The weather cooled off a bit today.  It was still pretty but just a little cool (yeah yeah all you people in Utah, I know your weather was just fantastic today).  I decided to take advantage of the little cool off since it's supposed to warm right back up in coming days, so I whipped up a pot of "poo stew".  Mmmm, what a yummy dinner- plus easy enough that even I can make it.  It's just beef and vegetable soup.  Poo is actually not one of the ingredients.  (Ha ha Matthew... remember Ross- "dress for less").  Good times.

I love it when the weather starts to warm up.  I have just been thinking about really fun things that I've done when the weather was warm.

-Backpacking- I haven't gotten out to do it in several years actually, but I love it.  I particularly love those Southern Utah hikes, with the gorgeous red rocks.  I have a not so fond memory of that time in the Uintahs when it poured rain and we didn't bring a tent so we just huddled up under a tarp.  Brrrr, it got cold that night.  So maybe that time doesn't count as a warm weather activity anyway.  I really do miss those gorgeous Utah mountains.

-Beach Bumming- Somehow, it was really fun to go to the Great Salt Lake and swim with my cousins when I was a kid.  I went again a couple of years ago and found that it wasn't really that fun because of all the salt, but the beach was still really pretty.  I've also bummed on the Pacific Coast a couple times.  Also, we used to go to Bear Lake every single summer- lots of beach time there.

-Sunbathing- Nope, not the kind where I'm trying to get a tan.  I think that's just a huge load of stupidity (sorry all you gals who are into that).  Skin cancer is very real.  I prize my pale skin, and I like the kind of sunbathing where you load up on sunblock and just enjoy the warmth of those rays for a few minutes.  

-Not wearing a coat.  Yes, this deserves celebration.  I love that day where I get to hang my coat in the closet and not get it out again for several months.

-Vacationing- My parents always made vacations really awesome.  It didn't matter if it was a huge vacation to DC or Boston or something closer to home.  We've enjoyed Mesa Verde, the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Disneyland, Moab, and others.  I would like to follow that tradition in my own family when we start having kids.  Even if we can only do a little getaway, just spending that time as a family is awesome.

Life just seems better when it's warm.