Maybe You've Heard of Me

Ostrich Ranching

2011-12-23T20:23:00.005-07:00

I searched all over the internets to find good date ideas in the area. I really really wanted to find camel rides through the desert. Apparently, these don't exist. They have them at the zoo, and it appears they used to exist at Rawhide. The best I could find were stellar rides through the desert in United Arab Emirates, impressive but not feasible. I thumbed through other cool ideas- zoo, castles and coasters, laser tag, mini golf. Strike after strike. Too expensive. Overdone. Boring. Tired of it. Out of business. And then I remembered a video I saw of Emily Cain in high school where she got bit by an ostrich on the way to Tucson.

And thus, our adventure was born. I set up Brandon with my good neener-friend Nancy, and I took Alyssa. From Mesa, where the girls live, we drove another hour south to Picacho, Arizona. There we found the Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Farm, the best kept secret in Arizona. Not only do they boast ostrich ranching, but an amazing price at that!

Start by purchasing your food- alfalfa pellets for the donkeys, deer, goats, and ostriches, and nectar for the lorikeets. Be careful not to let the ostriches steal all of it.

These tiny donkeys all came running over to use to gobble the pellets from our hands. The tiny baby was the cutest and shiest. There were at least 15 in total. I want at least four to be mine.

Alyssa feeding the baby mini-donkey.

What else do we get to feed? Deer. Little spotted deer with alien faces. They sucked the food right off our hands and swarmed us. Literally. I didn't get the best picture but after we left Brandon there alone about forty were trying to get food from him all at once.

NEENER!

Bambi might look adorable, but these guys are aliens. Watch out.

Oh, just a bunch of living animal mounts. These goats stick their heads out of the box and you feed them treats. It may be one of the more unsettling things I've done recently. Especially when two of them fight to both squeeze their heads out at the same time.

A little sign explains how to participate in a unique feeding experience called the "goat kiss." It's no surprise Alyssa went first. I suppose she'll be needing a "I Kiss Goats" pin now.

Brandon took so long to get close enough to the poor goat. It stretched and stretched until Brandon finally kissed it.

They also had a thing called the goat penthouse. They put the goats up on the crane in a little goat house and you crank little cups of food up to them. Yes, it's about as odd as it sounds, but the goats love it.

Here's what you've all been waiting for! The ostrich feeding! Do they have teeth? No. Do they bite? Do they ever! They snap the food off your hands and sometimes bite more of your hand and miss the food entirely. Their dinosaur necks and eyes might be unnerving enough, but then they swoop in swarms to peck at you.

Oh. They'll steal your cup if they get the chance. They stole Alyssa's half full cup of snacks including the lorikeet nectar. Later they stole empty cups from Nancy and I. Little snatchers.

Then the Lorikeets. I've fed lorikeets at zoos before. At zoos they've always "just" been fed so they don't come that quickly to you. Well, apparently, not these one. As soon as we walked in they were all over us. Seven or eight on each. Brandon freaked out and dropped his nectar after getting a couple steps in.

The last part of our adventure- the monster truck tour! We started things off right by cheering the loudest (and being the only ones cheering). Did you know ostriches can lay up to 80 eggs a year?!? Apparently I'm the only one who things this is amazing because on the tour I gasped and said "Why is no one else reacting to this fact?" Everyone laughed.

Ostrich fishing! Put grape fruits on this string and they swallow big chunks hole! You can see the grape fruit going down their long throats just like on the original Fantasia.

Alyssa snuck into the driver's seat while the tour guide took pictures.

We survived the 4-wheelin' red neck adventure through the ostrich ranch.

It was awesome and full of shocking animal encounters. Would I recommend it to a friend? To that I say, do ostriches lay up to 80 eggs a year? YES!

Puppets!

2011-12-23T19:28:00.000-07:00

I finally got some friends together to make puppets as inspired by the recent Muppet Movie (which I've seen twice- at home and then with Natalie & puppet company). I will be seeing the movie many more times. I gathered a bunch of supplies and told people to bring their own puppets bodies (socks or stuffed animals). Then, while eating egg rolls, we made puppets!

Shannon made a beautiful old lady puppet, complete with a furry mink shawl.

Danica got daring with her action puppet made from a stuffed T-Rex .

Making the tongue.

I have been working for so long to get Garrett relaxed around puppets. He's finally coming out of the puppet closet.

Garrett debated for awhile about what animal his skunk/horse might be and then about a name. You see, this puppet making business involves more dedication and emotion than people can understand. You don't just throw it together. Puppets become a part of you. Am I right? AM I RIGHT?? CORALIE!!! AM I RIGHT???!?!?!!?

See above caption.

Finally, after long last- the puppet making was complete. Unicorn, Old Lady, Horse, T-Rex, and Cat. And people wondered when I would use my puppetry skills again. Oh, by the way my cats name is "Calimari."

Everybody! Make the same face as your puppet.

2011-12-23T18:12:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it can be almost as peaceful and refreshing to spend time near the temple as it is to go in the temple. I don't think I'd ever trade the chance to go in, however, for a day on the grounds.

Night Kayaking

2011-12-23T18:07:00.000-07:00

From time to time I'm blessed with a genius idea like taking puppetry class, selling homemade journals, doing my thesis in Europe or...going kayaking at night. My good friend Cambrie and I were looking for something worthwhile and new to do and I thought of kayaking at night.

It only added to the adventure that I locked my keys in the car at work. We did however find eventual success and made it to the lake. After layering in waterproof clothes and donning head lamps, we were finally ready. I had done this once before in Fiji, so this was a new experience.

The sky was clear and the water reflected both the moon and the stars. It's definitely something I plan to do again. How will I ever leave Provo?

Cambrie and I just before braving the black water

On Cleaning

2011-12-23T18:02:00.004-07:00

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

If only our vacuum worked better...

How Not to Make Caramel Apples

2011-12-23T17:13:00.006-07:00

I once tried to make caramel apples with my friend Layne. We failed and burned the caramel. A few years have passed, and I know feel wiser and more capable in many areas including the kitchen. Garrett supposedly made caramel apples successfully at work (no proof has come forward) so we thought it'd be fun to try at home. Wrong. Luckily Lauren and Danica are the last to judge me for caramel apples failing. Stay tuned for details.

Step One: Invite a few girls over to make it more embarrassing when all goes wrong.

Step Two: Follow directions loosely. Add however much water to the caramel feels right.

Step Three: Don't just dip the apple in the caramel- smother it. Smother it completely. Then add melted/burnt white chocolate grits, butterscotch chips, and copious amounts of crushed nuts.

Step Four: Eat it. Eat the entire apple. You'd never eat more than a couple slices of a store bought caramel apple, but you must eat an entire caramel apple in one sitting.

Step Five: Feel extreme nausea.

Step Six: Optional: Save the remainder of the apple (if you've failed at Step Four) for breakfast the next morning.

Step Seven: Save the caramel in a Tupperware in your fridge for months.

All of this happened, and it made a really good idea turn out awful. The thing about it is we all agreed we were making the right culinary choices. Wrong. Oh, so wrong.

Does this look sooooo good?

It's likely Lauren said something inappropriate here. And is now saying "Wait!" but it's too late.

A success?

Yes. Yes, my friends, Danica actually did eat this.

Winner?

Bahahaha. You thought turkey legs were gross...

Thank you ladies for not throwing up. And for eating almost the entire apple.

So after caramel apples crash and burn what does conversation turn to: cats and cat traps. Some of Lauren's coworkers who happen to be in my ward have been setting cat traps to ensnare the very cats I've spent the year saving. So we decked out in various disguises and went hunting for cat traps.

Bike helmets, head lamps, footy pajamas, part-time lover hat, camo coat, Harry Potter cloak (best thing I've ever made), Mickey Mouse ears, and bandannas.

We creeped all around the neighborhood and discovered no traps and not cats. You've avoided us this time, cat killers.

We did however find this lovely exercise bike in a dying garden. It still worked! Sort of.

How was your summer?

2011-11-07T19:29:00.005-07:00

I went and visited m'lady Erin Lindsey Moore this weekend. Garrett and I threw cares to the wind and drove down for a quick break from school and work. Visiting the Moore home is great. From brownies to possums to cat squirt bottles, they've got it all. This trip is proof to the world that Erin and I are not just "college friends," but friends for life. Naturally, we went to Disneyland. Highlights featured below.

I call this one: Chins.

My nemesis ride: Tower of Terror. I didn't get kicked off this time...

The sign should be titled, "Let the memories continue!"

This just might be the second time Garrett and I went to Disneyland this year. When I said second and last this year, Garrett corrected me saying we can't be sure we won't go again.

Saturday we rode bikes along the beach in Ventura. We walked along the pier and met the drunkest women around. She insisted she knew Erin bought her jacket at Borders Bookstore.

Thanks for a great weekend Moore family! You're all my favorite kuehners!

4 Years

2011-10-31T19:30:00.002-07:00

I feel like the day I cam home from my mission is more important than my birthday, or at least equal importance. It's primarily different because only I count the years. It's remembered sort of how a birthday should be- quietly, by myself, and without fire, wrapping paper, or awkward surprises and thank yous. It's my day mixed with the happiest and perhaps the saddest memories.

I will not forget. I cannot forget. A place that I can share with you.

Twins

2011-10-09T21:17:00.004-07:00

I've been told by several people to update my blog- so I'm trying. I have been swamped by school and work. Doing a masters is much much harder than my undergrad. Yikes. Look at my required reading list for a week and you'll understand. WE READ AN ENTIRE TEXT BOOK THE FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL. For one class. A WHOLE TEXT BOOK. Why didn't anyone tell me what they meant by, "There's lots of reading." Woof.

Anyways. Here's a little taste of one break I had this weekend. Garrett and I wanted to hike Nebo (attempt number 2) but winter came crashing in as temperatures literally dropped 35 degrees over night We decided to hike Stewart Falls with our friend Katy instead.

It was wet from the melted snow, but the leaves on the aspen looked beautiful, and the pines smelled amazing.

This is my favorite view on the hike- looking back down over Sundance. It's beautiful every time of year.

We made it to the falls! Where every couple was having romantic moments. We stopped one to take a picture of us, and we think they had just gotten engaged.

Garrett and I have this accidental habit of dressing alike from time to time. We are trying to be the Olsen twins here. I'm Mary-Kate. Obviously. Happy Autumn everyone. It's chilly and fall here now which means midterms, hot chocolate, football games, and piling on the blankets at night. Oh fall, how I enjoy thee.

Teaser

2011-08-14T17:08:00.009-07:00

I don´t want to spend tons of time on the computer but for you one to three faithful followers, here´s a taste of life in Ecuador.

Our view of Quito as we arrived from Miami.

Lago Cotocachi in a giant 900 foot deep lake filled crater.

A typical Ecudaorian meal: beef, fried banana, pickled salad, a "tortilla" (fried cheesey dough), mote (the white stuff), and a cheese empinada. Desert was molasses covered figs with cheese.

Our Hostel in Otavalo.

This woman was negotiating the purchase of a cow at the animal market.

More juice (more is a berry similar to a raspberry).

World famous Otavalo Saturday Market. It filled the entire city.

Andean Condor.

Bald Eagle or Aguila Gringo as they called it here.

Original oatmeal drink???

Milk in a bag.

Ecuador´s quesadillas. More like cheese infused sweet bread.

Mariposa sanctuary.

Tonight´s dinner. Tilapia and friend plantanes. La comida es muy bien.

Dad is having the time of his life and saving lots of headaches by using his excellent Spanish. A local didn´t believe he was from the US because his Spanish was so good. And a lady in the market told him he looked like President Hinckley- interpret that as you may.

Happy Birthday Brandon!

2011-08-14T00:05:00.002-07:00

Happy Happy Birthday from all of us to you, we wish it was our birthday so we could party too.

Sorry I'm not around to call Brandon! Hope it's the best.

Look at that moose!

2011-07-18T18:43:00.016-07:00

Went on my second photography field trip this past weekend- this time as the teaching assistant. It was a blast. Check out these pictures to see if it was worth it.

We hiked starting from the parking lot of Brighton Ski resort in Big Cottonwood Canyon.

Sunrise. 5:30am.

Melissa.

My friend Shannon. Still wearing her sleeping bag.

The sun breaking over the horizon.

We saw this moose. Melissa and I almost walked into it as we came down the path.

This shot of Melissa photographing the moose is after the moose moved further away from us.

We made it off the mountain!

Best Girls

2011-07-10T23:46:00.016-07:00

When I came back to BYU after my mission, I moved into Centennial, this sort of ghetto-awesome apartments twenty minutes by foot from campus. In those days, Katy Perry's song "Hot N Cold" was huge. Huger than life. At my apartment, we listened to it all the time. One day we saw fliers for a so called "rave" dance party. Raves at BYU don't resemble real raves. They are in small apartments, contain no drugs or drinking, and may have a couple glow sticks and louder than average music. I threw on my jean jacket and ran over to the apartment with the music blasting. I requested Hot N Cold by Katy Perry and the lame-o psuedo-rave leaders refused. I left after that.

I took my freshmen roommates back to my apartment and started blasting Katy Perry from our apartment while dancing on the banister of my apartment balcony. A couple girls heard our music and assumed it was a cooler party. They came running up the stairs and burst into our apartment only to see my two roommates sitting on the couch and me dancing on the balcony by myself.

In that moment, the greatest party of my life began. Alyssa. Erin. Brittany. Creents forever.

All three girls have remained some of my best friends in my adult life. Each of us are going separate directions this fall. I took Brittany's graduation pictures in April, and Erin asked me to take hers now (she's graduating with her master's in Sociology. Dang girl!).

