Shifting Views

Before motherhood (and the Air Force) changed my life for good about four and a half years ago, this was my view:

We were living in Giais, Italy with the Dolomite Mountains practically in our backyard. Every morning I would wake up, open the heavy wood shutters, and lean out my kitchen window, inhaling the fresh mountain air and gazing at the incredible foothills of the Italian Alps. The mountains were spectacular and the view ever-changing as the shifting daylight and sometimes tempestuous weather brought out different details from moment to moment. I finally understood what those Impressionist painters were after. I would snap photos every day, sometimes several times a day, trying to capture the fleeting moments and memories.

When we moved to Utah, a lot of things changed. In a matter of weeks we went from being a carefree couple who could pick up and travel anywhere in Europe on a whim (even though I was expecting) to being brand-new parents and suburban homeowners in Utah...which in many ways is the most foreign place I've ever lived.

I missed Italy, and my mountains. Sure, I have a view here, too...if I crane my neck to the east and look past chain link and white vinyl fences, rooftops, and trampolines I can see the Wasatch Mountains from my backyard.

But this is my real view now:

And I have never seen anything more beautiful. It's an amazing miracle how a child can fill your heart and how your view can change with a baby's smile :)

This post written for a contest hosted by
http://www.windexoutdoor.com/ & http://blog.parentbloggers.com/