over Labor Day as scheduled
*Lauren Ann Nelson Foulger(the blondie not pictured here), Uncle John, Linds, my dear old Dad, and I

My dad emailed me these nifty images of our trail mapped out and graphed. Thank you GPS and computer nerd Dad.
We started on the Utah via Wyoming side at the Henry's Fork Trail Head, spent first night in Painter Basin, hiked the peak then down Anderson Pass to Five Point Lake the second day, and out via Swasey's Hole exiting at the Hell's Canyon trail head.

It was a route none of us had done before, we thought we would mix it up and avoid the 20 some odd miles straight down hill via Yellow Stone Canyon to Swift Creek, yet as you can see on the graph above (I'm saying that in a nerdy math teacher kind of way if you didn't catch that) the second half of the trip was very up and down - so we earned our keep either way.







Luckily we had the dogs there to help clean out our dishes so we didn't have to wash them in the stream. So eco-friendly.
Poor Lauren thought hiking the peak would be this monumentous, perhaps even technical climb. Umm, no, it's a giant pile of rocks.

My dad (right) and his bro (my uncle) were the guides, kind of. My dad shouted out millages and elevations as we trekked along, as well as all sorts of great tips when we would listen. Poor chaps, hiking talk was about all of their lingo that we could hang with. Other wise they were talking about Molecular Biology or something - way too boring compared to our "what do you want to name your kids" chats.

My dad and uncle John both spent their summers in high school leading pack trips

(that's loading a string of horses with supplies and leading groups of people who wanted to be taken into the high uintas)

all over these mountains, so they had plenty of adventurous stories of being buried in snow and riding for 16 hours straight. They're tough old dudes.


Actually we nerded out over geological talks too. So many rocks. Lindsay's extensive U of U Geology education kept her plenty busy. I took pictures of the rocks because I was into their colors schemes. Lauren, well I don't think she nerded out at all. Sorry Lauren, I guess it runs in the family.
The last day about a mile before we were going to stop for lunch it dumped on us. Hail, lighting, and the like. Lauren got really sad, and I got really frumpy. That's right I hadn't even noticed that I had tucked my t-shirt into my rain pants, that were over my other pants. Sexiness on sexiness, what can I say. I try to keep it real in the woods.

Black mail shot that I promised myself I would blog

Wet dogs

Max (far right, wonder dog of the world) summited for the 6th time. That's more than any of us. Plus he's 13! Don't tell him that though, because I plan for him to live at least twice that long - so send him good vibes. Good dog Max.

Good old Drigg's (Paige's dog) carried his and Max's food. He's a sweet doofus dog. Love Drigg's.

Home

Since leaving for New York life hasn't been all peaches and cream, but I haven't wanted to take anything back, still don't. Yet I did not expect to miss my home as much as I did once I flew over it about two weeks ago. I could hardly handle sitting in my seat on the airplane looking down over the mountains that until that moment I hadn't realized just how much I was missing.
Does this mean I need to go back right away? No, that's not it.
Does this mean I was oh so over hot humid and sweaty days trying to make money on the hard streets of New York? Well, kind of.
Does this mean I must must live in the mountains in my near or perhaps some what far future? Maybe.
Does it mean that the contrasts in my loves and life are realized the more they are compared? Yes yes yes.

I went to Utah for about 1 and 1/2 weeks from Aug. 22 - Sept. 2. During which this lucky girl had some good times. I also exhausted most functioning muscles - including laughing, hiking, biking, talking, and crying ones. Yes crying, why do I cry when I leave? I just do. Emotional little twit.

Here's me stalling from packing and annoying others (including myself now that I watch it) with the camera...



Events and pics are yet to come. I know you can hardly hold back your excitement.

*if you're wondering why this post was made at 6:30 in the morning, it's because yes indeed I have slept off and on for the past 24 hours and have done nothing in between except for blogging. Scary. Just realized it doesn't say what time you post anymore. Ah well.

One Year Ago

I was at Pioneer Park doing the same thing (bridal photo shoot) with Sarah.
Mostly because I like this photo, also because I love Sarah, and lastly because I am happy for her that she has been married one whole year in her new land of love in Loveland CO.

Paige is getting hitched . . . hmph

Actually, I'm not that grumpy about it. I've been really happy for her. But in the chaos that is a wedding and the 5 short days I had to work on it with her in SLC I became a little over whelmed with the idea that my little (yet taller) sister will be married in less than a month.

As kids:
Paige's role = sweet, shy, wants to play with her big sister
Jessica's role = mischievous, tricky, likes to avoid her little sister and give her a hard time when possible

*Dad, Paige, baby Morgan, and me - and I think that's Johnny's head that's being cropped off on the bottom. We're such hicks. No one looks very happy in this photo, but some how it's the only one I have of Paige and I as kids on my computer.

So somewhere along the line things have balanced out. Some how I seem quiet and shy compared to my sisters open outgoing personality and now I look up to her in more ways than one (ahh, isn't that precious).

I spent my free days in Salt Lake helping her tie up loose ends for the wedd'n including
*making a bouquet for the first time ever. Thank you, thank you.
*showing up Sundance jewelry with help from String Beads and saving the budget $34 (I'll show you sell the necklace we wanted in less than 2 hours)
*finding ties, dresses, etc. for wedding party
*ravaging antique stores for what I like to call vases, others would call old stuff perhaps
*and doing the whole bridal picture thing, here are some of her best


I guess I did it a little too "tight", and the stems were a little long or something. My favorite part about the bouquet is that when we couldn't find a ribbon, we picked apart the tie we found for Matt. Desperate times call for desperate measures. These weddings are serious business.

Working it at Union Square Subway

This was a family. Mom and Dad banging on the bucket drums and the girls would take turns showing their moves. So much cooler than the Partridge Family. (Sorry the sounds so bad. It aint no video camera)

Missionaries

Today I slipped into a sacrament meeting a little late and this cute little Asian missionary was giving a talk. First of all when did missionaries start looking sooo young? so young. Anyways this little guy was doing his best giving his talk. He was really timid and nervous and so quiet, but I thought he was getting his message across. At the end he mumbled something about a song as he began opening the hymn book, he asked anyone who wanted to open it up and read along as he sang it should. Then with that little notice he busted out in song. Full force he sang 3 verses with no piano or even a note to start on. It was so amazing (amazing because he was bold, not because he was necessarily un-tone deaf). Almost as entertaining was his companion who got the most serious look on his face and the widest eyes. It so made church worth it today.
So this all made me think of my cousin Alex on a mission. Not because this is something he would do, but I realize how hard it would be to hang out with a total unpredictable stranger (a companion) all of the time, and be room mates. Also just to be a missionary. I know it wouldn't be easy in New York, and I'm sure it's not easy anywhere really. Anyway, go Alex.

More Beaches and Puppies

"My favorite color is light tan, and my favorite animal . . . is puppies."

Someone selling them on the street off the Bedord stop. So little, they looked too little to leave their moma poor tikes.


Coney Island is some how one of my favorite places ever. There is such a random mix of people and things to do. Very good people watching spot.
Very close to my favorite roller caster, you have to come try this guy - it's so scary and rikitty's.


You can't see super well, but there are so many people on the beach. Tons of colors - towels, umbrellas, toys. People selling jewelry, beers (totally illegal on the beach, classic). There was even a guy carrying around a bunch of animals (giant python, parrots, an iguana on his head) we went to check it out, but he wanted $25 to take a picture with them, so I have no photos, but one of the parrots jumped to me while I was standing next to him and it climbed right up my arm and sat on my shoulder. I think we bonded.
Neil, I was a pirate for like 20 seconds!!