gracias a la vida

there is much to be said for life the sunshine brings, especially in the springtime.  this weather is making my heart giddy.  i spent way too much time last year feeling off.  there were times where it felt like no matter what i did, i wasn't happy.  and i was really trying to be happy.  now that the sun is out, it is much easier to feel happy.  but it is still a conscious choice everyday.  i choose how to react to each situation presented to me.  and i am learning to make the choice every day to be happy, to let things go, and to laugh at my mistakes and the mistakes of others.  

i never want to go back to the way i felt or the choices i was making 8 months ago...or even 3 months ago.  but i am grateful i experienced the things i did.  because of them, i am learning to be happy.  i am learning what choices ultimately lead to sorrow, and i am learning to look at each day as a gift.  and especially right now, i do not want to waste time feeling sad.  the weather has been way too beautiful and my life is way too awesome for that.

peace+love

i love my life...

...and all you people in it.

i'm only 21 and have experienced some pretty amazing things:
-singing "forever in blue jeans" on PCTV at the Neil Diamond concert with my best friend when i was 15
-traded a 5 buck pizza for Cold Stone with my little sister and her friend. i'm pretty sure the workers just thought they were cute.
-watched an owl take off in flight while driving in the Uinta's at night
-watched a moose running next to the car on the same drive

-gone skydiving

-backpacked europe

-witnessed nature at it's finest aka rock climbing/zion/hiking

-sung "desperado" with my best friend in front of half our high school

-crossed 22 things off my bucket list of 110

-hiked to the highest point in utah

-completed a triathlon

-completed 2 1/2 marathons

-rode my bike 448 miles through one of the most beautiful areas in this country

-watched a school come together to provide a dinner for 140 homeless people

-experienced making real music.

-lived in the greatest city in utah (cedar! if you were wondering)

-entered the temple and received my endowment

-raised $211 for charity:water thanks to YOU!

i could go on. i have a family who loves me and friends who inspire me to be a better person everyday. i lead a very privileged life. i attribute that completely to my heavenly father.

i've also made mistakes and done some really dumb things and had heartaches and hard times. but that is why Jesus Christ atoned for our sins our pains, making it possible to become perfect through Him and giving Him the chance to comfort us when we need it most. i have experienced the healing power of the atonement first hand, and that is why i am so excited to spend the next 18 months telling the people of santiago, chile about this "good news". i'm also very much looking forward to the next 21 years and (hopefully) more in this beautiful world.

p.s. thanks ali and brookie for the birthday shout-outs. i sure love you both. also, brooke, i love that song, so thank you for pointing out those lyrics so i'd actually think of them--

"hold on to what you believe in the light, when the darkness has robbed you of all of your sight."

i'll do my best.

peace+love

wisdom is missing

i don't know anything about them (seeing as i found them, like, yesterday)except that their first album came out in june, they're from Seattle (and we know all great things come from seattle, coughbrandicarlilecough) and i love them.

so here is hey merseilles

the mandolin player has no shoes on.
and in case you didn't know i love the accordion almost as much as i love the banjo.

i got my wisdom teeth out this morning. don't feel sorry for me...i'm not in too much pain, people cater to my every need, i sleep all the time, i get to start eating ice cream tomorrow (mint choc. chip or yogurt stop natural flavor will do, thank you), and the i.v. didn't hurt (which probably had something to do with the valium they gave me beforehand). but check out those chipmunk cheeks!

peace+love

remember that one time we rode 65 miles everyday for a week to train for ride idaho...?

...oh wait, that never actually happened.

but, if i am ever wealthy, i will have a cabin in priest lake, idaho.

RIDE IDAHO

day 0--got carsick and barfed at the gas station in cascade, idaho...a few miles later, the car broke down. lucky for us, PAM! drove by and drove us the rest of the way to hayden, idaho.

day 1--a painful, but stunning, 67 miles to priest lake. got to camp and asked my dad why we couldn't have just gone on a cruise for our family vacation...then went for a refreshing swim in the most beautiful lake i've ever seen. think alaska without the cold.

day 2--a less painful, just as beautiful 56 miles to sandpoint. met our camp neighbors for the next week, john and kip. they loved us. then went for a refreshing swim in the lake.

day 3--a very painful, scenic 76 mile ride to troy, montana...started a mud fight with trevie in the frigid cold river and watched the one-armed man play a mean guitar.

