So today is my dear sisters birthday. And for that reason (and because she won't be getting her birthday present until June) I figured the least I could do is dedicate a blog post to her and write down all the things I love about her. While I wasn't always so fond of her when I was younger truth be told, I really love her now and not a day goes by now that I don't think how lucky I am to have such an amazing older sister.
I love shopping with her. No matter what I can always count on her to be brutally honest about whether something looks good or not. And I don't know how she does it but she can spot a deal from a mile away. Best bargain shopper I know. I save tons of money when I go with her and we always have so much fun doing it.
I love her kids. She's a fantastic mom and I've learned a ton from her about the art of motherhood and running a family. I only hope one day I'll be half the mom and wife she is.
I love her advice. No matter what I know I can call and she'll give me the best advice for my situation. She doesn't sugar coat it to make me feel better, she just says it how it is and tells me exactly what I need to hear. And despite my reactions at times, I always love it. Why do you think she's the first one I always call for advice.
So I'm not great with words and what I"ve written above doesn't even come close to adequately describing how amazing I think my sister is or even touch upon the billions of things i adore about her, but she's my best friend and I love her to pieces and I desperately look forward to when we live in the same country again someday :) Happy Birthday Heather
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Hilariously traumatic morning...
This morning I woke up to what I thought was going to be a great day...only to fall down the stairs and get bit and terrorized by a cat.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Which wolf are you feeding?
This quote was one I heard on trail that another guide used as an inspirational one morning and it's stuck with me ever since. The battle between good and evil is no new thing to me. It's something we're taught from the time we were little but I hadn't ever given it much though until I heard this little story. The end is what really strikes me, the part about feeding the wolves. It made me wonder how often I choose to feed the evil wolf over the good wolf. Probably more than I care to admit, but i think often it's an unconscious decision. Think if every time we made a decision a pie chart would show up out of nowhere that showed us the percent "good" this choice was and the percent "evil". Do you think you'd make some different decisions? I know I would. I think for me this mostly applies to things like movies and tv shows, friends sometimes, or ways I use my free time. Maybe this movie only has one bad part, or these friends may be good people but just not good influences for you specifically or things like that. I don't think things like this are inherently evil but when it comes to the "feeding the wolves" analogy I think if we're not definitely feeding the good wolf than we're probably feeding the bad one. Too often I think we think there's a gray area, like maybe we this isn't feeding either wolf, but when you think about it whatever decision your making usually leans more to one side than the other and if your having to make up excuses as to why its ok than its probably not the best decision to be made. It sounds stupid maybe but lately when I make decisions I've been trying to be consciously aware of which wolf I'm feeding. i thought it was a good quote...I wanted to share. Have a great week!
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Kony 2012
I'm sure most of you have seen it, but if you haven't watched it yet...take 30 minutes of your day and watch it. You won't be sorry!
It's things like this that make me realize how little of an impact i'm having on the world and how blind I am to everything else that's going on in the world. My everyday problems that stress me out and take over my mind are nothing compared to most of the worlds problems. I want to help, but I often find myself feeling overwhelmed by the lack of tools I have to do anything. I could never start something like Kony 2012, that's crazy! I give him MAD props for being so proactive and making such a difference. I realized though that making a difference doesn't have to be on such a big scale, starting one person at a time can make just as much of an impact, especially to that one person. So volunteer somewhere, donate some money, be nice to a stranger....it all makes a difference to someone.
KONY 2012 from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.
It's things like this that make me realize how little of an impact i'm having on the world and how blind I am to everything else that's going on in the world. My everyday problems that stress me out and take over my mind are nothing compared to most of the worlds problems. I want to help, but I often find myself feeling overwhelmed by the lack of tools I have to do anything. I could never start something like Kony 2012, that's crazy! I give him MAD props for being so proactive and making such a difference. I realized though that making a difference doesn't have to be on such a big scale, starting one person at a time can make just as much of an impact, especially to that one person. So volunteer somewhere, donate some money, be nice to a stranger....it all makes a difference to someone.