Don't mind if I do say my photography skills have improved quite a bit over the last year.

Casual down do.

There are few people in this world who make me laugh as often and as hard as Erin does.

The one with the red shoes is my very favorite. Laughing side do.

Erin also wanted some pictures with Brittany and Alyssa, a genius idea. So after getting rained on by a torrential downpour, the clouds held their breath and we got some pictures.

I don't remember why this happened. Probably because Alyssa was bored of taking pictures.

Brittany said let's make the letters of BYU with our arms. Unfortunately you can't make a good B with your arms, and a Y and U look exactly the same.

One photography skill I need to learn is tact. Telling someone how to position their body without making them feel like a slob is tricky. As evidenced by the laughter in the final picture.

Favorite memories and quotes with these three girls:

Pregnancy Hot Line

Merry Crinich Christmas

I just peed on the floor!

Charge it to the ward.

I hope frickin' JQ is a lesbian.

I thought you were a cat.

Testing Center nice notes.

The roof is caving in.

Fat Cats & secret room tunnels.

Ward Pranks.

Britt Cooks.

Disneyland.

Harry Potter sortings.

Endless Boggle Games.

Hearts until two in the morning.

Just Dance.

Wig Girl videos.

Buttercup dancing.

Immunicornity.

Good night apache. I wuv you.

Excited summer camp kids.

Mario Kart.

Suck it. Stupid Idiots. Send it out.

Leg dancing under the matress.

Fart Circles.

Twa. Shra.

Sam impressions.

Facebook hacking.

Ashanti-special olympics-cats & dogs potlucks.

Britt cook pranks.

Pretending I've left the apartment and crawling back in.

Oh Scabbers. Oh Scabbers.

Best chapter/forest dancers/force field.

Thanks for being the best, my lady trans.

Round Up

2011-06-27T00:34:00.002-07:00

My friend Brittany Ann Crumback Lackjomy works in Lehi, Utah. She's been prepping for us to come to the Lehi Round Up Rodeo for weeks now. Finally, the day arrived. A big group of us gathered for a pilgrimage to Brittany's holy land. We found our seats between the big blond hair, tight wrangler jeans, and an impressive array of cowboy hats and boots.

Some of the girls were appalled by the treatment of the cows, especially in the cattle roping. No place for the soft-hearted I suppose. It was all pretty awesome but the crowd got most excited for the motor cross jumping and women's barrel competitions. I think that's probably because we had no idea what the rules were for the rest of the competitions.

All in all, a really fun evening in Lehi. I never thought I'd use those words in the same sentence. Can't say I'm hooked on rodeos, but it was pretty awesome, and I'll never make fun of cowboys again. There's no way I'd ever purposely get one of those bulls to run at me.

Shopping

2011-06-26T22:35:00.002-07:00

At 11:30pm on Saturday night, I remembered I'd signed up to bring tomatoes to the church taco bar the next morning. Great. So Garrett and I may have gone to the grocery store dressed like this.

Always happy to provide the, "Remember that time in Provo..." moments for others.

Camping & Caching

2011-06-26T22:03:00.004-07:00

Friday a group of us went camping in Diamond Fork Canyon. There's this one site I really like and have returned to it for two years now. Garrett and I got there early to save a site before the girls came. It's a good thing we did because every ward and scout troop was there camping as well and filled up every spot by mid-afternoon.

While we waited I said I wanted to take a nap for 30 minutes. Three hours later I woke up still in my hammock. We then went geocaching, or at least tried to. According to the GPS, we were right on top of the first one, but couldn't find the tupperware full of friendship bracelets. So we continued on to the next one. True to form, we tried to scale this rock wall in an effort to find the second cache. It wasn't the right or smartest way.

We ended up stuck on the middle of the cliff side before retracing our steps and finding a better path up. However, we were blessed with a beautiful view of the valley.

One last effort to find the cache...

...still 284 feet off and facing our third wall of loose rock. We quit and headed back to camp to meet the rest of our group coming that night.

Dad would be proud of the decadent, dutch-oven peach cobbler I made. In the morning, we had caramel, chocolate, mallow banana boats for breakfast. Yum. Yum. Yum. The weather was perfect, warm enough to sleep with blankets and light sleeping bags, but cool enough not avoid sweating the night away.

Why does summer pass by so much more quickly than winter? Cruel things, seasons.

River Kings

2011-06-26T13:52:00.009-07:00

The water is too cold.

The river is too high.

It's impossible to go under that bridge.

Your rafts will pop.

Wait until August, it's slower then.

These are just some of the things people told me when I said I was ready to float the Provo River. Fools, I say. Especially the part about it being impossible to go under that bridge, nothing has been more possible in my life. For Garrett's birthday I pulled out my King Kool Lounge rafts for their maiden voyage of the season {special thanks to Natalie for teaching me this river and how to float it}.

We blew up our rafts and threw on some old sailing life jackets. Before getting in the water I told Garrett, I've never fallen off my rafter, only Rachel does that. Then moments after getting in the water, my raft flipped and I screamed. Garrett was laughing and screaming from the cold, so I was left to save myself.

After settling in, we had no more problems. The rapids were a bit bigger than usual, but nothing too scary. We rocked our life jackets and picked up some tans, before Garrett started getting goosebumps all over his whole body and I started to shiver a bit. By then we were getting out anyways.

DAY 2!

Two days later I got home from work, and our house was 300 degrees. I said we needed to do something in the water. After a little persuading, we were driving to the river again. This time with dry bags full of food, sodas, and a frisbee. We put our sodas in the raft cup holders and half way through the river pulled over onto a bank to eat and throw the frisbee. There were horses hanging out and perfect sun. I threw the frisbee into the water once and Garrett fell in trying to get it. Best thing.

Then we got back in the river. Usually all the big rapids are at the beginning, but out of nowhere we came to this huge rapid while floating with our rafts side by side. Garrett hit it first, and suddenly time slowed down as I watched his raft flip towards me while Garrett screamed into the water. Before I knew it, his capsizing had flipped me too. Chaos. Total chaos. I grabbed my soda bottle, my bag, and Garrett's bag while Garrett screamed and thrashed around in front of me. Freezing and screaming, we finally got back on our rafts. I couldn't stop laughing for a solid five minutes. Best river memory to date.

So if you want to float the river, get a raft and lounge down the river with me! NOW!

Ready to Climb. Climb On. Climbing.

2011-06-26T13:32:00.004-07:00

Climbing. I always felt like rock climbers were too intense, too hippie, and too rugged for me to be among them. I wouldn't say I've been adopted into the climbing community, but in a way, I'm part of it now. I go climbing about once a week, usually in Rock Canyon here in Provo, but I've been to a few other spots in southern Utah as well.

That's Doug climbing in the first picture. The other pictures are from when Garrett and I tried night climbing for the first time this past week. Amazing sunset followed by a sweet night climb with bats flying all around and mice scampering down the rocks.

Isn't Utah the best? Thanks to Mom and Dad for getting me the rope for Christmas.

Birthday Dude

2011-06-22T15:19:00.008-07:00

Yesterday summer started officially. June 21. Every year it's the kick off of summer by definition. It's also the day I started my mission, five years ago. Now I celebrate it as Garrett's birthday. Of course, we had another summer barbecue. I'll post pictures later of some of our other adventures {floating the river, golfing (my first time), Tucano's Brazilian Grill}.

Garrett said when he graduated from high school 4 girls came to his party, and his parents were stunned that he even knew any girls. Look at him now with over 15 women at his party. So much progress Garrett Stone.

Also. I dropped my plate. I tried to catch my burger, but the ketchup-smeared-bun slid down my arm. And hands. And pants. And shoes.

I don't know if people do this everywhere, but in Provo everyone names their houses. Our house has 3 Narnia style lanterns in the backyard and four out front; yesterday, I contributed these lanterns to The Lantern House.

Ladder Golf. Best summer game. Thank you dad for making this. We love it.

Birthday almost twins. Erin's birthday was June 20. Last day of spring. I don't think I have any pictures of her day, but it was magical as well.

Hey Melissa goes to school here now. And lives six blocks from me.

Happy Birthday Dude.

On Top of the World

2011-06-13T21:16:00.011-07:00

What, another post?! Yeah, well, I'm doing so many things everyone needs to know about.

I posted a week or so ago about the rooftop concert series. I'm here to introduce the rooftop barbecue series, put on by yours truly. Picking the top floor of this house turned out to be a genius move because of the roof just below our porch. We throw barbecues and eat out there. It's the symbol of this summer. I had my 4th barbecue Saturday and used up the last of the propane Nate and Tara left me two summers ago.

We have some cats that live in our neighborhood, Alyssa cat whispered them over and Erin regular whispered to it.

That's my place up top. And my roof out back. And my friends on the roof.

Erin, Alyssa, and I played Just Dance on the roof.

The five of us dressed very similar. Summer colors. I really really like this picture.

I said: Everyone make your worst face.

My buddy Garrett's birthday is coming up, so I got him a backpacking hammock. The day he came back in town I planned to give it to him, but while I was at work, he bought his own hammock and used it! So I know I picked something out he really wanted, but now I have to return it. We did however get to use our hammocks recently...

Hammocks in the tree.

Napping and Sunday reading up in the treetop.

It took us 40 minutes to set and reset the hammocks. The low branch is probably about 7 feet off the ground.

Finally, this happened. No surprise I have most of my crazy adventures with this guy.

Average-Day adventures

2011-06-12T11:53:00.009-07:00

Of course I've been having more summer adventures. I can't help myself from having incredible experiences everyday. Maximzing every moment is becoming a way of life for me.

On Wednesday, Garrett and I drove down to Ponderosa Ranch/Resort just outside of Zion National Park in southern Utah. Our friend Leah works there and had been in a pretty serious horse accident. We felt it was a good time to go down and visit her. We stayed in her legit 1970s motor home called The Executive. It is straight out of 1971 and is totally awesome. Garrett and I entertained the idea of moving out of the house we're in to find a motor home to live in. The idea isn't totally out of the question at this point...

While Leah worked, we took the opportunity to hike out to Observation Point, overlooking the national park from the east end.

I took this second photo using my sunglasses as a filter- I like the old, yellowed look it created. The cliffs right in the center of the photo make up Angel's Landing (a pretty popular hiking spot). Spectacular view, eh?

When Leah was recovering from her accident, she had a very limited memory. One of her first memories to return was of dozens and dozens of wind chimes and a tiny grave marker that said, "Mr. Hydee." I'm very grateful those were her first memories to return. Both are from a pet cemetery at Best Friends Animal Shelter- a huge no-kill shelter near Kanab, Utah. We tried to go visit the cemetery at night but within 30 seconds of parking, the night crew showed up and kicked us out. However, those 30 seconds were terrifying as wind chimes sounded and we saw hundreds of tiny name plates catch the moonlight.

Of course, Garrett and I returned the next day while Leah was at the doctor's office.

There were cats, rabbits, dogs, horses, birds, pigs, bats, squirrels, toads, and even lacewings buried there. I think they may have taken the "no kill" policy to an extreme on a few of these.

Each chime on the wind chimes is hung in memory of a deceased animal friend. Some of the chimes were specifically dedicated to certain animals. Such as "Skeezer".

A moment of silence for the fallen kittens.

The animal shelter sits deep in the heart of hick Utah. Let me express what the locals are like. We went to a bonfire with some of the young adults locals where they attempted to shoot a mini propane tank with a shotgun for a small explosion. While standing in the middle of a ring of fire one girl said, "She had a bad case of tourrettes," with a cowboy drawl. Compare these locals to the hippie, animal loving volunteers who come from around the world to volunteer at this huge no kill animal haven. It's no surprise were were kicked out in 30 seconds because local kids vandalize the property with bunny carcasses all too often.

We returned from our trailer adventure in Zion just in time for Chelsey's birthday. As tradition would have it, I gave Chelsey the same gift as last year: a bear hug while singing a Happy Birthday solo. The bigger photo is this year. Last year's gift looks very similar, except greasier.

On Saturday morning I went rock climbing with Garrett and Nikki. Nikki said she was happy just watching but I set up a repel for her to do. I like to challenge people and Nikki was very successful in her repel. I couldn't make it up the wall I tried leading. I finally wasn't scared, but I just couldn't make it up. One of my summer goals now is to complete that climb.

After rock climbing, we went to the Provo Farmer's Market. It was different than expected- very few produce sellers and more Shakespeare in the Park acting than expected. We sampled delicious waffles, ate churros, and checked out the Harry Potter vendor (I make better cloaks and buttons than they do). We saw this chaotic acting group yelling and running around near the farmer's market. Luckily, we were able to catch 5 minutes of their performance before we had to go home. It was weird and different from anything I'd ever do, but I appreciate the courage and social comfort those players exhibited.

Following the farmer's market, I went home to load my kayak into Hayden's truck. He and Megan rented a kayak on campus and joined my friend Talia and I to kayak on Utah Lake.

The roads out to the edge of the harbor are flooded, but we kayaked out to walk across them and skip rocks. Please note the beauty of the mountains in the back of all these pictures.

The water was a refreshing 70 degrees. Of course I jumped in and made Hayden get in as well. The girls were happy dipping their feet and munching on pringles.

So glad I got that kayak and didn't sell it to go to Europe. Afterwards Talia referred to our excursion as one of my average-day adventures. I love that. My average day is full of adventure. Perhaps this is why most people are jealous of me. I can't fault you for that.

