"It doesn't get any better than this, boys."

I spent the last two weekends in June camping and climbing in Moab and Triassic with Sharla and Mike. We are awesome. Here are a few pictures.

Sharla and I got in some early morning yoga.

This is the only picture of me climbing from both weekends. How'd that happen?

Mike, our designated chef for weekend one, found this "apron," which we later used as kindling. He fed us quite well: he made raspberry brownie cobbler, peach lemon poppyseed cobbler and barbeque beans.

Me and Mike and his All-American Hot Barbeque Beans. The name of the beans was really longer, I just don't remember it all. Also, note the layers. I have on four. It was COLD in Triassic. And it rained. Lots. What happened to deserts being hot and dry?

Sharla being an All-Star and me spotting/watching.

Sharla and I hiked Bowtie and Corona while Mike road the Poison Spider Bike trail. Please note we did all our scrambling and hiking in Rainbows, Mike included.

Oh, the Grandparents

While visiting the Grandparents:

Grandpa: Have you seen my flowers yet?

Hayley: No, I haven't. Are they good this year?

Grandpa: Oh, they're really nice.

Grandma: They are really nice. He talks to them!

Grandpa: That's right. I talk to them, and they're doing really well.

Grandma: Now imagine how well I'd be doing if only he talked to me!

I'm Yours

I was reading the Wall Street Journal (well, I was actually looking at the pictures and reading the captions of the interesting ones) and a story intrigued me. Luke Jerram has installed 30 pianos in public places across London in an artistic piece called "Play Me, I'm Yours". The idea is to promote people to take a more active role in their urban landscape. It is a little reminiscent of people playing "Waterfall" in the Wilk, but as someone who doesn't own a piano but would love to do so, it seems genius. A&B, if you head to London anytime soon, you'll have to play a little something, even if it is just Chopsticks!

Piano and Pianist outside the Natural History Museum

Best Pumpkin Cookies Ever

These cookies really are the best. I've made them a handful of times over the past few weeks, all to rave reviews. Try them and love them yourself.

Ingredients for cookies:
2 cups butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 15 oz can of pumpkin filling
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon

Ingredients for Glaze:
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2-2 cups powdered sugar

Directions for cookies:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream together sugars and butter.
Blend in pumpkin, eggs, and vanilla.
In another bowl, sift together remaining ingredients.
Blend dry mix into wet mix.
Drop tablespoon-sized dough balls 1-2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden on edges.
Transfer to racks or paper towels to cool.
Let cool completely before glazing.
Makes 120 small cookies.

Directions for glaze:
Heat butter and brown sugar over medium heat until bubbly.
Cook, stirring constantly, for one minute or until thickened.
Beat in the milk.
Blend in powdered sugar until the glaze is smooth and spreadable add only a little at a time to avoid lumps.
Use a silicone basting brush to barely coat the cookies. If you don't have a basting brush, you can use a butter knife or spoon on a little bit.
NOTE: This glaze hardens quickly. If you keep the glaze warm on the stove, it won't harden.

You can do lots of different stuff to the recipe, too. I've added chocolate chips to the pumpkin dough and I've left the glaze off because it is sometimes too sweet. If you try anything fun with them that turns out well, let me know!

Faster, Faster!

I run a 3-mile loop near my house which takes me past this speed limit sign. Notice anything about how fast I'm going? Either I missed my calling as a world class runner, or, these things don't work really well.

Intruder of the Loft

So this is a picture of my awesome room. I live in the loft, and those doors lead out to a huge porch. I have the whole upstairs to myself, and except for the occasionally low ceiling (and hence my decision to not put my mattress on a frame) I really, really like it. Tonight, I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and open my door for ventilation, but keep the inner screen doors shut. As I was typing my last blog post, I looked up to see this leaning on the screen door, causing it to begin to open. I screamed (yes, audibly...is that really a surprise?) which fortunately scared my little intruder off. I took several minutes to debate whether I should open the screen door so I could shut my outer door, risking the sneak attack from any hiding scoundrels seeking vengeance, or, if I should barricade my screen door and hope the perpetrator doesn't tear through the mesh or return with bear-sized reinforcements, making the barricade obsolete. After much thought, I decided to shut the outer door (which I did with much stealth and speed) and barricade the screen door. You can never be too safe.

Ode to a Great Pair of Shoes

I love shoes. I appreciate the perfect peep-toe pumps and a pair of fabulous flats. But few of my shoes have performed as fantastic as my running shoes. Today, I retired them. These lovelies carried me through my first 10k, first half marathon, first marathon, and my best 5k. They've led me over trails in Boulder, Austin, and Moab. Here's to the 400+ miles we spent together.