Direct my Paycheck to REI Please

Earlier this week I received a mailing from REI announcing their Anniversary Sale that was beginning this weekend. Oh my goodness! My dreams have come true and everything I have wanted and needed for my trip to Havasu Falls in June is on sale!!

So yesterday, a few of us that are hiking into Havasu Falls together went up to SLC to go shopping at REI. I dropped so much money there. It was awesome! I was mentally and financially prepared for it though so all is still good. I don't regret anything!!

I bought a new internal frame pack, the Jetboil Group Cooking system and the companion single cup, a bunch of backpacking food, some Smartwool hiking socks, a Petzel headlamp, and some biodegradable Campsuds. Then I exchanged my awesome new hiking pants that I bought back in January or February at the Patagonia outlet for a different size--some a little more roomier and comfortable. I am set for anything fun this summer. Now to only buy a lightweight tent and sleeping bag . . .

The Rest of the Cali Story

Okay. So everyone has surely been patient enough with me for the past few days. Thank you!! I have a project (that must go unnamed until after May 20th) that I feel obligated to work on during every free minute that I have in my possession. I have to get it done by May 16th!! And once you know what it is that I am working on, you will be astonished that I essentially finished it in 3 weeks. I worked on it a bit before I went to visit Jesse in California and then I started again on it a week ago--so it adds up to 3 weeks of total time that will be spent on this project. So anyway, my true purpose in writing today is regarding my trip to visit Jesse in southern California.

First, I flew on JetBlue into Long Beach airport. So awesome! Long Beach airport is a crack up; it is seriously right out of the 1950s!! I promise. Have any of you seen the new version of The Parent Trap with Lindsey Lohan? Remember when she flies home from camp and her dad is there in front of the Napa Valley airport?? Long Beach looks exactly like it!! One photo is the front of the terminal where you drop off or pick up the passengers. And then the other is the back of the terminal with the portable that serves as the waiting area for gates--I took this picture from the ramp when I was getting on the plane. And yes!-That means I got on and off the plane straight onto the tarmac. And you guess what else!! The luggage carousal was outdoors with only a little tin roof to cover it. There were birds flying around the advertisements and carousal. Seriously, what a crack up! What a great start and ending to my fabulous trip.

Jesse picked me up and we drove straight back to her place and just caught up on everything--of course she went right for the juicy stuff from the beginning: boys in my life. Sadly, that particular juice is kind of bland. :o) And the cutest thing!! Grace, her 18-month old daughter would laugh and giggle right along with us throughout the entire conversation. So darling.

Wednesday morning, we woke up and left for Disneyland! I was so excited. $63 to get in. Wow. I thought their market was for families! But Jesse says they have some really good packages that make it a little more affordable. We went on a ton of rides and enjoyed a load of food. Jesse sent me on the Indiana Jones ride and then also the Star Tours ride (that one actually sent my stomach for a little loop!). I was just like one of the little kids there because I haven't been to Disneyland since I was 8 years old! Some of it did come back to me--like the jungle boat tour--I remember going on that ride with my dad, mom and my sister Jill. I specifically remember the elephants spewing water. Little deja vu for sure. We were so tired by 6:30 that we went home--we didn't stay for the parade or the fireworks--if they had them at all. We just went home and enjoyed a little chick-flick--Memoirs of a Geisha--while her husband was at a baseball game with his deacons quorum.

Thursday morning we slept in and then we watch another chick-flick while Grace took her nap and then we went to the beach! It was really quite chilly by the time we got there--3:00. I didn't put any sunblock on and it was fine. Grace was so cute though--she just played in the sand while we hung out. At one point Grace picked up handfuls of and would dunk her face into the sand. It took both Jesse and I to clean her face, eyes and eyelashes of the sand. Jesse and her husband, Cori, cooked a yummy dinner of steak for me and one of Jesse's friends that also happened to be in town.

Friday we went to Hollywood Blvd. Nope. We didn't see any celebrities, but we did see a bunch of stars and one of my favorites--Tim McGraw!! The pic is the in the preview blog entry. We saw the Kodak Theater and the Chinese Theater. And we even enjoyed a little French cuisine in an outdoor mall there. And then we shopped along Rodeo drive--as if we were rich!! We mostly window shopped except at Tiffany's. We went in a ogled at the diamonds there. Truly--diamonds really are a girl's best friend. :o) (Men can have their dogs.) Anyway, we shopped at Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, Lush, Anthropology (just for you Natalie!!!) and a bunch of other fun stores. If only we had thousands to spend and if I had a larger luggage piece than my carry-on size. Oh well. We watched my last chick-flick, that I brought along, that night to a dinner of pizza and yummmmmmy ice cream.Oh! And I loved the Poppies so much!! And the Cala Lillies. Jesse had some growing there in her apartment complex. I have never seen them growing like that!

And then my trip was at an end. I think I could like the LA area . . . if and only if I had enough money to live there, travel to Utah for skiing every other weekend, and I am sure I could think of many other reasons why I would need a load of money . . . Ha!


Thanks so much for such a fabulous trip Jesse and Grace (and Cori). Phenomenal hostess for sure. :o)

Teaser of an Entry to Come

So I have been kind of tired and quite busy with a project in my evenings to prevent me from writing a blog entry about my TRIP TO VISIT JESSE!! Quick and dirty summary: Wonderful. Magical. Relaxing. Fabulous. I will have to write a full entry later, but for now enjoy the little teaser photos!! Here is a pic of Jesse, Grace and me in Disneyland. Me and Tim McGraw on Hollywood Blvd.

