the beauty of home

I grew up in what the world calls "Majestic Southern Utah." I never understood why people were so enamoured by my natural surroundings. everything was so blah and drab. I hated the drive no matter where I was going. I hated the view from my windows. I hated every place my mom took us camping. all I ever wanted was to move somewhere green and wet and lively.

so, I did. I moved back east and smothered myself in trees. I even lived amongst the corn fields in Iowa for a while and I loved it. I savored every moment, every sunset, every view. I was heartbroken that I had lived in such an ugly place for so long.

a couple weeks ago I went home to visit my mom in Hanksville. it was very strange. I felt as though I had never been there before. I suddenly saw southern Utah through the eyes of a foreign tourist. every corner was a priceless painting I couldn't wait to see. everything was breathtaking. and it was even winter! I took a ton of pictures and just couldn't get enough.

that night as I was trying to fall asleep I suddenly felt a deep sorrow for wasting all those years wishing for something different. there are countless miles of beauty that I have never noticed or tried to discover. I vow to never let that happen again. I can't wait for the snow to melt and the winds to dry up the desert so I can venture back to my homeland.

I'm alive!

I have no idea why I haven't been writing. I love to write. putting my thoughts and experiences into words and posting them for the world to read has been my release. so, obviously, I'm pretty tense. I'm going to do my best to give you a very quick update on the past few months.

Thanksgiving was great. very small. both my parents, me, rachel, sam, amber and gregg. delicious food, lots of games and movies, and loads of sleep. I didn't take any pictures... strange.

in December I worked at a couple amazing events for Riehl Events and was offered a great job doing exactly what I was doing when I got laid off. the problem was that they paid a LOT less then I was making before and were located a lot father away. it was a tough decision, but I had to turn it down.

Christmas was pretty much amazing! stacy, wayne, nynaeve and trajan showed up over a day early and surprised me. we had a great time at my place for a few days and then headed to my dad's in Torrey.




we then headed to Hanksville for the Powell family Christmas party. turns out it was the last one we will ever have. I'm still really sad about it, but also excited to start traditions with just my immediate Ekker family.




the 26th is my grandpa's birthday and this year he turned 70! we made him a pretty sweet cake to celebrate. he's looking pretty darn good for 70!



it is brett's birthday on the 28th, so we made him this cake.

we did have a little bit of drama - of course. brett decided to wreck his friend's motorcycle and dislocate his shoulder. he scared all of us, and they told him he would probably need surgery, but he is doing ok now. no surgery, but his shoulder will always be a little disformed.

the last day there we had trajan and randee blessed. we even got to take a family picture!






look how big the Ekker clan is getting! crazy! it's amazing how close we all still are and how well we all get along. I love my family! I'm so lucky to have the one I do.

catching up

so... I promised I would do better, and I obviously haven't. It's been about two months, and they've been a pretty hectic two months. so, here is a very quick update.

in September I took a very last minute trip to Seattle so see my new nephew again. here are some pics of that fun trip.





then, a couple weeks later I had a "staycation" in the SLC with my friend, Chris, from Albuquerque. we had a great time seeing the sights in the city, at the lake and up the canyon.








I made a few cakes. I think we are getting pretty good!





and we made our first real wedding cake! it was so much fun and the bride and groom and family all loved it.
then, I spent a week catching up with an old friend. we had lost touch for about a year. we took advantage of all of our free time by going to Antelope Island and to his cabin at Strawberry Reservoir. we live in a beautiful state! and I am soooo happy to be back in touch with Steve.


and then... well, I went to Seattle again. this time, with Steve. he had never been and was seriously considering moving there, so we gave him a place to stay and showed him around. we even went up to Snoqualmie Pass and stayed in Cle Elum at Wayne's family's cabin. it is gorgeous there! we had so much fun! I have the cutest neice and nephew in the world, and some of the best sisters a girl could ask for. I almost didn't come back. I miss them SO SO much.














about two weeks after I got back from this trip to Seattle, I went to Hanksville for a visit. I sure miss life there sometimes. we had a good time with old family and friends. in my next post I will show you the big life changing decision I made while I was there. it's been an adventure!