New Year's Bucket List for the Wild at Heart

In the spirit of dreading New Year's resolutions, I've decided to make a New Year's bucket list instead of all the adventures I hope to do and accomplish this year. Looking back, I've done this almost every year without realizing it, so if you're wild at heart, maybe some of these will be on your 2016 bucket list too!

1. DISCOVER A NEW NATIONAL PARK
I've spent an incredible amount of time wandering Rocky Mountain National Park, and of course, have barely tapped its wilderness, and while I plan to continue to explore this close-to-my-heart park, I've had the itch to see another one of the country's jaw-dropping landscapes. Yosemite? Joshua Tree? So many choices! Big Bend National Park in Texas is, in my opinion, underrated and below the radar, but boasts canyons that rival the Grand and a mountain range that's downright magical, so I'm making it a point to get there this year!

2. SUMMIT A COLORADO 14ER
Call me a peak bagger all you want, but I'll never forget the adrenaline and satisfying exhaustion of hiking my first Fourteener, Long's Peak, a class 3 mountain, and I'll always be chasing that feeling. ;) 2015 checked Mt. Bierstadt off the list, so I'm aiming for Mt. Huron, a classic Rocky Mountain range peak, or Mt. Elbert, Colorado's highest Fourteener at 14,433ft. Check out this list of Colorado's Top 10 Must-Hike 14ers if you're up for the challenge!

3. CLIMB, WITH INTENTION 
Okay, okay, this one is probably more of a resolution, I'll admit, but it's because 2016 will be my third official climbing year, and I've had the privilege to climb in the most beautiful places with the most beautiful people, but much of that time was spent flailing against rock instead of climbing it. I had some major victories and accomplishments, and while flailing is always a part of learning, I hope to be a more conscious climber with a sharper awareness of my body, like a dancer on a rock ;)

4. EXPLORE LOCAL TRAILS 
Adventures in the national parks is unrivaled for sure, but you just can't get out to them every day, and that's okay because chances are there are plenty of unknown parks and nature conversation areas in your backyard. Despite how close they are, it's always harder than it should be to take the time to seek them out. Recently, I've begun running on the foothills trails in Denver because I can drive there in 10 minutes and run alongside the Rockies if it's a day that I can't be running in them. Here's a "Quick and dirty guide to trail running near Denver" if that's your habitat!

5. PHOTOGRAPH WITH PURPOSE
Whoops, did I do it again? Is this another resolution? Oh well, here it goes! I'm beginning 2016 with a new photography kit, a Canon 5D Mark II, and a new photographic mission. For so many years, I've battled my cameras, frustrated with the buying and learning process of new be-dangled DSLR setups that boasted fancy features. This year, I'm going fancy-free, and focusing my photography on storytelling, on the portraits of people and places, and life's quiet, small adventures.

6. CAMP, JUST TO CAMP.
When was the last time you went on a camping trip for no other reason than to chill out in the woods or the desert or the shoreline, wherever the location? For me, it's been ages. I've camped at crags, on a climbing expeditions, river rafting and fishing trips, and don't get me wrong, these are all awesome experiences, but I've been missing the quiet, isolated, purposeless experience of just camping. Haven't you?

7. READ TALES OF ADVENTURE
Typically, I overdose on fiction, you know, the kind with a capital 'F'. In 2016, I'm craving some heart-stopping, soul-wrenching, epic-inspiring tales of real people conquering life's adventures. Here are the tales on my reading list!

The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon by Kevin Fedarko
Alone on the Wall by Alex Honnold
A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

8. TELL MORE STORIES
Isn't a bucket list a resolution to do something, anyway? ;) This year, I'm excited to collect and tell more stories through photography and writing. Storytelling is a compelling method for preserving our environmental history and our culture, and I'm stoked to commit myself more to this humanistic necessity especially because of the upcoming changes coming to this blog! 


Photos by Daryl Love Photography 

2015 Best Adventures

It's that time of year again when December swings around on the calendar so fast that it gives us whiplash. I can't believe how much has happened in 2015: from summiting a Colorado 14er to climbing in Indian Creek to my first river rafting trip in Idaho. Not to mention, starting this blog, which has been a huge exploration all on its own. Of course, not all adventures reach a summit--sometimes you get lost or you're forced to turn around, but it doesn't seem to matter how crazy the idea (remember when Mike and I got matching tattoos?!), you guys have shown so much love and support in your comments and shares, and in your presence. <3

So 2016 will bring big changes to the blog! New year, new goals, new friends, and new adventures.
I'm so excited to make this announcement, so I hope you'll stick around for it in January. :) And if we happened to miss each other on the trail this year, here's 2015 year in review from Ellipsis. 

