It started on a Friday morning. With my car completely loaded to the gills. And our noses pointed westward.
We had two objectives. First, day hike Mt. Quandry. Then, backwoods hike/camp for two days and 3 nights to Gore Lake and Snow Peak in Eagles Nest National Forest.
We got an early start on the morning of Quandry. Our breakfast being cooked before the sun came up by this awesome guy.
It was a beautiful hike.
Although rather steep. Completely unaclimated we were sucking air the whole way up...
Once upon a time, Miss Emily finally made it to the summit of a mountain. The beginning...
Up and back in 5.5 hours. My car was kind of full of stuff...
Back in the parking lot I discovered that the birds were quite friendly.
On our way to the next campsite we made dinner at a reststop. One friendly passerby asked if we had any for her.
Second night we got an awesome campsite and even made a little fire to keep our toes warm.
Now off for the two night three day hike. The first day was breathtakingly gorgeous.
We hiked along a stream. I don't think I wiped the ridiculously happy grin off my face all day.
More life-long dreams being fulfilled. Cooking on the trail...
Two months ago we saw a picture in a magazine of a guy standing here. Now there is a picture of me standing there. Gore Lake, destination for night one on the trail.
Everything about the lake and our campsite was gorgeous.
Taking in the view before the sun went down.
Early next morning we left Gore Lake behind us to bag three more peaks.
Hiking up to the ridge-line was semi-intense.
But we celebrated when we got there.
Michael on "The Baby Mountain". Josh suggested we name it Emily since it was actually too small to be named on the map.
In which we mentally prepare ourselves for the next several hours of hiking to reach the final peak of the day.
Up to the high part of the ridgeline.
Aforementioned ridge line.
Our trail guide. Who kept me alive. Not kidding there. :)
Searching for the summit turned into some pretty intense rock climbing.
After 4 false summits I just wanted to cry. Michael handily caught the moment on camera.
But getting to the top was one of the most euphoric moments ever.
I like to caption this picture, "Heck to the freaking YES!"
Coming back down was also a bit of a challenge.
It included the steepest hill I have ever gone down.
But at the bottom we discovered a little campers' cabin. It was fun to sleep inside walls again for a night.
Last night on the trail and we ate as much of our food as we could.
Final descent to the car. It was a gorgeous 4 miles.
Through the Enchanted Forest.
Tada! Back at the car, stinky and smelly and very, very happy with our trip. Now for 10 hours back home with our noses plugged....
It is that time again. Moving time. After a year in what I
now lovingly refer to as “my neighborhood”, I am moving a few miles to the
south for at least the next 6 months. I love adventure, new things, new
experiences, meeting new people and learning about new culture. But I also love
things that I call mine. My neighbor kids. My No Frills. My Panera’s where I go
to use the internet and my waiter with the dreads who flirts with me every time
I am there. My running routes. My big tree in my front yard. My parking spot.
My commute to work. My cashiers at the store. My QT where I get hot chocolate
more often than I should. My beautiful houses in my neighborhood. My streets I
bike on to run errands. My library and my post office with my favorite clerk
named Zig. My Saint Cecelia’s. My eye level view of the world out my basement
window. And now I am leaving all those
things I love for an adventure. Someone tried to comfort me by reminding me I
could find new running trails, new grocery stores, new waiters to flirt with
me. And I will. But this place will always have something special in my heart.
After all, the year I have spent here has been a very full one. One year ago
exactly I started working at Compass. My heart has grown so entwined with my
Compass kids I don’t remember my life before I loved them. In one year I went
from not knowing anything to teaching by myself, leading on days when my boss
is out of town or sick, taking the kids on field trips with me in charge, and
even a whole 8 hour van ride in charge of the kids. Let’s not remember that one
actually. Nine months ago today I started dating the most amazing man in the
world who makes me happier than I thought was possible and still keeps me on my
toes as well. 
This year has been one of many adventures. I have been inside a
pipe organ, on a sailboat, on the back and front of a motorcycle, 60 miles on the
back of a tandem, across the finish line of a half marathon, on the top of 3
mountains in 3 days, on a zip-line, to Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois,
Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Colorado, able to read more books than I have in the
last 3 years combined, everywhere within 10 miles on my single-speed, on the
stage with someone I was extremely proud of as they graduated high school,
under barbed wire through a mud pit, to the World Series for the first time
ever, to the cancer center, called Meme by the most adorable 2-year-old ever,
to a Brad Paisley concert, and not home to the farm often enough. This year has been one of tears as all years
are, but also one of more healing and laughter than I ever expected. With a year
like that in this place, I feel I am leaving a little part of me behind in #14.
But not so much of me that I am not ready to start it all over again in 1439 ½. 
I am moving to a different part of Omaha, one infamous for its Hispanic
population. I have jokingly said many times that I am moving from the hood to
Mexico. But I had two choices. When it came time to find a new place two places
came up. One was here in my neighborhood, less than half a mile from my
apartment now. It was in a really nice house where I could still go to my No
Frills, my running trails, and I wouldn’t get lost trying to find everything
because I already knew where everything is here. The other one is the place I
am moving to. On the other side of town, in a totally different culture, where
I got so lost the first time I went to look at it, it took me half an hour to
drive like 2 miles back. It is a new adventure. With new neighbor kids to meet
and love, new cashiers to talk to, a new library, new beautiful buildings to
look at on my skyline. It is going to be a busy week or two while I get packed
up, moved, Hillary married off, settled in, and figure out how long it takes me
to get to work. But in the meantime, feel free to leave a comment and get ready
to hear about the next chapter in the beautiful things God is doing in my life. 
