Monday Mojo, Volume 19 – Whirlwind of Stoke!

These last few months have been an absolute freaking whirlwind and now that I’ve finally had a chance to take a breath – I’m exhausted!

It all started with a Wyoming road trip on my birthday week. Then there was a trip back to Wisconsin to take in a Brewer game and spend some time with the fam, followed by an unseasonably hot and dry trek through Utah’s Grand Gulch, a fantastic bachelorette weekend in Boulder, Utah, a week long float down the Green River, and then I GOT MARRIED and took off for two weeks in Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia.

It didn’t stop there. Once back in Salt Lake I went through my typical post-Euro-trip early waking syndrome where I rise every morning at 4am and set out into the Wasatch to nab some early season peaks before crashing into a big heap of exhaustion where I’ve been stuck ever since.

For some reason I thought it would be a good idea to take on a part-time travel writing gig the month before our wedding. Sure, I can do everything! The extra cash would be fantastic for our honeymoon, plus it had the potential to turn into a long-term gig, which it has since done, so yay! And sure, I’ll take a week trip down a river the week before my wedding necessitating me to work 17-hour days leading up to our wedding and in the few days between wedding and honeymoon.

Speaking of what doesn’t kill us… which just happens to be the title of the book I am currently reading (What Doesn’t Kill Us: How Freezing Water, Extreme Altitude, and Environmental Conditioning Will Renew Our Lost Evolutionary Strength), I only feel stronger!

I will tell you what, I felt more alive than ever. But perhaps it was just the copious amounts of heart palpitating caffeine… I felt like I tapped into something special, like some forgotten part of my old self. The old me that used to be able to stay up all night memorizing equations as long as I fueled myself with plenty of dance breaks and black coffee. Good to know I can still rally and I’m hoping to tap into that energy more so I can finally start tackling some projects I’ve been mulling around my brain these last few years.

Theme Song of the Moment
I now introduce the new theme song of the moment into my weekly mojo. Tom Rosenthal’s music was essentially the soundtrack of my last few months. His pure and heartwarming lyrics combined with his catchy melodies and the incredible dance moves showcased in his videos are exactly what I needed at this point in my life. I quite simply love him.