a trolls paradise.

the craziest things seem to happen in the middle of the night when i am deeply sleeping.

like last night...well, this morning, i guess.

it was about 4:30 a.m. when i woke up to brennan thrashing around hitting his leg and moving both legs up and down like he was either trying to get rid of a bug or a charlie horse.  then he sat up in bed and started rubbing his calf.  then he stood up at the foot of the bed and started jumping around like he was dancing.  i asked him what was wrong and if he was okay, but he just kept dancing around.  finally, he got out, "yea, it's just a giant spider"   

"you had a spider on your leg?"

"no"

"then what was it?"  

he stuck his hand out with his fingers up like he was trying to describe a dead spider to me...

"i don't know...it was one of those huge spiders.  they're really friendly and they live forever."

"yeaaaa...you're not really awake"

i kissed him on the forehead and rolled over to try and fall asleep again.  which was made difficult by me laughing and feeling slightly paranoid about the possibility of there being a spider in our bed.  

man, i wish i had a video of this whole thing.  i laugh every time i remember it.

anyway, we got to spend saturday exploring hocking hills.

and, boy am i glad we did.

that expression was pretty much glued to my face the entire time.

it was not like hiking in utah.

there were no big climbs.

practically no elevation gain.

but it was unlike anything i'd ever seen.

trees grow on rocks

everything is covered in moss

a soft mist hangs above every body of water

and the humidity invites all kinds of critters

 

i could get used to this ohio thing.

don't mind the crappy phone pictures.  someday i'll own a nice camera.  if you know my history with nice cameras, that will probably happen once i prove i can keep another human alive.

a whale of a tale

i feel like i should have something awesome to say, but honestly i have 6 essays to write, a 45 minute presentation on the Merchant of Venice, a 5 page short story to make up, and my 16-credit spanish exam all within the next 2 weeks.  oh, and i have to read moby dick.  it's great, i love it, i love my major, but i have nothing interesting to say.

except that it is SPRINGTIME!  i took my bike out for a little spin up south fork canyon on saturday.  the weather was ideal. 

on sunday on my way home from church i found an awesome knot-hole in this tree...name that book..

 then on tuesday night i went for a spontaneous y-mountain hike a 11 p.m. also perfect weather and a beautiful view.  good company too aka a cute boy.

yes, i still find time to be outside.  i have to or i'll go insane.  and i don't want to be a crazy...oh wait.

peace+love

long days of summer...

i cannot believe it's already july 22nd...before i know it i'll be cooped up in the hbll reading one of the bajiliion books i'll have to read between my 3 english classes and spanish writing and reading class.  boo. so, i'm just filling my days with all the outdoor fun stuff i possibly can....kind of like how chipmunks gather as much food as they possibly can.
-night swimming
-lots and lots of bike rides.  long ones, short ones, uphill, downhill, fast, slow.
-floating down the provo river
-more bike rides
-red rocks brandi carlile concert...i die of happiness...and pot
-roasting mallows
-hiking
-more biking
-more swimming
-lots of working...but have i told you how much i LOVE both of my jobs?

have a happy summer

p.s.  my cute auntie stephanie is due for chemo tomorrow...if you could remember her in your prayers tonight and tomorrow morning we'd all really appreciate it.

peace+love

where there is light there cannot exist darkness...

the other day, a dear friend hit a little rough patch, so what better solution/distraction to everything in life than a hike.  on the drive up i was talking about how grateful i was for life. i had read in the morning one of my favorite quotes from our living prophet, Thomas S. Monson:

 "the grateful man sees so much in the world to be grateful for and with him the good outweighs the evil, love overpowers jealousy, and light drives darkness out of his life."  

my friend then suggested, "let's do a grateful hike".  for every letter of the alphabet we had to come up with something we were grateful for.  here's what i'm grateful for...

aspen trees
brooke
chile
dad
egg salad sandwiches
food
german (not like the language...pronounced hair-mahn...my chilean dad)
health


we only got to "h" because to all there is a story.  perhaps i'll finish the alphabet some other day.

what are you grateful for?

peace+love

what can i say?

