dripping with passion

39 and 2 babies on the way i recently read somewhere that a place can be so thick in meaning and memories that it becomes a living character in one’s life story. that is certainly true for me – bear lake is and always has been a significant personality and relationship in the context of who i am. i am grateful that, despite my wanderlust and never-ending desire to see the new and novel, i have this incredibly familiar locale to frequent every summer. the air there is just heavy in the most comfortable and intimate way. bear lake is my oldest, closest chum. it really is the best time of life when all of us get together at the lake. despite the chaos, sky-high expectations and regular frustrations, yes, these are perfect, halcyon days.     just dance might be the single best thing to happen to our family this year. i’ll never forget how rousing the cheer was when jonah declared the boat fixed after so much work! which allowed for some sweet trippling with my nieces at suns...

i arrived at beloved bear lake right in time to celebrate the country whose vast land i'd just crossed, nearly from sea to shining sea. it was a classic holiday complete with watermelon, pasta salad, lemonade, and sunshine. topped off by a killer sunset, a bonfire on the beach and sparklers. keeping with a family birthday tradition, we went around the circle and said one thing we love about the birthday girl - america. it felt so good to be up at the lake - the start of 10 sweet days with the people i love most in a place that’s warm with nostalgia and closeness and harmony.

jane moved from san francsico to singapore in february, and i have been missing her so much in the city! i was so glad that we got to reunite in utah this summer. there's nothing more home than eating breakfast at ruth's and lunch at dodo with my since-forever- best-friend . i love this girl, and our friendship that looooads of time and distance can never scuff!

driving across the country has been on my bucket list for a while, and i couldn’t pass up the chance to make the trek with the only person i know who wants to fit in even more adventures in one day than i do. my favourite thing about this trip was that i would wake up in the morning somewhere neat and end up that night somewhere entirely different – and have seen lots of rad stuff along the way. it was really cool to be able to visit some church history sites – places my heart has always wanted to see. we essentially took the route of the early saints and the pioneers, with a few exceptions, and read “our heritage” together in the car between stops. i was strengthened spiritually. for a relatively cheap one way ticket to new york city, i got to see important, significant, spirit-charged places, an incredible gem of metropolis, an insane national landmark, two of the best sunsets ever , some amusing americana, and a whole lot of land in between. when we arrived home on independence da...