big news...

Some of you may know this already, but Will and I are right on the cusp of the next big phase of our lives. Where on earth has the month of March gone? Where have I been? Let me show you:

Will and I have been working pretty dang hard over the past year (mostly under wraps) planning an adventure. We will be spending the next four months living in our MINI Cooper on a road trip of the great US of A, then working in wilderness education again after that, and then heading to Australia for a bit. We are so overjoyed that all of our musings and daydreams are finally becoming a reality. 

Sorry to keep you hanging, but this is all starting in four days.

And over a year ago, we had the idea to start a blog together - we would split the tasks, but I would mostly write and Will would mostly take photos. We came up with a name, had big ideas, but for some reason it never materialized. Whether we were too tied up in our monotonous routine or we felt there was a reason to wait, the timing now feels better than ever. It makes perfect sense for the launch of our joint creative adventure to go hand-in-hand with our joint life adventure.

I'd like you to meet good morning, mountain. 

This blog will maintain a fair bit of the "lifestyle feel" - the goings-on in our days, the little gifts, things we like. But it will also feature outdoor adventures, travel stories, reviews, deeper conversations, and my husband.   :)

The past four years in this space have been fun, but largely wandering and aimless. What I'm most excited about with good morning, mountain is vision. The idea of a clean slate is exciting and also daunting. I'm so grateful for those of you who have followed faithfully or casually here on Life in Technicolor. It's been cool to see that folks still read things here even when I'm less present, but I think there may be very few posts in this space (if any) moving forward. I'm thrilled to fully embrace our new blog home!

With that, I invite you to hop on over to good morning, mountain to learn more about what's coming up for us. Then, we'd love it if you followed along for the journey.

site // bloglovin // twitter // pinterest

1 year, 2 months and 3 days ago.

I know, I'm late. But the experience still needs to be shared.

One year, two months and three days ago we were doing this:

And just two months and three days ago, we were doing this! Will surprised me with a sunset hot air balloon ride, remarkably just 15 minutes from home. It pays to live in the farmlands.

Needless to say, it was absolutely stunning. I have always been infatuated with the idea of hot air balloons and would not so subtly drop hints about wanting to do it someday. Will had done it before but this was my maiden voyage! It was so cool watching them inflate it, but it's definitely a time consuming process. We got there around 5 and I don't think we took off until after 7. These guys were really cool though and they explained everything to us as they were doing it and were very keen on letting us get nice and close. 

Now I'm totally a thrills person - there isn't a roller coaster I won't try and heights don't bother me at all. But in my opinion, it's quite a bit different when you're in a hot air balloon. As you can see, I had fixed quite the death grip on that pole. Will was all dangling over, seeing the sites - but for crying out loud, we went 6,400 feet. You did not mis-read that. We were over a mile off the ground hanging in a glorified picnic basket. No restraints, no seat belts - just hovering a mile off the earth. Talk about a seriously unnerving feeling. Everything in my body was telling me I was horribly unsafe, but I was trying to ignore that to soak up this experience I had dreamt about for so long. Despite the seemingly high risk of death and the comfort I felt having just signed a waiver to partake, it really was a beautiful evening and a night to remember.

It did come as a complete shocker though that once you're up there, you just kind of go where the wind (or lack of wind in our case) takes you. There's no map, no set course, you just kind of float along. And when you're running out of fuel, you look for a nice big yard to land in and cross your fingers for a "balloon-friendly" property. Well we did not land on a balloon-friendly property, so that spiced things up a little. Once we landed very softly to the ground, we had to scoot our balloon to a side street to get off the balloon killjoy's yard. Then when we were all packed up in the van that followed our path, we drove back to our launch site for champagne and snacks. A ballooners tradition, we were told. I like the way these people think. Live life on the edge and then celebrate a safe return.

It was a splendid evening and I can't think of a better surprise. To my husband: thank you for the most perfect first year. It hasn't looked very conventional, but it's been all ours. I love that we blaze our own trail and do things just a little differently. Thanks for vowing to do it like that forever with me. Here's to year number two having just as many adventures! Love.

vegeholic.

I'm not a true vegetarian, but I love vegetables. Sometimes I don't know what else to have for dinner with my vegetables. I bet my parents never would have seen that coming. I don't have much of a sweet tooth (minus Oreos) so most of the time, I would prefer some oil-slathered and spiced asparagus for dessert over your typical treats.

We love baking veggies at our house. They're part of almost every meal. Broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, kale chips - ugh, so dang good. If you haven't hopped on this train yet: toss any them in olive oil with salt and garlic powder and bake them for about 20 min at 350F (kale takes a little less time so they don't burn). It'll change your life.