Thanks for joining me on adventures, big and small--can't wait for more in the new year!

Top Left: Climbing, Poudre Canyon, CO

Top Right: Twin Sisters Colorado Hike

Middle: River Rafting Salmon River, Idaho

Bottom Left: Hanging Lake, Colorado

Bottom Middle: Mt. Bierstadt, CO 14er

Bottom Right: Climbing, Vedauwoo, Wyoming

Mountain Maker & Cookie Giveaway

I'm lucky enough to have friends who are talented artists, makers, and in Kyndra Connor's case, bakers. Kyndra is a Montanan, an artist, DIY-er, and kickass cookie connoisseur. We were pen pals for months before I ever met her in person and her voice was immediately memorable on paper. She's way wittier than I'll ever be, and will deliver cookies to your house by order--that's right, her small business Sweetroot Cookie Company is a custom cookie delivery service. You choose the cookie, like brownie, mint-chocolate chip, strawberry cheesecake, and my favorite, browned butter salted caramel. UGH. 

What's really awesome about Kyndra's cookies are the stories behind a lot of them.

It's really fun to hear how the cookies become a part of another person's story like how I was asked to make my Strawberry Cheesecake cookies for a little girl who wanted to have an extra special tea party with her Grandpa. Or the pink chocolate chip cookies I delivered to some local grandparents expecting to hear the gender of their new grandchild. I mean, it makes it meaningful. That makes long hours and two jobs worth it.

If you get tired of baking over the holidays, she's got you covered, or if you just want free cookies shipped to your front door, enter her DOZEN COOKIE GIVEAWAY, here.

Montana is a huge part of Kyndra's life and artistic inspiration. Her prints, sold in her Etsy shop, Truth & Beauty Designs, are often of the mountains and I'm obsessed with her rainy day photo series. 

I really love mountains and natural colors and textures - solid colors, woods, stone - I think they all work so well together. I like the simplicity that nature sometimes exhibits - strong mountain silhouette, fading blue sky, golden wheat field running along the grey highway. You know? 

I'm easily overwhelmed, so I find a lot of beauty in simplicity and strong contrast. 

Personally, the mountains and trees make me feel safe.

I love typography, literature, hand lettering, abstract art, so many photographers, and even some architects. Right now, I'm really into Yangyang Pan - her abstracts are beautiful. And I'll always love Raymond Carter - his works are so devastating and full of truth.

"I had some sharpies, a map of Montana & some time."

I really love the Pacific Northwest. Growing up in the flatlands makes me really appreciate what some nice topography and thick forest can do for the heart. It's so comforting, so I plan on wandering around up here for awhile. Maybe forever. 

Kyndra is autodidactic by nature, obsessed with cat memes, a waffle enthusiast, thinks Colorado has the best beer, is a terrible joke teller, has the memory of a goldfish, wants to live in the trees, loves the sound of her boyfriend’s laugh, and is a huge San Francisco Giant’s fan.

3 Easy Rocky Mountain Snowshoeing Trails

Nothing made me feel more like an adventurer than snowshoeing through Rocky Mountain National Park. Even for someone who thinks he knows every peak, ridgeline, and tree can expect to feel a little out of his element in a new and exciting way when the trail is lost beneath the snow, and the terrain is made unfamiliar by the wintertime elements. A hushed quiet and feeling of seclusion fell over the landscape; a hard atmosphere to achieve in the summer when the park's massive attendance often steals the wild from wilderness. Snowshoeing as a winter sport has gained traction (pun-intended) because it's inexpensive, relatively low-risk, and open access, meaning almost anyone can try it! 

SNOWSHOE FIT TIPS

Even though snowshoes are relatively inexpensive, compared to the startup cost of other winter sports like cross-country skiing or snowboarding, I would recommend renting your first pair. My friend and super talented photographer, Faith, had an extra pair for me to borrow, but Estes Park Mountain Shop is right on Route 34--you'll pass it on the left as you drive toward the park entrance--and rents shoes for only $5.00, ALL DAY! 

They even rent mountain boots if you're feeling like you might need some extra security. 

I wore regular waterproof leather Tevas and while I romped around without too much of a problem, my boots were a little slender for the snowshoe bindings and kept slipping out. 