Worth It

2011-06-07T19:27:00.007-07:00

Maybe you remember last September when I bought a kayak on an impulse buy. Garrett helped convince me to buy it by promising he'd buy one of the paddles. So I hesitated for only a few minutes and then walked away with an empty wallet and a blue 13 foot kayak.

10 months, 2 paddle purchases, three different storage locations, and a broken car antenna later, we loaded up for the maiden voyage. Of course we went to my favorite Utah Valley location- Utah Lake State Park. The picture below barely shows that the kayak is only about a foot shorter than my 2 door Honda Civic.

Flood waters at the lake made it possible to load the kayak into the water directly from the parking lot. No docks, river banks, or loading ramps necessary. When we got to the lake, the BYU sailing class was meeting. I was immediately taken back to last spring when Natalie and I took sailing. My memories were of the one time we liked sailing and we spent the entire afternoon posing for Tyra, but more of my memories were of the times we ran to my car to leave during the middle of class or refused to sail because it was raining. Or when they made us capsize that boat and we were better than the rest of the class. OR when that horrible girl the first time we sailed said something about hoping we'd all die.

I live here. I live in the shadows of these mountains by this beautiful lake. I live here, and I love it. All the tools and fools who complain about Provo and Utah and how California and the east coast and blah blah blah are better can stuff this amazing view into their pipe and smoke it. I'm happy here and I love Utah. So suck on that all you whiners.

We made it out on the water, and it rocked. We weaved through sail boats and past the jetty out to the open water where we circled around before jumping into the water and then kayaking back. This I hope is only the beginning of many kayaking adventures. Gardner, my kayaking teacher, would be so proud of how far I've come: from Utah Lake to Fiji and back again.

Was the impulse buy and 10 months of waiting worth it?

As Erin Moore says, "Does the pope wear a funny hat?"

Summer in the City

2011-06-04T21:46:00.003-07:00

Welcome Summer! It seems summer has finally arrived and planned to stay. Today we had a barbecue on my porch while playing ladder golf and eating on the roof. Grilled burgers, hot dogs, and bags of sun chips indicate the return of good weather, river floating, camping, and otter pops. Already this summer I've completed another soccer season, gone swimming seven times, eaten over two dozen otter pops, been to California twice, visited Arizona, and gone rock climbing. Thank you Utah again for having beautiful summers.

A couple weeks ago I had my first barbecue of the summer with Brittany and Alyssa. Before the cookout we spent some time lounging in the park two blocks between our apartments. Let the sunshine in.

The usual antics. We spent most of our time people watching. Couple with two year old trying to fly a kite with zero wind. Kid runs across kite line and ends the efforts. Girl shows up for picnic with her spouse and brother's family. She holds a huge pitcher of what may be kool-aid but looks like liquid jello. Her family doesn't show up for an hour. Couple plays bocce ball. Seems to hold awkwardness of first date, but they keep touching each other like they're engaged. Game ends prematurely for cuddling in the grass. Little boy arrives for kool-aid/jello picnic. Boy keeps running over to our blanket to grab the volleyball. I hide it under the blanket so his dad doesn't have to get after him.

Reading "Look Me in the Eye" about a the life of a man with aspergers made me think every person has a certain level of aspergers, especially all men. The book even said some researchers think all creative people have a small level of aspergian traits.

I think at some point we all fell asleep. Bless you soft grass, summer days, and city parks.

What else happens in a Provo summer? Courtney Kendrick is a local Provo resident who has taken charge in participating in the community and providing awareness of what goes on in Provo. Last summer she organized the Provo Rooftop Concert Series. I went to see Fictionist play last month and this month saw Mindy Gledhill and Meaghan Smith- all artists I enjoy.

Mindy Gledhill. My favorite songs were Crazy Love and All the Pennies. She encouraged people to get up and dance for one of her songs. I was right in front and of course I got up. She liked my moves and Cjane (Courtney Kendrick) commented on my good moves and called me "Dancer boy" over the microphone.

The headliner of the concert was Meaghan Smith. She was awesome and a great performer. best songs- Heartbroken, In a Little Love, and You Got Out. I of course shimmied during Hearthbroken and Meaghan said, "Shake it Brother." The Mayor gave out a free CD of Meaghan's. I won it for my dance moves. Mom would be proud/embarrassed.

I invited a whole ton of my friends. Maddie, Marcie, Becca, Lauren, Kirsten, Alyssa, Erin, Chelsey, Nikki, Hayden, and Meagan. Phil and Mike came too but left early.

Summer concert rooftop series. Another reason to love Provo summers.

Look what I found!

2011-05-23T08:48:00.003-07:00

Last night I went to dinner at Ryan Palmer's house for Brendan's birthday. Hayden's wife Megan was telling me about Peta's movement to change the word fish to Sea Kitten. I found the website and campaign. Please. Everyone look at this hilarious website. You'll love it. I do.

Create Your Own
Sea Kitten at peta.org!

Dangerously High Legs

2011-05-22T15:48:00.010-07:00

Can't keep me outta Cali.

Only days after graduation, Garrett and I were back on the road to California. This time we added Nancy and Lauren to the mix and headed south. We stayed with Garrett's sister in Hollywood and lived a dream life for a week.

Santa Monica

We visited the beach and pier in Santa Monica. It was too windy to really enjoy the water, but we had a kite. We flew the kite, ripped our hands open on the giant metal gymnastic rings on the beach, and then walked over to the pier. There were saw a seal (sill) and a street performer with a marionette he bounced around to "Killing me Softly". It was one of the weirder street performances I've seen. But into his can marked "Tips Tips Puppets" dropped Nancy's dollar.

Griffith Park:

Somehow we got it in our heads that there was a merri-go-round at Griffith Park. We would have been more than satisfied with one of the tiny playground size ones, but instead we found none. We did visit this astronomy building where we spent the majority of our time staring into the huge gutter filled with trash items like hangers, hats, water bottles, and sandals. We also spotted a fire in the distance. We're LAFD.

That night we had dinner with dad in Hollywood. I'm glad we were able to meet up with him and eat dinner while the loudest Mariachi Band invented played in the restaurant I picked. I would love to eat that chicken chimichanga again right now please.

Disneyland: Day 1

The main motivator for all of us to come to California was the mouse with the big ears: DISNEYLAND. We were all so excited for this, and may have lost a little sleep in anticipation. We were there as early as possible and waited patiently for the line barriers to be dropped at 9:00am. We speed walked over to Space Mountain, careful not to run since Nancy and Merrit once got sent back to the turn stiles for running when Disneyland opened.

Matterhorn!

Melissa and Mom, does this little pinching hand look familiar? Well, I copied this from Melissa and did it to bug Garrett while he drove, much like Melissa does to mom. We did it on all the rides until Nancy did it to a stranger whose girlfriend turned around and yelled at her, "You need to stop doing that right now!"

Alice & Wonderland!

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. This is Garrett and I in hell together.

Thunder Mountain Railroad! One time we road this and the man in front of us had a tag on his shirt still. Lauren tried to pull it off the whole ride, without success. The man was video taping his child throughout the ride and I was directly behind the kid laughing until it hurt as I watched Lauren sneakily yanking on the tag.

Maybe you've heard of pineapple floats? No? Well, you'll wait for these longer than you do for Space Mountain, but it's worth it. Pineapple soft serve in pineapple soda. Yum.

California Screamin'!

Don't believe the fools who say there's nothing to do in California Adventure. They haven't lived. They also obviously haven't been on Midway Mania where I held our parties high score at 184,500, only 15,500 points away from Deer ranking. We rode it four times (Nancy still checks the wait time on her ipod app every day).

Somewhere around this time we got kicked off of Tower of Terror. I remember because I was careful to listen for and follow feet rules on this swing ride. While on Tower of Terror, I lifted not just my hands in the air to show my bravery, but my feet as well. They stopped the ride before the last drop and lowered us to the main level. Nobody knew why we had stopped. One girl in the front row said, "Since we're all stuck here together, let's get to know each other. My name is Kristin and it's my birthday." Nobody reacted except me- I burst out laughing. Then the elevator doors opened and they asked the people sitting next to us to get off. After a brief discussion, their reboarding, and a phone call, they asked us to get off. The female Tower of Terror operator said, We've asked you to leave this attraction because "your legs were dangerously high." I didn't know there were leg rules, or dangerous heights for legs. We rode it the next day instead.

OUTER SPACE OUTER SPACE OUTER SPACE

Day 2:

At my suggestion we all dressed the same. Thank you to my family for always strictly following this tradition. We wore "I'm celebrating!" pins and people asked us all day what we were celebrating: family reunion, green peace, animorphs, dragons, recycling, etc.

We're celebrating the Touched By An Angel reunion tour.

We're celebrating government funded housing.

We're celebrating Jurassic Park.

(Lauren and Garrett were petrified on this ferris wheel and clung to their seats)

We're celebrating civil rights.

We're celebrating F. Scott Fitzgerald.

We're celebrating geometry and polygons.

We're celebrating 'I can't believe it's not butter!'

(Right before our last ride!)

We're celebrating the performing poodles.

(We all said we had really good ideas for the last picture but wouldn't say what we were doing so it'd be a surprise. Nancy won. She tried to go "limp" so she'd flop around for the picture. Wrong. She simply broke her neck.)

After Disneyland, we went down to Newport and along the specific coast highway. We played at Little Corona Beach where we swam with seven big black dolphins only 30 feet from us. It was awesome, and they were so close we could hear them breathing.

We went back to Hollywood with Garrett's sister and ate more wonderful Mexican food, visited the LA temple, and spent more time at the beach. Eventually we had to return home to jobs, new apartments, and lots of changes. Hurrah for Disneyland!

This is For

2011-05-22T14:27:00.006-07:00

This is for all the times I skipped History of Creativity (and accounting, and accessible recreation, and sailing, and financial management, and marketing).

This is for every friend of mine who had a friend of his or hers tell them they saw some kid roller skating through Provo with a brief case or puppets.

This is for the semester I took 19 credits (including puppetry and kayaking) and worked 30 hours a week, exhausting myself to the point of falling asleep under my desk at work.

This is for six jobs I had during my undergraduate.

This is for all the grammar busy work sheets we did in my senior writing class.

This is for the adventures I delayed graduation for (Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Puppetry, Rock climbing, Snow Boarding, Research Projects).

This is for every time someone has responded to my major by saying, "So will you even have a real job?"

This is for all the friends I've made in my classes and program.

This is for the 800 internship hours I completed.

This is for the class that hooked me on studying recreation: RMYL 301: Family Recreation.

This is for the hundreds of sudokus, cross words puzzles, and boggle games my classmates and I completed in class.

This is not for that annoying girl in my boring facility planning class who told me I just don't appreciate the subject matter. I repeat, this is not for her.

This is for the time my professors personal screen saver popped up with Kung Fu panda and I couldn't stop laughing and my desk rattled against the wall from silent laughter and I laughed even harder.

This is for intramural games, on campus church, dining plus, and grassy knolls.

This is for everyone who mocked me for going to bed early freshmen year when I earned a solid 3.99 GPA.

This is for the Worst music video ever, cupcakes from scratch, and trips to Disneyland.

This is for bonfires, snowboarding for school credit, and playing games in every class.

This is for the masters degree and PhD I'm going to get.

This is for every person who wished they could have enjoyed their undergraduate experience as much as recreation majors do.

This is for the professors and educators who inspired me beyond belief during my education: Frances Wheatcroft, Kathy Jennings, Cherie Gavin, Jewel Knofler, Heather Johnson, and Brian Hill

This is for my parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and siblings who paved the way and walked on the same campus as I did generations before.

THIS IS FOR THE CLASS OF 2011 BABY!!!

I Left My Heart

2011-05-22T12:29:00.010-07:00

About a month ago, Garrett was prepping for a sprint triathlon when he sprained his ankle in a soccer game (he continued to play on and we won that game in a shoot out). His ankle was bothering him too much to enter a race so our plans to go down to Vegas the weekend before finals were toast.

We refused to not go on a trip that weekend. We started throwing out ideas and settled on San Francisco. His family lives about an hour outside San Francisco, so we drove out Friday to stay with them and spend a few days in the city.

Highlights:

japantown:

We looked for events and concerts going on in San Francisco while we were there, but the only thing we found was the Annual Cherry Blossom Festival in Japantown. It turned out to be pretty cool- bonsai, origami, paper dolls, dojo drum shows, Hello Kitty carnivals- you know, everything stereotypical of Japan was happening and lots of other cool things too. We got sunburned watching some outdoor dojo shows and found out we were too big for the Hello Kitty bounce house.

golden gate park:

From Japantown, we walked to Golden Gate Park (getting there almost as fast as the bus did). We thought we had walked through at least half the park when we found a map showing us we'd traveled through less than a quarter of it. On the rare sunny day in San Fran, I took an hour nap in the grass while Garrett studied for finals, and we both sunburned a bit more. I feel asleep as I heard the jazz street performer's saxophone echoing out from underneath a nearby bridge and bees buzzed on the huge flowerbeds by us. It was a spring time dream. We explored the park a little more and then walked back to find my car and drive back to Dixon.

We spent Saturday night and Sunday with Garrett's family as I enjoyed an Easter Egg Hunt, Shanghai, dinner in Yuba City, and falling asleep during Sting and Willow.

Day 2

the bridge:

On Monday morning we headed back into the city by way of the Golden Gate Bridge. It was fun to see a landmark so significant in my childhood field trips. There was construction blocking the road to the viewpoint we wanted, so we ended up on a more secluded spot with what I thought was a better view. Fog clouded us in, but we still got a pretty good view of the city and the bridge with nobody else around.

celebrity tours:

we thought it'd be cool to see some spots from tv shows and movies. So what two things did we look up? Full House and Princess Diaries. Don't mock. We found the house the internet claimed was the house from Full House. We thought it would be too far out of the way but ended up there when I got us a little lost. I think the Tanner's house was a lot bigger on the inside than on the outside. Maybe they're wizards.

