There was one day in Bangladesh when I was walking home from the vegetable market.  Hot and sweaty as usual, carrying sacks of vegetables down a dirty, stinky alley way and wishing so much that I was standing on a mountain again.

There aren't many places that feel like home- even here- the place where I grew up.  But there is just something about being in the mountains again that just.. brings me back.  I love it.  It's where I grew up loving to be.

Yesterday my cousins and I drove up to the local ski resort to pick huckleberries. We pulled up to the place and my cousin exclaims, "We can't pick huckleberries when there's a bear right there!" And, sure enough, there was a bear... but we just chased it off and picked berries anyways. ;)

Today we hiked up to Mystic Lake.  Which is a place we've been going for as long as I can remember.  I made it up to the lake first and had a good 15-20 minutes just sitting there on a rock by the lake, alone, eating my cliff bar, watching fish jump and just sitting in the sunshine taking it all in...  It was amazing. The jagged mountain peaks and blue, clear water....  I was just so happy and peaceful and..in my element I guess. 

It's just the kind of place that makes it difficult not to be really thankful and happy. :)