Lusk Creek Backpacking Trip

We went on a quick backpacking trip in early November, and I'm just now getting the time to blog about it!  Fall is our absolute favorite time of year to backpack.  The weather is usually ideal, and it's a great chance to see the beautiful fall colors.

I love all outdoor activities, but backpacking may very well be my favorite.  I get such satisfaction from carrying everything I need on my back.  I also love a good physical challenge and backpacking is a pretty good workout.  Most of all, I love to camp in the backcountry.  It's so much better than camping at a campground!  

I love the quiet and peacefulness that comes with backcountry camping.  I also love seeing the beauty of natural structures that you have to walk to get to.  

For this trip, we headed to the Lusk Creek Wilderness in the Shawnee National Forest.  I've been to most places in the Shawnee but had never been to Lusk Creek.  Andrew had planned a relatively easy 11 mile hike for us.  Somehow, we timed it perfectly.  We had the most perfect weather and the fall colors were definitely at their peak.  On Saturday night, we camped at the Secret Canyon, surrounded by beautiful sandstone bluffs, probably one of my favorite places I've ever camped!  

We were joined by our good friends and backpacking buddies, Justin and Mylisa.  My sister-in-law and her husband also joined us for the first time.  We had such a good time.  It was truly the perfect autumn backpacking trip! 

Once again, I'm reminded just how truly spectacular nature is.  I'm also reminded of why I love the Shawnee so much.   

Here are some pics from our trip.  My friend Mylisa showed me how to take pictures in the dark by adjusting the shutter speed with a remote control.  Aren't they awesome?!  I especially love the pictures that she took with the tents lit up!

Enjoy!

Friday night enjoying the fire

Tent glow on Saturday night -- courtesy of Mylisa

Saturday night fire at the Secret Canyon

The group

My favorite hiking buddy

Hiking

Pretty fall colors

The Secret Canyon

Lately

I'm a list person.  I love to make lists, and I love to check things off my list!

So today, I'll be sharing a list of some random happenings and things going through my head.

Life is busy and hectic these days,  and as much as I love blogging, I just can't seem to find much time for it.

So here's what's been going on in our world lately....

•  I am teaching two undergraduate education courses this semester.  I love it.  I'm pretty sure I was born to teach.  But it's a lot of work, and I'm struggling to find some balance.

• I need to start analyzing my dissertation data but haven't been able to find the time because of teaching. Hopefully, I can get started this week!

• Being a mom of a toddler is awesome and fun, but it's also exhausting.  On the days I'm home with him, I should spend the evenings writing or grading, but instead, I can barely summon the energy to sit on the couch.  I could really use a few more hours in my day....

• Speaking of the toddler, here he is wearing his super hero mask.  He's starting to get into costumes, super powers, and playing pretend. Full on cuteness!

 

• To help me unwind a bit, Andrew sent me out on Friday night to hear some music with friends.  Here's a picture of me and my besties.  The four of us go way back and this picture reminds me of the days when we were all footloose and fancy free!  What a super fun night.

 

• The return of pumpkin spice flavors makes me oh so happy.  Seriously, sometimes it's the one treat that gets me through the day. Now if only the weather would cool off enough to pull out the boots!  I'm definitely ready for fall.

• I am training to run this race again this year, 10 miles through the beautiful Shawnee National Forest.  I work best with a goal, and the runs are a good way to manage some of my stress right now.  Win-win.

•  Have you seen the new Pottery Barn catalog?  Wow. Wow. Wow.  I'm loving the rustic, natural style.  I have pinned many images on Pinterest as inspiration for my future home.  It is totally normal to spend time thinking about your future home when needing to write a dissertation right?! 

•  Looking forward to the return of Parenthood next week!  It's one of my favorite shows and it's moved to Thursday nights, which means it will be a nice treat when I get home from teaching.

Have a wonderful week!
 xoxo

Lately...

The new year started off slowly but things are starting to pick up.  Here is what we've been up to lately...

I'm in love with Downton Abbey.  We rented seasons 1 and 2 over our winter break and finished just in time to catch the start of season 3.  Now, my Sunday nights are reserved for this delightful show.  I'm a huge fan of period shows.  I'm a sucker for the costumes.  

Liam and I watch this video multiple times a day.  We love it, and he does this cute thing where he drums his hands in the air and makes the sign for "stronger".  I can't get enough of it.

My sister-in-law gave me this candle for Christmas.  It has this amazing sweet, woody smell. I burn it every evening.

I starting shredding again last week.  After months of running, I wanted to give my knees a break and mix things up a bit.  When I did the 30 Day Shred in June, I lost 9.5 inches in 30 days! This definitely works, but you have to do it every day.  But its only 27 minutes which makes it completely doable.  We are going to Florida for a week next month so I'm using that as motivation!

