The Neighbors

We live in a half-underground apartment - so that means that we receive frequent visits from our neighbors, the Arachnids. These are most unwelcome visits mind you, but the Arachnids cannot be reasoned with and constantly show up un-announced and un-invited. And for some uncanny reason I always seem to be the one that greets them first; but I always make Daniel come to my rescue and "show them the way out."

The other week Mr. Steroid Arachnid decided to greet me in my shower. I did not like that one bit and very promptly summoned Daniel to send him on his way (if you know what I mean).

Yesterday Mrs. Steroid Arachnid finally came looking for her missing husband and we kindly helped her find him. ;)

A Beautiful Disaster

At the beginning of the summer, I had one goal: to hike Timp. I've lived in Utah for 10 years and have never done it; so it's been on the list and I decided that this was the year. Daniel was all for it and so yesterday was the day.

Let's just say that this trip was doomed before it even started. Friday night I was in a cranky mood - and a lousy 3-hour nap did nothing to help that, so when we left at 12 am to start our hike I wasn't any happier.

I proceeded to hate everything about the hike and let my complaints be known to Daniel. He - like a good husband - tried to remain positive and tell me it would all be worth it in the end. And so we kept on hiking through the trechorous blackness, through stream beds and along cliff walls and over rocky landslides.

Finally after 4 hours and 27 minutes of hiking and three wrong turns I was done. My head hurt, my hips hurt, my knee hurt, my back hurt. I was still in a cranky mood and I was really beginning to get scared. It was still very dark and the longer we hiked the more and more dizzy I felt - and when you're hiking up a narrow mountain path, balance it one thing you want to keep. So when we were about a mile or so from the saddle and we reached a part of the path that looked like it had slid off down the mountain side, I pulled out my white flag and surrendered. I did not want to slide off down the mountain after the path.

You might think dear friend that the trip must get better from here because we are now heading down the mountian. But oh no, don't be fooled. We now had to go back down the steep and slippery slope we had just climbed. I would much rather be going up than down any day. And so my terror did not end for a while longer until the grade lessened and the footing was more secure.

The sky was lightening little by little so that we could eventually see where we were going with out the flashlights but the remaining 4 hours of the hike back down never got pleasant. In addition to my head, hips, knee and back, now my shoulder was hurting and my feet were throbbing, all the water I drank on the way up had now reached my bladder, Daniel wasn't talking to me, and then there was the bees. I swear there was a swarm of bees that followed me all the way down the mountain and nearly gave me hysterics.

Am I sorry I wimped out a mile from the top and didn't get to see the sun rise from the summit? No. I was in such a bad mood I really don't think I would have cared if we had gotten to the top. Will I ever hike Timp again? Probably not. And I'm ok with that because I don't want to risk having a repeat horrible experience. Will I ever go hiking again? Of course! I still love hiking, but I have a few new rules: 1. I will not hike at night when I cannot see; 2. The entire path of the hike has to be dry - no crossing over any rivers or streams; 3. No part of the hike can be so steep going up that will cause me to wimper when I have to come back down. Those are reasonable requirements, right?

I did remember to take some pictures though. I suppose the only slighly redeeming part to the whole expereince was the views. Enjoy.

(click on this picture to view more)

Ok, after thinking about it for a while I did think of one other positive thing about the whole experience: we burned so many calories that we didn't feel guilty going to dinner at Chilis later :)

Delicious

As I think I've mentioned before, I like trying out new recipes. And fortunately for me I have a husband who isn't at all particular and will graciously eat whatever I feed him - thus making it that much easier to experiment.



Here are two of the latest tryouts that have made the cut:

Happy Cheese Bread

This recipe I found on a blog I like to read called Scribbit. The writer frequently posts recipes and in fact just this morning posted another one I really want to try sometime.

Since Daniel and I are huge fans of cheese, it wasn't a matter of If I was going to try making Happy Cheese Bread but rather when I would get around to it.

Verdict: It was as good as I hoped it would be but a bit of a challenge to make - mostly because of my ineptitude and not becacuse of the recipe. Although I did find I had to add A LOT more flour than the recipe called for. Still I would definitely make this again.

Cake Truffles

My co-worker brought these into work the other week for a potluck and they were a huge hit. So I knew I would just have to make them - and soon. (Yea, they're that good). She called them cake balls but I think Cake Truffles sounds more epicurean.

Verdict: They couldn't be easier to make and the best part about the whole concept is the endless list of possiblities mixing and matching cake and frosting flavors. The ones I made were cherry chip (cake and frosting) but I can't wait to try other flavors (german chocolate with coconut frosting, red velvet with cream cheese frosting, lemon flavors dipped in white chocolate...oh I could go on and on and on...but I'm drooling so I'll stop there.

When a Thing is Wick

and someone cares about it....it will grow.

We have had so much fun this summer planting and growing a garden with Mom and Dad Gerow and Grandma and Grandpa Gerow. My dad planted a garden often but unfortunately I was never much interested in helping out. Unforuntate because I've discovered that I love working in the garden! Watching the plants grow tall and green and then watching the fruit appear and rippen and then most of all eating the delicious harvest. I even love weeding!

(top: some of our bounty; right: Daniel, Mom, Matthew, and Grandma snapping green beans)

Year 1

Today Daniel and I celebrate our one year anniversary! I suppose that on such an occassion a women might tend to get mushy and nostalgic and philosophical or something. I will not. At least not in public. But I will say this much for all to hear (as trite as it may sound I mean every word of it):

Daniel is my best friend and I love him 365 times more now than I did

on our wedding day. Thanks for making me feel so very loved and so very happy!

We had a wonderful weekend celebrating as we went up to the Sundance Summer Theater and saw The Fantastiks and then we went horseback riding. We topped off the weekend with dinner at Bombay House and a movie. It was all so very fun. Except I always get stuck with the slow, fat horse....why is that?!

Here's to many more happy years together!!!