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

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

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

somewhere O.V.E.R. the rainbow

that's right...finals are o-v-e-r, over! well, technically i have a final at three today, but it's my climbing class...which consists of climbing, setting up an anchor, and rappelling myself down. can you say fun final? oxy-moron, but not today! now that the semester is over, it's time for the

-highlights of spring semester 2010-

{in no particular order}
-getting ruby-
-finding paulie bleeker-
-discovering mumford and sons-
-spring skiing-
-c.a.l.i.f.o.r.n.i.a.-
-free dinners thursday nights at the episcopal church (what i affectionately call "episcopal dinner"). thanks rev. sue and congregation!-
-final season of LOST...sayid is going to break my heart and desmond is going to mend it-
-late night chat on the roof...what roof? the music building-
-camping out on said roof-
-living 45 minutes from zion national park-
-the pastry pub ...the only pub that doesn't actually sell alcohol-
-earning an almond rocha from my voice teacher-
-fabulous friends....seriously, fabulous-
-"so runs the world away" don't worry, i'm listening to it right now for the 5th time this week-

and during my summer of fun i'll be living in the college turned tourist town cashiering at cafe rio in the evening (where they call me "mamasita") and baking sweets at great harvest in the morning (as in before the sun comes up).

peace+love

guess what? i'm human.

this week has been full of a mixture of emotions....stress, melancholy, sadness all jumbled in with happiness, giddiness, and euphoria. that's a lot to handle in one week. but intstead of discouraging you with details of my car problems, computer broken, failing a test, {worst cramps ever-tmi, i know} etc. etc. etc. i will dwell on the tales of happiness. for example:

-great friends. i have the best friends. they let me vent to them, keep me company, and make me smile. you know who you are--i love you guys. and will miss you immensely.-

-i won an almond rocha for my accompanist and i in my voice lesson this week...oh my teacher was on one but she doesn't make me cry anymore. she makes me laugh.-

-i've been wearing shorts all week...at least it starts out that way...then by about 4 it starts snowing...-

-the sun is shining today. which is good because today is "One Day Without Shoes". and that could get pretty miserable if there was snow on the ground.-

-i made dark chocolate brownies last night-

-um, right now if you are not a fan of LOST i feel very sorry for you. because the episode this week was beyond amazing and full of DESMOND DESMOND DESMOND! with a little sayid at the end...perfect-

-"having fun isn't hard when you've got a library card!" {click it, i dare you} i got a library card this week. it has dinosaurs on it. and i checked out a 750 page book of sherlock holmes' adventures. hours and hours of entertainment...for FREE!-

-today i'm listening to Mumford & Sons. what more do i need?-

welp, this is the longest post i've written in a while..and i've got to go repelling for my climbing class..pray i don't die. i love climbing. repelling frightens me, a lot. here i go to conquer my fears.

so, until tomorrow...

peace+love

i don't look like a vampire anymore

the sun is shining and i am content. yesterday i got the point where no matter what this month brings, i'm going to be okay. and all it took to get there was:

-first time climbing outside since october. the wind made me nervous seeing as it was my first ever multi-pitch climb and we were on sandstone. we only made it to the second pitch. i'm thinking i don't really like climbing on sandstone. regardless, i belong outside.
-decided to put air in my bike tires. then decided to ride my bike to the store... on the other side of town. those of you who ride beach cruisers know there are three gears, and when it comes to hills those gears are "slow", "slower", and "slowest".
-rode back to the other side of town to the grocery store parking lot where the "bigboys club" (music majors, go figure) were hosting a "help haiti" all-day amateur music fest. bathing in the warm sun with my raspberry lemonade listening to live music. there are few things i love more...
while there i found my dream dog...one of these. only the one i saw probably weighed twice as much and was white. i was in love.

{via}

-attended a 50's themed dance party and dressed in the 50's style jr. prom dress my mom made for me in high school. at said party i ended up having to lick mustard off of jason's nose. don't ask.

what did you do this weekend?

peace+love

rotten runklehouse!

i decided to start my weekend adventures early and skip school on friday...i went to turn in my theory assignment early and asked my awesome teacher if i could take the quiz right then. she asked me how long the assignment took me,

"about 25 minutes"

"then you understand this stuff...full credit on your quiz."

i love dr. stitt.

thursday came round and i drove up to provo to climb with my dear friend cody. it was his first time climbing since he's been home from his mission. i'm out of shape too. we each did 4 routes and decided to go up to the bouldering cave. i topped out a problem and (dumb dumb dumb) decided to drop to the floor. the floor is cushioned to prevent injury. but see, when you have an injury that you were recently able to start functioning on, it can still be a little sensitive. turns out my ankle was not ready for that kind of pressure. looks like i'm out another week.

