Mahalo Giving

**I know, I know...

"A Thanksgiving post in January?" 

This was one of those forgotten drafts...enjoy!**

If there's one thing we love,

it's preparing good, healthy food

and sharing it with

those we love.

This was our first year to host Thanksgiving in our home, 

and boy

did we EVER prepare?

The menu lengthy...

The table set

The food prepped days in advance

 Did someone say Roasted Cheesy Pears?

Veggie's from our local farmer's market,

dips hand-made with love and care 

Guests so special they take your heart and run

Master Potion Maker

 Love.

aloha.

Disclaimer: Mahalo Giving is not the proper way to say "Thanksgiving" in Hawai'ian. I just made it up.

Shut it down!

Any New Girl fans out there?

This weekend, Hubs and I decided to 

SHUT.

IT.

DOWN. 

(and add in a little Vitamin N to our life...
Nature Deficiency is a real thing, people.)

We "shut down" the devices,
the thoughts about what's next,
the to-do list.
We just "Shut it down."

We let the Subaru do what Subarus do best:

Good friends, Smore Smores

Here's my artistic shot of the moon, the stars, and the ash from the fire:

Morning view from the campsite:

Off-shore winds, overhead sets...we got quite a show!

How very symmetrical of you, Mother Nature! I see you!

We did take a short camping break to visit our favorite coffee shop and watch part of a football game.
We powered it up...and then we
Shut.It.Down. 

“I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, 'This is what it is to be happy.'”
― Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar 

Is there any better way to cook dinner?
I'm talkin' potatoes, green beans, and onions over the fire. 

More of this, please!

aloha.

Donut Falls

Admission:

I've never liked donuts.

They gross me out.

fried dough.

nothing good for you about that.

I've always felt that,

if I'm going to eat a sweet treat,

I want it to be:

multi-textured,

multi-flavored,

made with love.

Some people may picture a donut by that description.

I see a cannoli.

Sorry if that's upsetting for you.

On our recent trip to You-tah,

however,

I found a donut I do like!

WHA?

I present to you,

Donut Falls:

 

We were here in late Fall,

which is not prime time for this hike.

We parked out on the main road and hiked in.

 On our way, we passed a few people, 

all of which were just as lost as we were.

Honestly,

the signage wasn't great.

I'm sure it's easier to find during peak season

when people are everywhere and

you follow the pack.

 After asking the few people we passed which way to go 

(there are many forks in the road),

and then realizing that none of them had found the falls,

we trusted our

Hawai'ian hiking skills:

To find a waterfall,

follow the water.

bu-duh!

 We found it! 

But you can't see it!

Because our gigantic heads are in the way!

 There she is!

For those hiking in the off-season (like us),

once you've found these rocks (by following the stream),

you're almost there!

Just a tip...

For anyone who has seen the old Babes in Toyland movie,

you'll understand why I love this pic:

The trees are watching!

 

 Round-trip, this hike took us around 1.5 hours,

and that includes getting "lost" a few times.

And so ended another adventure for us.

Dear You-Tah, 

We'll be back soon!

p.s. The Copper Onion (in Downtown Salt Lake) is not to be missed. 

Neither are their ricotta dumplings...

aloha.

Guardsman Pass

One day in You-Tah,

we set out to get

purposefully lost

(our favorite way to explore new places)

Our journey took us through 

Guardsman Pass.

 I will always love the thrill of discovery through being lost.

There's something unmistakably fulfilling
for the gypsy soul 

about finding your way 

when you don't know where you're going.

 This is one of my favorite pics from the trip.

It looks like fairies live here:

 View from the Guardsman Pass lookout:

 Nature's perfect color gradation

 Can we talk about the Fall colors in the Wasatch National Forest??

aloha.