Travel: Red Rock Canyon (Part one: the sunset)

If you're in Las Vegas, or the surrounding area, and have an itch to hike (or not), definitely check out Red Rock Canyon.  Part of the Mojave Desert, Red Rock Canyon is a quick 30 minute drive from the Vegas strip & offers gorgeous views that you don't want to miss... 

Red Rock is a network of crests and canyons, valleys and gullies, with a surprise around every corner.  Even if you're not into hiking, Red Rock Canyon has a 13 mile scenic drive with lookout points at various spots.  You never even have to get out of your car; the scenery alone is worth the $7 entry fee... especially at sunset!

We visited Red Rock Canyon twice during our time in Vegas; the first just to watch the sunset, and then again a few days later to actually hike it. 

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After a long day of cruising the Vegas strip, Zac & I were itching to get away from the crowds.  He had a wonderful idea of grabbing some beers, opening up the hatchback of our rental car, and finding a spot within Red Rock Canyon to watch the sunset... which basically, was the best idea that he's ever had:

Because I have 10 million (more) photos from Red Rock Canyon, I am splitting this post up into two parts... come back in a few days for photos from our daytime hike!

#gardenlife, round 2!

Last year, if you remember, we planted our very first garden.

For being amateurs, we got a great yield & are still eating our frozen veggies from last year!  We just finished the last of our onions & have about 4 containers of homemade pasta sauce left, so bring on the new garden year!

We did a few things differently from last year, including making the actual garden a little larger, fencing it in, and trying a new system for the tomatoes & cucumbers...

The cucumbers are starting to climb!

The fence was to keep this monster from eating all our tomatoes...

The tomatoes are climbing as well!

I took the following photos just 2 weeks ago, and already we have harvested a round of spinach, lettuce, 1 cucumber & 1 zucchini -- I can't believe how fast it's growing... or how excited about it I am... guess this confirms once again that I am getting old. 

Please ignore the awful weeds... those suckers are relentless!

Spinach

Tomatoes

Lettuce

Onions

Peppers

Green Beans

Zucchini

Broccoli

Cucumber

Zinnias 

Mini sunflowers

Family or friends reading this -- let me know if you want some garden goods, we'd be happy to share!

The thing about eating outside...

... it makes you feel like you’re on vacation.


You linger -- longer than you would at the regular (indoor) table.  You kinda forget about all the dirty dishes you just made back in the house, because out-of-sight, out-of-mind, amiright?

If you're eating breakfast, it's a great way to set the mood for the day.
If you're eating supper, the fresh air seems to melt away the stress of your day, one sip of wine at a time…

Since Memorial Day, we've made it a point to eat outside as much as possible.

This particular morning the birds were chirping, the sun was rising, and Grace was cute as ever.  I could have basked there for hours.   I looked at Zac and said, "I wish every morning started like this."  Slow, sunny, and serene... (and with homemade pancakes & bacon!)

Our deck is literally 2 steps from our kitchen table, but when you open that patio door and step foot on the deck, it’s like entering a whole new world.  In fact, I feel like anytime you eat outside, it’s special.  Whether you throw a blanket on the lawn & call it a backyard picnic, or eat ice cream at the shore, or even pull down the tailgate & eat nachos from the gas station -- it just feels good.

I challenge you this week, to cook a meal at home & serve it outside on your patio or deck.  It’s the best mood booster.
And a great way to slow down, while practicing to be more present.

I love deck weather.  Cheers to dining alfresco all summer long!

The night the sky was on fire

One week ago today, God created a masterpiece.

I had the hardest time capturing it on my camera, because I was too lazy to use a tripod.  In fact, we almost missed this all together...




It was storming earlier in the evening, so we had settled in to watch a movie.  At about 8:45pm my mom texted me "Check out that sunset!"

So we popped our heads up from off the couch & immediately went outside.

I had never seen a sky like that before in my life -- and I apparently wasn't the only one -- Snapchats were being sent like crazy & my entire Facebook feed was photos of the sunset (which, I'd much rather vs. some of the crap that ends up on there) :)

View to the northeast...

Mother Nature, she sure is amazing!