We also found Grove High School from Princess Diaries. It's actually just a big house in a fancy neighborhood. I went up to the door while Garrett took some pictures and possibly incriminating videos. The Queen is coming, to Grove High School.

along the water front:

We stopped at various places along the wharf and water like the Palace of Fine Arts, Boudin Bakery, the antique arcade, Ghiradelli's Square (a shopping destination for dogs who wear clothes, wooden mask collectors, and Paris Hilton), Lombard Street, and the old maritime dock. It rained almost the entire time, but made it a true San Francisco experience.

We got chowder in bread bowls at Boudin Bakery. The bread was amazing, but Seattle's chowder outdoes San Francisco by tenfold. The antique arcade was a hit (thanks for the recommendation Kelly and Natalie). We played some old pinball games, a boxing game (I won), tested a love-0-meter (I'm loveable and Garrett is cold), arm wrestled a machine, and got a prediction from Grandmother (she told me I'd receive a letter bringing me great happiness).

From the arcade we walked through the old ships and docks on our way to Ghiradelli square. For any of my family who remember the C.A. Thayer and ship trips, she's been stripped to the hull for rebuilding. I was pretty disappointed not to get to explore the deck of the boat I'd spent so many field trips on.

trolley:

I learned how touristy it is to ride the cable cars when we paid $5 dollars and waited 45 minutes. However, I would say it's worth it. We had the most insane, deranged street performer keeping us annoyed and entertained, and the actual ride on the trolley was pretty sweet as well. Clang Clang Clang, went the trolley. Ding Ding Ding, went the bell. I think we were in at least a dozen people's pictures and videos as we passed. Celebrities.

chinatown:

We had no idea when to get off the trolley, so when we started to smell the roasting ducks, wantons, paper dragons, and on-sale-used-cassette-tapes, we knew it was time to hop off (that and the conductor announced the stop for Chinatown). Chinatown was more crowded, crazier, and dirtier than I expected. We stuck out like sore thumbs as the only two white boys in a see of Chinese faces and black hair. Every single shop looked exactly the same and seemed to sell exactly the same things for exactly the same prices. Yet, some stores were packed and others were empty. We went in one promising store, but it turned out to be an Asian dollar store where things cost $15.

Suddenly, we crossed one street and all the Chinese signs, people, and shops were gone. Instead cafes, ristorantes, and gelatto shops filled the streets with poles painted with green, white, and red stripes for Little Italy. We got some Gelatto and walked down to Pier 39.

pier 39:

As the rain got heavier and our feet grew tired, we concluded our day in San Francisco at Pier 39. We visited the llama fur clothing store only to find out they don't sell any items for men. The puppet store was mildly impressive, if that, compared to the puppet treasure trove of Sydney. Once I was bored of the magic show and the seal lions refused to come talk to me, we headed home.

It was a fun, fast trip to California. Alas we had to return for finals (Garrett) and graduation (me), but they couldn't keep us out of California for long. Less than a week after leaving California we went back for Disneyland and the beach- pictures to come soon.

Enjoy these last photo highlights from our time in the golden city.

I look like a lab rat

2011-05-10T16:19:00.002-07:00

In March, I put on the 4th Annual Science Palooza for the city of Provo. It was my second year, and we did an amazing job if I can say so myself. Check out this bit of me looking like a tranny scientist for the news.

Remember this?

2011-05-08T21:21:00.004-07:00

You probably don't remember this because most anyone who reads my blog never saw this project except maybe my parents and younger siblings. But check out this awesome project I made sophomore year of high school. I was just trying to describe it to Garrett the other day, and today I came across this photo.

Canterbury Tales Project. Prioress Assignment. Sophomore English 2003.

For part of the assignment we had to dress as the character we were randomly assigned. I refused to dress as a nun, and wanted to make a bigger splash, so I made this.

2 of 50

2011-04-12T20:53:00.003-07:00

Gryffindor pulled in 2nd of 50 teams in the tournament. Way to go team. I'm so proud of how far we came, even if we didn't land on top.

Back Row: Devin, Doug, Sherstin, Sarah, Eric, Marcie, Garrett, Natalie, John, Alyssa

Front Row: Jane, Wesley, Spencer

As sweet as victory would have felt in our final game, I can't say I was disappointed. Yes, we would have worn those t-shirts proudly and it would have been cool to flatten the team that dropped down from the upper division to steal our championship, but we secured four solid, honest wins during this tournament. GO GO GRYFFINDOR!

Holiday Hunters

2011-04-12T11:46:00.003-07:00

I came up with this marketing concept at work to promote our events. I hope you love this. I'm in love with it.

Untitled from ProvoCity Events on Vimeo.

Documentary Trove

2011-04-08T08:49:00.002-07:00

I can't stop watching documentaries on snagfilms.com. Check out the sweet search button that allows you to search by subjects and topics to match all your interests.

I've watched a whole bunch of different films, with this one about nature photographers being my favorite. I just found a documentary on Rez Dogs. Rez dogs are EVERYWHERE on reservations. I'm excited to watch it next.

Watch more free documentaries

Pretty in Tweed

2011-04-06T22:42:00.004-07:00

When my grandpa passed away in high school, I was blessed to inherit his tweed suit coats. I was the only grandson to fit in them, so I got an array of colors. I love them, and I love that they were grandpas. For a ward activity they asked us to dress up nice, so I suggested to my roommates that we wear the tweed coats and bow ties.

Aren't we amazing?

Soccer Brilliance

2011-04-05T23:56:00.005-07:00

I've played on five intramural soccer teams while at BYU: two my freshman year, a ward team last year, a co-ed team I put together last spring, and a team this semester. Of all our teams, this one had the roughest start. I've ended up in goal all season which I've never done before, but I have actually really enjoyed it (minus that game I let in four or five goals). We're now in tournament play. Semifinals are this weekend and we've advanced ahead of 45 other teams to be in the final four. Tonight we played in quarter finals and advanced after tying, narrowly making it through sudden death overtime, and then a nerve racking shoot out. I thought I would pee my pants in the shoot out, but somehow we made it through. I blocked 2 of their 4 shots and we scored on 4 of our 5. Kudos to Garrett for that final game winning shot.

Never before have I been on a soccer team that has advanced past the first round of the tournament, and now we're in the 5th round! Come to our game at 11:00am Saturday on the indoor fields.

Go-Go Gryffindor. Bring it semi-finals!

Also, Happy Birthday Tara:)

Boarder

2011-03-27T12:36:00.004-07:00

I have these great friends Natalie and Kelly who took me snowboarding in Park City. Kelly works at the Park City resort. We went snowboarding and skiing all day Saturday. I was overwhelmed by how huge Park City is compared to Sundance. It had probably ten times as many runs and lifts and people and everything. It was amazing. Natalie and I just followed Kelly everywhere as he led us from lift to lift to lift. It was the first time I've been boarding without people in my class. It was fun to see new things I can work on and to see I could keep up (for the most part) without much effort. Now I want passes at every resort!

They have these people stand out with cameras and take action shots. These are the only pictures I've ever had of me snowboarding, so even though they have the proof stamp on them, I wanted to show them off. Thanks again Natalie and Kelly!

Easter Preparation

2011-03-25T23:47:00.003-07:00

Every week all the part time event planners and event interns meet with the full time event coordinator at work. We were previewing music for the Easter Egg Hunt when this spontaneously happened at the meeting. Preparing for events is really draining.

I'm in.

2011-03-25T11:37:00.003-07:00

Hi. Some of you may know I applied for graduate school. I had a list of 8 or 9 schools I was considering including ASU, U of Minnesota, UPenn, U of Idianna, BYU, U of Waterloo (Canada), Trobe (Australia), and U of Edinburgh (Scotland). In the end I only applied to two programs- U of Edinburgh and BYU. I found out last week I got into BYU. They will notify me of any award additionally in the next couple weekends. I had fully come to expect I would not get into UE because it's acclaimed in the top 25 universities internationally. Today I got notice from UE:

Dear Eric

I am delighted to inform you that the University is offering you admission to MSc Outdoor Education- 15 Months (PTMSCOUTED1F) under the Terms and Conditions below

That was unexpected. It blew me away (I still am recovering from the force of the news). Literally, I thought I was getting a notice of rejection. Now what? I wasn't supposed to get into this school. I was supposed to get into BYU only and tell people I once applied to a school in Europe. Then. I got in. I got into this internationally acclaimed school in the UK. Holy smokes. Holy smokes. I'm tripping a little. And tripping over the fact that I'm not sure what I should do about this. I will say this: if I move to Scotland everyone must come visit me.

Check Me Out

2011-03-24T10:21:00.003-07:00

People ask me all the time about my job, my major, and the mysterious future of a career in recreation. "What can you do with a major like that?" they ask. In my head I think, "What can't I do?" My opportunities are limitless. At work (Provo Parks & Recreation), we have created a behind the scenes blog showcasing what we do to make events possible. It's only the tiniest view of what it takes to put on awesome public recreation events, but it's what I have found incredible satisfaction doing. When I came home from my study abroad, I felt a lot of emptiness about being back in Provo, but it felt so right and welcoming to go back into work that first day in August.

So if you've ever wondered what do recreation major's do, or what sort of job will Eric have- check out this blog: Provo City Events. I don't post to it yet, and it's pretty rough at this point. However, expect a really awesome Easter Egg Hunt Commercial in the coming weeks. Oh and if you watch the Egg Hunt aerial view video, I took that one from the top of a fully extended ladder on a fire truck. Pretty awesome? Well, read my last post and my awesomeness shouldn't surprise you.

On Being Awesome

2011-03-21T22:32:00.004-07:00

So the BYU scene makes a single person think about dating and marriage all too often and at an unhealthy level, especially for someone as young as I. Frankly, I will admit I dwell on the topic. I discuss it with my roommates, mull over it with my siblings, and insist to my parents that I am trying to date. But I've had an epiphany recently I think everyone should likewise experience.

I'm awesome. I'm brilliantly awesome; I'm awesomely brilliant. I'm epic. I'm stellar. I'm rad. I'm a bit of a genius. I'm talented. I'm adventurous. I'm sensitive. I'm brave. I'm hilarious. I have so much to offer, and if a girl can't figure that out- no matter how amazing I think she is-then she's not awesome. She's just not. She's not a genius, she's not brilliant, and she's passing up something that will be the best thing that is ever going to happen to some other girl who is awesome, brilliant, epic, and amazing.

Oh yeah, so what I realized is this: if you think someone is incredible and perfect for you, but she seems to have every reason to hold back, push you away, or dismiss the chance to give you everything, it's probably because she doesn't deserve you, and she isn't incredible enough for you. So don't let anyone make you feel less awesome than you are. Recognize your ability to light up a room, and don't bother chasing someone blind to the light. There's somebody else out there itching to bask in your rays. So find her, and let the tanning begin.

Jump

2011-03-20T15:08:00.007-07:00

Agrodome, Rotorua, New Zealand, August 9, 2010

Swoop

Bungy

Bungy jumped in multicolored long underwear. Check.

My Happy Place

2011-03-13T19:21:00.012-07:00

I've realized recently that Utah Lake State Park is my happy place. I found myself sitting at home alone after some plans slipped through, but the sun was shining so bright in the window so I finally slapped my laptop closed and grabbed my camera to run outside. Where should I go? Utah Lake. I knew I'd be happy once I got there.

Maybe you're getting tired of my lake pictures because I go right to the same spot every time, but I'm trying to get better and capture new moments. So sue me. All the ducks were scooting along as pairs with their bills in the water. Little Sunday ducks dinner and date I guess.

I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure this is Mount Nebo. Actually, I'm only about 40% sure. I've taken so many photos from this spot and still can't get over how beautiful this mountain and view is.

Couple a mallards out on the town. I guess they didn't get dates.

After the sun started setting and all the fisherman pulled their lines in, I decided to head home the back way. I knew the back road passed all the horse pastures where I've stopped to feed them before.

The first set of horses I stopped at were skittish and separated from me by a sick moat. After coaxing them for fifteen minutes this guy came over, chomped at me and then turned around and walked away. What did his girlfriend do? Laughed with her tongue out.

The second place I pulled over and before I'd even walked up to the fence, the horses started to approach me. I named them Mare, Boy, and Bangs. Bangs was shyer so I don't have any pictures of her and her straight across bangs.

Boy wouldn't stop chewing on this fence unless I brought him the greener grass from across the street.

After leaving the horses I stopped to see the cows who had just been fed. They had mean faces and ran away from me.

Not a bad Sunday. Thanks Utah Lake.

brinney

2011-03-12T23:05:00.003-07:00

My friend Brittany (pronounced Brinney Crumback) asked me to take her graduation pictures. I was flattered she thought I was qualified enough to take the pictures she'd be sending out to all her family and friends. I was pretty nervous nothing I shot would look presentable, but it all went swell.

We first went out to Utah Lake State Park where I had Brittany go to several of my favorite spots. First the dock.

Then the mouth of the Provo River.

A change of clothes and back to the docks.

We then made our way to my work where we did some shots by the brick walls in my parking lot.

So you can be the judge, but Brittany and I were both pretty pleased with how some of the photos turned out. Did you ever think about how hard it is to pose people for pictures? I learned a lot from the couple hour photo shoot. After, Brittany took me to Station 22 on Center for lunch. We think we found the best new sandwich place in Provo.