Next time, I'll try to wear bulkier mountain or snow boots to achieve a better snowshoe fit. 

The fit is important, so you'll want to make sure that you try them in the store, and rent a pair whose length (in inches) matches your body weight (i.e. lighter the load, smaller the shoe). RMP backcountry is typically not flat so rolling terrain snowshoes will make for the best experience because they have more aggressive crampons and beastier bindings, but if you plan to walk around some of the park's more well-travelled trails, like the ones I recommend here, flat terrain shoes will work just fine too. 

Before you head out though, definitely check the weather conditions! The National Park Service monitors snowfall, wind speed, temperatures, trail conditions, and road closures. Check this site out first to make sure that the Bear Lake Road isn't closed and that the wind will be mostly calm for your excursion. Our trip was cut a bit short because wind gusts in unprotected meadows forced us to turn back.  

Center: Mike, wiping snow off my face from a gust of wind. 

ROCKY MOUNTAIN SNOWSHOEING TRAILS

Bear Lake Loop

This short loop around Bear Lake is less than a mile long, basically flat terrain, and considered one the park's easiest "hikes." Don't let the easy-descriptor turn you off though, because snow-packed trails are harder to navigate, and you might find that this lake lap is a perfect entry-level experience. 

Dream Lake 

Our excursion to this sub-alpine lake was just enough of an adventure on a day when the average temperature was only six degrees! The snow was light and powdery, and when Mike decided to test the "floating" superpower of his snowshoes on a drift, he fell straight through so be careful. Even though this trail is a bit further into the forest, it's still well-travelled--we passed by fellow snowshoers and cross-country skiers. 

Emerald Lake

If you decide to push farther, Emerald Lake is just beyond Dream Lake. You'll likely get warm as you gain about 600 feet of elevation and snowshoe about 3.5 miles round trip. If it's overcast, the incredible views of Hallett Peak, and Long's Peak--Colorado's infamous fourteener--will be invisible, lost in low, white clouds. There are also places along this trail when the forest breaks and you cross through open terrain. If it's windy, snowshoeing through these meadows without the cover of the trees, can be harsh--this is where we had to turn around. That being said, the payoff is a subalpine lake sparkling under snowcapped peaks.

These trails are open all year for exploring the mountain wilderness, and whether you want to stay fit through the winter or you want to try a new winter sport, snowshoeing can be as easy as walking or as exhilarating as racing. Yeah, snowshoe racing is a thing! 

How to Poop on a River Rafting Trip

You might remember that in August this year, I took my first river rafting trip with my boyfriend, Mike, and his family and friends.

[If you happened to miss the full Salmon River adventure, click here for the post!]

There was so much to learn about river life, and the burning question was, of course:
How the heck do you poop on a week-long, 80-mile rafting trip!

Well, I wouldn't recommend holding it. ;)

If you're an inexperienced rafter as I was, you might be envisioning a nice hole in the ground or a spot among some bushes. But the bathroom is not actually in the forest, in the ground, or God-forbid, on the river.

You've probably heard of the Leave No Trace hiking model. On the river, it's Pack In and Pack Out, and this applies not just to your garbage and supplies, but to your waste as well, which means you have to be creative about your bathroom breaks.

So how do you do it?

On our trip, we brought along a portable potty. Not the standing ones you see at concert venues and fairs, but a small plastic potty with a lid--think of a toddler training potty, but for adults. 

Every day you have to find a spot in the camp for the potty, private but accessible, and preferably with a nice view ;) The location is actually pretty important for women on the river. Here's why: Liquid waste, aka urine, needs to be kept separate from solid waste, so that the solid waste can be properly disposed of at the conclusion of the trip or at designated dumps stations along your journey. An ethical, environmentally responsible pee spot is in damp soil somewhere along the riverbed, not on dry ground. So it's convenient to set up the potty close to the river.

Our river group called our potty The Groover, and thankfully, there was a men's groover and women's groover. ;) The potty, before nifty plastic containers, used to be an ammo can! So when you sat on it, you'd walk away with lovely grooves in your bum! Hence, the name: The Groover.

Believe it or not, someone has to bear the responsibility of hauling The Groover on their raft day to day, campsite to campsite, and on our trip, that was all 80 miles! And toward the end of your trip, that potty gets pretty full! Mike and a river friend were our group's groover haulers. These guys, whoever they are in your rafting group are a hero of sorts--thank them, make them dinner or breakfast, and then crack some jokes. 

