Summit

The day after Christmas we headed to the Snowy Mountains & Great Dividing Range for an overnight adventure to climb Mt. Kosciuszko, which is the highest peak on the Australian continent. (And, just to be clear, it's the tiniest of the seven summits and probably the only one I'll ever scale. And the overnight was in a motel, not huddled on the side of the mountain in tents.)

What a glorious day. Walking under blue skies, a light breeze, and sunshine with those five dears was a highlight of the year for me. We've been separated so often this year, it felt like such a blessing just to be together, chatting and laughing and teasing our way up a mountain. I wanted to stay there forever.

It put me in mind of this quote, which I have posted before but can't resist doing again:

"You cannot stay on the summit forever; you have to come down again. So why bother in the first place? Just this: What is above knows what is below, but what is below does not know what is above. One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer, but one has seen. There is an art of conducting oneself in the lower regions by the memory of what one saw higher up. When one can no longer see, one can at least still know"
~Rene Daumal, Mount Analogue

And so, today we descend from mountain peaks and joy-filled holidays to mountains of laundry and putting away Christmas (and sunburns!). Soon Lauren will leave and it will be four again. But. We will remember the summit and hopefully will conduct ourselves in the lower regions by the memory of what we saw higher up. And we'll get there again, eventually. 

Ahoy, maties

Well, we're not in Kansas anymore!  That's probably just as well, since when we were driving across the country,  I lit my hair on fire in Kansas. But that's a story for another day.

We spent the month of August packing up, cleaning out, driving across the US, spending delicious time with family and friends, and saying goodbye over and over and over again. (Oh, the goodbyes! The only thing worse than saying goodbye to people you love is watching your children say goodbye to people they love. Heartbreaking.)  In early September, we offically set off on the plane bound for our new home.

We're finally emerging from the jetlag fog (and some pesky colds) to explore and enjoy our new hometown. Here's our home for the next few years. We love it. It was a really lucky find when we had a quick 3 days in an off-season market to find housing; we knew as soon as we walked in that it was the one. (The only thing that will make it better is when our belongings arrive in mid October.) Can you spot two silly teenagers who sneaked into the shot?

As you can see, it's early spring here so no leaves on the trees quite yet. But we have roses in our garden!

We really like the neighborhood (Yarralumla). There's a little row of shops a few blocks away with a post office, bakery, grocery, gift shop and a few restaurants. In the other direction just a couple of blocks aways is this beautiful scene that we can't get enough of:

So that's the quick version of the past few weeks. I'll fill in some more of the details in coming days but here's our journey by the numbers:

13 different sets of beds 
drove through 11 states in 5 days
hundreds of awesome songs on our playlist
5+ generous hosts (my parents, G's parents, my brother Matt, my grandparents, and Christie)
countless generosities from and visits with dear ones
3 visits to Cafe Rio and 4 visits to Cafe Zupas
24 hours traveling to Australia from take-off in SLC to landing in Canberra
and 3.5 filled airsick bags enroute

Some details I'll fill in more than others, I promise.

Music to travel by

Not too long ago, I asked people here and on facebook about their favorite roadtrip songs so we could put together a mega playlist for our cross-country drive. Well, you came through brilliantly with a crowdsourcing bounty of 167 songs from 72 people. Bravo! There are some serious musical treasures there (or traysures as they say in my home state). Thank you, everyone! The best part is we have a master list with your name next to the song you suggested so we can reminisce about each of you while we listen to your music. Can't wait. I am so excited to listen to these. While I am determined to wait so we can savor them for the first time on the trip starting next Thursday, that doesn't mean you can't go have a listen! If you're on Spotify (and if not, why not?) you can access the playlist here and start listening now, all 11 hours of it. Otherwise, here's a song-by-song list in case you're curious. (And, by the way, it's not too late! Chime in with your picks in the comments and we'll add your song to the list.)

Click to read more ...

Zipped

The Friday before G left, we came to the shocking realization that we had a completely free Saturday the next day. We started throwing around ideas for doing something momentous for his last New England wahoo weekend. After about 14 total years of living in the area, it seemed like there should be something to mark the end of the era. At some point G suggested "What about doing a zip line course?" 

A quick google search and an online reservation later, we were booked for the next day before we could really stop and think about the implications of dangling from a wire high off of the ground. (Although we did have a 2+ hour drive to mull it over the next morning!)

We arrived in Lincoln, NH, got fitted for harnesses and instructed on hanging on for dear life, and headed up the mountain in an old WWII all terrain vehicle. The forested zipline course was made up of about 7 long swoops between high platforms at the tops of the trees. That first step is a nail biter but it was glorious to soar out over the breathtaking scenery--glorious and a wee bit terrifying. I was especially proud of M (usually the most timid amongst us) for jumping in with gusto. By the end the guide had most of us convinced to jump off backwards in the last, freefall zipline.

All except G, who dove off head first. 

How's that for an apt metaphor for life?  

I am about to break all of my personal rules about posting pictures of myself. This is an unflattering, hair-plastered, awkwardly posed photo of me (and, let's face it, the harness does me no favors in the fashion department) but we were so utterly thrilled and gleeful at the end that I love this, sweaty hair and all.

 

Throughout the course I kept repeating: We are intrepid; we carry on. (Name that movie.)

I think intrepid will be our new word around here this summer. I like how it feels. 

Chicagoing

After opening presents and attending church on Christmas Day, we hopped on a plane and landed in Chicago to spend a few days with my parents and siblings. My aunt and uncle had offered their home to us while they were away for Christmas and it was a wonderful site to gather, smack in the middle of the country.

Joy! It's the first time we've all been together for 5+ years.  It was time.

So that's where I've been:

spending hours around the table

reading on the sofas

going to the Chicago Art Institute

and Berghoffs (remember when I went there with Sam a couple of summers ago? they fixed their sign)

singing around the piano

and doing Muppet impersonations (Chris's Animal ftw)

My people. I love them.

I miss them already.