Breaking up is hard to do...

This week I said goodbye to my dear friend Julie. She and her sweet little family are moving to the deep south. While we had lost contact for a good 5 years, when we found each other again it was like no time had passed and I wondered how I had gotten by for so long without her creative and crazy effect on my life. She is a royal princess and that is why she got the princess cake. It fits her well. Happy Birthday Julie, and Happy Moving!!!

I also said goodbye to herman Jackie, my mission companion and example for life. (sorry I didn't make you a princess cake, you're a princess too!) Jackie gave me some John Wayne paper dolls at our parting, yes! yes! yes! I ate about 4 pounds of sweet pork salad from costa vida, Jackie, being the gentlewoman that she is, ate a normal womanly portion. (Afterwards I conked out in my bed for about 4 hours.) I will miss Jackie, her wit, her sense of humor, and what she teaches me about how to be married. She DOESN'T teach me how to dress though. I could have used some help, as you can see from the picture of when I showed up at her wedding reception in Aberdeen, Washington a year ago. She still loves me even when I dress weird, and she still loves me even though I was a jerky mission companion much of the time. (Remember when I used to ring the doorbell twice while knocking doors? Honestly, I did it just to be a punk, and I knew you didn't like it. What a BRAT!)

Good luck in your new towns and being the new kids on the block! I will miss you both.

more documentation of the weekend...

Shenanigans

This weekend was full of fun, mirth, and laughter. Lissa and her twin sister Chesley came to town, we hit up the farmers market, public library, the Wasatch mountains, and of course, how could the weekend be complete without a visit to the cupcakerie?!

Oh Life.

For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin--real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.-- Alfred D. Souza

The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it. -- Anonymous

Nobody gets to live life backward. Look ahead, that is where your future lies. -- Ann Landers

This post is not about how rough my life is, I think I've exhausted that topic already. I'm sitting here in Provo waiting for life to begin. It's like the summer between 7th and 8th grade, I honestly thought that I might blossom: which I thought meant get taller, a bigger chest, and then all of a sudden I'd be ultra feminine looking and hence I'd be more attractive. It didn't happen that way at all, my hips got bigger and I stayed the same height. The chest didn't come until after I was 22 (in case you were wondering.)

I'm waiting for people to be my friends and think I'm cool. I'm waiting to get really fit looking, and then I'm gonna flirt with all the boys (except that ALL the BYU boys have retarded hair. I hate short and personality-lacking hair.) I'm waiting for backpacking trips, hiking, evening bike rides, barbeques with friends, Lake Padden to transport itselt here from Washington, I'm waiting for kicks and thrills. I'm waiting for all those things to magically appear and happen TO me. That's the problem.

I'm just saying it's time to start DOING.

Photo: While I'm passively photographing my life, indoors on a sunny day, things are happening outside...this is where we get to say "Carpe Diem."

My Fabuloso Father

Happy Father's Day Dad! We've traveled the world together, gone on grandiose adventures, you've taught me to take risks, to "work hard, play hard," be self-reliant, love God...and much more. I try to emulate your zest for life and the courage you have to do difficult things. Thanks for your life of service and care for me and our family!

Runnin' Around

As you can see I had an enjoyable time at the Sawtooth River Relay Race this weekend. Here I am pictured with "the brownies" team. I was so hungry after running, I could have eaten that tasty looking leg I was holding.

The race goes from Stanley, Idaho down to Sun Valley, a total of 62 miles. Our team consisted of six running women and two volunteers to help out with logistical matters. Each person on our team ran 2 five-six mile legs. In the morning I ran 6 miles with a slight elevation gain of 300 feet. In the blazing and glaring afternoon sun I ran 5 miles with a decrease in elevation of 300 feet. My aunt Vanessa ran the famous Galena Summit leg of the race. That leg was five miles with an increase of 1000+ feet. DIFFICULT. It was a good reminder to myself that I can do hard things... and my aunt can do even harder things.

Glory Days

As I posted about earlier, Lauren and Ruby flew into town for the weekend. We ate a lot of good food, saw an improv show, and visited with friends, one of them being Cami J. featured below. These photos are from a visit to my studio.


To celebrate Lauren's new beginning as a single and eligible woman, Cami, Lauren and I wrote down negative thoughts on plates that we didn't want to think anymore. Although, I wrote two good things I try to believe on mine: I'm cute and I'm rad. Then we went and broke the plates, see video below. (I threw my plate "frisbee style," something I picked up in Bellingham, as I couldn't throw a frisbee before I moved there.) Anyways, you'll have to check out Lauren's blog, to see her documentation of the event. (not sure if she posted about it yet)

Look who's sleeping in my room!

This little sugar snap pea came to visit me with her mama for the weekend.Let the good times roll.
I'm so glad they're here!

Perilous Times

Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing. - Helen Keller A pleasant beginning for a rigorous hike up Dry Canyon with my friend Kjerstin.
Arriving to the top of the ridge, snow on the right!
We're having so much fun...until...
...things take a turn for the worse. See the city of Pleasant Grove spread out below, it seems so close, yet is so far away...So our hike began well, and then we lost the trail. We followed deer tracks down the steep and rocky hills, only to end up in the wrong city, on the wrong side of the mountains. (we were trying to end up in the Provo Canyon, not Pleasant Grove.) There's always next time, it was a good seven hour adventure though.
p.s. everytime I see a quote from Helen Keller I'm a little leery. How did she make quotes?how do we know somebody didn't just put the words in her mouth?

Sunday Afternoons

My Sunday afternoons usually consist of dinner at the "pistachio hut" with my dear and unusual friends. Today it was tacos, last week enchiladas, the week before Bryan cooked 2 chickens. bottoms up, let the good times roll...


This is a chocolate cake I made for Amy's (Andelin) baby shower on Saturday...yum. And it was.