July 2014

July was a month of celebration, anticipation, and big decisions. The 4th of July was a weekend celebration with hiking, festivals, and the Stadium of Fire. Carrie Underwood came again this year and it was fabulous. Our favorite thing every year is seeing the parachuters come into the stadium with the flags- never fails to be amazing. July was also a month of lots of hiking. Our goal was every week, and then Mary got the horrendous 2 week cold that was going around so hiking was on hiatus. We did manage to be 15 year olds at seven peaks a few times this month. There is just something about a water park that brings out the 15 year old kid in everyone. Brad's big accomplishment was making it over the yellow slide and Mary still reigns champion in the green slide race- 2 years now! July was a big decision making month because Brad decided to take a hiatus from academia (though he does love teaching) and pursue a job with his skill set doing international business. His rational was academia is always still an option but taking a chance in business and learning a new skill set would be a great growing experience at this point in his life. Because of this decision we decided to put our condo on the market and prepare to move wherever he got a job. He was looking at jobs across the country and out of the country. A week after we put our condo on the market he officially accepted a job here in salt lake with Washakie Renewable energy (a growing company wanting to expand into lots of countries including Turkey). Our condo is under contract and we are under contract for our new home. If all goes accordingly we will be moving September 13. "A change is a brewin."

June 2014

June has been an emotional month. Angie & Ryan decided to give Link and Odin a better life. They gave them to a family who has a yard to run in and a few older kids to play with. We took one last walk to say good bye. Brad is allergic to dogs so this may be the closest I will come to having my own dogs. They were such good boys, they would get so excited every time I came over. I will miss taking them for walks and snuggling with them. I'm sure they will be happy in their new home but it is hard to say goodbye under any circumstance.

 We had a Dennis family reunion to celebrate Mom and Dad Dennis' 50th wedding anniversary. It was fun to help with the decor of the open house and see every one. Brad gave them a special gift of singing "Misty" one of their favorite romantic songs.

And of course we made it to the Arts Festival. Scallops, ribs, perusing art and outdoor concerts are something we look forward to all year. 

And finally we found a hiking book worth having with all of the unknown trails in salt lake area mapped out. The funny thing about being on top of the world...it's addicting.

Cheers to a fun summer!

May 2014

May... wow. May was crammed with too much busy busy busy. We barely saw each other and our home turned into a bed stop and then off to more work or errands or just busy. It doesn't matter how much the extra pay and benefits are we decided this crazy month of may; too much work drains you, makes your life feel meaningless because your too busy running to the next thing to experience the moment, and makes you not enjoy or really be present for any of it and anyone in it. So the verdict is... never again! Keep things simple- or less is more is our new motto. Cheers to a simplified minimalist summer.

We were able to celebrate Brad's birthday with some friends at The Naked Fish (best sushi bar), and then celebrated our anniversary with getting Backpacking gear and taking it all for a spin in the wild. While doing so we ran into a moose! It was snowing so we just backed of the trail and waited for it to leave. It was pretty exciting. We found "our spot" protected by a huge pine tree and with built in hooks for our backpacks. Nothing beat the vacation view we awoke to in the morning. It was so romantic and a perfect anniversary mini vacation.

April 2014

April flew by so fast- too fast! In April I went with friends to sunny St. George for spring break, and Brad took his U of  U students to DC for the Model Arab League competition. All professions should have a week off to welcome in spring. It was perfect to be in sunny Zions and kick off the season with hiking, biking, and pool lounging.

(this is my favorite tree in all of Utah)

We celebrated Easter with the Jefferson annual easter egg hunt and brunch, and had a delicious dinner with the Dennis family. The best thing about this time of year are the pansies and tulips- yes we are ready for sunny spring.

March 2014

Not many people know that March 15th is the Ides of March (Shakespeare) but those who work in schools and with children can feel it. It's that last push of winter and some days out of the blue spring is here, but then rain and cold and winter again- it drives you crazy. Alas, in our home we push through the Ides of March with March Madness, St. Patricks Day, and Taxes! We usually go to the St. Patricks Day parade but this year it was too hectic and so it was just our traditional Jefferson Irish dinner to celebrate. Two big crockpots of  corned beef and cabbage to feed 14 of our growing Jefferson family. Delicious. And then March Madness hit and we filled out our brackets (last year Mary's team went all the way- oh yeah!) so Brad was very careful filling out his bracket... and 1 week in and both our teams are out. This year Brad chose Wichita and Mary was going for Syracuse. No fancy dinner or bragging rights for either of us this year. Tax day is a chore but a declared holiday as well because it could easily be another downer part of the Ides of March. So we give high fives and hugs when it is all sent off. Whew no taxes to worry about till 2015. This month we also took out the kite and found the most beautiful walking park nicknamed- Walden Park, because it makes you stop and think and cherish the little things like a sunset over the Oquirrhs. An added bonus was seeing our niece and nephew at their Dad's wedding- they are growing like weeds (kids do that :). And now whether the weather cooperates or not we are bound to celebrate spring- Brad in DC coaching his Model Arab League Class- Go Utes (Team Egypt!), and Mary in St. George with her girlfriends. Hurrah! we made it through the Ides of March!

February 2014

Happy Birthday month to Mary! I feel so spoiled, a whole month of good food, parties, a spa day, lunch and shopping with friends, movies, and the best valentines gift ever. This has been a good birthday month. It started with Health! Brad is doing great with his allergy shots and they really seem to be helping. He gave me the best valentines gift ever- The Vienna Ball...

A fancy dancey benefit for the Utah Symphony. Yes we felt like part of the royal class for a night, especially with the chauffeur service and photo shoot we arranged (Thanks Angie and Ryan). I borrowed my sister in law's prom dress and Brad rented a tux and we were set. The Ball included a silent auction and Viennese sit down dinner. The symphony played traditional Viennese Waltz music and we danced till our feet hurt- Brad danced like a prince and I felt like a princess. The BYU Ballroom Dance team did a few live shows and it was like watching Dancing with the Stars live on the front row. Brad shocked me when he started a bidding war for a hot air balloon ride- he must have felt we really were the royal class thinking we should spend all that money... but at least he got more money for the Utah Symphony, and who knows maybe next year I will be in a hot air balloon for my birthday. The entire night was a delight and definitely something we would want to do again. Other Birthday delights included: my favorite salmon dinner from Mom Dennis, birthday purse shopping with girlfriends, movie night with Angie, movie afternoon with Mom, Dinner and Dueling Pianos with friends, and a lovely Old Spaghetti factory dinner- like usual. It was a fun birthday month!