Quote of the Week, Perhaps a Bit Longer

"The biological community is a vast and complicated system for sharing and distributing the energy of the sun among a diversity of life forms." ~Martson Bates

8/24/09

Birthday - A Look Back

Saturday was my 33rd birthday. It was a nice day; we played ultimate in the morning, had sushi for lunch and then drove to Davis in the afternoon for our good friends going away party (he's moving back to Costa Rica).

I try to do at least one exciting thing every year to make that year unique from all the others. Looking back at my 32nd year I did quite a few exciting things which definitely made this year unique. First of all, I did not have a conventional job once this year, my last day at DERM was right around my birthday last year. Dan and I spent three months camping and exploring during our trip back to the west. During the move back I went on my first bike tours, a two week tour around the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico and a month long tour around northern Arizona, wonderful experiences I highly recommend traveling by bike it is so liberating. During the bike tours I started this blog, which has evolved some since it's conception, but has helped me begin my journey into the amazing world of herbology and has also helped me get back in touch with my wild side. We lived and worked at Leonard Creek Ranch where we adopted the cutest baby goat in the world, learned about ranching life and was able to breath in the beauty of the Nevada desert. In addition to all of this, I grew a garden, the first one since I was a child, and it was very successful - I can't wait to grow more gardens in the future.

I hope 33 will be as adventurous as 32. I already have tickets to visit my sister in Romania (my first trip overseas and my first real trip out of the U.S. - I've been to Ensenada). Hopefully Dan and I will do some other out of country traveling during the year. We'll have to wait and see.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the last year:

Dan on our Gila Wilderness tour at Snow Lake

Me on our Gila Wilderness tour

Dan right after we climbed a steep grade on our Gila Wilderness tour

On top of Mt. Humphreys (AKA: Dook'o'oosliid) the highest point in AZ

Bill Even's Lake, on the Arizona tour

Dusty at the Grand Canyon on our Arizona tour

First hike back in Nevada

Our first hike in the snow since being back

riding

Cutest baby goat in the world

Dan repairing flats with the bike pump

The family relaxing in the sun

The garden

Mom's trip to the ranch @ chicken creek

Dan and me

3 comments:

Erin said...

this post gave me a big smile. i would like to add, though, that the fact you did all that biking and traveling with dusty and coco is amazing. i'm so excited for your visit. i talked with my friend today and it looks like we'll be at the danube delta from the 18th - 21st. can't wait! love you, and happy 33rd!

Unknown said...

how awesome. i'll try to make sure the big 33 is as exciting as possible :) but going to Romania is going to be a fantastic start!!

Margery said...

What a wonderful life! Love, Mom