Eating River Dinner, telling stories and laughing.

The cool thing about living on a river is that poop becomes a group responsibility and effort, and takes on a larger meaning when you have to be conscious of how you go--you can't just dump, flush, and forget about it!

We had so much fun having conversations about poop--the best food to eat to help you poop, memories of the best on-the-river pooping spots--telling pooping-on-the-river stories, and yelling out in the morning as we packed up camp to head out on the river again: 

"LAST CALL FOR THE GROOVER!" 

These are the things you don't think about when you set out on a wilderness adventure. They're not the moments or memories you have in your photo album (thank goodness) but they're also the ones that make the trip, keep you laughing, and teach you new things about the way we live in our world.

If you're thinking about making river rafting your next adventure, check out the other essentials I brought with me, here!

Keep Sunday Strong

Sundays are the beginning of a new week, and should be a day of celebration (right?!), but most people see Sundays as the end of something: their weekend, and so, the day is terribly depressing. Sundays are shafted. They're delegated to readiness for the work week: grocery shopping, making meals because you don't have time to cook Monday-Thursday, doing laundry--I mean, you know the deal. 

BUT. I'm feeling a tad bit (have to admit, unusually) optimistic on this fine Sunday, and wish to make a proposition for Strong Sundays. That is: readiness of the mind and the body, and not of the work week. 

So today, I biked about 6.5 miles to one of my favorite coffee haunts, Black Hole Coffee House, and while I did work (the entire time I was there), I got out of the house and off of my couch to get there. I took a break and walked around the neighborhood, and stumbled across Mandell Park, an organic community garden and an oasis of green in Houston. 

I biked a different route back to explore alleyways and streets of the city I hadn't seen before, and when I returned home, I had a beer, and sat down, and took a minute. On Friday night, I had friends over for Family Dinner, and we made pizza, and it was a beautiful smorgishboard of tastes and toppings and swapping slices. 

I think I'll make Strong Sundays a tradition. I would love to hear about how you keep Sunday strong, so use the hashtag #keepsundaystrong to give this day of the week a little love! 

Gulf Coast Beaches | The Wander Chronicles

Houston can be pretty overwhelming--heck, any city can be overwhelming-- and my wander itch was getting stronger, so my friend Josie suggested that we take a mini road trip to find Gulf Coast beaches. It couldn't have been a better idea, especially since we actually couldn't find it for a better half of the afternoon, but, of course, like all wander chronicles, getting lost led us to other beautiful places! 

This is the second installment of The WANDER CHRONICLES, so if you missed the first, hunting for Mt. Bierstadt's trailhead in the snow, you can find it here!

Frozen Point, Gulf Coast, Texas

Our destination began as Frozen Point, a part of the Gulf coastline that, in 1895, was subjected to 20 inches of snow! Our October day was still in the 90s, so it was difficult to picture a blizzard in this subtropical climate, and maybe our reason for choosing this legendary coastal protrusion--a little heat relief, please? 

Turns out, Frozen Point is mainly private land, one of the original cattle-ranching operations in Chambers County, owned by patriarch James Jackson whose 6,000 cattle head were covered in the bizarre snowstorm of 1895. So, while you can drive down the mainly gravel road to Frozen Point, through acres of beautiful prairie and marshes, you can't actually access the Point itself.

Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge

So, Josie, Corey and I found ourselves at Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, 34,000 acres of protected ancient marshland. After a picnic of sandwiches and beer, we took to exploring some of the trails. 

Josie was smart and brought along some Houston craft beer: Karbach Sympathy for the Lager

These are short, meandering little excursions but bursting with incredible flora and fauna. If you're a birder, this is the place to be--the refuge is known for its population of rails, a species of marsh bird that's described as chicken-like. Marsh dinosaurs! 

I'd like to return during the winter season because I might catch the snow-geese phenomenon where flocks of up to 80,000 swoop down from the migratory paths to feed in the marshes.

Okay, so after toodling around this refuge, we left in search of the ocean. Where's the beach? Where's the sand? Where's the water? we kept asking, and found ourselves driving a tad northeast to High Island. 

High Island | Gulf Coast Beaches 

You won't believe this but High Island gets its name because it's literally the highest point, at just 32ft above sea level, on the entire Gulf Coast, all the way to the Yucatan! This is definitely a different kind of landmark than the Fourteeners I've experienced in Colorado. 