Given our addiction, we've been trying to branch out and try other veggies. There's of course the bell peppers that we stir fry sometimes and add to a bowl of couscous. And I love stir frying green beans too (so that they're nice and crispy) and adding soy sauce, ginger and honey. Then there's my edamame fixation and our experiment with some very yummy leeks.

But those aren't all that impressive. I mean, it was time to really branch out. That's why Will told me it was time for these...

Scary, I know.

But he really likes them, and it was a first for me! So I had to man-up and give them a shot.

And folks, we're in love. The asparagus is a little intimidated.

Below is a new favorite dish that I've made like five times over now.

Cut the stubby end off of the sprout and then cut them in half. Remove any wilted leaves, but keep the other ones that fall off in the process - they end up being like yummy kale chips after fried! Saute sprouts and leaves in oil about 4-5 minutes on each side and sprinkle salt and garlic powder on them.

Meanwhile, be boiling water to cook some pasta until it's al dente (nearly done). Then drain the pasta and add it to the frying pan with the brussels. Add soy sauce and cook for five more minutes, stirring frequently so the pasta doesn't stick but gets the chance to be a little crunchy. Then add soy sauce, a squeeze of honey and some sesame seeds, and voila! Delish.

Did I mention that if I was paid to photograph anything, it would be food? It's the most agreeable subject.

oh, weekends.

Weekends, I just love it when you allow for lunches like this...

1 cup of quinoa boiled in 1 cup of water and 1 cup of vegetable stock &
spinach cooked in olive oil and seasoned with salt and garlic powder

and afternoons like this:

one of my favorite places on earth.
[photo by RWB]

we got engaged in almost exactly this spot!
[photo by RWB]

the lawn
[photo by RWB]

second floor apartment of the yacht club's carriage house 

I love unwinding in the yard to the smell of the salty sea.

relaxation.

Lord, thank you for the gift of where we live - at least for the next 36 days.
Thanks for a productive yet relaxing weekend to recover.

un voyage vers le nord

So I didn't post yesterday due to an unexpectedly busy day, but I'm here to tell the story of our Easter adventure!

With the help of a Groupon deal gifted to us from my parents, we spent Saturday, Sunday and Monday in 

[via]

and saw

[via]

on Monday night!

It was a great little getaway, but I think it's safe to say that when it was time to go home, we were more than ready. It's so astounding to only drive five hours north and experience such a huge culture shock. Everything was in French - every sign, every conversation overheard, every word directed at us - talk about stressful. 

The extent of my French is basically, "Bonjour! Excusez-moi, parlez-vous anglais?" Oh yeah, and "pamplemousse" which means grapefruit. So as you can imagine, that got me a long way. 

It was such a struggle to wrestle with balancing respect for this new culture with feeling like an enormous idiot. As soon as someone approaches you, there's this gut feeling of knowing that they're about to say a bunch of stuff that you don't understand. Then you take a moment and ponder how great your deer-in-headlights look will be for your I-swear-I'm-not-a-tourist image. It's just bundles of humbling fun, really.

Let's just say that Will's playful little nickname for me of "Panic Pants" rang true much of this weekend.

Aside from being afraid to speak to any human other than my husband, it was a pretty good time. We stayed right in downtown so everything was within walking distance. We did tons of exploring walking all the way to Old Port, and having some yummy meals along the way. If you're visiting anytime soon, I recommend going to Le Gourmet Burger on Rue Bishop and Fu Shi on Rue Sherbrooke. We also experienced some well-humored street performers, some less-than-ideal-accomodations, lots and lots of teenage PDA, saw enormous ships at the port, and met a few kind Canooks who were willing to help us out linguistically.

Something we did learn (or re-learn) is that we're really not city people. Three days in a city is definitely more than us woodsy folk would ever need, so I'm not sure why we went that route. Maybe why we spent close to four hours in the Arc'Teryx store (a really high-quality outdoor brand that doesn't have any retail stores of their own in the US)? Just a thought.

But the Ingrid show on Monday was fun! This was Will's birthday gift to me, and we didn't even plan it to be in Canada! Her show in Boston had been sold out for weeks, but when he went to see where the next closest show was, he noticed she was scheduled to play in Montreal for the weekend we were going! Small world, Ingrid. Small world. 

She was definitely great, but I was a little bummed with how few of her older songs she played. She played 10 out of 15 songs from her new album (I know, that's what the tour was for, I get it) and only five older songs - and three of those were in the encore! So her actual show set list only had two songs from other albums. Lame. But as a person, she is absolutely hysterical and I could tell that we would be grand friends, so that made up for it.

