coffee date

If you were to stop by my place on this beautiful fall morning, I would hand you a cup of hot coffee and a home made muffin.

I would tell you that I am only two months away from getting married to a great, handsome and honorable man. Said man happens to also be my best friend and the best adventure partner.

I would tell you that I am filled with joy every time I ride my beautiful surly bike that Mr. Handsome gifted me. We also fitted a front rack on to it last night...getting closer and closer to being ready to tour the world!

I would tell you that I am excited to start creating a home with Mr. Handsome soon.

I would tell you that I am also so sad to be leaving my house of gals! I am not certain that Mr. Handsome shall get as excited as my current roomies do about painting nails, baking muffins, mixing cocktails and watching chick flicks.

I would tell you that I got very excited by the new winter gear that arrived at work yesterday! We are all set to prepare people for awesome outdoor winter adventures!

I would tell you that I am slightly terrified that the semester is coming to an end so soon - I still have a ton of homework to get done.

I am overjoyed that I get to see my bro and his wife for the holidays. I feel so blessed to have family from England and a dear friend from the Netherlands coming to little old Boise for graduation, Christmas, the wedding and New Year.

I would tell you that I love fall in Boise.

I would tell you that I am beside myself with excited to find out what Mr. Handsome has planned for the honeymoon.....just two months to go!

life lately

life lately continues to be overwhelming. As the wedding approaches, the reality of what January will look like is very overwhelming. At the same time as I am excited to live with the beau - my best friend - I am sad over leaving my house full of gals! At the same time as I am excited to graduate, I am filled with uncertainty as to what is next. At the same time as I am excited to have a partner by my side through all things, I am overwhelmed by how the beau selflessly chooses me above himself.

Love is overwhelming.

As the beau and I prepare ourselves for marriage we are constantly having to return to a place of trust in the Lord. We are battling each day to choose to trust that God has adventure ahead for us - good good adventures. We are finding that we need to choose to find joy in the uncertainty and ask Him to remove fear from our hearts. Our hearts are not created to house fear.

When has God ever let us down before?

Never.

When has God ever not provided for our every need?

Never.

Isaiah 30v21: And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it".

My third half marathon for this year was a great success! I had a perfect run with this sweet gal!

My beautiful puffy bestie

the view from the top of a climb made during my last mountain biking class. i love boise.

fall....still room for shorts and t-shirts!

Our tent arrived! We are  getting closer and closer to being bike-touring-the-world ready! 

welcome fall. welcome. welcome.

Last night white bean and chicken chili was made, there is currently apple crumble sat on the stove and spiced apple and pear butter is brewing in the slow cooker. Seasonal beers are filling up our fridge and pumpkin pies are on the agenda.
Welcome fall.
I love you.
And I have missed you.

TGIF

It's Friday! And....THANK GOODNESS....the school week is so busy and overwhelming.  I have really found that the best days include a run or a mountain bike ride. Sitting still in a classroom, or sitting in an office working is not my cup of tea!

I really love this time of the year. The days are still bright, but cooler and somethings a little wind picks up. It is pretty perfect.

Have a great weekend! I scored some beautiful Sorel boots on super sale and I am really excited that Boise may get a rain storm this weekend...I want to jump in puddles!

Here are some instragrams from life lately. Follow me :  sargeantsally.

Coffee date with my beautiful mama and sister.

L is for Love. What a beauty!

THE best trail running partner ever....love this dog!

Sharing is caring. Even a turkey leg. 

University is in full swing - last semester though!

Street Chalk Festival in Cascade, Idaho. 

engagement shoot

A couple of weeks ago the beau and I had the honor of having our engagement photos taken by our dear friend Krista Rogerson. Gosh we just love having such beautiful creative friends! Krista did an exceptional job of capturing what we wanted - our love for one another and for the outdoors. Both the beau and I adore the hills around Boise. We constantly argue about what is the best way to enjoy them....he likes to bike them and I like to run them. We try to compromise and hike them but we both get frustrated that we are not moving fast enough! Its a game of give and take, like all things. Admittedly, I am mountain biking regularly these days and having a blast! We shall keep you posted on how things work out!