The island is home to only 450 residents--that's only 100 more people than my graduating high school class!--and is rumored to have been a partying spot for pirates in the early 1800s. Now, it's a less-traveled, serene spot for sea kayakers, fishermen, and beach loungers.

People drove their vehicles right onto the beach, no parking lot necessary. We hunted for shells and got our feet wet, and hit refresh on our souls. 

Corey showing off her seashell collection, Josie, and I at the edge of Texas.

Art Festivals | Houston, Texas

The arts festivals in Houston, Texas are like the city's raspa stands and ice houses--there's one on every corner, but each one offers specific flavors and atmosphere.

I wanted to be at all of the exciting events (The Texas Contemporary Arts Festival, the Bayou Park Grand opening, LibroFest, Banned Books at Brazo's Bookstore, and The Greek Festival--just to name a few!). I spent most of Saturday afternoon biking around this urban landscape, exploring, and attending a couple of these festivities.

Houston LibroFest 

Houston LibroFest highlights Hispanic writers. Literary arts organizations, magazines, activists, and vendors spent the beautiful afternoon in the Houston Public Library square celebrating the vibrant Latino community and its literacy love. 

I signed up to help Gulf Coast Journal man their booth. Speaking with other members of the literary arts community was so inspiring! I kept sneaking away to visit all the vendors--there were so many things to do!

Literary Arts of Houston, Texas

My favorite must have been the Workhorse Print Makers booth where I hand-pressed my own poster! I've been in love with letterpress for a few years now (Intended Hobby #656) and it's clear the Workhorse guys are too: 

"Nothing says love like heavy metal. We don’t mean purple satin, long hair and guitars heavy metal. We mean one ton of cast iron slowly squeezing paper in its tender embrace. We mean men lavishing attention on long forgotten machines that once were the epoch of human ingenuity. Hammers hitting steel, the squeak of belts, and the sizzle of oil on well lubed bushings. We love letterpress."

This full-service letterpress print shop uses soy-based inks and citrus-solvents, and their stock is often made from American recycled or tree-free cotton! I mean really, I couldn't admire these guys more! 

Check out my poster! It's a quote from Sandra Cisneros (You might know her best from her novel, The House on Mango Street). You can bet it will be hanging in the most visible spot of my house. 

Little Red Leaves Journal & Press showcased their Textile Series of hand-sewn books of poetry. Each one had its own personality--pieces of art from the inside, out! I wanted to buy all of them, especially the blank notebooks.

Monica Villareal and Jorge Galvan Flores (above) are two of the city's talented graphic artists. Monica is wearing a Voices Breaking Boundaries t-shirt, a Houston grassroots arts organization inciting social justice through art. They work to create open conversations and new experiences of the city's cultural history and present. These guys do it all: performance art, dance, graphic design, photography--you name it. Go like the organization's Facebook page--they deserve support! 

Some young word-lovers played banana-grams at the Gulf Coast Magazine booth.

This is the lovely Adrienne Perry, editor of Gulf Coast Journal. Adrienne has only been living in Houston for two years, but has nestled herself into the city's literary arts community with her warm, generous spirit. 

Inprint, Houston's premier literary arts organization, deployed its team of Poetry Buskers to the Bayou Park Grand Opening. Armed with typewriters and reservoirs of words, these poets wrote poems for park visitors on the spot--how freaking cool is that? "Give us a theme, and we'll write you a poem." A custom-made poem is a special gift, but so is watching these talented writers create them! 

Biking around Houston, the arts are everywhere. I came across this incredible mural on my way to get coffee (Needed to refuel from the overwhelming arts stimulation!). It's gorilla art: get it?! 

Catalina Coffee

I ended my day of Houston exploration at Catalina Coffee. By far, the BEST coffee I've had in Houston so far. Why? Because they roast it themselves, of course! I was thrilled to find a local roaster. While chatting with the barista, I discovered that the editor of Sugar & Rice Magazine, who I spoke with at LibroFest that afternoon, had also been in for java that day. 

I learned so much about my literary arts community and am so excited to explore more ways to get involved. Below is a list of the organizations featured in this blog post. Please visit their websites, like their Facebook pages, and if you're feeling inclined, share their work!

Sugar & Rice Magazine

Houston Library

Arte Publico Press

Inprint 

Gulf Coast Magazine

Voices Breaking Boundaries

Little Red Leaves

Workhorse Letter Press 

Check out more urban art from my travels to Chicago, here! 

