Heaven on Earth

The Mister took me camping again and it was perfect. I really pay attention to the change in seasons and am so glad that I got to wake up in the woods on the first day of Autumn! It was thirty-eight degrees in our tent this morning.

K got the campsite yesterday morning before the place filled up. He had his own picnic lunch there and then drove back home to get me after school. We made foil dinners with chicken, onions, mushrooms, and green peppers--they may not look like much in the photo, but they were the bomb. Oh, and we had a sliced tomato from our garden to go with it all. K is the best at cooking over a fire. I don't have the patience or stamina to watch the clock and turn the foil packages at intervals. Did I mention we rented a room with a VIEW?

Over the past couple of weeks, I've been salivating whenever I've gazed up at the mountains. The Red is so incredible and it only made me think of all the hikes I've been on in years past. Last weekend in the Uintas, I kept telling K, "I want to be IN the leaves!" I've been wanting to be INSIDE the red!

Here's my little composition of "Red Leaf on Granite."

Obviously, we hiked today. We actually hiked to what we call The Enchanted Forest, the place where K proposed. We go at least once a year and today was the perfect day to check it out. To get there, you hike on a well-known trail. However, there's a faint little trail that takes off from the main trail without any sign, so most people don't even know there's this whole other place back there. But we know! You just turn left at the white rock. Today, there was a red leaf stuck in the grass by the white rock, so I just had to smile at the welcoming committee who put that out for us.

Part of the enchantment is the water.

Here's a picture of me on the First Day of Autumn. This is at the "exit" (or other entrance) of our secret path to The Enchanted Forest after we emerged and looped back to the main trail. I have no idea what it's like to be married to anyone else (and I'm GLAD about that), but I know who lucked out in the husband department. K was babbling on about how I was prettier than the leaves and how much better it was to hike with me than hike alone. When I think that I hadn't showered this morning, was sweating like I always sweat, and how my hiking pace is slower than everyone else, I felt so grateful for these sweet experiences with my husband. We never know when one of us won't be here anymore, so I want to be sure to count the blessings of having him in my life. If that's a little too mushy for a public blog, sorry about that!