...i'm so sad since you went away.

i am such a zoobie...

urban dictionary says:  A term used in Utah, mainly Utah Valley, to describe the excited bunch of mormons that go to BYU and engage in excessive social activities. (there was another definition that was a bit more derogatory and a little less true in my circumstances...plastic? i think not...)

in the last week and a half i have:

-been to a fireside about dating and eternal marriage
-hiked up to the y at night several times
-drawn on the sidewalk with chalk outside my front door
-done free laser tagging
-ridden my bike all over town
-not starved thanks to the so charitable donations some call "dates"
-discovered the hidden beauty of american fork canyon
-oh, and friday i have a "blind date"
....i was slightly dreading moving back to provo, but i must say, zoobie summer life ain't so bad after all. plus, i love my job...

peace+love

do you realize that you have the most beautiful face?

yesterday i hiked up squaw peak.  it was so beautiful.  so green.  the view from the top was incredible.  then hiking down it was all the same surroundings but looked so different.  we could barely recognize the cliff we'd hiked up to from the bottom.  it made me think… we are all individuals who see things so differently.  "beauty is in the eye of the beholder".  one thing viewed from 50 different angles has 50 different perspectives.  

but peace comes from understanding.  it comes from communication.  when we speak our views, then LISTEN, that is when we will achieve peace.  we shouldn't have to try and be anyone else but ourselves, but we should try to put ourselves in others shoes.

it applies in all aspects of life, really.  school, work, relationships.  maybe everyone else had already thought about that so this is lame and nothing new, but it was the lesson i needed to learn yesterday.

p.s. subject reference here for those who don't know it.

peace+love

the fall

coming home from a mission and adjusting to the "real world" is an interesting experience...my life's circumstances make it even more interesting. 
today i was given about 5 minutes to make an important life decision. i really hope i made the right one.

then, i got to go be one with the earth.  okay, maybe it wasn't the most spiritual experience i've had in nature (impossible when you've got cousin sammie screaming about snakes every 5 minutes), but i've got to say, there is nothing that brings me more peace of mind and makes me feel more "at home" than getting away from civilization for a few minutes and pondering on the beauties of the earth.

hello, nature...it's good to be back.

peace+love

it's been a while

man, it really has been a while. but i'll tell you, preparing for a mission is non-conducive to the internet when you want to spend every waking moment with the people you love most...

cousin dougy (who i get to hang out with for a whopping 18 days between the time he came home and i leave)

mandy

my gorgeous best friend since we were 6--i love her baby bump.

mi familia. they're the best.

cedar peeps in b-town!

doing what i love most

peace+love

stay alive, drive 55

cedar was so good to me...

-st. george temple

-a big smile and hug from prof. modesitt

-pastry pub complete with chocolate tiger cake

-sky fest (20 some-odd hot air balloons launching at once)

-german pancake breakfast

-getting lost but eventually hiking in bryce canyon

-all of the above with great friends

-the funnest birthday party i've ever been to with new friends (including huck finn)

-church

-sunday writing ritual in my tree

-birthday celebration for the one and only skye complete with awesome conversation and the encouragement i've needed all month

(photo teaser courtesy of cheri. i'll get the disposable developed someday soon...)

did i mention i have great friends? i've been home less than two hours and i already want to go back. the only thing sustaining me is live recordings of mumford and sons. shocker, i know.

peace+love

take me out of the city

{near the top of angel's landing in zion}

-my family went to flaming gorge for labor day. it was so beautiful. i saw an owl take off in flight AGAIN! when i think i scared it out of it's nest by accident. the gorge reminded me of cedar.

-sometimes i miss cedar so much that my stomach churns into knots. i probably think about cedar city 8 hours a day (the whole time i'm at work). that's why i'm going to visit soon.

-today i went rock climbing for the first time in almost six months. boy am i out of shape. but boy was it nice to be back.

--i'm sensing a theme...good thing this weekend is only two days away--

peace+love

sam, sammie baby

happy birthday to my best friend in cedar...

thanks for

motivating me to spend more time in the library

letting me vent

being my hiking partner despite a lack of passion for hiking

introducing me to the tuna melt

being the best single ladies dancer i've ever seen

helping me move....twice

introducing me to some of my favorite people in cedar

getting me out of my shell

letting me be sam taylor

appreciating my music taste

being my theater attendance partner in crime.

i miss your face and your dance moves...youda youda best.

peace+love

ain't no mountain high enough...

during the king's peak trip i did a little experiment/preparation for the mission. i didn't bring my ipod. shocker, i know. i couldn't listen to my music (or any for that matter) for 3 whole days. i barely survived, and unfortunately 3 days is much shorter than a year and a half. either way, these are the songs that were on repeat in my mental ipod for those 3 days.

Sound of Music - The Hills Are Alive (i think you have to click it....oh how i worship julie andrews)

...and brandi

it was a good trip.

sorry i've been slacking on tuesday's muse lately. i'll try harder, cause really, there is so much music to share.

peace+love

high uintahs

one time i hiked 34 miles.

