The Mountains Have Been Calling For Far Too Long

Will and I are leaving on an adventure in the Sawtooths later tonight, so we can be at the trail and ready to go bright and early tomorrow. We'll be hiking the Toxoway Loop with little Pip in tow, taking lots of time to leisurely explore the area and the several mountain lakes along the way.  I'm so excited to test my new gear out! And to just be out in the wilderness; it has been far too long. Enjoy your weekend, lovelies. You'll see me back here Monday (Tuesday at the latest) with plenty of pictures and stories.

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30 Days of Truth: Day 2 | Something You Love About Yourself

Two of my favorite pictures of me. The first is from Nov 2011, the second from May of this year.

I've been putting this post off for awhile because I was having a hard time deciding how I should go about writing it. I wasn't sure how I wanted to come off. I could simply pick out one thing I love about myself and elaborate on it extensively, or I could list all the things I love about myself and likely appear self-obsessed to some. But you know what? Fuck that.

I am a very humble person, but you can be humble and also love yourself. It is hard to be body positive in this society that scrutinizes all types of women's bodies, that bombardes us with images of what is pretty, what is sexy, and what is young. I'd like to think that I am pretty comfortable with myself' despite all of this. And I think it is good to know that it is perfectly okay to feel good about yourself. You can say "Damn, I am cute today."  Because you are! Take a selfie of your cute damn self. Don' let anyone tell you otherwise or that you are full of yourself.

But it is a lot easier for me to love myself for so many other qualities before I even consider my appearance. That is important to me. I am extremely proud of the person I continue to become. I am highly critical of myself, as you learned from my response to the first prompt, but I am also extremely confident in who I am and I am damn self-assured in all my opinions/beliefs. I am a walking collection of contradictions in a way I suppose, but I always welcome self improvement and that is something I can love.

I have a huge capacity to care for other people. I always thought I'd become a counselor or therapist, because I love to listen to other's stories, problems, questions, doubts. Although I am probably not the most qualified person to offer someone advice (seeing as I have so many of my own issues), maybe I will end up with a similar career some day. I am a very tender person and I genuinely care about other people, even if they don't know it. I also love that I am a very open-minded person. I had great parents who taught not to judge quickly; I was great at making all different sorts of friends, even at a very young age, because of this. I am open to discussion, always. And I'm not afraid to share my opinion or back it up, but I am always willing to set it aside to see someone else's side of things and I am always willing to change it if I feel it necessary. Which leads me to another thing I really like about myself, my passion for truth and for learning. I consider myself to be on an endless pursuit of knowledge. It says just that on my side bar here because it is something, above all else, that I think defines me and that I love. I'm talking about self-directed learning, simply wanting to know why things are the way they are. And what that means. I also really enjoy challenging myself and trying new things. Some times they work out in my favor (like teaching myself html) and sometimes they don't (like when I tried to teach myself to play guitar). But I'm always learning.

What do you love about yourself? I'd love for you to share with me below :)

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Goals for September

Just some simple reminders and small things I need to work on to get me through the month of September. I love this time of year; as the world outside goes through a rebirth of sorts, I too welcome change in the Fall. It's a great time to shed some weight (figuratively) and simplify, really evaluating what it is that I consider a priority. You'll notice a few of these goals are carried over from my August list. They obviously still need to be worked on.

Oh, just a cool dragonfly Will found in the front yard.

Goals for September

1. Get outside as much as possible. It is cooling off already and that is as good enough an excuse as any to be outside. I want to take full advantage of nicer weather as much as I can before the winter cold sets in. Especially once those Fall colors start showing up, I'll be living outside then.

2. Plan out meals/eat better. Lately I've been considering brown rice crackers and large amounts of spicy yellow lentil hummus lunch. While delicious, I've been really missing structured meals. I've been craving salad like crazy, if that is any indication to the fact that my eating habits need to change. I've been inspired by this post and that whole blog (Garden of Vegan), actually.