Monday, March 12, 2012
These are my people
So a little while back, like last summer I think it was, Kat and I took a roadtrip down to Moab to camp and do some hiking and what not. We stopped in the actual city of Moab and I saw all these outdoor enthusiasts who were just so excited to be there and get to camp, hike, climb, bike or whatever and I told Kat that those were my people. I felt like me and them were kindred spirits. You just don't find people like that everywhere you go. Well this past weekend, we went down to Portland for a regatta and it rained almost all weekend. Our car was parked right by a running trail and as i sat in the car I saw like 20 billion runners go by. Some were old, some were young, some were fast, some really slow, some had dogs, some brought their kids on bikes or pushed a stroller...but what made them all so awesome--they were running in the rain like it was no big deal! Those are my people!! I love rain. I love running in it and I love playing in it and people here in Oregon and Washington act like rain is no big deal, where in Utah if it rains everyone holes up inside their homes until the sun comes out again. I'm excited to live in a place full of people who love the outdoors despite what the weather is. These are my people!
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Seattle
Well for those of you who didn't know...I moved to Seattle. Am I excited? Yes. Am I totally terrified? Definitely. Despite the rollercoaster of emotions I've been feeling, I honestly do feel like it is the best decision.
I decided to make take a few days and enjoy the scenery on my drive out. I have pictures but they aren't uploading right now so my descriptive words will have to do. :)
My first day of driving was relatively boring. I stopped in the middle of nowhere because I was about out of gas where a gallon of gas cost $4.37. HOLY SMOKES! Needless to say I only bought a few gallons. Despite it's lack of scenery and obscenely high gas cost, the middle of nowhere did offer alpacas, baby rattlesnakes, and a man with an extremely long beard to look at. All 3 of those made the middle of nowhere a worthwhile stop. Later that day I took a detour to see shoshone falls. Um, GORGEOUS! So very pretty. Google it, because I was amazed that something so pretty could be found in the middle of the ugly part of Idaho. My final destination was Baker City Oregon, where I stayed in the El Dorado Inn...yes they had El Dorado themed rooms-talk about awesome. I ate dinner at some train themed restaurant and had the most delicious french toast. It was made out of cinnamon rolls. What more could you ask for. It was like christmas in my mouth.
Day two I drove to Portland. Along the way I stopped and hiked at a bunch of super gorgeous spots. One of them being Multnomah Falls. It's a huge waterfall and there's tons of hiking trails around it. I got into Portland later that afternoon and had a few hours to spare before heading over to my friend Charlotte's house so I a flea market thingy that Portland apparently puts on every weekend. There were some way cool crafts and what not to look at, but even better than that was watching all the people. Portland is full of weirdos! I ate a super delicious thing called an elephant ear (i think it's what it's called) It's basically fried dough covered in cinnamon and sugar. Really delicious.
Sunday was spent with Charlotte and her husband. We kicked it all day and watched Psych and Monk. It was fantastic and a much needed day of relaxing. We went to dinner at Charlotte's in-laws house and had an amazing dinner, followed up by chocolate fondue for dessert. I'm a lucky girl to have such great friends that will allow me to crash on their floor! Love you guys and thanks again!
Monday, monday, monday...i drove and hiked...all day long. I stopped at all the fun little towns on the oregon coast like Cannon Beach, Seaside, and Astoria. Plus many more. They always have such fun little shops and places to eat and the people are so nice. I love the pacific coast because I love the combination of the HUGE cliffs and the ocean. Soooo pretty. Monday I also ate another plate of french toast TO DIE FOR. Honestly, this was the best meal I've ever eaten in my life. Big Wave Cafe, you are my hero. It was 2 huge pieces of french toast stuffed with ricotta cheese and raspberry sauce with whipped cream on top. GAH...just thinking about it makes my mouth water. I love food in general. But, I REALLY love breakfast food. And I REALLY REALLY love french toast.
Tuesday was more driving and hiking. I hiked through parts of the Olympic National Forest. It was gorgeous and I hiked to some sweet beaches on the coast. And eventually I finally made it to my friend Shari's house in Silverdale, Wa where I'll be hanging out for the next little bit while I get settled in and get my life in order.
If you need a reason to come to Seattle, you now have one. Visitors are welcome.