Peace

I am just so overwhelmed with a surge of emotions right now that I had to break tradition and write an entry on my blog during my lunch hour. Devotional today was inspiring and nostalgic. They gave away the Brigham Awards and the Circle of Honor Awards to the students that show committment to service and honor. Two of the Circle of Honor Awards are dedicated to my dear friend, Amberly Dawn Rupp. She was my dearest friend from home and passed away tragically in a car accident nearly 5 years ago. Before announcing who receives the awards dedicated to her, the University showed a film talking about her life and her dedication to honor. They showed pictures of her growing up and then a few pictures from the last few years of her life: one with me, her and an old roommate of mine at a football game and then one I took of her when she caught a fish up at Bear Lake when I took her to my dad's cabin in summer of 2000. I tear up every time I see that film and my co-workers always ask me, "Was that you in the picture?"

That experience coupled with other recent happenings has me in an uncustomary emotional state right now. But while I was driving around Provo, running some errands, I listened to a couple of Cherie Call songs. She is an LDS singer/songwriter. I don't know that I love all of her music, but these two songs (and one other) really ring true to me. I hope she doesn't mind me quoting some of her lyrics in my blog as they really moved me and gave me peace during my lunch hour today.

Holding On:

You can't keep a harvest moon, it fades away all too soon
And even the trees let go of their leaves much quicker than you'd ever choose
So many people say goodbye, I see those teardrops in their eyes
And I start to wonder how I'd live without love
And I'm glad I never have to try
Cause hardly anything lasts forever anymore
But there will always be a few things that I'm gonna keep fighting for

I'm holding on to my father's love
And my mother's faith in God above
She says "We believe in you," and "never give up your dreams."
When the whole world's letting go
I'll keep holding on

How to Move a Mountain:

When I was young I heard the stories
About the people who could make the mountains flee
And every now and then, someone would tell me
I could do the same if I believed
So one summer night, I looked out my window
And I closed my eyes and listened to the wind blow

And I tried to move a mountain
I wished for it to crumble at my feet
I tried one thing after another
but I couldn't shake a leaf

I never knew that the mountain
Had a lesson it would teach
Cause as tall as I got, I still lived in its shadow
I watched it tower over me
Till one summer day, I thought I heard it call me
So I closed my eyes and then changed into my blue jeans

And I learned how to move a mountain
It was harder than I dreamed it would be
But I set one foot down past the other
Till the mountain was under me

And I felt like I could see forever
When the truth hit my senses suddenly
This mountain wasn't nearly the first one that I'd moved
God had seen my victory
Every time I put my weaknesses behind me
And I close my eyes and let His mercy find me

I know how to move a mountain
I have to fall down on my knees
Then I get back on my feet and head on upward
Till I make it to the peak
And the mountain's under me

So that is what gives me comfort right now: knowing that there are so many out there that still love me despite my shortcomings--my parents, my sisters and their families, and many more. Those that love us are there to support us when everything seems to be collapsing around us.

And then to also know that hard things can be overcome and a lesson can be learned through them.

In director's meeting this morning, my former boss shared a thought with us that I loved:

• Be underwhelmed
• Be excited about life
• Say to yourself, "Next time . . ." not "If only . . ."
  
• Think
  

My Big Opportunity for Learning and/or Growing Up

So, in my other blog entry, I mentioned that finishing my quilt top was my MILD news for the weekend. Wanna hear what my monster-gonna-blow-you-away news is?

I made an offer on my condo/townhouse!!

Yes! My owner emailed me late Friday afternoon saying that he is going to sell the condo with all the furniture and everything. I immediately emailed my dad to ask him if I dared to be spontaneous and make an offer on it. And he said yes. So he coached me through how to do my research for it and then how to talk to my loan officer and then also how to negotiate with Adam. And so I did all of that this weekend. It is kind of exciting but scary all at the same time. So begins the negotiation time.... the owner didn't really like my first offer, right now. But these things seem like they should take some time so I am going to give it just that. I'm not really attached to the idea of owning it, because owning property and being responsible for a massive mortgage makes me nervous, but it seems like such a killer opportunity that I would be stupid to pass it up without trying. So we will see what happens. Time will tell! Either way it will be an awesome opportunity to learn something new!

My Quilt Top is Finished!

My mild bit of exciting news for the weekend is that I finished my quilt top for my snowman/winter wonderland quilt! I have been working on this quilt for probably 2 years now. Long time. I have to say that it is a piece of art! My sister, Teri, and I designed it ourselves, but we did base it off another quilt. It is so darling! It has brighter colors than any other quilt I have made, but it is wonderful because of it. (You may not think it has brighter colors--but it truly does in comparison to my earth tone colors of my other quilts.) So now I just have to put together the backing--and it will be so cute!

(Click on the picture to see the details!)

Mountain Biking is Hard!

I went mountain biking for the first time in years along the Bonneville Shoreline Trail this past Saturday . . . and it was hard!! Cary was sooooo nice to take me--he couldn't have taken anyone more novice than me. He took me up the trail (which was more like a little road) and we got started. I had to walk my bike up the first two hills, but after that I got better. Except when I would stop to catch my breath--then I would get light-headed. Ugh. I was so embarrassed. But it might have had a little something to do with it being like 3:00 or 3:30 in the afternoon and I had not eaten since 8:30 or so that morning. Kind of yucky huh? But, I've gotta start somewhere. So that is where I started. The last time I attempted to ride my bike on a trail in the mountains was with Erick in summer of 2002. It kicked my trash then too, but for good reason: the kickstand on my bike was pinching the wire that allowed me to use some of my gears. Sadly, I didn't have that excellent excuse this time! I am so not in shape for anything that intense, anyway.