Currently...

"Hitch your wagon to a star.” 
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

time: 3:05pm
location: back and forth between the couch and the kitchen
drinking: the last sips of my coke from lunch
eating: licking the mint icing and brownies off of my fingers--I went back to a recipe from childhood... I'm hoping it's as good as I remembered
listening to: my Dr. John station on Pandora, with the sounds of laundry from upstairs
feeling: grateful for finally having a "tribe" of women and excited (maybe overly) about spending the afternoon with them
loving: that it's finally not too early to start shopping and planning Christmas gifts
reading: Interrupted, by Jen Hatmaker for our first book club meeting next week
making: the second letter in my cross-stitch project, at this rate, it may take the whole football season to complete... but it's a great project for the evenings when the last thing I want to do is stare at a computer screen
wanting: to see my mom and sister... I'm going through withdrawals, and can't believe I have to wait until Christmas
anticipating: cooler weather, and the added benefit that it will be too cool for cycling... we've reached the point of the year where I'm tired of being a "cycling widow"

This weekend...

"Weekends are a bit like rainbows; they look good from a distance but disappear when you get up close to them." -John Shirley 

This weekend, I/we

• Cheered the local high school football team (which is ranked #1 in the state and #6 nationally!) to victory. Soaked in the "small-town" Southern vibe from the stands.
• Manned the sand art table at the church's Fall Festival. Enjoyed chatting with new friends. Won college basketball tickets in the Silent Auction.
• Designed flyers for two different freelance projects. Cleared out my freelance email inbox. 

• Struggled against hormones which were wreaking havoc on my moods. Tried to keep my emotions and reactions in check against even the smallest stressors.
• Treated ourselves to a frozen yogurt snack. Bought a birthday gift for my mother-in-law that we're excited to give her. Ate at a new-to-us barbeque place in town. 

• Started my new "watch-and-stitch" craft project, meaning that I know have something to keep my hands busy while watching college football on Saturday evenings.
• Worshipped at the early service. Listened to a sermon that spoke right to what I've been pondering on my own lately.
• Washed four loads of laundry. Emptied (and re-filled) the dishwasher. Tidied up the house before it made me crazy.

• Rocked out to my Shania Twain Pandora station. Needed those few moments to reignite my girl power.
• Rode 28+ miles on the Swamp Rabbit trail. Pedaled around the Furman campus. Clipped in and out of my pedals more times than I care to count. 
• Invited ourselves over to Thomas and Carmen's apartment. Ate post-ride burritos while catching up on each others' antics over the past month and a half.

The rules of mountaineering...

"In the mountains there are only two grades: You can either do it, or you can't."
-Rusty Baille

The three rules of mountaineering...

1. It's always further than it looks.

2. It's always taller than it looks.

3. And it's always harder than it looks.

But, it's almost always worth it!

We did a lot of research before embarking on our fourteener hikes. I highly recommend checking out 14ers.com. They have an extensive collection of trail descriptions, forums, and general climbing information.

Also, want to give a shout-out to our friend Ethan's organization, Colorado Fourteeners Initiative. They work on the trails throughout the summer, and their website recommends the most sustainable routes.

WANTED: a vacation from our vacation!

"It's a round trip. Getting to the summit is optional, getting down is mandatory."
-Ed Viesturs

Our trip to Colorado last week was just was we needed. A break from the new day-to-day grind. A chance to reconnect and spend time together. With plenty of opportunities for adventure...

A quick recap:

Day 1 | Thursday: Flew into DEN. Explored Denver with our friends Blain and Katie.
Day 2 | Friday: Explored Denver. Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Denver Museum of Art. The boys biked up Lookout Mountain.
Day 3 | Saturday: Watched Stage 6 of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. I was at the festival in downtown Denver. The boys watched from their bikes after climbing the route themselves.
Day 4 | Sunday: Hiked Grays and Torreys Combo Trail (two 14ers in one morning!). Wandered Main Street in both Frisco and Breckenridge.
Day 5 | Monday: Hiked Mt. Bierstadt Trail (another 14er!). Met up with our friend Ethan in Leadville.
Day 6 | Tuesday: Made our way through Golden on the way back to Denver. Rocked out at the Mumford and Sons at Red Rocks Amphitheater.
Day 7 | Wednesday: Flew back to ATL. Then drove back to SC.

Needless to say, going back to work on Thursday was a bit of a challenge.
If you want to see more photos from the trip, check out our Flickr page.

There are veggies in my bread...

“Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.”

-Jim Davis 

I'm not usually a "drop everything and cook" kind of person, but I had a hankering for zucchini bread this weekend. So, I picked up a few locally grown zucchinis at the store and entertained myself yesterday afternoon while Rob was at work.

I used this recipe (inspired by "Mom's Zucchini Bread Recipe" found at AllRecipes.com):

• 3 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1 teaspoon soda 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder 
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon 
• 2 teaspoons nutmeg 
• 3 eggs 
• 1 cup vegetable oil 
• 2 1/4 cups white sugar 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
• 2 cups grated zucchini (I'm really glad I had this grater that fits over the top of a bowl!) 
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a bowl.
3. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and mix well. 
4. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into two prepared pans.
5. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

The recipe makes two loaves, but of course I only have one loaf pan, so it took twice as long. Gotta remember to put that on my wish list.

When he got home, Rob was totally thrown off by the sweet smell of baking bread. He wondered what was going on and was surprised when I told him the loaves were for us.

And, wouldn't you know... baking bread brought a spark back to my kitchen. I am even inspired to restart the Iron Chef Sisters challenge that Callie and I started last year. Click here to follow along!