Brittany and I are both in the same major and have endured and enjoyed the same classes and projects for several semesters. Huge research papers, loads of presentations, lots of lectures, and loads of ipod boggle games. And now we're graduating. We're walking away from BYU with our Marriott School of Management degrees in our hands and eyes wide at the openness of the future. Here's to everything we'll each discover.

Thank You Princess Diaries and my Rec Center

2011-03-08T23:35:00.007-07:00

The other day I was at my friends Janessa and Cory's house when I saw their awesome canvas covered in splattered balloon paint. It reminded me instantly of Princess Diaries when they throw darts at the balloons filled with paint while wearing these garbage bag ponchos. So I borrowed this nasty old, printed oceanscape on a warped sort of canvas board. I painted over it with seven or eight coats of white paint.

Then Layne and I filled balloons with paint matching the colors of the balloons. This step of filling the balloons is trickier than it may seem. I ended up with blue paint on my lips and teeth. We then stapled the balloons to the painting.

I was actually super worried we'd pop one of the balloons and the paint would get everywhere. Somehow we avoided that catastrophe and attached all the balloons without any mishaps (besides the small orange paint spill that made a cat barf stain). I tested the darts earlier to discover plastic tipped darts don't pop balloons very well. As a result, we attached sewing needles to dart tips to make our aim lethal and effective.

Behind the Rec Center I work at there's this old warehouse and a big gravel driveway, the perfect location for some balloon splatter paint. It felt like we had handfuls of hypodermic needles to throw at balloons in a back alley, but it looked really sweet.

After a few throws, we popped the balloons. Some splattered a little better than others. The balloons and paint that didn't work as well we smeared on our hands and then flicked the paint over the white canvas. We used our shirts to clean our hands off- actually we both used my shirt. I wiped enough paint on it that it soaked through to my other shirt.

If you look really closely you can see the darts stuck in the board in the pink and red. We would recommend adding water to your paint and not doing it in the cold. Even if the paint doesn't splatter well it was still awesome and something we've both wanted to do for a long time. Definitely a success.

Mia: You look like an asparagus.

Caroline: But a very cute asparagus.

Mia: That's okay, I'll just wear my blue suit.

Sunday Afternoon

2011-03-06T13:06:00.002-07:00

My roommate and his friend are in my bedroom. They are screaming, "CHINA CHINA CHINA ASIA CHINA CHINA!"

I'm in the living room. They are speaking Chinese languages. This happens a lot.

On Being Hysterical

2011-03-01T22:18:00.003-07:00

Hysterical is a word of dualities, if I understand it correctly. On one side she means complete mayhem and eye-stinging panic, but on the other side he means absolute comedy and pain-in-the-side laughter. That's why I like it. Hysterical.

For example, when I say, "When she spilled the whole bag of bologna all over the kitchen floor and then he walked in and slipped on it, suddenly both were hysterical." Do I mean the man and woman are both panicking or laughing uncontrollably? Neither. I mean the woman was laughing nonstop and the bologna was in a chaotic panic. Hysterical.

Things that cause hysteria (the side splitting, knee slapping kind):

1. Funny Words (creent, tranny, gullet, winker wonker, snart)

2. Melissa quoting my parents

3. This rubber rat from work named Scabbers

4. The games Telephone Pictionary and Things

5. Movies that are supposed to be serious and life changing (but aren't)

6. Natalie's Tweets

7. My own jokes

8. The internet

9. Penelope from SNL

10. People Watching (or remembering SUPER awkward people from my past and pretending they all have to meet each other)

11. Playing Just Dance

12. Would You Rather

13. Jokes about Kittens

14. Telling outrageous lies

15. Watching Wipeout

Well I could have thought of more like Baby Mama and Rachel's Dog Show internship, but I need to go watch the last episode of Wipeout. So this list will have to suffice.

Oh yeah. I'm 24 now. My birthday was called The Land of Surprises: The Story of Getting Everything I Want. I'll tell about it soon; I just need to get a couple pictures from Brinney. Thanks for coming.

Sunday Moments

2011-02-27T17:43:00.005-07:00

Ever since taking my photography class, Utah Lake State Park has been one of my favorite places in Provo. It's right at the mouth of the Provo River joining into Utah Lake. The mouth of the Provo River was home to my kayaking class and Utah Lake was my sailing classroom, so I've grown to really love it.

favorite view at the park- looking back at the mountains. this is where we had our kayaking classses

this spanish family came up chattering away and squawking at the ducks. I said to Garrett, What's the only sound more annoying than a bunch of ducks? He got the answer right.

Garrett reading by the river. Oh Sunday, bring me spring.

Elder Holland, Little People, and Hot Chocolate

2011-02-27T14:49:00.004-07:00

So there was this show on TLC about a chocolate shop run by little people in Salt Lake. I had searched for it with my friends with Leah and Amy in December but we concluded it was just a rumor. When I was searching Salt Lake with Layne for a tea room yesterday, I asked her if she had heard of the midget hot chocolate (pardon, my rude language). She had been there multiple times! So after finding and quickly leaving the tea room and a few other stops, we headed for Hatch Family Chocolate Shop.

We walked in and I was so excited to see the little people peeking over the counter; I thought Layne was freaking out for the same reason. Then I noticed Elder Holland was there and quickly and discreetly pointed him out to her. She laughed at me and said that's why she was freaking out. So we just stared in disbelief as he and his family left- then they returned to buy more chocolate and he patted Layne on the cheek. He asked her if she was finding everything she wanted to which she responded, "Yeahhhhh......Uhhh.....Yeahhhh....." On his way out he grabbed my arm and told me he hoped we were having a great time.

Then a bunch of lumberjacks and another little person came in. I wanted to figure out how to respectfully ask to get a picture with the shop owners. Layne and I concluded- THERE IS NO WAY. Even if I found a way to ask for a picture without being totally inappropriate, would I stand or squat? I don't know. I'm totally incapable of political correctness. We did overhear the store owner telling some customers that anyone can join the Little Person Association. Great news! So I may be at the convention at the end of April. Care to join me?

On Unsurety

2011-02-23T10:52:00.002-07:00

I'm not sure what to say here.

Or what to do next.

I'm the President of this Weekend

2011-02-21T20:41:00.008-07:00

In celebration of our dear forefathers, Lincoln and Washington, Garrett and I became Lewis and Clark and explored southern Utah this past weekend. (Disclaimer: Lewis and Clark are probably a lot better at finding things than we are).

We had plans with Jane to go to Huntington Beach, but things didn't work out; so we last minute threw together a plan to go climbing in St. George. Literally, last minute. We decided I think by 3:00pm and left by 5:15pm. We drove down to a little national park outside of St. George called Snow Canyon. We broke in my new rope and quick draws on some sweet lead climbs. Unfortunately, we had nobody to take pictures of us climbing. These well posed and timed photos will have to do.

The minutely helpful lady at the ranger station told us about a rappel that was super easy to get to. Wrong. We got lost looking for it. And then found where it should be, and Garrett scampered to the top of this cliff to find the chains. Unfortunately we were running out of light by then.

After the hugest full moon in the world, the night succumbed to a big storm. We headed into town the next morning to make a plan. Let's go to Moab I said. Yes said Garrett. So we drove the four hours (which became more like 5 or so with the snow storm) to Arches National Park just north of Moab. We climbed to Delicate Arch during a rain storm and soaked ourselves completely.

Did you know wet wool gloves smell exactly like a barn?

We then settled in for the ridiculously windy night. In the middle of the night, I woke up in a panic because some of the tent stakes had ripped out of the ground and blown the tent hard enough to roll me into Garrett twice. We survived the night somehow and woke to a beautiful Sunday.

After a pretty interesting few hours of church in Moab, we went on a few light hikes. Light enough for me to go in my socks as my sneakers dried from the day before. Happy Sabbath.

Park Avenue Hike/Sock Walk

Best picture from the entire trip:

Light Sunday free climb. I love that the rock is this red. I checked my camera to turn off the increased saturation because the color seemed so unreal, but this my friends, is all natural.

On the way back to camp for a Sunday nap, we passed balance rock. This single picture represents all the failed attempts we made to take cool pictures "hanging" from arches or"propping" them up. Imagine how good the others were if this is the best we have to offer...

My favorite arch of all is Double Arch where two arches together make this sort of amphitheater or open skylight room. It's just awesome, and in the picture below we're sitting under one arch and the camera is pointing out the other. Also, you can't tell but it was snowing over the parking lot then.

Delicate Arch, take 2. No storm. One of the 7 Wonders of the Natural World, baby.

For perspective, look at the tiny little Garrett standing in the bottom left of the arch.

Monday morning we got up to do a couple hikes and climbs before heading home. This arch is called Partition Arch. We climbed right through the middle of it.

We had heard about this arch a few miles outside of the national park that people rappel off. We checked it out and even spied the chains, but decided it exceeded the 105' rappel my rope is capable of. We vowed to one another we'd be back to climb it as soon as we get our hands on a longer rope.

Hoodoo. Menchie's. And goodnight.

On Choices

2011-02-07T18:23:00.003-07:00

What's harder than not getting what you want? Getting what you want and choosing not to have it.

My favorite definition of choice is "the opportunity to choose." About a year ago I began exploring some opportunities and wondering what my future would hold. Dreaming of where I could go and what I could do sometimes felt limitless and often felt overwhelming. Now many of the paths I stared at are becoming clearer and more appealing, but when I stare down the path trimmed with roses and shaded by palm trees, I get this pit in my stomach screaming from inside me I won't be happy on that path. But I've wanted that path for so long! I've worked harder than all my classmates and most of my friends to be ready for this path. I've done all the right things. I've made all the right choices.

Fortunately, because of many of my good choices getting me to this point, I now have the opportunity to choose to respectfully decline. To bow out gracefully, while fighting back the tension of frustration and the pangs of jealousy. I again have the chance to smile a sigh of patience. I resorted to asking the question, "What next?" less and less.

Instead, I'll ask, "What now?" What can I do right now to choose to be totally happy? I've spent my entire life planning for a successful, amazing future, but it seems I failed to grasp that I would be expected to mold that future into the present.

Fresh Choice. My grandparents always took us to this restaurant called Fresh Choice when we were kids. I think it meant the food was fresh, but I like the idea of the choice being fresh. Every choice we make should be fresh and exciting. Sure we've chosen Honey Nut Cheerios over nasty Raisin Bran over one hundred times, but it's still the first time you made that choice today. Embrace the moment for each choice (even when the moment stings with irony or makes your heart feel raw with emotion). Keep it exciting. Keep it real. Keep it fresh.

Oh also. In the last week, I've been snowboarding three times and skiing once. Not a bad set of choices if I say so myself.

On Waiting

2011-02-02T10:55:00.005-07:00

Patience means active waiting and enduring. It means staying with something and doing all that we can-working, hoping, and exercising faith; bearing hardship with fortitude, even when the desires of our hearts are delayed.

Every one of us is called to wait in our own way. We wait for answers to prayers. We wait for things which at the time may appear so right and so good to us that we can't possibly imagine why Heavenly Father would delay the answer.

In short, knowledge and understanding come at the price of patience.

Often the deep valleys of our present will be understood only by looking back on them from the mountains of our future experience. Often we cannot see the Lord's hand in our lives until long after trials have passed. Often the most difficult times in our lives are the essential building blocks of our character and pave the way to future opportunity, understanding, and happiness.

Patience is accepting that which cannot be changed and facing it with courage, grace, and faith.

Patience means to abide in faith, knowing that sometimes it is in waiting rather than in receiving that we grow the most.

If we wait patiently for the Lord...He will bring us out of the horrible pit and set our feet upon a solid rock. He will put a new song in our mouths, and we will praise our God. Many around us will see it, and they will trust in the Lord.

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Continue in Patience, May 2010

On Wishing

2011-01-29T00:32:00.004-07:00

Sometimes we get what we wish for. Sometimes we don't.

Almost a year ago, I started talk of going to Africa to do research in Uganda about recreation and children in boarding schools. I was excited to be the first student on board to learn about this opportunity. I've been planning my upcoming summer all around going to Uganda in July. I applied for the research position last week. I was one of 6 applicants selected for interviews. I just got an email telling me I wasn't selected. And with one brief, emotionless email, Africa is gone from my near future.

Need I mention my friend and I also just called off a trip we had just planned to go to Europe this summer?

On the upside, I recently made a lot of wishes. Some of my wishes have come true in less than a week. It stayed warm, but snowed too. My friend got an unexpected scholarship (of sorts). I went down a black diamond snowboarding. I should have made a list of mall my wishes so I can be sure all of them come to me. I do remember I also wished for a million dollars. I hope that one's next. Then Africa and Europe will be back in my near future.

Sometimes we get what we wish for. Sometimes we don't.

Go-Go Griffindor

2011-01-23T00:01:00.003-07:00

We are the Gryffindor Lions. We rocked. I played goalie the whole game and had an awesome dive. I love intramurals.

Also. I had an amazing wish date tonight. We set off balloons into the stars filled with wishes we'd written down, threw pennies into a frozen fountain, and wished on chocolate strawberries (my specialty). When all my wishes come true I'll be so rich and have traveled the whole world.

Christmas gave me this

2011-01-22T11:40:00.004-07:00

I love getting things for Christmas that lead to amazing adventures and memories. That's why I said no clothes this year. I haven't had many adventures tied to clothing (except my footy pajamas and my Harry Potter cloaks).

