Most of you reading this probably know us pretty well, but I wanted to give a little background context. McKay and I both grew up in small towns. McKay in a town with a population of 46,000 and me in a town with a population of 156,000...okay, so it wasn't a "small town". But that's pretty small for the California coast. We lovebirds met at BYU-Idaho in 2011, had a slightly bumpy ride and finally figured out that we were meant to be. We tied the knot in 2013 and have never looked back! More on that another time.
As you've probably guessed, McKay received a degree in Software Engineering and is currently working in a small town in Utah County. He enjoys his work and the people he works with. I received my degree in Animal Science and am currently trying to be patient while I wait for the day we can own a small hobby ranch. A little known fact about me is that I was born in Texas. I try to claim, because I played in the Texan sun and drank the Texan water for two years at the beginning of my life, it has directed my life course and is the reason for my obsession with horses. I am a wanna-be cowgirl. But in all seriousness, I love animals and have coerced McKay into believing that he loves animals just as much. I must have been pretty convincing because in our short three and a half years of marriage we have already owned two rats and two dogs. The season of the rats ended in June 2016, but the season of the dogs is going strong. They keep us happy and we keep them fed.
Because we both grew up in small(ish) towns we found a place in Utah county that we can live on the edge of a smaller city. The freeway is only two minutes away, but there are no developments behind our home. When we go on runs together I often shout a hello to the cows and we enjoy the scenery which often includes old barns, tractors, irrigation canals, and the beautiful Utah mountains.
We've only lived in Utah for 6 months, and we are enjoying it. One of the reasons we had for moving away from Rexburg, Idaho is the debilitatingly cold winters. This Utah winter has been an extremely pleasant change. The Utahns tell us that we've received an unusually large amount of snow this winter, but it sure is pretty. One experience we've had this winter is one we very rarely had in southeastern Idaho: real, live snowplows! In Utah these behemoths patrol the streets and scrape away the slick slush that in Rexburg became permafrost. In Rexburg the "plows" were merely pickup trucks with shovels attached to the front. These could be useful in removing the bulk of the snow in some places. But most of the time they only compacted the snow on the streets, creating icy, dangerous conditions. We are deeply grateful for the large Utah snow janitors.
Neither McKay, nor I have ever been very interested in winter sports. The idea of strapping stiff boards to our feet in order to speed down a mountain, dodging trees and boulders, all while freezing, just never appealed to us. However, we have both enjoyed strapping snowshoes onto our feet and plodding through deep snow on a trail. As a gift for Christmas we received a pair of snowshoes for each of us. We were pretty excited to get out and try them out. We've only ventured out once with them, but it was extremely enjoyable. A few weekends ago it was a beautiful sunny day with a temperature of about 28 degrees. A little chilly, but we bundled up in layers and headed out to have an adventure. It was amazing! So much fun and we were plenty warm. We ended up taking our hats and gloves off, and unzipping our jackets to let in some cool air while our bodies heated up from the exertion of walking through deep snow. McKay got to listen to me rave about how much fun I was having and how we had to go again the entire time. The trip was a success. The roads had been clear from ice and snow, we hadn't been freezing, and we had enjoyed it immensely.
Anywho, thats it for now. Until the next adventure!