3. Just relax. I'm the type of person that needs large amounts of down time in order to feel sane. My introverted personality and hypersensitivity mean I tire out pretty quickly. We spent a lot of time out and about this past weekend shopping, running errands, helping my sister move, doing fun things, and visiting family. I was burnt out after shopping for an hour the first day of the weekend. I've been really taking it easy since then and spending a lot of time alone and reading. I need to remember it is okay to take breaks or stay home instead; it keeps me feeling balanced.

4. Keep moving. I've noticed (since no longer doing Revolt) that if I try to push myself to exercise or workout that I will keep putting it off, and likely not do it at all. I am much happier simply working exercise into my day in little ways.

5. Show appreciation. It's been really easy to get caught up in everyday stresses lately (thanks, anxiety) and to let those stresses nag and nag at me. One way I am trying to combat this, when it happens, is it to take a step back and a deep breathe and think of something I am grateful for. More times than not, that something is the people in my life I am closest too. I am trying to show appreciation for those people, in little ways, more often.

6. Craft my heart out. I don't know why, but my creativity has been on such a high lately. I've even been getting ideas for what to make as Christmas gifts for a few people. I just want to craft and craft! I need to set aside more time daily to get these ideas out of my head. If they ever become successful, tangible realities, I may share the end results of some of them here.

7. Sleep fuller/enjoy mornings. I am sleeping better than I did the past few weeks, now that Will is home. I'm no longer up all night worry about him sleeping in a little tent smelling of salmon carcasses in the middle of bear country. But I am still feeling rather exhausted. I need to get back to sleeping earlier so I can enjoy mornings and sunset walks in the neighborhood again.

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September Wishlist: Fall Anticipation

first outfit: hat / dress / sweater / boots
second outfit: sweater / scarf / shirt / leggings

With all the money spent on new backpacking gear this weekend, it is unlikely that I will be adding anything new to my wardrobe for a while. But it is still a bit fun to window shop, especially with all the Fall clothes now out. And I've been doing some hypothetical outfit planning. Because it has been feeling so extremely almost Fall-like here. This weekend stayed a lot cooler than it has been and we're even getting rain. It was such a lovely rainy morning today. It gave me a great opportunity to test out my new fancy rain jacket, though Scout wasn't too happy about a rainy walk first thing after waking up. Pippin didn't care one bit that he was soaked to the bone. Those two, complete opposites. But, in my defense it wasn't raining when we left and I didn't think it'd come down that hard. You'll be happy to know that my rain jacket works remarkably and I felt guilty for being the only dry one of the bunch.

I am so excited for Fall fashion again. Summer clothes seem so boring to me, as my aim is to always wear as little as comfortably possible in preparation for the balls of sweat I will produce upon simply stepping outside into the heat. I get lazy and bored with summer fashion. Bring me layers. All the glorious layers that I get to don in the crisp cool Fall air. I can't wait for sweaters over dresses, tights with boots, tall socks, hats and scarves.

Are you ready for Fall? I am downing one chia latte after another in anticipation.

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Spirit of Boise (Balloon Classic)

Well I sure had a rather lovely weekend. Will came home Friday night to a fresh homemade pizza and drinks and I got to listen to all the stories from his (second) week away. Saturday, we slept in and then went out for quite the shopping adventure, enjoying a late lunch at Big City Coffee and a much needed (and delicious) dinner with his folks. Sunday, we crawled out of bed early early early to make some coffee, pack some breakfast, and head down to the park to watch the balloons launch with the sun rise. The Spirit of Boise Balloon Classic is one of my absolute favorite events in Boise every year. It occurs over labor day weekend and always seems like the first cool morning that actually requires a warm jacket; it is the perfect event to celebrate a transition into Fall. Watching the balloons is also rather nostalgic, bringing me instantly back to the River Festival days of my childhood.

There is also something rather magical about seeing all those balloons slowly inflate together and seemingly sprout to life from the green ground. The park becomes a whimsical display of colors within minutes. And seeing them drift off into the crisp morning air and hover their colors above the city, is something else. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't ideal for flight Sunday morning and all of the pilots agreed not to risk it. I was a bit sad, then, that we didn't come watch the day before. But I didn't mind too much; the pilots were great sports and most inflated anyway. They stayed tied to the ground and drifted and hovered around for a good while. They were all even letting kids in the baskets for short little rides. I know my 5 year old self would have loved that (so would my 22 year old self, but I was too embarrassed to ask). Seeing all those balloons together I can't help just feeling instantly happy and thus I having that feeling stick around for a day or two. How could a morning filled with colorful hot air balloons not be perfect?

