signs of life

Another week has flown by. People have asked if this time of pre-employment has gone by slowly. Not at all. I cannot believe I have had a month now since we moved to just dink around the house. Of course, being my mother's/grandmother's daughter/granddaughter, I don't really do nothing.  I find plenty of little tasks and ways to make the time fly by. I am now on the two week count down until starting the new job. So much anxiety accompanies me into these situations unknown. I am trying to remain calm and confident but all this newness is starting to wear on me a little.

However, one of my favorite things to dink around in is the garden. I find it so thrilling to put little seeds into dirt and with a little water and sunshine, things grow! It's even better when they are edible things because we enjoy eating, as true southerners do. It is comforting to see signs of life.

little sprout, grow big and full so we can eat you!

  

Ingrid really loves to accompany me to the garden. Mostly so she can protect our vegetables from birds but also because she is our little shadow. 

I think this is a lettuce mix... should have labeled things...

Other than watering the garden since we basically live in the desert, I have been doing more of the cooking. Ladies, it is fabulous when a man loves cooking as well. Davis used to do the majority of the cooking. During this time I have been the primary cook and am trying to expand my go to recipes.

One of my new favorites

Since eggs are primal and fairly inexpensive, I've really enjoyed trying quiches lately. The problem with primal however is flour crusts are a no-no. We try to obey more closely at home to this way of eating but if people cook for us or we go to restaurants, we don't adhere as closely. Anyways, this is one of my new favorite recipes, a goat cheese quiche with sweet potato crust. I got it from this website: CLICK ME FOR DELICIOUS RECIPE. The first time I made it, I followed the directions almost entirely. The second time, pictured above, I went a little rogue. It was well worth it too! One of the best things about this besides an all-in-one meal, it works for any meal, even snacks. All-in-one meals/one dish meals are my favorite.

In effort to convince as many people as we can to visit us and because where we live is actually pretty awesome, we go out adventuring a few times a week so we can be good tour guides. And it is fun for us. The weather has been spectacular and it stays light outside for so long that we have until after 9pm to explore.  This week after work, we walked 6 miles up City Creek Canyon. 

Long shadows in the evening

It is a great, easy, and beautiful walk very close to home. Most people were biking up, but we sold our bikes so we used our legs :)

discrimination

way back, losing sunlight

Parts of the walk I could almost imagine myself back at Ridge Haven. The area was mostly green and lush for a desert like climate and there is a creek sharing the canyon. But then we'd see very western looking peaks and rock formations and we were reminded Utah is not North Carolina at all.

On Saturday we decided to try the popular Living Room trail, only 5 minutes from our house. It is a great little hike with an excellent view of the valley. People have taken large flat stones and created furniture. So once, you reach the living room, you can sit down and relax and enjoy the view! 

family!

Ingrid and I shared a seat so she would stop sniffing the other hiker's bookbags. 

family again :)

A view to the south east

I hope these pictures are putting a bee in your bonnet or lighting a fire under your butt to come see us! My sister, the fresh college graduate, is coming tomorrow to spend eight days with us! You don't have to come for eight days, but we love visitors.

Another very very very very very very very very very very x a million exciting thing happened this weekend back in Virginia. 

they are engaged!! my older brother, Richard, and his fiance, Angel

These two beautiful/handsome people got engaged! Sorry, I stole this picture of facebook. That is legal right... ? I am super excited to have a new sister and to have another sibling experience the wonderful challenging adventure that is marriage. I am a sad they are all the way in Charlottesville, VA. Maybe my picture will convince them to come visit :)

So we are slowly meeting people. We actually had dinner out with another couple Saturday night which was such a blessing. Sunday we met a lot of new people at church and ended up having a picnic lunch in Red Butte Gardens with a couple who had moved here from Charlottesville... small world. This same couple invited us to a game night at their house, just a few blocks from ours, and we met more people around our age.  We are very happy to finally be making connections. However, in my anxieties and fears, I fall prey easily to lies. It is hard for me to not compare these people to our friends in Fort Collins. Also, to not long for the familiarity of relationships more established. I even can believe that they are only being nice to us because they feel sorry for us being new. I know this is wrong. I needed to admit it. We are praying for relationships and to be able to love and serve our community. It is easy for me to believe relationships should serve me and meet my needs for comfort and security. This is wrong as well. People are sinful and even in our best efforts we can fail, my identity and true comfort must come from Christ. I need to remind myself of that in every way and every day.

Well, I made myself a to-do list, so I am going to get started. Tonight we are going to the opera, part of that under 30 ticket deal. I've never been to one and it's the famous Barber of Seville, so I'll recognize parts of the music. It sound so fancy to say we are going to the opera.