This is an atypical year for our family by far, hopping around from city to city, settling in to new neighborhoods for a month at a time, traveling with only what can fit in our SUV. So, it’s no surprise that our Christmas was different for us as well. Over the last few years, we’ve sought…

It’s been a fun experience living downtown Salt Lake City these past few weeks. We are walking distance to coffee shops, city parks and cool food places. But that’s less thrilling that the snowboarding we have enjoyed. The kids absolutely love it. The boys are now carving and zooming down the slopes. Isaac took a…

We all just love being on top of a mountain. We totally enjoy the 360 panorama views from the ski lift and the peaks. The boys love the thrill of speeding down a slope, and I love the peaceful quiet scenery when I get to take it all in slowly. Here are just a few…

Our kids have enjoyed a big mix of outdoor activity this year including biking, roller blading, hiking, running, playing soccer, snowboarding or just playing at a park. But there are some times when we all appreciate a bit of “down time” whether in our home or in the car. We are not big proponents of…

We have a little less than a month to explore and enjoy Salt Lake City. Our time is divided between work, school and normal family life, but we really make time to experience a new area and get to know new people. So far, we watched a play about Benjamin Franklin at the Children’s Theatre,…

We’d been in Salt Lake City for just a couple days before we felt the pull to go see our old home, about 30 minutes south in Pleasant Grove. We lived here nine years ago with two little boys and a gorgeous mountain view! We hadn’t been back since. So, it was a weird moment…

Our kids have always loved their Uncle Mike. He’s been the one to zoom them around as toddlers, give piggy backs and play sports when older, and has always given them amazing gifts for b-days and Christmas. They love the fact that they get to spend almost TWO weeks with him while he visits us…

Jeremie, Cindy, and Makayla flew up to Portland and brought a little of Texas home with them. Our daughter, Jadyn was on cloud nine with a little girl who knew her. She was happy as a lark the whole time. We take for granted that we have been “freejourneying” for a while, and that we…

I had a pleasant surprise in this part of the country of catching up with some cross-country teammates of mine from my days of running at the University of Rochester. Ryan Stuczynski, Jeff Totten and I ran thousands of miles together, but we had not seen each other for fifteen years. I was surprised and…

One of Jadyn’s best friends is Makayla Kelt. These girls have been playing, pretending, scootering, Heeleying, biking, and roller-blading together for years in Austin. They really have a fun, sweet, giggly kind of friendship. Well, we’ve been counting down months, then weeks, days, and minutes ’til they would see each other again in Portland, and…

The Long Beach Peninsula in Washington is a place where it seems like everyone knows everybody else. We hung out at Adelaide’s Coffee Shop and Bookstore in Ocean Park for two afternoons, enjoying great coffee and working at a huge dining room table. I loved overhearing each customer greeted by name and watching people congregate…