Who are these crazy cats?

Chad & Kristie are a thirty-something couple living in Salt Lake City, Utah with their pet scorpion, Salazar.

Chad hales from Michigan, and like most Midwestern children who have the fortune of growing up on a lake, he logged thousands of hours swimming in fresh water. When he wasn't swimming, he was catching frogs, driving carelessly in the woods, and learning the art of crafting artisan pizzas. After completing his degree at Western Michigan, Chad came out West bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in search of gainful employment. He had no expectation for what Utah had to offer, but was soon captivated by it's dynamic landscape and geography. Chad's boss and uncle, Larry, introduced him to some of Utah's then little-known treasures. Chad has an unmatched understanding of maps and terrain, is obsessed with weather patterns, and has a penchant for old, crappy vehicles. He is a knowledgeable and skilled fisherman. All these things lead him down old two-track roads in the far reaches of the Wild West. He is also one of the luckiest individuals out there....really. When he is not adventuring, Chad loves to spend Saturdays smoking all manner of meats, napping, trash-talking in group texts with friends, rooting for the Detroit Lions. His guilty pleasures: Totinos pizzas (shameless plug) and any kind of noodle. He will try to convince you that Kristie has a pasta ban in the household (an alternative fact).

Kristie was born and raised along the Wasatch front with the craggy mountains of the northern Wasatch as a constant backdrop that would continually orient, challenge and sanctify her. Her twenties were a tumultuous decade of Ballroom dance, marriage, life as an expat in China, travel through Asia, widowhood, family, work and school. Her thirties brought her into a new era of opportunity to love and live fully again. She works as a PICU nurse, a work that is both enormously challenging and fulfilling. Kristie has eaten the same breakfast for the last ten years: one egg, one toast, 12 chocolate chips and coffee. She enjoys reading wine descriptions. She makes Thai curry that will heal you. She is a perfectionist, who requires occasional reminders that the little things are just that. To feel free, she dances. To gain clarity, she goes to the mountains. For connection, she conversates. For peace, she gets on her yoga mat. For creativity, she picks up a pen, camera, or guitar. When she wants to leave it all behind, she rides side-car with Chad as he shows her the magic of this world in a way that can only be appreciated with outsider eyes.

How did these two cats end up together? 

Their paths crossed in the most unlikely of places for them - a night club in downtown Salt Lake City. But, they hit it off, and two years later Chad proposed to Kristie at the tippity top of King's Peak (Utah's highest point).

A year later, they found themselves at the edge of a cliff at Dead Horse Point, where they took the plunge into marriage.

What's the glue that binds them? 

cooking (and eating) extravagant, exotic meals that are too spicy for the general public
bagging peaks
backpacking
truck camping
hosting get-togethers with loved ones
soaking in hot springs
working on/dreaming about house projects 
grocery shopping
gardening
collecting plants
dancing at weddings

They have an insatiable appetite for adventure. Often, these adventures are found in their own backyard in Utah's canyon country - where their hearts are.  

This blog chronicles the adventures of Chad & Kristie. The stories within are mostly true, with the occasional tall tale sprinkled in for dramatic effect. Stay tuned....