whirlwind.

Sorry for the lack of posts, but lately my life has been a whirlwind and I feel like my head is still spinning. It all started a few weeks ago as I prepared for the upcoming Stake primary activity. These were my assignments:

design/print/cut -- 250 invitations
type/print/cut -- 250 mission calls
create/print/cut -- 250 missionary name tags
bake (by myself) -- 250 cinnamon rolls

Crazy, I know, but that was just the beginning. In the midst of my primary insanity, I decided to join the Nie Nie Auction, design and launch a new website with my sister, Colette, bake and decorate sugar cookies for Carly's school presentation, and throw Carly her 6th birthday party. I've been exhausted and moody, desperate for a break.

Then, rescuing me from the chaos, Chile celebrated their independence and Ammon had a few days off from work. We decided to load up the car, toss in the kids, and escape to San Pedro for a little anniversary getaway.

San Pedro de Atacama is a small pueblo located in the middle of the Atacama desert. It is a city rich in culture and heritage, seemingly untouched by time. I have trouble finding words that adequately describe our journey. The historic charm of San Pedro is captivating and with every passage and adventure I was transformed by the simplistic, yet massive beauty of the desert. It is a vacation I will never forget.

My Craziness [ in Photos ]

[ Stake Primary Activity ]
Based on the book, "Tu Eres Especial"(You are Special) by Max Lucado.

There were about 200 children at the activity.
In the pictures below the kids had been broken up into smaller groups.

[ Carly's Presentation on the USA ]
She was assigned to dress in traditional/historic clothing,
answer specific questions regarding American culture,
and have a handout, souvenir, or something to share.

[ Carly's 6th Birthday ]
We had a family party on her birthday at home and
later celebrated with friends at the bowling alley.

Sidenote: Can you tell our camera was starting to die in the last few photo collages? When I fell in Iquique I was holding the camera and it slammed into the concrete. Sadly, it was never the same. So, for our tenth anniversary we got a new camera. Our first time using it was in San Pedro and it's amazing!

[ San Pedro de Atacama ]
The highlights:

We drove out to Laguna Chaxa, a beautiful salt flat in the middle of the desert.
This oasis is also a protected natural flamingo reserve.



With the sun reflecting off the salt and water, it was bright!






We went swimming in the Termas de Puritamas, a group of natural hot springs resting deep within a rocky canyon. The water was clear and warm, like a bath, which was perfect since the outside temperature was in the mid 60's.









Another stop we made was to the Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon.)
This valley is famous for it's resemblance to the surface of the moon, with varying surfaces and salt formations caused by natural environmental factors.
We explored the caves/salt mines and we hiked to the top of the Great Dune at sunset to absorb the painted desert.

Want to see more?
View our San Pedro photos by clicking through the slideshow below. For a fullscreen version with captions, click here.