Spring Break: Canyonlands

There is always so much to do in so little time around Moab. Canyonlands is diverse with geological formations and not as crowded as Arches NP. Audrey had some ideas for points of interest. We were eager to get started. We packed our gear and food then headed out into the red country. It was in the mid 70's. Perfect.

Orange Cliffs Overlook: 
We paused here for a long while. Looking down into the canyon and climbing the rocks.

Canyonlands reminds me a little of Capital Reef NP with these dimples in the rocks. Pretty cool....

It felt wonderful simply clinging to rocks like a lizards first soak in the sun.
Eventually we were inspired to move and explore some more.....

Grand Overlook: yes, it lived up to its name.

We perched on a rock at the Green River Overlook: Ahhhhhhh

Moab is especially beautiful this time of year because of the different colors of landscapes in the forefront of the snow-capped peaks....

Willow had a bad cold so she was feeling tired and unmotivated. I had to carry her in the pack a lot of the time. I let her hike in the easy sections and she had plenty of time to play in the red sand and find holes to climb up into :)

Eventually we caught up with the others......

Mesa Arch: fantastic! 

Shafer Canyon Overlook: in all its glory.......

View of Potash Road (we drove this in 2015 HERE).

"The poetry of the earth never ends".......

The day wrapped up before we knew it. I was recharged; excited to see one new place after another.
I was ready for the next morning light!

Spring Break Arrival !

Spring Break has arrived! 
The first part of the break we had the cousins to play with. It was great to spend some quality time with the Osburn girls. Of course we had a spring snow storm to shake things up :)

Bryan had to stay home and finish up with his writing and wrapping up details for graduation.
Mom, the kids and I drove to Moab, Utah to visit Audrey. We arrived late afternoon after a 5 hour drive. That evening, Audrey led us on a 4.6 mile (steep) evening hike to start off the vacation.

The sun was setting quickly. We ended up as far as Hidden Valley. Beautiful. I want to return to explore further up the trail. Another time; another trip :)

 Goodnight Moab...... more to explore the next 2 days.

I was looking forward to spending family time in the great outdoors. Oh the places we'll go!

Misc March

Browsing through my photos for the month of March. Days on the calendar keep slipping away:
Willow has been practicing her alphabet. She can write all her letters now. Can you tell she's pleased? 

We always look forward to our music jam sessions. We can't wait for the weather to warm up so we can return to our neighbor's porch!

Bryan and Ava bought a electric bass guitar. That's going to be a great addition to the sound of the band :)

Speaking of band, I captured this after-school band session "without the garage." Hahaha

The kids got haircuts..... just in time for Spring. Thanks Audrey and Chandra!

Ava always looks older when she gets a cut. *Sniff*

Still have a dog pack to exercise. Still heading for the hills ;)

Willow and I took Jupiter to get spayed, extra claws removed, and a chip inserted. Big vet day.
We visited Grandma Hanks while we were there in Delta  :)

Our (stylish) leprechaun shows up once a year in March for St. Patrick's Day!  :D

We were looking forward to Spring Break!

Keep Calm; PhD Coming Soon

The light at the end of the PhD tunnel glows brighter. I can hardly contain myself  *doing a happy dance*......

Back in October I jokingly posted this picture and captioned it "Me waiting for my husband to finish his PhD." 

Truthfully we were both ready to stick a fork in this chapter.

 It's been a decade long journey. The moment I gazed at this email Bryan received, I knew this was really wrapping up.

I got tears in my eyes reading the words on the page. I can't express or describe the emotions. It was a mix of punches and flashes. A race of bitter and sweet memories swimming in my head. He managed to juggle doing a PhD with a full time job and family. It's almost impossible to find, let alone try to  maintain some sort of balance. But, he did a damn great job! Roadblocked by significant injuries ~ dislocations, broken leg, and rattlesnake bite. Derailed by several deaths in the family. Birth of three kids. The primary trauma that comes from that is the lack of sleep. Other blows he, and we, had to fight out of.
My first post on this blog has been during this PhD process. Crazy. I'm grateful we've had countless family adventures and have been to amazing places in the midst of all his hard work.

 Professional Dissertation Defense prep :) 

March 28th he passed his dissertation defense with the board with minor revisions. What an outstanding, epic achievement and commitment. He followed through and succeeded. I can't wait to watch him seal the deal at the end of April! (*Insert Pomp and Circumstance March*). 
I really need that visual of him in a cap and gown to confirm that it's really happening :)

This really is a end of an era. Fitting as we approach Spring.
The season and energy of new beginnings.

I'm extremely PROUD of Bryan. I exhale a deep breath of relieve knowing that he will soon be released from a PhD prison haha. He reached and worked himself into the ground (that's an understatement) for what he wanted. He came through battered and beaten ~ but alive!

I think the poster above says it perfectly: PhD survivor. We experienced every emotion in the book during this ride. I've always admired Bryan's determination, dedication, and grit. Is there a more powerful word than tremendous for achieving this? I think we will celebrate as a family unit this year ;)

#TeamHamiFami

Dr. Hamilton, you are amazing and you deserve this!

XOXO

Science Fair 2018

Last week was the Baker School Science Fair. Ava's experiment was "Compost effects on tomato growths."
This year she got first place for 5th grade! Woot woot; go Ava! 
We have a head-start on the the garden now haha. I have a feeling summer will arrive early this year.

#sheinheretedthehanksgreenthumb?

Ava picked out "Juggle Bubbles" as her prize to take home. The kids had a great time playing with those in the yard....

The simple things are the best things in life :)