Silver Lining: that red rock charm

This weekend, to celebrate my brother John coming home from his mission, my dad took the whole family on a little weekend retreat in southern Utah. It only fueled my obsession with the gorgeous red rocks of the St. George area. But seriously, I'm obsessed with them. I have hundreds and hundreds of pictures, and I can't bring myself to delete any of them.

When we got to our rented cabin in the woods, we realized there was no Internet or cell phone service. And honestly, the lack of communication with the outside world was one of my favorite parts of the trip. We had no choice but to put down our phones and computers and be together. There was plenty of time for yummy meals and long hikes, swimming in the pool and overflowing the hot tub, and bonfires and movies late at night.

I also made a conscious effort to put my camera away for most of the trip. We did the most gorgeous hike on Saturday (Kanarraville slot canyon - so much fun!), and I deliberately left my camera at home for the hike. Part of this was practical; we were wading through rivers and scampering up and down rocks, and I didn't want my camera to get damaged. But the other part was just that I wanted to experience that day with both eyes open, not with one eye on the camera. It was a good change to appreciate the beauty just for me - not for a picture.

I did bring my DSLR along for a smaller hike to Cascade Falls. I just can't stop with the red rock pictures!

Claire and John - she wasn't too sure about him when we met him at the airport at midnight, but now that he feeds bottles to her in the mornings and sings her Spanish lullabies, she's quite fond of him.