Currently: May

Currently living/working in: Enjoying our last few weeks at Fenton Ranch in New Mexico before we close this chapter of our life and hit the road to work for Leave No Trace in June (Fenton Ranch wrap-up post forthcoming!)

Current mood: A tad overwhelmed (mainly me) by all the details involved with the transition, but in a good way. 

Currently thankful for: We just returned from a quick weekend trip to NJ for a wedding and it always reminds me how much I appreciate our framily back east! Even though we’ve lived all over the country, NJ—despite our resistance to it—is the place where we probably know the most number of people in one concentrated area (all of my family still lives there). So we end up filling every free moment. This trip’s purpose was for a wedding within the Seton Hall Prep framily, pretty much the last one out of J’s high school cronies to be married off, so it was heavily attended by the whole crew. 

This group picture represents 25 years of undivided support that embodies the meaning of true friendships. 

Can’t forget the bride, groom & newborn babe! 

And some blog love for my own family! 

Currently proud of: Several Backpacker bylines in a row!!! 10 years ago it was my (pipe) dream to score a SINGLE assignment from Backpacker. In 2018 so far, I have FOUR!! There’s my trekking pole review in the April Gear Guide, plus a full-page photo (Justin has his own of both), I have an article about a hiking loop in New Mexico in the May issue (not online yet), the online Mother’s Day Gear Guide and a 1,000-mile review in the June issue of our Big Agnes tent we purchased in 2011 before we were gear testers (also not available online yet). I think I have grounds for boasting my accomplishments! 

Currently excited about: Living and working in 3 iconic National Parks this summer and driving to Alaska. Driving to Alaska has been on my bucket list since Justin first drove up there in 2003. Now I finally get to check it off! 

Currently not excited about: Putting more STUFF (aka unnecessary possessions) into storage. If there is anything Justin & I don’t see eye-to-eye on, it is what to toss and what to keep. While I can’t at all claim to be a minimalist, J is way more of a packrat than I am. His problem is he 100% subscribes to the theory of “one man’s trash is another person’s treasure” and always thinks, “well, we may need that someday.”  

Currently amazed by: Fenton Ranch in the summer! One of the many things I love about Fenton is how different it looks with every season. Since we’ve actually never been here past May 1, it’s been fun to look around and make new discoveries. 

I never knew we had lilac trees!!!

Currently regretting: We had a major missed opportunity this past month. Our friends, Clara and BJ (Country Mouse and Shadow) are thru hiking the Continental Divide Trail northbound this year. For months, we’ve been planning to meet up with them, either to hike or to pick them up for a day off. The closest trailhead is only 45 minutes from Fenton. Well, they came and went. We just happened to be gone the exact days they were coming through here, so we couldn’t give any trail magic after all.

Current guilty pleasure: I would call our Sprinter van our everlasting guilty pleasure. 

Current confession: There are still so many places in New Mexico we didn’t get to explore. Our backyard at Fenton Ranch (Santa Fe National Forest) was fantastic for outdoor activities. So we didn’t have to go far—heck we didn’t even have to drive—to hit a new trail. Given that, we stayed local, with the exception of a handful of road trips. It’s actually a mistake on our part because now my list of places to hike in New Mexico is longer than when we arrived! 

Currently worried about: Mrs. Gibbles is remaining at Fenton Ranch. Even though we truly adopted her (and she adopted us), she came with the ranch essentially. She simply cannot go on the road with us this summer and the school is happy to keep her as long as they can (she earns her keep by lowering the rodent population). We know she is in good hands; so many people are up at the ranch during the summer. And hopefully the new caretaker(s) will love her as much as we do! 

I spy with my little eye a kitty cat … This pix brings up a second worry: our precious Santa Fe National Forest (and actually, all of the Southwest) is still at risk! We’ve been in Stage 2 Fire Ban (no indoor/outdoor fires, no mowing before 10am) for awhile, and Stage 3 Fire Restrictions are looming around the corner.

Currently reading: I finished Jenny Lawson’s Furiously Happy. Man I was excited for this book since it came out in 2015. Blogger turned author. Reviews said it would be LOL funny. It was on sale a few months ago and I finally bought it and … I’m disappointed. I feel like she rambles a lot. I ramble a lot. So I wonder, is my rambling as annoying as hers? 

I’ve moved onto It Happened in New Mexico by James Crutchfield, which includes a collection of 30 short stories on New Mexico’s history (Smokey the Bear originated here!!).  

Currently watching on Netflix: We are about to cancel our DVD plan until the next time we live in a remote area, so we are trying to plug through our list!