I have also been juicing in an attempt to keep us healthy this winter season.  I usually throw an apple, an orange, half a cucumber, two cups of spinach, some ginger, and flax seed into a blender.  Sometimes I add a banana.  This mixture will last me a couple of days, giving two large glasses full.  I think it's delicious, and the best part is that Liam likes it too.  Now, if only I could get my husband on board.....

This is Liam's favorite book and has been for awhile.  We read this book every night before bedtime.  It's a beautiful book with a beautiful message.  

I just finished reading this book.  It's got some powerful messages about the food choices that we make.  It's not a diet book but more of an exploration into the emotional and spiritual side of eating.  I wouldn't say it was transformational, but I have marked several passages that resonate with me.  One of my favorite quotes reads, "Spiritual hunger can never be solved on the physical level."

I usually drink chamomile tea in the evenings, but I recently discovered this.  It's a nice alternative.  It tastes good, and I love that it's loose leaf.

Liam and I attended story time at our library for the first time last week.  Liam loved it, and I enjoyed chatting with the other moms.  This is definitely going to become a regular part of our week.  I'm finding that as he gets older, we need to get out of the house more and this is an excellent morning outing.

This week I'm back to school, which means that we are getting back into some semblance of a routine.  As much as I love having a break, I also love having a little structure in my life!

What about you?  What have you been up to lately?

Color Run

This past weekend I ran the Color Run with three friends.  If you haven't heard of the Color Run, I suggest you check it out.  

Here in St. Louis, the run was a fundraiser for the organization Autism Speaks. 

It was ridiculous fun. 

We walked and jogged the 5k route laughing and chatting along the way.  There are color stations along the route where you have various colors of powder thrown on you.

By the end, you're a rainbow of color.

It was completely silly and made us feel like kids again.  And for four moms, who all have young children, it's really kind of nice to feel like a kid again. 

As you can see, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves...and I'm pretty sure that next year, we'll be back!

Run Like the Wind

I was fortunate to have a fairly easy pregnancy.  I didn’t feel very good during the first trimester, but I wasn’t sick all the time like some women I know.  The hardest part for me early on was the fatigue.  I was constantly wiped out. 

Pregnancy was a very humbling experience for me.  I was constantly in awe of my body.  I have close friends who have struggled with infertility so I was constantly aware of what a blessing my pregnancy was.  As my body changed and grew, I tried to be very mindful of the miracle that was happening.  I often just stared at myself in the mirror…trying to wrap my head around the fact that I was growing a person!  When you really stop and think about it, it’s pretty mind-blowing. 

While I was pregnant, I ate really healthy and exercised well into my third trimester.  During the last 6 weeks, I stopped working out because I was so tired and it was 173 degrees in St. Louis.   I gained 40 lbs in total, which wasn’t too bad considering I had to be induced at 41 weeks.

After Liam was born, I dropped 20 lbs right away.  I give credit to breastfeeding and also the stress of trying to cope with a low milk supply.  I must admit that I was thrilled to lose those 20 lbs quickly….I took it as a sign that the rest of the weight would just fall off.

Not so much.  Liam will be 6 months old next week and I’m still carrying 20 lbs of baby weight.  Despite joining Weight Watchers and trying to exercise regularly, the scale just won’t budge.  The worst part  is that I have a closet full of clothes that I still can’t fit into.  I don’t feel good about myself either.  When I see pictures, I hardly recognize myself with my double chin.


Everyone tells me I’m being too hard on myself….it took 9 months to put it on and it takes 9 months to take it off.   I get that, but at the end of the day, I want to feel good and healthy again.  I want to be able to wear my cute clothes and not have to try to conceal my back fat...  


But, it’s hard to stay motivated when you are frustrated by the scale. There is nothing more defeating than carefully watching your diet and exercising diligently for a week, only to step on the scale and see it hasn’t budged!  So frustrating!


So, in the spirit of positivity, I have decided to focus less on the weight and more on getting into shape….which led me to register for the Go St. Louis Half-Marathon on April 15^th.  I ran a half-marathon in 2004 and it’s one of my proudest moments. I have never felt as healthy and fit as I did during that race. I want to feel that way again.


I know that I’m trying to juggle a lot right now…and I really need another “project” like I need a hole in my head, but I want…I NEED to do this.  I tend to be very goal oriented and I like to have something to work towards.  If nothing else, training for this race will help keep me accountable to my workouts.  In the end, I will be in shape.  If the weight comes off then that’s an added bonus.  But, this is not about the weight.  This is about feeling good.


I began training this week.  Yesterday I ran for 30 minutes around our very hilly neighborhood.  It hurt like hell.  My legs and my lungs burned, but afterwards, I felt amazing.  Today, I have an extra pep in my step, and I swear my thighs might just be a little smaller!