(parent kid teams aka pretty much the only people under 50 on the trip--mom+trevor, trevie+mom, kelli+kerri+dad)

day 4--80 miles to thompson falls, montana. saw mennonites on bicycles on the way and almost died in the rain. but there was a river there too with a rope swing. and the best food on the whole trip aka banana cupcake for dessert.

day 5--fat camp. 65 miles and two summits. the second one was 2.8 miles of 8-11% grade. that

basically means it was really steep. the whole time i just kept telling myself, "i'm burning fat, i'm burning fat, gotta keep going". got to kellog in the rain. woke up in the middle of the night with

water levels rising around us in our tent. (so much for sleeping in that day). got up at 6 to dry all our stuff at the hotel and sleep in the lobby.

(after dominating fat camp hill)

day 6--a flat, relaxing 46 mile recovery to my future hometown (if things don't work out in the pacific northwest), harrison, idaho. swam in the lake (shocker) and finally got my mint chocolate chip ice cream (and a phone number) from a very cute red headed boy working at the creamery. in case you didn't know, that night was also the peak of the perseids meteor shower, so we laid out on the dock and watched mother nature's show.

day 7--56 mile finish to hayden. head winds kept me from moving basically at all downhill. but we all made it alive and ready to sleep. lucky for us our self-proclaimed aunt amy and her husband mike offered us a ride in their rv. which meant lots of sleep on the 8 hour drive to boise.

deb...the only person to finally get my dad to get up and dance...oh how embarrassing.

7 days of 448 miles of cycling+camping in the rain+eating whatever they feed you+doing your duty in port-a-potties+some of the most beautiful terrain in the united states+awesome people=i'd do it again in a heartbeat.

peace+love

i HATE the heat....and other thoughts on life

summer is not my favorite season in utah. unless i'm sitting next to a body of water. when i grow up i'm moving northwest. oregon, washington, northern cali, or alaska. mark my words.

cycling on the legacy parkway trail just isn't the same as my routes in southern utah. but, there is one section of the trail called birnham wood. all they need to do is name a section dunsinane and we'll have a full-fledged shakespearean tragedy on our hands.

life has been going 100 mph and i don't think it will slow down until i'm retired, living in my winnebago travelling the u.s. with my handsome, charming hubby.

i made up new kesha lyrics to fit that one song..."wake up in the morning feelin' like p-diddy. i don't know how to sing but i make lots of money. i'm really really smart but i write stupid lyrics, they play me constantly on the radio so everyone can hear it....pedicure on my toes toes blah blah blah blah blah blah"

on the other hand, my life will be complete in just 15 days. (click me! click me!)

it's good to be home with my family. except i think kerri is getting sick of sharing a bed with me. (yes, i have my own bed. no, i don't sleep in it) and they left me this weekend. with absolutely no food in the house.

i went to bear lake and discovered my new favorite dessert (second only to mint choc. chip ice cream)--chocolate covered raspberries. HELLLLOOOO heaven in mouth.

i decided i want to go on a mission for the lds church. my papers are almost in but not quite cause guess what? the last thing i need is my wisdom teeth x-rays. i went in thrusday morning to get them and the dentist said her machine wasn't working. which means now i have to wait till monday. which makes me want to cry. or scream, seeing as i don't cry. either way i just want to goooooooooooo.

peace+love

earth day, everyday

i saw this movie last night. i had to keep reminding myself that the vibrant colors and flowing movement was real, not animated. every living creature on the earth has a spirit. these animal have personalities and a purpose. the movie made my heart break.

i didn't know much about the oil spill before this and now that i know a little more i wish the focus would shift. because ultimately, it doesn't matter whose fault the oil spill is. what matters is that it gets fixed so the oil stops flowing into the ocean and destroying lives.

there is one part in "oceans" that shows how much pollution is being spilled into the ocean everyday from us. you don't have to be an activist by any means, but i do encourage everyone to try a little harder. turn off the lights. throw your garbage in trash bins. ride your bike more. and pray that this thing gets fixed fast. this is our earth and it's our job to take care of it.
peace+love

breaking away

today i decided to join the color country cycling club to help me train for a big tour i'm doing at the end of the summer. it was my first time pacing with a group and it was a 35 mile ride. plus i rode my bike to our meeting area. so 40 total. 40 mile ride while out of shape=NO bueno. (oh and if you're thinking i kept up with the old guys you're out of your mind). i'm proud of myself for just finishing. and in case you were wondering, yes, my bum is completely numb and i'm probably NOT going to be able to walk tomorrow. as a result, i am exhausted. which means i have no energy to write about an artist and look up songs. but if you have never seen it, watch breaking away. it's my inspiration for life. and i told my dad that as a reward for completing the ride today he should buy me my own copy. PLUS dave stoller is to cycling as paulie bleeker is to running aka the hottest thing on two wheels (legs). he might even be hotter than paulie because he woos a girl by singing in italian. and dennis quiad wears cut off shorts {1:58 of trailer}. seriously. hilarious. watch. now.

