Fall 2010...Arches/ Family Reunion

At the end of September we headed to Southern Utah for a family reunion including Casey's father, uncle, their spouses, and offspring ( including grandchildren). Between Casey's 4 siblings and his 4 cousins, there were 35 of us! Part of the family lives in Northern Utah while the rest live in Golden, Vail, Littleton, Leadville, and Castle Rock, Colorado. The group picture did not include everyone, but we were all able to stay together at a group site at the Green River Campground. Most slept in RVs and a few of us stayed in tents. We enjoyed a family hike at Black Dragon Canyon, marvelled looking at ancient pictographs and also watching a base jumper attempt to break a record parachuting off of the cliffs. One of the days, Casey, the kids and I headed to Arches National Park greeted by skydivers diving from an airplane. We loved the amazing red rock formations and four-wheeling with our "new to us" Land Cruiser. It is absolutely astonishing to experience the different terrains that freckle the West. It was great to watch young cousins play together, the fun adult conversations around the campfire, and the adventurous exploring we were able to do. We also loved taste-testing the different kinds of melons that are the Green River specialty... Israeli, Crenshaw, etc.

Other pics in this post: A field trip to the zoo and Grandma's 60th Birthday celebration at our house!

The "Us" Update...

It is Fall of 2010 and we are happy to be documenting our family's life in a more organized way... the regular stuff and the not-so-regular. We are currently living in Sandy, Utah where the mountains are 2 minutes away and allow us many opportunities to make quick escapes. In the summer we hike, camp and fish... in the winter we ski, some of us winter camp and the rest of us ski some more and travel other places when we can. We have lived in Alaska, Wyoming, Nevada and Colorado and love our present proximity to beautiful mountains, some family and good friends. Collectively, some of our common interests are the outdoors, a love of the game of soccer, music (singing, playing and listening), learning, and we all get very excited about the possibilities of travel.

Caden is 12 and rapidly becoming a teenager. He is kind and a peacemaker. He is driven academically and loves to read and play soccer. He loves to ski and fish and really to do anything outdoors. Caden also plays the violin.

Reed is 10 and loves to be creative. He hates to throw anything away and is sure you can make something useful out of almost anything. He plays soccer and the piano. Most babies and animals are calm around Reed... he seems to have a sixth-sense with them and it is fun to watch.

Eliza is 7 and is rapidly becoming a teenager ( oh! wait... she is only 7... but would love to be 16) She is task-oriented and can be counted on to remember the minutest detail from any situation over a year ago. She plays soccer, the piano and CEO of the Stewart household.

Casey is a kind and generous father. He is a Senior Planner for Salt Lake City and loves to gear up for outdoor adventures. His biggest complaint is that there isn't more time for this and we are continually trying to simplify our lives in order to have more time to travel and play. Much easier said than done.

And I... Krisa, love to examine continually what life is presenting to me and what I need to do about it. I love music, creating new things, the outdoors and good conversation. I love to teach my kids and have thought-provoking discussions with them ( that go both ways), I love trying to figure out ways to be more flexible and go with the flow, and truly my greatest joy is experiencing life with the people that are in my own. I developed a business a year ago that is still in phase one... www.thesavvysak.com. These "ring totes" are in several stores as well as the hands of good friends and family. My ultimate goal is to sell the bags with customized quotes and designs on them. This will be phase two.

Fall 2010, Fishing in the Uintahs, Soccer, Friend's visit, etc.

If there is one thing about living in Utah that is unbeatable... it is the amazing proximity to the mountains and opportunity for supreme recreating. We took a quick day trip to the Uintah mountain range for some 4 -wheeling and fishing. Other events... good friends both lose both front teeth, early morning soccer games ( just look at those half-closed eyes), dressing up like princesses and a visit from our good friends The Hughes.

Our Summer Adventures/ Denver

After visiting Fort Collins we had some calm, relaxing time visiting with Grammy and Papa, Kari, Steve, Conner and Olivia. We played cards and swam and shopped and ate! We celebrated cousin Conner's 11th Birthday and I spent a day painting and re-decorating my niece Olivia's room as an early birthday present (the picture is of the mural we were painting over and I painted for her when she was 6). We also spent a night with Grandpa and P.J. and played a game of RISK on the deck with an electric lamp for light. While there... our car had major issues and we were so grateful for Grammy and Papa's taxiing efforts and gracious hospitality. Casey and I also had a getaway to Estes Park for a couple of days to celebrate 15 years of marriage... Loved it!