Here are some recent events:

Snowshoeing with Jane, Maegan, and Garrett. We went up to Lamb's Canyon where Jane's grandparents have a cabin. We got stuck on an icey hill and a guy towed my civic to the end of the road where we trekked for a few hours. We never found the cabin but we enjoyed delicious cold hot dogs, frozen marshmallows, starbursts, and birthday martinellis.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Tuba Ruba. Thank you mom for being the most dedicated and persistent gift giver known in this world. I had long ago given up on finding this amazing body contorting game. I've brought it to several parties and get togethers, and it's always a success. This photo barely captures the stunts Garrett and I went through to get not one, not two, but three marbles through this maze of tubes.

PS. I've finished all my grad school applications.

Message Delivered

2011-01-09T16:51:00.007-07:00

I started reading Mutant Message Downunder months ago when Merrit gave it to me as a parting gift before my study abroad. I got about a third of the way through before departing for Australia. When I returned, she told me she knew I wouldn't finish it. Her comment was the spark that sent me back into reading. I'm pleased to say, I finished reading the tales of the white woman (the mutant) living among aborigines for a season.

I am not sure I believe her story but I appreciate the values taught as she chronicled her unplanned and unexpected walkabout across the open outback. How appealing it sounds to shed technology, contracts, bills, and other "conveniences" to wander Australia with my closest family and friends. If only we were braver.

As I read, I thought of the time I spent camping on the north edge of the outback. I recalled the intense heat, vast spaces with no water, and hidden threat of crocodiles. I laughed as I remembered how terrified many of our group were of deadly snakes, lethal spiders, and slimy frogs. These pictures are my own, captured my first day venturing into the outback loaded into a pack filled cargo van with Amy Winehouse blasting on the radio.

They tried to make me to go to rehab and I said, No. No. No.

Favorite Quotes:

The main lesson taken from the kangaroo, is that he does not step backward. It is not possible for him. He always goes forward, even when he goes in circles.

They believe the only way a person truly changes anything about himself, is by his own decision, and that everyone has the ability to change anything he wants to about his personality. There is no limit to what you can release and what you can acquire.

We can enrich our own lives, give to ourselves, and be as creative and happy as we will allow ourselves to be.

First, mutants can no longer live in the open environment. Most die never knowing what it feels like to have stood naked in the rain.

According to the tribe, a gift is only a gift when you give someone what the person wants. It is not a gift if you give what you want them to have.

Check

2011-01-06T22:30:00.002-07:00

Check snowboarding off the list. I'm learning it. I'm taking a class this semester. When I got to class my friend Mandie convinced me that we needed to be on the mountain that day. So even though the instruction doesn't start until next week, we hit the slopes. We had nobody with us to teach us how. So we essentially fell down the mountain. Over and over. And over. My entire body hurts, but by the end of the night I was loving it. You can expect pictures soon. If we take any.

Buzzing

2011-01-01T22:59:00.003-07:00

I just finished The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. I started it just before Christmas and have squeezed in a chapter here and there between parties, feasts, traditions, and traveling. It was an interesting story that just like Lindy, I liked some parts and didn't like other parts. What I liked most of all was how it reminded me of my love for early civil rights fiction. Those were my favorite books in middle school.

What I didn't like- just as the story seemed to be the most heated and tumultuous everything quietly resolved itself. The lies disappeared, the anger subsided, and the crimes were forgiven. The whole book was trying to teach life lessons and then all the suffering disappeared like smoke. I found it cheapened the rest of the story, as I would in my own life. My triumphs and joys would be little to speak of if the trials puffed away like a thin mist of vapor. I still enjoyed the read and understood why Kidd wrote the ending as she did, nevertheless it was a bit of fairy tale ending. I suppose it can't hurt to believe in fairy tales sometimes.

Favorite Quotes:

I realized it for the first time in my life: there is nothing but mystery in the world, how it hides behind the fabric of our poor, browbeat days, shining brightly, and we don't even know it.

I have noticed that if you look carefully at people's eyes the first five seconds they look at you, the truth of their feelings will shine through for just an instant before it flickers away.

"Did you know there are thirty-two names for love in one of the Eskimo languages?" August said. "And we have just this one. We are so limited, you have to use the same word for loving Rosaleen as you do for loving Coke with peanuts. Isn't that a shame we don't have more ways to say it?"

I traded in a pack of lies for the truth, and I didn't know which one was heavier. Which one took the most strength to carry around? It was a ridiculous question, though because once you know the truth, you can't ever go back and pickup your suitcase of lies. Heavier or not, the truth is yours now.

People, in general, would rather die than forgive. It's that hard. If God said in plain language, "I'm giving you the choice, forgive or die," a lot of people would go ahead and order their coffin.

It is the peculiar nature of the world to go on spinning no matter what sort of heartbreak is happening.

Happy New Year to all and to all, a goodnight.

Laylands

2010-12-31T11:47:00.002-07:00

family. joy. love. forever.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T19:13:00.004-07:00

I might have posted this video last year or a variation of it, but that's what is incredible about Christmas- the timelessness and infinite nature to touch everyone. Billions of people are going to bed tonight just like any other night. Millions more are laying their heads down with mere dreams of sugar plum fairies and brightly wrapped presents. Their quiet eyes dazzle under the light of Christmas trees and hum of carols. So many still do not see the brightest light of Christmas and the whole, complete meaning of the first Noel. I beg you, I plead with you to take a moment and clear your mind of the giving, the carols, the treats, the Santas and the elves, the horrid eggnog, to think of the babe born to Mary in Bethlehem. I invite you to shed the deeps sigh of worry and stress to again or perhaps for the first time, receive your King.

Merry Christmas.

Oh and just to be clear, sugar plums are not all the Christmas Story has built them up to be. I've had real ones.

Voice

2010-12-24T11:28:00.005-07:00

I can't stop. Especially not at night when no one is bothering me or saying interesting things in the next room. Just occasional whimpers from the baby across the hall interrupt my scanning eyes at 3:30 in the morning. At 4:00, my eyelids give up to exhaustion and I'm asleep.

I wake to finish the last 60 pages of Speak. I wish to tell you nothing about this book except that you should read it.

Favorite quotes:

Heather says the school board won't let them perform Christmas carols or Hannukah songs or Kwanza tunes. Instead of multi-cultural, we have no-cultural.

He's like a grandfather who wants to fix up the two young kids that he just knows would make a great couple. Only the kids have nothing in common and they hate each other.

I bet kids in Arizona enjoy playing hooky more than kids trapped in Central New York. No slush. No yellow snow.

Nope. I don't do parties. No thanks. I trot out excuses: homework, strict parents, tuba practice, late-night dentist appointment, have to feed the warthogs. I don't have a good track record with parties.

I feel like any minute a guy in a lavender suit will burst into the room with a microphone and bellow, "Another alternate-reality moment brought to you by Adolescence!"

I like that this picture is backwards and blurry. That's how high school felt. That's how this book read. Everything about it captured so perfectly what it feels like to drown socially at age 14. In it I saw myself. I heard the things my little sister has been saying for 4 years. The author, Laurie Halse Anderson, gets 5 stars from me for voice and style.

So I guess this blog is just about reading books now. It's a mirror of my life.

Strange

2010-12-24T01:24:00.004-07:00

Well after finishing Three Cups of Tea, I powered through Lord of the Flies today. I've always heard it was a crazy book; it was. Much like Animal Farm, it was a giant commentary on society but instead of farm animals it was through the eyes of seemingly naive children. The actual Lord of the Flies sort of freaked me out a little. Or a lot. And I hope to never end up stranded on an island now. Ever. I will say I was misled for a long time into believing the boys ate each other in this book. Nope, they just ate fruit and pigs.

I couldn't help but imagine in great detail what it would be like to be on such an island having been to remote islands in Fiji. Thank goodness no wild British children ruled those islands.

Oh and more importantly: MERRY CHRISTMAS!

My First Cup of Tea

2010-12-23T17:42:00.011-07:00

I finished my next book, Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortensen and David Relin. I've heard the name of this book dropped by a lot of people trying to sound smart, educated, and cultured, so I figured I'd find out what the deal was. It took me three days to get through it, with the second half being much more enjoyable than the first. I wouldn't say I loved it, but I loved what I learned from it.

Since everyone who reads my blog is sophisticated and cultured, I'm sure you already know what the book is about- I won't bore you with those details. Let it suffice to say it was a window into the heart of Islamic life in central asia. Yes, I recommend the read, but especially I say push to the second half to enjoy and feel it more.

The thing I liked most was the man whom the story follows started his journey at the age of 28 and still took a few years to figure out what he was doing in his life; I'm not so bad off after all. I may yet change the world.

Favorite Quotes:
All this gives rise to the question. Isn't it better to live in ignorance of everything-asphalt and macadam, vehicles, telephones, television-to live in bliss without knowing?

After the ceremony, Kuardu's many widows lined up to offer Mortensen and McCown their condolences. They pressed eggs into the Americans' hands, begging them to carry these tokens of grief to the faraway sisters they longed to comfort themselves, the widows of the New York village.

I've learned that terrorism doesn't happen because some group of people somewhere like Pakistan or Afghanistan simply decide to hate us. It happens because children aren't being offered a bright enough future that they have a reason to choose life over death.

A final lesson I learned was about how quickly we forget. A small portion of the book tells of Mortensen's experience while abroad during the immediate aftermath of 9/11 and his return to the US. When he reaches the Denver aiprort within a few weeks of the attack, he had the following exchange with his wife:

"What's up, Tara? It looks like the Fourth of July here."
"Welcome to the new America, sweetie," she said.

What happened to this changed America? Have we already forgotten the sting of that day and the rally to unity that followed it? Sometimes, I think we have.

Insane

2010-12-20T01:37:00.003-07:00

Want to have your mind blown? Watch this movie. Watch the entire thing. You'll never listen to this song without thinking of it: L is for the way you look at me, O is for the only one I see, V is very very extraordinary, E is even more than anyone that you adore...

I stopped by Layne's just as she was starting the movie. We both thought we were watching a foreign romantic comedy. Wrong. Our jaws dropped again and again as Layne got increasingly stressed out by the plot twists and total insanity. We both swore we couldn't imagine watching it again. Yet the next day as I told Garrett and Lauren about it, I found myself showing them the craziness too. Then their jaws dropped and their heads exploded.

So thank you Alicia for showing this mind blowing film to Layne and I. May many others be as astounded and shocked as we were.

Quick Reads

2010-12-19T21:49:00.004-07:00

Well, I said I would start reading. I did it. I remember on my study abroad hearing my friend Lauren saying she picked up the book she was reading while waiting in an airport. I didn't know people actually do that. So when I went to fly home this week I picked up this book:

I devoured it and was done by the next morning. I filled it with little sticky notes of the quotes I love. Here are my favorites:

Had he known his death was imminent, he might have gone somewhere else. Instead, he did what we all do. He went about his dull routine as if all the days in the world were still to come.

It is because human spirit knows, deep down, that all lives intersect. That death doesn't just take someone, it misses someone else, and in the small distance between being taken and being missed, lives are changed.

"Strangers," the Blue Man said, "are just family you have yet to come to know."

The way I see it, that's what we're getting here, soldier. That's what heaven is. You get to make sense of your yesterdays.

Sometimes when you sacrifice something precious, you're not really losing it. You're just passing it onto someone else.

Love, like rain, can nourish from above, drenching couples with soaking joy. But sometimes, under the angry heat of life, love dries on the surface and must nourish from below, tending to its roots, keeping itself alive.

On earth, Marguerite said, when you fell asleep, you sometimes dreamed your heaven and those dreams helped form it. But there was no reason for such dreams now.

Lost love is still love, Eddie. It takes a different form, that's all. You can't see their smile or bring them food or tousle their hair or move them around a dance floor. But when those sense weaken, another heightens. Memory. Memory becomes your partner. You nurture it. You hold it. You dance with it.

What I love about Mr. Albom, the author, is that he writes like me, except better. He has better descriptions and words, but it just flows out of his wonderful mind and into mine. I love that. I also love that so many of these quotes express some of my personal philosophies and feelings. I was left wondering who would the five people be I would meet in Albom's idea of heaven?

Then today I read this book:

I never knew what it was about until I started it. What a strange-put, poignant satire. It's like a grown up's Charlotte's Web. I can't believe it was written just as communism was rising. Oh Orwell, you literary genius.

My New Thing

2010-12-13T11:30:00.003-07:00

My new thing is reading. Why? For the first time in my life I don't have to weigh the cost of reading for pleasure against reading my text books or writing a paper. So I've started to compile a list of books I want to read. I'm back to reading adventures as I was long ago..

Please give me suggestions.

What I'd Rather Be Doing

2010-12-10T16:26:00.003-07:00

These are some photos of things I've done this semester that I'd rather be doing right now than studying for finals. I'm actually not studying for finals because I'm blogging. So sue me.

Maybe you've heard of the three highest peaks in Utah: Timp, Nebo, King's. Maybe you've heard of the two hikers daring enough to set a goal to climb all three in one summer?? Well you probably haven't heard of them because they didn't climb any during that summer. Instead Eric and Erin were joined by Garrett when they tried to climb Mount Nebo. They got stuck on this gravelly cliff, lost the trail in the dark and camped on a beautiful bluff. No, they never made it to the peak. Yes, Erin woke in the night thinking we were trying to scare her when we were both in our sleeping bags. Yes, we ate frozen hot dogs and cold oatmeal. Yes, I'd do it again.

Maybe you've heard of this girl Merrit? She's on a mission now, but before she left we all gathered to say goodbye and eat wonderful food. This is perhaps the only picture of the two of us I have.

All the Merrit friends. Maybe she'll be home soon. Or in like a year in half. Same difference. Neener.

