Introducing a new series

Mike had an idea for our blog that we're going to try out. Those of you who know us well know that we are HUGE fans and supporters of NPR (National Public Radio). On NPR they occasionally run a series of related stories (like Climate Connections or Planet Money) that focus on one particular issue. Mike's idea is that we can run our own occasional series on our blog, on topics that we care about.

Soooo, my series will consist of very brief reviews of books that I read. I'm a big reader -- you can see my list of everything I've read since July 2007. I need a good name for this series, so if you have suggestions please comment. I consider it an extension of my professional work as a librarian to offer reader's advisory in this forum. ;) The first review follows.

You or Someone Like You by Chandler Burr.

The protagonist of this novel, Anne Rosenbaum, accidentally becomes the leader of a prestigious and exclusive book club in Los Angeles for people "in the industry" (she ends up with multiple book groups: one for producers, one for writers, one for directors, etc.). I thought the book would be fluffy fun: literary snark featuring Hollywood stars. I was surprised when the book took a more serious turn, but enjoyed it all the more for that unexpected element. Recommended for anyone who will simultaneously enjoy hundreds of literary references and discussions (this is about a very serious book group, after all), allusions to famous Hollywood folks, and also some tender family and identity issues (including religious and sexual identity).

Hiking in the Snowies

Once Melissa and I returned from the Family Reunion Tour, we thought one of the best ways start feeling at home in Laramie area would be to do some hiking. After all, we love hiking, and Laramie is a very outdoorsy kind of place. We decided to hike a trail in the Snowy Range, which is about 40 miles west of Laramie. The Snowy Range is part of the Medicine Bow National Forest, and Medicine Bow Peak is the highest mountain in the Snowies. The trail we hiked, the Tipple Trail, passed through some beautiful landscape and had excellent views of Medicine Bow. Here's what we saw.

An old miner's cabin.

A trail marker.

This is an old broken-down mine with a vertical shaft.

I have to say that the photos don't really do justice to our experience. The elevation of the trail we hiked was about 10,000 feet. The trailhead is located at an overlook with Medicine Bow Peak directly above and vast stretches of the Snowy Range below the trail. To stand at that elevation with a chilly wind whipping at us, we felt exposed but also inspired. Most of the trail we hiked was under the cover of trees, so we were sheltered from the wind.

This is a photo from one of the overlooks.

As we drove down from the mountain after our hike we saw this huge moose just off the road. Amazing.

Family Reunion Tour '09

Just after we moved all of our stuff to Wyoming and got (mostly) unpacked, we jumped in the car for another road trip! This time, we went to Utah and Idaho for three, yes THREE, family reunions. The first was in St. George with the Broughs.

Here we with Mom and Grandma and Grandpa at Tuacahn to see the musical Annie. (McKenzie is peeking at the camera.)

Part 2 of the Brough Reunion was to hike a section of the Narrows in Zion's Canyon. Here we are starting the hike.

I was particularly excited to hang out with my brother Bob. We hadn't seen each other since May 2007!

This was the high adventure part of the hike. Grandma wasn't afraid to get her feet wet!

Emily and McKenzie are loving it.

After spending a couple of days with Broughs in Southern Utah, we headed up to Central Utah, to Nine Mile Canyon for the Terry Family Reunion. For some reason, Melissa and I didn't take any pictures there, but Bob and Emily certainly did. You can see photos on their blog by clicking here.

After the Terry Reunion, Melissa and I parted ways with my parents and Bobily to go visit her family in Preston, Idaho.

Here we are on the farm with Rob and Sarah. Rob's taking us on a tour to show us some of the farm animals.

The "Pig Penthouse"

On a walk with horses and goats.

Here's Justin teaching me how to run a tractor.

While we were in Cache Valley we attended the Hansen Family Reunion, which was really fun. We got to visit with a lot of Melissa's relatives. We also went camping with several members of the Hansen clan, and we went to That Famous Preston Night Rodeo.