Here is a collection of pictures that Krista captured of us. If you are in the business of looking for a young, energetic artist to create something original and unique for you, from photography to murals, to portraiture and landscapes, go check out Krista Rogerson's new website here.  You will enjoy - I promise!

TGIF

My heart is full today. Sure, the weekend is set up to be a days filled with homework, but my heart is still full. Mr. Handsome and I received our engagement photos yesterday from our dear friend and incredible artist Krista Rogerson. Fortunately for you, you can visit her website here, peruse some more images from our engagement shoot, and see more of Krista's spectacular artwork.

We are thrilled with all she captured and we can't wait to share more with you!

For now.....TGIF!! I hope you all have a great weekend.

Photo by Krista Rogerson

sawtooths and summer (part 2)

My job is pretty awesome. Not so much the moments when we are cleaning boats after trips, or emptying poop cans or scrapping dried bananas off the bottom of dry boxes. But when we are out in God's creation, facilitating learning , embracing adventure, and introducing people to the outdoors, maybe for the first time or maybe just in a new way, in those moments....my job is the best.

This summer I had the privilege of leading a group of incoming freshman students on a four day backpacking trip through the Sawtooth Mountains. We hiked the Toxaway Loop trail that allowed us to camp and play at a different mountain lake each night. It was spectacular! If you are looking for an enjoyable and fairly easy going trail....hit this one up!

this summer according to instagram

This summer was a summer I shall never forget. The season was packed with adventures and filled with fun and, let's not forget, a proposal took place! My faithful iPhone was on hand to capture the memories....here are a few for me to share with you. Happy weekend!

Idaho Potato Half Marathon!

The little sis graduated

All packed up and ready for Sawtooth adventures!

Ketchum Mountain Biking

Redfish Lake - Sawtooths

Roadtrip to Portland MUST include Stumptown Coffee....

....and bike shopping

Great friends in Bellingham showed us a great time in WA!

Birthday dinners and the best dinners

L is for love

sawtooths and summer

Living here in Idaho is a dream - especially in the summer time. Recently the beau and I were talking about how fortunate we feel to be able to live here in boise for the first year or two of our marriage (at least - who knows where we shall venture to after we are finished with school!). The beau looked at me one afternoon as we drove through the mountains and along the river to go get lost in the hills, "you do realize that world class kayakers from all over the world travel to Idaho, Idaho to run our rivers right? We have it all!". And he is so right. This beautiful state has so much richness and rare beauty that our hearts just leap as we look ahead to the next season and the adventures that it brings. Rafting and kayaking in the summer, xc skiing, snow shoeing and snowboarding in the winter and climbing, bouldering, cycling, backpacking and running whenever possible.....wow!

My love for Idaho includes, of course, a love for the Sawtooths. These mountains stole my heart during my first summer living in the USA in 2009. I really don't think there is an excuse for me to not explore them more every year. So far this year I have visited them three times. Over the valentines weekend the beau and I telemark skied into a yurt with friends, at the start of this summer I got to hop onto a relay team last minute to run the 63 mile Sawtooth Relay from Stanley to Ketchum and then later in the summer my job allowed me to lead a trip of 8 freshman students on an extended backpacking trip to a series of mountain lakes. 

The sawtooth relay was a whole new running experience to me. I am new to running as it is - only been at this thing for a few years now - but a relay team was a whole different ball game. My team of five gentleman and myself started running at 3am and completed the race in a very respectable 9hrs and 19minutes! We had originally decided that we would be happy if we came in under 12 hrs....so we were pretty proud of ourselves! The beau was wonderful and spent the day (which was also his birthday - what a guy!) cheering us on and he even cycled my last 5 miles with me. The run was spectacular and my first leg allowed me to watch the sunrise over the mountains.....I will never forget that morning.....I felt so alive and happy.

(Photos curtesy of Austin Rogerson)