I'm very into camping now. Like this time when I camped outside the movie theater for Harry Potter 7 at 4:30pm when the movie started at 12:07am. Yeah. We were second in line. Petrifocus Totalus. Chinnus Maximus. Reducto. You may have seen my post about buying 25 tickets six weeks in advance.

Maybe you've heard of Hobble Creek? Well I camped there with my dad and brothers a few years ago. I've tried to go back several times but finally found it this semester. Garrett and I went up and hiked around just exploring and hoping to find a cougar. Can you see the one we found in this picture?

So I'd rather be lost on a mountain, eating frozen hot dogs, waiting in a tent outside a movie theater, or eating after church tacos than studying for financial management. Who can blame me? After all, this is my last semester of finals and classes and undergraduate requirements. Sianara youth and immaturity, I'm on to bigger and better things.

Oh yeah. There's no cougar in that picture.

Whate'er

2010-12-07T23:41:00.001-07:00

Finals. What? I don't care.

2010-12-01T13:40:00.003-07:00

Sometimes I forget I lived through these North Dakota winters. Then after remembering, I realize 8 degrees and two feet of snow seems so easy here. Provo has nothing on North Dakota. My nostrils and eyelashes haven't frozen within seconds of walking outside, so it can't possibly be winter yet.

Sometimes I think I'd trade all my 72 degree spring days for just one more day of the -42 degree, wind burnt, face stinging, bone chilling, 7 layer clothing memories of yesterday.

My favorite things

2010-11-28T21:36:00.007-07:00

Press play on this while you read this post. It's another favorite of mine. Ignore the plead for soap purchases at the end of the video.

I just walked around my room and picked up some of my favorite things and present to you the results.
Exhibit A: My puppets. All hand crafted by yours truly. They all live under my bed these days and come out at request or for special occasions. Here the witch from Hansel and Gretel silences me.

Exhibit 2: CHAPSTICK. Anyone who spends time with me will learn soon enough this is the primary addiction in my life. If I were stranded on a desert island and could bring one thing, what would it be? A true friend. They would know to bring chapstick for me. Also I would bring clothes.

Exhibit C: These moon boots. Found them on the internet. Never ever have I seen another person wearing these same shoes. All mine.

Exhibit 4: I made this journal. Natalie taught me how to do this, and I can't stop. Sometimes I think I'll start a little business where I make journals out of old books and sell them. Thoughts?

Exhibits 5 and F: Roller skates. Best find at any thrift store. Fit like a glove. I've been known to get pulled over by campus police for skating on/near campus. Polypros (New Zealand Thermals). So many South pacific memories embodied in those blazing babies.

Exhibit 7: My footie pajamas. I tried really hard to take a picture where these pajamas looked so cool. Why? Because they are. The picture below shows an example of when I failed. Also an example of raptor claws.
A thing I don't like:

How this always happens in my kitchen.

Risk to Risk

2010-11-15T21:19:00.008-07:00

I let this quote chain start in my financial text book until it led back to itself. I dedicate this post to my friend Mandie and the risks we dream of taking. Enjoy.

"Risk is not the notion or probability of something bad happening. Rather, risk refers to uncertainty and is usually described in a two-tailed framework. That is, there is a downside risk (the chance of something bad happening) as well as upside risk (the chance of something good happening)."

Brau & Holmes

"Uncertainty and mystery are the energies of life. Don't let them scare you unduly, for they keep boredom at bay and spark creativity."

R.I. Fitzhenry

"Whatever is bringing you down-get rid of it. Because you'll find that when you're free, your true creativity, your true self comes out."

Tina Turner

"It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere."

Agnes Repplier

"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have."

Frederick Keonig

"When suffering comes, we wait for a sign from God, forgetting we have just had one."

Mignon McLaughlin

"People have to really suffer before they can risk doing what they love."

Chuck Palahniuk

Happy

2010-11-14T00:50:00.004-07:00

Lots of things make me happy. I do love discovering more things make me happy than make me sad. The Greg Laswell concert sure made me happy. Rock climbing yesterday made me happy. Getting a B on that finance test made me happy. Tortellini for dinner made me happy. Finding out I have two friends in my snowboarding class makes me happy.

And this makes me so happy.

So very happy.

Dear Gratitude

2010-11-10T10:30:00.008-07:00

My amazing friend Layne recently shared a letter she'd written about gratitude. I don't know fully the purpose of the letter other than it was for a project her sister is preparing for Thanksgiving. It really made me feel her gratitude. She inspired me, and I share this with you.

You ask, "Why be grateful?" Why in this world when people die of starvation, face abuse, commit crime for a living, and suffer natural calamity would I be lifting my heart to give thanks? Perhaps you look at me and see the apparent golden life I've lived. True, many things seem to have gone my way; I cannot fault you for thinking I have it easy. Yet these are not the things bringing me to my knees in tears of gratitude.

It's the bigger things. It's the friend who comforts me when I'm lost in a world of inner turmoil. It's the sister who advises me to buck up and move forward when life has come crashing down. It's getting the job I've dreamed of having and worked my entire life to be ready for. It's the car that despite set backs continues to work day after day. It's the warm bed I go home to at night. It's the life experiences that fulfill dreams and check goals off my bucket list. It's the unexpected friendship saving me from accepting loneliness. It's the hand of God in my life.

And it's the smaller things. It's the fluffy snow falling like snow in a snow globe on a sunny day. It's the yellow, red, brown, pink, and orange leaves covering the frosty mountains. It's the extra two seconds of green arrow helping me make it to work on time. It's opening the scriptures to the exact verse I needed to read. It's the text from a friend telling me something reminded her of me. It's the one time my car heater kicks into gear in less than ten minutes. It's the laughter of nieces. It's the friend who remembers my birthday a day early. It's the hilarious youtube video still making me laugh after a dozen views. It's the hand of God in my life.

I first typed, "we each walk quiet paths of sorrow," but I deleted it because I don't think that's true. We each travel on paths of joy. Perhaps we travel in different styles and manners, jumping, skipping, running, trudging, stomping, spinning, dancing, or dragging our feet, but indeed our paths are those of joy roughened by pot holes of sorrow and tragedy, only to be smoothed by gratitude and patience.

With gratitude I walk home alone at night and stare into the starry sky. I take in a deep breath and feel the beauty and joy of being part of living. I breathe deeply the excitement of life and exhale experience.

As I so often say, Thanks for coming.

Easy First

2010-11-09T18:49:00.003-07:00

My brilliant friend once passed on the wisdom her grandmother gave her. She said, "Do the easiest thing first, then you'll always be doing the easiest thing."

So I'm writing a paper on a movie I watched. Well, I'm blogging first. And listening to The Weepies.

Should be Studyng

2010-11-08T19:21:00.003-07:00

I'm just sitting here. Trying to be a good student. Having trouble following the counsel to choose the best of "good, better, best." I'm investigating grants available to post graduate students. Listening to great music. But most importantly of all, exploring the courses open to me in my final semester of my undergraduate career.

I've decided to delay graduation to April even though I'll conclude my required courses in a month. So I'm going to take a semester intended entirely for personal enrichment. I signed up for every fun class left to take at BYU. Fun, according to me that is. I told a friend yesterday, "I'd rather die than take family history." I also told her I would sign up for Asian studies just to find out if an Asian teaches the class. So my definition of fun may vary from yours. After all my definition led me to puppetry, photography, rock climbing, sign language, guitar, social dance, and gymnastics. I question your definition if it varies from mine. I'm intolerant of other types of fun, sorry. My degree is recreation- I'm entitled to be snob about this.

So here's what I signed up for next semester: tap dance, badminton, weight lifting, soccer, snowboarding, Spanish (101 & 102 accelerated. I currently know 0%), advanced first aid, canyoneering, and LDS marriage and family. I rock. So sue me.

If a class in indie music was available I'd take that. And if I could just find an opening in bookbinding, I'd take that too. Otherwise, I've taken every awesome class this university has to offer. I love learning everything.

Thanks for coming. Congratulations to meet you. I've fought the win and won the fight. And at last, the pleasure is all mine.

Tomorrow

2010-11-07T23:51:00.004-07:00

Sometimes the future overwhelms me.

Sometimes the future excites me.

Sometimes the future terrifies me.

Sometimes the future motivates me.

Sometimes the future restricts me.

Sometimes the future meets me halfway and I call it now.

More On Halloween

2010-11-02T13:56:00.004-07:00

Here's a picture of all the volunteer from the Warehouse and then a few from the other areas too. Amazing? Yes.

The event was blogged about by the Provo Mayor here.

Haunted Warehouse

2010-11-01T19:51:00.002-07:00

Here are a few shots from inside my Haunted Warehouse. Sixty six awesome volunteers made the whole thing possible and now, several dozen crying kids later, I have completed my senior capstone project.

The zombies in the living dead graveyard. These zombies mastered the walk of a zombie perfectly. Creeped me out. Also, check out the make-up.

My boss's husband was just snapping pictures as the evening went on. I love this picture because it caught Layne and her roommate rushing through the Butcher-Locker room.

The Insane Asylum. Crazy patients ruled the hospital as the nurses lay dead.

It all turned out perfectly. There was little I would change. We had exceeded 1,250 volunteer hours and had 163 volunteers help prepare or run the event. Thank you volunteers for making this possible. My mind is already spinning with ideas for next year.

Bring Your Patronus

2010-10-20T21:45:00.005-07:00

It started in 7th grade during SSR (Silent Sustained Reading). I was in one of my moods where I really wanted to be nice to everyone. So I turned to the kid that nobody talked to. You know, the kid that people would raise their hand to tell the teacher when he farted. I asked him what he was reading: "It's this book about a boy who doesn't know he's a wizard but this giant tells him he is. So he goes to this magic school and this old wizard teaches him magic so he can defeat the dark wizard." I decided then that Harry Potter wasn't for me.

Then the next Christmas my mom bought the first 3 Harry Potter books for my brother who didn't really enjoy reading. But he started reading them. Every night. So I started to get curious. And I would sneak in after he fell asleep and read them too. I was too eager. So I would steal the book from him before he fell asleep and started reading. By the summer following 8th grade, we were hooked and anxiously awaiting the 4th book to be released. We begged mom to order it ahead of time. She said no. We begged her to let us get it at midnight. She said no. So we sulked and went to bed.

The next morning I walked into the kitchen to see a crisp, hard bound copy of Harry Potter and the Triwizard Tournament sitting upright on the end of the counter. I yelped a little and asked mom if it was for us to read. She suggested I let Brandon read it first, but I promised I'd read it as fast as I could if I could go first. I locked myself in my bedroom and devoured the 734 pages. I just couldn't stop. My heart pounded when Harry heard his name called, I grew irritated when Ron got mad at Harry yet again, my stomach dropped when Cedric died, and I smirked happily when Hermione trapped Rita Skeet in the jar. There was no turning back, I was a Harry Potter fan through and through.

Into high school I made solid friendships based on our liking for Harry Potter (Jess, Cody, Megan J., Katie, Megan O., and others). I went to the midnight release of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix with Jess Mastrilli. Even as 15 year olds we were the oldest ones dressed up and without our own children. Jess got sorted as a Hufflepuff. Jared read that book under the bed at EFY so he didn't get caught for staying up late. A few years later, I gathered a dozen other friends to make cloaks, wands, and butter beer for the release of the 6th book. We were among probably 30 high school age students and 100 others waiting for the sale of the book at midnight. I was the very first person in the store to get my copy. I held it up and yelled, "I GOT IT!" Everyone cheered and pushed toward the registers. I began reading immediately as my friends waited to buy their copies.
At every release/premier I always shout constantly, "Packed with muggles as usual."

Harry Potter 3 is the only movie I've seen in theaters more than once (saw it 3 times). I went to the midnight release of the 4th movie freshman year. The 5th movie and 7th book came out on my mission. Sister Wendell and I looked longingly at the books every time we went to Walmart. After my mission, the first normal thing I did was read Harry Potter 7. I wanted to make it last, so I read it in 5 days. I made Nate, Jared, and Melissa go with me to the midnight release of the 6th movie. Where I had a fight with this girl who cut us in line and then called me a jerk. I put that muggle in her place.

So now it's time. Time to pull the cloaks back out. Time to polish the wands. Time to swish and flick. Wingardium Leviosa. Packed with Muggles as usual. You have dirt on your nose, just there, did you know? It's like trying to catch smoke with your bare hands. You knew? He who must not be named. Before either one of you comes up with another idea to get us killed, or worse- expelled. What's your patronus?

It's time. So I bought these:

Come with me!

Heard and Learned

2010-10-18T22:51:00.007-07:00

I discovered this song this weekend while at home. I drove over to Hayden's house but turned out nobody was home. So I just sat in the car and listened to this song on repeat. Melissa had only one CD in the car and this was the first track. It spoke to a lot of what I've felt and learned this year.

Please Speak Well of Me- The Weepies

I've been away a year and a day
You recognize love after the fact
You did what you did and that was that.

Don't say words that you don't mean
When I'm gone, please speak well of me

Looking back now
I only wish I had been kinder
Did I ever know love, did I ever know love?
And could I have been blinder?

Don't hold back all your love for someday, for someday

I would say that I'm sorry if it would do any good
But to never regret means you have to forget
And I don't think that I could.

Confession

2010-10-11T18:43:00.003-07:00

My capstone project for my senior internship is this amazing Haunted Warehouse.

Confession: Sometimes I choose to answer boring emails instead of working on it because I'm afraid to be in the warehouse by myself. I don't know what's lurking in the hallways I've created.