I decided to make take a few days and enjoy the scenery on my drive out. I have pictures but they aren't uploading right now so my descriptive words will have to do. :)
My first day of driving was relatively boring. I stopped in the middle of nowhere because I was about out of gas where a gallon of gas cost $4.37. HOLY SMOKES! Needless to say I only bought a few gallons. Despite it's lack of scenery and obscenely high gas cost, the middle of nowhere did offer alpacas, baby rattlesnakes, and a man with an extremely long beard to look at. All 3 of those made the middle of nowhere a worthwhile stop. Later that day I took a detour to see shoshone falls. Um, GORGEOUS! So very pretty. Google it, because I was amazed that something so pretty could be found in the middle of the ugly part of Idaho. My final destination was Baker City Oregon, where I stayed in the El Dorado Inn...yes they had El Dorado themed rooms-talk about awesome. I ate dinner at some train themed restaurant and had the most delicious french toast. It was made out of cinnamon rolls. What more could you ask for. It was like christmas in my mouth.
Day two I drove to Portland. Along the way I stopped and hiked at a bunch of super gorgeous spots. One of them being Multnomah Falls. It's a huge waterfall and there's tons of hiking trails around it. I got into Portland later that afternoon and had a few hours to spare before heading over to my friend Charlotte's house so I a flea market thingy that Portland apparently puts on every weekend. There were some way cool crafts and what not to look at, but even better than that was watching all the people. Portland is full of weirdos! I ate a super delicious thing called an elephant ear (i think it's what it's called) It's basically fried dough covered in cinnamon and sugar. Really delicious.
Sunday was spent with Charlotte and her husband. We kicked it all day and watched Psych and Monk. It was fantastic and a much needed day of relaxing. We went to dinner at Charlotte's in-laws house and had an amazing dinner, followed up by chocolate fondue for dessert. I'm a lucky girl to have such great friends that will allow me to crash on their floor! Love you guys and thanks again!
Monday, monday, monday...i drove and hiked...all day long. I stopped at all the fun little towns on the oregon coast like Cannon Beach, Seaside, and Astoria. Plus many more. They always have such fun little shops and places to eat and the people are so nice. I love the pacific coast because I love the combination of the HUGE cliffs and the ocean. Soooo pretty. Monday I also ate another plate of french toast TO DIE FOR. Honestly, this was the best meal I've ever eaten in my life. Big Wave Cafe, you are my hero. It was 2 huge pieces of french toast stuffed with ricotta cheese and raspberry sauce with whipped cream on top. GAH...just thinking about it makes my mouth water. I love food in general. But, I REALLY love breakfast food. And I REALLY REALLY love french toast.
Tuesday was more driving and hiking. I hiked through parts of the Olympic National Forest. It was gorgeous and I hiked to some sweet beaches on the coast. And eventually I finally made it to my friend Shari's house in Silverdale, Wa where I'll be hanging out for the next little bit while I get settled in and get my life in order.
If you need a reason to come to Seattle, you now have one. Visitors are welcome.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
blah
In case you all were wondering...I still feel like a 90 year old woman. Here's a list of things that leave me utterly EXHAUSTED and in KILLER PAIN:
Puzzles
Making grilled cheese sandwiches
cleaning my room
driving to Target
watching too much TV
reading books
brushing my teeth
being a passenger in a moving vehicle
putting clothes on
refilling my water bottle
homework
anything on the computer
...and the list goes on and on. Point is, everything and anything I do leaves me craving sleep and searching for pain pills. I sound like an addict. I swear I'm not. They're necessity. That's what they all say :) Can i just say shingles suck. Pray for me please.
Despite my poor health, I can't stand being here any longer and by here I mean both my apartment and Provo in general so I'm taking a trip to Seattle! Woohoo! So hopefully by this time next week I'll have better stories to tell.
Puzzles
Making grilled cheese sandwiches
cleaning my room
driving to Target
watching too much TV
reading books
brushing my teeth
being a passenger in a moving vehicle
putting clothes on
refilling my water bottle
homework
anything on the computer
...and the list goes on and on. Point is, everything and anything I do leaves me craving sleep and searching for pain pills. I sound like an addict. I swear I'm not. They're necessity. That's what they all say :) Can i just say shingles suck. Pray for me please.
Despite my poor health, I can't stand being here any longer and by here I mean both my apartment and Provo in general so I'm taking a trip to Seattle! Woohoo! So hopefully by this time next week I'll have better stories to tell.
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