Gazing at El Capitan in Yosemite National Park just 5 days before Alex Honnold made his historic ascent.

Messy Dreams

I love pictures. In high school I had them plastered across 90% of my bedroom wall. I take thousands, organize them in folders on my computer by time periods and events, and I select my favorites to go in a scrapbook or to be blown up on a canvas. Whenever I see a breathtaking view,…

Running and fundraising for St. Jude.

Dollars for Miles

Dollars for Miles Here’s how it works: I run the miles, you donate the dollars. I want every mile I run to make a difference for the kids of St. Jude, so I’m pushing myself to raise money with each and every mile I accumulate. I’m searching for one supporter each week to donate the amount…

My dog is my favorite running partner.

Running for a Reason

In college, I got up most mornings between the hours of 5AM and 6AM in order to get to practice. I ran cross country and track, and those early morning hours were the best time to put in the miles. I didn’t dictate the practice schedule; I sat my alarm, crawled out of bed, and…

Black Canyon National Park

Week Out West: Inspired

Jackson commented I should change the name of these blogs to ‘Week and a Half Out West.’ Our mishap on the mountain has left us stranded in Montrose, CO, waiting on a part to arrive before his car can get fixed. The part isn’t expected until Tuesday which puts us leaving Tuesday night at the…

After rock in the road blew a whole in our oil pan we had to get towed to Montrose, Colorado.

Week Out West: Hiccup

What’s a good adventure without a bump in the road? Or a real big rock in our case. We left Moab with the intention of at least making our way back east toward home. We were in no rush, eager to take a different route and stop where our hearts desired. We grabbed lunch at…

Kona leads the way as we approach Corona Arch.

Week Out West: Serenity

What is it that makes us marvel at a landscape; why do we call it beautiful? Jackson asked me this question as we walked away from Corona Arch. We had decided to stick to state parks so that Kona could hike with us. The trek was every bit as beautiful as the ones from the…

Arches National Park, Moab, Utah.

Week Out West: The Walking In-between

Yesterday we celebrated Jackson’s 27th birthday. Well, we observed it. Typically celebrations include lots of people, maybe some fancy meals, drinks, music, or an event of some kind. We mostly drove; down windy roads through snow covered mountains and on straight roads through red desert. Occasionally we stopped to stretch our legs, let the puppy…

A beautiful moon rose early in Taos, New Mexico as we hiked the West Rim Trail.

Week Out West: Are you happy?

I don’t remember the very first time Jackson asked me the question, “Are you happy?” I don’t remember where we were or what we were doing to prompt the question. I do know that it was in the very early stages of our relationship and I remember exactly how it made me feel. He looked…

Coffee break at Urban Bru Cafe in Guymon, OK.

Week Out West: For the Love of Dogs and Coffee

Seven days, five or more states, a couple thousand miles and no interstates. Our road trip plans began when we decided to ditch our travel itinerary for Tulsa, North West Arkansas and Eureka Springs – all of which were only a few hours from Springfield. We’d been imagining our week-long-post-holiday-insanity getaway for quite sometime and…