It Doesn't Get Any Better Than A Day Like Today!

Chip and Cloe...she's always up for having her picture taken and never complains about how fat she looks. That's Chip's kind of girl!
Me and Cloe. I tried to fix her eyes with the "correct red eye" feature, but it truly only corrects red eye, not bright white eye!

There is a hiking trail we love that's not too far from home. It takes you up to the North Ogden Divide Trailhead, and is 2.5 miles one way, making for a nice 5 miler. We do this hike about 3 times a week from mid-May until about the end of November. It's a beautiful hike in the spring, summer and fall, the scenery being equally beautiful yet different in each season. We snowshoe it in the winter and it's spectacular.

We often have the entire trail to ourselves, but will pass an occasional mountain biker or someone on horseback.

I took Cloe up for the first time last September, when she was about 6 months old. She's a wonderful hiking companion. She never gets too far ahead; she'll stop to wait for us to catch up or run back to meet us. There's something very soothing about hearing the jingle of her tags as we hike along. She especially likes the trip down, when she gets running and takes the corners so fast I'm always sure she's going to wipe out. She likes to find the occasional mouse to play with and takes a dip in the water every chance she gets.

Chip and I do this hike together a lot. We've found it's a great time to talk uninterrupted about anything and everything...or not. However, I do it alone (or now with my four legged hiking companion) during the week, after taking the kids to school, and have had some real "aha" moments the past few years while hiking this trail. It's a very special place to me.

Today was a great day. Chip and I started the day with a hike and beautiful weather, after which Caitlin and I picked up my mom and headed down to Salt Lake for some time with all my aunts and cousins. We met at Gardner Village for lunch and to browse in all the shops. There were 12 of us that were able to make it this time and we had a great time over lunch, talking and laughing. We're all so different in so many ways, but we really enjoy each other and I feel fortunate to have these women in my life. While we were gone, Chip and Sam played basketball, rented a serious guy movie ("Live Free and Die Hard"), and made tacos. Caitlin is at an end of year party now, and I'm enjoying a glass of wine and updating our blog. It just doesn't get any better than a day like today!