Route 66 learned how to forge ahead from the wind-it follows the same rules; whipping up to every dusty mountain side and licking every valley floor. Touching every dusty surface.

We drove like the wind here.

wings

A few peeks from a cigar and candy box insect collection found in the attic-we are guessing they are about 70 years old. We felt like we needed to hold our breath every time we lifted a lid, partly from pure excitement and partly for fear that we would inhale the dusty wings. Lots of emotion tied to these little boxes, as if the excited hands that pinched these paper wings was just there, placing the prize in it's box tomb.

making way

A lot of instagramming going on lately-mostly around the house as we have been working on organizing, cleaning, and making room for a better workspace. We are feeling some growing pains with our business, mostly in the form of having to decide what to give away in order to bring in more work equipment (which naturally goes against my thrifting and collecting nature). In an ideal world we would just up and move somewhere bigger and keep all our goods, but honestly, aren't ideal worlds for wimps who can't find the willpower to give away their extensive collection of thrifted t-shirts from college? I thought so.

natural history

We have a new Natural History museum here, and as much as I thought the old one could not be beat, the new one did a fantastic job of changing our minds. We marveled over dinosaur bones that made watercolor-like shadows, and minerals with textures and colors that are still swimming around in my mind.

birthday, part ll

I am convinced that Matt should wrap presents professionally-I always seem to have the hardest time opening them. Yet somehow, I still find the will-power to find out what is inside...

A few other things that made this birthday of mine tops-a surprise dinner with my family (words cannot describe the joy of seeing all those familiar faces in an unexpected place), a surprise dance party (again, overflowing joy at getting to cut a rug with said familiar faces), an apple pie from my sister (kids, you ain't never tasted pie till you have sunk your fork into one of these beauties), and the most nostalgic lion cake with dainty licorice legs and the tastiest toasted coconut mane.

I felt so loved.

birthday

When I was little I thought thirty sounded old. Now I am not sure what sounds old anymore, or maybe it is that old is starting to sound better and better. Nevertheless, I am thirty now, and we have already done some fantastic celebrating in the form of eating fresh bread, taking a nap, and opening presents that look like clouds.

color finds

I have stumbled upon some of my favorite colors lately-all of them hiding away in thrift stores just waiting for me to find them. I am enamored with the colors outside my window, and now the colors of my little trinkets inside. They remind me of the splashes of color in these beautiful paintings.

this song (what an amazing voice)//this post//thinking of our flight tomorrow morning

to the mountains

We had intended to get up to the mountains sooner to see the fall colors, but our busy schedule kept us away until most of the reds had faded. Although the aspens were all afire-and they have my heart anyways, so the drive did me good. We wandered around an area teaming with giant boulders covered with moss, and Matt found a little clump of trees to try out his "tree-cercise". (My palms were sweaty with his tree wedging/balancing antics but of course he was fine, and my fear of becoming an overanxious mother was confirmed.)