cody...ah, so young...

last night i had a dream i was bouldering and when i reached the top i carefully climbed to the ground.

as dr. stitt would say,

"ROTTEN RUNKLEHOUSE!"

peace+love

to the rock

dear rock wall/cliff/mountiainside,

how i've missed you. i love you. even when you defeat me. which is often. but not as often as boulders defeat me. which is more often than not. but that's not the point. the point is...well, it's great to be back.

i love you
peace+love

young hate

cedar city hates me:
i could barely wait. last night was like christmas eve, only better. it took me two hours to fall asleep and i woke up on my own at 6 a.m... because today i would climb for the first time since october 21st. it had been too long. far too long.

a friend and i walked down to the suu gym and went to get our harnesses when the worker informed us that {of course} the climbing wall was closed that day because they couldn't get any of the outdoor center people to work. i have to wait till monday.

curses.
peace+love

young love

cedar city loves me:
-i arrived in cedar sunday night to the warmth of 3 letters. not bills. i love mail.
-in the middle of my first class on my first day back (monday) we had an earthquake. it was terrifying. i clutched the edge of my desk ready to crawl under as soon as something fell from the ceiling (as i was taught to do in grade school). luckily it was really small and short. later that night we had another tiny one. i felt it though. my heart now starts pounding at every rumbling sound or small tremor.
on the bright side, it got me on byu radio, just one more brick on my yellow road to stardom.
-i graduated from physical therapy today and fully intend to climb on saturday.
-i'm taking 18 credits this semester. 7 music classes + a half semester of intro to climbing.
-with the exception of wednesday, i've been up before 7 a.m. everyday this week...go me.
-news in the indie music world: greg laswell and ingrid michaelson are dating! meredith thinks they're married, but i'm skeptical. they will make beautiful music making babies. their babies may be beautiful, but mostly the music that their babies will make will be beautiful. they've already made a music baby...this song:

{via}
this made me laugh on this inside

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?

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?

it's the most wonderful time of the year...

i don't care what the song says, the truth is october-don't tell anyone, but last night we climbed to the roof of the buildings on main street via a tree...i ripped my pants as we wandered from roof to roof very slyly and very at risk-the police station is directly across the street from the block of buildings we were on...then we carved our names in a wood wall where dirty words and gang signs were spray painted...

-we bought a new kite that will actually work once we learn how to fly it (it sure is harder than it looks)--our previous kite was missing a stick, so we whittled one from a twig...it looked great but didn't really function...

-last but not least, it is finally truly fall and i couldn't be happier! my allergies mostly blew away with the wind last night, the leaves are changing, i get to snuggle in a ball while i sleep with my window cracked open, my apartment smells of pumpkin spice, and i wore a long-sleeve today...at long last, time for the cute wardrobe and my constantly happy mood

...and soon it will be winter
peace+love

in an attempt to persuade kerri (my lil sis)

this week i:
-flew a kite
-went bouldering
-roasted mallows
-went to a movie
-hiked to angel's landing

and still had time to
-get 100% on one test and 99% on the other
-opera rehearsal 3 nights
-practice everyday
-write a sacrament meeting talk

i love my new school

peace+love

"a scene with the trimmings of 'thrill'"

yesterday i climbed a boulder without a harness...and almost fell

as liz, my roommate, and i were talking about our current desire for a more exciting love life, she whipped out a little prose given to her by a man while in her com graphics class...he is over 60-years-old:
"i love looking at the back of your head...
oh, how it creates the suspense of when finally you turn around!
Then, stride down the aisle with your vigorous leap and most foxy steps...
As you address me with a "Hi" and I respond with a "How are you?"...Say, "Fine" and I return with a "How are you"-you then say, "Fine" and I return with, "Boy, you SURE are!" Then on your way back...your exciting blonde hair and super-large earrings actually shake and stimulate the very classroom air with scintillating, static motion-as you relax your magnetic, energized body, which is jubilantly dressed in black, and you commence reading your workbook again, while sexily "fingering" your computer keys...and once again...ah ha! I have the view of the back of your head...in the most "scrumptious" manner!"
peace+love

joshua tree national park

to find 80 degree weather, great people, and sheer climbing awesomeness...
...it may not be the prettiest place in the world, but i got a nice tan...on top of my cuts, bruises, blood, and extremely sore muscles...

peace+love