Salvation Mountain.

Random thoughts journaled during our trip:

1. We crossed two items off our bucket list on this one night getaway to the desert to celebrate our birthdays: visiting Salvation Mountain and seeing a show at Pappy and Harriet’s (we saw Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers). Both exceeded my expectations.
2. I am sappy, and the older I get the more I am okay with accepting that I am a crier. I cried at a concert to a beautiful song by Phoebe Bridgers. Her words are sad and her voice is magical. Sometimes I like to think that crying at everything is genetic, and if so, I get it from my dad.
3. We’ve seen Conor Oberst perform live many times (as Bright Eyes, with a band, solo), and his music will always hold a special place in my heart, because it was what I listened to while I was in labor with Cambria.
4. One of the things I love are large pieces of public art, and Salvation Mountain is huge and bright and colorful and impressive. While I am not a fan of extreme religious conversion tactics, I could set that aside to appreciate the beauty of the art.
5. In my experience, I think one of the best things we can do for our children is take time away from them and make our marriage a priority. Marriage is hard, and adding kids to the mix makes it even more challenging, but it is also beautiful and fun and adventurous.
6. I think another great thing we can do for our kids is to take time away from them to do things that bring us joy like road trips, seeking out eclectic art, and seeing live music. Before having kids, we went to shows a lot, and there was always a concert on the horizon to look forward to. Even on my due date with Everett, we went to a Tuneyards show, and all the young hipsters looked at me like I was crazy (which I probably was). These days, it is a treat to see a show together, but live music is good for my soul. It feels good to take time away and connect to the person I was before kids, even though that person has changed and evolved. 
7. I can’t help but go to Palm Springs and think of the time in June 2017 when we went there for our anniversary. I was in the thick of a postpartum depression that I didn't really understand yet, and I didn’t miss my kids at all. When it was time to go home, I dreaded going back to them. It makes me sad to think about that time, but it also helps me be grateful for where I am today. There were so many moments on our trip this time where we said to each other, “The kids would love this,” and it felt good to miss them and be excited to be reunited with them.
8. I slept eleven hours straight. 
9. We're thinking of going to Palm Springs and Joshua Tree again for New Year's (like we did last year), and if we do, we plan on taking the kids to Salvation Mountain. I think they would both love it.