save the trees

I'm a bit of a hippie, I guess. In addition to my desire for world peace and love-not-war, I want to preserve some (if not all) of the world's natural beauty so my kids get to see and enjoy the blue sky and forests and clear running streams. Today, I had a tree-hugger moment...

For the last few years, I've pulled up to my office and been greeted by this fabulous tree. Dead, yes. But the majesty of its branches against the sky is always exaggerated by the season, the sunrise, the sunset, a snowfall. It changes but it's always powerful and beautiful.

The rustic barn, the tall grass field and the worn fences serve as a canvas for this bit of art. For many months there were two horses that circled this statuesque tree, adding their equine glamour and peaceful demeanor to the barren beauty of the tree. It's hard to capture in words the impact that this tree, even without leaves and life, has had on me and everyone in our office for the past few years.

So today, when they started ripping down all the trees in the yard that belongs to this tree, with a huge yellow backhoe thing, I was unnerved. As were a lot of people in our office. People stood at the windows watching huge yellow machines crush these lovely, gigantic old trees that were overgrown and half-dead but still majestic and important somehow. And it was a little tragic. We took pictures. And videos. And likened "our" trees to the Ents from Lord of the Rings. How did they feel about this travesty? Were they sad, angry, violated, vengeful? For us humans, there was sadness. There were even tears. There was mourning for this beautiful view we've enjoyed for so long and depression about the "zoned for commercial" buildings and expansive asphalt parking lot that we are certain will replace them. 

It took five minutes to demolish "my" tree's twin.
Five minutes for 50+ years.

I hope, for myself and my children and their children, that someday we find a balance between commerce and development and nature and beauty. I loved this field, especially when the horses were there and they'd walk up to the fence hoping for nothing more than a carrot or an old apple. And I loved this tree because it always reminded me that even when you're dead you can still inspire people with beauty and poetry and character. I loved that every day when I walked into a corporate world, there was this superbly human, basic, natural, majestic moment right outside the door to remind me why I was walking into a world of cubicles and meetings.

So good-bye beautiful trees. You were loved. You will be missed. And we will be better. I hope.

thanks a million

I love Thanksgiving. Not just because turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls and pumpkin pie are my favorite...although that's always been a big part of it. But mostly because it gets really easy to take all of the things that make life wonderful for granted and this time of year you get to revel in each and every blessing that you have. So here we go...

our little man.  
He is such a joy and a blessing and a gift. There's no way to describe how his big heart and sharp wit and around-the-neck-bear-hugs and 'emergency kisses' have made our life and our family so amazing. He has this little lilt in his voice when he says things like "Thanksgiving is for loving mommies and daddies" or "You wanna make a deal?" We are so incredibly grateful that Tagg is our son.

our baby girl 
Those big blue eyes. Sloane brings new meaning to love and adventure every single day. She will wrap her arms around your knees one second and scale the counter tops the next. There is nothing better than her belly laugh or her big kisses or her curiosity for life. She is our angel and our love and our miracle baby.

friends, family and crazy running stuff.  
I am grateful for my family and friends who do crazy things with me, like run 188 miles in 24 hours or get up at the ass-crack of dawn to run a 5K in freezing temps on Thanksgiving. And I'm grateful that I am healthy enough to run a block, let alone 6.2 miles in 63 minutes. Most every step is hard, but every step is a gift and I know that for sure.

sunrises. sunsets.  
Somehow the sky gets painted with these breathtaking colors and patterns that make me stop in my tracks. God, nature, miracle, call it what you want. I don't care. I love them.

freedom.
You ain't seen nothing until you've seen Sloane in the throes of the joy of running. In her Uggs and her leopard skirt-pants, baby mullet flying in the wind. She is the epitome of joy in life, all day every day.

love.
You can't ever have too much love in your life, we always say. And judging by the calls, texts, emails and hugs we got today, we are not lacking in that category in any way. We are so very, very blessed to have an extended family that envelopes us all with so much pure, unadulterated, unselfish love. It is beautiful and amazing.

special friends.  
Tagg and his cousin Ashley have a special relationship. They have grown up together and well, they just love each other. I have a lot of friends like this. The ones who love you even when they smack you or share their cold with you. No matter what, they are always there to hold your hand when you need it, or when you don't, and to give you their last M&M, even if you don't ask.

Scott gets the love. I am the ride. Did I mention that I also love little kids in footie pajamas?

my amazing husband, scott.  
I love this man. He is my best friend, my rock, my guy who will do anything for me as long as I ask with a smile on my face, and he is the best best best father in the world. He can out-play, out-patience, out-smart, out-love our children and me without a sweat...and that's saying something!

Seriously. Does it get any cuter than this?

suburbia.  
Normally I don't love living in the burbs but every once in awhile you find a reason to love it. Today, we had an epic Thanksgiving dinner with the family and then walked about a half-mile to see a zebra. Oh yeah. You heard me right. A ZEBRA! Like at the zoo. And a couple of emus, a goat and some horses and stuff. But seriously, a ZEBRA...named Zuri. We fed it grapes.

Here, goatie, goatie.

grandparents. 
Scott and I have unbelievable parents. And those parents make over-the-moon grandparents. It's a different kind of special love. It's beautiful to watch and enjoy and appreciate and be inspired by. And I love that our babies are embraced by that all-consuming love from all of their grandparents every day of every month of every year.

family.  
Sometimes a walk on a cool day is the thing you remember.
It's always the thing that you love.

football. 
I am grateful for DVR (thanks couch potatoes) so I could watch the games between chasing kids.

food on the table. 
We ran a 10K this morning to benefit the Utah Food Bank. They did a challenge recently to see if you could survive on food stamps for a month which basically meant you could spend 6 bucks a day on food per person. Uh, hello. That's my Starbucks budget. So we've tried it and failed. And I am so, so incredibly grateful that our family has more than enough to eat and that we can share with others who don't.

The spoon is actually sticking to Sloane's hand like magic. But really it's sticky Jell-o hands. I am thankful for Jell-O, especially when I'm sick or when my mom makes it for Thanksgiving with cranberries and nuts.

hope. 
I want everything for my children, my siblings, my parents, my family, my friends. When there is something that they desire, I want it for them and we will do everything we can to make it a reality. Today we know that the all promises of life and love and family continue. There are so many great things ahead of us, more joy, more love, more photo moments. And we are nothing but thankful. So incredibly thankful. Today and every day.