Wanderlusttimetravel from Your Desk

I am 100% positive a place like this doesn't exist, but I'll be here today while playing catch-up at work!  I've seem to have caught a summer cold and it's really putting a cramp in my style.  Do you have any cold remedies that help get you back on your feet?  I've been hitting the vitamin C and zinc pretty hard these past few days, but am still feeling, well, fuzzy.  Any suggestions would be very appreciated!

Source

Oh, P.S.

Spring and Fall are my favorite times of year in Utah.  I think there is something about the excitement of change and transition, with Spring especially...

The sun begins to peek over the mountaintops just a little earlier each morning.  The crocuses and tulips, most certainly frozen and fossilized in the botanical ice age also known as winter, stir.  The tiniest shards of yellow-green grass begin to pepper the brown thatch that is my front lawn.  And the birds, oh the birds!  Those little devils are back, pecking holes in my house, screeching at each other in excitement, but also making the shrubs and bare tree branches dance with their winter-leaned forms.

Spring has also been the harbinger of graduations.  With my master's degree so close to completion, this last semester has been the. longest. ever...!  I am excited, too, for Bestest Best to complete her graduate degree!  She had always been my partner in crime in the spring, where in high school, we couldn't manage the thought of being indoors alllllll day, so we'd wake early or skip the last class of the day to hike up into the foothills and rock climb, even if it was for just half-an-hour.  I miss being a kid with her: not having to check our bloated schedules to see if we could fit in a quick cup of coffee or a blessed glass of wine.  I am excited that we won't have school dictating our lives (or our budgets) any longer!

Spring also holds new importance in the 'Teef Household: readying ourselves for the planting and gardening season!  Our first year harvest was pretty successful, even as newbies to the gardening scene.  Shug and I are committed to sticking to the organic way of growing food in our little backyard.  We've even been toying with the idea of getting a couple of chickens to keep Ruby company...!

Even though it's not "officially" spring yet, what are your plans for the warmer, glorious weather?

Smog.

The whole Salt Lake Valley in filled to the brim with pollution.  This used to happen only one or twice a winter when I was a kid, but now it happens whenever we don't have a storm system constantly blowing fresh air into the valley.

I really do love Utah and Salt Lake, but the inversions we get in the wintertime are enough to make me want to move!  We consistently have some of the worst air in the nation in the winter months!  I feel pretty guilty about my driving habits lately, as well.  I drive about 75 miles a day with my job...while I am driving clients around to appointments and the like, I still can't help but cringe when I'm heading into work on the freeway and I can't even see our beautiful mountains because of the smog.

Luckily, we have a storm system moving in on Saturday to sweep the air clean, but I can't help but think about where all that pollution goes.  Everyone has been freaking out over these mass amounts of animals dying around the world, but why can't we stop and look at how much crap we're pumping into the environment daily?  Let's not mention the ripple effects from a huge offshore oil leak that occurred last year, either.

I think the poor Earth is finally speaking more loudly and clearly: what we are doing is not sustainable and it is damaging.  So, in this New Year, let's try our bests to make the small changes that lead to a healthier and happier planet.  I've mentioned a few things we can start doing, but I'll give a few more here to think about:

• Recycle.  It's easy and its impact is huge.
• Turn off the water when you brush your teeth.
• Use dishtowels instead of paper towels to dry your hands.
• Walk or ride public transportation when you can.
• Don't let your car idle at drive-thru windows. Turn it off!
• Run your dishwasher only with a full load!
• Wash your hair every 2nd or 3rd day, it saves water and my hair looks better a day or two after a shampoo anyway;)!
• On that same note, invest in some dry shampoo or shampoo powder to freshen up your hair on the non-wash days.
• Keep your thermostat at 68 degrees or lower in the winter.  Just put a sweater on of you're cold instead of heating up the whole house!
• Use eco-friendly laundry detergent, it's an easy switch and you won't notice the difference!
• Get a reusable coffee mug and swear off disposable cups for good!
• When your old light bulbs burn out, switch to the new compact fluorescent bulbs.

There!  If you choose to try just one or two of these over the weekend, you will be making a difference!  If you have any other great conservation ideas, please leave them in the comments so we all can give them a try!  I hope you have a lovely, smog-free weekend! xo.

Bestest Best's Wedding

Bestest Best had her wedding at the beautiful Red Butte Gardens at the end of July.  The ceremony took place in the Fragrance Garden that was alive with bees and the heavy scent of lavender.  Hearing Bestest Best and her betrothed exchange vows while the summer breeze carried it away was such a lovely gift.

The weather was truly perfect for a typically hot and sunny Utah July day.  The entire morning was sweltering, that's why I look so frumpled in all of the pictures Shug took of me!  But the breeze started blowing about 15 minutes before the ceremony and then rain came after everyone moseyed down from the Fragrance Garden for the celebration to begin!  The rain lasted only a bit, but it cooled off the gardens so we could start to dance!

An old German saying is that it's good luck to have bad weather on your wedding day, but Bestest Best and her betrothed got an even more auspicious sign: a little rainbow peeked out after the rain stopped!  It was one of the happiest days.

House Renovations

It's been almost a year since Shug and I bought our first home!  A lot of hard work has gone into this house, but sometimes it seems like it's taking us forever to reach our goals...

But, we are proud to announce our plans to start a garden this year, plans that had been waylaid by a silly little summer planning and carrying out our wedding last year!  This summer, while already filling itself up with plans and events, has us in supporting roles rather than the glaring spotlight which allows us just enough time to cultivate a little backyard garden.

So we (actually, Shug) wrestled the old planter boxes apart and readied a patch in the backyard for some sprouted plants.  Our sprouts sadly perished in the sunshine, so we will have to be purchase some from a reputable organic greenhouse here in Salt Lake City.  Have any suggestions?

I'll keep you posted on our green thumbage factor increases...!

It's official...

...it"s spring!!!

Just DON'T clean anything today, ok?

xo.