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The year is winding down, and 2008 is dawning. As I am a big fan of “closure,” around this time I tend to want to recap the year. Pour yourself a cup of tea, sit down. Stay awhile. This is my version of a Christmas letter. JanuaryLet’s begin the year with heartbreak. I was living…

Today, my mom and I took Micah and Tyler to Union Station in downtown Kansas City to see their favorite thing: TRAINS! After looking at the huge, elaborate model train display, and walking across the Link to Crown Center to color in the Crayola Store, and then back to eat a greasy lunch in the…

This afternoon, I walked from Beacon Hill to the Back Bay, and then over to Cambridge to explore Harvard, and finally, back to Beacon Hill. It was about an 8-mile walk, and it felt good to stretch my legs after, you know, quitting exercise this fall. Boston is beautiful, and if I wasn’t so set…

Driving flies past when you have a purpose. Yesterday, my purpose was to get from Nashville to Kansas City in time for my nephew Micah’s 4th birthday party. I cannot believe that he is 4. I cannot believe that it has been 4 years since the cold night when I stood on the sidewalk outside…

I spent last night and this morning in Norfolk, VA, with my hometown friend Dylan Schoo. Dylan was the first boy I met when my family moved to Montrose, CO, in 1989; we went to prom together junior year, and have remained friends throughout the years and across the distance. Dylan is pretty much the…

I’m sitting outside a Midas in Redlands, CA, on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. AAA has once again come to my rescue, replacing a flat tire with the spare this morning. On the day after a “party like a rock star” wedding and two hours of sleep, car issues are the last thing in the world…

At slumber parties, you never want to be the one to fall asleep first. Whoever succumbs to slumber first runs the risk of her pals deviously dipping her hand into warm, and then immediately following, icy water, causing the victim to wet the bed. That was Austin. Today is October 1st, and yet the temperature…

It’s hard work to be a model. I should know. My sister-in-law, Ashley Parsons, generously took an entire Sunday afternoon to help me out with a photo shoot for, well, “my career,” I guess. I have to be honest and say that when it comes to “packaging” myself, I am severely uncomfortable. I have never…

This morning, I leave my hometown of Montrose, CO, for the next stage of The Big Trip. But before I do, I would like to provide you with some images of small town life. Let’s begin with the hair salons. These are some of my favorites: This woman is so alluring, I can hardly stand…

I figured that since I had already climbed one 14er this week, I might as well do two more. In one day. Yesterday, I summited both Redcloud Peak (14,034′) and Sunshine Peak (14,001′ – hey, when it counts, it counts – just don’t knock any rocks off the top). My dad and I met up…