Melissa's cousins Matt, Phoebe, and Chloe show off their fancy belts before the rodeo parade.

Melissa and I show off our Wyoming Cowboy pride before the parade.

We had a great time with all of our family members who we got to see during the Reunion Tour '09. Thanks to everyone for making it so memorable and fun!

Hello Laramie!

We're thrilled to be living in Laramie, Wyoming. We love the bright, blue sky, the quaint downtown, and the numerous bike lanes throughout town! One of Laramie's charms is the farmer's market that happens every Friday afternoon during the summer. A couple of downtown streets are actually closed to cars to facilitate the market (not pictured, yet).

We found this downtown sign pretty intersting.

We thought this double rainbow was a very auspicious sign to begin our time in Wyoming.

You can tell that Melissa's a happy camper living here in Laramie. Here she is on her first day of work.

Goodbye Illinois

Melissa and I moved from Illinois to Wyoming last month, so here's a post to say adios. We spent a lot of time at the University of Illinois over the last two years, and here's us saying goodbye to a couple important landmarks on campus.

The Alma Mater.



And a statue we affectionately call "the tickler."

Also, our church family threw us a going-away party, so here's us saying goodbye to them.

Finally, here's Simone saying goodbye to a handy hiding place.

Thanks to all of our Illinois friends for helping to make our experience in the Land of Lincoln fun and memorable! We wish you all the best.

Packing

Packing has begun and we're stacking boxes in the spare bedroom. Simone feels the need to climb as high as she can to get a good view of all family activities.

Mike and I took a break from packing yesterday to go to the farmer's market. We got some beautiful strawberries, a nice salad mix, some yummy kettle corn, and this tomato.

The tomato vendors grow big, beautiful, perfect tomatoes, but this one came from the red bin of half-priced "ugly or small" tomatoes. I think it looks a bit like a heart and it was deeee-licious.

Arkansas Travelers!

Melissa and I went on a trip to Arkansas last weekend! I've wanted to visit Arkansas for a while and show Melissa around my old stomping grounds from when I was in high school and college. We stayed with my good friends Chris and Liz and their adorable daughter Meghan while we were there. Here are a few of the highlights from the trip.

This is Melissa at the Mean Pig BBQ in Cabot, AR. They've got some of the best food and friendliest people around.

Chris and I are standing in front of the Bill Clinton Presidential Library and Museum in Little Rock, AR. We'd heard that the building looked like a big triple-wide trailer, but we didn't really believe it until we saw it. The museum itself was mostly what Chris dubbed as a Clinton "love fest." His presidency was depicted as a golden age of American life. There wasn't any critical analysis of the Clinton presidency, which we found disappointing. There were some very interesting artifacts on display. The most memorable for me was a handwritten manuscript of a speech Bill Clinton gave to the Arkansas Boys State delegation when he was a teenager. He was elected to Boys Nation where he met President Kennedy and other national political leaders.

This is a photo of the Heifer International headquarters in Little Rock. It's quite an impressive "green" building. I was interested to see the new building because I volunteered with Heifer one summer when I was in college. For more info on what they do, click here.

While we were in Arkansas, we spent some time in Conway, the home of the University of Central Arkansas (my alma mater). Above is a picture Wingo Hall, the dorm I lived in when I was a freshman. Wingo is now used for university offices rather than living space. The columns and ornamental top window were added after I graduated.

This fountain is also a recent addition to UCA's campus. It was built to celebrate the university's centennial.

As you may know, Conway, Arkansas is also the hometown of Kris Allen, the newest American Idol. All over town we saw signs on all kinds of businesses supporting Kris.

Here's a photo of our fantasic hosts Chris and Liz with their daughter Meghan. Not pictured are the many other friends we had the chance to visit. This was my first time to be back in Arkansas in six years, and it was Melissa's first visit to the Natural State. We were both completely won over by the friendliness and hospitality of everyone we met. It was a great trip.