Those are some tales from our adventures, and I hope you all had a good long weekend too!

* Credit to Google Translate for helping me title this post. Bah, as if you thought it was me. Yeah right.

a new page.

It's been a while.

And that's because things have been crazy busy up in here. Lots and lots of majorly awesome changes coming soon! And when I say soon, I mean in just over 24 hours.

A few posts ago, I mentioned that I was feelin' a little blue. It's been tricky because although I think I know why I've been fighting this feeling (after much muddled examination), it's really nothing that can easily put into words. Or at least described in a way that sounds remotely comprehensible. When I was trying to explain to Will how I was feeling, I just wanted to interrupt myself and say, "No, that's stupid and whiny. Forget I mentioned it." I'll give you a hint:

source

Does anyone else have an enormously unfulfilling job? I've been at it for 13 months. I can't believe it's been over a year of my life. To most people, this sounds like a bunch of useless complaining because at least I have a job in this economy! So many college graduates are out of work and steeped in bills. And I have work and hardly any bills. It's really an incredible blessing. However, I don't think that should devalue my feelings about my current circumstances. I've been really trying to find joy in the small things and praise God for the income I'm receiving, 

but this is not what I was created for. 

this is not what fuels me,

what fills me, 

what uses my gifts, therefore bringing glory to God.

I don't want to settle for what brings in the money. I think I'd rather be broke.

I was already scheduled for my last day of work to be much later. My letter of resignation had been written and the date was on the calendar. At that rate, I'd have just enough time to pack up house and home and move down to Pennsylvania. But when the opportunity discretely arose for me to leave my job earlier...

Heck yeah I took it. 

To me (and with Will's prompting) this was a lesson about your life being what you make it. If you're not content, make a change. Be proactive. I saw my window and I did what needed to be done to save my sanity and get out. But it was only because of Will's encouragement and support. Even though he's a full-time student, he never pressured me to stay at the job that made me want to rip my hair out. His priority isn't rent, or groceries or car insurance - it's my happiness. One of the many reasons I adore him.

My last day of work is this Friday, and I couldn't be happier. I hope you never find me behind a desk again.

source

Making this decision has caused me to notice how different the perspective Will and I have on the world is from those around us though. It's been really interesting to hear people say, "What's up next?" or "Where will you work now?" Granted, I know we don't have nearly the financial stresses that most have, so maybe you will toss my philosophy on life away instantly - which is fine. But so many have asked, "So what's the plan?"

Hmm. Good question.

I will teach my class now and give it all of my attention. I will no longer be the instructor who haphazardly tosses a plan together in the hour leading up to class! I will be thorough and devoted - and be paid marginally for it.

I will study my butt off (if I remember how) and hopefully get my next ropes course certification.

I will connect with dear friends before we move.

I will read The Celebration of Discipline

and Life Together

and Into Thin Air

and Knowing God

and Psalms, John and Ephesians.

I will ride my lovely bike around our beautiful seaside town.

I will clean our house more.

I will play my guitar.

I will blog more.

I will exercise more to become in tip-top shape for leading wilderness expeditions this summer.

I will hopefully get a freelance writing job or two.

I will dream of future job endeavors and get creative juices flowing.

As of right now, I don't have a "plan" in place to be employed more than a 15 hours a week or so for the next five months. We will trust in God, do things we love, and it will be grand.

I'm free.

proof of much-needed exercise.

pink, swollen, chalk-covered hands.

These hands are proof that physical activity did indeed occur. And that it had been way too long.

We hadn't been climbing in a while (rappelling in January, but not climbing) - maybe since the early fall?

So after our climbing session last Wednesday night, even my armpit muscles were aching the next day.

Yep. More climbing is on the agenda and I'm thankful for the workout.

Oh, and happy Valentine's Day to my hub :)
These are for you:

Happy Valentine's Day to you all as well!

xoxo

{photos from Eastern Mountain Sport's Facebook}

first time for everything

My in-laws are visiting us for a week from Philadelphia, and on Saturday, Will and I gave his dad a taste of what we like to do! Will grew up playing outside with his dad, but as Will grew older, his interests expanded into more particular outdoor adventuring that Dad wasn't privy to. 

 

So it's not every day that you can coerce one of your parents into rappelling and rock climbing. I told my parents that they were next ;)  {and I mean it!} It was a pretty mild day for January (50 degrees!) but the rock always makes you feel so much colder. I was freezing my little appendages off by the end, but I'm so glad we went.

