October Eves

"Listen! the wind is rising, and the air is wild with leaves, We have had our summer evenings, now for October eves!"- Humbert Wolfe

One of the things I love most about living in Utah is the seasons. There is so much to enjoy every time our weather changes. We just enjoyed a great summer full of trips and outdoor get-togethers and have now really been looking forward to autumn and all the traditions that come with it. Over the weekend Parker & I went for a drive up the canyon, and these pictures just don't do it justice! The leaves were so bright and colorful and the weather was just perfect. We stopped at Sundance and walked around the grounds and had fun taking some pictures and enjoying the outdoors. Afterwards we enjoyed some hot cocoa and even got to watch the sun set. I had made it my goal to get these pictures posted first thing Monday morning and encourage everyone to take the opportunity to go for a drive as well. When I woke up, however, I discovered that there was already snow on the mountains! I'm hoping fall hasn't quickly passed us by...

Mr. Brightside

Sorry, yet another post with a picture from my crummy camera phone. Over these last couple of weekends we have been really busy but having lots of fun. We've been to a couple of BYU games, and went to see The Scarlett Pimpernel at the West Valley Hale Center Theater (which was AMAZING!) and this last Saturday, Ryan & Amanda took Parker & I to a Killers concert. We were all so tired from running around all weekend but we had a fantastic time at the concert! We had great seats--seriously, front row! (The picture below shows a little bit better how close we were sitting.) It was so fun to see them live and get to hear our favorite songs. Thanks so much Ryan & Amanda!

Pilates Party!

Let me just start by saying that this was SO much fun! I mentioned in an earlier post that I was getting bored with my regular workouts at the gym. On a whim, I decided to try a pilates class and talked my sister into joining me. It only took us about 10 minutes to realize that we were in for a very serious workout...and I think both of us were wondering if we were up to the task! (Halfway through one of the exercises Alicia accused me of tricking her. She exclaimed "I thought this was going to be like Yoga!" I'm still not sure she has forgiven me.) Despite the whimpering and muscle straining we had a great time and decided to take a closer look at pilates. It's all about core training and involves a focus on breathing, control, and flowing movement. There's some flexibility involved too, but I'm not there yet. :) I've been working on some of the exercises throughout the summer and thought "What could make this even more fun?". Answer: friends! I decided to have a Pilates Party. The instructors came to my house and gave us a private lesson and we had a great time. (My wonderful husband helped move all the furniture out so we could do this!) It was quite the workout but lots of fun and gave us all the extra motivation to keep exercising. Though it can be difficult, it is so worth it! And a very nice break from gasping for air on the treadmill. Thanks for letting me talk you into this girls!

Family Camping Trip

Here's another late Labor Day post. With us being able to live so close to both our families, our holidays stay pretty busy...and we love it! Each year the Ainge family has their annual camping trip over Labor Day weekend. We spend the weekend munching on yummy snacks while playing games and relaxing and talking. Each family is in charge of one meal and we get to eat the yummiest food! (Seriously, we are so spoiled. The food is fantastic!) The best thing about the camping trip is that everyone in the family comes. Most don't stay for the whole weekend but somehow with crazy busy lives almost everyone is able to come up at some point. This year Parker and I didn't sleep over but we went up during the days and loved being able to spend time with everyone. We have such a good time laughing and talking with everyone and always look forward to a competitive game of The Great Dalmuti. (For those of you who haven't heard of this game it's really similar to Scum.) This game is definitely a family favorite and a highlight of the camping trip. We camped at a really nice area this year. It was so nice to have an excuse to be outside and enjoy the mountains. And, of course, our camping trip wouldn't be complete without a storm! It seems that part of the camping trip tradition is that we get a big storm every year--but it's all part of the experience, right? :)

Swiss Days 2009

Every year in the fall, during the Labor Day Weekend, our family would drive up to Midway for Swiss Days. It's a family tradition that I have loved to continue throughout the years as we've all grown older. The boys would head off to the sheep dog competitions while us girls had fun shopping at all the booths. And then we'd all meet up for lunch and enjoy the beautiful scenery of Midway together.

The crowds and the heat get worse every year but it's an event we just can't pass up. This year Dad and Parker couldn't join us but we were able to talk Rusty into coming up. He even tagged along during the shopping and helped carry all our bags :) This is one of those days that really reminds me of why I just love being a girl. The women definitely outnumber the men and we are in groups and lines everywhere. I love the camaraderie you can find with perfect strangers--the women everywhere are showing each other the great purchases they've made and pointing out booths to each other

and finding simple enjoyment in just being

together and talking. (Sometimes I think that Men must have such deprived lives.)

Once we were completely worn out from our shopping extravaganza we headed to the food vendors and a traditional Swiss Days lunch. We get an eclectic lunch of Bratwurst with sauerkraut and dark rye bread, chicken swiss sandwiches, and the highlight of the meal--giant fresh scones with butter and honey! (My mouth starts watering just thinking about those scones!) And the experience would not be complete without the live Yodeling broadcasting over the sound system.

So Sleepy...

I am having the hardest time staying awake today! I thought these pictures of Krug fit my mood perfectly. (Sorry they're a little fuzzy--I took them with my phone.) He always has SO much energy and loves to be involved with whatever we have going on. He usually won't even go to sleep until long after we've gone to bed and will only take naps if we are being completely boring. In this case, however, he had spent the day playing with Chinghis and was just exhausted when we brought him home. I was watching a movie and he was sitting in his chair and trying so hard to stay awake with me but he just couldn't last. I am wishing I was at home on our comfy couch having a nice afternoon nap!

Hello from Afghanistan cont.

Just a few days after I posted some words and pictures from Dad we got a few more fun emails. We loved the pictures and I couldn't resist posting them. I've also really enjoyed hearing the little details about the country and way of life that Dad now finds himself in and wanted to share them with all of you. And, as always, after hearing from him I am left feeling very blessed for the lives we have here in this country and the sacrifices that have been made on our behalfs.

"Hi Everybody, We have started to get a little rain off and on the last couple of nights and it rained really hard today. This evening just before sundown it quit and a beautiful rainbow came out. It doesn't happen often here and all the Afghan Army troops were on top of the guard posts to watch and exclaim.The pics are of me and the rainbow, my work tent (with the flowers in front) a little stone house that is right next to the road down by the Saw valley, the children that live in the house, and then the Konar river that is outside our FOB where the locals have rushed out to gather up the driftwood that the flood waters are carrying downstream. They are gathering everything from loose brush to large logs. They need it for their cooking fires.

The weather seems to be changing now, we have had rain and clouds and cooler temps all week. It has been nice to cool down a little bit and it has me wondering what the winter is going to be like. Our LN (Local National) advisors tell me that on the hills around us the snow will get 4-5 feet deep but that here in the valley we will get less. When I ask how much less they just shrug their shoulders. One even told me the winters here are very bad, "very bad?" I asked him, "yes, he replied "very bad, you know like California." : ) He of course has never been to California or anyplace else outside of Afghanistan, but it is funny that he picked sunny CA to explain how cold it would be. (I'm kind of hoping he

is right and we get balmy 70 degrees for the next 5 months!)