...oh wait, that was earlier this week

7 miles up 1,000 feet with a 30+ lb backpack

find sick flip-up sunglasses behind a log

(attempt to) sleep

10 miles up 3,000 feet to the highest peak in utah

(13,528 ft above sea level)

experience altitude sickness

(at least i wasn't puking like that kid in the scout group)

10 miles down 3,000 feet

(attempt to) sleep

7 miles down 1,000 feet with a 30+ lb backpack

real food (+cell phone reception)

i love the mountains

peace+love

melancholy

not to put a downer on life {let's face it, it's a joy!}, but sometimes i'm melancholy. and right now i'm somewhat melancholy. you see, i'm leaving my beloved cedar city for a while to embark on another adventure elsewhere ('twill be further explained at a later date...plus i have no idea where yet)...when i moved here 10 short months ago i did not expect to love this place as deeply as i do. if you are ever considering a move and need all the reasons to move to cedar city i will convince you this is a fantastic place to call your home.

i have this giant tree with faces carved into the trunk that i climb to go ponder and write.

and just up the canyon from my tree is a small cove carved into the sandstone where i go to ponder some more (or have good conversations with friends).

the colors are vivid. black soil against green foliage against red sandstone.

the weather is always perfect as there is a small but constant northward breeze (why always that direction? i have no idea).

i fall asleep at night to a symphony of crickets and wake up only to hear birds chirping outside my window. there are so many birds in cedar. big, beautiful birds. and in the summertime-bats everywhere at night.

cedar canyon is easily one of the most beautiful and surprisingly diverse places i have ever seen. crystal blue lakes surrounded by aspen groves next to lava fields.

and lets not forget cedar city's proximity to my home away from home, zion national park. a majestic sight everyone should see in this life.

then there's the lifestyle. the benefits of being in a city (with the exception of the severe lack of a music scene) with the perks of living in a small town. the pastry pub, the shakespearean festival (which comes with the most delicious raspberry tarts you'll ever taste), utah summer games, and last night we even had a senate candidates' debate. if you like hiking, camping, climbing, cycling, swimming, walking, reading, pretty much anything-ing, there's plenty of it to go around. especially hiking {but maybe that's just cause i'm biased}.

and the people. that means you, my bosom cedar friends. the people i've met and the memories i've made in the last 10 months have influenced my life in some small {or large} way that has made me a better person--or at least made me want to be a better person. genuine, high quality people. plus in the summer there are tons of tourists and i love tourists.

it's true, folks, cedar city {almost} has it all. {all we're missing is the ocean} my heart will break as i say goodbye, but not to worry....i'll be back before too long.

peace+love

confession #1

i don't own a digital camera...

my little sister lets me borrow her old one, but with my luck i'd lose it, break it, or get it stolen, so i never take it anywhere. that's the real reason i never put pictures in my posts. cause by the time i get my disposable camera developed it's completely irrelevant. but i stole these from my roommates camera and my friends facebook. so here you go. picture of the three hikes i've been on in the last 5 days.

hike numero uno {pictures courtesy of kristi schmidt}

"climbing a stairway to heaven"

or

the closest to heaven i'll ever get {i think i'm so witty}

or

guys, i think i can see the ocean {oh, but i am!}

or

"angel's landing"

{sorry, no actual pictures of the top, but if you really want to see the view, google it. or just do it for yourself. it's worth it.}

hi, i'm sam taylor

team extreme aka tommy, kristi, sam, me, scott, laura, jer-bear, darcy, josevy, jose

hike numero dos

lee pass to kolob arch aka 13 miles with a 1,000 foot climb to get out when your done...SURPRISE!

kelli jean+water=true love

also pictured: cam, joey, and camille

this is what we looked like after that 1,000 foot uphill to the parking lot...after the 13 miles.

hike numero tres

red cliffs recreation area

roomie tandem jump

natures water slide and my playground

yes, life is a vacation when you live in southern utah

peace+love

consequence of sound

in case you didn't already know that i am mildly obsessed with zion national park and the fact that it's just so darn close...

memorial day weekend =

4:15 a.m. work

hike to angel's landing

experience several severely awkward moments... (so, do you do like, adult-type plays?)

eat delicious food at the pastry pub

SLEEP

church

thaw chicken

go to park

chicken still not thaw

attempt to bbq chicken

1 hour later, chicken still pink

eat it anyway and thank god for an amazing immune system

SLEEP

hike 6.5 miles to kolob arch (possibly the world's largest arch)

look at the arch for 1 minute

hike 2.5 back

play in la verkin creek

the sound of water+birds+wind+my own breath=ya, god loves me

hike 4 miles back to car with wet jeans

EAT

blog

SLEEP

did you do anything fun this weekend?