Red Rock, Gloucester, MA

 

 He was nervous at first, but then he rappelled like a pro :)

 

"I'm alive!"

Will tying Dad in to give climbing a try. Wearing his wife's harness because we only have two. 

How pretty :)

"You expect me to do what now?"

But look at him! Like a natural!

And this one comes home with me, folks. I win. Look how attractive he is.

Aaaand distracted again. It's bright and pretty. We love our rope.

 

Meanwhile, Dad totally rocked it. Pardon my pun - too good to pass up.

 

Dad did such an awesome job and was in shock at his accomplishments! 

This is why we love outdoor education.

Oh, and this. This happens sometimes.

Hope you all had enjoyably restful weekends!

a different kind of wilderness

I've left you on the edge of your seat long enough! My deepest apologies. Things have just been a bit nutzo since we've returned from our glamorous weekend expedition. So here's a clue as to where we were...

Mountains right in the city. 

No?

Okay, well how about this?

More mountains... bright and sunny.

Not yet, huh?

Surely this will help:

Feliz Navidad from sunny Arizona!

Sheer awesome-ness, I know. I'm such a clever wife with a surprise cross-country venture. Will was so surprised and we had a fabulous time. Initially I wanted him just to find out at the gate, but he wanted to hear where we were going from me and not from the screen. So after making sure he was definitely ready, I handed him my half-empty bottle of Arizona tea. I got it with dinner - total coincidence. Cool, huh? He was so excited :)

We're used to the kind of wilderness with our lovely deciduous trees - not the dusty kind with my new bffs cacti [I love them] growing everywhere. They are so wonderful and the landscape is absolutely stunning. We were technically staying in Scottsdale and there were mountains everywhere. Isn't that the dream? To be living in your normal bustling city but be surrounded by mountains? I think the most amazing thing about their mountain ranges out there is that they're not covered in trees. It allows you to see everything, every feature.

We arrived late on Friday night to learn that our economy car through Enterprise was no longer available. Folks, don't let people reserve more than you have. It's just dumb. So what were we barreling around the desert in?

Oh you know. No biggie.

A 2012 Chevy Silverado. Will called it our red sled, which then became known as our toboggan.

I felt like I was in a Chevy commercial when the dust trailed up behind us. Yeah, we're that cool.

After we settled into our classy resort (thanks to my parents' timeshare swap!) we snoozed, but not enough. Thanks pesky time change. I did not take that into consideration! Even though it's only a two hour difference, it can really mess you up!

Saturday, we were major gluttons and had an enormous brunch. What Will didn't know was that we were just killing time. So we went to Starbucks, picked up some groceries, investigated a motorcycle rental.... but it's really hard to put urgency in a person when they don't see a reason. So as Will was lolly-gagging and putzing around, I know that these two were back hiding in our hotel room!

The photo is kind of shoddy because it was in our shadowy hotel room, but my brother Tony and his girlfriend Cecily drove out to visit from San Diego! It was just over 5 hours or so for them, and it was phase two of the surprise for Will. And boy was he surprised! Tony leapt out at him from behind the door and Will probably thought we were about to be mugged. It was great.

Luckily they were only waiting for us for just under an hour, but I was so on edge trying to get Will back to the hotel. Then we went swimming, did some hot-tubbing, made dinner, had wine and played Apples to Apples for hours. It was just like this summer and it was excellent.

Then on Sunday, we drove (in order) here,

and here,

and here,

to get here:

(that photo deserved to be bigger.)

Grand Canyon has been on my life list and in my daydreams for years and it was stunning. But for some reason we weren't expecting two things:

1. The amount of touristy hype (sad day)

2. And the 40 degree weather with snow. I thought we were in Arizona?! 

We did as much hiking along the South rim as I could bear. But my yoga capris, Nikes and cotton socks weren't too thrilled trudging through like 6 inches of snow.

My poor, poor extremities.

But it was gorgeous. A sight you don't see advertised much is the snowy canyon. It was gorgeous.

And on Monday, we spent some time in Phoenix before our flight took off at midnight. And it was raining. Say what? Arizona, you're not supposed to do that. Cheap shot.

Still pretty though. 

Evidently Phoenix is huge and has a massive population... it didn't seem like it while we were there, but I'll take their word for it. Maybe they all feared they would melt in the rain.

We landed back in Boston on Tuesday morning jet-lagged and groggy just before 6AM, and then I headed to work like a champ. I was so not champ-like. I was a hot mess, practically asleep at my desk.

Was it worth it for our first big vacation? You bet!

:)