People's State Park | Barkhamsted Lighthouse Trail

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to travel back to my home state of Connecticut (for my best friend's wedding! #stillreeling), so of course, I had to make time to satiate my wander fix. Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine might hog all the attention when it comes to the New England countryside, but there are places to get (responsibly) lost in the little 'ole Constitution state too.

The leaves just starting to turn along the Farmington River.

The foliage is definitely a sight to see, but one of the best parts about the New England backcountry are the little things, which, like most, I took for granted as a resident of these green hills, but after spending the last few years in the larger-than-life Colorado mountains, I re-discovered them on my short visit: like the clonk of acorns dropping from the oak trees.

Mom said she was knocked on the head with a falling acorn. If it's not already a sign of good luck, now it is. ;) I slipped on this acorn pile, hidden on some fallen leaves. 

I get my adventurous spirit from my mama so the two of us ventured into Peoples State Park: forest land donated by the Daughters of the American Revolution, where 200 year-old pine groves grow, and the remains of the historic village, Barkhamsted Lighthouse, can be found. 

Like many people, when we heard "lighthouse," we immediately thought "ocean," but you won't find the traditional sea-beacon here. Instead, the village's lights served as a nighttime directional for stagecoach traffic traveling to Hartford in the 19th century--hence the lighthouse analogy! 

The forest map in my backpack, the tree trail-markers, and Beanie, our family dog, in the background. :) 

The village began as a settlement in the 1770s when Molly Barber, a young white woman, fell in love with James Chaugham, a Native American of the Narraganset tribe. They ran away to the woods of Northwestern Connecticut to escape her disapproving father. 

I know, I know, a real-life Disney Pocahontas romance! #heavybreathing 

They started the settlement, and the village became one of the country's first multi-cultural towns, a tucked-away haven for freed slaves, survivors of colonial conflicts, and Anglo-European pilgrims. Some of the remains of this village, which dissolved toward the late 1800s, still remain like the homes' cellar holes, the village's charcoal pit, and even the cemetery where the couple and their family have been buried. 

In terms of difficulty, these trails are comfortable and short. Perfect 2-mile segments, and the shaded woods keep you out of the Indian summer sun, so common during New England's September. At the crest of a hill, we were greeted by Grand Vista overlook, a beautiful scene of the Farmington River sparkling through the forest. 

Needless to say, my soul was happy wandering in my woods again. 

Here is me, the maker of adventure herself, and family pooch number two, Taylor. :) 

P.S. This little history lesson brought to you by Connecticut Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities, and other Offbeat Stuff by Susan Campbell and Bill Heald. Go buy the book, e-book, or check it out at the local library for more cool #thingstodoinCT 

My Cross-Country Move to Houston

I've been MIA because I made a huge life decision: to move from Fort Collins, Colorado to Houston, Texas. You're probably wondering, "Why? Why would you ever?" and that's what everyone I knew said when I made this announcement. For months, I was heckled with "I hope you're prepared for unbearable heat" and various versions of "You're crazy." When I arrived, even Houstonians wanted to know why anyone would come to Houston from anywhere else.

I moved away from the backcountry of my Colorado soul, the purity of the air, the diversity of the landscape, the easy-going, slow, savory lifestyle, to pursue a PhD at the University of Houston.

I've been here about a month now, and I finally feel like I can sanely reflect on my insane decision. This is the second cross-country move I've made in three years, the second time I've left behind homes, family, and friends for a place I'd never been, for the sole reason to have the time and space to write. Last night, Jonathan Franzen read from his new novel Purity at the Wortham Theatre in downtown. During the Q&A, in response to the question, how are you able to sustain the energy to write a novel, he said, "You have to be obsessed with it." And I suppose, this too might be the only answer I have for people:

You have to love something enough that you're obsessed with it more than anything else in your life, and you're willing to follow it anywhere. 

I've met incredible people who have already become the friends that I rely on and laugh with like family. Adventure is just that: showing up in the unknown with every doubt and finding your spirit there anyway.

It might be harder to find the backcountry, now that I live in one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world, but it'll be an even bigger adventure now that I have to go searching for it. So, if you're willing to stick with me, this blog may venture into new territory just as I have, but it'll likely be just as exciting.

Josie, myself, and Corey in front of the "We Love Houston" sign off the freeway. Clearly, I'm not entirely convinced, yet. 

 Who knows what will happen from here, but for now...