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(Huckleberry) Honey Feta Cakes

So, um, I really love huckleberries. I just think this is something you should know about me.  Because they are the perfect berry, tarter than a blueberry but sweeter than a raspberry, and just the juiciest. But did you know that huckleberries are pretty fucking hard to come by? Even here in Idaho where they are the official state fruit. Because you have to go out in the woods and pick them and know where a good patch of them are and worry about disturbing a bear's favorite picking spot and so on. Does anyone know of somewhere not too far from Boise to pick them? I'll be your best friend if you do. Because finding some (legitimate wild ones) to buy is difficult and pricey; you can't just grow these pretties commercially (or even in a home garden). Though, Tillamook makes a delicious Mountain Huckleberry ice cream and Camas Prairie Winery in Moscow makes the best huckleberry mead ever. That is how I have enjoyed huckleberries the past few years.

You can imagine my excitement when Will came home last Friday from a work trip holding a bag full of these treasures. It had been years since I had fresh huckleberries. Oh, did we enjoy them. We mostly ate them on their own, in their perfect unadulterated form, or with yogurt. But Sunday morning we decided to get fancy and Will had the amazing idea to add them to our favorite griddle cakes. I mean, what could be better than honey feta griddle cakes? Well huckleberry honey feta griddle cakes, of course. These were crazy, insanely good. But, if you can't get your hands on some huckleberries (I don't blame you), these are still good without them. You might also try substituting blueberries.
  

(Huckleberry) Honey Feta Cakes, makes 12 griddle cakes
    Adapted from the recipe Honey Feta Griddle Bread from The Philosopher's Kitchen

8 ounces feta cheese
3 tablespoons honey
2 to 3 tablespoons honey (or plain) greek yogurt
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup organic unbleached flour
1/2 cup fresh huckleberries (approximate)

Directions: In a large bowl mash the feta cheese with the honey using the back of a fork until fully combined. Add in the greek yogurt and continue to mash, making sure no large clumps of cheese remain (this may take a lot of mashing). Add the salt and stir to combine. Slowly add portions of the flour, stirring to combine completely each time. This should be a pretty dense dough, but still workable. If the dough seems too stiff you can add more yogurt in small increments until it reaches a more malleable consistency. Using your hands, knead the dough briefly. Divide the dough into small equal pieces, about 12 for thicker griddle cakes. Divide into smaller pieces if thin cakes are desired.  Roll each piece into a ball and then flatten into (about 3 in diameter) rounds between your palms. Cook the cakes on a lightly oiled griddle over medium heat. Once a round is placed on the griddle, press a small handful of fresh huckleberries firmly into each one on the side of the cake that is facing up. Cook on each side until golden brown. Serve immediately while still warm.

Oh my. Enjoy with a cup of coffee!

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Weekend Wears: Lazy Sunday

I've begun to take walks around the neighborhood again recently. Now that is a bit cooler for longer in the mornings and cooler a little sooner in the evenings, I want to get out and stroll with the pups more. I love walks around sunset and feeling the day change to night. And I love that that is happening now earlier and earlier. I've said it before and I'll say it again (and Will heard me say it on several occasions on our walk last night), I am so excited for Fall.

Outfit Details

tank: Forever 21

cardigan: Old Navy (similar)

skirt: hand-me-down, the tag says Blue Plate

walking flats: so so old, I think from Target (similar)

This weekend was full of lots of much needed rest. Will really needed some after backpacking and working all week. I really needed some after not sleeping all week. Sunday we slept in so incredibly longer than usual, enjoyed salmon cream cheese bagels and huckleberry honey feta cakes and coffee for brunch (that combination is perfection), ran some errands, relaxed a lot, enjoyed a thanksgiving style feast with my family, and enjoyed a long walk. Lovely, lazy Sunday.

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