peace+love

i blaze my own trail.

kolob canyon arch {image found here}

my dear friend, scott, and i decided to go for a little hike on wednesday. okay, actually a big hike. we wanted to do the trail to "possibly the biggest arch in the world". a daunting 14 miles round-trip. we started hiking and made it to the taylor creek cove. then moved on to the arch. or so we thought. just a little ways beyond the normal distance people hike we found ourselves climbing over and under trees and in and out of bushes. we found this beautiful waterfall cutting a young slot canyon that was completely unexpected {and probably the best part of the hike}. as we blazed on we hiked up and slid down sand hills. we hiked through the water and eventually through snow. then, we hit a dead end.

fast forward 3 hours.

i'm laying on my bed looking at the trail map trying to figure out where we went wrong.

if we would have just driven two more minutes up the hill we would have been dead on.

that's right, we started at the wrong trail head. which means i made up the trail the entire way past the cove. that's how i roll.

between my guide skills failure and yesterdays cycling work-out i definitely needed this video my sister sent me to give me a little more faith in my ability to progress and {eventually} keep up with the old guys.

peace+love

happiness is...

...a relaxing weekend
which =
very little (but at least i did some) homework
zion with my dear friend to hike and take in the grandeur that is southern utah
running into the amazing jessica on the emerald pools hike
ol' faithful explosion in the car
coming home exhausted and starving
which resulted in banana+nutella crepes by same friend
(which i've been craving since, oh i don't know, um, tuesday)
patsy cline--there has never been and never will be a country girl like patsy
falling asleep at 8 p.m.
only to wake up less than 2 hours later
watching (falling asleep to) into the wild
soaking up the sun with a good book and some headphones
chatting it up with my awesome visiting teacher and friend whom i adore and admire
wrote a silly song with friends
and church

honestly, i could listen to those first two notes over and over again...

my grandpa IVon used to sing this while tucking me into bed.

what did you do this weekend?

peace+love

1 mas semana

classes are OVER! (for a month anyway)
juries are OVER! i sang my sight singing perfectly in a minor key then realized, oops, it's in f major...

at the end of the day, these are the memories (good or bad) i'll take from my first semester as a t-bird:
-watching a snake pee on kira at the choir party
-climbing to the roofs of the buildings on main street--and carving our names
-my first sit-start (bouldering term)
-the 10 minute drive on a dirt road out to the highway after spraining my ankle
-walking to campus on crutches for 2 weeks
-my "unique" visiting teaching companion
-jen carrying me on her back to the 4th floor of our apartment complex...twice
-being reminded how hard adjusting is
-army crawling through guano in mammoth cave
-bawling in a voice lesson...i love my teacher, i really do
-nuns...dancing to "all the single ladies" (sorry, you can only see the video if we're friends on facebook)
-nearly wetting myself in the library when i saw the woman in black
-sleeps with weesha and kelsey
-our sad attempt at fishing in a waterhole...cow pies everywhere...really, bryce, there are fish in here?
-our billion attempts to fly a kite
-sneaking our glass bottles into the movie...we felt very criminal-like we were sneaking in alcohol.
-finally learning to do a headstand
-visits from mis padres
-falling in love at the orthopedic surgeon's office
-then having my heart broken...ya, he's married
-the compliments
-the insults
the hikes:
-the narrows
-angel's landing
-kanarraville falls
-timp at 2 a.m. we'll see how soon i feel up to that one again
-climbing twice a week until oct. 21

narrows pics i never posted

as you can clearly see,
cedar is a great place to be
just one thing could make it better...
a lot more snow and crappy weather!
peace+love

murphy's law (paranoia)

i had this strange thought today when i noticed a lump on my shin--what if i lost all use of my left leg? i got choked up just thinking about it...
i couldn't HIKE!
or ski
or rock climb
or skip
or drive a clutch
or run
or dance
or cliff jump
or ride my beloved bicycle
or walk
heck, standing would even be a little difficult!

my dreams of becoming a hermit with my husband and abandoning all modern conveniences would be shattered...

but then again, maybe I'd get my leg amputated and get a prosthetic then compete in the special olympics--table tennis, or bowling...
except that my average bowling score is 44.
or i could climb mt. Everest with my prosthetic leg and get really famous...
except i don't even have a desire to do that with two human legs.
or i could fulfill my ambition of becoming a whale trainer at sea world...I'd be the first whale trainer with a prosthetic leg
yes, that's it! they can't say no to someone with a prosthetic leg.

did you know elephants can have prosthetic legs?
i'm going to bed
-what great thing would you do if you had a prosthetic leg?