I Turned 28

I'm finally getting around to posting pictures from our amazing trip home earlier this month. We went home for my birthday as a good excuse to play with friends and family with a week. We started out the trip in southern Utah with some friends hiking for 4 days. I promise you'll see more of our adventures soon.

But for now lets focus on the important part, my birthday celebrations while home! I had my very first Swig cookie. I've heard so much about them since moving away from Utah, and when we saw Bountiful now has a Swig store, we decided to check it out. It was a darn good sugar cookie; but nothing can beat out Parson's sugar cookies. I can't find sugar cookies like that out here.

My mother in law and Hal made me the most delicious dinner for my birthday party. Cafe Rio style tacos were just as good as the real thing. She even made me a pavlova with fresh berries and whipping cream for my cake. If you haven't had pavlova before, find some, eat some; and you can thank me later.

We had a Peace Corps friend who happened to be in town while we were home, so we got to have a joining of two worlds, our peace corps family meeting our real families. We had a very rousing rendition of the drawing game, which of course is the perfect ending to a night.

As the final celebration for my birthday, my brother in law took us sailing on the Great Salt Lake. This has been on my bucket list forever. I'm kind of obsessed with all things nautical, so sailing has been a dream of mine forever. This was the perfect ending to the perfect birthday trip. If you ever have the chance to get out and try sailing, I highly recommend it. 

Moab, Utah

Before Hal and I packed up and left Utah his family decided to do a family reunion. When we were discussing location I realized I have only been to one of Utah's 5 national parks. So before we left the state for good we headed down to Moab to see one of the most famous sites in Utah, Delicate Arch in Moab Utah.

We had a blast in Moab. We rented a house and played in the pool, ate delicious food, had a blast playing games, and overall had the best family time anyone could have asked for. 

If you've never been to Moab, go. Seriously, the town has good food, and Arches and Canyonlands are so close. If you still aren't convinced, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. Delicate Arch was only a 3 mile moderate hike, and let me tell you, it was 1,000% worth it. 

Now I get why people come from all over the world to visit Moab. 

Homestead Resort Geo-Thermal Crater

When I was home for Valentines day Hal and I tried to find cheap-ish fun things to do in the area that neither of us had ever done before. So we turned to Groupon. We found a groupon for a 40 minute snorkeling session at Homestead Resort's geo-thermal crater in Midway, Utah.

 It was pretty cold in Utah, so it was perfect to relax in the amazingly beautiful crater for a while on a relaxing afternoon. The crater is so cool, you would have no idea what was inside just from looking at the outside. The water was clear and just the right temperature. You know how some hot springs can be too hot? Well this crater was like goldilocks, it was just right.

 They limit the amount of people who can be in the crater, so it's never too crowded. The water really clear, so snorkeling was cool. We could the people scuba diving below and it was fun to get close to the edge and look at the walls under the water. My favorite part was laying on my back, just looking up at the ceiling of the crater, being pulled around by the natural current of the water.

 I would definitely recommend visiting the crater. I will warn that I did come away with a few bug bites. Hal didn't get any, and I get bit a lot anytime there are bugs around, so it might be just me, but I definitely got a few bites on my legs. The crater made me super dry skin really smooth afterwords, so it was completely worth it in the end.

There's something to be said about familiarity

When we came to DC in August of last year we weren't intending to stay. I think that's why I had such a hard time being home for Christmas. I felt like it was my last bit of time in Utah. That I had to give it up too soon. I had thought we had at least another year in the state, and there were so many things I had wanted to do, and returning to DC meant they might not happen for a while.

We never intended on staying in Utah permanently so I was fine moving elsewhere, but having to give it up so quickly has made me feel very nostalgic towards Utah. Can you believe I've never been to one of the national parks in Utah? Arches, Canyonlands, Zions; none of them. Now going to them means planning a vacation, something I never even had to think about before.

As much as I have dissed on Utah over the years, it's a beautiful place to be. Beautiful in more than just the stunning landscape. It's where my favorite cookie shop is. It's where my mechanic who is amazing and honest is. It's where the best yoga teacher I've ever had is. It's where my family is. It's beautiful because it's home.

How do you find those things in a new place? How do you find them without having to try a lot of crappy cookies, or get gouged by a mechanic first?

How do you make a new place feel like home?

I'm pretty sure these mountains will always fee like home.