This first move was a weird one. I hated moving to another state and I REALLY didn't fit in there in LDS nation. On the other hand, I spent most of my adolescent years there and made some very good friends of all religions. Now, as an adult, I realize that every where I put down roots, whether it is Utah, Washington, Oregon or Colorado, I leave a piece of myself there, and take a piece of there with me, when I leave.
The part of Utah, aside from fantastic people, that I love is the ability to truly connect with my love of outdoors. I spent a few days hanging out with old, dear friends a few weeks ago and we went camping. It was the best vacation that I have taken in a long time and really gave me a chance to reconsider my life and priorities. Obviously my girls are, and always will be, my number one priority but what is it that will give me that same sense of calm? What will make me as content as I am in nature? I'm not moving again any time soon but I think I pinpointed the calm. Nature. Of course, mellow wonderful friends didn't hurt either but it was nature.
So I have made a concerted effort since then to spend more time adventuring. The girls and I spent some more time in Salt Lake City on our road trip in August. We went hiking in the middle of the night in order to see the sunrise from 11,000 feet. It was GORGEOUS and the girls loved it!
This last weekend we went to Estes Park, Colorado. I love it there but it wasn't quite cold or fall-ish yet. We are heading up to Georgetown in a couple of weeks to hike. I am waiting impatiently. In the meantime, here's a recipe for a great Gluten Free breakfast bar. I got the original recipe from General Mills but have changed it quite a bit. We always take them hiking and camping!
No Bake Fruit Bars
4 cups honey nut, rice or corn Chex (I use a mix of all three)
1/2 cup dried apples
1/2 cup craisins or raisins
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup GF pretzels
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter (or almond butter)
1 Tblsp butter or margarine
In a large bowl mix dry ingredients together. In a small saucepan, combine nectar, sugar, peanut butter and butter. Melt over medium to medium high heat, stirring, until boiling. Pour over dry mix and mix well. Spread into a greased and foiled baking dish. Chill until firm then cut into bars.