Photo Contest

2010-10-10T22:34:00.004-07:00

The Kennedy Center for International Studies at BYU has a photo competition at the beginning of each year for the prior year's study abroad participants. I finally selected my entries today. Below are my three submissions.

Category: Architecture

Location: Sydney, Australia

Date Taken: August 2, 2010

Title: 11:00am Harbor Ferry

Category: Portraits

Location: Ono Island, Fiji

Date Taken: August 15, 2010

Title: Summit at Sunset

Category: Portraits

Location: Nacamoto Village, Fiji

Date Taken: August 18, 2010

Title: Taste

I'm trying to figure out what this little girl's name was because that's what I want the photo title to be, but I can't remember it at this point. We find out in a couple weeks who won. I really want our program to receive some recognition for it's worth and beauty, so hopefully somebody who went to South Pacific gets selected.

Perhaps

2010-10-04T18:14:00.003-07:00

Perhaps you have your dreams all worked out. You may know exactly what's going to happen and even when. Then someone comes into your story you didn't expect. Then just as you get used to the idea of them being in it, they leave. So suddenly. What does this mean for your dream? Does it morph back to where it was before? It cannot; dreams only know forward and never back. So it reshapes and changes before your eyes. It may be painful and agonizing to watch alone as your dream molds and moves to adjust to the changes caused by another. You sit restlessly until the new dream comes into focus. But it never focuses all the way. Why? Why does it seem less clear than it was before? Your eyes have learned. Your eyes have learned not to focus entirely on the future.

Who will be the next to enter your dreams and rewrite your future? Perhaps it will be me.

Numbers

2010-10-01T14:02:00.002-07:00

25.
50.
160 and counting.

That's what I've done in the 15 months I've been a recreation leader. Doubled then more than tripled the number of volunteers we've been able to market to and recruit for our Halloween Carnival. Oh one more number:

70.

The number of volunteers I've had to turn away because we reached a level we'd never achieved before and worried about having too many hands and not enough tasks. I must be doing something right.

Two Photos

2010-09-19T22:11:00.004-07:00

I've had a lot of trouble trying to upload my pictures from my study abroad. I haven't even looked at a lot of them since I took them. This just won't do. But today Courtney posted her pictures and I really loved a couple. So I'm stealing them. Here's Fiji in two photos:

Garrett, Holly, and I were exploring the beaches on the uninhabited island we stayed on. Gorgeous water. Gorgeous islands. Gorgeous people. The tide came in while we were exploring so we waded back through the warm water. I miss exploring the beaches every morning.

When we stayed in the Nacomoto village we went on a hike in search of an old abandoned village site. The local children followed us across the thorny path. Here we're headed back into the village. I carried one kid on the front and one on the back for as long as my body could stand. Garrett did the same. Eventually I had to set the second kid down when we made it out of the thorny bushes. Here we're walking back into the village as the sun sets.

Bula Fiji. Bula.

Proof

2010-09-09T15:55:00.004-07:00

I did this today:

I applied to graduate from college. Three months away. How did I get to this place? It feels like I was just racing through those math time tables in Mrs. Stafford's 2nd grade classroom. Or bawling my eyes out when I thought life was ending in the 6th grade because we were moving. Or proudly lifting Valerlie onto my shoulder during a rehearsal of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in high school. Or exploring BYU campus when Layne lost her keys. Or soaking up the major I'd been looking for with Lauren and Jaicy in Family Recreation just after my mission.

How did these years add up to me graduating from college?

I'm really doing it. The picture proves it.

This one time we went to Darwin (DAWIN!)

2010-08-27T17:54:00.003-07:00

We'll start this post with a little bit of down under education. Australians tend to drop their R's. So Cairns, where we visited first is said, "cans" and Melbourne is said, "Mel-bin". It's the same with Darwin, except so much more fun to say. Dawin. Dawin. Dawin. For your convenience I've posted a map showing Australia. On the map you should note Cairns on the northern east coast, Darwin on the upper peninsula (and Katherine south of it). and Sydney on the southern east coast. Those are the three main areas we visited in Australia.

We landed in Darwin and stayed the night there. We were immediately given van driver assignments. I got the cargo van. It didn't end up being as horrible as I expected, but gosh some people had rank packs. Really. So gross. The first leg of the journey was me and Lauren in our cargo van, fondly and ironically named Thrifty.

As we drove from Darwin to Kakadu National Park (shown on the map above) we saw lots of empty space. The clouds looked like Toy Story walls and the endless eucalyptus trees got monotonous quickly. There were termite mounds scattered through the forests but I guess since they are natural species there, it's not a big deal at all. And best of all, Brian would flip our four vehicle caravan around whenever he thought he saw a croc.

Before arriving here at Kakadu Lodge and Caravan Park in Jabiru, my van broke down. Thrifty didn't make it from our pit stop just outside of Jabiru. We tried to push start the beast, but had no luck. I think none of us will forget that infamous moment as we rushed the van around the parking lot and Brian yelled, "POP THE CLUTCH! POP THE CLUTCH!" Oh vapor clogs. We left it at the rest stop and moved to camp crammed into the three other vans. Before we knew if we were going back to fetch the van, Katy and I found these lovely dying palm fronds. We sword fought with the intensity of the medieval club before the two of us along with Amy and Garrett joined Brian in the 12 passenger van to go back and get the gear. Thrifty was never revived. Instead the next morning we got a new Thrifty with license plate XXX-XXX. Scary.

One of the first places we went in Kakadu was Nourlangie Rock. There was really cool and pretty twisted rock art displaying weird tales of widowers and incest. I didn't fully understand the tales, but the art was pretty cool. It all looked similar to Moab but with more color and tons of eucalyptus trees. Behind Mandie and I is Nourlangie and we're looking out over a beautiful open forest of eucalyptus and amazing clouds.

For hours and hours we drove. Hours and hours. At least 3 a day. This is what I saw for those endless hours. What did I hear? Oh just Ke$ha, Amy Winehouse, Glee, and Katie Perry. Lauren and I know how to create a two person party, okay?

When we got to Katherine, the plan was to hike, swim, canoe and take full advantage of the river. Unfortunately, an estuarine crocodile had moved up the river during the wet season. Estuarine crocs are the huge ones. The giant fat ones that eat people. We had definitely already swam with some small freshwater crocs-harmless unless provoked. But nobody was allowed in the water here. So Amy, Garrett, and I did some regrouping and made decisions to go to Lichfield the next day instead of staying in Katherine. Before we left several of us went on a hike through Butterfly Gorge. One group went for sunrise but we waited a little while. While the sun was really hot, the butterflies were awake for our hike. We probably saw 300, maybe more. Then at the end of the gorge it opened here to Katherine River. We watched the fish and turtles swim below. Katy and Kris came along as well, but only Garrett, Amy, and I were here for this picture.

Once in Lichfield, we stayed at the Coolimina Holiday Park. Turns out that was an adventure. Holly, Leticia, and I were cleaning up dinner when the grounds keeper said, "I can't impress upon you how important it is for you to get to bed. Once the yellow bellied snakes come out, one could bite you and you'll die in quarter of an hour." We threw the dirty dishes into the car and ran to our tents. Everyone else was there as well. In bed at 7:00pm and up at about 7:00am. We spent 12 hours in our tents that night. Thank you Lisa for the sickest game of "Would You Rather?"

In the morning, our first stop was the magnetic termite mounds. Don't be fooled as we were. Magnetic means they point one direction, not they have magnets in them. Katy even brought a fork to see if it would stick. It didn't. Not even for a second.

So what does one do with a ripoff magnetic termite mound? Hold hands around it. Obviously I staged this photo. Thanks to Talia, Garrett, Courtney, and Lauren for complying with my ridiculous request.

What's so awesome about this picture? Leticia. She took it. Thank you. What else is awesome? M'Lisa sat on that lower stump after me. I had agitated the termites who came out and bit her. Oh M'Lisa, you have the worst luck.

What's this wild moment? Every second in the vans. I got promoted to minivan duty and Blake switched to the cargo van with Lisa and Mandie. The three of them never split again. I love that you can see everyone in this picture from Nicole back to Shannon and Holly. This describes half of our experience in Australia.

Did it. Swam in those beautiful falls, Florence Falls. Somehow you can't see anyone in this picture but there were like 60 people in the water. Katy and I swam out to those falls and tried to jump through them. Later Garrett and I went back too. These fish ate off the cuts and mosquito bites on our feet.

Darwin in three words: Hot. Sweaty. Ke$ha.

Some things are Different.

2010-08-26T19:06:00.002-07:00

Some things are different when you go to different places. I tried to take pictures of things that struck me as odd or different. The photos below are all of things that were different than what I've seen in America.

Exhibit A: Water fountain. There's no drain up top there. Instead the water just spills down the side into a grate on the ground. I don't know the advantage to designing the water fountain this way, but here it is in Circular Quay in Sydney.

Exhibit B: Toilet flush. Individuals use toilets for different things but there are two primary purposes. One use typically fills the toilet more than the other. So when you fill it up just a little (say it leeetle) bit then use the half flush. When you fill it more solidly, use the full circle. Unfortunately, I usually found neither flush to be very effective. Everyone said, "Watch to see if the toilets flush the other way down there!" They didn't. They just sucked down without any spinning.

Exhibit C: Road signs were different. Kangaroo crossings. Cassowary crossings. There may have been koala and gator ones, I don't remember. But the cassowary and kangaroo were most frequent, but never seemed to be in the areas where we saw lots of dead kangaroos. This was one particularly comical animal crossing sign. Right next to us on the street is a sort of rural speed bump. It's a bump in the ground with big rocks settled in the cement. You really feel it if you don't slow down for those. This is Holly and I just outside of Cape Tribulation.

Exhibit D: The most obvious difference was the driving. Right side of the car as shown. And left side of the road. It was a little tricky at first, but what I found most challenging was using the blinker. The blinker is on the right side of the steering wheel where I typically find the windshield wipers. Thus the windshield wipers are on the left where I habitually hit the blinker. I can't tell you how many times I started the windshield wipers instead of the blinker. And don't worry, I've had the same problem since being back.

Exhibit E: Here at the Bowali Visitor Center we find many interesting facts and exhibits, but what did I take a picture of-this funny sign. Most men's restrooms said Gents, but also, they call a diaper, a "nappy." So if you were hoping for a quick nap on a bench in this private stall, think again, it's for soiled baby linens.

See. Some things are just different.

I'm Back. Sort of.

2010-08-25T22:48:00.005-07:00

I made it back. Back is a weird word though because I don't feel back. I don't feel like the person I am today was here before. All that felt like home about being back was going into work. Work felt great. So I'm back.

I barely started uploading pictures to my computer. Let me show you some of what happened while I was having the time of my life. Doing everything wonderful and making everyone not with me jealous. We went to this place called a Rainforest Station just outside of a little city called Kuranda just outside of Cairns, Australia.

I held a snake there. I didn't like it. It might have been a python but I wasn't listening. Instead I was thinking, I don't want to hold that but I know I'm going to. So I hopped in like and put it around my neck. Instantly I wanted it off. The guy told me to hold still while he took it off.

Next. I did like this. I spooned a kangaroo. Yes my friends, I spooned a kangaroo. We'll add that to a list of many other things I did this summer that you did not. My friend Katy and I are just that amazing. Katy is the girl in the picture, not the kangaroo I'm spooning.

What else did I do at said rainforest station? Oh just pet some wallabies or whatever. They had super soft fur. So did the kangaroo. Loved it. Try not to notice that I trapped this wallaby in a corner so I could pet it.

A Didgeri-what? A didgeridoo. Played one. Or tried. Some people in our group could make a few weird sounds. Mine sounded like fart sounds in a tunnel. Why? Because I was making fart sounds into the hollow stick. Here Katy, Garrett, and I pretend to be playing them.

So that's everything that happened at the rainforest station. Absolutely everything. Oh but wait! It's not. I held a koala. I held a real live koala. Everyone told me I'd hate it and be disappointed. The koala will smell they claimed. The koala will claw you they said. So I say, You fools. It was just as wonderful as I had hoped. Soft. Cuddly. And smelled softly of eucalyptus. Magic I say. Magic rules. I also say. So. Koalas rule. Magic Koalas rule. I will have to scan the picture or take a picture of it later to post because the best word for it is "Delight."

So that's the rainforest station. We went on a duck tour (a car that drives into water to become a boat). We saw lots of plants that can and will kill you through cutting, stinging, clawing, and general shredding. We saw a huge crocodile that ate all his mates and became even huger. Then we went to a little market area and chowed down on taco wraps.

Oh Australia. You are too great.

What I buy in New Zealand

2010-08-21T12:59:00.002-07:00

Well technically I didn't buy it. The shirts are ours but the matching burglar hats are still in Auckland.

To Fiji!

2010-08-10T14:17:00.003-07:00

I only have a couple minutes on this expensive internet in New Zealand. So I'm rushing to pick a couple random pictures from Sydney and New Zealand. We'll see if it works. If they show up, it's first the Opera House by night, then the world famous surfing beach- Bondi, and finally a bunch of our group sitting on a fence after a hike to Wairere Falls near Te Aroha, New Zealand. I leave for Fiji in six hours! Last leg of this adventure.

Did it.

2010-07-22T15:00:00.003-07:00

For my 100th post I would like to report that I did it. I dove on the Great Barrier Reef in the Coral Sea. This has been my secret ambition for yeas. So what do I say to you all, never stop dreaming. You'll get what you want. I never let anyone tell me I can't get what I set my mind out to get.

Not me in the reef but you can kind of see the change in water color in the background, that's the reef under water. I did it!!! Dove on it 7 times.