peace+love

a poll

i'm joining the bandwagon (a little late) and blogging about twilight...

in a sword fight, who would win?

edward cullen
or
paulie bleeker

unlike edward, paulie bleeker totally pulls off the pale-face thing. plus he looks so good in short-shorts. edward doesn't even look good with his shirt off...but wait, this isn't about who is more attractive. this is about combat. and let's face it, with his impossible speed and unbeatable strength, paulie bleeker would mindlessly slay the ugly vampire.
peace+love

where did october go?
i'm back in my lame september garb cause it's way too hot to be wearing a cute sweater while i walk to class.
i learned that lesson yesterday...

the sweater was the only thing to make my outfit cute cause i didn't feel like picking out a sensible ensemble. i had a feeling i would regret that decision. by the time i hobbled to my 9 o'clock class i was swimming in sweat and i looked and smelled DISGUSTING. which was sad because in my history class there is this cute boy who i never thought would talk to me (partially cause this boy is in that class with me) but he did. he even gave me his seat last week so i wouldn't have to sit off to the side in the front of the room by myself. and today we started talking about music and he said, "we should totally jam sometime". yes, yes we should. only he didn't ask me for my number. probably because right after he said that he inhaled and got a woof of yeti scented perfume aka me yesterday.

but on the bright side, there is no snow which is fantastic cause i'm still on crutches.

what is your most embarrassing moment in front of someone of the opposite sex?

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?

this is for you

thanks...
for carrying me to and from the car.
for being my spotters going up and down the stairs.
for buying me extra large socks.
for sitting in the hospital room with me and making me laugh.
for sitting in the waiting room and not acting too offended when i said i didn't want you with me.
for carrying my crutches down the stairs.
for carrying my backpack all the way to school and all the way home.
for pointing and laughing--it felt so refreshing amidst all the "what happened?"s.
for pulling a chair in front of my desk to put my foot up when you could tell i was in pain.
for carrying all my crap to the car.
for waiting on me hand and foot all weekend.
for being late to class so i wouldn't have to walk in by myself.
for getting my h dub for me when the lortab kept me asleep clear through class.
for walking me home from choir
for saying nice things about me.
for not hating me.
for opening doors for me.
for offering help.

sorry...
i can't do fun stuff for a while.
i was so darn grumpy.
i'm kind of high maintenance at the moment.
i'm so stubborn.
i can't dance right now.
i move slow.
i won't date you.
i moved.

i love you

peace+love

free falling

i bought these beauties on saturday...i was thrilled to try them out, so i insisted we go out to the wash today and climb...

i ignored the feeling in my gut--no lie, it said to my brain, "if you go climbing today, you'll go to school on crutches tomorrow"...new shoes, near-perfect weather- there was no way i was letting my unused shoes sit in the box one more day...

on my second attempt at my second problem i had made it as far as the third or fourth move...my right foot was in a great hole, and my left was pressured against the wall with my trusty "stealth" rubber. i was searching for a solid hold for my hands so i could shimmy to the right then complete the climb. i thought i had a good hold, but when i went to move my feet, i fell...i didn't think the fall would be that far. in reality it was only about 4 or 5 feet...but, the crash pad was a few inches away from the rock. the front of my left foot landed on the pad while the back half rolled onto the ground... [these are definitely not my legs, but the ankle bruising/swelling part is pretty darn similar]

one ruthless dirt road, the longest 25 minute drive of my life, and 3 x-rays later, alas, i will be going to school tomorrow on crutches

i've learned my lesson
is there a time you didn't listen to your gut and paid a price?
or did listen and avoided disaster?

salt lake half marathon

apparently if you run a half marathon, don't train, and a month later do another one

your time increases by 2 minutes!!!

peace+love

my legs hurt...

...next time, i'm training

peace+love